Brighton SEO 2023 Highlights – 10 Talks That Left Us in Awe

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Brighton SEO 2023 Highlights – 10 Talks That Left Us in Awed-tags
07 June 2023
What's happening in the European SEO scene? Our SEO specialists have found the answer to that question by attending the spring edition of Brighton SEO 2023! They have shared with us the knowledge they gained from lectures given by industry experts, and now you can also discover the most interesting highlights of this conference. Take a look at what exciting things were happening in Brighton by reading this article.

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Our job isn’t just about the daily grind of helping our clients thrive in the online world. We also get the chance to attend important industry events and expand our SEO knowledge even further! That’s exactly what happened in April when our awesome SEO Specialists – Kinga, Daga, Przemek, Damian, Kuba, and Wojtek – flew to the UK for the Brighton SEO conference, 2023 edition.

It was an incredibly productive trip. Our Delante team actively participated in the conference, soaking up valuable insights from SEO Specialists all across Europe. And it wasn’t just about international SEO tips and tricks. The Brighton SEO 2023 lineup also featured talks on effective work organization and team management, which are crucial topics in this era of remote work.

Without further ado – let’s find out what our SEO Specialists have to say about their exciting spring adventure at Brighton SEO!

Brighton SEO 2023 – Talks That Inspired & Entertained

The highlight of this year’s spring edition of Brighton SEO was undoubtedly the exciting talks on website optimization and the whole SEO industry. Our Specialists gathered the juiciest bits of information from the most captivating presentations at the conference. Here are a few fascinating talks from Brighton SEO 2023!

Taking Your Business to the Next Level with the Power of E-Commerce SEO – Anna Moragli

This talk was particularly appreciated by our Senior SEO Specialist, Przemek. According to Anna Moragli, almost every online store owner’s dream is to discover the secret technique to boost organic traffic and ultimately increase revenue. However, do such techniques really exist? No doubt, there are some SEO strategies and factors that take us closer to attracting more visitors to a website.

So, what are these factors?

In the past, our focus was primarily on two things: how well specific keywords ranked in search results and the amount of organic traffic they could drive, leading to conversions and revenue for the e-commerce store. However, times are changing, and so are the metrics we should be tracking.

In this case, they include:

  • non-branded revenue
  • conversion rate
  • new users – customers

Organic traffic alone accounts for a whopping 40% of e-commerce revenue. Now, the question is, how can we attract that traffic to our store? It all comes down to five fundamental pillars that form the foundation of an effective SEO strategy:

  1. Quick wins – actions that aim to win even higher positions for the keywords that are already in the TOP 5
  2. Technical aspects – the solid groundwork of any SEO strategy
  3. Content – encompassing everything related to content and SEO, including optimizing the content for maximum impact
  4. Conversions – improving UX to increase conversion rates and promote user satisfaction
  5. Authority – implementing measures that build trust and establish our store’s credibility

How to Future-Proof SEO Strategy for SME Businesses – Anthony Barone

This time, the speaker talked about strategies for specific types of businesses – small and medium-sized enterprises (aka SMEs) hiring up to 250 employees. So, what do these companies want? Well, it’s pretty clear: they want higher revenues, better return on investments, and increased organic traffic.

But the reality is, they don’t always achieve these goals. So, why is that?

Anthony Barone mentioned several reasons, such as a lack of trust within the company structure, too much micromanagement, and a lack of clear priorities, goals, and KPIs. These are general issues, but the main challenge lies with the management team who may not have enough knowledge about SEO and struggle with technical optimizations due to limited resources.

Now, how can these problems be tackled?

There are several onsite aspects that small and medium-sized businesses can focus on when working on their websites:

  • Building authority in their specific niche, following the E-E-A-T model
  • Paying attention to metadata and internal linking, which are often overlooked despite being very important
  • Using clear and compelling calls to action
  • Optimizing category and subcategory pages for e-commerce
  • Keeping the above-the-fold content concise, with additional information placed lower on the page
  • Adding a FAQ section to address common questions

But here’s the key to ensuring the success of the strategy in the long run: honest and direct communication with the teams responsible for different aspects of the business – content creators, developers, and product teams. It’s also crucial to present data in a clear and understandable way to demonstrate the value that SEO brings to the business.

Help! My Site Has Been Hit by an Algorithm Update – Jessica Maloney

What should you do when your website’s ranking has got negatively affected by a Google algorithm update? Jessica Maloney answered this question at the Brighton SEO 2023 spring edition.

So, what’s the first step? Well, don’t panic!

We know algorithms can shake things up, and in the short term, there’s not much we can do about those sudden changes. But here’s where honest and transparent communication comes into play. It’s crucial to give the people you report to a realistic view of the situation and educate them about potential changes that may affect their site’s visibility.

Take a look at how their site is performing in search results and analyze incoming traffic. You might be surprised to find that despite a visibility drop, organic traffic hasn’t necessarily plummeted.

