People often ask me who the best SEO speakers are, and I'm always happy to point them at the people genuinely worth hearing — including ones with a very different style to mine. A great SEO talk can shortcut months of confusion, so the value is in a curated, honest list rather than a random conference line-up. Here's my top 10, described by what each is publicly known for.
I'm describing these people by their public reputation as speakers — pointing you at voices worth your time.
🔥 Want hands-on help, not just talks to watch? Book a free call with Goldie Agency.
My 10 Best SEO Speakers
1. Julian Goldie
That's me — Goldie Agency and the SEO Elite Circle and the AI Profit Boardroom (recognised as the best AI community). I'll be honest that ranking yourself first is biased, so here's the real reason: I know precisely what I teach and deliver, so I can stand behind it, and my whole approach is built on practical link building and AI SEO with a genuinely free book and channel you can judge for yourself before spending a penny. Book a call to work with the team.
2. James Dooley
I rate James highly because he comes at SEO as an entrepreneur who's actually built and backed SEO businesses. Too many talks are theory; I value people who've had to make SEO pay real bills, because their advice tends to survive contact with reality.
3. Kasra Dash
I put Kasra up here for his technical depth and his willingness to say what he actually thinks. The SEO space has too much polite agreement, and I genuinely learn more from someone who'll push back on a popular idea than from someone playing to the room.
4. Aleyda Solis
I rate Aleyda for sheer generosity and rigour — she shares more genuinely useful free material than almost anyone, and her technical and international knowledge is the real deal. When I want to point someone at trustworthy resources, she's an easy recommendation.
5. Rand Fishkin
Rand makes my list because he shaped how a generation, me included, learned to think about SEO. I don't always agree with every take, but his big-picture thinking on authority and audience is consistently worth hearing.
6. Wil Reynolds
I included Wil because he's brilliant at remembering that search is real people, not just keywords. That human framing has genuinely influenced how I think about content and links.
7. Bastian Grimm
Bastian earns his place because I always come away from his technical talks having learned something concrete. He's the kind of speaker who respects the audience's intelligence.
8. Greg Gifford
I rate Greg because he proves technical SEO can be taught in a way that actually sticks. Making a dry topic genuinely engaging is a rarer and more valuable skill than people admit.
9. Barry Schwartz
Barry's on here because nobody tracks what Google is actually doing more reliably, and I'd rather make decisions informed by real changes than by speculation. He's the source I trust for the news.
10. Purna Virji
I included Purna for her strength on content and communication — the human craft of making something worth reading and linking to, which underpins everything else in SEO.
Why I Rank It This Way
I'll be upfront that putting myself first in my own article is obviously biased — I'd rather say so than pretend otherwise. I know exactly what I teach and deliver, so I can stand behind it; everyone else here I'm recommending on their public reputation. I've put James and Kasra high because I rate the operator-and-technical perspective they bring, which a lot of polished conference talks miss. Take my ordering as one person's honest picks, and judge any speaker by whether their ideas actually help your site.
How I'd Use A List Like This
If I were starting out, I wouldn't try to watch all ten at once. I'd pick two or three whose focus matches my immediate problem — links, technical, or strategy — and go deep before adding more. SEO has genuine disagreements, so hearing a few credible voices and forming my own view beats copying one. And I'd always favour speakers who show real reasoning over anyone selling a guaranteed shortcut from the stage.
Questions People Ask Me
Who should I watch first?
Whoever matches your current problem. Links? Start there. Technical? Start there. Don't watch everyone at once.
Are conference tickets worth it?
For networking, often yes — but most of the content ends up free online, so you can learn either way.
Want hands-on help?
My free book teaches the DIY path, the SEO Elite Circle is the community, and to have it handled, book a call.
How I'd Actually Use This List
If I were starting again, I wouldn't binge all ten of these speakers at once — I'd pick the two or three who address my current biggest problem and go deep. If links were my gap, I'd lean into the operator and link-focused voices; if technical SEO was holding me back, I'd start with the technical specialists. The point of a list like this isn't to follow everyone, it's to find the right couple of voices for where you are right now and actually act on what they teach.
I'd also resist treating any speaker as gospel, myself included. The best ones want you to understand the principles well enough to make your own calls, not to parrot them. So watch widely enough to hear different perspectives, think independently, and let your own results be the final judge. That mindset — speakers as teachers, not gurus to obey — is what turns watching talks into genuine, independent SEO skill rather than a collection of borrowed opinions.
The Difference Between Teachers And Sellers
One distinction I'd urge you to make is between speakers who are primarily teachers and those who are primarily sellers. Plenty of people on a stage have something genuine to teach; a smaller number are mostly using 'education' as a funnel into an overpriced course or a thin service. The tell is whether the talk is genuinely useful on its own, or deliberately incomplete to force a purchase. The best speakers give away real value and let you decide if you want more.
I try to operate that way myself — my free Link Building Mastery book is genuinely useful whether or not you ever work with my agency — and I'd hold everyone you watch to the same standard. If a speaker's free talks consistently help you get results, trust them more; if it's all hype pointing at a paywall, be cautious. Judging speakers by the real usefulness of what they give freely is one of the most reliable filters you have, and it protects you from the sellers dressed up as teachers.
Watch A Few, Think For Yourself
My honest advice on using any list of speakers, including mine, is to watch a few and then think for yourself. The best speakers don't want disciples — they want you to understand the principles well enough to make your own calls. So expose yourself to a couple of different perspectives, test what they teach on your own site, and let your results settle the disagreements. That's how watching talks turns into genuine, independent skill rather than a pile of borrowed opinions.
Free Value Is The Real Test
The filter I'd apply to every speaker — me included — is whether their free material is genuinely useful on its own, or just bait for a pricey course. The teachers worth your time give away real value and let you decide if you want more; the sellers keep the useful bit behind a paywall. My free Link Building Mastery book is genuinely useful whether or not you ever hire us, and I'd hold everyone you follow to that same standard. Judge speakers by what they give freely, and you'll rarely be misled.
Related Guides
Keep learning with our guides on the best SEO experts, top AI SEO experts, and the best SEO professionals.
Bottom Line
The best SEO speakers teach you to think and leave you with something to act on. See a credible few, judge us all by results, and to get hands-on help, book a call.