A Senior SEO’s Experience of BrightonSEO

As an experienced search engine specialist, my experience of BrightonSEO was a little different. To make sure other advanced SEOs get the most out of the two-day conference, I've shared my opinion and some tips to come away feeling satisfied.

About Me

I have been involved in the world of SEO long before it became part of my career. In 2013 without realising it, I’d been optimising a personal project for search – and I enjoyed it. Soon, the world of search engine optimisation (SEO) consumed me and I became an Senior SEO Specialist at Liberty’s SEO agency.

In my eight year career span as an SEO I’ve developed into a specialised role as a Technical SEO Specialist, an area in which I’ve been able to flex my optimisation muscles and become a master of the trade.

However, in all these years I’d never been to BrightonSEO – one of the most popular and respected natural search conferences in the world – but this year, I’d won a ticket.

What is Brighton SEO?

BrightonSEO is a two-day search marketing conference and series of training courses held, not surprisingly, in Brighton. It takes place twice a year and brings together some of the best speakers in the world of search.

BrightonSEO attracts people internationally and brands itself as a non-clichéd conference. It says it’s hands on, it’s detailed, and it’s practical.

So as you can imagine, I was excited for the day ahead. Although in all honesty, I didn’t quite know what to expect.

My first impressions

Firstly, the BrightonSEO location is beautiful – the conference venue is sat right on the seafront, a stone’s throw away from the promenade. However, it was a long, long journey from our offices in Cardiff, which left us a little fatigued until we arrived outside and our energy was revitalised.

This year was the first in-person event since the pandemic, and BrightonSEO handled it wonderfully. There was plenty of up-front communication about the day’s events and safety regulations, and the registration team wouldn’t allow anyone inside without a negative lateral flow test result.

It was full inside, but I felt safe in the knowledge that everyone had returned negative results.

What I really enjoyed was the emphasis BrightonSEO applied to learning. There were five stages, each showcasing 2-3 talks at every interval, and the exhibition section of the conference was kept small.

Yes, it provided great networking opportunities and the chance to learn about new tools to market, but the small exhibition vs. the large auditoriums and stages showed where the importance was placed.

My top tips to get the most out of BrightonSEO as an experienced SEO:

• I’d definitely recommend upgrading your ticket for two-day access. There are so many talks and workshops that you don’t want to miss either day.
• Stay overnight somewhere local. The parties are a huge part of the event and are a great opportunity to meet people and mingle with the search superstars.
• Plan your agenda in advance and be picky with which talks you attend. Some of the talks are delivered for beginners – these will be no good for experienced SEOs unless you want to go back to basics.
• When you know which talks you hope to see, think of some questions you’d like answered on the particular topic. If the talk doesn’t cover it, you have something to chat with the speaker about later.
• Take notes. You’re going to take in a lot of information over the course of the conference so if you hear something of value or that you find interesting, jot it down or you risk forgetting.
• Connect with everyone you meet and follow on Twitter; tweet mentions and responses to talks, it’ll help build your presence within the SEO community.
• Consider registering your interest to talk at Brighton SEO. As an experienced search specialist, you will have valuable insights to share (even if you don’t know it yet)!

Key Takeaways

BrightonSEO is a wicked conference, built on a brilliant foundation that brings people together who share a commonality. If attending, it’s vital that you grab every opportunity and make the most of the event.

It’s a search conference that has everything, but it’s your own responsibility to make it work for you. It’d be quite easy for someone with advanced SEO knowledge to walk away from the conference feeling like it hasn’t added value, so we implore you to pre-plan your agenda and the questions you’d like answered.

If you missed this year’s events, BrightonSEO are showcasing all the talks online on 23rd and 24th of September for free, or there’s an option to upgrade for unlimited access to the talks. You can register for that here.