Mastering SEO & SEA for Online-Success: Insights from ithelps’ CEO Sebastian Prohaska at WU Vienna

Last week at Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU), Sebastian Prohaska, co-founder and CEO of the leading SEO agency ithelps, delivered an impactful lecture focused on the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Advertising (SEA) – with a special emphasis on strategies for international companies looking to improve their online visibility.

Sebastian shared expert-level insights into Google SEO best practices, covering essential elements like technical SEO, on-page optimization, and content strategy. He emphasized how businesses can improve their Google search rankings by optimizing their website structure, improving site speed, and crafting high-quality, keyword-optimized content. He also warned about common SEO mistakes – such as keyword stuffing, poor internal linking, and neglecting mobile optimization – that can negatively impact performance.

When discussing Search Engine Advertising (SEA), Sebastian broke down how to assess ROI by analyzing keyword competitiveness, search volume, and conversion potential. For instance, ranking for high-competition keywords like “IT support” requires careful planning – balancing advertising costs with expected business outcomes. His approach empowers businesses to make smarter investments in both organic and paid search strategies.

In addition to classic SEO and SEA, Sebastian touched on the rising importance of AI-driven search engines and large language models (LLMs) like SearchGP, Perplexity, or Google Gemini. He explained how companies can enhance their content to become more discoverable by AI systems, focusing on semantic search, topical authority, and structured, natural-language answers. Creating content that clearly addresses user intent, answers questions, and provides trustworthy, expert-level information is now crucial for visibility in AI-generated search results.

Drawing on success stories from ithelps’s client portfolio, Sebastian demonstrated how to implement winning SEO & SEA strategies that lead to measurable growth in search engine rankings, traffic, and lead generation. He offered practical tips for international companies looking to enter new markets, including localized keyword research, multilingual SEO, and region-specific content optimization.

A big shoutout to Sebastian Prohaska for delivering such a knowledge-rich and inspiring session. Sharing practitioners’ expertise in class continues to be a very valuable source of knowledge in our marketing program.