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

In this episode of Search With Sean, I’m joined by Cindy Krum, Founder & CEO of MobileMoxie. We dive into the changing search landscape, the impact of AI Overviews, and why branding has become more important than ever. Cindy shares her take on journey optimisation, the “four S’s” of discovery, the decline of long-tail search, and how SEOs can adapt to AI-driven search. We also discuss the future of SEO tools, social platforms like TikTok and Reddit, and what EEAT really means in 2025.

Connect With Cindy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindykrum/

Get curated digital marketing news and essential channel updates sent directly to you via Whatsapp - https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbB9zsvAe5VlZK5gmt1V

Filmed On: 19th September 2025Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & HimIn this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined once again by Garrett Sussman - Director of Marketing at iPullRank and contributor to Search Engine Land – to dive into the brand-new AI Search Manual his team has produced, and what it means for the evolution of SEO.We covered a wide range of topics, including:- What “relevance engineering” really is – and how it builds on SEO- The overlap (and differences) between GEO and traditional SEO- Why query expansion and probabilistic outputs change how we optimise- The growing role of listicles, mentions, and digital PR in AI search results- How content incentives are shifting, and whether brands will still invest in quality- Case studies showing the shift from clicks to conversions- The technical challenges of bias, hallucination, and vector embeddings- What brands need to monitor – from sentiment analysis to share of voice- The skills and mindsets SEO teams should adopt to thrive in GEO- Why SEOs may need to rebrand as “relevance engineers”Related Links:https://ipullrank.com/ai-search-manualhttps://www.searchwithsean.com/post/seo-ai-audio-guides

Filmed On: 11th September 2025Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & HimIn this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Yagmur Simsek – freelance SEO consultant and founder of the award-winning Search ‘n Stuff networking community.We explore how Yagmur built one of the most talked-about event series in the industry, why community and connections matter more than ever, and how AI search is reshaping the skills SEOs need.We covered a wide range of topics, including:- How Search ‘n Stuff grew from small meetups to global, award-winning conferences- Why atmosphere, inclusivity, and balance make an event truly stand out- The importance of diverse voices across agencies, brands, freelancers, and startups- Practical networking tips, icebreakers, and how to follow up meaningfully- The changing expectations of clients in an AI-driven search landscape- How SEOs can simplify reporting for leadership teams- The role of reviews, internal search, and roadmaps in customer-obsessed strategies- Why video, communities, and brand authority are key to the future of search- Balancing SEO with paid, UX, and wider digital marketing to drive growth

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Crystal Carter – Head of SEO & AI Communications at Wix and an award-winning international speaker.Together, we explore what it means to take on a new AI role in the industry, and how AI search is reshaping SEO, marketing, and user journeys.We covered a wide range of topics, including:

• Why Wix created a dedicated AI Search Lab and how it’s changing optimisation strategies

• How AI search behaviour differs from Google search, and what that means for marketers

• Early signs of GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and practical tips for brands

• The role of mentions, citations, and memory in shaping AI-driven visibility

• Why brand reputation, reviews, and semantic HTML matter more than ever

• How AI creates new jobs and new workflows rather than replacing everything

• Why tracking AI search traffic is becoming essential in GA4 and Looker Studio

• The risks and responsibilities of AI adoption – and the opportunities for real problem-solving

Related Links - https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/experts/crystal-carter

https://www.wix.com/studio/ai-search-lab

Filmed On: 27th August 2025Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & HimIn this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Jono Alderson – independent technical SEO consultant and co-founder of the Days of the Year website.Together, we look into why marketing is shifting from persuading humans to persuading machines – and what that means for businesses, publishers, and SEOs.We explored a range of topics, including:- Why the death of content marketing is really about machines seeing through shortcuts- How brand perception and above-the-line marketing now influence search visibility- Why mid-market companies may disappear in a machine-evaluated web- The role of archives, reviews, and reputation in permanent brand management- Why semantic HTML matters more than ever in the age of AI and agents- The dangers of echo chambers, propaganda wars, and the “hollow web”- How links should really be understood – and why backlinks is the wrong frame- What the future holds for Google Ads, automation, and brand impressions- Whether we’re already living in a “hollow universe” where incentives to publish vanishConnect With Jono - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonoalderson/Jono's Blog - https://www.jonoalderson.com/blog/

Filmed On: 14th August 2025Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & HimIn this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by the fantastic Dan Taylor - Partner & Head of Technical SEO at the international technical SEO agency SALT and a regular speaker at events like BrightonSEO and Google Search Central Live.

* Also, thanks to Dan for keeping the conversation going even with some tech hiccups along the way! We covered a wide range of topics, including:- Why ROI and second-order effects are becoming the true measure of SEO success- How AI Mode, Gemini, and LLMs are reshaping the funnel and attribution models- The SEO vs GEO debate - What the Chrome - Perplexity story could mean for Google, ads, and marketers- Whether websites are still the digital “shopfront” - or evolving into something bigger- The risks of outdated content in AI answers and how to audit for brand safety- Why traditional technical SEO still matters - and where it must evolve next- How to explain search changes to the C-suiteConnect With Dan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrwtaylor/Related Links - https://www.chris-green.net/post/million-websites-in-search-of-llms-txt

Deep Dive into LLMs like ChatGPT - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTGNNLPyMI&t=4s

Filmed On: 7th August 2025Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & HimIn this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Jamie D'Alessandro (Associate Strategist) and Joshua Squires (Associate Director of SEO) from performance marketing agency Amsive to dig deep into how AI, brand strategy, and shifting user behaviour are transforming search.We covered a huge range of topics, including:- How Google’s AI Mode is evolving — and why Perplexity could change the ecommerce game- The zero-click challenge and how brands can stay visible in AI-driven search results- Why brand building is becoming the number one SEO strategy- The role of Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) in driving high-value traffic- Survival strategies for smaller budgets - from community events to guerrilla marketing- Whether websites are still for humans or increasingly just for bots- How agencies can bridge the gap between in-house teams and the C-suite in the AI eraConnect With Jamie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jldalessandro/Connect With Joshua - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshsquiresrva/Glossary Section:ICP = Ideal Customer ProfileAOV User = Average Order Value Related Links - https://www.404media.co/https://www.searchwithsean.com/post/seo-ai-audio-guideshttps://www.searchwithsean.com/