Botify · Live Notebook
Botify Connect US 2024
An invite-only one-day enterprise SEO summit in Austin, TX. Eleven sessions across the AI/search stack: from PhD-level reasoning models, to RAG, to AI Overviews, to migrations and the C-suite conversation. Attended in person — these are my notes.
Agenda · 4-Day Timeline
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Connect US 2024
Eleven back-to-back sessions on generative AI, search, customer experience, migrations, and the C-suite conversation. The through-line: act now, automate everything, and stop optimizing for keywords.
9:00 AM
9:45 AM
From Evolution to Revolution: The Role of Generative AI in Life & Search
VP Consulting Services, Botify
We've leapt to Level 4 PhD-reasoning AI faster than the industry predicted. Brands that wait will be steamrolled — empowerment over doom.
- →Act now — inaction is the real risk
- →Customer intent hasn't changed; only the interfaces did
- →AI is happening because of us — we direct it
Notes will appear here once published.
9:45 AM
10:15 AM
Traditional vs Gen AI Search: Everything You Need to Know
Solutions Engineer, Botify
Bing's index quietly powers ChatGPT and Copilot. Optimize for it. RAG closes the freshness gap; structured data is the entry fee.
- →Bing's index = the new SEO surface (powers ChatGPT + Copilot)
- →RAG = LLM + live search index for real-time answers
- →Structured data + content automation are non-negotiable
Notes will appear here once published.
10:15 AM
11:00 AM
The Inside Perspective on Modern Search
Principal Product Manager, Bing
Inside view from Bing on how AI rewrites search engines. Co-paneled with Adrien Ménard (Botify).
- →Conversational queries replace fragmented keyword strings
- →Crawlability + structured data still decide who AI cites
- →Automate content freshness — sitemaps, IndexNow, APIs
Notes will appear here once published.
11:00 AM
11:45 AM
Speed Ahead to Stay Ahead: Brand Success Strategies & the Power of Automation
Director, Search & Content, Discount Tire
Panel with Rick Egan (Beyond), Cody Exter (Botify), Federico Rodriguez (Best Buy), Cody Walker (Maui Jim), Adrien Ménard (Botify). Real-world automation case studies.
- →Indexation: 6-month crawl → 60 days with dynamic XML sitemaps
- →AI-written page titles lifted CTR (Best Buy)
- →Suppress paid ads when organic owns the SERP
Notes will appear here once published.
11:45 AM
12:30 PM
Protect Today's Progress & Prepare for Tomorrow with Botify
VP Product, Botify
Co-presented with Rebecca Zabow. Bot-traffic intelligence: measure what AI bots actually consume, then push the right content to the right index.
- →Track which AI bots hit your site + how often
- →Push content directly to AI indexes (don't wait to be crawled)
- →AI-generated titles + A/B test before full rollout
Notes will appear here once published.
1:30 PM
2:15 PM
Beyond Search: How Customer Experience Is Adapting
Chief Strategy Officer
With Lauri Joffe (American Freight) + Noam Paransky (Tapestry). Gen Z's search behavior is bifurcating — social/visual win the brand-discovery moment.
- →Gen Z: only 64% use traditional search (vs 94% older)
- →Visual search + TikTok = brand discovery for younger cohorts
- →Four-part exec framework: cost · revenue · enabling tech · fear
Notes will appear here once published.
2:15 PM
3:00 PM
The Power of Organic: How Organizations Use Search as a Strength
Senior Director, Customer Strategy, Botify
With Jason Mandragona (NBCU News) + Abishek Surana Rajendra (Course Hero). Building cross-functional SEO culture + in-house A/B testing.
- →In-house SEO A/B testing platform → exec credibility
- →Quality-scored content beats volume
- →Educate other teams — distribute SEO ownership
Notes will appear here once published.
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
Successful Site Migrations: Automation, Advice, & Future-Proofing Your Site
SEO Lead, Apartments.com
With Jordan Long (Botify), Dave Marks (Recurrent), Sharanya Srinivasan (Care.com), Cody Walker (Maui Jim), Adrien Ménard (Botify). Migration war stories.
- →Bring SEO in on day one — not at QA
- →Automation handles the boring 90% of QA
- →Comprehensive checklists are not optional
Notes will appear here once published.
3:45 PM
4:30 PM
Uniting Search, SEOs, & the C-Suite
Director of SEO, Tecovas
With Chris Long (GoFish), Praneet Nigam (Signet), Jacque Urick (Realtor.com), Cody Walker (Maui Jim), Adrien Ménard. How to talk to executives about SEO.
- →Translate SEO into customer-experience metaphors
- →SEO is not free — surface the real investment
- →Pre-empt the AI question, don't dodge it
Notes will appear here once published.
4:30 PM
5:00 PM
How Google's AI Overviews Are Changing Consumer Behaviors
Founder & CEO, DemandSphere
With Tim Resnik (Botify) + Abishek Surana Rajendra (Course Hero). New SERP metrics: pixel depth, visual rankings, cosine similarity.
- →75% of AI Overview links come from top-12 organic
- →Track pixel depth, not just rank
- →Long-tail informational queries drive AIO frequency
Notes will appear here once published.
5:00 PM
5:45 PM
Predictions for Search & How to Prepare Today
VP Consulting Services, Botify
Closing keynote with Adrien Ménard, Abishek Surana Rajendra, Frank Vitovitch (Botify). Bold predictions: AGI, AI bot traffic governance, the death of keyword-driven SEO.
- →Share of voice + brand mentions > keyword rankings
- →AI bots will outnumber human visitors — govern accordingly
- →AGI is closer than the industry admits
Notes will appear here once published.
Speakers · 10
Tap any speaker to open their profile — bio, every talk, and the notes once they go live.
A.J. Ghergich
VP Consulting Services, Botify
9:00 AM · Connect US 2024
Dalton Finney
Solutions Engineer, Botify
9:45 AM · Connect US 2024
Fabrice Canel
Principal Product Manager, Bing
10:15 AM · Connect US 2024
Anthony Cantelmo
Director, Search & Content, Discount Tire
11:00 AM · Connect US 2024
Christophe Frenet
VP Product, Botify
11:45 AM · Connect US 2024
Greg Coleman
Chief Strategy Officer
1:30 PM · Connect US 2024
Charley Hackerson
Senior Director, Customer Strategy, Botify
2:15 PM · Connect US 2024
Zach Chahalis
SEO Lead, Apartments.com
3:00 PM · Connect US 2024
Krista Dalton
Director of SEO, Tecovas
3:45 PM · Connect US 2024
Ray Grieselhuber
Founder & CEO, DemandSphere
4:30 PM · Connect US 2024