It may have started off as a meeting between a few Brighton-based SEO managers in a room above a pub, but BrightonSEO has since become one of the most popular and respected conferences in the UK. Dedicated to natural search, the most recent event held on April 12th 2013 was attended by over 2,500 people, all working within the SEO industry or with a keen interest in its principles. Each part of the day had three sessions, involving different speakers on different aspects of SEO; from content and PR to links and data. Instead of giving you a rundown of each presentation, we’ve created quick key learnings from each of the topics covered as well as the panel session with the ‘Ex-Googlers.’ Ask the Ex-Googlers Anything – Fili Wiese (@filiber), Jonas Weber and Alfredo Pulvirenti This strand gave the participants the inside track on everything Google. Although the panellists no longer work at Google, they were able to give a Google perspective and insight as what to expect from Google going forwards. The key takeaways from this session were: • Brand: It’s important to identify your brand as it’s becoming an important ranking factor for Google. It’s likely that this will increase in importance in the future. • Link building: This is not just for SEO benefit. It should also be for your customers and traffic acquisition. • Social signals: One of the hot topics for this year. The Ex-Googlers announced that whilst Google does recognise them, social signals are not of great value yet but will be soon. Their advice was to start using Google+, Facebook and Twitter now and you'll be ahead of the curve when the time comes. SEO Using structured data On-site SEO has come a long way from the days of meta-titles and keyword stuffing. Now the buzz word is structured data; code that allows you to optimise what you want your users to see on other websites. This structured data can take many forms, the most popular being customer reviews, ratings, Twitter cards and social media connectivity, such as Facebook and Google+ connect. By implementing structured data on your website you can optimise what you want your users to see. What happens when a user shares a page from your website on Facebook? Is it showing the correct title and image that you want others to see? Is it reflecting your brand? Optimising specific data can lead to better CTRs and better interaction with your brand. Don’t leave it up to the algorithm to serve up your data; it won’t always get it right. Going global with SEO Every website deals with international traffic. It’s important to understand whether you are missing a potentially valuable market. By analysing your current international traffic via an analytics package such as Google Analytics, you can see if there is the need to commit to a new international market.

1. Jellyfish POV
Key learnings from BrightonSEO
April 16th
2013

2. 2
Background
Itmayhave started offas a meeting between a fewBrighton-based SEO managers in a room
abovea pub,but BrightonSEOhas since become oneof themost popular and respected
conferences in the UK. Dedicated tonaturalsearch,themost recent event held on April 12th 2013
was attended by over 2,500 people,all working within the SEO industry or with a keen interest in
its principles. Each part ofthedayhad threesessions, involvingdifferentspeakers on different
aspects of SEO; from content and PR to links and data.
Presentations
Instead of giving youa rundown of each presentation, we’ve created quick key learnings from
each ofthe topics covered as well as the panelsession with the ‘Ex-Googlers.’
Panel
Ask the Ex-Googlers Anything – Fili Wiese (@filiber),Jonas Weberand AlfredoPulvirenti
This strand gavethe participants the inside trackon everything Google. Although thepanellists
no longer work at Google,they wereable to give a Googleperspective and insightas whatto
expect from Google going forwards.
Thekey takeaways from this session were:
Brand: It’s importanttoidentify your brand as it’s becomingan important ranking factor
for Google. It’s likely thatthis will increase in importance in the future.
Linkbuilding: This is notjust for SEO benefit. Itshould also be for your customers and
traffic acquisition.
Social signals: One ofthehot topics forthis year. The Ex-Googlers announced that whilst
Googledoes recognise them,socialsignals arenot of great value yetbut will besoon.
Their advice was tostart usingGoogle+, Facebook and Twitternowand you'll beahead of
the curve when thetime comes.
SEO
Using structured data
On-siteSEO has comea long way from thedays of meta-titles and keyword stuffing.Nowthe
buzz word is structured data; codethat allows youtooptimise what you want your users tosee
on other websites. This structured data can takemany forms,themost popular being customer
reviews, ratings,Twitter cards and socialmedia connectivity,such as Facebook and Google+
connect.
By implementingstructured data on your website you can optimise what you want your users to
see. Whathappens when a usershares a page from your websiteon Facebook? Is itshowing the
correct titleand imagethat you wantothers tosee?Is it reflecting your brand? Optimising
specific data can lead tobetter CTRs and better interaction with your brand. Don’t leave itupto
the algorithm toserve upyour data; it won’talways get it right.

