Sortlist in the Front Row at BrightonSEO 2023
Last update: 22 August 2023 at 12:06 pm
5.00/5Here’s our front-row seat experience at BrightonSEO 2023! At this incredible event, Sortlist had the pleasure of learning from the industry’s top experts on the hottest topics in digital marketing, including GA4, ChatGPT, SEO, content, and more.
But that’s not all! We were thrilled to have our very own PR specialist, Raluca Zdru, as a speaker with her presentation on “PersonalizedPR strategies to target your dream media.” Her talk was filled with practical tips that you can start implementing right away.
In this article, we’ll dive into the key takeaways from BrightonSEO, separating them by sections to make it easier for you. Get ready to take your marketing game to the next level!
Are you ready to supercharge your digital marketing skills?
First things first . . .is content the real king of SEO?
Conference presented by: Carlos Meza, Managing Director of Crowd content.
In today’s world, content is more important than ever. We spend countless hours scrolling through social media and reading blogs, so creating content that stands out from the crowd is crucial.
The real king is GREAT CONTENT, and here’s how to stand out from the crowd:
According to Carlos Meza’s conference, there are four key factors a piece of content needs to have to stand out from the competitors:
- It has to be helpful
- Based on human-center.
- Engagement
- Empathy
By focusing on these elements, we can create content that truly resonates with our readers and consumers. Gone are the days of keyword stuffing – instead, we must write to provide solutions and make a genuine impact.
The future of content is even more exciting, working hand-in-hand with AI, ML, and technology.
Quality over quantity is key.
At the end of the day, it’s all about showing that we care – and great content is the perfect way to do just that.
TikTok and Roll – Using the App for Search Marketing Success
Conference presented by: Rachel Pearson, e-commerce customer solutions manager, TikTok, UK.
TikTok is no longer just a platform for entertainment; it’s also becoming a hub for search marketing. In fact, with its short-form video format and growing popularity, some are even wondering if it’s the new Google.
And who better to guide us on this journey than Rachel Pearson, Client Solutions Manager at TikTok
During her talk, we’ve compiled a list of essential tips to help you take advantage of TikTok’s potential for search marketing success. From using good keywords and captions to finding your style and voice to A/B testing and trying out TikTok ads, these strategies will help you transform your TikTok community into a valuable source of engagement and growth for your business.
Here are some of the most important tips we caught:
- Take advantage of long-tail keywords based on research to improve visibility.
- Use captions and subtitles to add keywords and improve content and search.
- Consistency is key to creating a community and transforming it into engagement, but finding the right style and voice for your target audience is important.
- Companies can take advantage of TikTok Ads, representing a short investment and leading to significant growth.
- Audiences value sound quality, so ensure your audio is clear and high quality.
- A/B test your content to improve engagement. If a video is not performing well in terms of views, take it down and revamp it. The algorithm will detect that you’re improving the content to provide the best for viewers.
- Test different hours of the day and captions to see what works best for your target audience.
Once you find your style, tone, and voice, the rest is up to your creativity.
How to own Social media SERPS.
Conference presented by: Carrie Rose, CEO of Rise at Seven.
Carrie Rose is a well-known figure in the marketing industry, and at BrightonSEO, she shared her expertise on owning the top positions in SERPs for TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. One of her key insights was that while AI can assist with data analysis and optimization, it can’t manufacture creativity.
Creativity is essential for solving problems and thinking outside the box. She emphasized the importance of checking the user journey and focusing on exposure, conversion, and retention.
Another tip she shared was to aim for top stories and consider how to get PR coverage in those stories. It also addressed the importance of consistency, speed, freshness, originality, and appeal to a mass audience when creating content.
Rose shared a strategy for breaking down videos into nine pieces and creating video hooks to distribute across different platforms. For example, breaking a YouTube interview and making it into Shorts, reels, TikToks, etc.
Finally, a note she highlighted was the importance of short-form content, adding summaries to blogs, and building a fast new community.
