loader from loading.io

The Future of SEO

The Digital Marketing Podcast

Release Date: 08/03/2025

How to Drive AI Adoption - A Step-by-Step Case Study show art How to Drive AI Adoption - A Step-by-Step Case Study

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles is joined by Emma Tronson, Deputy Director of Marketing at Aston University, for a practical, honest and refreshingly structured look at how to move beyond AI experimentation and into real organisational adoption. Many teams are stuck in what Daniel calls “pilot purgatory”. Everyone is testing tools. Everyone is experimenting. But very few organisations have truly embedded AI into day-to-day operations. Workloads have not reduced. If anything, they have increased. This episode explores what it actually takes to embed AI into a...

info_outline
The Hubspot CMO Interview - Kipp Bodnar on AI, Answer Engine Optimisation and the Future of Marketing show art The Hubspot CMO Interview - Kipp Bodnar on AI, Answer Engine Optimisation and the Future of Marketing

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles sits down with Kipp Bodnar, CMO of HubSpot, to discuss what may be the most disruptive year in marketing history. Kipp believes that 2026 could represent the biggest single wave of change our industry has ever seen. Weeks feel like months. Channels are fragmenting. Discovery is shifting. AI agents are entering workflows. And traditional attribution models are starting to break down. From Answer Engine Optimisation to AI agents, rising ad costs to workflow automation, this conversation explores how marketers can stay ahead when the...

info_outline
Dealing With Exponential Change - Leadership in an AI-Driven World show art Dealing With Exponential Change - Leadership in an AI-Driven World

The Digital Marketing Podcast

AI is accelerating change at a pace most organisations have never had to manage before. For marketers and business leaders, this is not just another wave of innovation. It is a fundamental shift from linear change to exponential change, where familiar planning cycles, transformation programmes, and long-term roadmaps start to break down. In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles is joined by Geoff Tuff, Consulting Principal at Deloitte and co-author of Hone: How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift. Together, they explore why traditional transformation initiatives fail so often,...

info_outline
Generative AI Update - What the Latest Model Wars Mean for Marketers show art Generative AI Update - What the Latest Model Wars Mean for Marketers

The Digital Marketing Podcast

The generative AI landscape has shifted again, and at speed. In this update episode, Daniel Rowles breaks down a rapid sequence of releases from OpenAI and Google, explaining what has actually changed, what genuinely matters, and how marketers and business leaders should respond. Covering everything from ChatGPT 5.x and Gemini 3 through to image generation breakthroughs, AI-powered apps, and the rise of accessible ‘vibe coding’, this episode is a practical briefing rather than hype-driven commentary. Daniel focuses on real-world capability, usability, and where these tools are already...

info_outline
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) - How to Optimise for Google AI Overviews show art Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) - How to Optimise for Google AI Overviews

The Digital Marketing Podcast

Search is changing fast. With AI overviews now appearing in the majority of Google results, the rules of visibility are being rewritten in real time. In this episode, Daniel Rowles explores what answer engine optimisation actually means in practice, and how marketers can adapt without chasing myths, hacks, or constantly shifting theories. Drawing on real testing from Target Internet over the past year, this episode cuts through the noise around GEO, AEO, and SEO to focus on what genuinely works. The result is a practical framework for improving visibility both in traditional organic search and...

info_outline
Human First Marketing - Why Trust, Purpose and People Matter More Than Ever show art Human First Marketing - Why Trust, Purpose and People Matter More Than Ever

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles speaks with Phil Treagus-Evans, author of the new book Human First Marketing, to explore why now, in a world dominated by AI, automation, and synthetic content, marketers must rediscover their humanity. As generative AI reshapes how content is produced, and digital channels become flooded with bland, algorithmically generated material, brands risk losing the very thing that makes them relatable: their people. Phil offers a timely and practical guide for putting humans back at the heart of your marketing strategy, from customer...

info_outline
The Big Debate: Non Keyword Signals - AI Chats & Privacy show art The Big Debate: Non Keyword Signals - AI Chats & Privacy

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers dive into one of the most significant shifts in digital marketing: the rise of non keyword signals and what it means for search, privacy, and the future of campaign targeting. With AI-powered ad platforms like Google’s AI Max and social algorithms driven by behavioural data rather than search intent, the old model of keyword-driven marketing is rapidly giving way to something more opaque, more personalised, and potentially more invasive. Daniel and Ciaran explore how AI systems now use a vast array of signals,...

