BrightonSEO 2024: Insights, Epiphanies, & First-Class Adventures

In this episode, I reflect on my incredible experience at BrightonSEO 2024 in San Diego. From a first-class upgrade to exciting networking events, unique industry insights, and fun-filled conference highlights, this trip was unforgettable. 

I share tips for making the most of events like BrightonSEO, why networking can redefine your perspective, and the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone. Whether you're an SEO pro or just curious about what makes conferences like this so special, I hope this episode will leave you inspired and ready for your next big opportunity.

Key Takeaways:

1. Networking Pays Off: Events like BrightonSEO offer opportunities to meet industry leaders, forge new connections, and gain valuable insights.
2. Conference Hacks: Joining hotel rewards programs can save time and elevate your travel experience—literally!
3. Be Inspired: The optimism and future-focused ideas from BrightonSEO’s speakers are a reminder to embrace change in SEO and digital marketing.
4. Prepare Strategically: Taking time to plan ahead—whether it’s creating a strategy day or exploring conference apps—can help you maximize value.
5. First-Class Experiences: Sometimes, a little luxury (like an upgraded flight) makes the journey as memorable as the destination.

Memorable Quotes:

• “If it’s valuable to you to be inspired and be around like-minded individuals who are excited about what excites you, BrightonSEO is absolutely worth it.”
• “I got clarity for 2025. I was already excited, but now I’m excited on purpose!”

Listener Action Items:

1. Explore Conferences: Consider attending BrightonSEO or a similar event to level up your knowledge and networking game.
2. Strategize Your Takeaways: After attending a conference, spend a day reflecting and creating actionable strategies for the future.
3. Connect on LinkedIn: Reach out to me to chat about your BrightonSEO experience or ask questions about attending next year.
4. Plan Smart: Join rewards programs and look for auxiliary events like netwalking tours to enhance your next conference experience.

p.s. I am not affiliated with BrightonSEO in any way, just a big fan of their conference!

Chapters

• 0:00 BrightonSEO 2024: Insights, Epiphanies, and First-Class Adventures
• 0:32 Welcome and Season Reflection
• 0:52 Brighton SEO Shoutouts
• 1:31 Anticipation and Goals for Brighton SEO
• 2:38 Travel Adventures and First Impressions
• 5:44 Netwalking Tour and Networking
• 7:05 Wix Dinner and Meeting Industry Leaders
• 10:45 Day One of the Conference
• 12:02 Expo Highlights and Swag
• 14:31 Karaoke and Evening Fun
• 15:53 Day Two and Final Reflections
• 17:13 Strategy Day and Hotel Exploration
• 21:03 First Class Upgrade and Final Thoughts

Transcript

BrightonSEO 2024: Insights, Epiphanies, and First-Class Adventures

[00:00:00] Crystal Waddell: so I'm going on the netwalking tour, and then after that, I'm going to a Wix dinner.

[00:00:03] Unfortunately, I don't know where the Wix dinner is because I don't have my phone, but I knew that it was in the same area that I was going to be walking around. So I was hoping I would run into it. 

[00:00:12] which I did. Yay. 

[00:00:14] Welcome to the third season of the Simple and Smart SEO Show. The podcast dedicated to empathy driven, brand building SEO. 

[00:00:21] I'm your host, Crystal Waddell. I leverage my obsession with user experience to help business owners just like you optimize your website with confidence. 

[00:00:28] Thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:30] Let's jump into another great episode. 

Welcome and Season Reflection

[00:00:32] Crystal Waddell: Hey guys, welcome back to the simple and smart SEO show podcast. This is the second to last episode of season three and of 2024. So I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for listening this year. I'm so excited about. This past season and the next season. And I just appreciate you being here so much.

Brighton SEO Shoutouts

[00:00:52] Crystal Waddell: And today I wanted to take a moment to reflect on one of the best experiences that I've had in the last two years with SEO, and it happened to take place at the same conference two years in a row, which is Brighton SEO. 

[00:01:06] I want to give a shout out to the company J. B. H. In Manchester, England and a shout out to Jane Hunt and Andy Holland because they work at J. B. H. 

