So, another BrightonSEO comes and goes. Is it just us, or do the post-conference withdrawal symptoms hit that little bit harder every time? Alas, not even a swag-loaded tote bag can fill the void — although it certainly helps.
Between the meet-and-greets with some of our industry’s best and brightest, the late-night fat-chewing with friends old and new, and the very welcome (yet decidedly rare) addition of some seaside sunshine, we had a blast.
But we’re not here to discuss the Brighton weather, or indeed Seeker’s social escapades. Still riding the wave of the post-BSEO energy, we’re focusing on one of the reasons so many eager marketing heads descend on this salt-kissed south coast city twice a year: the talks.
As always, this April’s sessions were loaded with knowledge (and mic) drops (figuratively speaking in the latter case, of course; there’s no excuse for mishandling conference property), brow-furrowing ideas, and in certain instances, some decidedly spicy-hot takes.
It will come as a surprise to precisely no one (other than the chronically unplugged) that AI features quite heavily. Apparently it’s a pretty big deal — and we oughta know, as pioneers of AI augmentation in organic marketing.
Anyway, it’s time for us to stop waffling and let the real stars do the talking. Here’s our rundown of the 10 best talks delivered at BrightonSEO in April 2025 (plus one additional, somewhat divisive entry, just for good measure and all that).
How Knowledge Science is Shaping the Future of Search & Discoverability (Gareth Simpson)
Are we a little biased? Sure, Gareth is Seeker’s founder, Innovation Director, and architect of exciting new venture Seeker.ai, but we challenge anyone present in Auditorium 1 at 4:50 PM on Thursday 10th April to argue that Gareth’s talk wasn’t one of the most illuminating and boundary-pushing of the entire two-day conference.
Gareth first spoke on-stage at Brighton about using AI for SEO way back in 2019 (that pre-COVID era where GPT was more likely to stand for Gross Production Tax than Generative Pre-trained Transformer), so you could say his perspective comes with the kind of mileage you can’t fabricate. Not his first rodeo.
But while Gareth was quietly pioneering many of the concepts that have since become mainstream, the industry has moved on somewhat — not just to AI-assisted workflows, but toward an era of rewarding meaning over manipulation.
Gareth’s talk began (as many of the best presentations do) with a quote attributed to Plato, asserting that: “Knowledge is justified true belief.” For years, Gareth explained, SEOs have artfully tiptoed around the so-called Gettier Problem — those pesky edge cases where the hazy lines between justified belief and genuine knowledge converge.
But this era of loophole-exploiting optimisation is fading.
At the core of this evolution is knowledge science, an interdisciplinary fusion of data science, semantics, information architecture, and naturally, artificial intelligence, which means search is no longer about simply matching keywords but teaching machines to understand context and meaning — what we actually intend when we search, not just what we type.
This is where knowledge graphs, ontologies, and concepts like entity recognition come into play, helping search engines and AI tools make smarter connections and deliver results that feel intuitive and, crucially, more relevant.
The crux? The future of search is much about understanding as it is visibility. Success won’t come from gaming the system, but rather from building knowledge that’s both meaningful and machine-readable. Plato would approve, we’re sure.
Key takeaways:
- Search engines are evolving from string-matching to understanding — meaning structured, semantically-rich content is essential for discoverability.
- Building content around recognised entities, rather than loose keywords, helps algorithms make stronger contextual connections.
- Sustainable SEO success lies in building trustworthy, well-structured knowledge ecosystems — not chasing quick-wins and short-term hacks.
How Multichannel Content Captures EEAT (Ray Saddiq)
Ray’s talk started with a reference to D&D. But before you think we’re going to start babbling about Mind Flayers and Forgotten Realms, we’re talking about Demand and Discovery.
Ray’s acutely-made point? Demand makes people search for you, while discovery ensures they find you when they search.
This is why modern search is no longer linear. Social content now fuels demand and discovery just as powerfully as search — and with the rise of zero-click results on Google, simply being “ranked” ain’t what it used to be.
TikTok, for instance — once associated with dance crazes and lip syncing — has become a discovery engine for a generation. Google still eclipses all other search avenues (particularly in the latter stages of the user journey), but features like keyword-tagged comments and personalised search feeds mean TikTok is shaping search behaviour in its own way.
