Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly Digital Marketing News, your go-to roundup of the biggest stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, and digital strategy.

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

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

Christian Goodrich – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cargoodrich/

In this week’s episode, we explore a mix of updates and discussions, including AI-driven traffic trends, chat GPT ad rollouts, brand loyalty in a digital-first world, and emerging tools for marketers.

Top Stories 📰

We discuss the Visibility Labs study showing that chat GPT–sourced e-commerce traffic converted 31% higher than standard non-branded organic search, though attribution via GA4 may underreport AI’s real influence on user journeys.

The rollout of chat GPT ads raises questions: early experiments show costs up to three times higher than Meta, with limited reporting metrics, highlighting challenges for SMEs and marketers navigating new AI-driven paid media channels.

MoneySupermarket launches a UK-first AI-driven app, integrating comparison services like insurance and broadband directly into chat GPT, with a shift toward loyalty and membership-led growth.

The Guardian and other publishers are forming coalitions to protect original content and combat AI-driven content aggregation, emphasizing the growing impact of AI on publishing.

Top Videos 🎥

PPC Live 19: Amanda highlights practical PPC strategies, including performance max scripts, lead generation approaches, and collaboration opportunities between SEO and paid media teams.

Whisper Flow: Stan covers this AI-powered dictation app, now launching on Android, demonstrating the growing role of voice-enabled tools in productivity and content creation.

Claude Code for SEO: Christian shares how small businesses can rapidly build SEO-optimized websites using AI tools, opening opportunities for non-developers to scale marketing initiatives efficiently.

Top Social Posts 📲

Customer loyalty spotlight: Steven Adams shares a story illustrating the business impact of proactive and frictionless customer support, highlighting that retention can outweigh acquisition costs.

Profound Series C raise: Stan notes Profound’s $97M Series C at a $1B valuation, showcasing rapid growth in AI visibility platforms and the evolving ecosystem for AI-powered marketing tools.

Lily Ray calls out Google: Christian highlights issues with AI overviews showing answers without citations, underscoring the importance of transparency and publisher recognition in AI-driven search results.

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly Digital Marketing News, your go-to roundup of the biggest stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, and digital strategy.

Co-Hosts:

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

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

In this week’s episode, we explore a mix of updates and discussions, including the rise of AI tools, Google's updates, and emerging trends.

Top Stories 📰

This week, we discuss Google's latest rollout of AI-powered features in Search Console, making reporting and data analysis more efficient with natural language queries. We also look into the debate on ads in AI tools, with Perplexity pulling sponsored placements, and the ongoing challenges of monetising AI search effectively. The episode also touches on how AI agents, like Claude Bots, are changing user experiences, raising concerns about their increasing autonomy.

Top Videos 🎥

We highlight a key video tutorial on keyword research for Google and AI SEO, focusing on how to target user intent and avoid AI traps that could lower CTR. Additionally, a spotlight on SEM Rush’s social media videos showcases their creative approach, while we also explore a fascinating video where AI agents like Claude Bots interact with Meta glasses to see, hear, and order products, demonstrating the future of personal assistants.

Top Social Posts 📲

We break down Francesco Cifardi's post about Google Ads keyword reactivation glitches, the increasing importance of fail-safe systems for PPC, and the potential risks in automated ad systems. Plus, we delve into Airbnb’s latest earnings call, where they revealed that traffic from AI search tools like chatbots is converting better than traditional Google traffic, sparking a discussion on the future of AI-driven platforms in the travel industry.

February 2026 highlights how AI is rapidly reshaping search, discovery, jobs, monetisation, and digital trust.

In this episode of The Round-Up, we look at the biggest developments across SEO, AI search, robotics, and the evolving digital ecosystem.

From Google’s transition toward conversational AI search and agent-driven web interactions, to new monetisation models emerging across OpenAI, Meta, and Google, this month confirms one thing: AI is no longer an add-on to the internet — it’s becoming its operating layer.

Key Themes Covered

- The Transformation of Search & Discovery

YouTube emerging as the #1 cited source in Google Gemini

AI visibility shifting from rankings to relevance and expertise

Zero-click behaviour and changing traffic expectations

Dynamic AI Overviews and measurement challenges

Google’s new Web MCP protocol enabling AI agents to act on websites

- The Rapid Growth of the AI Workforce

AI roles dominating job growth across London

The evolving SEO job market in an AI-integrated world

Why SEO professionals are moving closer to strategic decision-making

- AI Monetisation & Platform Economics

OpenAI introducing advertising modelsPremium AI subscriptions across Meta platforms

AI-powered shopping and checkout directly inside search

Google reducing crawl limits and reshaping technical optimisation

- Trust, Safety & RegulationDeepfake fraud and AI likeness protection

Government responses to AI and social media risks

AI hallucinations, misinformation, and accountability challenges

Expanded tools to monitor and remove personal data online

- The Future of AI IntegrationPersonal AI tutors and guided learning systems

Robotics and physical AI advancements

AI companions and changing human–technology relationships

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News – your concise roundup of the key stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, 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/

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

This week, we covered a wide range of hot topics in SEO, AI, and digital strategy.

