{"id":73011,"date":"2025-04-14T10:43:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T08:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/?p=73011"},"modified":"2025-04-14T10:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T08:43:21","slug":"brighton-seo-2025-my-key-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/blog\/brighton-seo-2025-my-key-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Brighton SEO 2025: My Key Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This April, I had the chance to attend Brighton SEO. It was my first visit since 2017 \u2014 and once again, it didn\u2019t disappoint. The recurring headline? AI is no longer a buzzword; it\u2019s redefining how we search, strategise, and create content. With dozens of talks happening at once, I\u2019ve pulled together the ones that stuck with me most.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>AI Meets Search<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Josh Blyksal \u2013 What 10M AI Searches Reveal<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Josh shared an eye-opening analysis of AI-based search behavior using data from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI tools return results <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">radically different<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from traditional engines\u2014ChatGPT only overlaps with Google 12% of the time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each tool favors distinct content formats\u2014listicles, comparisons, and direct answers often win.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visibility in AI search still depends on being indexed by Bing (especially for ChatGPT).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Veronika H\u00f6ller \u2013 Optimising for AI Search<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Veronika reminded us that it\u2019s not enough to write for Google anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI tools crave <\/span><b>concise, clear, and regularly updated content<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She encouraged testing your content in AI platforms and analysing where they pull data from.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Optimisation now means creating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">multi-platform-ready<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> content.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Smarter Content Strategies<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Carl Poxon \u2013 Clusters with Purpose<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Carl reexamined the idea of topic clusters. The challenge isn\u2019t building them\u2014it\u2019s getting internal buy-in and making sure they reflect real user intent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Oluwatobi Folasade Balogun \u2013 Sustainable SEO<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oluwatobi made a compelling case for content sustainability.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With most pages generating zero traffic, it\u2019s time to stop publishing just for the sake of it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fewer, higher-quality pages<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that genuinely serve user needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She also advocated for <\/span><b>updating, reusing, and refining<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> content to reduce digital waste.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Sarah Pokorna \u2013 Mindset-Based Marketing<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Forget demographics\u2014Sarah urged us to think psychographics instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tailoring content to users&#8217; <\/span><b>mindsets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (growth vs. fixed) leads to deeper engagement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a subtle but powerful shift in how we approach messaging and targeting.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Search Beyond the SERP<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Ashley Liddell \u2013 The Rise of Social Search<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ashley argued that search isn\u2019t just a Google-shaped box anymore\u2014it\u2019s a behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest are now key discovery tools, especially for younger audiences.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She highlighted the <\/span><b>democratisation of search<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where community engagement can outperform big budgets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winning on social search means being <\/span><b>present, responsive, and genuinely helpful<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in your niche.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Alex Ighalo \u2013 Influencer Strategies for Underdogs<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alex showed how smaller brands can punch above their weight using data and automation.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan with AI, but <\/span><b>leave creativity and relationships to real people<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Influencer marketing is now an SEO tactic in its own right.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Ray Saddiq \u2013 Multi-Channel Authority Building<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ray closed with a powerful message: real SEO strength comes from <\/span><b>cross-platform presence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Letting experts speak in forums, podcasts, and publications helps build both <\/span><b>brand trust<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>E-E-A-T<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visibility isn\u2019t just about links\u2014it\u2019s about being recognised <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">everywhere<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Final Thoughts<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year\u2019s Brighton SEO was a clear signal: the game is changing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Success in search now means:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thinking beyond the SERP.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writing for both AI and human users.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on quality over quantity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meeting users where they really are.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brighton, you\u2019ve done it again. See you next time!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This April, I had the chance to attend Brighton SEO. It was my first visit since 2017 \u2014 and once again, it didn\u2019t disappoint. The recurring headline? AI is no longer a buzzword; it\u2019s redefining how we search, strategise, and create content. With dozens of talks happening at once, I\u2019ve pulled together the ones that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":73016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[888],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.makingscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}