Attended MozCon 2021 virtually while working from home, same as the year before. Some things stuck.
1. Seek demonstration over instruction
Surround yourself with people willing to show you a new way, not just those who critique your approach. Show beats tell every time.
2. Validate before you accept
Best practices are only good when you cannot get the data for your own site. Test general advice against your specific metrics before accepting it as truth.
3. Put dollar values in your reports
Search your reports for dollar values. Always document your assumptions so clients can refine your calculations. Numbers without context are noise.
4. You have better customer intelligence than you think
You possess superior insight into customer intent through search data, and it updates daily. Use this to guide organizational messaging. Most companies underuse this entirely.
5. SERPs are customer intelligence, not just ranking metrics
Google has pretty much every click, back button, search, refinement, and query going back for years. Treat SERPs as a window into what your customers actually want, not just a scoreboard for your SEO.
6. Get into rooms where you are getting schooled
“If you want to be an innovator, get out of rooms where people ask you to school them and get into rooms where you are getting schooled.”
Apply newly acquired skills within your area of expertise to access solutions you could not have found otherwise.