Topic hub

# SEO: Alex Melen’s talks, guides and data

Alex Melen has taught SEO from conference stages since 2017 and does it without the mystery: what Google ranks in Maps and in organic results, why content and links still decide most of it, how many hours a real program takes, and what changes now that AI Overviews answer many searches directly. He co-founded SmartSites, which Forbes Advisor ranked No. 1 on its Best SEO Services of 2026 list, and his sessions use Search Console and analytics data from its client base.

[Book Alex on this topic](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)[Signature talks](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#topics)

In a session SEO

## What an SEO session covers

The local ranking factors for Google Maps and organic results, where to spend the hours (technical fixes, content, links), the content formats still earning clicks and AI citations, how to judge an SEO provider, and how SEO and generative engine optimization fit together.

**For:** Business owners, marketing teams, e-commerce and WordPress site owners, dealers, agencies **Format:** Keynote · Workshop (up to 90 minutes) · Breakout · Panel

Watch Video: [Mastering Modern WordPress SEO @ WordCamp Canada 2025 Ottawa, Canada · Oct 15, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckBSZPMVDiQ)

Video: [Search Marketing for WordPress in the Age of AI @ WordCamp Canada 2025 Ottawa, Canada · Oct 16, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDBRn5mZi_s)

Video: [Mastering SEO in the World of SGE & ChatGPT Prague, Czech Republic · Sep 19, 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=418AKoI9RNs)

Key facts
- SmartSites, the agency Alex co-founded, was ranked No. 1 on Forbes Advisor’s Best SEO Services of 2026
- SEO keynotes and workshops at Small Business Expo, WordCamp Canada, TES Affiliate Conference, AWSummit, Ecommerce Festival, Digital Dealer and NIADA
- Dealerships with an independent SEO program averaged 9,511 monthly organic visitors, against 3,743 with none
- 831 new pages across 31 dealerships in summer 2026: 87% indexed and earning impressions within five weeks
- Part 1 of Automotive Search Marketing (2nd ed.) is four chapters on SEO, including the 2026 local ranking factors

Other topics
- [AI Search & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/ai-search-geo/)
- [ChatGPT Ads & Advertising Inside AI Answers](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/chatgpt-ads/)
- [Automotive Dealer Marketing: SEO, PPC, VLAs & AI Search](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/automotive/)
- [Scaling an Agency & Using Generative AI to Run It](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/agency-scaling/)
- [Paid Search & PPC: Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising & AI Ads](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/paid-search-ppc/)

Read

## Articles, guides and chapters.

[Guide · Nov 11, 2026 Car Dealer Search Engine Marketing: The Working Guide What Google ranks, the SEO plan in hours, and the content that works now.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/car-dealer-search-engine-marketing/)[Article · Oct 26, 2026 What We Learned Building 1,635 Model Pages for 43 Dealerships Within three months, 89% of the new pages were showing up in Google.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/seo-2-0-dealer-model-pages/)[Case study · Oct 26, 2026 What AI Search Did for One Ford Dealer in 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/ai-search-ford-dealer/)[Explainer AEO vs GEO vs SEO: what’s the difference?](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/aeo-vs-geo-vs-seo/)[Explainer What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/what-is-generative-engine-optimization/)[Original research AI search data from SmartSites’ client base](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/ai-search-data/)[Free chapter 13 Winning AI Search: The GEO Playbook for Car Dealerships](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/chapters/geo-for-car-dealerships/)[Book Automotive Search Marketing, Second Edition](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/)

Talks and interviews

## 20 sessions on this topic.

[All engagements](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#archive)

- Jun 25, 2026

[How Data and AI Are Shaping PPC and SEO](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/how-data-and-ai-are-shaping-ppc-and-seo/) Podcast Summary

Paramus, NJ
- Oct 16, 2025

[Search Marketing for WordPress in the Age of AI @ WordCamp Canada 2025](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/search-marketing-for-wordpress-in-the-age-of-ai-alex-melen-wordcamp-canada-2025/) Summary

Ottawa, Canada
- Oct 15, 2025

[Mastering Modern WordPress SEO @ WordCamp Canada 2025](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-modern-wordpress-seo-alex-melen-wordcamp-canada-2025/) Summary

Ottawa, Canada
- Jun 25, 2025

[Automotive Dealership AI, SEO & PPC @ NIADA 2025](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/automotive-dealership-ai-seo-ppc-alex-melen-niada-2025/) Summary

