SEO for Paws is more than a conference to listen to John Mueller of Google. It's also an opportunity to do something good for animals and support small, often private shelters in Ukraine that are barely making ends meet. Behind the project is Anton Shulke, or rather... his cat.
While some in the industry insist that "SEO is dead," others at this time not only make it function at its best, but also do their best to... keep others alive. This was the goal of Anton Shulke, who decided to use his reach for a good cause. He's the man behind SEO for Paws, a live stream conference that serves an educational, networking and, above all, charitable function.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to small shelters in Ukraine, providing vital resources to care for abandoned and injured cats and dogs.
From street cat to international conference
Anton Shulke currently holds the position of Head of Influencer Marketing at Duda, having previously worked at SEMrush for many years. On LinkedIn, his publications are followed by more than 11,000 people, and this number is growing steadily. Among the posts are not only industry news, but also photos of animals. And these are one of the most important driving forces behind Shulke, the originator of SEO for Paws. He himself says this about the beginnings of his charitable journey:
I have a cat. We found her on the street when she was about 2 months old, now she is 5 years old. Since then, I started paying attention to people who help cats and dogs. Many of them do it in their own apartments or homes. Some of them have more than 80 animals and have no regular income! I started making donations - not huge amounts, but regularly.
When the war broke out, most of the people who had also been doing this up to that point had a lot less money for themselves and a lot more problems to solve.
I decided to start my personal charity project in March 2022, soon wrote about it on the portal Search Engine Journal.
Scarce resources, growing needs
Anton Shulke stresses that the funds that repair the budgets of Ukrainian shelters usually come from small, private donations. Because most of them are not registered as charities, they have great difficulty getting money from large international funds. Shulke's project is 100% aimed at donors outside the country - the circle of his recipients and friends in the industry. In his own words: everything is based on personal trust.
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The funds raised in the first edition of the conference, held in February, went to all basic needs: food and veterinary assistance. It's very rare to get something fancy, like cat scratchers or toys, although that too is sometimes a necessity Shulke says.
For yourself and animals
This year's edition, to be held on September 25, will feature such notables as John Mueller of Google and Gianluca Fiorelli of ILoveSEO.net. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the experts via live chat during the event. Registration for the event itself is free, but the organizer encourages donations for animals that need care in war-stricken Ukraine. We do too!
You can check the full agenda on the event page.
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