Thought Leadership

SmartSites Masterclass

SmartSites Masterclass?

Our goal for the Ecommcerce Masterclass is to offer our clients and your clients, with the best tools to acquire, convert, and retain customers. At the end of the Masterclass, they will be able to continually optimize their ecommerce store by leveraging the best practices shared throughout the course.

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June 23, 2023, in NEW YORK HILTON MIDTOWN

Email Marketing Made Easy: Integrating AI for Enhanced Conversions

Take your email marketing strategies to the next level with the help of AI! In this session, we will discuss implementing AI-powered on-site displays to boost first-time conversions, and using reliable email and SMS marketing techniques that leverage AI to promote repeat purchases and build brand loyalty. Additionally, we will explore integrating AI features into email and SMS platforms, which can significantly elevate campaign conversion rates. Examples include Klaviyo's Subject Line Assistant and AI-Powered SMS Assistant, which have proven highly effective. Ashley will also share her experiences using ChatGPT to generate more conversion-friendly copy, resulting in positive brand outcomes.

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April 11, 2023, in Paramus, NJ

ChatGPT Opportunities for Auto Dealerships @DealersEdge | SmartSites

It’s New… but creating a lot of excitement. Bill Gates says, “ChatGPT will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care and communicate with each other.” He also commented, “Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.”New technologies and modern advancements can be daunting, but they can also bring about great benefits and enhance our daily lives. It is important to keep an open mind towards progress and innovation.This is your opportunity to start learning about ChatGPT and how it will change how things are done in retail automotive.Tune into this special presentation as Alex Melen of SmartSites gives you a basic tutorial on:What is ChatGPT and why it is important for auto dealershipsHow to employ the magic of ChatGPT in your customer communications, social media and blog posts.Learn how to use automation & AI to be more effective in your operations and marketing.Get a head start on Implementing this amazing technology in your dealership. Improve your communications are enjoy the benefit of increased sales and profits.

February 23, 2023, in Lisbon, Portugal

How to Get Powerful Backlinks in 2023 @TES Affiliate Conference 2023 | SmartSites

Discover how you can start getting high quality backlinks for any niche. Effective link building strategies will propel your organic SEO rankings in 2023 and beyond. Speaker Michael Melen founded BacklinkBuild, a link building company in 2009. BacklinkBuild merged with SmartSites, an internationally-renowned agency. Link building remains a core of SmartSites SEO solutions and is performed for thousands of small businesses and large enterprises alike.

February 23, 2023, in Lisbon, Portugal

Mastering SEO for Affiliates @TES Affiliate Conference 2023 | SmartSites

Learn how to master your SEO and grow your business by optimizing your search engine presence. This session will cover the latest Google ranking signals and what determines how well you show up in Google Maps and Google Organic Results. The session will also feature case studies of how we've grown SEO traffic for 1000s of clients and will feature never-before-released Google secrets from my upcoming book.

November 10, 2022, in Austin, TX

How to Get Started with Vehicle Listing Ads @NIADA BHPH Super Forum | SmartSites

Vehicle ads, the latest SEM functionality from Google, are a performance-focused, lower funnel ad format that allows auto advertisers to promote their entire inventory of vehicles to interested customers shopping for cars on Google. This session will take a deep dive into what they are, how to implement them, and how to get ahead of your competition. In this session, you will learn about Vehicle Listing Ads, review Case Studies of how they are implemented, and walk away with key examples of how to jump-start your car sales with VLAs.

November 9, 2022, in Austin, TX

Digital Marketing Workshop @NIADA BHPH Super Forum | SmartSites

During this half-day workshop, you will review the fundamentals of a digital marketing strategy, including choosing your digital marketing tools, implementing best practices, and building a plan to track, measure, adjust & optimize. Using templates, you will define your strategy using a proven framework, clearly identify your target audience, determine which tactics you will use to meet your objectives, and establish relevant KPIs to track performance. You will learn about the various types of digital ads, how digital ads are bought, and determine which platform best fits your business, target audience, and budget. Plus, you will review KPIs specific to your strategy, which you will use to measure your performance and hold third parties accountable. Finally, our industry experts will share pro tips on how to build an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. We will cover differentiating between different parts of Google search results and different parts of SEO. We will also cover techniques to reverse engineer your competitor's SEO strategies and build an SEO blueprint that will bring you organic search traffic.

