SEO Meets Community: Blending Growth, AI, and Networking | Yagmur Simsek
Welcome back to The Search Session podcast! I’m Gianluca Fiorelli, and in this new episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Yagmur Simsek SEO & Content Strategist, conference organizer, and all-around community connector. Yagmur brings a unique international perspective to the industry, and I’m looking forward to exploring her story and views on the world of search.
Some key takeaways from the conversation:
Being featured in AI Overviews—even without clicks—can boost brand credibility, build awareness, and open doors for partnerships.
Content automation is necessary when working with a small team and limited capacity. The key is that automation works best with a human touch, as prompt libraries and editorial reviews help AI-generated content stay on-brand.
Startups often fail by skipping the basics. From her experience as a startup founder, Yagmur emphasized the importance of defining mission, goals, and positioning early on.
Community building takes generosity and alignment—while over-selling can kill the vibe.
Local events offer deeper connections compared to global ones. Yagmur reflected on the rise of local and regional events, especially in places where travel is a barrier.
Don’t miss this episode with Yagmur Simsek—packed with sharp insights on SEO, AI, startups, and community building!
Video Chapters
Transcript
Gianluca Fiorelli: Hi, and welcome back to The Search Session! I'm Gianluca Fiorelli, and today we have a very exciting guest joining us.
You might already know her—especially from the Search 'n Stuff meetups usually held in London. There's also an annual edition of the event in her home country, Turkey—more specifically in Antalya.
Today’s guest wears many hats. If you check out her LinkedIn, you'll see she's a freelance SEO consultant. But that’s just the start. She's also the founder of Search 'n Stuff Networking Project I just mentioned, and the co-founder of the Global Cybersecurity Network.
Please welcome our guest—hopefully I pronounce this correctly—Yagmur Simsek! Hi, Yagmur! First of all, did I get the pronunciation right?
Yagmur Simsek: Yes. Originally, it's [Ya-mur], without “g” and a long “a”.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Ah, okay.
Yagmur Simsek: But when I’m in the UK, I go by [Yag-mur] because we don’t have the silent “g.”
Gianluca Fiorelli: Well then, let me make sure I say it right—[Ya-mur].
Yagmur Simsek: Yes, [Ya-mur].
SEO Today: KPIs, Metrics, and Client Expectations
Gianluca Fiorelli: Perfect. So, Yagmur—welcome to The Search Session! And let’s kick things off with the classic opening question: How is SEO treating you lately, with all the craziness going on in the search world?
Yagmur Simsek: Yeah, we have a bit of a love–hate relationship at the moment. One day I wake up with a new strategy that works really well in SERP... and then the next day, I’m hit by AI Overviews metrics.
I often find myself having to explain to clients, “Okay, we need to focus on new KPIs, new metrics, new strategies to capture these trends and insights.” So yeah, it's love and hate. I'm still learning as we go.
At the same time, I’m also seeing other case studies, getting inspired by the work others are doing, and trying to implement those changes into my clients' projects. It’s definitely a never-ending process.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, it really is. And actually, it’s a process where even the most experienced SEOs have to kind of reset—just to figure out how things work now, but also to anticipate how they’re going to work in the future because it looks like a very fast-changing environment.
One day, ChatGPT is working with a model, and now we have ChatGPT-5, and the older model is not working anymore, especially if you’re using it for things beyond just searching stuff.
And when it comes to KPIs, what are the most common questions you're getting from your clients?
Yagmur Simsek: Yeah, I think there are a few key ones. The first is usually: “How do we become visible in ChatGPT results or AI Overviews, or other search areas?”
And honestly, there’s no specific formula. It's not an exact science right now, at least not for me. So, we constantly test things and see what sticks. Sometimes it works, and it’s great when we manage to capture that visibility.
