Search with Candour

Candour
  • 3.4 (5)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Every Monday, Jack Chambers-Ward has in-depth conversations with SEO experts from around the world. Covering topics from attribution in GA4 to networking tips for introverts and everything in between. Search With Candour is the perfect way to kickstart your working week! https://withcandour.co.uk/podcast

  1. 11h ago

    August 2026 SEO and AI News: EU AI transparency law, Claude watermarks, Google’s anti-scraping URLs

    Topics discussed: New EU transparency rules requiring clear labelling of AI-generated or AI-altered content across formats Microsoft Clarity is adding branded vs non-branded segmentation for AI query/citation reporting and share of authority Anthropic’s Claude embedding watermarks/metadata Google is expanding AI Mode with interactive visualisations, quizzes, Lens learning features, and Notebook/Gemini integrations Google is introducing google.com/goto redirecting tracking URLs aimed at reducing scraping abuse, with major rank-tracking tools saying it doesn’t impact tracking data News stories: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/02/ai-generated-label-becomes-mandatory-in-the-eu-for-companieshttps://clarity.microsoft.com/blog/branded-non-branded-queries/https://www.cloudflare.com/press/press-releases/2026/cloudflare-adds-aeo-visibility-dashboard-to-its-aeo-suite-showing-brands-whether-ai-assistants-are-recommending-them/https://support.claude.com/en/articles/16266773-how-claude-marks-ai-generated-contenthttps://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-goto-tracking-41957.htmlTime stamps 00:00 Coming up on the show 00:26 Introduction 01:45 EU AI-labelling rules 06:31 Microsoft Clarity AI brand query filters 11:31 Claude watermarking update 15:45 Google AI visual tools 22:49 Google anti-scraping URLs 25:54 What’s coming up on season 5 28:05 Wrap up

  2. Aug 31

    SearchNorwichXL Preview: SEO talks from Arnout Hellemans and Brendan Bennett

    Jack Chambers-Ward continues the hype for SearchNorwichXL by highlighting talks from Arnout Hellemans and Brendan Bennett, who will be speaking at SearchNorwichXL. Arnout’s talk from SearchNorwich 16 is titled ‘How to work on your SEO without paying for tools’, and Brendan’s talk from SearchNorwich 19 is titled ‘It’s not me, it’s you: Why your SEO or agency (probably) hates you’ 🎟️ Get 25% off SearchNorwichXL tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/searchnorwichxl-tickets-1985283700992?discount=podcast Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:19 Arnout Hellemans’ talk 23:43 In-between talks 24:26 Brendan Bennett’s talk 49:18 Wrap up

  3. Aug 24

    The big SearchNorwichXL 2026 preview

    Jack Chambers-Ward and Mark Williams-Cook present a preview of SearchNorwichXL, their upcoming conference on 24 September 2026. Mark and Jack discuss the talks they’re looking forward to and give a preview of what to expect on the day. Use ‘MONDAYSWC’ to get 20% off your tickets: ⁠https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/searchnorwichxl-tickets-1985283700992?discount=mondayswc⁠For more information about SearchNorwichXL: https://searchnorwich.org/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:29 Mark’s first pick: Arnout Hellemans 08:36 Jack’s first pick: Giulia Panozzo 16:37 Mark’s second pick: Adam Gent 25:22 Jack’s second pick: Future Of Search Panel 31:14 Mark’s third pick: Myriam Jessier 39:14 Jack’s third pick: Martin Splitt 42:20 Discount code and tickets 43:43 Mark’s upcoming speaking schedule 46:55 Thanks and wrap up

  4. Aug 17

    SEO, design and brand in the age of AI | Search With Candour

    Candour’s Principal SEO Consultant, Brendan Bennett and Design Lead Mark Salisbury join Search with Candour to discuss the growing overlap between SEO, design, UX, and brand, and how AI/LLMs and emerging agentic experiences affect the way we build and use websites. The Candour trio also explore what brand means beyond just a logo, how third-party signals like reviews, Reddit, and search results shape perception, and how SEOs measure brand through metrics such as brand search volume, sentiment, and frameworks like Google’s HEART. The conversation covers trust signals, page clarity, semantic HTML, the tension between brand-led copy and keyword-focused headings, and the risk of AI-generated “slop” versus human differentiation. Follow Mark and Brendan: Website: https://withcandour.co.uk/Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-salisbury-701b8911/Brendan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanbennett1989/Chapters 00:00 Welcome, Brendan Bennett and Mark Salisbury 01:09 Design vs SEO No Versus 03:01 Why Brand Matters Now 09:45 Defining Brand Beyond Logos 17:17 Brand Metrics and Frameworks 22:40 SERP Signals and Trust Issues 27:19 When Brand Beats SEO 33:01 AI Websites and Human Proof 36:12 Luxury Branding vs AI Content 42:05 Websites as Experiences 42:48 Designing for Agents 43:50 Trust and Spend Thresholds 45:47 Technical SEO Meets Semantics 49:10 Brand Voice vs Keywords 53:31 Traffic vs Conversion Tradeoffs 56:43 What Makes a Site Good 59:04 Trust Signals and UX Proof 01:02:14 Vibe Coding and Web Slop 01:03:44 Future of SEO and Design 01:08:51 Recommendations: Actionable tips 01:12:00 Recommendations: Tools to try 01:15:23 Recommendations: Fun things like dancing and video games

