In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by the brilliant Christian J. Ward – Chief Data Officer at Yext, bestselling author of Data Leverage: Unlocking the Surprising Growth Potential of Data Partnerships, and a leading voice on digital presence and AI.We discussed the future of search, localisation, and how brands can prepare for an AI-driven world.We covered a wide range of topics, including:- What Yext’s analysis of 8.7 million Google results reveals about local search and ranking factors- Why there are no universal SEO best practices – and how location and competitors change everything- The rise of AI citations and what brands should do to influence them- How consumer loyalty may shift from brands to AI assistants- What “dead software theory” means for Excel, PowerPoint, and future workflows- The merging of SEO and SEM strategy in an AI-first environment- Why companies should stop treating AI as Maslow’s hammer – and where it really fits- How to prepare for always-on AI assistants reshaping the customer journeyConnect With Christian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardchristianj/Related Links - https://www.yext.com/researchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbbG0RSkpFw&t=3418shttps://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/ai-customer-loyalty-hospitality-hotels-study.php