Great speakers, great networking, and great pizza, most importantly.
Brilliant night for Manchester DM#8! It was lovely to see so many people and hear from three great speakers, followed by a well-engaged Q&A session at the end!
A huge thank you to our speakers, Aliya Amachat, Nick Handley, and Callum Lockwood, as well as our sponsors and partners, ClickTech and Don’t Panic Events.
It was also our last Manchester DM in the Feel Good Club, so stay tuned for our next venue…
Last Friday our Director Amanda spoke at SEO Estonia, one of Europe’s leading digital marketing events. Her talk, discussing how Aristotle’s Ethos, Pathos and Logos can help to drive ROI was well-received by the 400 attendees and left them with some thought provoking and actionable takeaways around how they can improve CRO and ROI by tying their SEO approach into ancient rhetoric.
The main focus of SEO Estonia this year was on ROI – how do we get more ROI from our SEO campaigns, taking a step away from vanity metrics to ensure that we are focusing on what really matters. With this in mind, each speaker was tasked with really tying their talk back to ROI and how the approach they are suggesting could drive real change in SEO.
Amanda discussed how incorporating the principles of Ethos, Pathos and Logos can directly impact your ROI in many ways:
Improving your brand credibility and awareness means that when people are looking for you, they will be reassured, making them less likely to drop out of the conversion funnel and more likely to engage with your product/service
How to review online sentiment and media coverage to identify where your gaps are and plug them – ensuring that users see what you want them to see about your brand and if there are areas of weakness that these are addressed and dealt with from a reputational standpoint
Using Logos to align with user intent – making sure that your content and content format matches the audience so they can easily understand why it’s right for them and ensuring that you’re showcasing benefits rather than features to push a more emotional appeal with your audience.
Understanding how these ideas map back directly to ROI, for example that Pathos can improve dwell time on site, therefore making users more engaged, or that Ethos can lead to higher trust signals and therefore a better conversion rate.
Overall, the two day conference invited some of the world’s best speakers to share knowledge and learn from each other – leading to some great overall takeaways!
Last night we hosted our first-ever Manchester DM – and we couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Held at the Feel Good Club, the event brought together marketers from across the city for an evening of practical talks, casual networking and plenty of pizza. A huge thanks to everyone who came along, and to Evoluted for partnering with us to bring the event to life.
If you’ve been to our Sheffield or Nottingham DM events before, you’ll know what to expect: relaxed format, useful insight, and a real mix of experience levels in the room. Manchester’s first edition kept that same feel – and it’s safe to say the local marketing scene showed up.
The Line-Up
James Hayward-Browne (Co-Founder, Bottled Imagination) opened with a talk on building digital PR campaigns that work across channels – looking at what makes campaigns actually land, and how to spot the difference between noise and strategy.
Bethany Rathbone (Global Senior SEO Analyst, Dr Martens) followed with a deep dive into global ecommerce SEO – breaking down how to scale effectively without losing the detail that makes search work.
Chris Nightingale (Digital Marketing Director, ex-AO.com) wrapped things up with an honest look at moving from big-brand life to startup – full of lessons on agility, priorities, and where to focus when you’re building something new.
Why Manchester DM?
We started Manchester DM to create more space for digital marketers to connect without the usual pressure or polish. No hard sells, no overproduced presentations – just useful talks, honest discussion, and a community that learns from each other.
We’re planning to run these events every two months, bringing in speakers from different corners of digital marketing – from SEO, PPC and digital PR, to content, data, and brand strategy.
Whether you’re new to the industry or have been in it for years, we want Manchester DM to be a place where you can learn something new, meet people doing interesting work, and stay inspired.
We’ll be sharing dates for the next event soon – so keep an eye out, or sign up to our mailing list to stay in the loop.
Big thanks again to everyone who made the first event such a good one!
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that Cedarwood Digital has taken home five trophies from this year’s European Search Awards – including all three Agency of the Year categories!
🥇 Best Small SEO Agency
🥇 Best Small PPC Agency
🥇 Best Small Integrated Agency
Winning these three awards is a huge honour – not only do they recognise our team’s dedication across SEO, PPC and integrated campaigns, but they also position Cedarwood as one of the top-performing agencies in Europe. That’s a huge milestone for us, and one we’re incredibly proud to achieve.
Award-Winning Campaign Work
In addition to agency accolades, we were also recognised for the outstanding results of our client campaigns, winning:
Best Use of Search (FMCG)
Best Use of Search (iGaming)
These awards celebrate the strategic, creative and data-led work we deliver for our clients day in, day out. It’s amazing to see that effort recognised on a European stage.
A Standout Year For Growth & Community
2024/2025 has been a standout year for Cedarwood Digital. Not only have we seen incredible growth as an agency, but we’ve also focused on giving back to the community and helping shape the future of digital marketing talent.
This year alone, we:
Launched Manchester DM, a brand-new digital marketing meetup focused on sharing knowledge and growing the northern digital community.