October 11, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV

A Deep Dive into Vehicle Listing Ads @Digital Dealer Las Vegas 2022 | SmartSites

Vehicle ads, the latest SEM functionality from Google, are a performance-focused, lower funnel ad format which allows auto advertisers to promote their entire inventory of vehicles to interested customers shopping for vehicles on Google. This session will take a deep dive into what they are, how to implement them, and how to get ahead of your competition. Learn about Vehicle Listing Ads See Case Studies of how they are implemented Walk away with key examples on how to jump start your car sales with VLA's

October 10, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV

A Deep Dive into Vehicle Listing Ads @Driving Sales DSES Las Vegas | SmartSites

Vehicle ads, the latest SEM functionality from Google, are a performance-focused, lower funnel ad format which allows auto advertisers to promote their entire inventory of vehicles to interested customers shopping for vehicles on Google. This session will take a deep dive into what they are, how to implement them, and how to get ahead of your competition. Learn about Vehicle Listing Ads See Case Studies of how they are implemented Walk away with key examples on how to jump start your car sales with VLA's

September 23, 2022, in New York City, NY

How We Scaled Ecommerce Clients by 100%+ @Meet Magento | SmartSites

How We Scaled Ecommerce Clients by 100%+ Without Increasing Marketing Costs This session will cover real case studies of how we grew many of our clients by implementing smarter marketing and increasing performance without increasing spend. Takeaways: a) How to create omni-channel strategies for PPC & SEO b) How to create cohesive, unified messaging and experience across multiple platforms c) How to unify & optimize your customer & product data d) How to retarget to keep high value customers coming back.

August 23, 2022, in Prague, Czechia

How to Scale Ecommerce with Omni-Channel Marketing @TES Affiliate Conference | SmartSites

In this session, you will learn how SmartSites has scaled hundreds of eCommerce clients without increasing their marketing spend. Specifically, we will focus on a case study of a client for whom we grew Revenue by over 150% YoY by re-working their marketing strategy. This session will also cover real-life case studies of how we combined the power of SEO, SEM, Social & CRO to increase ROI and performance.

June 22, 2022

A Complete Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization

Ashley Ismailovski, CRO Operations Manager at SmartSites, was invited to present a 9-part video series on conversion rate optimization as a part of Privy's Masterclass+. In her course, Ashley walks through Displays, Email, SMS, and Website Design to show how to raise conversion rates in each area. She shares her knowledge and best practices in these areas to give registrants more confidence in tackling CRO with their marketing teams.

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A Complete Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization

June 23, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV

Google Ad Tricks Your Competitors Are Using to Succeed @NIADA 2022 Las Vegas | SmartSites

Alex Melen is an award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder of a $100 million/year digital agency. Alex will share proven strategies to help you rise above your competition and capture in-market car shoppers in this session. He will reveal the most advanced Google Ads functionality and S.E.M. implementation options and strategies like customer-matching, creating custom audiences, and vehicle listing ads and what is "up & coming" with Google Ads. You will review case studies, view the results of their success, then walk away with strategies that you can implement with similar results. No dealer should miss this session!

May 24, 2022, in New York, NY

Ecommerce Case Study @Affiliate Summit East 2022 NYC | SmartSites

In this session, you will learn how we scaled an eCommerce store by 150% in Revenue YoY with a few strategies. Through the power of an Omni-channel Marketing strategy & strategic partnerships with various Shopify Apps, we streamlined on-site optimizations, increased conversion rates and doubled revenue (and no we didn't just double the spend)!

May 17, 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Most Valuable Insight Presentations @DrivingSales Presidents Club 2022

The Most Valuable Insight Competition is designed to reveal and showcase never-before-released data and research unique in the automotive industry.