To do that, we need to experiment with new tools in the industry, because all of them are trying to work with new datasets and new AI capabilities. There are also lots of new names popping up. For example, I’ve been invited to test a few different tools over the past months and provide feedback on how they capture data and provide metrics—and assess whether that information is actually useful to me as an SEO consultant. I always make an effort to give feedback and test new tools, because in the end, it benefits us too.
It helps us visualize performance and present real numbers to our clients. That kind of data becomes really valuable. So in a way, I see it as contributing back to the industry—it’s mutually beneficial.
Yagmur Simsek: Another common question I get is: “How do we measure if AI Overviews lead to clicks?” Some clients don’t really care about visibility in AI Overviews; what they care about is whether people are actually clicking through to their website from those results.
So in those cases, I think what we need to do is this: while we are educating our clients and the teams we work with, we also have to stay aware of emerging trends and studies—especially those shared by other experts—so we can learn from their experiments: what’s working for clicks? What’s not? Is it even about clicks anymore? And what about domain authority—does that still play a role in being featured in AI Overviews?
Because if you're a new brand, and if you're actually seeking brand awareness, I think it's really important, from my perspective, to be visible in AI Overviews. It really gives credibility to your brand to be seen in those results—even if they don't click on your brand. But your brand visibility starts increasing from different points of view.
I'm saying this because it's important for me as well. As I'm the co-founder of the Global Cybersecurity Network and the Search 'n Stuff founder, I'm seeing that my brand is visible in those results. I can actually use that as a supporting point when I'm reaching out to potential clients, potential sponsors, community members, or B2B owners who might want to advertise on my website. You know, those kinds of things help. They really help me.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Cool, this is an interesting perspective. So, using AI Overviews is almost like a window display, right? A way to showcase your offerings, your services, your products… and start planting the seed in the memory of a potential customer.
It also becomes a kind of proof—like, “If Google is featuring me in an AI Overview, that must mean I’m relevant for this type of information.” So yeah, it’s definitely an interesting point of view.
Content Collaboration with AI
Gianluca Fiorelli: You were mentioning B2B, especially in relation to Search 'n Stuff and the Global Cybersecurity Network. I know you recently did a video that I found really interesting—it was all about B2B SEO, and specifically how to scale B2B SEO with Content Collaboration & AI.
Can you explain what you mean by content collaboration first—and how that works in combination with AI?
Yagmur Simsek: Yeah, so in that talk, I actually explained the journey of our B2B startup—from scratch to where we are now, year to date. I also shared how we reached a point where we were recognized in an award category.
Everyone has their own success stories, and while ours might seem small in comparison, I think it’s meaningful from several perspectives.
The project now uses both AI and human content collaboration. We developed our strategy with the help of SEO and insights from other areas we’ve been researching for a while. Once we had a clear strategy and created a roadmap for our content—along with plans for promotion and distribution—we started integrating AI tools to support our content journey.
Because we have a small team and limited capacity, automation became necessary. But at the same time, we didn’t want to sacrifice content quality or accuracy. Accurate information is really important for us—whether that means keeping content up to date, ensuring it’s grammatically correct. Everything is actually really important for our brand voice as well. That’s why we decided to use a few different tools on the AI side of the project—but we also work with real human editors.
They help finalize the R&D process and cross-check the information we provide after the content is written by AI. So, we use a variety of tools and compare the insights they give us.
For example, we use ContentGo.AI for content writing, and we also take advantage of their editorial reviews. In addition, we use AlsoAsked.com to understand user behavior and see what questions are being asked in different locations around a specific topic. We also use Keyword Insights to come up with category and keyword groupings, and tools like Advanced Web Ranking and Semrush.
All of these help us—but the key point is that we collaborate with these tools, AI, and human input within our team to produce the best possible content for the website.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, it sounds like a very solid, comprehensive framework for working. And earlier, you mentioned brand voice—which brings me to what might sound like a funny question... but I actually don’t think it is. Which is harder: explaining your brand voice to AI, or to your human content collaborators?