The problem? According to Ray, brands right now are focusing too heavily on either SEO or social — rarely both. But in a non-linear search landscape where the boundaries are increasingly blurry, your content should be discoverable everywhere your audience might be — and, spoiler alert, it isn’t just on Google’s SERPs.
In short: attention is fragmented, but influence is cumulative. It’s the brands that show up where it matters that win in that messy middle.
Key takeaways:
- Search is not linear anymore, with most users bouncing between platforms and the SERPs moving to ‘zero clicks’.
- SEO and social no longer operate in silos, with platforms like TikTok and Pinterest increasingly fuelling discovery.
- Content needs to be findable anywhere your audience is — not just on Google, but channels such as Reddit too.
Everything Your Boss Wants To Know About AI (Ryan Law)
Ryan Law’s zero-punch-pulling talk on AI began with something of a reality check: although almost two-thirds (63%) of websites now receive some form of AI-generated traffic, this accounts for a meagre 0.12% of page views, and just 0.17% of unique visitors.
Despite all the buzz around AI, one thing remains clear: Google still dominates when it comes to discovery. Traditional Google Search drives 41% of all traffic, making organic SEO still the most powerful route for getting eyes on content — but the landscape is shifting, fast.
Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) are quietly yet incontrovertibly changing how people engage with search results. When an AIO appears, for example, clicks to traditional web results drop by 30%, funneling user attention toward the top of the page.
At the same time, AI-generated content is littering the web, with Ahrefs’ “Bot or Not” analysis revealing that over 70% of web pages included at least some AI-written copy. Surprisingly, though, almost half (46%) of marketers feel AI content performs equally well (or better than) human-written content in search rankings.
There’s long been a fear that AI-generated content is a one-way ticket to Google penalties, but is this panic overblown? Perhaps, argued Ryan.
Google’s isn’t going anywhere just yet, of course, but the way our content shows up in search is evolving. AI is already changing user behavior, and perhaps we need to shift our assumptions about what ranks and what doesn’t.
Key takeaways:
- AI tools like ChatGPT are generating traffic for many websites, but this is still a drop in the ocean compared to ‘traditional’ search.
- However, evolutions like AI Overviews are changing user behaviour, shifting attention away from ‘blue links’.
- AI-generated content can (and does) rank, but the emphasis should be on thoughtful integration rather than blanket adoption or avoidance.
Is AI Having a Negative Effect on Your SEO and Customer Trust? (Collette Masso del Llano)
No transformative technology is without risk as well as opportunity. Even the internet itself, which connected the world and created entire industries like SEO, conversely introduced the erosion of privacy, the advent of cyberbullying, and so on.
Yes, Collette’s talk was another session focused on AI, but it posed a quandary that surely many a digital marketer has pondered in recent times — is the tech actually harming SEO, wearing down customer trust in the process?
Collette started with a question that was generally met with a combination of head shakes and blank stares among attendees: “Have you asked your customers how they feel about AI?”
Research shows that, on the whole, consumers are sceptical about the technology — particularly the 65-and-over age group, which represents almost a fifth of all consumers — but also that trust in brands is declining. Are the two linked?
Collette pointed out that, despite the fact half of organic searches are expected to start with an AI tool rather than a search engine by 2028, we can’t assume this means consumers don’t harbour reservations about the technology.
But how, then, can we embrace a machine-powered future while ensuring we’re not alienating our customers? Collette broke her advice down into three pillars:
- Be where your customers are. Understand the customer’s journey, not just their destination. Review your marketing touchpoints, identify where there are gaps or bottlenecks, and prioritise convenience and connection.
- Test, learn and refine. Remember that AI is a tool, not a silver bullet. You need to stay flexible and respond to your customers’ needs.
- Don’t neglect the humans. Check in with customer service teams to understand what customers really care about. Create feedback loops. Focus on conversational, helpful content, not AI-generated fluff.
Key takeaways:
- AI is changing how consumers behave online, but trust isn’t a given — consumers still have reservations about the technology.
- Trust in brands is also on the decline, with poor customer experiences increasingly eroding loyalty.
- The human touch still matters, both in terms of the way we interact with customers and the content and experiences we deliver.
Maximising Content Efficiency with Minimal Environmental Impact (Oluwatobi Folasade Balogun)
What did we like about Tobi’s talk? Well, it touched upon something we, as SEOs, too often overlook in our work — the environmental footprint of what we do. Because, as Tobi reminded us, every digital action leaves an impression.