Las Vegas, NV
- Sep 14, 2024

[Affiliate Marketing SEO Panel @ AWSummit Bucharest 2024](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/affiliate-marketing-seo-panel-alex-melen-awsummit-bucharest-2024/) Video

Bucharest, Romania
- Oct 18, 2023

[Your Dealership is Losing Out on its Most Valuable Traffic Channel @ DigitalDealer](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/your-dealership-is-losing-out-on-its-most-valuable-traffic-channel/) Video

Las Vegas, NV
- Sep 19, 2023

[Mastering SEO in the World of SGE & ChatGPT](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-in-the-world-of-sge-chatgpt/) Summary

Prague, Czech Republic
- Jul 25, 2023

[Alex Melen of SmartSites Car Dealer SEO Secrets & Chat GPT Hacks](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/alex-melen-of-smartsites-car-dealer-seo-secrets-chat-gpt-hacks/) Podcast Summary

Paramus, NJ
- May 11, 2023

[Effective SEO Management for Ranking #1 on Google (#505)](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/alex-melen-effective-seo-management-for-ranking-1-on-google-505/) Podcast Summary

Paramus, NJ
- Apr 27, 2023

[Automotive Search Marketing @ DealersEdge](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/automotive-search-marketing-alex-melen/) Video

Paramus, NJ
- Feb 23, 2023

[Mastering SEO for Affiliates @ TES Affiliate Conference 2023](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-for-affiliates-alex-melen-tes-affiliate-conference-2023/) Video

Lisbon, Portugal
- Apr 21, 2022

[Mastering SEO, Alex Melen Keynote @ Small Business Expo Boston 2022](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-alex-melen-keynote-small-business-expo-boston-2022/) Video

Boston, MA
- Feb 25, 2022

[Mastering SEO for Ecommerce @ Ecommerce Festival 2022](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-for-ecommerce-ecommerce-festival-2022/) Video

Copenhagen, Denmark
- Jan 5, 2022

[Mastering SEO, Optimize Google My Business with Alex Melen](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-optimize-google-my-business-with-alex-melen/) Podcast Video

Cleveland, OH
- Oct 22, 2021

[Mastering SEO, Alex Melen Keynote @ Small Business Expo NYC 2021](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-alex-melen-keynote-small-business-expo-nyc-2021/) Video

New York City, NY
- Dec 3, 2020

[Ask the Experts: Future of SEO @MadConNYC](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/ask-the-experts-future-of-seo/) Video

New York, NY
- Jul 17, 2020

[SEO Goals Agencies Must Try to Achieve @StanVentures](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/seo-goals-agencies-must-try-to-achieve/) Podcast

Lake Bluff, IL
- Oct 17, 2019

[Building a $50M Agency on SEO @ Influicity](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/building-a-50m-agency-on-seo-influicity/) Podcast

Paramus, NJ
- Apr 11, 2019

[Combining SEO with PPC to Drive Maximum Results @DigitalDealer](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/combining-seo-with-ppc-to-drive-maximum-results/) Video

Orlando, FL
- Nov 6, 2018

[How to improve your Search Engine Traffic @NameSummit](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/how-to-improve-your-search-engine-traffic/) Video

New York, NY

Questions

## Frequently asked

**Does Alex Melen give SEO keynotes and workshops?**

Yes. He has given SEO keynotes at Small Business Expo in New York and Boston, a 90-minute workshop and a session at WordCamp Canada 2025, and SEO sessions at TES Affiliate Conference, AWSummit, Ecommerce Festival, Digital Dealer and NIADA.

**Is SEO still worth covering now that AI answers many searches?**

Alex’s position is that generative engine optimization is a layer on top of SEO, not a replacement. The AI engines learn about a business from the same pages, reviews and links that SEO works on. What has changed is which content earns clicks, and his sessions show that with client data.

**Which audiences is the SEO material adapted for?**

Small businesses, e-commerce brands, WordPress site owners, affiliates, agencies and car dealerships. The ranking factors are the same; the examples and the content plan change with the audience.

## Want this topic in your program?

Alex builds every session for the room. Send the event, audience and dates and he will come back with a proposed talk.

[Check availability](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)
[Speaker kit](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#kit)

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Source: https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/seo/ · Markdown version of this page for AI agents and LLMs. Site guide: https://www.alexmelen.com/llms.txt