Partnered with colleges to help students upskill and explore careers in SEO, PPC and beyond.
Delivered talks, training and insights at a range of conferences and events across the UK.
It’s been a year of ambition, collaboration and meaningful impact – and we couldn’t be prouder.
Thank You
A massive thank you to Don’t Panic Events for organising such a brilliant event and to the judges who dedicated so much time reviewing entries – your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
And of course, to our team, clients and community – thank you for being part of the journey. Here’s to continuing to push boundaries, drive performance and make 2025 our best year yet.
For her fourth time speaking at Brighton SEO, Director Amanda took to the main stage at Brighton SEO to deliver a talk on “Reimagining E-E-A-T: Using Ethos, Pathos And Logos To Boost SEO Campaigns” drawing on skills that she learnt when studying philosophy at school, Amanda discussed how the valuable rhetoric of Ethos, Pathos and Logos can be applied to SEO campaigns to not just improve performance, but most importantly to improve conversion rate and drive sales and leads – which at the end of the day is why everyone does it!
At the event which had over 2,000 attendees, Amanda went into detail about how to apply these principles to your SEO campaigns and why doing so plays such an important role in ensuring your maximising your return on investment. Key focus areas included:
Understanding that 87% of people will leave the conversion funnel if they read a negative review or mention of your website – brand perception and awareness is key and building/protecting your reputation plays a key role in this
Showcasing “benefits” not “features” – why should I use your product/service, what benefit does it have to me? Rather than just listing a specific feature it has, appeal to the user’s emotional side by helping them to understand how it could help them
Matching user intent plays an important role in keeping users in the funnel – understanding what type of content best resonates with them is important here, do they want content that showcases experience or expertise? Or sometimes do they want a mixture of both?
Utilising Digital PR effectively to build reputation – how to best use your thought leadership and data-led campaigns to make people find your brand online and ensuring that when people are researching they’re finding what they need to to better understand your brand.
Overall, the outline of the talk focused on how Aristotle utilised “rhetoric” to help persuade an audience to do something – not too different from what we try to do in modern day SEO and provided relatable takeaways that not only help to align E-E-A-T (specifically in YMYL industries) but also help to boost those all important conversion rates.
A big thankyou to everyone who attended the talk – please reach out if you’d like a copy of the deck!
Our Director Amanda Walls was on stage at the SEO Mastery Summit, Saigon last week discussing “Using Digital PR To Simultaneously Boost SEO And CRO”
The SEO Mastery Summit is one of the most highly regarded SEO conferences in the world with nearly 500 delegates from around the world attending the week-long conference each year & Amanda was delighted to have been invited to speak at the event. The conference is held each year in Ho Chi Minh City and attracts a huge international audience.
“The SEO Mastery Summit is one of the leading SEO events in the world so it’s great to be able to get on stage and share knowledge with as well as learn from some of the world’s best SEO’s,” she said.
Also on stage, were leading SEO speakers including Craig Campbell, Kavi Kardos, SEO Jesus, Christopher Hofman and many more…
Key themes of the conference focused around the rise of AI and how we can adapt it into strategy to help improve efficiencies, as well as looking at personal branding and the rise of this within SEO. There were many cutting-edge talks discussing recent Google algorithm updates and how to stay ahead of the evolving landscape, as well as some great social networking events and a chance to meet SEOs from all over the world.
Overall, the conference had some great actionable takeaways to bring home for clients, in addition to being a great way to learn from and speak in front of some of the world’s leading SEOs.
On the 14th of January, our Head of Paid Media & Operations, Anna Simpson, spoke at Digital Superchats #15 – Paid Media Strategy & Performance Edition.
Her talk was titled “Making Performance Max Work For Your Business Goals” and broke down the complexities of Performance Max, offering an actionable framework to help in-house marketers and paid media professionals align these campaigns with clear business objectives. The focus was on practical strategies that empower teams to guide PMax’s automated learning to outcomes that matter. Also covered was how to structure campaigns, optimise assets, and set metrics that map directly to business priorities, thereby giving you the tools to make PMax work for your brand’s specific path. Lastly, Anna covered how to align PMax with today’s goals, exploring what is next for automation in paid media and how to prepare for Google’s evolving ecosystem, setting the stage for a more strategic and impactful use of PMax.
Key takeaways include:
How to gain a straightforward, no-nonsense understanding of Performance Max and how it operates across Google’s ecosystem.
Understanding how to set up Performance Max campaigns that align closely with specific business objectives, ensuring automation supports your unique goals.
Learning actionable techniques for optimising campaign structure, assets, and targeting to guide Performance Max’s automation towards meaningful results, from driving revenue to increasing brand visibility.
Want to attend future Digital Superchats? Check out their On Demand Events here.
If you are interested in any other Cedarwood news or marketing tips, check out our blog page here and have a read!