For example:
- Each internet search emits around 0.2g of CO₂ — and there are over 16 billion of those every day, just through Google.
- The average website emits 1.76g of CO₂ per page view — and millions of views per year quickly becomes a significant footprint.
- 60% of Google searches in the EU end without a click, meaning a lot of energy is being spent on content that isn’t even being seen.
We rarely think of SEO and site architecture as climate concerns — but websites, especially content-loaded ones, can have a significant ecological impact, with ‘heavier’ pages containing oversized images or bloated scripts consuming unnecessary amounts of energy.
What’s more, duplicate or ‘thin’ content wastes crawl budget and increases server load — without the content really having any tangible value in the first place — while redundant or orphaned pages contribute to higher emissions every time a bot needlessly crawls them.
Tobi’s recommendations for combating this potential catastrophe?
Firstly, focus on fewer, better links. You don’t need to overlink every page on your website; your links should aid the user journey and help bots crawl efficiently. Crucially, most content should be accessible within 3 clicks from the homepage.
You should also avoid ‘deadweight’ orphan pages which sap server resources, while consolidating or removing low-value pages that generate no traffic and offer no unique value.
From a technical standpoint, Tobi recommended minimising third-party scripts and prioritising core web vitals — especially Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Interaction To Next Paint (INP) — whilst also compressing large files and avoiding features like auto-playing videos.
Key takeaways:
- A flat website structure (in which most pages require no more than 3 clicks to access) is both easier for users to navigate and more energy-efficient.
- Orphan pages and low-value, traffic-light pages should be removed or merged, since they offer no value and waste crawl budget.
- Tools such as Website Carbon Calculator, Lighthouse, and WebPageTest can help you identify issues and minimise server load
What the F*** is Alt-Text, and How Do You Write It? (Liam Cumber)
If there’s one sure-fire way to make your talk jump out at potential attendees perusing the conference brochure, it’s to include a naughty word in the title — remember Alice Rowan’s packed-out presentation dubbed ‘What the Clusterf*ck’ from a couple of years back?
But if you’re going to lure audiences in with profanity, your talk better live up to the hype — and thankfully, like just Alice’s, Liam Cumber’s did.
Admittedly, the provocative title perhaps serves as dressing for a topic not many people would consider particularly sexy, but Liam skillfully argued that alt-text (the short description that accompanies a digital image or graphic) should serve the same purpose as the image itself — just as an image tells a story and delivers information, your alt-text should do just that using words.
Writing good alt-text, in Liam’s view, demands empathy, because you’re not just outlining what’s in the image; you’re describing what matters about the image to your audience — and context is key.
To illustrate, Liam flashed up an image of a sharp-suited Daniel Craig as James Bond, standing near to the character’s signature Aston Martin — a little like the below example.
Image: https://observer.com/2019/12/no-time-to-die-trailer-watch-daniel-craig-james-bond-legacy/
In Liam’s view, alt-text such as “James Bond actor next to a car” is vague and lazy, offering no real meaning or context.
Instead, a film site might use alt-text such as “Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die, standing beside an Aston Martin DB5”, while a fashion blog might opt for “Daniel Craig in a tailored black Tom Ford suit with a silk tie and white pocket square.”
Ultimately, your alt-text should reflect the purpose of the image in context — it’s essential to pick out the details that support your content’s goal, while decorative elements like background textures, separators, or aesthetic-only banners can be marked as decorative.
Key takeaways:
- Google has stated that alt-text is the most important piece of metadata for understanding an image, especially with visual search on the rise.
- Writing effective alt-text is about understanding what’s important about the image, particularly in the context of the content it’s being used in.
- Not every image needs alt-text, and overdoing it can actually harm accessibility rather than help it.
Redefining Link Value (Tamara Novitovic)
If you have any experience of SEO (and since you’re reading a roundup of BrightonSEO talks, we’ll assume you do), you’ll likely have heard the phrase “link building is dead”. But we support an alternative viewpoint here at Seeker — that, far from deceased, links have simply evolved, and therefore we need to think about link building a little differently.
This was the crux of Tamara Novitovic’s savvy seminar on redefining the value of links in an age where many so-called experts are insisting they don’t matter.