Yagmur Simsek: So, to be able to use AI in our favor and make our work easier, we always start by educating the AI with our own inputs—explaining our startup, what we aim to achieve, and what kind of companies or audiences we want to reach.
We’ve created our own prompt library, and every new team member uses that same prompt library when they begin working on content for our website. That way, the AI already understands who we’re speaking to, who we are, and what kind of content formats are expected.
As for the brand voice, we also make a point to educate our internal team—because even I, as a co-founder, sometimes forget specific details and refer back to our benchmark presentation. Because we have this one-pager presentation that we use for different types of promotion. And honestly, it’s really helpful.
It’s good to have a one-pager about your business and brand—something you can always refer back to if you forget certain details or lose focus.
That’s why I think it’s also important to use that one-pager with your AI tools—so they’re trained on the same information. That way, both your team and your AI are aligned and speaking the same language.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, yes—the one-pager! It’s something that I do too. I used to ask for that kind of information even before AI. It became a classic question that I ask my clients. When I start working with someone, I always ask: “Do you have a brand bible?”
Because usually in that document, there’s everything—who you are, how you present yourselves, how you speak, what you talk about… and also what you don’t talk about. All this kind of information is so important. But also: who are your buyer personas? Have you developed audience personas? Audience personas are different from buyer personas—the audience includes people who can influence your buyers.
All of this documentation is really useful. For example, when I create a project—let's say in ChatGPT, but it could be anywhere, like in Claude—I always make sure to store that documentation first.
The very first thing I do is upload the brand info, and I say, “Read it. Learn it.” Then, every time I create a new section or assign a new task within that project, I go back and reread everything. Because otherwise, sometimes you have to remind the AI: “Remember that thing you read? Go back and reread it.”
There’s a sort of decay—I don’t know if you’ve noticed it too—a kind of memory decay with tools like ChatGPT or Claude. After a while, they start to invent things on top of what they originally read. And yes, it’s quite funny in that sense, but also a little frustrating at times.
Startup Pitfalls and Growth Lessons
Gianluca Fiorelli: Now, talking about startups. You’ve often spoken about scaling a startup in a global economy. What are the classic pitfalls—the classic mistakes—you see startups making?
I’ve worked with a few startups in the past, and I could easily list quite a few of those mistakes myself. But I’d love to hear your perspective—especially since you’re a startup founder yourself.
What are the typical mistakes you’ve seen… or maybe even some mistakes you’ve fallen into yourself?
Yagmur Simsek: Yeah, I’ve fallen into a few of those mistakes myself—but I’ve also learned from them and tried not to repeat them, for example, with Search 'n Stuff.
But I think the first mistake we often make when starting a startup is postponing the really important stuff, like actually creating our mission, vision, and objectives. Even if we say we already know it, we don’t put it in writing.
We also don’t clearly define what is important to us, or who our real competitors are. And I don’t mean just brand competitors—I mean search competitors.
Sometimes we miss doing the work of really studying and refining our startup idea before launching it. And that leads to pain points later on, especially when we start promoting our startup.
Because if people don’t understand what you’re talking about—like your MVP, or what’s really unique about your product or service—they don’t want to learn more about you. But if you know exactly what you’re talking about, then you can repeat it—every single part of it—every time you go somewhere, or whenever you have the opportunity to promote your startup.
So I think, first, we don’t really spend enough time thinking things through and writing them down—convincing ourselves first, almost like we were the potential client or service purchaser.
For example, in the past, we had different startups, and they failed—we didn’t continue with them. We ended up stopping because, at some point, we asked ourselves: “Why are we even doing this? What was the main motivation when we started this startup?” And when you don’t have that clarity, you don’t want to keep investing money and energy. So that’s the first thing.
The second is not exactly a mistake, but something I know could have been done better. I’m still doing it, actually. I’m a perfectionist, and I tend to wait until everything is perfectly in order—and by the time I’m ready, the trend has passed and someone else has already acted on the idea.
