Looking for who to see for BrightonSEO – September 2017 ? you are in luck, it is live here
With BrightonSEO just around the corner, the question on everyone’s lips are “where is the best place to drink?”, “where shall we meet for lunch?”, and “can we stop Jono from dragging us to Karaoke?” (edit by Jono: it turns out that, no, you can’t) (edit by Gerry, deleting Jonos edit access).
But some of us are asking the more important question – “what is the wifi password”? Note as Kelvin mentions in his email, the wifi is usually rubbish, also, tethering gets rubbish …. relax and enjoy the talks. WhatsApp later…
Once the important questions have been answered, the question remains – which speakers & talks should I go to …
This April (2017) Kelvin Newman has found some awesome talent known to the SEO and analytics community but aren’t the same faces that are speaking at every seo conference around which is going to make it interesting this year, including TIO regular Omi Sido
Omi – what is your talk on and who should come?
“… I will be talking about a website migration and my talk is aimed at people who want to understand the importance of integrating technical SEO into a website build. Many SEOs are concentrating only on content SEO and they forget that if the bots can’t access, crawl or navigate your website all the good content counts for nothing….”
Which BrightonSEO Speakers should I listen to this year
So we asked a few of the Brighton SEO regulars their thoughts, the best speakers, the best talks…
Omi – Daily Mail
“I am really looking to the Purna Virji’s talk. “We are visual creatures.” thus people online are simply drawn to content that is visual.
Therefore, if your brand is not creating something truly special to capture your audience’s attention I bet you are wondering why your branding efforts are not working.
So, first make sure you don’t miss Purna Virji’s speech and secondly start using some of these powerful visual content as part of your successful content marketing strategy.”
Montse Cano
There are some speakers I am super excited about. The first one is Rory Sutherland, who will bring to BrightonSEO his deep understanding of marketing and his ability to explain the often complex subtleties of psychology applied to marketing and the changing digital landscape in a clear manner.
It is hard to choose who else to see. I am very keen on Purna Virji’s presentation on keywordless searches – that is the present and can be the future of search. Charlie Williams‘ talk about e-commerce content, Hannah Gordon-Smith’s on tackling complex journeys and Susana Valverde’s on media spend budget allocation could be useful and interesting too.
If you haven’t seen Greg Gifford yet, his talks on local are always useful and very entertaining. The same goes for the analytics speakers, like Al Wightman or Alban Gérôme.
“Tom Bennet is always worth watching. Apart from Tom though I’m going to do my usual and rep Leeds: you should check out the ever awesome Malcolm Slade and Polly Pospelova who both have really interesting perspectives.”
“Well, I am definitely listening to Omi of course, but I am going to be listening to the analytics and data talks from Mark Edmondson, Tony Lu & Al Wightman which promise to be awesome, from the SEO world, there seems to be a Northern power team coming down including Ned Poulter (who you can see starring in the Sistrix Ranking Videos) Laura Crimmons (training) and Malcolm Slade.”
“I’m really looking forward to Rory Sutherland’s keynote. As much as I tend to be somewhat cynical about the world of advertising (from high in our ivory tower of marketing, which is definitely a different thing, right?), I’m inspired and captivated by everything that the self-professed ‘ad man’ says. He does an incredible job of articulating complex concepts, exploring the nuances of consumer psychology, and understanding the impact of our changing digital landscape. I’m really excited about this one.”
“Rory Sutherland is the best live talk I’ve seen, definitely looking forward to this as he has a great way of putting really smart ideas into a very entertaining presentation.”
“It’s BrightonSEO, and per usual Kelvin has landed another amazing speaker lineup across 5 different stages, so there’s definitely something for everyone. I however am partial to the PPC Track as I’ll be moderating most of the day. (Stop by and say Hi!) This track hosts some of the top names in paid search including; Sam Noble of Koozai, Ned Poulter of Pole Star Digital, Vikas Arora of Bing Ads and more! And given how much fun I had last year, I’m also really looking forward to another drinking and dancing session with everyone at The Font for the Linkdex BrightonSEO pre-party! (Did someone say free drinks??)”
“Daniel Rowles is a good friend of SiteVisibility and was always great on the Internet Marketing Podcast, so we’re excited to see what he’s got to say about mobile first indexing. Greg Giffords talks tend to be polarising, so we’ll definitely be looking out for his talk on Local SEO. The title of the talk (Advanced Local SEO Tips to help you murder your competitors) suggests no change in his delivery so should be one talk to look out for! We’re big fans of Screaming Frog in the SV office so Charlie William’s talk is one we’ll be looking out for. It looks as though we should be able to pick up some good tips for writing great e-commerce content.”
“I’m really excited to see Omi take his Sunday social media talks to the stage. I always have a great time watching and learning from Omi’s videos and they will certainly perk you up and motivate you for the week ahead. In addition to this, I’m really excited for Sam Nobel’s talk on Advanced PPC as I’m sure we will all leave learning something new that we can put into practice.”
Any tips for what we need to bring
Omi Bring your expertise and confidence.
In my opinion, the whole point of going to an SEO conference is the chance to meet speakers or presenters you follow online and engage with them.
Try to and be confident in your digital marketing expertise, but also try and learn a bit about their background/personal life, so that you can create good conversations. Before the conference google the presenters you want to meet, visit their websites and social media profiles and learn as much as you can about them.
A big battery pack for your phone and (unless the coffee has improved) mints to take the taste away. Sunglasses are also a recommendation if the weather is good or the hangovers are bad. In fact Chris Dyson has nailed it in this tweet
An umbrella. Probably a few spares to share, too, otherwise you’ll get swarmed by soggy SEOs. And some robust shoes; you’ll be walking up and down the pier seeking out refuges for food, drink and partying way into the night.
Book lunch in advance – and try to come back from the pub! I should probably practice what I preach here 🙂
BrightonSEO Survival kit should include:
- A heart rate monitor for the speed of Greg Gifford’s talk
- A recording device for the amazing knowledge Purna Virji is going to drop on you
- An oxygen mask to breathe from all the laughter Teddie Cowell will cause
- Sunglasses for Chris Cemper’s amazing but incredibly bright orange suit
- A sense of relief that you’re attending a conference Jono Alderson ISN’T speaking at! (joking!)
- As old fashioned as it sounds, Business Cards. Especially if you’re a freelancer/contractor
- Deodorant & a personal fan. It can get sweaty in some of the smaller rooms!
- Bribes for SiteVisibility team members to exchange for beer tokens
Headache tablets – We all know the night before BrightonSEO can leave you feeling fragile the next day Your table football skills – Standard for any digital conference Confidence – Get out there and network. BrightonSEO is a great opportunity to meet new digital Folks and some potential business opportunities.
Montse Cano
- Mints – essential tool
- A notebook or a tape recorder
- Confidence – talk to people, get out of your bubble!
- Good, comfy shoes – so many talks, so many lunches, so many parties…
- An open mind – everyone comes from a different background and has something to contribute
- Travel light – big bags aren’t that useful when you’re going to spend way too many hours walking up and down the venue
The complete list
Kelvin has done an awesome job with what looks like a superb lineup and a complete list of speakers is on the BrightonSEO website if it is anything like previous years, it is well worth making a plan of who you are going to see in advance, and the app looks like an awesome addition to the conference. Andy, we need a TakeItOffline app … !
Further Reading
- The data guys mentioned will all be at MeasureCamp London this year
- Al Wightman and Matt Daley will be at the next TakeItOffline Analytics Event
- Jono has contributed to the WordPress blogpost