[00:01:16] They were the ones that actually let me know about BrightonSEO coming to San Diego for the first time last year in 2023. And when I attended, I thought, Oh, this is amazing. I am definitely coming back next year.

[00:01:28] And next year turned into a couple of weeks ago. 

Anticipation and Goals for Brighton SEO

[00:01:31] Crystal Waddell: So I want to talk to you a little bit about just the anticipation I had leading up to BrightonSEO. And, because I'd been there the previous year, 

[00:01:41] My main goal was number one, get a pulse on what is happening in SEO. And hear what the big brains in SEO thought was coming up in 2025.

[00:01:52] And more than anything, I wanted to identify people and speakers that I wanted to have conversations about search engine optimization and optimization in general across the internet. All missions were accomplished . 

[00:02:05] And I had just an amazing time meeting a whole bunch of different people. 

[00:02:09] And people ask is BrightonSEO, worth it? And "worth it" to me is something that only you can define for yourself. If you're talking about financially, obviously, do you have enough money to go? That's your first question, right? 

[00:02:21] But, if it's valuable to you to be inspired. To be around a group of like minded individuals who are excited about the same things that excite you.

[00:02:32] Yes. I think BrightonSEO is absolutely worth it. And I'm going to tell you all about why I love the experience. 

Travel Adventures and First Impressions

[00:02:38] Crystal Waddell: Let me start off with my travel adventures because I had my very first Tesla ride on the way from the San Diego airport to the hotel. 

[00:02:46] Which the conference hotel is the grand Manchester Hyatt, and it's a beautiful hotel with a beautiful lobby.

[00:02:53] So as soon as the Tesla pulled up, I thought, Oh, this is going to be a good few days because I'd never been in a Tesla before. The door handles are like it. Even with the side of the car. So I didn't even know how to open it. So I just stood there. And the guy thankfully got out to help me with my bag.

[00:03:11] And then I told him, I was like, honestly, I don't know how to open the doors. And so he told me, but I was just so excited. I don't even remember how you open the doors. 

[00:03:18] But I got in, I enjoyed the ride. I love the giant the giant. What do you call that sunroof that went from the front to the back?

[00:03:27] It was just really nice, really beautiful, really smooth ride. Very quiet. That's what people asked me. They're like, was it quiet? And I was like, yeah, I couldn't even hear it. 

[00:03:34] Just a wonderful ride. It was a very short ride from the airport to the hotel. And if you've never flown into the San Diego airport, one thing that's really cool about it is you actually fly through the city.

[00:03:45] City of San Diego. So you can see buildings on the side of you. It's really crazy. So it's not far from where the conference was taking place. And as soon as I got to the hotel, there was a huge line in the beautiful lobby. And it turned out we weren't the only conference there. So I want to give you a quick travel tip.

[00:04:03] If you go to Brighton SEO next year in San Diego, the Hyatt has a rewards program. 

[00:04:09] And to save money last year, I applied for the Hyatt rewards credit card and I got 200 back or whatever. 

[00:04:16] Another perk of doing that was as a rewards member, you get to skip that super long line that everybody else has to stand in to check in.

[00:04:25] So when I got there, I was like, don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact. Because the line was so long. 

[00:04:31] But the special desk for the Hyatt reward members had zero line. So I went and got in line there. I'd already started my check in process before I got there. So I got my keys, I was in and out and the same people are still standing in line.

[00:04:44] So it's like, see ya! I'm going to my room. If you go to stay at the Grand Hyatt, I highly recommend joining their rewards program. So that your check in is super fast and efficient. The next thing about why I love staying there. 

[00:04:57] It is a little pricey, but the view is beautiful and it's just right upstairs from the conference.

[00:05:02] So it's really convenient. But when I got there, This time I was in a different tower. They have two different towers. They have Seaport Tower and a different tower. I can't remember which one I was in, but this time I was on the side where I could see the sun come up every day. 

[00:05:18] Maybe both towers face the same way, but I was right next to the marina. Where all of the boats were. And so I'm going to share pictures of that, but it was so beautiful. It's just like when you don't see that every day. It's just one of the most amazing things to wake up to.

[00:05:35] So the rooms are beautiful. The views are great. And yeah, I just love staying there. 