In the past, I missed out on a few opportunities in the sector because I didn’t act quickly enough. I didn’t make the same mistake with Search 'n Stuff—but even within Search 'n Stuff, I sometimes fall back into that habit. I usually realize it only afterwards.
For example, with video creation for PR—for myself and for my company—we delayed because we wanted it to be perfect. And then we kind of failed in the video distribution after our first conference. We had the video saved on a hard drive, but somehow we couldn’t manage to act quickly and post it online. Meanwhile, someone else published content on the same topic in different formats—and we missed the opportunity to rank in the search results.
So, you know, those are the kinds of things we learn from. But as long as we don’t repeat the same mistakes, I think we’re fine.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Well, I hope so! Yes—velocity is key. I can actually see myself reflected in that mistake, too. I tend to be a perfectionist as well. For instance, when I have to write something, like a blog post, it takes me such a long time. And I always justify it to myself by saying, “Well, English isn’t my first language—I’m Italian and I have to write in English.”
It’s just a poor justification I give myself. The truth is, I’ll start writing, and then I get this feeling—I don’t know if it happens to you too—where the idea is already so clear in my head that I feel lazy about typing it out because I already know it. And it feels like just typing and putting it down in a document is wasting time. But of course, if I don’t actually turn that idea into a real blog post, nobody else is ever going to read it.
So yes, it’s about finding that balance—between being a perfectionist, wanting to present a polished final product, and also respecting timing. In our work, timing is obviously critical.
And speaking of velocity in the startup world—even though The Search Session is mainly about SEO, we don’t just talk about SEO—what channels have you found helped your startup gain visibility faster? Not necessarily SEO, but maybe other things. What’s been the most effective channel for amplifying your startup as a brand?
Yagmur Simsek: I think the first obvious one is LinkedIn—because for both of my startups (one where I’m a co-founder and the other my own), we’re operating in the B2B space. And I think our audience is mostly active on LinkedIn. So yes, we use LinkedIn. And of course, we also rely on Google organic results.
The content we create definitely helps us amplify our services and offers. But we also use email marketing—especially for Search 'n Stuff. We have a very niche audience, and when we send a newsletter, the open rate is high. We’re communicating with people who have already shown genuine interest in our network and community in the past. So, newsletter campaigns, LinkedIn, and sometimes, even if we don’t have a huge number of followers, we also post on Bluesky. I can see the competition between X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky, so we try to stay active on everywhere. We want to be visible wherever people are searching. Even if it’s just one person who discovers us there, it’s worth it.
We’re currently focusing on YouTube Shorts and videos, which again give us some visibility. I’ve noticed they work faster than other types of posts—short videos, especially Instagram Reels, are really helping our audience grow.
But I also think it’s important to be visible in different industry publications—not just on your own website. Being active in the industry, joining conferences, and talking about your brand. I think networking is the biggest muscle of our Search 'n Stuff project. We’ve built that network, and people talk about us across different platforms, both offline and online, which really helps.
And then there are private channels—Slack channels, WhatsApp groups—they’re also really important.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yeah, so let’s talk about networking. Because I think with AI, brand mentions, and the way search surfaces like Google, ChatGPT, and others work, there’s a trend toward favoring the classics—like Reddit, Quora, or even LinkedIn posts at times.
And more recently, Google has started to—well, it’s not exactly indexing, but something similar—it’s started to show Instagram professional accounts. Not everybody’s Instagram account, of course, but the professional Instagram accounts are now appearing on Google.
But obviously, at the base of all this, you really have two paths. You can always take the spammy route—which might bring a quick, short-term success—but ultimately, it’s not going to win the favor of the people you want to reach. Or the networking thing.
Building and Sustaining Communities
Gianluca Fiorelli: And since you were saying that networking is so important—networking also means being able to create and maintain a community.
From your experience, what are the things that contribute not only to creating, but especially to maintaining a community? And on the other side, what are the things that can kill a community?
Yagmur Simsek: Good question. Should I start with the positive things… or the negatives?
