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Public speaking for LGBTQ+ tech events: LWT Squad (2022-2024)

Scope

Featured as a Pride Summit speaker in 2024, Rocio presented “SEO 2.0: Navigating the Future of Search with AI,” a session exploring how AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping the landscape of digital strategy and search engine marketing.

Back in 2022, I kicked off my speaking journey at Lesbians Who Tech with a practical LinkedIn workshop for LGBTQ+ professionals. We talked personal branding, boundaries, and how to show up confidently online — all with a queer lens.

As a digital marketing strategist and founder of Marketing by Rocio, I’ve spoken at Lesbians Who Tech summits to bring accessible SEO insights to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and allies. Here’s my profile for the 2024 Pride Summit where I discussed the future of AI in SEO.

Loved my session at Lesbians Who Tech? Bring this energy to your team. Let’s talk →

From 2022 to 2024, I was invited to speak at the LWT Squad (previously known as Lesbians Who Tech & Allies) virtual summits. Across three consecutive years, I led solo talks and digital workshops designed to make digital marketing and SEO more accessible for LGBTQ+ professionals, founders, and allies in tech.

Slide from Rocio Sanchez's “SEO 2.0: Navigating the Future of Search with AI” presentation, displaying the quote: “So long as there are search engines, there will be search engine optimization.” — From my 2024 Lesbians Who Tech talk on AI and the future of digital marketing — a reminder that SEO will always matter, even in an AI-powered landscape.

Topics covered

2024: SEO 2.0 – Navigating the Future of Search with AI
2023: SEO 2.0 – AI in Search: Tools, Trends, and What’s Next
2022: Using LinkedIn to Superboost Your Personal Brand or Business

Each talk was designed to meet attendees where they were—whether early-career LGBTQ+ professionals or tech industry leaders. The challenge? Speaking to a wide audience with varying levels of marketing knowledge, all while keeping it actionable and welcoming.

Tools used

Streamyard – For live session delivery
Pitch.com – Visual slide decks for digital talks
LinkedIn – Post-talk follow-up and community engagement

Solution

These sessions played a valuable role in my public speaking development and digital visibility. My focus was on clarity, accessibility, and relevance—offering digestible frameworks for navigating SEO, AI, and personal branding in an ever-evolving digital space.

I used tools like Pitch for visual design and Streamyard for delivery. Over the years, I refined my content to meet shifting audience expectations—from algorithm updates to ethical tech shifts.

Spoke at 3 consecutive LWT summits, building credibility as a queer digital strategist
Talks reached dozens of LGBTQ+ professionals across industries
Led to an increase in LinkedIn profile views, connections, and thought leadership visibility
Strengthened my ability to speak clearly about technical concepts in inclusive, community-centered ways

Want to see for yourself? Watch my 2023 session at Lesbians Who Tech: SEO 2.0 — Navigating the Future of Search with AI.

Title slide for Rocio Sanchez's June 2024 presentation at Lesbians Who Tech, titled “SEO 2.0: Navigating the Future of Search with AI,” co-branded with Marketing by Rocio and Lesbians Who Tech logos. — Slide from Rocio Sanchez’s keynote at Lesbians Who Tech Pride Summit 2024 introducing “SEO 2.0: Navigating the Future of Search with AI,” a forward-thinking talk on search strategy in the age of generative AI.

Meet the speaker: Rocio Sanchez, a queer digital strategist helping marginalized communities master SEO and brand visibility.

Slide titled “Search Engine Optimization,” with a visual of a Google search results page showing paid ads vs. organic listings. — Breaking down the SERP: Rocio explained how SEO fits into both paid and organic strategies, using clear visual comparisons for beginners and pros alike.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “Keyword research,” showing a laptop screen with marketing analytics. — Keyword research remains the cornerstone of effective SEO. This section highlighted tools and techniques to understand what audiences are searching for.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “On-Page SEO,” with a WordPress site on-screen and bullets on tags, descriptions, and linking. — On-page SEO matters. From header structure to internal linking, Rocio covered the content-layer optimizations that impact ranking the most.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “Content Quality,” with a visual of video editing software open on a computer. — Content is still king. Rocio emphasized the value of relevant, consistent, and engaging content strategies to build visibility over time.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “Technical SEO,” with a visual of HTML code on a computer screen. — Behind the scenes: From site speed to mobile responsiveness and XML sitemaps, technical SEO plays a huge role in user experience and indexing.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “Off-Page SEO,” featuring a smartphone screen filled with popular social media apps. — SEO isn’t just on your site. Rocio covered backlink strategies, influencer outreach, and social sharing to boost off-page authority.