[00:05:40] I got there on the same day as a couple of events that were scheduled. 

Netwalking Tour and Networking

[00:05:44] Crystal Waddell: My first event was a netwalking tour. And I was really excited because Brighton does a great job of creating these kind of auxiliary events where you can meet people. And just, interact and then see some familiar faces when you actually go to the conference. 

[00:06:00] Being that I went there by myself, I was like, you know what, this would be a great way to actually see a little bit of San Diego.

[00:06:05] And meet some other people in the industry. So I went downstairs and I was super excited to see one of my friends, Andy Holland. 

[00:06:12] And unfortunately I had forgotten my phone. So we're chatting. He's talking to his friend, Eli Schwartz. And I was super excited, but I was like, Oh my gosh. I can't get a selfie of these guys because I forgot my phone.

[00:06:24] Not only that, I couldn't go back upstairs because there was some weird thing happening with the elevators. And I say weird thing, but it was just that they'd upgraded their elevators to where you had to use your key card to get on the elevator. There was no pushing a button up or down. And, I just, there was a long line.

[00:06:39] I couldn't figure out the elevators at the beginning and I never remember what my room number is. So I was like, you know what, I'm just going to have to, wing this walk in the rest of the evening without a phone, which is, I know, crazy. So I'm going on the netwalking tour, and then after that, I'm going to a Wix dinner.

[00:06:54] Unfortunately, I don't know where the Wix dinner is because I don't have my phone, but I knew that it was in the same area that I was going to be walking around. So I was hoping I would run into it. Which I did. Yay. Okay. 

Wix Dinner and Meeting Industry Leaders

[00:07:05] Crystal Waddell: So anyway, The networking tour was, a group of us from Brighton SEO, the conference, but it was led by someone local.

[00:07:14] So what we did was we got on the trolley. We went into the gas lamp quarter, which is, just. Pretty much right across the street. And it's a pretty famous historic downtown area in San Diego. So we got to hear all about the history. 

[00:07:26] There was a really cute story about the San Diego dog, I think his name was Bum. I'm not sure. I think the dog's name was Bum. He came from Los Angeles by train, and it was just the dog of San Diego. 

[00:07:39] We got to hear the background of all sorts of historic buildings and people and different things that happened down there. And it was really fun. And I met, a few people that I saw again and again at the conference, which was fantastic. 

[00:07:50] Because, like I said, it's a great way to make acquaintances and then you see people that you recognize. So you don't feel so alone when it's a big conference.

[00:07:58] And then thankfully, we walked past the place where the Wix dinner was being held. And I was like, oh, yeah, because it had a really distinctive name. It was like a central American type cuisine or whatever. So it had a very unique name and I thought, aha, I'm in the right place.

[00:08:14] I know where I'm going. So my tour guide helped me get back. And I was one of the first people there, which is rare. I'm usually one of the last anywhere. 

[00:08:22] But I saw some familiar faces like Crystal Carter and George Nguyen from Wix and that was great. I had never met George in person and he is just as wonderful and beautiful of a person as I thought he would be from chatting with him over Zoom.

[00:08:36] So that was really great. And then a bunch of people came in and it was a much bigger event than I expected. I thought there was gonna be like three people there. Me being one of those three. I was just completely surprised by the Wix dinner party, and it was just a wonderful time. 

[00:08:51] Some of the other people that I saw there were Celeste Gonzalez, who was on the podcast.

[00:08:57] She is the head of Roo Labs at Rickety Roo. 

[00:08:59] She came on the podcast a few months ago. 

[00:09:02] And then she was also a speaker at BrightonSEO San Diego. So it was really great to see her. 

[00:09:06] Another speaker, Beth Nunnington, who is in digital PR. She was there. And we had chatted on LinkedIn and crossed paths digitally on LinkedIn.

[00:09:16] And so it was great to finally meet her in person. And then there again, just a bunch of different faces that I was able to see again and again at the conference. So it was such a fun experience. 

[00:09:27] The food was amazing. Oh my goodness. I'm not a seafood person, or I thought I wasn't a seafood person.

