My Highlights from MeasureCamp LA 2026: Analytics Setups SEO Teams Get Wrong

with Benj Arriola, Senior SEO Director at 85SIXTY

If you think all marketing analytics conferences are the same, MeasureCamp Los Angeles 2026 will prove you wrong right away. This was my first time speaking at an event with the “unconference” format. MeasureCamp’s structure flips the usual conference script, tossing out formal panels in favor of something more interactive and unpredictable.

It’s been about 50 days since the event, so this recap is a little later than I planned. But the experience, and the lessons I took away from it, were worth sharing. Better late than never.

What stood out to me was how everything revolved around collaboration instead of simply sitting and listening. I’ll walk through my own behind-the-scenes path, how I picked my talk topic, the wild mix of real questions that came up, and the unexpected fail moments that you needed to roll with. You’ll get a firsthand look at how this conference stands out in a crowded field and why, even as a first time MeasureCamp speaker, I walked away appreciating it compared to the typical conferences I have spoken for about 20 years now.

What Makes MeasureCamp Different From Other Marketing Analytics Events

MeasureCamp doesn’t follow the “big stage, endless PowerPoints” formula you’re probably used to. Its “unconference” format kicks formality to the curb, no rigid agendas, no stuffy lecture halls. Everyone who attends can contribute, whether you’re a seasoned pro or stepping into analytics for the first time. That’s a huge shift from most events where the experts do all the talking and everyone else just listens in.

What makes it different is the way topics come together organically. The conference schedule isn’t set in stone weeks in advance. Instead, it’s built on the fly, guided by what people actually care about right there and then. This keeps everything fresh, current, and super relevant. Sessions run the spectrum, from online advertising quirks to deep dives on privacy-first analytics, and even things like server-side tracking or AI team transformation.

People don’t just take notes; they ask, debate, and sometimes even challenge the speakers. You can offer up your own session on something niche, and odds are, the people who show up genuinely want to be there. Those dynamic flips the traditional event structure upside down and leads to richer, more honest knowledge sharing. You walk away with ideas you can use, not just a bag of freebies and a list of buzzwords.

The Unconference Format: How MeasureCamp Works

The biggest logistical curveball with MeasureCamp is the unconference format. Instead of setting the agenda before the event, attendees and speakers build it together at the start of the day. There’s a big grid, looks kind of like a massive bingo card, where anyone can grab a slot to propose a session.

Want to talk about privacy first analytics or maybe run a workshop on incrementality testing? Just stick your session title on the board, and you’re in. The spontaneity keeps things light and empowering, but it also keeps everyone at their toes. There’s a definite sense of “choose your own adventure” all day long. You can jump from a quick-fire debate on geo-optimization straight into a hands-on demo about server-side tracking without missing a beat.

The whole process is intentionally informal, which means you don’t need polished slides or months of prep. What matters most is sharing what you know and asking what you don’t. Future MeasureCamp first-timers, don’t stress logistics; the volunteers and long-timers are more than happy to show you the ropes. By design, this setup means every session draws attendees who are truly interested and ready to add to the discussion, making even technical topics approachable and actionable.

Preparing My Talk: Choosing SEO, AEO, GEO, and Analytics

Picking my session topic was honestly tougher than I expected. I wanted to focus on areas where marketing analytics meets real business impact, so I landed on the crossroads of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and GEO (Geographical Optimization). Each of these plays a huge role in getting seen online, but it’s the analytics behind them that helps teams make smarter moves.

Why these three? Because they tie directly into questions a lot of marketers are fighting with every day: how to appear in search results, how to adapt when voice or AI-driven answers dominate, and how to localize efforts for different markets. Blending them with a practical analytics angle made the topic feel urgent and useful, which is what MeasureCamp is all about. I wanted to spark real conversations, not just share a checklist.

My Session Recap: Key Ideas and Participant Discussions

My Planned Topics

Upon seeing my room assignment at MeasureCamp, I chose the 2nd timeslot on the grid. My thinking was that it was still early enough for everyone to be alert and engaged. But also, somewhat settled in on how the “unconference” format works, and for me to get a good feel for it after attending at least one of the sessions.

I knew there was a lot to talk about, and I wasn’t sure how long these sessions were. So instead of preparing a long deck and adjusting on the fly which slides I will use I did not prepare any slides, as I’ve learned from MeasureCamp, some have a deck, some have no deck, some have posters, handouts, whatever. So, I simply prepared an outline to show on screen, let the people that attend my session pick and choose the topic, and I will fire away from there, opening GA4, GSC, DataStudio, Python, or whatever is needed based on the topic.