To avoid similar scenarios in the future, Jessica Maloney advises becoming more proactive. Dive into the Google Quality Rater Guidelines and align your strategies accordingly. Conduct a thorough backlink profile audit to ensure compliance with Google’s guidelines. Craft top-notch content tailored to different search intents to keep driving web traffic.

And don’t forget to leverage other marketing channels to gather valuable insights that can be used to improve your SEO strategy.

Google Bard, ChatGPT, the Sky Is Falling, and SEO Is Dead (Again) – Simon Lesser

Will chatbots replace search engines? Will our websites continue driving organic traffic? What will be the impact of AI on rankings? These and similar questions are boggling the minds of SEO Specialists, no doubt. Luckily, Simon Lesser shed light on AI in SEO during his talk at Brighton SEO 2023.

The answer, for now, is NO, and here’s why. For chatbots to take over, they must provide purely objective responses. Also, accessing information using AI is currently much more costly compared to using search engines. Additionally, AI still struggles with tasks like keyword analysis or providing answers to questions that actually can be answered in more than just one way.

However, changes related to AI might occur in the future. That’s why it’s important to focus on creating evergreen content on our websites. Planning ahead and strategically crafting content in formats that can’t be easily replaced by concise summaries, which ChatGPT has made us accustomed to, is a really smart move.

Conclusion? Approach the content creation more strategically, and you won’t have anything to worry about in the near future.

Congratulations, You’re Going Global! What You Wish Someone Told You – Hinde Lamrani

What should we prioritize in our SEO strategy when we’re gearing up for expanding into new markets? Brighton SEO 2023 gave us a couple of valuable insights into international SEO strategies.

Language is a crucial aspect in this context. As Hinde Lamrani instructed, it’s worth taking the time to polish the SEO localization – 72% of users prefer using websites that are translated into their native language. Ignoring this information equals giving up on achieving better results.

International SEO is also closely linked with technical SEO. If you want your website to be user-friendly, you need to make sure your CMS handles displaying different language versions of content quickly and correctly.

Alongside CMS and TMS (Translation Management System), it’s also advised to use plugins that facilitate website internationalization.

Finally, who should be responsible for handling translation and localization? What resources are worth turning to? Is it better to rely on an in-house international SEO team or freelancers? Maybe it’s more profitable to explore the possibilities offered by AI. If you plan to have a go at the latter option, keep in mind that AI-generated translations always require human verification – best if this task is done by a given language expert or native speaker.

One last piece of advice: Don’t solely rely on the established practices that are proven to work in the domestic market. Doing thorough research helps you find out if your target audience from other countries searches for information on the internet in a similar way your domestic audience does. Having this knowledge, you can devise a well-informed SEO plan, allocating time and resources more effectively. This in turn facilitates taking up the most profitable actions in specific markets you aim to enter.

Learn more from our International SEO Guide!

The Traditional Approach to SEO Is Broken – How to Prioritize Your Efforts & Drive Rapid Growth – James Brockbani

What’s wrong with typical SEO? Firstly, it’s a rather slow process, but clients want quick results. Whether or not we like it, the very first stages of SEO are usually devoted to spending time doing extensive website SEO audits, running keyword analysis, content evaluation, backlink checks, and more.

While these activities provide valuable insights and recommendations, they don’t contribute directly to improving the client’s website ranking.

In reality, the first tangible results are seen after 3 to 6 months of doing SEO. If we spend too much time on the above-mentioned tasks, we won’t have enough time to deliver the desired results.

So, what’s the solution? Creating a priority roadmap based on the client’s actual business goals.

slide from a brghton 2023 presentation

During the talk at Brighton SEO 2023, James Brockbani suggested moving away from long to-do lists and recommendations for a specific website. Instead, he advises identifying key areas and prioritizing them based on their potential impact on achieving the client’s goals.

slide from a brghton 2023 presentation

Remember, the priority roadmap by James Brockbani is just a suggestion. Every business is unique and has its own goals. This means that the tools and methods used to achieve those goals may vary significantly.

ADHD + SEO = ❤️ – Myriam Jessier

Myriam Jessier’s talk left a strong impression on our two SEO Specialists – Kinga and Daga. It was about working in SEO as a hyperactive individual who has an incredible ability to stay intensely focused on tasks. This ability has its official name – hyperfocus, and to be honest, we perceive it as a super useful trait in SEO. In our industry, we thrive on the excitement of new challenges, making hyperfocus a valuable asset when tackling complex problems.

A specialist who works this way won’t pay much attention to long to-do lists, mundane meetings, or lengthy emails. Instead, they prefer direct and concise communication that gets straight to the point.

So, how can we effectively collaborate with people who share these characteristics?

First and foremost, we need to understand their working style as well as be patient. When sharing important information, it’s essential to format it clearly to promote quicker and effortless comprehension. Equally important is providing direct and specific feedback. A positive response has long-term benefits.