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, obviously—the positives first.
Yagmur Simsek: I think the good things that can really empower communities are, first of all, good communication within your network. But just as important is being able to provide something in return.
For example, if you have supporters, sponsors, or community members, giving them value in a meaningful way is essential. It’s not just about money, membership, or whatever—it’s about creating value and making people feel like they belong to the community.
We have some amazing examples in our industry—like Women in Tech SEO. From day one, I felt that sense of belonging when I joined their closed but global community. I discovered it just before I moved to London, and it made me feel so welcomed that I didn’t feel alone as a newcomer.
I could ask anything about SEO, and people were never judgmental—they were helpful and supportive. That kind of environment creates real value, and it comes from the people within the community. But it’s also crucial to intentionally bring in those kinds of people. It’s a kind of “giving back” loop that strengthens the whole group.
And when you’re the one creating the community, it’s so important to manage it according to your code of conduct, vision, and mission. It’s also important that your community understands you—your values and your personality—because all of these things are really important to the people you’re leading.
Because sometimes, as a community manager myself, I even find it hard to keep control. For example, just the other day in our WhatsApp group, someone tried to spam the chat while I was asleep. Of course, we have multiple admins, but they were also asleep at that time. So when we all woke up, we were shocked. I was immediately trying to block that user, deal with the situation, and so on.
But what really struck me was how amazing people from our network stepped in. They responded to that threat themselves, almost as if they were the community admins. That kind of support is incredible—it shows how strong and committed the community is when members take ownership. So, that’s the positive side.
On the other hand, what could kill a community? I think it’s when you start showing that the only thing you care about is money or monetization—without providing genuine value. I think that kills the vibe. Of course, financial needs are real. Personally, I’m still seeking sponsors and partners for events and conferences. But that’s not the only thing we should be focusing on. Because if you focus on doing the right things, support comes eventually. People will want to be with you and support you.
I’ve seen that happen, and I’m really grateful for those people. The key is to keep doing what’s right for your community—creating meaningful connections, content, and value. When you do that consistently, it eventually comes back to you.
I’m patient, and I know I’m still on that journey, but from the amazing examples I’ve seen, I know it’s possible. When you create value, you get it back.
On the other hand, if you’re constantly talking about sales or always promoting your community in different ways, it can kill the vibe. It’s a very sensitive line that we need to be careful about.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes. And when you were talking about community policies and the wellness of a community itself, it reminded me of my time at Moz. Back then, SEOMoz. I was a global associate, and one of my responsibilities was to help moderate it—especially during the “Q&A” section and in the blog comments—while the Seattle office was asleep, since we had a nine-hour time difference.
That was one of my main commitments. And I remember that, many times, because of work, I wasn’t able to log in and check things right away. But the amazing thing was that the Moz community—which was already huge and very strong—was essentially moderating itself. And that, I think, is one of the most interesting and positive signs of having a true, lively community that governs itself. Sometimes you even find community members who are more loyal than the founder. So when the founder wants to change something, they’ll say, “No, the community was this.” However, this is something different.
Choosing the Right Communities for Brands
Gianluca Fiorelli: Speaking of community, and shifting back to B2B—because we saw your case—eventually, when you’re working with clients, you sometimes see opportunities for them to expand. Not necessarily by creating their own community, but sometimes yes.
How do you identify the right channel for them to step into—to put a foot in the door and start being part of that community?
Yagmur Simsek: You mean like any client I work with, or even beyond that?
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, in general—not just your direct experience, but also from what you’ve observed.
Yagmur Simsek: I think for brands, it’s not about saying, “You should do this specific thing or that specific thing.” Sorry if I’m going in circles here, but I’m getting there.
First, as a brand, you need to understand how you want to be perceived by communities in general—whether in your own industry or in your target audience’s industry.
For example, take Nike. Suppose they want to be seen as fostering a community around freedom or activity. In that case, they might focus on supporting active communities—so people associate Nike with an active environment, enabling exercise, sports, and movement. In that case, they could sponsor events or activities that align with that positioning.