These were the list of topics I intended to show on screen at MeasureCamp and wanted to do a “pick and choose based on your interest” and go on from there. Unfortunately, we were never able to configure my computer to the screen. I also learned many of the speakers were also not successful in projecting their computers on the large TV screen. And even with the support of the organizers trying to figure out how to get my computer appearing on screen, I was just answering away any questions that came along. And all the topics were related to AEO, GEO, and measuring SEO in the age of AI. Even if my original title was: “Analytics Setups SEO Teams Get Wrong” which there are many cases that could go outside of AI, but what everyone wanted to talk about was all AI. Most of the questions were about AI visibility, tracking mentions, citations, and clicks from AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Grok, and others. The session quickly became interactive, with attendees sharing the different tools they were using and comparing experiences with one another.

Explaining SEO, AEO, and GEO for Analytics Professionals

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is all about getting your site to show up in organic search results. It covers everything from picking the right keywords to optimizing your technical setup so Google notices you. For analytics pros, this means tracking what’s driving search traffic and which changes move the needle. And since clients are mostly interested in the bottom-line metrics related to conversions, most of the questions from the participants explained the current decline in organic search traffic and conversions. How to deal with clients that do not understand the situation and just look at it as SEO is not working. And the main summary of my replies to these questions were:

• Informational queries, top of funnel queries are starting to happen more in AI platforms. Which decreased the amount of organic search traffic.
• If informational queries influence a user to buy your product or service, it might turn into direct traffic, branded search in both paid search and organic search, or a click from a link in the AI platforms.
• AI platforms could hallucinate URLs that never existed, but knows your website is a good source of the information given, monitor 404 traffic coming from these AI platforms.
• Organic search will not go away, and they tend to be closer to the bottom of the funnel, after a user has exhaustively researched about your product and service and they are ready to buy, order, book, reserve, transact, etc.
• Explain all these concepts early to clients, set expectations early, and continuously communicate this. If not, one day they would be surprised that everything went down, and saying things too late could be a possible make or break situation in your relationship.
• Let clients understand that the organic search traffic and conversions today is the new normal benchmark. And year-over-year metrics may never look the same again during the pre-AI era. Once the market has matured and saturated with AI assistant users, and more than a year has passed, you can now look again at year-over-year metrics for organic search and see how you are improving or not.

AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is the newer kid on the block. Instead of aiming solely for classic search listings, AEO focuses on getting your content featured in voice answers, knowledge panels, and direct responses from AI-driven search engines. The emphasis here is on structuring data so machines can easily “grab” answers directly from your site. If you do not answer the main questions that users are asking online, answers will be obtained elsewhere, and when a source is linked, then it would be linked to another site. Aside from not gaining the potential click traffic as a source of the answer, you also do not control the message.

Oftentimes, there are some clients that think doing this informational content that answers a lot of questions is not worth it since it does increase exposure in AI platforms but does not contribute much traffic. And if ever it does, it does not contribute many conversions and revenue. And as many of the questions revolved around this, asked by different people in different ways, my answer was also given in different ways but the main gist of it is:

• Having your website as a source of answers makes you control the message; thus, you can express it in the best way possible and avoid any negative ways information could be expressed.
• Having your website as a source increases the possible clicks from AI platforms, even if it is less, at least it goes to you and not your competitors or other websites.
• Not having your website with this answer, and AI tools are relying on other websites may have incorrect information.

GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, if focusing on how your content contributes to a generated answer or statement by the different AI platforms. The focus here is to primarily serve information that helps generate these replies by online AI services. And how AI platforms reply to any AI query involves how it searches for related topics to come up with a comprehensive knowledge base and sources, and this is where you look into fan-out queries. It’s not just targeting keywords anymore. It’s more of targeting a whole topic and related topics.

From MeasureCamp, there were minimal questions here related to analytics that were GEO specific, and all the questions on tracking applied to GEO, AEO, and SEO. But for questions that were not analytics related but focused on how to gain more visibility in GEO, my primary advice was all about the fan-out queries.

If you are not eligible to be in the AI platforms, you will not appear anyway

Something I also pointed out was the basics, similar to SEO in getting indexed. If you are not indexed, you cannot rank. And if AI bots cannot crawl your site, read the content on it, or is not structured in a way for AI spiders to understand, then all of the other work on content is useless. This was not a major concern of the people at MeasureCamp, but their concern is how to measure if AI platforms see the content, is it even appearing? What can a reporting dashboard show as proof that their website is a source of AI assistants?

