When you think of BrightonSEO, the smell of the sea, and the sight of hundreds of eager marketers with eye-catching lanyards trying to make it to the next talk on time without tripping over another free branded tote bag comes to mind, but it’s more than all that.
On Wednesday, 9th April, eleven members of the eComOne team from multiple departments piled into cars for a little road trip to Brighton and it didn’t disappoint.
For the uninitiated, BrightonSEO is where the UK’s digital marketing brains gather for two days to discuss all things search. Think TED Talks with more keywords, acronyms and SERP discussions. We attended talks that inspired us, challenged us, and, in one case, caused a full-blown LinkedIn meltdown (more on that later).
Why We Went to BrightonSEO
At eComOne, we’re all extremely passionate about what we do. But there’s something magical about stepping away from the desk and spending time immersed in new information alongside like-minded people.
BrightonSEO is about learning, sure. But it’s also about recharging, connecting and getting out of the office bubble. It’s where new ideas come to life and old ones get a much-needed refresh.
Our crazily smart Head of Technical, Kieran Wright, gave a talk on day two. It was informative, witty and, dare we say, one of the best talks of the event. We’re not the only ones saying that. To say we were feeling proud as he shined a light on his profound knowledge up on that stage would be an understatement.
The Talks That Made Us Think (and the One That Made the Internet Rage)
Across the two days, there were a ton of incredible speakers. Some were practical and immediately useful, think actionable takeaways, clever hacks and “I’m implementing that as soon as I’m back behind my desk” moments. Others were big-picture, thought-provoking and gave us a glimpse into where search marketing is heading.
And then… there was that talk.
If you saw the heated debate unravel on LinkedIn, you already know the one. It sparked conversations about ethics and how we hold the mic in this industry. We won’t name names (you can Google it), but let’s just say the SEO community is passionate and when something doesn’t sit right, they speak up. We love that.
All we will say is never fake authenticity for authority. It’s misleading and arguably unneeded if you’re doing your job right and there are far better ways to improve your website’s E-E-A-T.
Why This Kind of Thing Matters
If you’re wondering why agencies invest time and budget into conferences like BrightonSEO, let me tell you. There are a myriad of reasons. In our industry, things move fast and if you’re not continuously upskilling your team, it’s easy to fall behind.
Often, even if you already do everything a speaker is talking about, it’s nice to have it affirmed that you’re doing everything right. It’s not all about what actionable takeaways you get. A few days away together builds bonds and it’s hard not to solidify friendships over beers, burgers, and bizarre conversations.
You can’t innovate if you’re staring at the same four office walls every day. Brighton gave us that jolt of inspiration we didn’t know we needed, allowing us to head back to the office feeling tired but inspired.
Trips like BrightonSEO are a brilliant way to ensure retention within a business. Investing in your team’s growth and experiences makes them more likely to stay and at eComOne, our mantra is, ‘To build an outstanding culture that generates transformative results.’
Here is What Some of the Team Had to Say About BrightonSEO
Carrianne Dukes, Head of Brand:
My favourite part was laying on the beach on Friday morning before Kieran’s talk, surrounded by nature. It really has a calming effect. I’m a very sociable person, so I loved the networking and chatting to everyone at Semrush’s exclusive dining event.
The talks reiterated the importance of spending time on the SERP, Googling those keywords and understanding what type of content is ranking. For example, is it a TikTok video? Is it a Reddit Search? This allows you to work with Google to shape your content strategy and answer the user’s query.
People are trusting social media more than Google itself. Therefore, create authentic content to build a relationship with your audience. I’m excited to update the GMB listing every two weeks with new photoss, add more case studies and even more credibility to our marketing.
Rowan Payne, Senior Account Manager:
My favourite part of BrightonSEO was the run along the pier, the delicious pastries, and the really insightful talks on meta attribution and campaign planning.
The talk from Hurricane Social on ‘How to dominate social search’ helped to solidify the changes we’ve seen in social platforms like TikTok as a brand awareness exercise.
S360’s talk on building organic trends into Advantage+ campaigns was a really interesting concept with immense practical application, too.
Alex Spooner, Account Manager:
My favourite part of BrightonSEO was Jon Earnshaw’s talk on “Beyond AI: How to Own the SERP in 2025 with FAST Content.” The key concepts I took away from it were to ensure content is Fresh, Accelerated, Specific, and Targeted (FAST).
This talk emphasised the importance of creating content that resonates with evolving search trends and user intent, especially in light of AI advancements and changing user behaviour in favour of UGC over traditional search results.
I’m looking forward to implementing FAST content principles to ensure faster content production and relevance in the SERPs. Focusing on improving content speed without compromising quality, making it easier to react to trends and optimise quickly.
Overall, Jon’s session provided clear strategies for competing in a rapidly changing search landscape, particularly with AI-driven content. It gave me actionable insights to refine our content strategy and improve SERP performance for clients in 2025 and beyond.
Kieran Wright, Head of Technical:
My favourite part was catching up with peers in the industry, exchanging ideas and having some super nerdy conversations about tech SEO. My key takeaway is that AI usage in SEO is here to stay, but it’s important to use it intelligently and not lose sight of the human elements of E-E-A-T.
Following a really interesting talk by Frank van Dijk, I’m keen to explore vector embeddings further. Presenting taught me that it’s important to pause and savour the moment, those 20 minutes on stage go by quickly!
Brittany Jarman, Client Growth Manager:
My favourite part was how inspired (if a little sleep-deprived) I felt at the end of BrightonSEO. It was interesting to learn about how organic and paid socials should be seen as a team, especially on Meta. It was also very clear that AI isn’t going anywhere and if used correctly, it can help SEOs be more efficient.
It really is true that no matter how long you’ve been in the game, there are new things to learn and by going to these events, you’re always one step ahead of the next big thing.
Sadie Taylor, Content Manager:
My favourite part was spending time on the beach, eating great food and being in great company. Of course, I also left feeling incredibly inspired and with a fresh set of eyes. I am excited to continue being authentic in my writing, building authority for my clients and adding even more depth to product descriptions. I have already fed back so much information to the content team and am excited to start implementing some of the interesting things we learnt.
So that’s our BrightonSEO adventure. We had a blast from tantalising Turkish dishes to talks that blew our minds. We’ve kept some of the details to ourselves, but I suppose you’ll have to book the next one to see what you’ll get up to.
It was certainly part learning experience, part seaside escape and 100% reminder of why we love what we do.
We came back with new ideas, fresh motivation, and a note section on our phones full of insights that we’re already putting into action. If you want to chat with a member of the team about what we offer at eComOne and how our SEO, PPC, and CVO strategies can help your eCommerce business, contact us today at 01522 437111.