So I think events, conferences, and communities are all great opportunities for brands. But if a brand wants to support them, it has to make sense—it needs to align with their mission and journey. And in return, it should also contribute back to the brand in some meaningful way once they become a partner or sponsor.
Then, check if the audience is the right audience. If it aligns with the brand’s mission, vision, and overall positioning, then they can start looking for the communities they want to support.
And as community owners, we also have to provide clear documentation that explains our audience—things like audience level, demographics, and any additional numbers or figures we can share. That way, we make the decision-making process easier for potential partners or sponsors.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, exactly. And this is something I also talked about in a past episode with Amanda Natividad. We discussed audience analysis as one of the most important things every marketer should do—whether they’re an SEO, a social media marketer, or an email marketer—in order to distinguish between audience analysis and market analysis, because the two are very different.
SEO Best Practices in an Uncertain Era
Gianluca Fiorelli: Now, let’s circle back quickly to SEO and the challenges we’re facing today. If everything feels so uncertain right now, as an SEO professional, what kind of certainty do you still find in your daily work? What are your pole stars—the guiding principles you rely on—to conduct your work, and to decide: “This approach might work because of AI,” or “This one won’t.” and so on.
In other words, what are the best practices that you still consider essential—those that everybody should follow?
Yagmur Simsek: Unfortunately, I don’t have just one answer to this—it really depends on the client’s perspective. But I can share two options. Of course, there are more, but I’ll stick to these two.
The first is, of course, having a proper kickoff call with your client. You need to understand them first. What matters is what’s important for them—not for you as an SEO consultant. Because clients will continue working with you if they feel you truly understand their pain points and can solve their problems.
Those problems might be very generic or even very broad, but you just need to create a bit of “magic” out of them. So, to do that, you first need to understand why the client wants the problem solved. That’s the first step.
To give a general example: when it comes to filling that gap, I usually focus on the quick wins. Of course, I do technical audits myself, but I don’t spend hours creating long presentations and endless documentation for the client—because I know they won’t care about that. What they care about is what I can tell them to fix in a clear, actionable way. I keep that audit for myself.
So I give them the actionable points—both short-term and long-term—and explain: “If you do this in the short term, it will contribute to your bigger plan.” In that way, I give them different options and let them choose. That’s my first go-to approach.
The second thing is that I have my own checklist. And if certain items aren’t ticked, I don’t take the client. Because as a freelancer, I need to build case studies that I can later use as references for other potential clients.
So, I first conduct a technical audit and list the necessary changes to my client. And if I see that the client isn’t willing to implement those or make technical improvements, I make it clear: “A content strategy on its own is not enough, you need to do this, this, and this,” and leave it there. My go-to approach when I take on a client is to fix the technical issues first. That way, we can actually build a foundation to continue.
And if there’s something beyond my expertise—something I can’t personally step in and implement—I try to find the right solution providers for them. That’s why I don’t really call myself just a consultant anymore. I think of myself as a growth consultant, or even a growth partner—because the goal is to grow together. So I can find the relevant people to solve their problem.
In this case, networking is my biggest asset. I like meeting new people, learning about their cases, and understanding what they really do—so I can connect the right people with each other, even linking them with my own clients.
Sometimes I’ll even step back and say, “First, solve this problem with this person. Then come back to me. Otherwise, there’s no point in starting this project.” For me, it’s about being honest—with myself and with the client—and not taking on clients just for financial reasons.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, this is something I think every honest consultant should do. I do the same. For instance, I can design a potential—let’s call it—a brand amplification campaign, but I don’t execute it myself. I don’t have the time to manage link building, outreach, brand mention, and so on. So, I usually do exactly what you do—I rely on this big pool of people I know.
Yagmur Simsek: Yes.
Gianluca Fiorelli: People I know work really well in their own niche specialties. I call it a “cooperative SEO environment.” What I do is connect them with the client, make the introductions, and then step back—leaving the client to decide.
