DFW Search Engine Marketing Association

Digital Marketing Community and Industry Associationdfwsem.org

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association (State of Search) is a Texas-based non-profit that educates and networks digital marketing professionals in the Dallas-Fort Worth region through monthly YouTube meetings and an annual two-day SEO conference, funded by member sponsorships, donations, and conference sponsorships.

Company typePrivate
Founded2012
HeadquartersPlano, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What DFW Search Engine Marketing Association does

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association (operating as State of Search) is a Texas-incorporated non-profit association headquartered in Plano that educates and promotes the digital marketing industry in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The organization was established as a 501(c)(6)-style community body and operates without proprietary technology beyond a standard content-managed website and a YouTube channel used to stream virtual events.

Its product surface consists of two primary offerings. First, monthly virtual meetings are streamed live and archived on the State of Search YouTube channel, typically running 30 minutes to two hours with speaker presentations and Q&A. Second, an annual two-day conference branded as State of Search is held in-person; for the 2026 edition, Day 1 (October 19) is presented by State of Search and Day 2 (October 20) is presented by partner Local U, with tickets sold separately for each day and a shared SOSLU discount code.

The organization is strictly funded by members through sponsorships and donations, plus annual conference revenue from ticket sales and corporate sponsorship packages. Corporate sponsors at the conference level include approximately a dozen digital marketing vendors spanning SEO tooling, reputation management, B2B marketplaces, and agencies. Member-facing customer segments are digital marketing professionals (SEO, SEM, social, analytics), business owners and marketing managers seeking digital marketing ROI guidance, and a secondary segment of web development and design professionals. Distribution is multi-channel across Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association firmographics

Firmographics

Name: DFW Search Engine Marketing Association
Legal name: DFW Search Engine Marketing Association
Website: https://dfwsem.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2012
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: DFW Search Engine Marketing Association (State of Search) is a Texas-based non-profit that educates and networks digital marketing professionals in the Dallas-Fort Worth region through monthly YouTube meetings and an annual two-day SEO conference, funded by member sponsorships, donations, and conference sponsorships.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association industry classification

Industry

Product category: Digital Marketing Community and Industry Association
NAICS: Professional Organizations (81392)
SIC: Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
akta.pro primary industry: Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) (BPAFACAA)

Keywords

Digital marketing education
Search engine marketing
Marketing community events
SEO industry networking
Marketing professional development

Where DFW Search Engine Marketing Association is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Plano
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Markets served

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Member Sponsorships and Donations: The organization is a non-profit strictly funded by its members through sponsorships and donations. Members include digital marketing professionals who pay to participate and gain access to networking and educational resources.
Annual Conference Revenue: The organization generates revenue through ticket sales for its annual two-day State of Search conference. Day 1 is presented by State of Search and Day 2 is presented by partner Local U, with separate ticket sales for each day.
Conference Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors pay to sponsor the annual conference, gaining visibility and brand association with the digital marketing community event. Multiple sponsorship tiers appear available for both monthly meetings and annual conferences.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
One time/ perpetual license	Pay-as-you-go	Day 1 Ticket - State of Search (October 19, 2026)
One time/ perpetual license	Pay-as-you-go	Day 2 Ticket - Local U (October 20, 2026)
Freemium	Monthly	Monthly Meeting Attendance

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association product offering

Product offering

Core offering

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association (State of Search) is a non-profit industry association that educates and promotes the search engine and digital marketing industry in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. It does so through free monthly virtual speaker meetings streamed on YouTube and a paid two-day annual conference, supported by member sponsorships and donations rather than profit-driven motives.

Product overview

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association operates State of Search as a non-profit community platform offering two primary offerings: Monthly Meetings featuring virtual events with industry speakers covering digital marketing topics, and an Annual Conference (State Of Search) which is a two-day in-person event with separate Day 1 presented by State of Search (October 19) and Day 2 presented by Local U (October 20). The organization focuses on educating businesses and marketing managers about digital marketing value, promoting the industry, and recognizing the value marketers provide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Monthly Meetings Recurring virtual events hosted by the DFW Search Engine Marketing Association featuring industry speakers presenting on digital marketing topics (SEO, SEM, social media, analytics, AI optimization). Sessions typically run 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on Q&A and are streamed live on YouTube for free community access. Targeted at digital marketing professionals, business owners, and marketing managers seeking ongoing education.
State of Search Annual Conference A premier two-day annual digital marketing and SEO conference featuring expert speakers, educational sessions, and networking opportunities for marketing professionals. Day 1 (October 19, 2026) is presented by State of Search and Day 2 (October 20, 2026) is presented by partner Local U; tickets are sold separately for each day, and a discount code SOSLU saves $49 per ticket purchase.
Conference Sponsorship Packages Tiered corporate sponsorship offerings for the annual State of Search conference, allowing companies to gain visibility and brand association with the DFW digital marketing community. Sold directly to corporate sponsors, including SEO software vendors (e.g., Screaming Frog), B2B marketplaces (e.g., DesignRush, Clutch.co), reputation platforms (e.g., Birdeye), and digital marketing agencies.
Monthly Meeting Sponsorships Per-meeting sponsorship offering that lets a single company sponsor an individual monthly virtual meeting for visibility among the DFW digital marketing professional community (e.g., Rise Local was the May 2024 monthly meeting sponsor).

