In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Carmen Domínguez, Director of Organic & Brand Growth at Welltech and an international search and digital growth speaker.

Carmen returns to the show to unpack how organic search has fundamentally changed — from classic SEO into a much broader mix of brand, reputation, social platforms, communities, and AI-driven discovery.

We discuss why SEO is now only a small part of modern organic growth, how platforms like Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, and social media influence AI systems and search visibility, and why brand trust and reputation are becoming non-negotiable in both Google and AI-powered experiences.

The conversation also covers the risks of AI in health, the explosion of low-quality AI content, what’s really happening on YouTube right now, and why human connection still wins - even as platforms automate more of the web.

Connect With Carmen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-dominguez-rodriguez/?locale=en_US

https://welltech.com/

We covered a wide range of topics, including:

- Why SEO is now only a fraction of modern organic growth

- The rise of brand, reputation, PR, and community as ranking signals

- How Reddit influences Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, and brand perception

- Managing negative sentiment and reputation at scale

- Why brand ownership in search is often unclear inside organisations

- The dangers of AI in health and medical recommendations

- Why AI makes misinformation more convincing — not less

- GEO vs SEO: what’s actually changing (and what isn’t)

- Why many SEO roles and titles no longer reflect reality

- The explosion of low-quality AI content across the web

- How AI is overwhelming platform safeguards

- Why YouTube success depends on audience insight, not volume

- Shorts vs long-form video and real YouTube growth mechanics

- Using human-led content to outperform AI-generated videos

- Community building as a long-term growth and trust strategy

- Why ROI thinking often breaks brand and marketing

- How search, social, product, and brand are fully converging

- What the future of search and the internet may look like

Filmed On: 8th January 2026Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & Him

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by James Hocking - Co-founder of Get Heard Online, data & AI specialist, and recent BrightonSEO speaker.

James has been working with AI since the late 90s, and in this chat we break down what the rise of AI-powered search really means for brands - including why GEO isn’t just SEO rebranded, how businesses should think about AI visibility tools, and why prompts + questions matter more than most people realise.

We also dig into the reality of AI adoption inside companies, why sentiment scores can be misleading, and what the next 12 months might look like as Google, ChatGPT and others battle to become the default interface for discovery.

Connect With James – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshocking-hd/

Get Heard Online – https://getheard.online/Quiz - https://getheardonline.scoreapp.com/

We covered a wide range of topics, including:

- James’s early AI background (1998 neural networks → modern LLMs)

- Why GEO is not “SEO all over again” (and why it’s more complicated)

- How Get Heard Online measures why brands are mentioned / not mentioned / replaced

- The AI readiness quiz James created and who it’s useful for

- The ethics + risk side of AI adoption (data governance, drift, guardrails)

- Why brand reputation will matter more as AI becomes the spokesperson

- The problem with sentiment scores (especially across different AI systems)

- How businesses should choose which AI platforms matter most-

Why prompts/questions must reflect real customer behaviour (not marketer language)

- Which platforms are most likely to “win” by late 2026 (Google, Apple + more)

Filmed On: 8th January 2026

Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & Him

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Bengu Sarica Dincer — SEO Manager at Designmodo and international speaker (BrightonSEO and more).

We dig into SEO predictions for 2026, what “quality content” really means when traffic doesn’t tell the full story anymore, and why being discoverable across multiple ecosystems (social, communities, AI search, marketplaces) is becoming essential.

Bengu also shares practical advice on GA4 user journey tracking, common mistakes marketers still make, and the best tools + resources she recommends.

Topics covered

- SEO in 2026: being discoverable everywhere, not just ranking pages

- Why user journeys are no longer linear

- Content success beyond traffic: trust, confidence, next actions

- GA4: tracking meaningful decisions (not vanity events)

- Tools for AI visibility + performance analysis

- Best GA4 learning resource recommendations

- Events and conferences Bengu is attending this year

Related Sources:

https://www.duda.co/webinars

https://developers.google.com/analytics/learn/beginners

https://www.analyticsmania.com/

https://www.searchwithsean.com/post/digital-marketing-trends-2026-what-the-experts-are-saying

Connect With Bengu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengu-sarica-dincer/

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Eli Schwartz - growth advisor, SEO strategist, and author of Product‑Led SEO — to unpack what really matters as search settles into an AI-driven “new normal”.

We explore why top-of-funnel SEO is fading, why that’s not a bad thing, and how mid-funnel search is becoming the most valuable battleground for brands. Eli explains why AI isn’t killing SEO, but removing low-value content, forcing businesses to compete on real signals like trust, reputation, customer experience, and genuine demand.

We also dive deep into E-E-A-T, why it’s widely misunderstood, how AI systems evaluate credibility more like humans do, and why you can no longer “fake being the best” - you either deserve visibility or you don’t. From personalised search and AI-driven decision moments, to annual SEO planning, measurement, and why Google Search Console remains the closest thing to a source of truth, this conversation cuts through noise and focuses on what will still work in 2026 and beyond.