Top Stories 📰

In this week’s news episode, the top stories we cover include Google’s February Core Update, which focuses on Google Discover and aims to provide more locally relevant, original, and timely content, while reducing sensationalism and highlighting the growing importance of user experience; the ongoing debate surrounding AI-driven ads, sparked by OpenAI’s integration of ads in ChatGPT as the Super Bowl approaches; Google’s crackdown on self-promotional listicles, targeting manipulative SEO tactics and reducing bias in rankings; and the rise of AI agents on Maltbook, raising concerns about AI becoming sentient as these agents interact in increasingly human-like ways.

Top Videos 🎥

In this week’s video discussions, we covered the recent Google Discover update, which emphasizes localized content and how this shift could present opportunities for niche publishers, with localized content potentially becoming the key to success in Google Discover moving forward, as highlighted in a video by Glenn Gabe; a video on Pepsi’s clever use of the Coca-Cola polar bear mascot to take playful jabs at their competitors in the Super Bowl ad space, exploring how brands are capitalizing on this high-profile marketing event; a deep dive into a study on AI overviews, revealing a significant reduction in CTR, now up to 58%, and the implications this shift will have on traditional SEO as brands need to adapt to the evolving search landscape; and the launch of ChatGPT’s new cancer-related advert, which explores the potential benefits of AI in helping patients prepare for appointments and navigate treatment, marking a significant step in AI's role in healthcare marketing.

Top Social Posts 📲

In this week’s social media discussions, we covered Lily Ray’s post highlighting the growing concern about self-promotional listicles in SEO, where companies manipulate rankings in their favour, and how Google’s new stance on this matter could signal the end of these outdated tactics, with many marketers calling for more transparency and genuine content creation; a follow-up on Ryan Law’s AI Overview study, revealing a significant increase in AI-driven traffic and a sharp decline in traditional search traffic as AI overviews continue to evolve, urging brands to rethink how they approach visibility in an AI-dominated future; as well as insights from Marie Haynes about Google’s Q4 earnings call, revealing Gemini’s impressive growth, higher engagement per user, and Google’s focus on YouTube as a premier shopping destination.

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News — your concise roundup of the key stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, and digital strategy this week.

Co Host:Amanda Walls – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandajwalls/

Top Stories:In this week's top stories, ChatGPT unveils its new premium-priced ads, marking a big shift from traditional cost-per-click models to a cost-per-view approach. But with limited data and no clear ROI on conversions, how will advertisers adapt? The conversation continues with concerns over the growing dominance of YouTube in AI health-related searches, which raises red flags for trust and accuracy in medical information. Meta’s move to test paid subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp also makes waves, potentially reshaping how we engage with social media. Lastly, Google's new user intent extraction method shows a deeper focus on behavior-driven search predictions, highlighting the growing role of AI in personalizing the search experience.

Top Videos:The video roundup includes Dan Petrovic’s insightful chat on The Future of AI Search, where he discusses how AI models will revolutionize SEO and content formats. The talk emphasizes clarity, entity signals, and the need for succinct content in an AI-driven world. Also featured is futurist Ray Kurzweil’s bold prediction on AGI in a Moonshots podcast, where he suggests that AI could surpass human intelligence by 2029, blending human capabilities with machines. Yuval Noah Harari’s presentation at the World Economic Forum adds to this by discussing the impact of AI on communication and society, warning that AI might soon surpass human control.

Top Social Posts:Social media has seen some important conversations this week. One stand-out post comes from Marie Haynes, who shared insights from Sam Altman’s OpenAI town hall. Altman raised alarms about AI’s potential to concentrate power and wealth, with the fast-paced advancements in AI outpacing governance. Meanwhile, a post about Google’s Gemini 3 integration into Chrome piqued interest across the digital marketing world. This new AI feature embedded in Chrome will automate everything from comparing products to scheduling appointments, directly competing with OpenAI’s offerings, and changing the way we interact with browsers.

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

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News - your concise roundup of the key stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, 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/

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

This week, we covered a wide range of hot topics in SEO, AI, and digital strategy.

First, we tackled the ongoing debate: Is SEO Dead? New data from Graphite and SimilarWeb showed that organic traffic is only down by 2.5% year-on-year, with certain sectors like shopping portals seeing growth. The presence of AI overviews, while reducing click-through rates by 35%, is still only visible in about 30% of search results. This highlights the ongoing importance of SEO, even with the rise of AI-driven search tools.

We also discussed OpenAI’s shift towards impression-based advertising within ChatGPT, which introduces a pay-per-view model that could reshape PPC strategies, especially in lead generation.

Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini platform has confirmed it won’t be introducing ads for now, presenting an interesting contrast to OpenAI’s approach, though this could change in the future as Google adapts its strategies.

