In the first episode of 2026, hosts Jack Chambers-Ward and Mark Williams-Cook discuss the major SEO news stories of 2025 and make predictions for the upcoming year.
They reflect on their predictions from last year, including the impact of zero-click searches on organic click-through rates, the rise of video and visual search elements, and the importance of community and real marketing.
The episode also covers Google's AI mode rollout, the challenges posed by automated advertising and privacy laws, and potential advancements in agentic search and browser-based AI.
00:00 Introduction and New Year Greetings
00:33 SEO Predictions for 2026
01:42 Zero Click Searches and AI Summarization
07:40 Trends in Video and Visual Search
12:30 The Return of Real Marketing
20:39 Biggest News Stories of 2025
22:32 AI Mode Rollout Timeline
23:30 Personal Use of AI Tools
25:26 Global Expansion of AI Mode
25:46 AI Mode and Search Functionality Predictions
27:11 Impact of AI on Click-Through Rates
31:12 Predictions for 2026
32:34 Automation and Data in SEO
35:37 Challenges with Scraping and Indexing
40:39 Agentic Search and Browser Integration
44:52 Concluding Thoughts and Future Episodes
