Held in a new venue (which wasn’t above a pub) we had high hopes for BrightonSEO! We were excited to sink our teeth into the huge range of talks available and devour all the information the speakers were looking to impart.
The journey down to Brighton was long (in part, due to the fact that John was reading the map upside down) but we still had a good laugh and made our own entertainment with some Carpool Karaoke. Fear not, we spared the world of the sound in the video and made a gif instead! In case you were wondering, no we won’t be entering next year’s X Factor!
Coming soon to @brightonseo… #carpoolkaraoke #roadtrip #brightonseo
A video posted by Adtrak (@adtrak) on
We walked into the conference bright and early. We were really impressed by the size of the venue and the number of people crowded in the foyer talking to the suppliers exhibiting.
What did we learn?
As an agency that always considers mobile first for our clients, one thing we were surprised to see was that there were no mobile-focused talks. Is mobile now so integrated into SEO and internet marketing that it’s no longer worth talking about in professional circles? We’re not so sure. But we did see some other really interesting talks which emphasised that content is still one of the most important aspects of internet marketing.
‘Our industry does not respect tradition, it only respects innovation’ #BrightonSEO
— Adtrak (@adtrak) September 2, 2016
That old chestnut: content is king
Content was very much at the centre of a number of talks at BrightonSEO. When building links across the web, the main tactic is to create high quality pieces of content marketing and gain coverage in online newspapers and magazines.
There has been a rise in local search
An increase in searches with a local intent has driven great opportunities for local business. It’s reported that 33% of searches carried out on mobile devices have some kind of local intent. Due to competition and availability, consumers now often tend to search by neighbourhood rather than city with queries such as ‘restaurant near me’. This rise in the ‘hyperlocal’ search can only be a great thing for local business.
…but global is also local
For many businesses, the internet and their website could open up a whole new customer base. But reaching these new markets is fraught with difficulty and a large amount of research is needed. With a clever domain strategy and clear research into what the new market and target audiences are interested in, relevant content can be created to help businesses expand outside of the UK.
Psychology behind the content and building trust
Most purchasing decisions are subconscious so, as marketers, we need to concentrate on creating pieces that are not only innovative but also what people want and need to see in order to aid purchasing decisions. Choice is often advocated to be a good thing but the internet is such a vast space that we have to show consumers that we understand their needs and desires and put them first in order to build trust.
Bridging the gap between online and offline is more important than ever
Whether you have an ecommerce site, or one that simply showcases the services and products on offer, bridging the gap between online and offline is key to a successful business. Understanding what people search for locally, and having great store pages, can dramatically increase visitors to your site as well as at your physical location.
Loving the new home of #BrightonSEO
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Thanks to BrightonSEO for putting on such a great event – we hope to see you again next year!