What I maintain for myself—because I usually collaborate with clients as a strategist—is more of an executive producer role. My job is to make sure that the things being done by the people I connect with my clients don’t go against the strategy I’ve designed. Otherwise, it would get chaotic.
Organizing Events: Search ’n Stuff
Gianluca Fiorelli: Now, before moving on to some more personal questions, one last question about Search 'n Stuff. You’ve got local networking events in London, and the bigger annual event in Antalya, Turkey. For our listeners, we’re recording this at the end of July, and this episode will be online before the Antalya event.
If I remember correctly, the dates are October 9th to 12th. So, if tickets are still available, go check the website and grab one—because there’s going to be a wonderful panel of speakers. And besides, I mean… It’s Antalya!
Yagmur Simsek: Yeah, and I’ve seen that some of our speakers are people you’ve already interviewed, and appeared in past videos—like Aleyda Solís, Judith Lewis, Gerry White, and many other amazing people.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yeah! So let’s talk about this. I’m familiar with this myself, having been an event organizer with The Inbounder. How difficult is it to organize events, especially in the current situation?
What I’ve noticed is that there are really three eras: before COVID, during COVID when everything had to be virtual, and then the big return to in-person conferences—especially here in Europe.
Your case is one of others I’ve seen—the rise of many new events: regional or local conferences, not just in the classic places like the UK, but also in Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and many other countries.
Why do you think we’re seeing this kind of renaissance happening right now? Even though I know there are still challenges in sustaining it, all of a sudden, we’re seeing all these smaller events, but also the return of some major ones. SMX Advanced is coming back as an in-person event, Ahrefs Evolve, and so on.
How do you see this return to live conferences? And what do you think are the risks of having so many conferences?
Yagmur Simsek: Yes, I guess I’m one of those who broke the rules of organizing a conference! From my perspective, though, I don’t really see other conferences as competitors—or myself as a competitor to them.
That wasn’t even on my mind when I started this. In fact, it all began in London as informal networking dinners I organized voluntarily. Then I came up with the name—Search 'n Stuff because we talk about anything. I was organizing small gatherings simply because people love Turkish food! So I’d bring everyone together at Turkish restaurants. That’s how it began, and then we started organizing meetups… and eventually, it grew into something much bigger.
Now, of course, organizing events is competitive. You've got to deal with dates, travel, and flights—not everyone can fit every conference into their schedule. But for my conference in Turkey, we also think about those who can’t travel due to visa issues or financial limitations. That’s a big part of why we bring the global conference experience directly to them—so they can still access that value.
And it’s also great for other global attendees. The location itself is a holiday destination, so it becomes a blend of professional development and vacation—a kind of boot camp with a vacation feel. So it’s a different experience. And because people usually stay for three nights, the extended time also creates an environment where networking feels more natural. You’re continuing conversations by the beach, in a more casual and local setting.
Take Bulgaria, for example. I went to TakeItOffline Bulgaria, the event Gerry White organized, and it gave me the chance to meet different people from Bulgaria, I probably wouldn’t have met at a big conference like BrightonSEO. Those larger events are amazing, but they’re so packed—you’re constantly running from one talk or workshop to the next. Smaller, more local events offer a different kind of value. There’s more room for networking, more opportunities to really connect with people.
I think every conference has its own vibe and culture. I still plan to attend Brighton every year if I can. And just recently, I flew to Berlin for the Women in Tech SEO conference to meet new people from Berlin.
And then there’s Turkey—we’ve got amazing food, and people love it! So it becomes a win-win situation. Honestly, I don’t see all these emerging events as competition. To me, it just shows how big and vibrant our community has become. I can also see more paid conferences emerging.