This past Thursday our director, Amanda Walls, did a talk at Loreto College to share her expertise on how students can kick-start their careers in digital marketing!
From emerging industry trends to the in-demand skills employers are looking for, she provided insights to help students navigate the opportunities available as well as increase their awareness of career areas that require growth.
Specific topics covered include:
Building your foundation – exploring areas like SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, and PPC, and starting with free resources like Google Skillshop and HubSpot Academy.
Gaining practical experience – considering a side project to test-launch a blog or social media page to experiment with strategies in a low-risk setting.
Networking & learning from others – connecting with industry professionals, joining groups, and sharing insights to grow your visibility, as well as attending events to learn from industry experts.
Staying curious & updated – considering that learning does not end when you leave education and keeping up with experts for tips and trends, as well as skimming marketing newsletters and websites for up-to-date information.
Understanding transferable skills – you will have a skill set that you’ve developed for digital marketing without even realising it. Think about your emotional intelligence, interactions with peers, and the way that you complete work. All of this is transferable into a new role and it’s about identifying how to transfer it!
“These talks are so rewarding to be able to give back to the community and as a business who hires a lot of graduates and helps them get their foot in the door of the industry, we are well-placed to be able to give them the information that they need!” – Amanda.
If you would like us to come and deliver a talk like this at a school or college near you then please get in touch!
Also, check out our Manchester DM events for upcoming, free industry learning opportunities!
If you are interested in any other Cedarwood news or marketing tips, check out our blog page here and have a read!
On the 30th of January, our Head of Paid Media & Operations, Anna Simpson, spoke at a virtual workshop about challenging the biggest PPC myths and unlocking smarter strategies for PPC success, courtesy of The Go! Network.
Anna’s talking points included:
Why do some brands believe they can manage PPC without external expertise, and what’s the reality?
What’s the best approach to aligning PPC efforts with overall business goals?
How do you determine the right budget for PPC campaigns, especially for smaller businesses?
If you fancy a listen to these expert insights, practical takeaways, and real-world case studies, check out the workshop here.
Also, if you are interested in any other Cedarwood news or marketing tips, check out our blog page here and have a read!
Last night saw the fourth instalment of Manchester DM — and with it, another round of genuinely useful talks, proper conversations, and the kind of honesty that’s hard to find in a webinar or polished conference session.
We kicked off with Abi Bellion-Carey, Head of Paid Media at Overdrive Digital, whose talk “B2B More Like Boring 2 Boring – Bringing Life Back to Your B2B Campaigns” pulled no punches. Abi broke down exactly why so much B2B content falls flat – and what to do instead. From knowing who you’re actually trying to reach (and why), to using trends in a smart way (yes, even TikTok), to making room for personality in even the driest of sectors, it was a brilliant reminder that B2B doesn’t have to mean boring.
Next up, Henry Smith, Head of SEO at Dark Horse, tackled “Stop Selling SEO Like It’s PPC.” His talk explored why SEO and PPC need to be measured differently, why we do both a disservice when we report them in the same way, and how to frame SEO’s longer-term value for stakeholders who are used to more immediate results. There was plenty in there for client leads, strategists and anyone who’s ever had to explain why SEO takes time.
Closing the evening was Paddy Moogan, Founder of The New Leader, with “The Effective Manager Framework: Four Core Skills That 82% of Managers Don’t Have.” Taking a step back from pure channel talk, Paddy’s session focused on what makes a good manager – especially in digital, where people often end up leading teams without any formal leadership training. From coaching to feedback to setting clear expectations, it was one of those talks that had people scribbling notes and quietly nodding along.
The Q&A at the end brought out some great discussion around team structures, reporting challenges and career development – and, as always, the post-event drinks turned into a mini strategy session in themselves.
It’s been great to see Manchester DM grow over these last few months – not just in numbers, but in the quality of conversation and the mix of people turning up. Agency, in-house, freelance, junior, senior – everyone’s got something to share, and that’s exactly what we set this up for.
We’ll be back again in two months with a new line-up and fresh topics. In the meantime, if you’ve got an idea for a future talk or want to get involved, just give us a shout.
Thanks again to Abi, Henry and Paddy for a cracking line-up – and to everyone who joined us for another full room and a great night.
We are over the moon to announce that we won SIX UK Search Awards at the event last Wednesday – a great way to finish off a record year in 2024! 🎉
On the night we took home:
🏆 Best Small PPC Agency 🏆 Best Small Integrated Agency 🏆 Best SEO Agency (Silver) 🏆 Best Use Of Search (Healthcare) – Patient Claim Line 🏆 Best Low Budget PPC Campaign – Salt Of The Earth 🏆 Best Use Of Search B2C (PPC) – Salt Of The Earth
2024 has been a great year for us as we continue to grow from strength to strength, improving partnerships with our existing clients while growing each of our departments in turn so it’s great to have been recognised in particular for the agency awards which are testament to this.
It was a great evening all round and we are already looking forward to 2025!
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