Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News - your roundup of the biggest stories shaping SEO, AI, content, and digital strategy this week.

Co Hosts:Nicola Agius – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-agius-8b330956/

Amanda Walls - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/

We covered the following + more 👇

📰 Top Stories

This week we covered Google’s new tool for reporting fake negative reviews, the rise of extortion scams, and how quickly Google is now removing fraudulent ratings - a growing issue as AI-generated review spam increases.

We also looked at the surge of low-quality YMYL content appearing in Google Discover. Google has acknowledged the problem and confirmed a fix is on the way.

Another standout moment was the 27,000% traffic spike for a small UK charity after Alan Carr selected them as his Traitors donation — a real example of unexpected celebrity impact.

We explored whether ChatGPT will introduce ads, how an affiliate-style model could differ from Google Ads, and what that might mean for brands trying to gain visibility inside AI assistants.We also discussed an AI-generated music artist topping the charts, raising fresh questions about authenticity, creativity and whether audiences really care if content is made by humans or AI.

💬 Top Social Posts

Aleyda Solis’s research into zero-click searches revealed that falling clicks aren’t only caused by AI Overviews. Organic listings are now pushed down by product carousels, SERP features, and increased prominence of Google/partner properties like YouTube and Reddit.

Phil Pearce shared a breakdown of how to audit Consent Mode v2, highlighting how GA4 data can drop by ~30% when consent triggers block click IDs too early - and how to diagnose the issue with a Chrome extension.

Marie Haynes summarised Google’s new AI shopping features coming into Gemini and Search — including conversational shopping, automated store-calling, and GenAI-powered price-tracking and auto-purchase options.

And finally, new Profound research showed that 80% of buyers now rely on answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity) for at least half their purchase decisions, heavily influencing where they buy afterward.

🎬 Top Videos

Nick highlighted Lily Ray’s alligator animation breaking down SEO vs GEO vs AEO - showing how RAG powers LLM responses and why traditional SEO remains the foundation of AI visibility.

Amanda covered Neil Patel’s 2026 social predictions: on-platform conversions, long-form video returning, expert-led personal brands, and the decline of virtual influencers.

Sean explored Sam Altman’s new “World” identity project — a biometric system designed to verify real humans online — and the ethical questions it raises. He also summarised Ahrefs’ AI search myth-busting, including the lesser-known fact that some LLMs can process JavaScript.Watch / listen on Spotify - View all stories + more here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRgApI9fMAMVswEIcS8iz2HXYpWXPlA2hjHZs8B9stlS6s8mvX-cAkHydCWW2yvca6Jv2sn0xu6w4Eg/pubhtml

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News - your roundup of the biggest stories shaping SEO, AI, and digital strategy this week.

Co Hosts:

Nicola Agius – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-agius-8b330956/

Laura Iancu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-iancu-seo/

Harry Clarkson - Bennett - https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryclarksonbennett/

We covered the following + more 👇📰

Top Stories

This week’s headlines reveal why click-through rates are collapsing and what it means for publishers. A new study shows CTRs down over 60% - even when AI Overviews aren’t present - sparking debate over whether traffic will ever return. We also discussed how Reddit is becoming a search powerhouse, the dangers of brands misusing the platform, and whether OpenAI’s ChatGPT will soon launch ads as it races to stay profitable.

🎬 Top Videos

From SearchPilot’s “Next Trillion Searches” to Glen Gabe’s warning on black-hat tactics in AI search, the team unpacked how user behaviour, personalisation, and large language models are reshaping SEO. We compared John Lewis’s nostalgic Christmas ad to Coca-Cola’s AI-generated campaign - asking, can AI really replace emotion in marketing?

💬 Top Social Posts

On social, the conversation centred on trust, transparency, and how GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) overlaps with SEO. We explored why one GEO tool shut down after realising “it’s just SEO by another name”, new insights on grounding vs query fanout in LLMs, and early reactions to Profound’s public AI visibility index.

View all stories + more here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRgApI9fMAMVswEIcS8iz2HXYpWXPlA2hjHZs8B9stlS6s8mvX-cAkHydCWW2yvca6Jv2sn0xu6w4Eg/pubhtml