Tamara began with a call for SEOs to stop obsessing over DR — something many of us will surely have to hold our hands up to. We’re falling into a ‘vanity metric’ trap, Tamara argued, where in fact, the chase for a higher domain rating may inadvertently devalue your link profile.
Google doesn’t care about DR and DA as much as you think, with engagement and relevance considered infinitely more important.
Good links are contextually relevant, genuinely useful to the reader, and integrate naturally into the content they’re placed within — plus, they should be driving clicks and traffic, not simply boosting a rather arbitrary ‘authority’ rating.
Tamara’s advice centred on giving each potential link an ‘impact score’ from 1-5, assessing factors such as contextual relevance, conversion intent, and traffic potential, while she also suggested that linkable visuals and content repurposing can be effective ways to generate links naturally, rather than trying to manipulate your way to a stronger domain.
Simply put, it’s about focusing on logic over metrics.
Key takeaways:
- We should stop focusing on boosting metrics like DR and DA and concentrate on a user-first approach to building backlinks.
- Context is one of the most important factors when building links — they should fit naturally within the context of the surrounding content.
- Links that genuinely help the reader are valuable because they drive engagement and referral traffic.
Mastering Cross-Platform Content Strategy (Rana Abu Quba Chamsi, PhD)
This one got us thinking: isn’t a cross-platform content strategy a little like remixing a song? There’s your killer album-opener for the hardcore fans, a stripped-back acoustic version for the chill crowd, and for the hard-partiers, you’ve got your bass-heavy dance mix.
Basically, one core idea can cover multiple angles.
Fortunately, Rana’s fluff-free talk didn’t lean on such flimsy music-related analogies, instead focusing on how to make your content go further by strategically repurposing it across channels.
But it’s more than simply a copy-and-paste job, Rana stressed, with the key to repurposing content being adapting and optimising for the platform you’re using it on.
Starting with your core content piece — perhaps it’s a long-form blog, or even a podcast — you can then slice this into smaller, ‘snackable’ elements for platforms like TikTok and YouTube, tailoring them to audiences on each channel — TikTok thrives on immediacy and hook-loaded content, for instance, while YouTube is great for more long-term discoverability.
Rana suggested not necessarily feeling the need to post every day, with a “one day on, one day off” cadence often proving effective on platforms like Instagram. And much like TikTok, content such as reels, carousels, and stories all work best when optimised for visual impact and engagement.
The core point here is: one idea can have many lives, and by starting with a strong piece of content and breaking it into tailored, platform-friendly morsels, your message can travel even further.
Key takeaways:
- Content repurposing isn’t about copy-and-pasting, since audiences on different platforms consume and respond to content differently.
- You need to optimise each piece of content for the platform it’s intended for — TikTok users favour snappy, hook-led content, for example.
- You should only aim for platforms where you can find your audience, otherwise you’re wasting your time.
Techno-Stress: Navigating the Impact of Technology on Our Lives (Anthony M. Amos Mangiacotti)
Working in a field like digital marketing, tech is inescapable. It defines everything we do; it’s the reason our industry even exists.
Indeed, many of BrightonSEO’s speakers confidently tell us how technology can make us better at our jobs; but what about the other side of the equation? As tech increasingly infiltrates both our professional and personal lives, how do we balance a reliance on technology with a need to stay grounded in our hyper-connected world?
Every year at BrightonSEO, there are talks that make you reflect — not just on the latest ‘organic growth hacks’, but on how the way we work shapes the way we live, and what that means for us as individuals. Despite AI threatening to think for us, we mustn’t forget that we’re still the ones carrying the mental load.
As Consultant Neuroscientist Anthony M. Amos Mangiacotti pointed out in this sobering yet contemplative session, we now have an overwhelming amount of tech available to us 24/7 — and with the lines between our jobs and our home lives becoming ever fuzzier (the temptation to check Slack messages or emails on our personal phones is often strong) there’s a risk of cognitive overload, which can ultimately lead to burnout.
So how do we take back control and stop technology taking control of us?
It’s all about setting boundaries, Anthony argued, ensuring we’re using tech purposefully and with intention, rather than out of habit or FOMO. Plus, there’s tech out there that can (somewhat ironically) help us disconnect — health tracking and mindfulness apps, for example, that remind us of the importance of taking breaks, spending time outside, and limiting the amount of time we spend staring at screens.