3. 3
Going global withSEO
Every website deals with internationaltraffic. It’s importanttounderstand whether you are
missinga potentially valuable market. By analysing your current international traffic via an
analytics packagesuch as Google Analytics, you can see if there is theneed to commit to a new
internationalmarket.
Takea lookatGoogle Analytics and find outthedata in relation to your international visitors. The
most valuable pieces ofdata youneed are:
Countries deliveringtraffic and conversions
International traffic in comparison to domestic (UK) traffic
Landing pages attracting international visitors
Traffic sources from theother countries
Understand thelanguagedistribution in relation to your internationaltraffic
If you find that you are receivingtraffic from oneparticular country ora varietyof countries, it
may be worth lookingat making changes to your website in order toaccommodatethese
internationalvisitors. The changes suggested were:
Structurethenewarchitecturetosuit yoursituation
ccTLD, subdomains,subdirectories each with pros & cons
Enable country targeting within GWT
Localserverhosting, country IP
Local content for that internationalmarket
Rel=alternatehreflangmark-up
Promote your site within internationallocal communities
The ever changing world ofSEO
Thedefinition ofSEO has changed over the last few years. It used tobe justabout optimising a
websitesothat it ranked higher in search engines.Nowadays, SEO encompasses so much more.
Have a thinkabout what thenext thingGoogle willstart to penalise – could it beblogger
outreach?
Create great content,create relevant links
Creating content
Making the leapto produce bigger content to gain bigger rewards could be worth the increased
risk.Producingguest posts and smaller content will return small but consistent results but if
you’retryingto compete with bigname brands offering similarservices then youmightstruggle.
It’s worth takinga gamble byproducingbigger pieces of content,such as step-by-step guides
and videos. This could potentially transform the waythat content is produced, with more focus
on qualityoverquantity.

4. 4
Great content: The new link-building
After Googlealgorithm updates,such as Panda and Penguin, SEOs haveto relyon othermore
relevant ways to obtain links and get trafficto websites.
In ordertoobtain relevant links, youneed to lookatyour contentstrategy. When publishingnew
content, it’s advised that youtake the followingsteps to ensure that you create and share
content thathas the maximum relevancy.
Start bythinking about what content youshould or could be writing, then writea listof thenews
sources that you want to target. Launch the contenton your own websiteand publish it using
yoursocial channels. Then rewrite it for your targetwebsite and get it published by them.
We’re always chasingGoogle; as SEOs we want to know whatGoogle willbedoingnext. In
contrast,Googleare tailoring their processes around theuser and what would make life easier for
the user. Wouldn’t it makesenseto cut outthemiddle man? Whydon’t westart making content
that theuser wants, instead of doingthings that wethink Google wants us to do?
Link-building
We’vediscussed the importanceofhaving great content, possibly big contentsuch as step-by-
step guides or videos. Thenext stepis to get links toyour greatpieceof contentor to writesimilar
content for another website (along with a link back to your website). In order todo this, you’ll
need topitch to webmasters, editors and journalists.
The crowd at BrightonSEO were lucky enough tohave a television producer, givingtips and advice
on how to pitch to journalists.
Journalists are interested in stories that will compete with othernews channels and are
impactful. Before you approach a journalist,makesure youhavetheanswers tothe following
questions:
News
brainstorm
Shortlist target
websites
Launch
content
Use quoteSocialRewrite
Publish on
target
websites

5. 5
Which story to target?
Why?
Wheredoes your storyhit the real world?
What impactdoes ithaveon real people?
Thebestnews story is about real people,so makesure you illustrate your story with real people.
What are the seven secret weaponsfor content success?
Content success is about delivering a storythat relates tothe real world in the first instance.Find
stories that are relativeto current themes; your client’s story is secondary. Structure all assets so
you aremaking iteasy for contenttobeshared. Ask for the link.
When thinkingabouta contentstrategy, thinkabouttheseseven secret weapons and you’llbe on
your way to success:
Finding content ideas
Scaling contentideas
Preparing for outreach
Outreach techniques
Giving the right presents
Building relationships
Tools
Use trends maps to find outabouthot topics that peopleare interested in readingand sharingon
socialplatforms. Before contacting journalists toask them to cover yourstory,make sure you
take timeto read thetargeted website to see whattheyare linking to.Makesureyou also do
some research aboutthe person you wantto contact. When you contactbig publishers don’task
for a linkstraight away, firstmakesure thattheyareinterested in publishing your story. Oncethe
content is published you’ll be abletoeasily askthe publishertoaccredit you with a linktoyour
website.
Summary and next steps
If you’d likemore information on anyof these subjects, do get in touch; we’d behappy tohelp.
And in themeantime, allour POVs are availableto view and download from here:
http://www.slideshare.net/JellyfishOnlineMarketing