However, in case of some slip-ups, we shouldn’t shy away from honesty and addressing the matter in the clearest way possible.

Beyond SEO – Discovering Other Fresh Insights at Brighton SEO 2023

While the main theme of Brighton SEO 2023 revolved around SEO, there were also other interesting talks. Some of them touched on how to improve the workflow of SEO Specialists, in-house marketing teams, and companies in general.

Here are a few highlights that caught Delante’s attention.

Listen up SEOs! – Sean Butcher

How can we make sure that an SEO Specialist sticks around and becomes an integral part of our team? Start early, because the stats don’t lie – a whopping 20% of new hires bail within just 2 months. Why? The job responsibilities are often vague, and people feel like they’re stuck with no room to grow or get support.

The recruitment process has changed so much recently that it almost resembles a sales gig. What’s interesting though, it’s not some minor thing that is about to be sold – it’s the experience at stake. That’s how Sean Butcher, a speaker at Brighton SEO 2023, sees onboarding. He suggests that this process is nothing like a mindless process.

If we’re talking about starting early, we need to make good use of the pre-boarding stage. It should be about integrating the new employee with the team and company before day one starts. This includes building a relationship between the new employee and their boss, sharing crucial information about work and future colleagues, and sorting out the paperwork. Sean Butcher also suggests giving new employees a chance to meet their new work buddies, have a quick glance at the office, or receive a personalized welcome message. Such practices go a long way in fostering positive vibes.

When a new employee walks through the door, they’re full of expectations. They want to feel like they matter and that their work is appreciated by their team. That’s why it’s important to set goals for them to achieve in the first day, week, or month, and to know when they’ve successfully settled into their role.

Since we’ve all been working differently during the pandemic, it’s crucial to build strong relationships, even if we work from home. Having a buddy or mentor around and the opportunity to collaborate closely in a smaller group can make a world of difference

How to Get Your SEO Work Prioritized In-House – Maddie McCartney

How can we apply agile methodology to SEO work? As we could learn from this talk, the agile approach is becoming increasingly popular, with only 5% of organizations worldwide admitting that they don’t use it at all. Undoubtedly, SEO processes can be awfully time-consuming as they often involve various teams within a company. The content team handles some tasks, while developers are responsible for others.

During her talk, Maddie McCartney described how work can be organized due to agile project management. Let’s consider how this approach benefits SEO team collaboration. What are the wins for an in-house team from adopting agile project management? First and foremost, a greater emphasis on people and collaboration across departments. Secondly, working together as a team promotes more achievements when compared to individuals working separately on various tasks. Thirdly, it also makes it easier to assess the values that are important to our business, including different metrics and indicators that SEO professionals are familiar with.

Having well-maintained documentation is crucial when implementing this methodology in SEO. Gathering relevant information from different teams, such as progress updates and current priorities, is essential for gaining valuable insights. These insights can then be transformed into well-crafted briefs and task lists specific to each area, allowing for adjustments in response to the dynamic nature of the business environment and goals.

This is particularly important considering that SEO activities can be time-consuming.

The 3 Pillars of High-Performance Teams – Alex Wright

The final talk was about a trend that’s been gaining momentum in the digital industry recently. In short, we’re becoming more and more focused on maximizing efficiency – teams and their individual members have to be uber-productive and achieve bigger goals. But there’s a catch.

What can go wrong if a company follows this trend? The work culture is suffering. Alex Wright suggested that this can be a vicious cycle – when the team and employees don’t feel seen or appreciated, their engagement levels drop. Studies have shown that when specialists feel valued, they’re 2.7 times more likely to be fully engaged in the projects they’re working on.

And what if things do go wrong? Let’s react right away – we need to identify the problem and take action as quickly as possible. In a nutshell, let’s value the people working online. Don’t forget about feedback. Let’s show that high-performing individuals matter to the organization.

And let’s not hesitate to reward them with bonuses and raises!

Brighton SEO 2023  – Summary

Brighton SEO 2023 left us in awe with its panache and the tons of specialized knowledge that was shared. Those were truly two amazing days for our SEO Specialists, and the insights gained from the presentations will undoubtedly help us provide even better service to our clients.

Although the search conference took place not that long ago, we are eagerly looking forward to participating in the next edition!

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Delante

Delante is an online marketing agency specialized in generating website traffic from search engines and paid ads (SEO / SEM). Over 80% of our clients are from rapidly growing e-commerce industry.

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Delante is an online marketing agency specialized in generating website traffic from search engines and paid ads (SEO / SEM). Over 80% of our clients are from rapidly growing e-commerce industry.

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Award - Deloitte 2021 Award - European eCommerce Awards 2022 Award - European Search Awards 2022 Award - Global Agency Awards 2022 Award - IPMA Award - US Search Awards 2021