SERP Conf. Sofia 2026: When AI changes the visibility rules
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On March 25, 2026, the Inter Expo Center in Sofia became the focal point of the SEO community in Eastern Europe.
The fifth edition of SERP Conf. Sofia sent a clear message: online visibility is no longer just a matter of Google rankings.
One stage, no compromises
SERP Conf. Sofia 2026 brought together nearly 500 experts from Bulgaria and abroad. As in previous years, the conference is organized on the principle of a single stage and a single stream of speakers. If a topic does not warrant the attention of the entire audience, it is not included in the program.
“The content the audience received from the event is virtually unparalleled in this field in Bulgaria,” commented Nikola Minkov, founder and CEO of Serpact and organizer of the conference. “The professionals who took the stage aren’t just another group of people added to a list of participants. This is a premium selection. Over 90% of applicants to speak at SERP Conf. are rejected.”
Mark Williams-Cook made his debut in Bulgaria with an opening lecture
Mark Williams-Cook was the first to take the stage in Sofia. He is a director of the British agency Candour, founder of the AlsoAsked tool, and a leading expert with over 81,000 followers on LinkedIn. Mark is one of the few SEO specialists in the world who participated in uncovering a real exploit in Google’s infrastructure, through which internal parameters of the algorithm were revealed. He is also the author of the free weekly newsletter Core Updates, followed by over 40,000 SEO specialists.
“Right after my talk, several people came up to me and started sharing their thoughts. A truly engaged audience,” Williams-Cook said after the opening.
In Sofia, he spoke about how AI systems are redefining user intent around keywords.
AI Lab – a new format from Serpact
Held in parallel with the main conference was AI Lab – a brand-new format introduced for the first time this year by Serpact. It allows a limited number of businesses to receive a comprehensive analysis of their online presence and their performance in AI models – ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Based on this, businesses receive clear recommendations for next steps.
AI Lab brought together the expertise of four companies: Trackian, Serpact, AI Entry, and Digital A.
“A huge portion of businesses are working to drive solid SEO traffic and conducting monitoring without realizing that users are already relying heavily on platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for various searches,” shares Borislav Arapchev, SEO Strategist at Serpact. “Visibility in these systems requires an audit and an engineering approach, not intuition. Conversion rates are quite high with them, and they generate real revenue for businesses.”
AI Lab sold out weeks before the event – a sign that businesses are aware of the shift.
Masterclasses for the big companies
On March 26, the day after the conference, Serpact held Enterprise Masterclasses – three specialized sessions for companies operating on a larger scale. Topics included allocating budgets across different platforms and working with them, adapting to AI models, building sustainable in-house SEO capabilities, and more.
These are questions that professionals in larger organizations face on a daily basis – and to which mainstream conferences rarely provide concrete answers.
Four key takeaways from SERP Conf. Sofia 2026
SERP Conf. Sofia 2026 yielded several concrete takeaways that anyone can put into practice right away.
- AI visibility is a distinct discipline.
- Semantic SEO is a mandatory standard.
- User intent is changing.
- Link building is evolving.
SERP Flix – a platform for videos and presentations from SERP Conf.
As is tradition, SERP Conf. provides all participants with 30 days of free access to recordings on the SERP Flix platform. With a packed schedule and a single stage, access to recordings allows attendees to review the presentations at their own pace. A SERP Flix subscription also grants access to past editions of the conference.
During the event, upcoming community meetups focused on business growth opportunities through AI were also announced. They will begin in September in Sofia, with Nikola Minkov as the first guest.
Rome and Vienna: our next editions
SERP Conf. has been held since 2022 and has already hosted five editions in Bulgaria and two in Austria. The first edition in Italy is scheduled for 16 October 2026.
Among the experts confirmed to speak in Vienna for the third edition there (November 3) are Martin Splitt, Dan Petrovic, Jes Scholz, and others.
In Rome, the event is being held in partnership with Wordlift, and attendees there will have the opportunity to hear from Aleyda Solis, Judith Lewis, Gianluca Fiorelli, Andrea Volpini, and others. (3 ноември) са Martin Splitt, Dan Petrovic, Jes Scholz и други.
Tickets for the events can be purchased on the conference website, and if you need specific advice on online visibility and visibility in AI systems, as well as optimization for AI search and responses, please contact our team.
