Affiliate Leaders Summit to examine the future of SEO, search and discovery

The Affiliate Leaders Summit 2026 will examine how affiliates can adapt their search strategies to keep their content visible and attract new audiences through the dedicated Content & Discovery conference track. Taking place on Thursday, 1 October, the track brings together SEO specialists, affiliate experts and performance marketers to discuss the future of organic search, content strategy and paid acquisition. The track completes three days of content on the Affiliate Leaders Summit Stage, following Platforms & Performance on Tuesday, 29 September, and Future of Affiliate Strategy on Wednesday, 30 September. Sessions will explore how affiliates can recover content removed from search results, balance investment between SEO and paid advertising, and prepare for changes in how audiences discover businesses. Rasmus Sojmark, Founder and CEO of SBC, said: “When you’ve spent years building an audience, it’s frustrating to see the approaches you’ve relied on start to lose ground. You’re still creating content and investing in your business, but getting people to find you is becoming a different challenge. “We want affiliates to leave Lisbon with a clearer idea of where to invest their efforts. What needs changing? What still works? And what can they stop worrying about? Those are the questions we’re bringing experienced people together to tackle.” The track will open by examining how affiliates can protect their search visibility when faced with repeated copyright complaints in Trapped by the System: How DMCA Stacking Creates an Endless Loop. SEO consultant Ivana Flynn will explore how overlapping takedown notices can disrupt legitimate websites, offering practical guidance on managing complaints and getting affected pages back into Google’s search results once restrictions are lifted. Attention will then turn to the opportunities still present within the changing world of search in the presentation Gaming the Algorithm: The SEO Loopholes Still Working. SEO expert and YouTuber Stewart Vickers (SEO Jesus) will explore the gaps in how search engines rank and surface content, examining the tactics SEO teams are using to get ahead and how long these opportunities could remain open. As advertising takes up more space in search results, can affiliates still attract visitors without paying for them? That question will drive the panel SEO vs Paid: The 2026 Power Shift. Can Affiliates Survive Without Paying to Play?. Experts Sander Delabie (CEO & Founder, Clovio), Heitor Fonseca (Director of Marketing, F5 Media), Julia Logan (Head of SEO, AICT Media), Jonathan Olsson (CMO, Match2One), and moderator Russell Yershon (Founder, Connectingbrands) will discuss where affiliates should invest as search visibility becomes harder to secure and advertising costs rise. The panel will explore when to invest in SEO, when paid advertising is worth the expense and how combining the two can help affiliates attract customers without eroding their profits. The track will close with What to Expect and How to Prepare for SEO in 2027: The Good, the Bad and the Crazy. Experts Udit Bali (Founder, AdHook Media), Ivana Flynn (SEO Consultant), and Stewart Vickers (YouTuber, SEO Jesus) will analyse how affiliates should prepare for next year, from AI-powered answer tools to new ways people are finding businesses beyond Google. Taking place from 29 September to 1 October 2026, the Affiliate Leaders Summit will welcome 10,000 industry professionals to Lisbon’s Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) and MEO Arena for three days of networking, exhibition and education. Attendance at the Content & Discovery track is reserved for Affiliate Leaders Summit VIP Pass holders. Affiliates and regulators may be eligible for a complimentary pass. Find out more about the summit here.