May 17, 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, FL

State of Dealership Marketing Study @DrivingSales Presidents Club 2022

The results of the State of Dealership Marketing Survey are presented on stage by a panel of industry experts. You’ll discover which marketing channels dealers are investing in today and which ones are the most effective.

April 21, 2022, in Boston, MA

Small Business Expo Boston 2022 Keynote: Mastering SEO @Small Business Expo

Learn how to master your SEO and grow your business by optimizing your search engine presence.

April 6, 2022

Leveraging Email Marketing to Increase Customer LTV

SmartSites and Clyde partnered to bring our clients and colleagues a webinar to discuss how you can use email marketing to increase customer lifetime value. Speakers discussed the recently-announced Clyde x Klaviyo integration, shared client success stories, and presented some actionable ways attendees can strengthen your product ownership funnel. Learn to better nurture leads and drive repeat conversions by leveraging the strategies shared by thought leaders in the space.

March 10, 2022, in Las Vegas

NADA 2022: Driving Digital Success @NADA 2022

Driving Digital Success Room Name: W222 Thursday, March 10, 02:30 pm -- 03:30 pm Learn about emerging, pilot, and future tools and capabilities hosted by a $100M Google ads agency owner. This no-pitch agenda will empower you to inspect your in-house or agency Google Ads capabilities, and manage providers for best applications and results. Prepare for your digital success in 2022.

February 26, 2022

MASTERING SEO FOR ECOMMERCE

This session will cover best-practices that I’ve learned over the last 11 years of running SmartSites and building the brand to over 1,000 active SEO clients. We’ll also take a deep dive into Google’s ranking signals to help you understand what goes into determining your ranking on both Google Maps and Local Search Results.

November 11, 2021

Drive New Holiday Customers & Keep Them Coming Back

Acquiring new customers during the holiday shopping season is a big focus for eCommerce brands, but did you know that most customers acquired during BFCM are one-time buyers? 64% of businesses report that customers acquired during BFCM have a lower lifetime value than shoppers acquired at any other time. Don’t miss this session with Matthew Prepis, Director of Business Development at SmartSites and Vincent Panepinto, Co-Founder of Spently to learn to drive more customers and how to avoid becoming a statistic and boost repeat repurchases from holiday shoppers.

October 22, 2021, in New York City, NY

Small Business Expo Manhattan 2021 Keynote: Mastering SEO @DigitalDealer

Learn how to master your SEO and grow your business by optimizing your search engine presence.

October 22, 2021

The Hidden Power of Digital Data @Small Business Expo NYC 2021

90% of users will turn to Google to help with their purchase decision. By understanding how these users think, search, and act online gives company's the greatest opportunity to convert them into potential new business.   In this workshop, we will be giving a brief introduction to digital marketing, how it works, and how to properly utilize the millions of data points available in tools such as Google Analytics and Google AdWords. Most people set up an digital marketing plan and hope for the best, but the only true way to make digital marketing campaigns worthwhile is by analyzing the customer information available and making adjustments accordingly.   SmartSites manages over $50M per year in Google Ad spend which has helped reveal some surprising statistics that we will be sharing.

October 14, 2021, in Las Vegas, NV

Advanced SEM Implementations for Driving Digital Success @DigitalDealer

This no pitch agenda will empower you to inspect your in house or agency Google Ads capabilities and manage providers for best applications and results.  Live programs will be introduced that are either in pilot, newly released, or yet released to the general market, setting the stage and preparing you for Digital Success in 2022.

Primary Learning Objectives: 1) Learn the full capabilities of SEM: Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, etc. 2) Learn to evaluate your own marketing efforts and ask the right questions from your current SEM vendor to make sure you're set up for success. 3) Learn about what's coming down the pipeline from Google, Microsoft, and others to be on the cutting edge of digital marketing.

October 13, 2021

Small Business Expo Brooklyn 2021 Keynote: Lessons Learned From Building 1,000 Websites

Small Business Expo Brooklyn 2021's opening keynote delivered by SmartSites' Co-Founder, Michael Melen. Michael started building websites as a teenager and now his agency has built over a thousand. Michael shares his personal story and lessons learned in web design & development. This presentation is full of gems; a must-watch for any small business owner.