Not only SEO, but also as a digital marketing conference, around paid, data, and AI topics. These conferences are starting to cover a broader range of topics and audiences. We’re not just SEO consultants anymore; we’re also making comments on paid optimization, data growth, and analytics. It’s exciting to see the community growing wider and more diverse.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes, absolutely. And what you said about creating a global conference in a country where the local community might struggle to travel—I think that’s really commendable. That was actually one of my motivations for organizing events like The Inbounder. Back then, I noticed that I rarely saw Spanish, Italian, or Southern European SEOs attending the big, classic international conferences.
So I wanted to create something specifically for Southern Europe—something that would bring people together from the region. The idea was to mix local voices—Spanish SEOs, Italian SEOs, even folks from the Middle East—with more classic Anglo-Saxon SEOs.
It’s actually a bit of a personal pet peeve of mine—and maybe yours too—that when people think of SEO or digital marketing, they often default to the UK and US. But this is a global industry, and there’s incredible work happening all over the world. In fact, many people outside of the UK and the US are really skilled, and some are even more advanced in certain areas.
The Fireside Questionnaire
Gianluca Fiorelli: Before we wrap up, I wanted to sneak in a classic The Search Session closer—just a quick fireside-style question so our listeners and viewers can get to know you a bit more.
You're from Turkey. So tell me—what do you miss most about home when you're in rainy London?
Yagmur Simsek: I’m a bit different—I don’t really love extreme heat! So in a way, London's weather actually helps me focus on my daily routine. Of course, whenever it rains, people ask, “Why did you move to the UK?” Especially since I’m from Antalya—very sunny, by the sea, that kind of place. But for me, it’s all about balance.
I still travel to Turkey a few times a year to visit my family, and now I’m even organizing a conference there. So I try to stay active in both countries. But London feels like my base now. I travel for work and events, but I always come back here—it feels like home.
Of course, my family is still in Antalya, and I do miss Turkey in many weather conditions. Mainly, I miss swimming in the sea when it’s sunny! But it’s all about pros and cons. One thing I really appreciate about London is its cultural scene—there are many more events here compared to Antalya. It’s kind of a compromise.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Yes. And when Yagmur isn’t networking, organizing dinners with other community members, or working with clients—what does she really love to do when she’s not busy with all of that?
Yagmur Simsek: I love going to cultural events—musicals, theater, plays, and music events. I also write songs and enjoy singing them. And I write a bit of poetry and short stories too—just for myself, for now.
And of course, I love traveling. I’ll take any excuse to discover new places and meet local people.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Cool! Let’s see what the future holds. Maybe we’ll get to know Yagmur more as a writer than an SEO… why not?
Yagmur Simsek: Now, even if I do publish a book, people will probably assume AI wrote it! So I think I’ll wait a bit and see how things go.
Gianluca Fiorelli: That’s right! Well, thank you, Yagmur. It was a real pleasure to have you here. Personally, I’ve learned a lot today. And let’s promise each other to catch up again in a future episode, to see where things have gone in our crazy world.
Yagmur Simsek: Yes! Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate the invite. I’ve been watching all the other episodes—they’re great. So thank you for having me here.
Gianluca Fiorelli: Thank you. And thanks to everyone for listening and watching this episode with Yagmur Simsek. And yes—I know, I have to do the influencer bit, even though I hate it! But don’t forget to ring the bell and subscribe to the channel so you’ll get notified about the new episodes of The Search Session. Thank you again for joining me, and see you next time!
Podcast Host
Gianluca Fiorelli
With almost 20 years of experience in web marketing, Gianluca Fiorelli is a Strategic and International SEO Consultant who helps businesses improve their visibility and performance on organic search. Gianluca collaborated with clients from various industries and regions, such as Glassdoor, Idealista, Rastreator.com, Outsystems, Chess.com, SIXT Ride, Vegetables by Bayer, Visit California, Gamepix, James Edition and many others.
A very active member of the SEO community, Gianluca daily shares his insights and best practices on SEO, content, Search marketing strategy and the evolution of Search on social media channels such as X, Bluesky and LinkedIn and through the blog on his website: IloveSEO.net.
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