Quick links
It’s been a fortnight since Brighton SEO 2019, so we thought that we would put together a tasty takeaway list from the seminars we attended two weeks ago.
Brighton SEO, what is it all about?
If you are reading this you probably won’t be unfamiliar with the term SEO or the many acronyms, systems and buzz words that surround the search marketing industry. Brighton SEO is the real-world embodiment of this fluid mix of terms, disciplines, functions and programmes which fall under the umbrella (or in this case onto the deck chair) of SEO. Brighton SEO is the marketers version of ‘show your moves’ where industry innovators give seminars and presentations, marketing systems or software developers show and sell their latest version or platform and thousands of SEOs, who like me had mostly travelled from marketing and SEO agencies in London swept around the many conferences collecting goodies and know how.
What SEO topics were covered?
Schema, automation, python, rich snippets, content, UX and client management to name but a few topical areas that were covered in rich and insightful depth throughout the day we attended. With so much content crammed into one day choosing the seminars to attend became a feat of efficiency. Here are our top 5 takeaways from Brighton SEO 2019:
1. The wonderful world of Structured data
Whilst it is well known that Google supports all types of Schema data as it currently exists, and additions will keep being added, we learned a few extra things about structured data to bear in mind whilst tagging the information on your site;
- Price, dates and events are all valuable information sources for events or E-commerce SEO professionals to pay close attention to when marking up structured data
- Visit Google help for advice on which rich data is applicable to your site or industry
- Image thumbnails are in structured data are on the rise and have been proven to increase interaction and site visitors
- Add as much data as you think is relevant, but beware it will eventually slow the page speed down
2. Sitemaps, the golden oldie
Arguably SEO has always been a balancing act between innovation and manipulation. However, there are some simple elements that fall into neither category that should be recognised for their worth. These are our bread and butter but so often overlooked, I am talking about sitemaps.
Whilst Google and Bing continue to work on indexing APIs there is no likelihood that it will replace the humble sitemap. Treat them with the respect they deserve and keep them up to date! If you want to go one step further, you can filter rules in a site map one by one or aggregate the data to see what is and is not included in your site map.
3. Keeping the Client Happy
Client contact was the key takeaway from this seminar. Whilst many of us (certainly those of us working in SEO agencies in London) spring for Skype, WhatsApp, Slack, Trello, Hangouts or good old fashion phone calls, nothing beats a face-to-face meeting with a clients. This should be done as regularly as possible to assure them that someone paying close attention to their account, caring for the growth of their business and giving them to opportunity to discuss their issues and concerns on their own turf. This along with getting the work done should prevent any cases of premature itchy feet.
4. Let the machines do the heavy lifting
The young man (Benjamin Goerler ) who got up to speak for the last seminar of the afternoon, had a light jovial demeanor about him, he spoke candidly about the practical horizontal attitude of technical SEOs and web developers and how to best maintain that lifestyle. He claimed that his agency works with such an efficient data pulling and analysis model that they can work a four-day week every week. Whilst this concept obviously pricked up the ears of SEO agency attendees, it was his process, not his bravado which stole the show.
He thoroughly endorsed the use of Python for a number of automation tasks and stated that, in a month most SEOs with basic coding knowledge will progress to a point (in one month) where they can make custom scripts to pull and automate the following data:
- Keyword analysis and automation
- Linking opportunities
- Identifying and rectifying redirects
5. Networking Knowhow
Not strictly an SEO insight but a networking insight, which is never a bad thing for marketers or SEOs! LinkedIn has a ‘find nearby’ function that works via Bluetooth allowing people to send requests to others within a specified radius. We tried it at the conference and again on the train later that day, the radius is larger than you would think. For more information on how to connect with people nearby on the LinkedIn app.
From the humble sitemap to detailed applications of Python to client interaction management Brighton SEO 2019 was an eclectic mix. The seminars were a true testament to the progressive minds of our industry, highlighting lessons and pioneering methodologies which could be applied in practice by any forward thinking SEO. I particularly enjoyed rich data analogies using noodles, kimonos and ramen provided by Kenchi Suzuki . Above all else, the content was brilliant, there was minimal plugging of services by agencies and software companies and lots of attention to the collaboration and unifying and streamlining faculties wzithin SEO agencies.