And this is where I gave several replies as well:

• Tools are Guessing
  Most AI web analytics reporting tools do not actually know that users are searching for but what they do is they throw a bunch of prompts that they think users would type in, or they ask AI tools what they think users would type and just track it from there. Basically, it just guessing, and tracking their guesses.
• Intelligent guesses could also be done
  Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) results are generated based on popularity. Google’s auto-complete suggestions are also based on popularity. So you know people asked them. Questions posted on Reddit, on YouTube comments, are also good sources of questions because you know a person was behind it. Internal compilation from Q&A bots on a website and looking into those reports. And simply ask your customer support staff what common questions are asked.
• Companies Collecting Data
  Check into the sources of data for the different companies. SEMRush is known to own the chrome plugin SEOQuake. Which gives them access to see what people are searching for on these AI platforms. This is not confirming that they do that but just stating that it could be possible. And they also own Datos.live, a company that gathers marketing data from a variety of sources, like chrome extensions, desktop applications, etc. where you can partner with them and earn from affiliate income along with it. https://datos.live/partners/
• Log File Analysis
  When a user would ask a question on AI platforms, and they are generating an answer, they pull in the information in real time from many websites just to grab the most up-to-date information, and this data pull can be seen in the server log files. Unfortunately, not every company knows how to access this easily if they are on a shared hosting account, or on a SaaS platform.

Whatever method they do, or tools they subscribe to, the information obtain manually, with their own tools or 3rd party tools, they are all achieved in one way or another in one or more of the ways mentioned above.

Digital Marketing Channels are More Intertwined Than Ever

AI results gather information from company websites, organizations, forums, social media, and anything online. Google’s Gemini is even gathering information from Gmail. The whole Google advertising ecosystem relies on almost any platform they have for targeting a user. And Google Chrome was seen to be a possible ranking factor as they are measuring search queries through it as determined in the leaked document. And as AI users learn about your company, they do not necessarily always click from the AI platform to arrive at your site. It can be direct, branded organic search or paid search, or paid media. So, the last-click attribution models monitoring your AI Channel, may not be giving the real picture. We already knew this years ago, but these days, it is starting to be more important to see how all of these are connected.

Why Interactive Sessions Change How We Learn Analytics

The interactive setup at MeasureCamp isn’t just a gimmick, it’s a powerful way to beef up learning, especially if you’re tired of passive lectures. Peer-led discussions turn complex topics into simple, workable takeaways. When everyone feels comfortable tossing out questions, you end up tackling real issues instead of glossing over them.

Diverse perspectives add a whole new layer, too. When people from different backgrounds chime in, from SEO wizards to up-and-coming analysts, you don’t just hear the “official” view. This back-and-forth means attendees walk away with practical solutions, often sparked in the moment. It’s a classroom where nobody pretends to have all the answers.

Networking and Community Building at MeasureCamp

Networking at MeasureCamp feels organic, not forced. You end up making connections during sessions, over snacks, and even while negotiating who gets which time slot on the session grid. The mix of experts, rookies, and everyone in between creates a truly judgment-free space where all questions have value.

That casual setup means resources and ideas get shared that wouldn’t surface in a more structured conference. Collaborations tend to start around shared problems and lead to further discussions even after the event. People are genuinely supportive, exchanging tools, templates, and hard-won wisdom without worrying about proprietary secrets or looking the part.

My Biggest Takeaways as a First-Time MeasureCamp Speaker

• Audience engagement is everything: Open session formats lead to real talk, not just monologues.
• Stay flexible: Being ready to pivot based on attendee questions makes the session stronger and more memorable.
• The “unconference” magic is real: Spontaneity brings out more useful strategies than any rehearsed slide deck ever could.
• Every attendee brings something: Newcomers, industry vets, tech folks, and marketers all contribute in surprising ways.

Advice for Future MeasureCamp Speakers

• Prepare flexible materials: Slides are optional; focus on frameworks and talking points you can adapt on the fly.
• Invite participation: Ask questions early to spark genuine discussion and pull in attendee expertise.
• Embrace unpredictability: Sessions rarely go exactly as planned, and that’s where breakthroughs happen.
• Share your learnings: Be as open about failures as wins; transparency builds trust fast.

What to Expect at Future MeasureCamp Marketing Analytics Conferences

Upcoming MeasureCamps are likely to double down on participant-driven topics and experimentation. Expect faster-moving session boards, more technical deep dives (especially around privacy compliance and AI adoption), and continued focus on emerging channels like AEO.

Attendee expectations are evolving. People now expect actionable, peer-sourced solutions, not just theory. If you’re thinking of showing up or submitting a session, know that engagement, honesty, and a willingness to learn are the keys to getting the most out of the event.

Final Thoughts on MeasureCamp and Marketing Analytics Conferences

MeasureCamp has cemented itself as a must-attend for anyone looking to level up their analytics know-how. Its unconference format delivers real value by keeping things practical, interactive, and community driven strategies, that most conferences can only aspire to offer. You gain a sense of belonging, and a toolkit of fresh ideas.

If you’re serious about growing as a marketer or analyst, put MeasureCamp on your radar. This is where the marketing analytics conversation is headed, and the unconference movement shows no signs of slowing down. There’s always room for one more thoughtful voice at the table.