Key takeaways from BrightonSEO April 2024

This year I’ve got the chance to attend BrightonSEO, my favourite SEO event of the year!

There are multiple reasons why I loove this conference: it doesn’t step away from controversial SEO topics that could affect (*cough* SGE), it showcases hands-on SEO case studies that are easy-to-replicate and it brings a great variety of SEO topics worth discussing: from technical to EEAT and overall Search Experience.

Although it was quite difficult to pick favourites, here are my Top 3 Key takeaways from BrightonSEO April 2024: SGE is here to stay, Look beyond Search Engines, Humans plus AI should always outperform AI only. 

SGE is here to stay, but we’re ready for it!

In his talk SGE & the future of search for publishers, Kapwom Dingis states that even though “SGE is currently volatile and hard to predict […] A lot of the best practices for SEO performance apply”.

This is definitely reassuring to hear, especially since SEO best practices are centered around the customer and them having the best experience possible whenever interacting with our brand.

Here are some tips Kapwom Dingis shares to entice Google to trust us enough to show our info in SGE:

  • Build a strong EEAT score

In other words, this means we should: have up to date and correct content/data, display author profiles and socials (showcase their experience and expertize) and add links to studies and data/research to back up our knowledge.

  • Include important keywords early in title

It is still vital to lead with our most important targeted terms in the title, as well as in the article’s body.

In the SGE era, the first 1 or 2 paragraphs of content should be engaging, relevant and accurate for the users (consider adding stats as well)

  • Do a mini audit

A regular site audit is an SEO’s best friend (in my opinion) as it provides an accurate overview of where we sit, which is vital to see before deciding where we want to go.

In the context of SGE, here are the recommended Mini Audit steps for identifying the Top Keywords:

  1. Select 1 or 2 key topics for our site
  2. Identify the top keywords to search for
  3. Check consistency of results and identify patterns for content appearing

Key takeaways:

  • Build a strong EEAT score
  • Ensure consistency of results and identify patterns for content appearing
  • Keep applying existing SEO best practices

Look beyond Search Engines

In her talk Experience counts: why SEO needs a name change, Emily Goodyear brought to the tabel an interesting concept: Search Experience Optimization. Here, she explained the importance of integrating search & social insights into our organic strategy – and I couldn’t agree more!

With the recent growth of platforms such as Tik Tok and Reddit, it is crucial to evaluate the overall online organic journey when drafting our content strategy.

On the same topic, Collette Masso del Llano in her talk Addressing the gap between customer experience and SEO bring to the table an interesting topic: SEO is more than user intent.

In other words, she emphasizes on the importance of seeing SEO as part of a cycle, rather than focusing only on top of funnel Keywords. 

Key takeaways:

  • Content Strategy: Integrate insights from more platforms, such as TikTok, X, Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest, along with the existing SEO tools;
  • SEO is more than Search Intent
  • Don’t let SEO work in a silo

Humans + AI = LOVE

Marcus Tober bring attention to a relevant topic quite important to me personally in his speech Google’s search strategy: balancing AI and market realities.

The use of Generative AI in the SEO Content strategy has been a quite controversial topic since the launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT. But does this mean human input won’t be needed anymore?

First, Marcus shares a light on a quite sensitive topic: SEO real estate is becoming even more of value as it shrinks due to SGE. This means that Google result in Google Search alongside paid will take up the majority of real estate, leaving just a few slots for organic results.

However, Pure AI Content is quickly detected by Google, especially in the context of the newly released Google Core Updates in March 2024. In other words: “New pages with AI content might rank fast, but disappear fast too”.

The ideas scenario is to leverage both AI & Human input, with a high focus on: Quality Content, Relevant Backlinks, User Experience and EEAT signals.

Key takeaways:

  • SGE will take up more SEO real estate in SERP, so be prepared!
  • Pure AI content can rank fast, but it also disappears fast
  • Humans plus AI should always outperform AI only

Conclusions

With the advancement of SGE and Generative AI, it is more crucial than ever to have our Customers benefit at the center of out SEO Strategies. This intent can take multiple forms and shapes: from including Social insights into the overall Search Experience Optimization, to building a strong EEAT score by emphasizing on Experience and Expertize.

One thing is certain: the SEO landscape has never been so uncertain! Or so exciting!! 

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