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

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