Key takeaways:
- We’re at risk of cognitive overload if we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by all the tech available to us.
- It’s essential to set boundaries around technology use, ensuring we’re using tech intentionally rather than because we feel we should.
- We can actually leverage tech such as health tracking and mindfulness apps to help us manage our mental health and wellbeing.
Have SEOs Ruined the Internet? (Akash J Hashmi)
What’s the conference talk equivalent of clickbait? Sit-down-bait? Whatever it is, the deliberately arsenic-laced title of this talk is definitely that — although, like surely many others, we sat a tad uncomfortable at the prospect of discovering that, as SEOs, we really might have caused irreparable damage to the web. Would we be able to live with the guilt?
Well, Akash certainly wasn’t afraid to address the pachyderm in the auditorium, stressing that some corners of the web have become soulless, keyword-stuffed dumping grounds laced with AI slop. A tad bleak? You bet.
But Akash flagged up some hard-hitting stats to anchor his point:
- 35% of chatbot users now bypass search engines entirely, turning to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for instant answers — Goog-what?
- 76% of users believe Google’s results appear “sponsored”, feeling they’re being sold to rather than provided with helpful information.
- 55% of people prefer getting information from forums like Reddit, favouring authentic, lived experiences from real people over “generic” blog content.
Has SEO destroyed the internet? That’s perhaps a stretch (cue the Jeff Goldblum ‘phew’ GIF) but as SEOs we need to remember that we aren’t here to game the system, but rather to boost brands through useful, trustworthy, human-derived content.
So what’s the answer?
Akash suggested doubling down on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust are blueprints, not buzzwords) by ensuring every piece of content has a clear purpose and point of view, but also that it comes from a credible voice and serves a genuine user need.
Furthermore, we’re past the stage where you can “trick” your way to the top, Akash argued, and this is why it’s essential to focus on building a strong brand, prioritise UX, stop overlooking technical SEO, and think strategically rather than always being reactive.
SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum — with organic search just one of many user touchpoints — and success comes from effective multi-channel integration, where SEO works in tandem with paid advertising, social media, PR, content marketing, and even product.
Key takeaways:
- Google’s evolving algorithms are getting better at rewarding genuine expertise, experience, authority, and trust, so lean in to E-E-A-T principles.
- Too many SEOs chase algorithm updates or competitor content, but a future-focused strategy, supported by clean data will always trump a reactive approach.
- The brands that are winning right now are the ones where search, social, content, PR and product all talk to each other — think multi-channel.
And one more: Fake EEAT Until You Make EEAT (Emma-Elizabeth Byrne)
Perhaps we’ll call this ‘bonus’ addition a dishonourable mention, but we daren’t not include this controversial (yet pun-tastically named) talk in our round-up — particularly since it was without doubt one of the most talked-about of the conference.
While we’re all for hot takes (and applaud anyone who’s willing to stand up and say something not everyone is going to like), even we have to admit this one singed our eyebrows just a little. At best, it was contentious. At worst, uncomfortably candid.
The gist? E-E-A-T is an essential pillar of any organic growth strategy (which shouldn’t be news to anyone with even the smidgiest smidge of online marketing know-how), but the problem is building it takes time — particularly if you’re operating in a tricky market or niche.
The solution? Fake it. Make it up. Fabricate reviews to earn “trust”. Try your luck by adding a “five-star” Trustpilot badge to your site. Include logos from trustworthy sources, even if you haven’t earned the right to use them. The talk’s content essentially boiled down to: appear trustworthy, and one day maybe you’ll actually become trustworthy.
Do we endorse this level of hoodwinking? Nope. Does it happen? Sure. We’ll leave you to decide whether such dishonest recommendations (delivered with unabashed yet admirable honesty) belong on the main stage at the world’s premier search conference, but this one certainly triggered some lively debate within Team Seeker.
Missed this April’s BrightonSEO? Inspired by all the top-tier knowledge from all the top-of-their-game professionals we’ve shared here? Why not join us at the October event. If you’re on the other side of the Atlantic (or you fancy a Californian jaunt, where sun is guaranteed and rain isn’t) there’s even the San Diego-based conference in September 2025. Dare we sign off with a stay classy…?
