BrightonSEO 2019 - Conference Summary

Beyond the usual technical geek talk, around tags, page rank and html code, there was an understated theme running through this year’s SEO conference in Brighton - efficient data processing to understand user intention.

For those of you unfamiliar, BrightonSEO is the centrepiece UK search conference. Born out of a pub meeting a couple of years ago, BrightonSEO is now the most anticipated event, attended by professionals and enthusiasts from all over the country. A two day sunny beach gathering, packed with industry knowledge and hands-on practical sessions.

While smart automation, accurate calculations and efficient data analysis have been part of the perfectionist SEO world since its inception, marketing industry is seeing more mentions of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The two concepts that have been nilly willingly slapped onto anything technical.

It was refreshing to see industry experts dissect the meaning of these two principles and provide practical applications of both. It is too often these concepts are mistaken for their ancestors - formula and algorithm.

Simply put - it is impossible for humans to accurately and efficiently go through millions of rows of data, so we use Machine Learning to analyse all those numbers from multiple data sources in your marketing mix, piecing together the complex puzzle of your customer’s behaviour.

AI is then used for decision making, to come up with the best solution, based on that data analysis. Whether it’s a selected landing page or dynamic rich content, it is personalised for that user, for that moment.

"AI cares about success, while ML cares about accuracy"

Both of these computer science principles help us with our biggest objective as marketers - understanding consumer intention, which unlocks the brand potential of personalisation.

As consumers, we find ourselves in unique situations, based on our experiences and environment, which define our every personal intention. We therefore, need a personalised approach to our unique situation, even if millions of others had the same experience.

It is our duty as marketers and brands, to understand each user and their situation, while providing relevant accessible help, whether in the form of content, product or service.

It’s the machine data analysis and quick reactive thinking of AI, that help brands to be personable to their consumers, providing true value in the moment. Rewarding loyalty.

To find out how Voice Technology affects search, take a look at our Voice Search page.