It was sold (well given away really) as a round table discussion about Search. So, I took my brain along to the first of several events running in conjunction with the Leeds Digital Festival. Greeted by an enthusiastic turnout at The Adelphi, I sandwiched myself between some SEOeeks and a writing desk and things got started.

After some minor heckling, a few dodgy microphones were passed around the panel and the conversation flowed, in the only way a discussion about SEO could, controversially. The panel was great; a varied mix of young versus traditional.

The PR candle shone brightly from an early stage and it’s clear to me now that SEO owes a great deal to website mentions, Tweeted links and the power of word of mouth.  And although these guys know an awful lot about SEO, it was interesting to see that their overall knowledge of the general mix needed a little fine tuning.

It was also great to hear a resounding roar of support for the industry up North. We’re a talented bunch up here, and as the Leeds Digital Festival proves, have a drawer chock-full of advocates keen to get involved.

As black hats, white hats and screaming frogs whizzed through the conversation, it was evident the world of SEO waits for no man. Things have drastically changed in the industry recently, so much so that the search terms and keywords that many of associate with successful SEO are now so 2006.

Quality versus quantity was a key consideration as the discussion turned to Panda, Google Plus and the power of social. I was exhausted. Roll on Sociality on 17 August; I’ll be busking outside for a ticket.

The Adelphi was a great venue, although I spent a good part of the first 10 minutes reading the menu, and deciding what I would order first.

*This blog was brought to you by @rossjankin who agrees all copy should be 100% Panda Friendly*