info_outline
Vibe Coding - How AI is Revolutionising App Development and Empowering Non-Coders show art Vibe Coding - How AI is Revolutionising App Development and Empowering Non-Coders

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles introduces us to the process of Vibe Coding, a revolutionary approach to software development that leverages AI to make app creation accessible to anyone, regardless of coding experience. Vibe coding shifts the focus from writing manual code to guiding AI with natural language prompts, allowing non-developers to build interactive apps, tools, and even businesses. Daniel explores the three tiers of vibe coding, from basic one-page web apps to full-scale, secure, AI-powered platforms , and shares practical steps, tools and security...

info_outline
The Changing User Journey - Lessons from the Travel Industry in the Age of AI show art The Changing User Journey - Lessons from the Travel Industry in the Age of AI

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles is joined by Matthew Gardiner from World Travel Market for a special look at how the user journey is being radically reshaped, and why the travel industry offers a powerful lens for understanding the broader changes all marketers now face. From AI-powered search and agents, to disconnected content ecosystems, collapsing funnels, and new expectations for sustainability and meaning, the way users discover, evaluate, and buy has shifted. Whether you work in travel or not, this episode delivers insight into how to adapt your digital...

info_outline
The Meta CMO Interview - Digital Marketing Measurement, AI & Why the Basics Still Matter show art The Meta CMO Interview - Digital Marketing Measurement, AI & Why the Basics Still Matter

The Digital Marketing Podcast

In this special episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles sits down with Alex Schultz, Meta’s Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Analytics, to unpack the future of digital marketing, and why the fundamentals still matter more than ever. Alex shares lessons from his remarkable journey: from running the world’s top paper airplane website to leading growth at Meta, managing multi-billion dollar ad campaigns, and now authoring the industry-defining book Click Here. With high-profile endorsements from Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Daniel Ek, and Matthew Vaughn, the book...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, hosts Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers explore one of the most pressing questions facing marketers today: what does SEO look like in a world dominated by AI search and generative answers?

With Google rolling out AI Overviews and AI Mode, and tools like ChatGPT and Gemini changing how people search, the rules of SEO are shifting fast. Some publishers report traffic drops of up to 60%, while others in e-commerce are holding steady. So is SEO really dead, or just evolving into something new?

Daniel and Ciaran dig deep into what’s happening, separating hype from reality and providing clear, practical advice for marketers trying to adapt. They explain why understanding Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI Overviewsn (AIO) is critical, and how you can stay visible when clicks are disappearing.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Why AI Overviews are changing user behaviour, and pushing organic results further down the page

How share of voice and brand sentiment are becoming as important as traditional ranking factors

Why advocacy and positive online mentions may now trump old-school keyword tactics

The growing importance of Wikipedia, Reddit, and forums in shaping AI-driven answers

Why updating and referencing your best content is more powerful than ever

How no-click searches are rewriting what “success” looks like in SEO

Practical ways to benchmark your visibility

Why prompt-like queries and longer conversational searches are the new normal

How to build trust through Google’s E‑E‑A‑T principles (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)


The Future of SEO Episode Mindmap

The hosts also explore pitfalls to avoid, from snake-oil SEO sales pitches to rushing into poorly thought-out Wikipedia pages that could backfire. They emphasise a smarter, evidence-based approach: focusing on authenticity, advocacy, and quality content that’s updated, referenced, and truly useful.

Key Takeaways:

SEO isn’t dead, but competing for the top three AI-sourced links is tougher than ever.

Building advocacy and brand mentions is critical to visibility in AI search.

Quality and authenticity (with evidence and references) beat quantity every time.

Think conversational: searches are getting longer, more natural, and more complex.

Following Google’s E‑E‑A‑T framework is the best hedge against AI-driven disruption.

If you’re a marketer, publisher, or business owner trying to make sense of the shifting SEO landscape, this episode provides both clarity and actionable steps to future-proof your strategy.

📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/the-future-of-seo 

📩 Join the free newsletter for access to monthly live sessions: https://targetinternet.com/newsletter