SEOPlus 2024. The Event.

-Raise your hand if you have the run-run that this could be dangerous, that this could get out of hand, that you could lose your job or something, please raise your hand. Who thinks that AI…” asks Natzir to start his Black Hat talk “Current techniques and challenges in AI-generated content detection”. Incredibly, in a room of about 400 people, only I raised it. -Really? No one is afraid of AI? He replies and goes on to give some newsworthy information, exposing the risks of AI to society and explaining how AI-generated image and text detection tools are only partially reliable. 

This presentation covered a topic that hasn’t been widely explored yet. It was one of the 12 talks at the ninth edition of SEOPlus 2024, which was organized by Webpositer Agency and Team Platino in Alicante on Friday, July 30, 2024. SEOPlus is one of the most anticipated SEO events in Spain each year. This was my second time attending, and I was glad for the opportunity.

The talks, each lasting 20 minutes, were organized in three main verticals: black-seo, gray-seo and white-SEO. There was a great diversity of topics such as e-commerce, local SEO, social networks, niche websites, and sales strategies, among others. One of the most interesting aspects of the curatorship of the event is the fact that they are high-quality technical presentations oriented to business results. In other words, the objective is that this knowledge can be applied. For the entrepreneurship and business ecosystem, the final results are always decisive. 

The case study of this edition illustrated this objective very well. It was about “Efficient SEO Strategy: From Local Business to National Referent”. Rubén Villanueva & David Navarro told us with real data from the Pur Plant online store, how they took the project from zero to become one of the leading stores in its category in Spain. The project began by analyzing the scalability of the business, then they developed five strategies, made at least 3 migrations to meet the needs of the web, and finally showed us the results. 

And here I was left with a doubt. In the general pages where product groups are listed, (home, categories), they add the sign “read more” to the out-of-stock products. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to write the “let me know when it arrives” or “join the waiting list”, as it is done in the fashion industry, instead of the sign “read more”? Why ask the customer to spend time on a product that you can’t sell immediately? Isn’t it preferable to buy another? 

It was a very illustrative example with excellent results, where the power of SEO to achieve relevant business objectives was evident.  

The quality of the presentations went hand in hand with the seasoned professionals and the careful selection of each one of them. We were able to see different styles and approaches. From technical explanations such as Isabel López’s talk on “Common SEO Errors in Online Stores”, to others who use didactic resources in their strategy to approach the customer such as Eduardo Laborda with “The ABC of Rank & Rent” and his character Panojito.

A key highlight was the Live Podcast with Chuiso, Álex Novoa, and Luis Villanueva. And what did they talk about? Well, “SEO Nichero vs SEO Freelance vs SEO Agency” very interesting because many people in the sector doubt about which is the best format to offer their services. 

In SEOPlus, we could see the excellent presentations of SEO women:

• Ana-Lluna Taylor with “SEO traffic loss: how to identify and fix the problems that are affecting your sales funnel”, in the white-SEO category.

• Isabel Lopez, SEO Director at Webspositer Agency spoke about “Common SEO mistakes in Online Shops”, in white-SEO.

• Laura Alfonso from white-seo with “Local SEO and business results: an essential binomial”, in white-SEO.

• Marta Arroyo from grey-seo with “Squeezing Reddit”. 

Important SEO professionals such as Clara Soteras, SEO and Product Director at El Nacional.Cat, and Mj Cachón, SEO Consultant and Director of Laika Agencia de Estrategia y Consultoría de SEO, among others, were in the audience.

Did you know that there is a #WomenInSEO directory? It aims to give visibility to women in the SEO sector and “promote the presence of women in events, formal training and, above all, in management positions, whenever they are within their reach “*. You can find them here https://www.mujeresenseo.es/ and on X (Twitter) https://x.com/mujeresenseo.

The SEOPlus Awards was also interesting. Luis Villanueva and Álvaro Chuiso were the jury who selected the winners. I would like to know how they choose the participants, do they send their candidacy? 

The winners were: 

• Starter Category: Manuel Martín.
• Entrepreneurship Category: Pablo Tejela, founder of Metricool.
• Career Category: Aleyda Solis.
• Honorary Award. Alex Navarro

And to close the event, the beerworking and jamonworking: a moment of networking between attendees, speakers, and sponsors in an atmosphere of blue lights that reminds me of a video game. How many contacts did you have at the end?

In terms of social media, especially on X (Twitter), the event exceeded 7 Million impressions and more than 2k posts were published. The TOP10 was very competitive and I came in 5th place. You can see below the ranking of interactions on #SEOPLUS according to Metricool statistics.

And as Luis Villanueva usually asks for feedback I would like to refer to the ability to ask questions to the speakers. There was a QR on the far right of the main screen. It took you to X (Twitter) and there you could write your question about the talk in progress. However I couldn’t use it, either I was sitting too far away or the speaker was right in front of the QR. Getting up to look for the right angle while the others were watching the talk, well, it was not quite feasible. In the end, I couldn’t ask or it took so long that the session was already over and my question was left on X (Twitter) unanswered.

Asking questions at a congress like SEOPlus is a privilege and a courtesy on the part of the speakers when they respond. We attendees value it very much, so I wanted to suggest something. You could create a final section for questions, like a panel, where each speaker can answer questions about their talk and decide whether to accept them or not. This would allow the audience to interact with the speakers and can create a very constructive two-way dynamic that can be taken to social networks. 

SEOPlus is one of the most interesting events in SEO and digital marketing in Spain, it is a congress with high-level presentations and a careful staging that allows you to catch up with trends, updated strategies, and important reflections on the future of the sector. Many thanks to all the organizers, speakers, and everyone involved. From the other side of the stage, as an attendee, I would like to congratulate you, it has been a pleasure to share with you.

And even if Natzir ended with the following slide: “In short, we are screwed”, I hope that as the debate about the negative capability of AI is starting, we can be more prepared to enhance the positive and still be able to come back to another SEOPlus. The anticipation for the next edition is already in the air. 

Quote: *Manifiesto Mujeres en SEO. https://www.mujeresenseo.es/manifiesto/ 
Imagen cabecera: Diapo de la charla de Natzir, “Técnicas y retos actuales en la detección de contenidos generados por IA”, Replay SEOPlus 2024