Companies that use DFW Search Engine Marketing Association

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Local UcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2026Local U is a partner organization presenting Day 2 of the annual State of Search conference (October 20, 2026). Tickets are sold separately for each day, and the same discount code SOSLU applies to both events. This partnership expands the educational offerings and reaches Local U's audience within the local search marketing community.
Clutch.cominorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor for State of Search annual event. Clutch.co is a B2B ratings and reviews platform for IT, marketing, and software companies.
Demand SphereminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Demand Sphere is a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and content marketing.
Screaming FrogminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Screaming Frog is a UK-based SEO software company known for its SEO Spider tool.
BirdeyeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Birdeye is a reputation management and customer experience platform for local businesses.
DesignRushminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. DesignRush is a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies across various disciplines.
SemifyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Semify is a digital marketing agency platform.
MediawyseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Mediawyse is a digital marketing agency.
50prosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. 50pros is a network of marketing professionals.
Jolly SEOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Jolly SEO is an SEO-focused company.
Ask for TransparencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor focused on transparency in marketing.
Shane ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference sponsor. Shane Arts provides creative/artistic services.
Rise LocalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly meeting sponsor for May 2024. Rise Local is an SEO company specializing in amplifying local brand presence and differentiating businesses in crowded markets.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Ahrefs: Ahrefs is an SEO software vendor that invests heavily in practitioner education through blog content, free tools, and its own conference presence, overlapping with State of Search's audience even though it is not a community association.
BrightEdge: BrightEdge is an enterprise SEO platform that runs ShareCafe, EdgeTech, and similar education-focused events for the same enterprise search marketing decision-maker community that State of Search serves.
SEMrush: SEMrush is a leading SEO/SEM software platform that produces its own educational events, webinars, and community content for the same digital marketing practitioner segment, with a broader commercial SaaS monetization model.

Direct peers

Moz: Moz operates MozCon, a flagship SEO/search marketing conference, and is the most direct competitor in the SEM community and education space that State of Search serves. Both organizations generate revenue through practitioner education, conference ticket sales, and sponsorship packages.
Search Engine Land: Search Engine Land publishes daily SEM/SEO news and produces SMX (Search Marketing Expo) conferences, making it a direct peer on both the editorial and conference sides of the digital marketing community that State of Search targets.
Pubcon: Pubcon is a long-running SEM and SEO conference series targeted at the same practitioner audience, with multi-day events and sponsor packages comparable to State of Search's annual State of Search conference.
Local U: Local U is the partner organization that co-presents Day 2 of the State of Search 2026 conference and operates a parallel local-search marketing education and event business with shared ticketing.
Hero Conf: Hero Conf is a digital marketing conference series focused on paid media and SEO that sells sponsorships and tickets to the same search marketing practitioner audience as State of Search.

Regional players

AMA (American Marketing Association) - DFW Chapter: The Dallas chapter of the American Marketing Association runs local events, education, and networking for marketing professionals in the same DFW metro as State of Search, with overlapping membership sponsorship and event-driven GTM models.

Emerging players

Digital Marketing Institute: Digital Marketing Institute provides certification programs and events for digital marketers across SEO, SEM, social, and analytics, overlapping with State of Search's education mission through a more formal credentialing angle.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DFW Search Engine Marketing Association

What does DFW Search Engine Marketing Association do?

Is DFW Search Engine Marketing Association a public or private company?

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was DFW Search Engine Marketing Association founded?

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is DFW Search Engine Marketing Association based?

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association is headquartered in Plano, United States, in the North America region.

How does DFW Search Engine Marketing Association make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Member Sponsorships and Donations are the primary driver. The others are annual Conference Revenue and conference Sponsorships.

Who are DFW Search Engine Marketing Association's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Ahrefs, BrightEdge and SEMrush. Direct peers are Moz, Search Engine Land, Pubcon, Local U and Hero Conf. AMA (American Marketing Association) - DFW Chapter is listed as a regional player. Digital Marketing Institute is listed as an emerging player.

Does DFW Search Engine Marketing Association have an API?

No public API is recorded for DFW Search Engine Marketing Association.

What industry is DFW Search Engine Marketing Association in?

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association's product category is Digital Marketing Community and Industry Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFACAA, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 7310.