Hey Reader,
We're getting excited for WTSFest Portland in 22 days (so excited that we launched exclusive merch).
It's been a busy week in our industry - lots of resources, events, & helpful tools below for you to explore.
Thank you to this week's WTSNewsletter sponsors: Peec AI, Athens SEO, Search n' Stuff, Superhuman AI, & withFrontier.
Let's get started =)
Brilliant work by our brilliant members
1) Adrijana Vujadin & Georgia Tan - From “I’m Not Good Enough” to SEO Speaker
2) Evelina Milenova - Guest post outreach in 2026: A proven, scalable process
3) Kelly-Anne Crean - Rescuing a Migration: A Guide for SEOs Brought in Too Late
4) Preeti Gupta - A Practical Guide To Turning SEO Traffic Into Users With Product Led Growth
5) Sophie Brannon - Why Product Feeds Shouldn’t Be The Most Ignored SEO System In Ecommerce
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For future editions, if you’d like to recommend any articles (and yes, you can totally recommend your own work!), fill out this form:
AI search is the fastest-growing discovery channel.
[Headline Sponsor: Peec AI]
Your customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini for recommendations daily.
Is your brand the answer?
Peec AI shows you exactly where you stand:
- Track your visibility and sentiment across all major LLMs
- Benchmark against competitors to see your share of voice
- Get step-by-step guidance on improving your AI visibility
Turn AI search from a black box into a measurable growth channel with clear metrics and a scalable strategy.
Share your message with 9,000+ SEOs & Marketers -
Transparent pricing & details
Our latest WTSKnowledge
Marie-Paule Kenmogne explores how agents & workflows are shifting SEO from manual execution to system design & why this makes SEOs more valuable, not less.
Learn how to:
- Design workflows instead of relying on single AI agents
- Structure data & logic for better outputs
- Move from repetitive tasks to strategic thinking
- Build scalable SEO systems across key pillars
Adapted from Marie-Paule's WTSFest London talk.
Access all 10 WTSFest London talks for £99!
Our latest WTSInterview
Meet Carla dos Santos!
Carla dos Santos, known professionally as "Carla the SEO Coach," is a digital strategist and SEO specialist with over 20 years of experience.
She is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and specialises in providing practical, hands-on SEO coaching to individuals, small businesses, and corporate teams.
Support the communities building our industry
[Community Partner Feature: Athens SEO & Search n' Stuff]
2 communities we want to highlight this month, built by WTS members:
🇬🇷 Athens SEO (22nd-23rd May 2026)
Built by WTSers, Eva Mermingi & Francesca Kavvadia
Back after a sold out debut in 2025 - join this brilliant community for an SEO & AI conference bringing together practitioners for practical, high-quality talks & real connection.
→ On site tickets (25% off)
→ Live stream tickets (25% off)
→ Sponsor Athens SEO
🌐 Search n Stuff (26th June 2026)
Built by WTSer, Yagmur Simsek
Join this growing London-based community for their debut search-focused conference, hosted inside one of the UK’s most iconic venues: Emirates Stadium – Home of Arsenal Football Club.
→ Tickets
→ Sponsor Search 'n Stuff London
“It felt like more than an event…” 💗
WTSFest Portland is in just over 3 weeks!
We asked the community what they’re most excited about:
“Last year felt like more than an event. It felt like being around the kind of people who make you want to level up.” - Aimee Jurenka
“I came back to my team with so many new ideas and strategies. I felt energized and ready to apply what I'd learned.” - Meghan Pahinui
“I can't wait to see old friends, make new friends, and cheer speakers on as they hit the stage.” - Melissa Popp
Join hundreds of marketers, SEOs, & community-minded folks in Portland on May 7th, 2026.
Your WTSFest conference countdowns
Our Philadelphia WTSFest speaker line-up is here!
We'd love to see YOU at one of our upcoming full-day marketing events!
⏳ 22 days - Portland on May 7th, 2026
🎟️ 10 Final call tickets remaining!
⏳ 169 days - Philadelphia on October 1st, 2026
🎟️ Standard tix now available! ($499)
⏳ 338 days - London on March 19th, 2027
🎟️ 19 super early bird tix (£299) before early bird tix (£399)
🎥 2026 On-demand Insights - From AI Search to Real Influence & Trust
🎟️ £99 for all 10 talks
Use our Dear Boss template to request budget to attend!