October 10, 2021, in Las Vegas, NV

Pivoting Your Marketing to Capture the New Digital Shopper @DrivingSales

As we enter 2022 – dealing with what will hopefully be the tail-end of COVID, it is as good time as any to come to terms that consumer behavior has changed. Not only has it changed “for now” but it has changed forever. While some in the automotive space viewed COVID as an existential threat, it’s in fact an opportunity to survive, evolve and thrive. This session will review the shifting consumer behaviors and will help automotive dealerships pivot their marketing to capture the new digital shopper. We will lean on data & research provided by Google’s Automotive team as well as several internal studies done across the industry that have never been published externally.

BFCM 2021 – Holiday Hustle Virtual Summit @Recart

It’s no secret. The COVID-19 pandemic may have started last year, but its impact on consumer behavior still shows no signs of settling down this year or in the future.To help you meet your expectations, adapt to new trends, we're teaming up with 7 top ecommerce experts for 2 days to give you all the actionable tactics & strategies to boost traffic, increase conversion rate, and double repeat purchases.Join SmartSites for this fun and unique event!

June 23, 2021

SmartSites x ConvertCart: 4 Organic Growth Secrets Successful Founders Swear By @ConvertCart

Driving your organic traffic isn't easy especially given the strong competition in today's ecommerce landscape. Join Olivia Hendrzak, eCommerce Lead (SEO and Website Development) at SmartSites and Shekhar Kapoor, VP of Marketing at ConvertCart as they discuss 4 top tips to drive and acquire more organic traffic for your ecommerce store. By the end of this presentation, you'll be able to walk away with actionable strategies to get started on your SEO campaigns.

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June 10, 2021, in Tampa, FL

The Path Forward Shifting Digital Trends in a Post Covid World @DigitalDealer | SmartSites @DigitalDealer

Not only has consumer behavior changed “for now” but it has changed forever. While some in the automotive space viewed COVID as an existential threat, it’s an opportunity to evolve and thrive. This session will review the shifting consumer behaviors and will help you to pivot your marketing to capture the new digital shopper.

March 8, 2021, in Virtual Conference

Pivoting Your Marketing For the Post-Covid Consumer – SEO Mastery Summit | SmartSites @SEO Mastery Summit

This SEO Mastery session covers the SEO implications of the new behaviors of the post-covid consumer. Learn how to pivot your content writing, SEO and overall marketing strategy to succeed in the post-COVID world.

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February 24, 2021

SmartSites x Recart: Triple Your Ecommerce Profits with PPC and Messenger @SmartSites

Pay Per Click can be a powerful, but expensive tool. Join Matthew Prepis, Director of Business Development and Nicholas Romaya, Head of Partnerships in this webinar to learn more about how you can get more out of your paid search campaign for your online shop by using Recart.

February 18, 2021

Digital Marketing Discussion with Matthew Prepis @The NiceJob Podcast

Enjoy this fun conversation between Matthew Prepis, Director of Business Development at SmartSites and Shawn Hill, Community Marketing Manager, NiceJob
on the state of digital marketing in 2021, what to expect from marketing, and other unexpected. The NiceJob Podcast is a weekly segment that features experts from all industries.

January 28, 2021, in San Antonio, TX

Pivoting Your Marketing to Capture the New Digital Shopper @SmallBusinessExpo

As we enter the first month of 2021 – dealing with a COVID resurgence and election uncertainty, it is as good time as any to come to terms that consumer behavior has changed. Not only has it changed “for now” but it has changed forever. This session will review the shifting consumer behaviors and will help SMB’s pivot their marketing to capture the new digital shopper.

January 20, 2021

SmartSites x Postal: Shorten the Sales Cycle with Innovative Marketing and Engagement @SmartSites

Knowing how to attract new leads and then convert them to invest in your services is a challenge for a lot of business owners—but it doesn’t have to be. Join Ben Jablow, Postal.io and Matthew Prepis, SmartSites for a co-branded webinar on January 20th to learn more about innovative ways to drive new leads, close holes in your sales pipeline, and shorten your sale cycle.

