BrightonSEO is a premier event in the world of search engine optimisation, providing a wealth of knowledge and insight from some of the best SEO minds the world has to offer. From Technical SEO to content marketing, the conference covers a wide range of topics relating to search engines. It is the perfect place for SEO professionals looking to sharpen their skills, and also for business owners looking for tips on best practices for their online sites.
As an SEO strategist, I found the prospect of attending BrightonSEO for the first time a thrilling opportunity. The chance to learn directly from industry experts, network with fellow professionals, and gain valuable insights to inform my personal SEO strategies was a source of great excitement. As you can imagine, I was really excited when I was chosen to attend BrightonSEO on behalf of Mabo!
I’m thrilled to say that my excitement was fulfilled. The talks I attended were not only incredibly insightful and informative, but they also provided me with two significant takeaways that I'm thrilled to share with you.
Evergreen content is critical to long-term success.
Evergreen content is a term used in digital marketing bubbles worldwide; on the surface, it’s pretty obvious what it means. Evergreen content is content on a webpage that search engines love year-round, and that will keep driving traffic to your site for many months or even years.
Although Evergreen content is relatively simple, how can you ensure your content is truly Evergreen?
At BrightonSEO, I attended Chris Meabe’s talk on ‘100% evergreen articles to survive search updates’, and he outlined the three key factors in what keeps content fresh and attracting traffic, and it was a real eye-opener for me.
1) Define Your Term
Clearly defining your term is how you get your content into Google Snippets. It's also how you ensure that your audience is on the same page as you and that you answer a burning question that your audience has.
You can define your term easily by ensuring you’re properly utilising the ‘What is’ approach to writing articles. This approach involves starting the title of your article with a ‘What is’ question, which immediately defines your term and attracts the audience who are asking the question you’re answering with your article. This not only ensures that your audience is on the same page as you but also helps the search engine understand the topic of your article.
Defining your term doesn’t just mean focusing on the title of your articles; it’s also looking at the body of your content, particularly the introduction. Again, you can use the ‘What is’ approach to writing your introduction, utilising an ‘Overview’ method that clearly establishes the rest of the article and effectively introduces the subject matter.
2) Establish Expertise
Backlinks are an excellent way to establish expertise within your content and chosen topic. There isn’t a magical number of backlinks that your article needs to stay Evergreen, as backlinks can be entirely context-dependent.
However, something that does have a minimum is the number of links your article links out to, meaning either linking to other pages on your site or external websites. Chris explained that Evergreen content typically needs 10-20 links to expert sources.
An effective linking out strategy shows Google that this content is authoritative within your niche as you pool resources and information from other high-authority sites.
The more authoritative the content, the more Evergreen it will be.
3) Keep it Fresh
Having a regular and consistent content refresh procedure can help your articles become Evergreen and stable in terms of organic traffic.
As Chris put it, ‘Evergreen trees need a lot of water’. This metaphor emphasises the importance of regularly updating your content to keep it fresh and relevant. Just as evergreen trees need regular watering to stay healthy and vibrant, your articles need a regular and consistent content refresh procedure to ensure they remain evergreen and stable in terms of organic traffic. The worst thing your content can be is irrelevant, so having a yearly process of refreshing your top-performing content will ensure those articles stay at the top of search results.
Chris presented several sites hosting great Evergreen articles and monitored the times the content had been updated since it was first published.
84% of articles on these sites had been refreshed in the last year.
AI content isn’t automatically bad content
Since AI entered mainstream discussions about digital marketing, there's been much debate about its potential impact on the marketing landscape. This discussion is particularly relevant to SEO professionals who have witnessed both the benefits and drawbacks of AI-driven tools.
On one hand, AI can streamline mundane tasks, freeing up SEO professionals to focus on more strategic work. However, there's also concern about the negative impact of AI-generated content on search results. Google has been cracking down on "spammy" and repetitive content; some AI-generated content can fall into this category.
So, what's the best approach? Based on the talks at BrightonSEO, SEO professionals and business owners who ignore AI are missing out. While AI-generated content may need refinement, it can be a valuable tool.
Finn Elliot’s talk on ‘How to build a team of AI assistants that understand your business and SEO strategy’ was particularly insightful regarding AI. He describes AI as the most powerful technology we’ve ever had access to, and he hypothesised that the onus is on the user to ensure we leverage AI to our specific needs to maximise effectiveness.
As I mentioned previously, content writing is one aspect of AI that is perhaps looked down upon by those in the world of SEO. Google has never explicitly said it hates AI-generated content. Still, they have been cracking down on spammy, irrelevant content in a big way this year, which, without any human intervention, is what these AI models tend to churn out.
Finn mentions that the best way to utilise AI tools is to work with them and treat them like assistants by employing a ‘multi-step prompting’ method when asking an AI model to complete a task. An example of this can be seen below:
If we instruct language models to mindlessly write a blog surrounding a topic and give them no direction but the number of words the blog needs to have, it will often produce lacklustre results.
‘Multi-step prompting’ is simply taking a task, breaking it down into sub-tasks, and feeding it to the AI step by step. For instance, if you want an AI model to write a blog about a specific topic, you can first ask it to research the topic, then outline the main points, and finally write the content.
This seemingly simple approach can improve the effectiveness of AI content. Then, from this, we can rewrite specific passages in our own words to humanise the content further. While AI-generated content may require human refinement, it can be a valuable asset when used effectively.
By following techniques like multi-step prompting and ensuring that the content is high-quality and relevant, we can harness the power of AI to enhance our SEO efforts and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
To wrap it all up
BrightonSEO was an invaluable experience that provided me with a wealth of knowledge and insights into the world of search engine optimisation. From enlightening talks to networking opportunities, the conference exceeded my expectations.
I could've written extensively about everything I learned at BrightonSEO, but I wanted to keep this article concise and not exceed 10,000 words! Instead, I've focused on the two most impactful insights that can benefit any SEO professional or business owner with an online site.
Key takeaways:
- To succeed online, you must produce Evergreen content. By defining your terms, establishing expertise, and regularly updating your content, you can ensure that your articles continue to attract organic traffic.
- AI is a powerful tool for SEO professionals. While it may never replace human creativity or the traditional content writer profession, AI can streamline tasks, provide valuable insights, and assist in content creation.
By utilising AI effectively and ensuring that the output is refined and relevant, we can enhance our SEO efforts and maximise efficiency.
I highly recommend BrightonSEO to any SEO professional or business owner looking to stay updated on the latest industry trends and gain valuable insights. The conference is a must-attend event for anyone serious about improving their online presence and search ranking.