How to target your dream media with a personalized PR Process
Conference presented by: Raluca Zdru, PR Specialist at Sortlist
To stand out and get the attention of your dream media, Raluca Zdru suggests following a personalized PR process:
The process involves several steps, starting with finding a trending topic. This requires conducting thorough research and look what your favorite media is writing about. Once you have identified a trending topic, the next step is to brainstorm and develop unique and creative ideas that will capture your target audience’s and the media’s attention.
After that, checking the angles and ensuring your ideas are newsworthy and relevant is essential. This involves considering different perspectives and determining the most compelling angle for your story.
Once you have determined the angle, the next step is to create a structure for your content.
The next step in the personalized PR process is to generate content. This may include the title, text, and visuals. The content should be engaging, informative, and shareable, with a clear call to action that encourages readers to take action.
Finally, the last step in the process is to outreach people. This involves identifying and reaching out to the right journalists, bloggers, influencers, and other media outlets interested in your story and content. You can use various outreach strategies, such as email, social media, or phone calls, to pitch your story and generate interest.
By following these steps and customizing your PR process, you can effectively target your dream media and increase your chances of getting the media coverage and exposure you desire. Remember that each step is crucial and requires attention to detail and creativity to make your PR campaign stand out.
Why create template content that ranks?
Conference presented by: Dale Bertrand, Keynote speaker.
Dale Bertrand gave insightful tips on creating template content that ranks, not just limited to, SEO informational articles with no structure. He emphasized the importance of creating valuable content that converts and keeping revenue as the main metric.
He also suggested the following key takeaways:
- Creating niche buying guides and niche calculators, as well as comparison content, has been proven to have a high volume of conversions.
- Listing directories and incorporating visuals are also helpful in getting ranked.
- Tracking indexation as the main metric is crucial for success.
- Check out Google newsfeed for potential opportunities to promote their content. He also highlighted the significance of crawl rate, indexation, engagement, authority, and copy when getting ranked.
Bertrand’s presentation focused mostly on the fact that template content is not only limited to articles and that many other types of content can rank well if done right. By following his tips, we gained a better understanding of how to create valuable, conversion-driven content that ranks high on search engine result pages.
Automation recipes for SEO success with similar AI.
Conference presented by: Robin Allenson, CEO and co-founder of Similar.ai.
Robin Allenson’s presentation at BrightonSEO provided valuable insights into the world of automation and no-code SEO.
Similar AI users have experimented with various automation recipes that have successfully grown rankings and traffic. The presentation discussed the importance of keyword research based on how people search and how to turn them into topics that resonate with your target audience.
By focusing on SERP topics and using neurotext and keyword insights, you can better understand how people search and think and create new pages that cater to their needs.
To optimize your website’s crawl rate, analysis of your sitemap and log files is essential; extracting keywords and identifying the pages that could potentially rank higher is a crucial step in enhancing your website’s visibility on SERPs.
With ChatGPT and other automated tools, you can create a powerful SEO strategy that improves your site’s linking, faceted navigation, and overall search engine optimization. Robin Allenson’s presentation offered a wealth of knowledge for those looking to grow their rankings and traffic through automation and no-code SEO techniques.
Automation hacks for SEO
Lecture presented by: Tom Pool, technical and training director at Blue Array SEO.
This presentation on basic automation hacks for SEO provides valuable tips for improving efficiency in SEO efforts.
He suggests using Screaming Frog scheduling to crawl websites, exporting the data to Google Sheets, and then analyzing it in Data Studio for an overview of SEO performance.
Correct formula usage in Google Sheets is also important for automation, including extracting text or strings from a URL, such as categories, UID’s, and product names.
Pool also explores using Google Apps Script and macros for automation and large-scale data analysis with VLOOKUPS, data margins, and location extraction. Another valuable tip he shares is using APIs to solve problems, such as utilizing Semrush’s API to process keywords and create reports in Looker Studio.
For those who prefer using Macs, Automator is a useful tool, and for those who want to take it a step further, Python can be used to build a dashboard. Pool emphasizes that these automation techniques are not limited to SEO and can be applied to various workflows.