December 18, 2020

SmartSites x Smith.ai: Data-Driven Google Ads Campaigns & Lead Response Strategies to Convert More @SmartSites

Knowing how to attract the attention of new leads and then convert them to invest in your services is a mystery for a lot of business owners—but it doesn’t have to be. SmartSites' Matthew Prepis and Smith.ai's Kelsey Johnson host this webinar and discuss how to use AdWords trends, lead data, and communication strategies to convert more leads for your business without having to endure all the trial and error.

December 16, 2020, in Brooklyn, NYC

The Hidden Power of Data @MadconNYC

SmartSites will be joining the adventurous team at the first annual MadCon at the Brooklyn Expo Center. SmartSites will explore the endless possibilities and data points available that marketers have at their disposal and how to use them advantageously.

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November 12, 2020

SmartSites x TapCart: Create and Market an App in time for the Holidays! @SmartSites

Join Sina Mobasser, Founder & COO of TapCart and Matthew Prepis, Director of Business Development at SmartSites to learn more about how to turn your Shopify website into a beautiful app and how to drive more downloads to your newly created app! Users are spending more time on mobile than ever before. Use TapCart can help capitalize on the time users are spending on their phone.

June 4, 2020, in NYC

Utilizing The Hidden Power Of Data With Google Ads @thesmallbusinessexpo

In this workshop, we will be giving a brief introduction to what Google Ads is, how it works, and how to properly utilize the millions of data points available in their dashboard. Most people set up an account and hope for the best, but the only true way to make paid advertising campaigns worthwhile is by analyzing the customer information available and making changes accordingly.

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April 28, 2020, Virtual Conference

Dominate Your Marketing In 2020 @DrivingSales

COVID-19 has changed how you market. How can you create smart campaigns on a shoestring budget? Discover the latest tactics and strategies you need to develop marketing campaigns that convert. From search to social, we’ll share the insights you need to know to win in 2020.

January 28, 2020, in Austin, Texas

Using Data And Machine Learning To Grow Your Domain Empire @NAMESCON

This session goes in-depth on how to use that data to find domains to buy; as well as how to use data and machine learning to bring traffic, revenue, and value to your existing domains.

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meet greet grow - 2020

January 24, 2020, in New Jersey

Watch. Greet. Grow. A SmartSites Networking Event @MGG2020

An exclusive invite-only event for SmartSites clients. Guests had the opportunity to meet fellow business owners, share insights, form partnerships, and find ways to grow together.

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January 13, 2020, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Acquire Customers With Paid Search & Paid Social @SmartSites

Learn and understand Customer Acquisition through paid search channels (Google, Facebook, Instagram). Discover how to utilize & optimize landing pages for highest chance of success. Understand your cost per acquisition and how to scale.

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June 27, 2019, in Princeton, NJ

Watch. Click. Convert. A Digital Marketing Event @WCG2019

The event will cover the importance of advertising on Google and how to use videos to capture more leads.The featured speakers will be Matthew Prepis, the Director of Business Development at SmartSites, a full service digital agency, David Fraunberger, the owner of Shades Digital, a video production company, and Matt Targett, a Strategic Partner Manager, at Google.There will also be a Q & A session at the end to cover any additional topics and representatives from both SmartSItes and Shades Digital available for more detailed conversations.

April 9-11, 2019, in Orlando

Combining SEO With PPC To Drive Maximum Results @Digitaldealer

Leverage organic and paid online marketing to drive both immediate and long-lasting results.

January 27 - 30, 2019, in Las Vegas

Namescon: Domains & Digital Marketing @NAMESCONGLOBAL

Learn how to develop your domain to generate recurring revenue while also increasing the domain name’s value. Reserve your discounted tickets today by using the code ‘FriendsofSmartSites’.

November 6, 2018, in NYC

Social Media For The Real Estate Industry @RESUMMIT

Real estate is in a social media driven era as home buyers become more influenced by platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Join Alex Melen and a team of experts as they discuss industry trends.

November 5th, 2018, in NYC

How To Improve Your SEO And Increase Traffic @NAMESUMMIT

Learn tips and tricks to increase your visibility on Google. Alex Melen joins a panel of experts as they review real-life examples and reveal industry insights and recommendations.