Topics covered include:

- Why AI is creating a new search normal (not an apocalypse)

- The decline of top-of-funnel SEO and what replaces it-

Mid-funnel search as the real growth opportunity

- Personalised search and what it means for marketers

- E-E-A-T, trust, and why credibility can’t be faked

- How AI evaluates authority like a human would

- Real-world signals that matter for AI visibility

- Why PR, reputation, and product matter more than tactics

- The pizza shop analogy for focused SEO strategy

- Google Search Console vs third-party SEO tools

- How to build a realistic annual SEO plan

Connect With Eli - https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/

https://www.productledseo.com/2026 Digital Marketing Predictions Blog - https://www.searchwithsean.com/post/digital-marketing-trends-2026-what-the-experts-are-saying

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Jason Barnard - one of the leading thinkers on brand authority, entity optimisation, and how AI systems understand people and businesses.

We explore how search and AI engines build “digital identities”, why namesake confusion is becoming a serious reputational risk, and how brands and individuals can proactively control how they’re represented across Google, knowledge graphs, and AI assistants.

Jason explains why websites still matter even as traffic declines, how AI models act as advocates at the moment of decision, and why most businesses are fighting the funnel in the wrong direction. We also dive into personal branding in an AI-first world, entity homes, governance audits, and why relying on third-party platforms like LinkedIn or Wikipedia can be risky long-term.

Topics covered include:

- Brand narrative control in search and AI

- Entity homes and single sources of truth

- Namesake confusion and AI misattribution

- Why websites still matter in an AI world

- Bottom-of-funnel marketing strategy

- How AI engines influence buying decisions

- Governance audits and control of brand data

- Personal branding in ambient AI environments

- Marketing predictions for 2026

Connect with Jason - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmbarnard/

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Greg Gifford - one of the most respected voices in local SEO and Chief Operating Officer at SearchLab.

We dive deep into how local search is evolving as AI enters the ecosystem, from why review recency now outweighs volume, to how Google Business Profiles, citations, and maps data are becoming critical again in an AI-driven world.

Greg explains why local search hasn’t been disrupted as fast as informational SEO, what businesses should actually focus on today, and how new features like AI-powered price-checking and automated calls could reshape local competition.

We also explore why many businesses still miss basic local SEO fundamentals, how to think about Google as a pattern-recognition system, and why location data will remain a cornerstone of discovery — no matter how advanced AI becomes.

Topics covered include:

- The most important local SEO trends right now

- Why review recency is a powerful ranking signal

- Google Business Profile optimisation that actually matters

- Citations, consistency, and AI hallucinations

- AI calling local businesses for pricing

- Why local search is harder for LLMs to solve

- Reviews, reputation management, and response strategy

- Multi-location SEO at scale- Local SEO predictions for 2026

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Jes Scholz, a marketing consultant specialising in entity optimisation, smart content distribution, and technical SEO.

We explore what marketing and search will really look like heading into 2026 - from the rise of AI-generated content and the growing importance of brand authenticity, to why share of voice is a more meaningful KPI than traffic alone.

Jes breaks down why “quality content” is the wrong goal, how to create distribution-worthy content, and why distinctive brand assets matter more than perfect keyword optimisation. We also go deep on AI agents, conversion friction, accessibility, and what websites must do to stay relevant as bots increasingly become the primary users.

The conversation finishes with a powerful reframing of EEAT, brand sentiment, and why fame, familiarity, and expectation-setting will define which brands win and which quietly disappear in an AI-driven search landscape.

Topics covered include:

- The biggest marketing trends heading into 2026

- AI content, authenticity, and platform trust signals

- Why share of voice is the leading indicator of market share- Distinctive brand assets and familiarity in search

- What “distribution-worthy” content really means

- Why EEAT checklists miss the point

- AI agents, text-based browsers, and conversion friction

- The future role of websites in an agent-led web

- Brand sentiment, reviews, and LLM trust signals

- Why “fame” may matter more than EEAT in the AI era

Filmed On: 11th December 2025

Host: Sean Barber - / https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/ - He & Him

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Ashley Liddell — Co-founder & Search Everywhere Director at Deviation, and recent main-stage speaker at BrightonSEO.

Ashley returns to break down how search is expanding far beyond Google, why social platforms and LLMs are reshaping discovery, and what “Search Everywhere” really means in practice for brands and SEOs heading into 2026.

We also explore why revenue (not traffic) should be the primary SEO KPI, how agencies need to rethink value and pricing, and what the rise of AI-driven commerce means for websites, brands, and attribution.

Connect With Ashley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-liddell-seo/

Watch / listen on Spotify -

We covered a wide range of topics, including:

- What “Search Everywhere” actually looks like in real-world strategy

- Why social search (TikTok, YouTube, Reddit & more) is now critical to discovery

- SEO vs GEO and how acronyms distract from real change- Why revenue should be SEO’s primary KPI — not traffic or rankings

- How AI, LLMs and agentic commerce are reshaping user journeys

- The role of digital PR, brand preference and off-site signals in AI visibility

- How to break down silos between SEO, social and brand teams

- What successful agencies will need to do differently in 2026