Event SEO Essentials Powered by AI: Turning Your Website into a Year-Round Traffic Engine
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- Event: Women in Exhibitions Webinar
- Date: 29 April 2025
- Speakers: Jon Monk
- Estimated Read Time: 10–11 minutes
Quick Summary
In this deep-dive blog version of Jon Monk’s webinar for Women in Exhibitions UK, you’ll learn how to transform your event website into a powerful, year-round traffic and conversion engine.
Covering everything from SEO fundamentals to practical use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Frase.io, this comprehensive guide is packed with real examples, recommended prompts, and actionable strategies to help you optimise your content, boost visibility, and deliver long-term results.
Whether you attended the session or not, this article will give you everything you need to get started — plus free tools, prompt templates, and a homepage review offer to help you take action.
Acknowledgement
This session was delivered in partnership with Women in Exhibitions UK Chapter. It was a great opportunity to speak to an engaged audience of professionals helping to shape the future of the events industry.
To find out more or to become a member, visit: www.womeninexhibitions.co.uk.
Introduction: Why SEO Matters More Than Ever for Event Organisers
In an session hosted by Women in Exhibitions, optimisation expert Jon Monk revealed how event websites — often overlooked as short-term tools — can be transformed into year-round marketing engines through smart SEO and the power of AI.
Jon, who has worked in SEO since 2012 and specialises in the events sector, walked attendees through the essentials of optimising an event website. He shared how AI tools like ChatGPT and Frase.io are making high-impact SEO more accessible to marketing teams of all sizes.
The Untapped SEO Opportunity in Events
Many event websites are built and launched with a single goal in mind: promote this year’s event. Then, they’re taken offline or completely rebuilt the following year. This short-term mindset misses a big opportunity.
Jon encouraged organisers to treat their website as a compounding digital asset — one that grows stronger with each speaker profile, exhibitor listing, and optimised content page.
For more practical strategies on boosting your event website's performance, visit our Event Website Optimisation Hub.
Why event websites are naturally suited to SEO:
- Authority: Event sites feature respected brands and people (speakers, sponsors).
- Content: Regular updates, schedules, session summaries, and blog content are all Google gold.
- Links: Organisers can earn backlinks through speakers, partners, media coverage, and listing sites.
The Three Pillars of Event SEO Success
Jon broke SEO into three essential pillars:
1. Authority
Event websites feature industry leaders and well-known brands. Keeping speaker and exhibitor profiles live year-round — and optimising them — helps your website earn trust with users and search engines.
2. Content
Rich, relevant content is key to long-term visibility:
- Speaker bios
- Session summaries
- FAQs
- Blog posts
- Visitor guides
Jon highlighted that high-value pages often come from archived speaker content. Even speakers from years past can attract organic traffic if their profiles rank for their names or topics.
3. Links
Backlinks are still one of the top SEO ranking factors. Event websites can earn links from:
- Exhibitor and speaker websites
- Partner organisations
- Media coverage
- Event listing sites
- Further tips on maximising website value: Does Your Website Have SEO Value?
How AI Has Changed SEO for the Better
Historically, SEO has been labour-intensive — involving hours of keyword research, content writing, and competitor analysis. But Jon showed how AI tools now make this faster, cheaper, and better.
He highlighted:
- ChatGPT for keyword research and writing prompts
- Frase.io for content analysis and content gap filling
- Keyword Keg and Google Keyword Planner for accurate monthly search volume data
Competitor Research: Learn Before You Optimise
Jon encouraged attendees to manually review top-ranking pages for their main keywords. For example, during a live walkthrough, he searched "Book Fair London" and analysed the top-ranking pages:
- Were dates and locations clearly shown?
- Did pages answer visitor questions?
- Was the content skimmable and relevant?
This process also helps shape your own homepage and key landing pages.
Using Frase.io to Benchmark and Improve Content
Frase.io allows you to compare your content against the current top results for your target keyword. Jon demoed this by:
- Adding homepage content into Frase
- Setting the target keyword to "Book Fair London"
- Viewing competitor average scores vs. their own (e.g., 22 vs. 17)
- Using the recommended phrases to improve the page
He then showed how to:
- Add missing terms contextually
- Build FAQ sections using those phrases
- Use ChatGPT to generate relevant FAQs based on this keyword set
Prompt Engineering: Getting the Most from ChatGPT
Jon shared several smart tips to refine ChatGPT prompts:
- Start with background context: Feed ChatGPT a description of your event so it "understands" your audience.
- Ask for improvements: "How can I make this prompt better?"
- Use projects in ChatGPT Plus: Keep all event-related chats together so ChatGPT learns across them.
Tools Mentioned in the Webinar
- ChatGPT (Plus version recommended)
- Frase.io — content optimisation tool
- Google Keyword Planner — free tool inside Google Ads for keyword volume
- Keyword Keg — paid tool for keyword discovery & volume
- Google Search Console — essential for tracking SEO performance
Jon stressed that many clients still don’t have Search Console set up:
ChatGPT Prompts to Copy and Use
Prompt 1: Event Research
Before I start keyword research, I want to understand [Event Name] in more depth. Please provide:
- A description of what the event is
- Who it’s for and who typically attends
- Why people attend (e.g. to buy, sell, learn, network)
- The main features, talks, or content at the event
- How the event is usually described by organisers and attendees
- What types of phrases people might search if they’re looking for this kind of event but don’t know the name
Prompt 2: Keyword Discovery
- I’m doing keyword research for [Event Name], but I want to focus on non-branded search terms that people might use when looking for events like this — without knowing its name.
- Please list relevant search terms for events related to [topic/industry].
- Categorise them by intent: informational, transactional, navigational, or research.
Prompt 3: Keyword Table with Volume
Now please summarise those keywords in a table.
For each keyword, include:
- The exact search term
- Monthly UK search volume
- Search intent (informational, transactional, navigational, or research)
Prompt 4: Homepage FAQs
- Write up to 10 FAQs, based on the existing homepage content.
- Group them naturally under 4 or 5 themed FAQ headings.
- Use the provided keywords naturally in the questions or answers.
- Write in clear, straightforward British English.
- Focus on what to expect, who it's for, how to prepare, and key features or opportunities.
Prompt 5: Meta Details
Write a compelling Page Title and Meta Description using the following keyword: [insert keyword].
- Page Title: max 60 characters, keyword toward the beginning
- Meta Description: max 160 characters, include the keyword, highlight benefits, and end with a call to action
Final Takeaways
- SEO for event websites is powerful, underused, and now easier than ever with AI.
- Authority, content, and links are the foundation of event SEO.
- ChatGPT and Frase.io can supercharge your efforts and reduce time-to-impact.
- Start with keyword research, FAQs, and meta details — even on just one page.
- Set up Google Search Console to monitor performance and avoid costly mistakes.
- Treat your event website like a long-term asset, not a temporary brochure.
You may also find these guides helpful:
Free Homepage SEO & UX Review
To help attendees take action, ASP is offering a complimentary homepage review, with 3–5 actionable recommendations to:
- Improve organic visibility
- Enhance user experience
- Increase conversions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Join Women in Exhibitions
This webinar was made possible through the fantastic team at Women in Exhibitions UK. If you’re not yet a member, now is a great time to join a thriving community of professionals committed to supporting women across all sectors of the exhibitions industry.
Become a member of Women in Exhibitions