October 24, 2018, in NYC

SmartSites x Google Digital Marketing 2018 @GOOGLENYC

The SmartSites team presents the importance of digital and introduces Smart Reports at the Google New York City office.

June 28, 2018, in Las Vegas

Develop A Domain And Sell A Business @NAMESCON

Alex Melen discusses the tips and tricks on the most effect and efficient ways to develop and market domains at NamesCon Las Vegas.

June 7-9, 2018, in Valencia, Spain

3 B’s Of Developing Domains: Buy, Build, Benefit @NAMESCONEUROPE

Alex Melen provides real life examples of the revenue and value-creating potential of developing your domains at NamesCon Europe in Spain.

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January 3, 2018, in New Jersey

New Jersey Regionals For Emerging Leaders @DECA

Michael Melen Judges presentations by young aspiring professionals on buisness fundamentals, marketing principles, and social responsiblility at teh DECA Regional Conference at Ramapa University in New Jersey.

November 16, 2017, in New York City

8th Annual New York Health Forum @NYHF

Matthew Prepis joins a panel of marketing experts to discuss the ever changing digital advertising in the beauty industry space at the New York Health Forum.

8th Annual New York Health Forum

November 16, 2017, in New York City

SmartSites x Google Digital Marketing Panel @GOOGLENYC

The SmartSites team, joined by Google’s Victoria Fabiano, present Micro Moments and Importance of Digital at the Google New York City office.

October 17, 2017, in Philadelphia

Killer SEO Hacks To Improve Your SEO In 30 Days @DIGITAL-DEALER

Michael Melen presents the latest automotive industry marketing trends and the importance of Search Engine Optimization at the Digital Dealer conference in Philadelphia.

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October 16, 2017, in Philadelphia

Succeeding With Online Marketing Keynote @DIGITAL-DEALER

Alex Melen discusses the challenges, competition, and digital strategies auto dealers face as the Keynote Speaker at the Digital Dealer conference in Philadelphia.

October 08, 2017, in New Delhi

Digital Marketing Workshop @ICEFAT

Michael Melen and Matthew Prepis go through practical solutions for SEO, social media, pay per click, and online reputation in an ever changing digital landscape at the ICEFAT conference in New Delhi.

Digital Marketing Workshop
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October 07, 2017, in New Delhi

Branding & Web Strategy @ICEFAT

Michael Melen and Anita Kostadinov demonstrate the importance of branding for companies in the art and art shipping verticals and how it can affect business at the ICEFAT conference in New Delhi.

October 05, 2017, in New Delhi

Annual SmartSites Conference @SMARTSITES

Our global team met in New Delhi to share ideas and improve processes during a rigorous four-day conference.

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Annual SmartSites Conference

August 8, 2017, in New York City

Holistic Marketing Strategy To Maximize ROI @NAMESUMMIT

Alex Melen joins a panel of speakers to discuss the essential elements of branding and how to look at marketing in a holistic sense at NameSummit New York.

August 7, 2017, in New York City

Creating Brand Equity Through Digital Marketing @NAMESUMMIT

Alex and Michael Melen join a panel of digital gurus on the topic of how to foster long term, sustainable growth in the digital space at NameSummit New York.

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May 16, 2017, in Berlin

Develop A Domain & Sell A Business @DOMAININGEUROPE

Alex Melen joins a panel of domain experts on the discussing of how to best develop, market, and sell domains at Domaining Europe in Berlin.

April 6, 2017, in Austin

Online Marketing 101: SEO, PPC & SMM @HOSTINGCONGLOBAL

Alex Melen goes back to the basics in his presentation on SEO, PPC & SMM fundamentals at HostingCon Global in Los Angeles.

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Marketing In A Cut-Throat Industry @HOSTINGCONEU

October 12, 2016, in Amsterdam

Marketing In A Cut-Throat Industry @HOSTINGCONEU

Alex Melen explains how to leverage marketing efforts to create a funnel that generates new customers and revenue at HostingCon Europe in Amsterdam.