Recap of Campixx 2024
On June 13 and 14, 2024, the SEO conference Campixx took place, which we attended with great joy and curiosity. In Berlin, marketing experts met to discuss the latest trends, strategies and technologies in the field of online marketing.
The two-day event offered a varied program with inspiring talks and numerous networking opportunities. In our recap we want to present the most important insights and highlights of the conference.
Day 1 – 10:30 a.m.
“The Rise of Spam, Hidden Gems, and Major Google Updates: What Changed and How to Respond” by Lily Ray
The first day of Campixx started for us at 10:30 a.m. with the talk by the NYC-based SEO expert Lily Ray. In her talk, Lily Ray emphasized the increasing importance of caution when using AI-generated content. She noted that only few websites mark AI content as such, which can lead to potential problems, especially in light of Google's Helpful Content & March Core Updates. These updates particularly affect websites that can easily be created by AI, such as pages for film and gaming reviews.
She also addressed the growing problem of AI-generated spam pages, which can be recognized by the following points:
- Niche websites, usually new domains
- Generic content that answers common questions
- AI-generated images
- Lack of branding or real authors
- High publishing frequency
Another important topic was the “Google Hidden Gems Update” in November 2023, which is intended to promote first-hand content such as that found in forums. This led to enormous SEO growth for Reddit. Ray, however, raised the question of how this can be reconciled with the principles of E-E-A-T, since many forums are used to promote affiliate links and sell products. She also mentioned the recently announced partnership between Google and Reddit, which, according to Google, was not entered into because of Reddit's growth.
It was highlighted that there is a strong increase in SEO visibility for forums like Quora, while informative websites like travel blogs and film and entertainment sites are losing visibility and reaching their lowest values in a long time. She emphasized the increasing importance of building a real brand from an SEO perspective and diversifying the various traffic channels in terms of content. It's crucial not to distribute the same content across all platforms, but to leverage the specific strengths and target audiences of each platform.
We note that human-experienced content is increasing in SEO visibility, while traditional, informative sites are losing influence. It's advisable to closely observe developments in the field of AI and adjust strategies accordingly.
Day 1 – 11:30 a.m.:
“From Moshpit to Marketshare” by Sascha Winkler & Constantin Hochwald
Sascha Winkler and Constantin Hochwald, founders of the advertising agency Brain’n’Dead, illuminated in their talk the relationship between brands and the metal subculture as well as the enormous potential that lies within it. They emphasized that more metal should be integrated into brands and more brands into metal. According to the speakers, basically every brand can do something with metal, similar to how Harley Davidson and Dr. Martens have already successfully demonstrated.
In their talk, both contradicted the cliché that metalheads can always be recognized by long hair and black clothes. The metal community is in fact very diverse and represented across different age and professional groups. Metal fans are often academics and show a high brand loyalty. In addition, they have a strong passion for collecting, comparable to porcelain collectors, which would make a cooperation with metal a promising marketing strategy.
Despite this potential, many brands still have doubts about collaborating with the metal community. Yet there are just as many metal listeners as hip-hop fans, which underscores the reach and appeal of this target audience.
The speakers also highlighted that the metal community sees itself as “the others” and cultivates a rebellious identity. Despite this outsider image, however, their ways of thinking are quite ordinary. A quote by Steve Jobs illustrates precisely this unconventional strength of the metal community and the potential that comes with it:
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ― Steve Jobs
There are also points of criticism regarding brands that try to get closer to the metal community but don't really understand the metal subculture and therefore come across as exaggerated or inappropriate in their messaging. One example of this is the cooperation of Haribo with Wacken Open Air, which stood out due to clichéd black and fiery elements. However, there are also successful examples of good cooperations. These include the Vans Warped Tour and the canned water “Liquid Death” for metal fans. The health insurance company Barmer GEK also developed special offers like hearing tests and massages for metal fans with “Moshpital.”
Consequently, we were able to gain the insight that the metal subculture offers enormous potential for brands when it is properly understood and addressed. Brands should let go of their prejudices and fears and use the loyalty and collecting passion of the metal community to create authentic and successful partnerships.
Day 1 – 12:30 p.m.
“5 automation hacks with Python that make your daily SEO work easier” by Kevin Kirchhoff
Kevin Kirchhoff, Senior SEO Automation & AI Strategist, presented in his talk effective hacks with Python that can revolutionize daily SEO work by automating repetitive tasks, thereby saving valuable time.