WTSGlobal Week: Celebrating 7 Years of WTS 🎉
On May 28th, WTS turns 7!
We’re celebrating with WTSGlobal Week, a community-first week dedicated to connection, reflection & appreciation. Join us for:
🌍 Global Gathering (May 28, 4pm BST)
Live Zoom bringing the community together to reflect & celebrate
💬 24-hour Slack Celebration (May 28)
Join from anywhere & anytime in the world!
🤝🏽 Community Meet-ups (May 23-31)
From coffees to co-working, host or join free meet-ups happening globally
This community is what it is because of you, let’s celebrate it together 💗
[WTSNewsletter Series] Improving AI Visibility for local businesses through sponsorships
Series Author: Ellen Sartin
Ellen is the Client Success & Growth Manager at ZipSprout.
A research-driven Local SEO nerd with over 12 years of experience in marketing and business development, and a background in applied statistics and data analysis, Ellen explores how community partnerships between brands and nonprofit organizations drive real local visibility and engagement - and how AI is shaping Local SEO.
Missed Part 2? Check it out here!
Part 3: The Power of Meaningful, Long-Term Sponsorships
You may think that nonprofits would be eager to accept any and all sponsorship dollars, but that’s not usually the case. They have acceptance criteria, and want sponsors who feel and act like partners. They want businesses that show up when they can, attend events when it makes sense, engage with the organization, and stay involved beyond the invoice.
Nonprofits don’t use complicated scorecards to decide whether a sponsor is serious. They ask two simple questions:
- “How engaged will you be with our organization?”
- “Will you come back next year?”
That’s the difference between an impersonal one-time placement and a relationship. And if you want to stay visible in your local communities, you want relationships.
Many local businesses understand this, and our survey data showed that:
- 81% of businesses found engaging with the organization in at least 3 ways to be valuable.
- 58% reported sponsoring the same organization for more than a year.
Is your business required to do all of that to get the sponsorship link?
No. That’s why nonprofits have sponsorship tiers. Many are happy to add your logo and link to their site.
However, the more you do, the more likely your business is to stand out in the community.
What you don’t want to do is make your sponsorship feel self-serving
If you show up and say, “Here’s the money, give me the link”, you're doing your business a disservice because you’re leaving a lot of extra value on the table.
Remember, these organizations you’re sponsoring have deep roots in the community. If you leave the relationship at “a link and a logo”, you lose the benefit of any additional impact within those niche communities.
If you want sponsorships to support your local visibility over time, treat the first placement as the start, not the finish
Pick organizations whose values match yours, then behave in ways the nonprofit recognizes as a commitment.
Renew when it makes sense. Show up when you can. And acknowledge the organization in ways that help them (not just your marketing).
In next week's Part 4 of “Improving AI Visibility for Local Businesses Through Sponsorships”, I’ll discuss how to run a successful sponsorship campaign and gain links that make a difference.
Job openings in SEO & Digital PR
[WTSNewsletter Job Sponsor: withFrontier]
🇬🇧 Head of Technical SEO
Salary: £90,000-£95,000
Location: Fully remote (UK)
🇺🇸 SEO Director (Regulated Industries)
Salary: $120,000-$135,000 + bonus
Location: Remote (US)
An (optional) way to support WTS ☕️
Buy Me a Coffee Program
The WTS community will always remain free & accessible.
This is simply for those who’ve asked for a way to give back and support the mission.
If WTS has helped you learn, grow, find opportunities, or feel like you belong, you can now support us through monthly tiers starting from £5/month:
- Supporting Member
- Sustaining Member
- Impact Member
- Lifetime Member
One-off £5 coffee buys are still available too.
A huge thank you to the 382 coffee supporters & 43 members who’ve backed the mission so far 🙏🏽
& of course, it goes without saying: no pressure at all.
By showing up, supporting others, and believing in this space, you’re already part of what makes it special.
If you've made it this far, thank YOU!
A reminder that everyone is more than welcome to subscribe!
Our goal is to amplify all the brilliant folks of marginalised genders in our industry - so the more people who subscribe, the more amplification!
As always, thanks for allowing us into your inbox!
- Areej, Erin, & Himee
