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.

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