[00:09:34] I don't know if I'm a seafood person. I just haven't had a lot of seafood. I haven't had it prepared well. But one of the first appetizers that they brought out was like some sort of shrimp dish, like shrimp and lime. And it was similar to Cerviche or something like that, but it wasn't Cerviche. But it was very similar.

[00:09:54] But anyway, it was amazing. And I remember when the server came to take it away, Crystal was like, she saw my face and there must've been something on my face that said, no, I want more of that. She's Oh, okay Crystal can have more. So it was absolutely delicious.

[00:10:06] And I want to learn how to make it. And then we also had another round of appetizers, which was so good. And it was like, there was some lamb and. And different dips, but the lamb chops were amazing. And then they brought this filet that was like the size of my face and I ate most of it. But it was so good.

[00:10:27] And so I had the most amazing first day. It was a great day of events. It was a great day of networking and a great night of food. 

[00:10:36] So I'm just very thankful to Wix for that experience and for the chance to meet all the people that I met there. So that was my arrival day. 

Day One of the Conference

[00:10:45] Crystal Waddell: The next day, which was my day two, was the day one of the conference.

[00:10:48] Brighton had another great idea of an event for attendees. And that was a 7 a. m. yoga class. So what was neat about 7 a. m. is that even though it's very early on the West Coast, It was actually 10 a. m. my time. So I technically got to sleep in to go to the 7 a. m. yoga class. But it was fantastic.

[00:11:08] And again, met some wonderful people in the class. And the yoga instructor was very receptive to the ideas of what people wanted to do. And most of us had either driven or flown the day before and we're very stiff. And so we did a lot of stretching. 

[00:11:24] And I hate to say this, I know it sounds weird, but like the feeling of the stretching and of that yoga.

[00:11:29] Actually felt delicious. I remember thinking that a couple of times and I was like, I don't know if I'm still thinking about the filet or what. But it was just a great yoga experience. And that's how we started off the day. And then there was even someone in the class that we took a group picture and it was a panoramic picture.

[00:11:45] And that person knew an iPhone trick to where we could get the whole class. And so we all learned something about iPhone that day as well, which was fun. 

[00:11:51] After yoga, I went upstairs, got ready, came back downstairs all the way downstairs for some reason. And it went back up escalators to the second floor where the conference expo was being held. 

Expo Highlights and Swag

[00:12:02] Crystal Waddell: And the expo was fantastic. It was a big event. Big expo area, but it felt really small and not small as in crowded, but just like intimate. Like you could have conversations with people.

[00:12:14] Let's see, what were some of my favorite things? Oh, Screaming Frog was there. And I was able to speak to, some of their representatives. Microsoft Clarity was there. I was able to talk to them. Demandsphere was there. Ray Greasel Huber was a guest on the podcast last year. So I was able to meet him in person, grab a picture.

[00:12:32] And there were several things like that. There was there was a booth where someone was doing caricatures and drawings of people. 

[00:12:40] I've got 

[00:12:40] a video where I was in a money booth 

[00:12:53] Make a force fielde, use the wall.

[00:12:55] Crystal Waddell: but I was in a money booth trying to grab fake money. The money flew around like a tornado. And if you grabbed enough of the fake money, then you would get a prize. I totally failed at that, but it was so much fun. So there's all of these like really fun, engaging things to do while you're at the expo.

[00:13:10] And my favorite SEO company at dragon metrics, the SEO tool, they were there. They had chocolate bars that were like the size of your face. And it was amazing. I definitely ate one of those. Crystal was just letting it all hang out while she was there. Literally. 

[00:13:23] And then the swag, like the stuff that people give away for free, like demand sphere, Ray's company, they gave me these glasses and I've actually been wearing them, so I love these sunglasses.

[00:13:34] And then all the other little swaggy gifts that we got. So like screaming frog was given out beanies and connectively was given out t shirts. My dog even got something. I think it was Fat Joe. They had little stuffed animals and my dog loves those. So when I brought it home, Dezzy immediately claimed it as hers.

[00:13:51] The swag bags from BrightonSEO, you they had a San Diego Padres hat in there. And my husband loves sports and baseball. So he claimed the San Diego Padres hat.

[00:13:59] So it was just like so many cool little things that that were in there and that were just so thoughtful. 

