SEO communities astir the satellite are struggling to get backmost to mean aft COVID-19. Ahrefs is looking to item antithetic communities globally to spot if we tin reignite immoderate of them. If you privation your assemblage featured, send maine a message.

Raleigh, North Carolina, is wherever I’ve called location for much than a decade. It’s a assemblage that I cognize and love, truthful I’m featuring it first. It besides has 1 of the largest and oldest SEO communities successful the world.

But wherefore Raleigh? And what makes it special? Let’s find out!

A batch of the SEO past successful Raleigh goes backmost to a azygous company: Websourced. I’m told that, astatine 1 point, this was 1 of the largest integer selling companies successful the world. 

That was 20+ years agone and earlier my time. But I bash cognize that galore talented SEOs worked determination similar Jenny Halasz, Andy Beal, Garrett French, Bob Misita, and many more.

We play the six degrees of separation crippled with Jenny. The thought is that each radical are six oregon less societal connections distant from each other. It’s astonishing however galore radical she has trained have, successful turn, trained others successful the field—and not conscionable successful Raleigh.

Ashley Berman Hale besides deserves a immense shout-out for starting 1 of the earliest communities, the Raleigh SEO Meetup. Founded successful 2008, she ran it until 2011 erstwhile she moved and turned it implicit to Phil Buckley. Phil ran the monthly events until 2014 erstwhile Frank Jones took over. Frank brought maine successful (Patrick Stox) and, later, JR Oakes to assistance tally things.

Raleigh SEO Meetup isn’t the lone group, but it’s been the astir impactful and well known.

We’ve got a fewer antithetic groups successful Raleigh, and we’ve been fortunate capable to support them escaped for radical implicit the years, acknowledgment to immoderate astonishing sponsors. 

This isn’t easy, though. Most of the akin groups successful the U.S. person gone to a rank exemplary and/or person fees for attending the events. It’s ever a conflict to support the lights on.

But we’ve been fortunate to person radical passionate astir the SEO assemblage who walk a ton of clip and large effort to marque these events happen. 

On apical of that, we’re fortunate to person a talented excavation of section speakers, a assemblage that supports caller speakers, and capable designation to a constituent wherever we (sometimes) propulsion successful bigger speakers.

We’ve had speakers specified arsenic Mike King, Joy Hawkins, Bill Slawski (RIP), Rand Fishkin, Casie Gillette, Kevin Indig, Scott Dikkers (co-founder of The Onion), Gregory Ng, Susan Wenograd, Paul Shapiro, Eric Enge, Hamlet Batista (RIP), and galore much implicit the years.

Rob Delory presenting astir section SEO astatine the Raleigh SEO Meetup.

Raleigh SEO Meetup 

• 4,000 members
• 250+ events
• Founded successful 2008 by Ashley Berman Hale
• Currently tally by Frank Jones and Patrick Stox

Raleigh SEO Meetup labels itself arsenic the astir palmy SEO meetup successful the U.S. This was decidedly existent astatine 1 time, and we could propulsion 150–200+ radical for our monthly events.

We’ve had a batch of formats similar conference-style presentations, informal hangouts, unrecorded audits, SEO grooming sessions, lightning talks, and treatment panels implicit the years. 

In the bully times, we had bully lawsuit spaces and provided nutrient and drinks. In the atrocious times, we were astatine a restaurant, bar, oregon adjacent a library.

We tried going backmost to in-person events aft COVID-19, but we conscionable don’t person the gully yet. We had immoderate large speakers, but determination was small involvement successful the events. 

It mightiness beryllium that radical mislaid the wont of coming oregon weren’t alert we started doing the events again. I deliberation we’ll conscionable person to get backmost retired determination and plug along. But for now, we’re inactive doing online events and immoderate occasional luncheon meetups.

Triangle Marketing Club

• 5,500+ members
• 75+ events
• Founded successful 2015 by Chris Douglas and Cole Watts
• Currently tally by Chris Douglas

The radical focuses connected things beyond SEO, but overmuch of its contented is besides applicable to SEOs. Chris has had a fewer issues getting the radical going again aft COVID-19. But he’s backmost astatine it each month, and the attendance is increasing again.

Beer & SEO  

• 700+ members
• 75+ events
• Founded successful 2008 arsenic the RTP SEO Meetup
• Relaunched by Rob Delory, JR Oakes, and Patrick Stox
• Currently tally by Rob Delory and Patrick Stox

This radical was increasing pre-COVID, and we saw 50+ radical astatine immoderate of the events then. The contented present was ever much advanced, and we ne'er expected a immense turnout.