On the jobs front, we highlighted the growing demand for AI-related roles, particularly in London, where positions like "Head of AI" and "AI Engineer" are becoming some of the fastest-growing opportunities in the job market. This shift is indicative of how deeply AI expertise is being integrated into various industries.

Top Videos 🎥

In this week’s video discussions, we reviewed Edward Sturm’s video challenging the efficacy of schema for SEO, questioning its value as a ranking factor for most sites. While schema is useful in specific cases like top stories carousels or large marketplaces, it’s not a game-changer for SEO on its own. We also explored how SEO KPIs are shifting, with a growing focus on intent-driven outcomes rather than simply traffic volume. This reflects a broader industry trend towards optimizing for high-quality traffic and engagement rather than just clicks.

We also covered a video on AI’s role in online shopping, examining how Google's new Universal Commerce Protocol could transform e-commerce by embedding AI agents directly in search results, bypassing the need for websites altogether.

Top Social Posts 📲

On social, Bernard Huang’s LinkedIn post made waves, declaring that the blue link era is officially over. With AI-driven responses becoming the focal point, brands must rethink how they appear in search results - it’s no longer just about ranking number one. He emphasized the need for brands to focus on AI visibility as we approach 2026 and beyond. Additionally, Glenn Gabe shared insights about GPT for Doctors, an AI platform increasingly used by U.S. doctors for medical guidance, showing how AI is being adopted in crucial sectors like healthcare.

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

Welcome to Search With Sean: Weekly News - your concise roundup of the key stories shaping SEO, AI, search, digital PR, paid media, and digital strategy this week.

Co Hosts:

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

We covered the following + more:

Top Stories

We unpacked the December Google Core Update, including volatility, stronger signals around real expertise + intent matching, and why E-E-A-T now matters beyond classic YMYL.

We also discussed fresh research showing AI search usage is accelerating, with Google not losing users so much as losing clicks — as more journeys stay inside AI answers.B

uilding on that, we explored Grounding + citations research, including Dan Petrovic’s “grounding chunks” analysis — and what it suggests about ranking position, chunk size, and how sources are selected.

Finally, we covered the growing impact on publishers, with major reports suggesting news sites expect significant traffic drops as AI summaries replace click-through behaviour.

Top Videos

We reviewed key videos on:

Digital PR + journalism — what actually makes a story newsworthy today, and why survey-led campaigns are becoming essential

Local SEO + AI visibility — how LLMs cite and surface local businesses, and what drives mentions

Humanoid robotics progress — showing how quickly AI is moving from “software” into real-world capability (warehouses, factories, automation)

Top Social Posts

This week’s standout posts included:

Ads inside AI Overviews — why PPC is shifting toward intent + trust, not just auction mechanics (and why brand signals now matter more)

Google Merchant Center “AI business agent” — retailers training a virtual assistant in their brand voice to answer product questions and support conversion

January 2026 marks one of the biggest months yet for SEO, AI, and digital platforms. This episode breaks down how search, visibility, and trust are shifting as AI moves from an experiment to core infrastructure across search, shopping, health, and everyday technology.

🎬 Top Videos & Talks

This month’s videos focus on the rapid acceleration of AI and robotics, with humanoid robots learning tasks independently, predicting outcomes, and interacting with people in increasingly realistic ways. Several experiments explore what happens when large language models are embedded directly into robots, raising serious questions about autonomy, safety, and control. Alongside this, leading search and SEO voices explain how AI answers are reshaping discovery, why brand mentions often matter more than links, and how users are finding information without clicking through to websites.

📰 Top Stories

The biggest stories confirm that AI is no longer supporting search and commerce but actively replacing parts of them. Apple deepens its partnership with Google Gemini for Siri, while Google rolls out AI-powered shopping, virtual try-ons, and direct checkout directly in search. New data shows AI Overviews dominating medical queries, driving down organic click-through rates and raising concerns about misinformation and lost nuance. Google also introduces meaningful Search Console updates, including improved query grouping, Discover insights, and clearer reporting.

🌍 Other News

Beyond search, AI continues to reshape healthcare, work, and regulation. New tools analyse medical records, automation plans point to large-scale job losses, and AI hallucinations are appearing in courts and academic research. At the same time, global investment in AI infrastructure accelerates, while governments begin responding to safety concerns around children, surveillance, and AI-powered consumer products.

💬 Social & Industry Highlights

Across the industry, practitioners note that AI visibility no longer follows traditional ranking rules. Attention is spread across more sources, shorter and clearer content is often cited, informational blog content outperforms comparison pages, and social content from platforms like Reddit and X is appearing more frequently in search results.

Explore the majority of the stories covered here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRgApI9fMAMVswEIcS8iz2HXYpWXPlA2hjHZs8B9stlS6s8mvX-cAkHydCWW2yvca6Jv2sn0xu6w4Eg/pubhtml