[00:14:04] As soon as I got to the expo, I was excited to, hang out, see all the vendors, check out what they had, meet people. 

[00:14:11] And then of course go to the talk. Talks were fantastic.

[00:14:14] I want to speak mostly just about the opportunities to build relationships. Because that's really what was important to me by going to BrightonSEO. 

[00:14:21] There were talks from nine to like noon. And then there was a lunch break and then there's another three three and a half hours of Talks. And keynote.

[00:14:30] After the day was over. 

Karaoke and Evening Fun

[00:14:31] Crystal Waddell: They have a networking reception in the expo hall. So it's another great time to chat with people. I was able to chat with a programmer about an idea that I have For a Shopify app. And he gave me some great insight and advice.

[00:14:45] It was a conversation I would have never had if I wasn't at BrightonSEO. 

[00:14:49] Those are like those little moments that really mean a lot. 

[00:14:52] After that, there is the karaoke party. So there's a little bar and grill that you can go to grab food. And I think this one was sponsored by Google, but then you go downstairs and it's a karaoke party.

[00:15:04] And I was shocked. I didn't know that so many SEOs love to sing. So I don't sing, but I love to cheer people on. 

[00:15:10] And then of course there are the Brighton SEO temporary tattoos, which are my favorite. And I got one right here on my wrist. Which has inspired me maybe to get a real one on my wrist. I don't know.

[00:15:21] I've forgotten about it till right now. But if I remember again, I might do that. It's just so many fun things. 

[00:15:27] And then after the karaoke event some other people from the conference and I were walking back to the hotel. We decided to stop and get pizza. 

[00:15:36] And then there was a chocolate place that was open late.

[00:15:40] And so we were able to go in there, get some hot chocolate. And just sit around a table and chat and share ideas. And it was just so much fun. I had the best time. So day 1 of the conference day 2 of my trip. Was fantastic. 

Day Two and Final Reflections

[00:15:53] Crystal Waddell: Day two was a lot of the same. Now, they had a 5k as the morning activity. And I haven't seen a 5k since I was like 30. 

[00:16:02] And that was like over 10 years ago, almost 15 years ago. So the 5k was not for me. Maybe next year, who knows. But again, the expo was fantastic. Getting to see all the people that I'd met the previous two days was fun.

[00:16:15] And, catching up with some of the different speakers that I'd been able to interview on the podcast, like Dana DiTomaso. I saw her there. I was able to snag a picture with her. Andy Crestodina he hasn't been on the podcast yet, but he will be in 2025. I was able to snag a picture with him. I remember seeing his videos a few years ago and thinking, Oh, I really like what that guy has to say.

[00:16:36] Another one of my favorite speakers that'll be coming on the podcast is Rachael Proctor. 

[00:16:40] And she talked about omni channel marketing.

[00:16:42] The vibe of the conference was just so upbeat and positive. It feels like there's so much, concern or uncertainty about what's happening with SEO and search in general for the future.

[00:16:55] But I felt like the vibe of the Brighton SEO conference was very hopeful, very positive. 

[00:17:00] The focus was omni channel marketing, brand focus, and digital PR. So all the things that we've been talking about for the last couple of years. So of course, that had me excited and really looking forward to 2025.

Strategy Day and Hotel Exploration

[00:17:13] Crystal Waddell: So let me talk about what I did after the conference was over. Because my original plan was to stay an extra day and spend some time with a high school buddy that lives in LA. 

[00:17:24] But she wasn't able to come down to San Diego. So after what I like to call the hot chocolate summit of the second evening, I decided to take some advice from some of the SEO and PPP PPC guys that I was chatting with. 

[00:17:40] Their idea is they take a final day before they go back to have a strategy day between the two of them.

[00:17:45] And even though I was by myself, I have my best friend chat GPT with me. 

[00:17:49] I decided to go across the street to Seaport village and I downloaded an app on my phone where I could record myself and I had created this brand interview exercise for the SEO squad. And I hadn't done it yet for the simple and smart SEO show.

[00:18:05] I've done it for collage and wood, which is my, art business where I do senior photo props and artwork for graduating athletes. 

