Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly Digital Marketing News – your weekly breakdown of the latest developments across SEO, AI, paid media, digital marketing and search.Co-HostsLaura Iancu – https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-iancu-seo/Stanislav Farkas – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-farkas-fastraveller/Amanda Walls – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/This episode looks at Google’s expansion of AI-powered Performance Max, YouTube’s new approach to counting views and evidence that ChatGPT may shortlist brands before searching the web.We also discuss Meta glasses, Google Analytics benchmarking, AI search visibility, advanced humanoid robots and research suggesting AI systems may act deceptively to avoid being shut down.Key Topics Covered- Google expanding Performance Max video optimisation with AI- YouTube changing how views are counted- ChatGPT potentially shortlisting brands before searching- Traditional SEO and entity authority influencing AI answers- Outdated content appearing within AI search- Wetherspoons banning Meta glasses- Google Analytics campaign benchmarking- Google’s advice for improving AI search visibility- Humanoid robots exceeding human performance limits- Google’s latest global spam update- In-model versus out-of-model AI responses- AI models potentially protecting one another from shutdown- Gemini’s optional watermarks for AI-generated media- Reddit citations reportedly falling within ChatGPT- Conversational AI queries appearing in Search ConsoleOur partners:SEO Gets, the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data. Use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/Linkavista — A backlink marketplace offering thousands of websites and real traffic insights through Google Search Console connections.Use code SEAN10 for 10% extra credit on your first order:https://linkavista.com/

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly Digital Marketing News – your weekly breakdown of the latest developments across SEO, AI, paid media, digital marketing and search.

Co-Hosts

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

Stanislav Farkas – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-farkas-fastraveller/

Amanda Walls - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/This episode explores the continued growth of ChatGPT and Gemini, the debate around watermarking AI-generated content, major changes to Google Ads bidding and the emerging future of AI-powered advertising.

We also discuss MySpace’s potential comeback, Grok’s move into AI agents, how brands can improve their visibility within ChatGPT, the changing agency pricing model, privacy concerns around everyday technology and why JavaScript could make large parts of your website invisible to AI crawlers.

Key Topics Covered

- ChatGPT and Gemini surpassing one billion monthly users

- How ChatGPT Work is changing everyday productivity and creative workflows

- Claude’s proposed invisible watermarking of AI-generated content

- The debate around labelling AI content on websites, YouTube and Spotify

- Google Ads changing how Target CPA and Target ROAS campaigns optimise

- MySpace’s potential comeback and whether social media can become fun again

- ChatGPT testing advertising that sends users directly into branded AI-agent conversations

- Grok, Chinese AI models and the growing competition in the AI market

- Jono Alderson’s advice on JavaScript, developers and technical SEO

- Why positive brand sentiment matters more than simply being mentioned in AI search

- Reddit, reviews and original research as trust signals for AI visibility

- The privacy risks of smart devices, voice assistants and everyday technology

- Whether 12-month SEO contracts still make sense in a rapidly changing market

- False Wikipedia information appearing in Google’s Knowledge Panel

- Time creating a Markdown version of its website specifically for AI crawlers

- New research showing that most AI bots do not execute JavaScript

Our partners:

SEO Gets, the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data.

Be sure to check out the tool and use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/

Linkavista — A backlink marketplace built for SEOs who want more transparency. With access to thousands of websites, real traffic insights through Google Search Console connections, and an easier way to find relevant opportunities.

Use code SEAN10 for 10% extra credit on your first order:https://linkavista.com/

In this month’s Round-Up episode, we cover the biggest developments across SEO, AI, search, paid media, and digital marketing.

Hosted by Sean (https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/), alongside Amanda Walls (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/), Laura Iancu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-iancu-seo/) and Stanislav Farkas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-farkas-fastraveller/), we discuss Google Search usage, AI search behaviour, GEO, AI citations, privacy concerns, copyright challenges, AI agents, advertising, and the future of AI.

Key Themes:

Google Search, AI & Changing Search Behaviour

Google Search reached record usage levels during the World Cup, showing that traditional search is still growing. The team discusses how users are increasingly combining Google with AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude.

AI Search, Zero-Click & The Shift From Keywords To Prompts

The panel explores new research around AI traffic, zero-click searches, conversion rates, and why marketers may need to think beyond traditional keyword optimisation towards prompts and broader user intent.

GEO, AI Citations & Brand Visibility

We discuss AI citations, ChatGPT visibility, and why strong SEO foundations, digital PR, brand authority, and consistent online signals are becoming increasingly important in AI search.

OpenAI, AI Assistants & Health Concerns

The episode covers OpenAI developments including Yelp integrations, ChatGPT Health, improved voice features, and the opportunities and risks of AI becoming more embedded into everyday decisions.

AI Privacy, Copyright & Legal Challenges

The team discusses concerns around private data, Claude conversations being indexed, Anthropic’s copyright settlement, and the wider challenges around AI companies using online content.

AI Agents, Security & The Future Risks

We explore AI agents, safety concerns, autonomous systems, and why human oversight remains essential as AI capabilities continue to develop.

Paid Media, ChatGPT Ads & Brand Building

Amanda discusses AI advertising developments, measurement challenges, and why brands need to invest beyond paid media through PR, authority, and wider visibility.

AI Content & Preparing For AI Search

The panel discusses why AI-generated content is not the problem, but poor-quality content is. We explore the importance of useful content, entity building, and helping AI systems understand organisations.

AI Infrastructure, Security & The Future Of AI

The episode closes with a discussion around AI infrastructure costs, autonomous AI systems, security concerns, and the wider challenges facing the industry as AI continues to develop.

Thank you to our partners, SEO Gets and Linkavista.

SEO Gets is the easy-to-use analytics and reporting tool for your GSC & GA4 data. Use code search10 for 10% off: https://seogets.com/

Linkavista helps you find quality backlink opportunities with transparent data. Use code SEAN10 for 10% extra credit on your first order: https://linkavista.com/