About Us
Where it started
Search Marketing Network began in Christchurch back in early 2023 as a small, informal meetup for local SEO and PPC people who wanted somewhere to talk shop outside of client meetings and internal Slack channels. There were no slides, no sponsors, no agenda — just a handful of search marketers comparing notes over a drink.
That simple format stuck. Three years and more than a dozen events later, the Christchurch Search Marketing Social is still going, and in 2026 the network held its first event outside Christchurch, in Auckland, with Wellington on the horizon. What hasn’t changed is the spirit of it: a relaxed, judgement-free space where agency teams, in-house marketers, freelancers, and business owners can swap ideas, vent about the latest algorithm update, and leave with a few new contacts and a few new ideas.
From meetup to network
As the community grew, so did what it needed from us. Search Marketing Network has grown into three things: a business directory, an events hub, and a place for local industry writing.
A business directory.
There’s no shortage of talented agencies, studios, and freelancers doing great marketing in New Zealand — there just wasn’t a central place to find and compare them. The business directory exists to make it easier for search and marketing businesses to be found, by potential clients and future employees alike.
There’s also a practical reason close to home for a network built by SEO specialists: we understand better than most how much local directories matter for discovery, for consistent business information across the web, and for the kind of steady, trustworthy backlinks that take time to build. As a young website, we’re still growing our own authority, and every listing that joins strengthens the wider network.
While the network itself is focused on search marketing, the business directory is open more broadly — agencies, studios, freelancers, and consultants from across the marketing world are welcome to create a free listing, not just those working in search.
An events hub.
This one came directly from the community. Time and again, people told us how hard it was to find out what marketing events were even happening in New Zealand — they’re scattered across Meetup, Eventbrite, Humanitix, LinkedIn, and a dozen individual mailing lists, with no single place to see what’s on.
We built the marketing events hub to fix that: a one-stop shop where anyone can find socials, talks, and workshops happening near them, in person or online, run by us or by anyone else in the industry. If you’re organising a marketing event in New Zealand, this is a place to list it for free and put it in front of people who are actively looking.
A news & insights space.
Most of the search marketing content we all read day to day comes out of the US or Europe — written for markets, algorithms, and audiences that don’t always map cleanly onto New Zealand. There are very few places for local practitioners to publish their own findings, case studies, and takes on where the industry is heading.
News & Insights is an open space for the community to contribute articles about the industry they work in every day, so there’s finally a home-grown record of what’s actually happening in search marketing here.
A track record you can trust
The Christchurch Search Marketing Social has an average rating of 4.6 stars across attendee reviews — people keep coming back, and they keep bringing colleagues with them.
You can find us on LinkedIn, where we share event recaps, industry discussion, and updates as the network grows into new cities. It’s the easiest way to see what these events are actually like before you commit to one, and to stay in the loop on what’s coming next.
If you’d like to host an event, speak at one, sponsor the network, or contribute to the blog, get in touch — we’re always glad to hear from people who want to help the community grow.