We haven’t had an lawsuit for this radical since COVID-19 hit, but I deliberation it’s astir clip we effort again. The turnout astatine the Raleigh SEO events and Triangle Marketing has america scared, though, due to the fact that they traditionally experienced a overmuch higher turnout.

The largest moving league successful Raleigh is Digital Summit, which started successful 2008. Founders Eric Gregg and Scott Hedrick are from Raleigh. 

Before the bid was sold, they held the premiere league for the bid locally. This lawsuit was called Internet Summit, and it attracted upward of 2,500 marketers each year.

We besides person the Raleigh SEO Conference, which is overmuch smaller astatine less than 200 attendees. This is different lawsuit that we conscionable haven’t done since the pandemic but, hopefully, we tin get it going again next year.

Ashley Berman Hale presenting astatine the Raleigh SEO Conference in 2018.

There were immoderate different conferences implicit the years similar the Digital Marketers For Business (DMFB) conference, which doesn’t tally anymore. There was a antithetic league being planned erstwhile the satellite unopen down, and I’m inactive hopeful that it volition determination guardant soon.

Passionate radical marque the assemblage peculiar and assistance it grow. We’re truly fortunate to person awesome radical who are consenting to stock their cognition and bent retired with others.

There are a batch of experts connected antithetic topics. I’ve already mentioned galore people. But immoderate others who unrecorded present oregon utilized to that you whitethorn cognize see Mark Traphagen, Casie Gillette, Jake Bohall, Russ Jones (RIP), Chris Long, Heather Lloyd, JP Sherman, Tony Spencer, Chase Granberry, and truthful many more.

There are besides a batch of chartless SEOs who are truly bully astatine what they bash but aren’t nationalist facing. Plus, there’s a changeless watercourse of caller SEOs entering the field. 

We besides person reps successful the country from immoderate of the SEO tools and resources similar Ahrefs, Lumar, seoClarity, and Third Door Media (Search Engine Land).

There are perpetually caller SEOs, selling people, and concern owners who travel retired to the events, allowing the assemblage to grow. In summation to the events, determination are a batch of random get-togethers.

Raleigh besides seems to pull a batch of distant workers. It had 1 of the highest rates of distant workers for immoderate large metro some earlier and aft the pandemic. 

There are tons of large in-house SEOs, freelancers, affiliates, and a astonishing fig of celebrated YouTubers successful Raleigh. We person a batch of folks successful the gaming niche, astir apt due to the fact that Epic Games of Unreal Engine and Fortnite are close adjacent doorway successful Cary, North Carolina.

One of the world’s top contented creators, Mr Beast, grew up successful Raleigh. A mates of years ago, helium built downtown Raleigh successful Minecraft. 

There are a batch of large SEO companies successful the Raleigh area. Some of the ones that are perpetually winning nationalist SEO awards are Go Fish Digital, Hive Digital, and Locomotive. Ayima, which galore radical whitethorn cognize due to the fact that of its Redirect Path plugin, besides has a beingness and past successful Raleigh.

Three Ships is different institution that I deliberation deserves a mention. It partners with and grows companies. It besides acquires companies to turn them. I deliberation it’s leaning somewhat connected the Red Ventures model. Red Ventures is conscionable down the roadworthy successful Charlotte, North Carolina, and has galore employees successful Raleigh as well.

There are galore large companies that enactment with much section clients too. Some of them person been operating for astir 20 years. Others are newer to the marketplace but person talented people. 

Do y’all retrieve a fewer years agone erstwhile it was announced that iContact had acquired Moz? I was amazed by this due to the fact that that was a institution sanction I hadn’t heard successful a while, and iContact is conscionable 12 minutes from my location (according to Google Maps). I was reasonably amused.

It’s been hard to get things going again aft COVID-19, and I’ve spoken with galore different organizers with the aforesaid troubles. Running these events is simply a batch of hard work. If you person a section community, convey your organizers and inquire however you tin help. They volition greatly admit it!

We privation to cognize your thoughts connected however we tin get things going again, and we privation to diagnostic different communities truthful we tin bring much consciousness to them and spark people’s passionateness for SEO.

If you privation your assemblage featured, send maine a message. This doesn’t request to beryllium a carnal community; it tin beryllium a virtual assemblage oregon group. I’d similar if idiosyncratic passionate astir their assemblage is consenting to stock it successful their ain words, but I’m blessed to assistance if you’re having occupation communicating your thoughts.