With the ultimate goal of improving efficiency, Pool’s automation hacks can save time and enhance SEO results. Additionally, he highlights the role of AI in automation, such as using ChatGPT to automate the creation and editing of workflows.
The power of E-commerce SEO
Conference presented by: Anna Moragli, founder of Search Magic
To achieve success in this space, Anna Moragli from SEO Wizard outlined five key pillars to focus on:
- Quick wins
- Technical SEO
- Content
- Conversion
- Authority
Anna recommended taking over quick wins by checking SERP positions between pages 4-20.
This is an effective way to boost visibility and drive traffic to your site. Next, she emphasized the importance of a strong technical foundation, including indexation and strategic focus.
Screaming Frog can be a useful tool to see how Google perceives your website and to set indexation rules. Additionally, it is crucial to check for content duplications, cannibalization, and thin content.
Anna also highlighted the significance of photos or images with optimized ALT titles, which can impact SEO rankings and user experience.
Keywords play a critical role in SEO success.
Anna emphasized the importance of research, including top-selling products according to CRM, brands, and most profitable brands, and keeping keywords that the owner wants to rank for. She also recommended a keyword matrix strategy that includes 40% commercial words, 20% long-tail and question keywords, and 20% informational keywords.
In addition to technical SEO and keyword research, Anna discussed the importance of content and conversion optimization. For example, she recommended setting rules for non-available products and understanding mobile user behavior to improve the user experience and identify queries.
Anna’s presentation culminated in three key takeaways:
- Understanding your audience,
- Investing in technical SEO
- Staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
By focusing on these areas, E-commerce businesses can drive revenue and increase conversion rates through effective SEO strategies.
GA4 tips for SEO
Lecture presented by: Nitesh Sharoff, consultant and analytics trainer at Growth Runner.
In the world of SEO, it’s essential to understand Google Analytics (GA) and how it can be used to improve your website’s performance. Nitesh Sharoff shared 8 tips on Hacking GA4 for SEO providing valuable insights and techniques to achieve that.
Here are some of the critical points of what GA4 can do for you:
- Use the free raw data exports available in GA4 to combine your data with other SEO tools such as Ahrefs.
- Customize the navigation of your GA4 dashboard to focus on the metrics that matter most to you.
- Enrich your data with event parameters to gain more in-depth information about user behavior on your site.
- Take advantage of custom alerts to receive notifications about significant changes in your site’s performance.
- Track speed metrics to identify and address any issues causing slow load times.
- Use the Content Marketing funnel to track the success of your content marketing efforts and tailor your approach accordingly.
- Utilize audience triggers and automated events to create more personalized user experiences.
- Benefit from channel grouping improvements specifically designed for organic search.
To get the most out of GA4, it’s important to customize your UI to focus on the metrics that matter most to you. Use GA4 to track your organic traffic and landing pages and create custom reports to identify site performance trends. Custom alerts will notify you of any significant changes in your site’s traffic, allowing you to take action quickly.
Additionally, by tracking your site’s load speed and using event parameters to analyze user behavior, you’ll gain insights into optimizing your site for better performance. Finally, you’ll have a complete picture of your website’s SEO performance by utilizing channel grouping and free raw data exports.
Conclusion
Based on the insights gathered from Brighton SEO 2023 conferences, it’s evident that SEO is continuously evolving. Marketers must stay ahead of the curve to improve their organic search results. Some key takeaways include focusing on bottom-line metrics such as revenue, conversion rates, and new users.
SEO has become more technical, and technical SEO is the foundation for success. The content should be informative, and authority should be established. Keyword research is crucial, and a keyword matrix should be used to categorize keywords based on their intent.
Moreover, checking indexation, content duplications, cannibalization, and thin content is essential. One of the most significant insights is that data should be enriched with event parameters, custom alerts should be used to track traffic changes, and speed metrics should be monitored.
Additionally, marketers should focus on their audience and trends to improve their SEO strategy. Overall, SEO constantly evolves, and keeping up with the latest trends and techniques is crucial to success.
