Brett Tabke on Pubcon Turning 20, Anger at Google & The Power of Content [PODCAST]

In this episode, Brett talks about the lessons he’s learned throughout his career, the secret to building loyalty from speakers and attendees, what’s in store for the industry, and more.

Show Notes

• Brett on what winning the U.S. Search Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 meant to him. [1:39]
• The highlight of his career? When WebmasterWorld was a PR9 and ranked number one on the SERPs for the keyword [google] on Google (circa 2001). [2:24]
• “[N]ot everybody’s heard of Pubcon,” Brett shares. About 30% of the people who come to Pubcon every year are exposed to the brand that same year. [3:59]
• At Pubcon, it’s all about hands-on actionable information. Speakers need to have at least three giveaways that can help attendees better their website and marketing efforts. [5:57]
• Brett shares the story of how Pubcon came to be. Back in 2000, 125 people crammed into a London pub for a meetup hosted by WebmasterWorld’s RC Jordan and Mike Mackin. [7:43]
• On seeing the opportunity in growing Pubcon into a business. [11:01]
• How Vegas became the main destination for Pubcon. [12:40]
• What’s the difference between the main show in Vegas versus Pubcon Florida and Pubcon Austin? [14:18]
• Brett’s top conference networking tips that he’s picked up over the years. [17:06]
• His best advice for people who will eventually want to get on the stage at a Pubcon event. [19:18]
• This is what people can do to ensure they never get to speak at a Pubcon or a conference. [20:45]
• Brett’s secrets to creating such a loyal, grassroots and organic brand? Community, getting panels set up in a non-competitive manner, and alcohol. [24:02]
• On the decisions he’s had to make over the past 20 years to keep Pubcon a leader in the webmaster conference space. [26:55]
• As a younger person, Brett was fascinated by television sets – taking apart his family’s TV and putting it back together. He was also fascinated by the entire Commodore experience of the early ’80s. [29:36]
• How Pubcon keeps its content agendas fresh, especially with there being so much more competition. [31:37]
• What are Brett’s pre- and post-Pubcon rituals? [33:49]
• On the difficulties he faced managing WebmasterWorld for quite a few years working with volunteers, losing referral traffic from Google after Panda and Penguin, and dealing with all the proclivities and sensibilities of a global audience. [35:35]
• The most satisfying part of all the stuff Brett has done for the past two decades. [38:08]
• On the biggest thing about WebmasterWorld: “We’re kind of this unique, independent platform that gives people a voice without necessarily having consequences attached to just having that voice.” [40:45]
• Brett shares his thoughts on the issues surrounding Google and big tech, where things might possibly land, and what it could mean for our industry. [42:15]
• What might happen if the federal and/or state governments find Google has violated antitrust regulations? [46:53]
• One of the pioneers of SEO, Brett started building websites in 1996 after a family friend asked him to build a webpage and learning HTML one weekend. [49:11]
• How much has SEO changed since back in the early 2000s and where are we going? [51:59]
• Brett’s recommended resources for people who want to stay abreast of the latest changes. [56:29]
• If he wasn’t in search, marketing and web design, Brett would probably do programming full-time. [1:00:23]
• The best pieces of professional and SEO advice ever given to Brett. [1:01:12]
• The worst piece of SEO advice he’s still hearing today. [1:03:27]
• What’s going on with links and is anchor text dead? [1:04:35]
• This is what Brett hopes people in this industry will remember about him. [1:05:34]
• Even if he could go back in time, Brett would not change a thing nor give himself any advice. [1:08:06]
• Brett shares how he got through the tough moments in his career and what he learned from it. [1:09:25]
• Learn the key to achieving long-lasting success in this industry, according to Brett. [1:11:03]
• The thing that has got Brett most excited about in technology right now. [1:14:13]
• What’s next for Brett Tabke? [1:16:06]