Slide titled “Components of SEO” focused on “Local SEO,” showing a hand holding a phone with a Google Maps search result open. — Local matters. This final section walked through how to optimize for local directories, reviews, and maps-based results.

Analytics and Reporting section of an SEO presentation slide featuring a screenshot of Google Search Console displaying website traffic metrics. — Slide 11 – Understanding Analytics and Reporting in SEO: Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console help track performance and guide strategic decisions.

Slide from an SEO talk showing a laptop with analytics dashboard and key points about using AI for keyword research, including ChatGPT and Keysearch.co. — Streamline SEO with AI: Discover how to instantly generate keyword ideas with AI tools and validate your strategy using platforms like Keysearch.

Slide explaining how CopyAI can help automate content creation as part of AI-powered SEO strategies, with an image of a WordPress dashboard. — AI-Driven Content Creation: Speed up your blog and site content workflow using tools like CopyAI to build content plans and drafts efficiently.

Slide showing how AI can automate meta descriptions via CMS platforms, alongside a close-up of colorful code on a black screen — AI-Boosted Meta Descriptions: Learn how content management systems can automatically generate metadata, saving hours of manual SEO work.

Slide showing an AI Overview from Google Search suggesting a user eat rocks, used humorously to demonstrate AI hallucinations — AI Overview’s Rocky Start: A lighthearted look at AI-generated search results and what they mean for trust and optimization strategies.

Presentation slide with a LEGO Wall-E holding a plant, used to symbolize concerns over AI inaccuracies and ethics in content — Ethical & Accuracy Risks: AI tools can ‘hallucinate’ facts and raise new ethical dilemmas around ownership and bias in content creation.

Slide showing a shop sign that reads ‘Yes, We’re Open’ with notes about AI’s impact on business traffic and SEO models — AI’s Impact on Businesses: AI summaries could lower organic traffic and challenge traditional SEO-based business structures.

Minimalist slide with a pink background that reads ‘What now?’ and ‘Don’t Panic’ on a board in the center. — Navigating Uncertainty: AI in search may feel overwhelming, but this shift presents a unique chance to innovate your SEO approach.

Slide listing four strategies for SEO resilience: Diversify traffic sources, build backlinks, focus on content, and monitor/adapt. — Strategies for SEO Resilience: Strengthen your visibility in an AI-driven search world with diverse traffic, high-quality content, and smart adaptability.

What now? If AI is shaking up your SEO strategy, don’t go it alone. I help LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and small businesses decode what’s changing—so you can stay visible and in control. Reach out via the QR code or contact me.

Final presentation slide featuring Rocio Sanchez smiling on a rooftop, with the mission to support LGBTQ+ professionals and professionals of color in digital marketing. Includes QR code, Marketing by Rocio branding, and social media icons — Thanks for tuning in! I’m Rocio, a queer brand strategist helping LGBTQ+ professionals and professionals of color take up space online. If you’re ready to get clear on your SEO and show up confidently in your digital strategy, I’m just a click away.

Slide highlighting how AI enables fast data analysis in SEO, with a screenshot of traffic metrics from a Google dashboard — AI-Powered Data Insights: Quickly interpret large-scale website data and discover actionable SEO trends through AI-enhanced analytics

Want a workshop like this for your org? Let’s talk →

Testimonials

Rocio Sanchez 🔗

Personal branding expert, SEO specialist, LinkedIn marketing specialist

“Each year, folks showed up with thoughtful questions—from startup founders to early-career LGBTQ+ tech professionals. It reminded me how hungry our community is for clear, accessible advice around digital strategy.”