[00:18:15] But I hadn't done it for the simple and smart SEO show. So I was like, you know what, I'm going to go ahead and do that right now. I'm going to take this day to do that.

[00:18:21] I'd originally planned maybe on going to the zoo, but I was like, you know what? 

[00:18:25] There's no better time than right now to plan out all of 2025. So I did that. I sat in front of the water and I interviewed myself and recorded all of my answers. 

[00:18:35] And then I headed back to the hotel and the veranda on the same level where the conference was,. Everything was gone, but they had plugins available out on the veranda.

[00:18:44] So I went out there and I just put together this strategy for 2025. And so that was one of the greatest takeaways from the conference.

[00:18:52] Being able to Reflect on all the things that I'd learned. And then put it into action with a strategy for the next year. And so I thought that was just so much fun.

[00:19:04] I've got a lot more clarity for 2025. I was already excited. But now I'm excited on purpose. So that was really great. 

[00:19:11] After I was finished with doing that work and before I went to lunch, I decided to just explore the hotel a little bit because I hadn't done that before. They have a whole activities level.

[00:19:21] If you search out the grand Manchester Hyatt, they will probably have something about a rooftop movie area, whatever. So that was the place I was at. It was it's a sports deck and they've got the rooftop movie cinema area on one side.

[00:19:37] And then they've got courts for tennis and pickleball. There was two guys out there playing pickleball. So I watched them for a little bit. 

[00:19:44] They have a huge pool. And then they have two hot tubs that I didn't realize were up there. And I was like, next year, I am definitely bringing my swimming suit.

[00:19:51] And then they have this fake grassy area where you can play cornhole or a bunch of different activities. So it's just a really sweet area. However. They are going to be under construction next year. So I'm not sure how many of those amenities are still going to be open.

[00:20:05] So there's that, but it was really cool this year. And then I decided to head out for lunch and I went to a place called

[00:20:13] oh, La Puerta.

[00:20:14] So I use Google maps, of course, to find a local, locally five star rated. Mexican restaurant and I ended up at La Puerta and it was amazing. They had flour chips, and salsa and they had this green salsa that is just banging. If you make it over there, you definitely want to check those out.

[00:20:35] So it's a good thing I didn't decide to go to the zoo. 

[00:20:38] I was exhausted. I passed out for five hours. And woke up just in time to go up to the rooftop of the Hyatt and, check out the city below. And I took some pictures of that. But it was just an amazing couple of days.

[00:20:52] It was a whirlwind. It was so much fun. I enjoyed it so much. And then again, I am going back next September, which is great because we don't even have to wait a full year. So already excited to go back. 

First Class Upgrade and Final Thoughts

[00:21:03] Crystal Waddell: Now, when I was headed home, I was in for a great surprise because I got a first class upgrade from San Diego back to Charlotte, North Carolina.

[00:21:12] So that was a great experience. It was my first time ever being in first class. Usually I sit in what I call toilet class because I'm not kidding. I always get the seat right in front of the toilet in the very back. And I'm like, what did I do to earn this? I don't know. 

[00:21:26] But it was really nice to be in first class.

[00:21:28] Cause I never been served food, all that type of stuff. And I was I'm not sure that I could go back to toilet class next year. So I'm already thinking about upgrading my flight when I fly back to San Diego next September. 

[00:21:41] But even if I was flying toilet class, it's all good. I am just so grateful for the experience.

[00:21:47] I had a wonderful time. I met amazing people. I can't wait to introduce you to some of those people in 2025. 

[00:21:55] The other thing that I forgot to mention about the Brighton SEO conference, it was also combined with the Hero PPC conference. And so if you are interested in pay per click and things around advertising, there's also a whole lineup of.

[00:22:11] Conference talks for two days on the PPC side as well. And so next year, I'm definitely going to check that out. 

[00:22:17] If we might've crossed paths and we haven't connected yet on LinkedIn, please make sure that you reach out to me on LinkedIn. 

[00:22:23] If you have any questions about what it was like at the conference, and I didn't answer those questions.

[00:22:29] Also please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. I'll drop my profile in the show notes and I'll see you next week for the final episode of the third season of the simple and smart SEO show podcast. 

[00:22:40] Thanks for joining me.