Welcome to the launch of Search With Sean: Weekly News - your new round-up of the stories shaping SEO, AI and digital strategies. Co Hosts:Amanda Walls – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/Nicola Agius – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-agius-8b330956/Stanislav Farkas – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-farkas-fastraveller/Harry Clarkson - Bennett - https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryclarksonbennett/📰 Top StoriesThis week’s stories reveal how fast AI is reshaping search and business strategy. Musk’s AI-powered “Wikipedia” clone and rising Discover spam highlight growing trust and accuracy problems. Meanwhile, data shows 85% of companies now invest in AI optimisation — but no one agrees whether AI traffic actually converts.🎬 Top VideosThe team discussed viral marketing lessons from the rise and fall of Lalabubus and YouTube’s new Ask Studio AI tool for creators. Google’s Liz Reid explained how “Preferred Sources” may change click-through rates, while OpenAI’s first brand ads showed what users really do with ChatGPT. We also explored how losing a single creator cut The Washington Post’s TikTok views by 85%, proving people follow people more than brands.💬 Top Social PostsAcross social, the conversation focused on reputation and accuracy in the age of AI. Research found 71% of Reddit page-one mentions about big brands are negative, and Google’s rank-tracking changes left SEOs scrambling for fixes. New studies also showed AI assistants are wrong almost half the time, while Spotify removed 75 million AI-made tracks, reigniting debate over authenticity online.View all stories + more here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRgApI9fMAMVswEIcS8iz2HXYpWXPlA2hjHZs8B9stlS6s8mvX-cAkHydCWW2yvca6Jv2sn0xu6w4Eg/pubhtml⚠️ Unfortunately, a technical issue led to some file corruption in the source footage. I've worked to restore the affected segment as much as possible.

Welcome back to Search With Sean — your wrap-up of the biggest stories in SEO, AI and digital marketing.This episode dives into the weird, wonderful and sometimes worrying world of tech - from humanoid robots and AI actresses to Google’s new GA4 features, Microsoft’s agent mode and the rise of AI search tools like Perplexity and Gemini.Here’s what’s included:🎬 Top VideosFrom Julia McCoy’s Microsoft vs OpenAI insights to Insight AI’s jailbreaking experiments, Vanessa Wingårdh's breakdown of circular tech profits, and Gary Vaynerchuk’s take on AI and entrepreneurship. Plus, we explore Sam Altman’s latest interviews, Larry Sanger’s Wikipedia warnings, and Tristan Harris on the human cost of AI hype.📰 Top StoriesWe cover OpenAI’s new Pulse feature, Google’s GA4 Analytics Advisor, and the UK’s £30 billion AI investment from Microsoft and Google. Liz Reid reveals more user-generated content in Search, and Microsoft shares new AI-optimisation tips. Studies from Yext, BrightEdge and Profound show how AI citations and zero-click patterns are reshaping search behaviour.🌍 Other NewsFrom Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and NVIDIA’s DGX Spark, to Italy’s AI law, Google’s €3 billion fine, and OpenAI overtaking SpaceX in value. Plus, Harvard research into emotional AI manipulation, and DeepMind’s historic mathematical breakthrough proving AI can reason, not just repeat.💬 Social HighlightsWe round up smart takes from Glen Gabe, Kevin Indig, Christian J Ward, and others on AI Overviews, AIO data, and the future of GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). Plus, OpenAI opens its platform to apps — and the debate on whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini will win the next stage of search truly heats up.Explore the majority of the stories covered here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRgApI9fMAMVswEIcS8iz2HXYpWXPlA2hjHZs8B9stlS6s8mvX-cAkHydCWW2yvca6Jv2sn0xu6w4Eg/pubhtmlIf you would like a copy of the slides email me at searchwithsean@outlook.com

In this episode, we explore the rapid impact of Google’s August 2025 spam update and upcoming changes to its AI mode aimed at boosting click-through rates. We also discuss the growing reliance on AI tools for brand discovery - despite ongoing concerns about accuracy and claims that Google’s AI Overviews may breach its own spam policies. The episode covers how digital PR and authority building are evolving in the age of AI search, highlights a LinkedIn study showing professionals trust their networks more than AI or search engines for work advice, and reflects on the broader societal implications of AI - particularly fears around job displacement, even as companies like Nvidia continue to see strong investment.

In this episode, Google AI Mode expanded significantly with new agentic features like restaurant reservations and global availability in 180 countries, while discussions centered on Google search volatility, conflicting reports regarding a 52% drop in ChatGPT referral traffic, and the launch of an Ahrefs tracker comparing Google and ChatGPT traffic, alongside updates on Google Ads reporting, the consolidation of Local Service Ads badges, and new AI-powered flight deals.

In this episode we covered ongoing Google search ranking volatility, the launch of preferred sources for top stories, insights on AI search content and its impact on publisher traffic, Google's confirmation that AI-generated content should be human-reviewed and that AI-generated images won't cause ranking penalties, the development of AI-designed superbug-killing antibiotics, the pitfalls of AI-generated errors in legal cases, the release of Google's compact Gemma 3 270M AI model, ChatGPT-5's new connectivity to Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts, and various Google Ads and YouTube ad tool updates.