The following hacks were discussed:
- Automated creation and optimization of title tags, meta descriptions and H1 tags
- Automated retrieval of keyword data
- Grouping similar keywords based on the overlaps in the top 10 search results (i.e. how Google understands the connections)
- Efficiently finding suitable redirect URLs for website migrations by using the FAISS model for similarity search
- Identifying thematic clusters and semantically similar search queries from Google Search Console data in order to analyze a website's topical authority
In addition, through the link https://bit.ly/m/kevin-claneo?r=qr you can access the public Python tools and obtain further information.
Day 1 – 2:30 p.m.
“SEO, Content & Philosophy – X philosophical questions to solve typical SEO and content marketing problems” by Fabian Auler
After the lunch break, things continued with a talk by Fabian Auler, the Head of SEO and at the same time founder and CEO of our online marketing agency Farbentour. In his talk, Fabian Auler showed how SEO and content marketing problems can be described and answered with the help of philosophical considerations.
Some of the central questions that were addressed include:
- Why doesn't my website rank?
- Why do websites get penalized by Google?
- How do I deal with the phenomenon of content shock?
- How do I get more attention for my content?
- Why won't my website rank like the competition's?
- What food for thought can make my SEO and content marketing more successful?
These and many more questions were answered on the basis of philosophical inquiries, which gave the participants new perspectives and deeper insights into improving their SEO and content strategies.
Some key points that can be noted are:
- SEO measures don't have to be 100% Google-compliant, since measures like guest articles and link building can also achieve great successes, even though Google frowns upon them
→ Thus there are no clear boundaries regarding the various SEO measures - Accordingly, “minor offenses” are not penalized immediately
→ Optimization with serious measures such as the use of excessive AI content can very well lead to penalties - SEO takes time, which is why few optimizations in a short period of time often lead to no success
- Thus consistency is of great importance, since the pursuit of an SEO strategy must take place over a longer period of time
So we can note that SEO measures don't always have to be 100% Google-compliant, that consistency and long-term strategies are decisive, and that minor offenses often don't have to be penalized immediately.
Day 2 – 10:30 a.m.
“Localize, Optimize, Dominate: International SEO with Artificial Intelligence” by Matthäus Michalik
Matthäus Michalik, founder and managing director of the online marketing agency Claneo, addressed in his talk the question of to what extent one can use artificial intelligence, using the example of ChatGPT, to be successful internationally. The focus was above all on the preparation of authentic content, the consideration of cultural differences and the use of the right prompts.
In the field of international search engine optimization, there are four areas that should be paid attention to:
- Domain strategy
- Technical setup
- Keywords & content
- Off-page signals
With domain strategy, a distinction can be made between the country code top-level domain (e.g. www.deinedomain.de), the generic top-level domain & subfolder (e.g. www.deinedomain.com/de) as well as the generic top-level domain & subdomain (e.g. de.deinedomain.com). While the ccTLD offers a big trust advantage among users, with the gTLD & subfolder, by contrast, authority can be built up more easily, while at the same time fewer technical resources are needed. In combination with the subdomain, on the other hand, there is the advantage that large and complex sites can become more manageable due to the separation.
In addition, Michalik addressed in his talk the question of how Google recognizes international content. The following points were listed here:
- Domain/ directories
- Language of the content/ localization
- Currency, addresses, phone numbers on the website
- ccTLDs & origin of the backlinks
- Hreflang attribute
With regard to the use of ChatGPT, it can be noted that with the help of the right prompts, tasks such as the creation of hreflang tags or hreflang troubleshooting can be taken over. Furthermore, meta tags in various languages, based on the entered keywords, can be created and optimized by LLMs. It must, however, be noted that ChatGPT, for example, does not represent a suitable source for capturing search volume, since different answers are delivered with each query. In addition, tools like EvenLabs & HeyGen can help with internationalization by adapting audios and videos with the help of AI for the respective language region.
In order to get the best out of AI tools, Michalik also presented the prompt engineering framework SPEAR:
- S = Start with a Problem
- P = Provide examples
- E = Explain the situation
- A = Ask
- R = Rinse & repeat
This framework helps to create structured and effective prompts for artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, whereby high-quality and targeted content can be produced.
Conclusion Campixx 2024
In our view, Campixx 2024 was a complete success and exceeded our expectations. The talks were informative and offered in-depth insights into the latest SEO trends and strategies. We were especially impressed by the expertise of the speakers, who managed to convey complex topics in an understandable way.
Besides the technical content, the conference also offered plenty of opportunity for valuable conversations and making new contacts. The networking was excellently organized, whether through the “Business Speeddating” or the first-class entertainment during the evening activities. Whether at “Wer wird SEOnär,” the outdoor disco or the karaoke night – there was a lot of laughing, dancing and talking. Throughout the entire conference, a large selection of food and drinks was also provided, so that the participants lacked nothing.
Overall, Campixx 2024 was for us an all-around successful event that was enriching both professionally and personally.
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