In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Azeem Ahmad, Strategy Director at Reflect Digital, international conference speaker, and host of the award-winning Azeem Digital Asks podcast.

We dive into the latest Reflect Digital Search Pulse Report, exploring how AI, social media, and multichannel search are reshaping how people find and trust information online.

Azeem explains why trust is the biggest barrier to AI adoption, how behaviour changes across generations, and what brands can actually do to stay visible and relevant in 2025 and beyond.

We cover:

- Why the “be everywhere” mindset is wrong

— and what to do instead

- The rise of multichannel search behaviour (and how age affects it)

- How trust issues are slowing AI adoption

- The future of Google, AI Overviews, and the open web

- Reflect Digital’s new Search Motivation Framework

- How marketers can balance visibility, creativity, and credibility

📘 Download the Search Pulse Report: https://searchpulse.reflectdigital.co.uk/

Connect With Azeem - https://www.linkedin.com/in/azeema1/

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by Ben Steele, a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Siege Media and former Managing Editor at Search Engine Journal.

Ben’s one of those people who makes you rethink how you approach SEO. He was one of the first people I read when I came into the industry - and he still challenges how we talk about intent, content, and the role AI is already playing in how people actually experience the web.

We discussed why so much top-funnel content feels stale, how marketers can make it meaningful again, and what the rise of LLMs means for creativity, trust, and the open web.

Topics Covered:

- Why most intent models are too shallow — and Ben’s three-layer intent framework (Utility, Context, Emotion)

- How conversational search and AI Overviews are reshaping user behaviour

- Why top-funnel SEO has become boring — and how to make it human again

- The hidden dangers of optimising for LLMs and “AI-like” content

- How marketers can protect creativity in a world of AI-generated noise

- The role of community, curation, and closed groups in the next internet- Why brands need to “be good”, not just visible

In this episode of Chat With Sean, I’m joined by James Congdon, founder of withFrontier — a recruitment agency specialising in search and digital marketing roles.With over 14 years’ experience in SEO before moving into recruitment, James has a rare perspective on how the digital marketing industry is evolving — from agency life and remote working to the rise of AI, automation, and shifting job demands.We explore how AI is reshaping recruitment, what skills employers are now prioritising, and how marketers can future-proof their careers in an era of automation and uncertainty.Connect With James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescongdon/Related Links:https://www.womenintechseo.com/https://www.youtube.com/@UCB-tHTRgAe21toA_1LC3M_w https://ppc.live/https://ecomcollabclub.com/