  5. Aug 10

    AI Search & SEO News (July 2026): Google Trends Update, ChatGPT + Yelp, AI Mode Ads & New Studies

    Jack Chambers-Ward hosts a July 2026 AI search and SEO news roundup on Search With Candour. This episode covers everything from new Google Trends features and social media data tracking in Google Search Console to research about ads in Google AI Mode and if Google punishes AI-generated content. Links to articles https://www.linkedin.com/posts/analyzing-search-interest-just-got-more-powerful-share-7478017577340968960-qsi3/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7480247562084638720/https://seranking.com/blog/google-ai-mode-ads/https://www.tryprofound.com/blog/google-com-is-now-ai-mode-s-2-cited-domainhttps://ahrefs.com/blog/google-doesnt-punish-ai-content/https://www.similarweb.com/corp/reports/2026-generative-ai-landscape/https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/yelp-reviews-chatgpt-geo-partnershipChapters 00:00 Coming up on this episode 00:29 Introduction 01:53 Live Podcast returns on 7 October 2026 04:19 Google Trends new comparison feature 09:31 ChatGPT adds Yelp reviews 12:35 SE Ranking study: Ads in AI Mode 18:39 Profound study: Google cites itself more 23:01 Ahrefs study: Does Google punish AI content? 29:37 SimilarWeb Generative AI Report 36:33 Wrap up

  6. Aug 3

    Turn client expertise into SEO gold | Search with Liv Day and Ellie Wraith

    Liv Day and Ellie Wraith from Digitaloft join Search with Candour to explain how to turn client expertise into SEO gold and why you need to create content your competitors can’t copy. They explain why unique, non-commodity content matters more in the AI era, how to extract insights from hesitant clients, and how to build processes (checklists, writer access to experts, ongoing client questions) to ensure information gain. They discuss using first-party data (sales, customer service transcripts), surveys, and sources like Reddit to uncover real audience pain points, plus repurposing interviews and video assets across site pages based on page goals. Follow Liv & Ellie: Digitaloft: https://digitaloft.co.uk/ Liv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-day-seo/ Ellie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliewraith/ Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Search with Candour 02:46 Introducing Ellie Wraith 03:38 Introducing Liv Day 04:30 Why expertise matters now 09:48 Measuring information gain 15:12 Client chats vs keyword research 18:17 Handling hesitant experts 27:25 Personal brands and authority 32:53 What is trust in the AI era 35:10 Convincing clients to get on camera 37:04 Proving real Experts 39:30 Repurposing your content and assets 41:58 Technical difficulties 42:05 Finding Proprietary Data 46:50 Measuring Content Success 51:03 Recommendations: Ask more questions and prioritise based on your bottom line 54:01 Recommendations: Collate customer service data and check Reddit 56:44 Recommendations: Summer gigs and Widow’s Bay 59:00 Where to Follow and Wrap

  7. Jul 27

    June 2026 SEO News: Google is in legal trouble for AI Overviews, AI traffic reports in Google and Bing

    Jack Chambers-Ward recaps the biggest SEO news from June 2026 on Search With Candour. Jack covers Google’s “Preferred Sources” expanding from Discover into AI Mode and AI Overviews, the new Search Console generative AI performance reporting and contrasts it with Bing Webmaster Tools’ expanded AI visibility reporting. He also highlights the new ability to connect Google Business Profile to GA4 for richer local reporting and a landmark German court ruling that Google can be held liable for false claims in AI Overviews, treating them as Google’s own content. Links to news stories https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/original-high-quality-content-search/https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/a-new-profile-to-help-publishers-and-creators-highlight-their-work-on-search/https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/06/gen-ai-performance-reportshttps://blogs.bing.com/search/June-2026/New-AI-Visibility-Insights-in-Bing-Webmaster-Tools-Intents-Topics-Citation-Share-Comparehttps://support.google.com/analytics/answer/16930347https://the-decoder.com/landmark-german-ruling-declares-googles-ai-overviews-are-googles-own-words-and-makes-it-liable-for-false-answers/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:27 Preferred sources expand to AI Mode 05:08 Google adds creator Search Profiles 08:32 GSC AI performance reporting 10:25 Bing AI visibility tools 17:23 Google Business Profile data in GA4 22:34 German court finds Google liable for AI Overview content 31:11 Wrap up

  8. Jul 20

    Navigating SEO in the Age of AI and Misinformation

    Sean Barber joins Search with Candour to discuss fighting misinformation in the health industry. Misinformation has been exacerbated with the growth of LLMs and AI, which increasingly cite piecemeal sources in ways that can mislead or endanger users. Sean and Jack share examples such as incorrect CPR guidance and confusing emergency and non-emergency phone numbers. Follow Sean: Website: https://www.searchwithsean.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SearchWithSeanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrbarber/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/searchwithsean.bsky.social 00:00 Fighting misinformation in YMYL industries 01:36 Meet Sean Barber 05:15 Why misinformation spreads so quickly 08:09 AI Overviews causing health risks 11:26 Patience versus accuracy 15:02 Organisation-wide strategies for companies fighting misinformation 21:19 The importance of transparency and reputation 26:28 Defensive vs proactive tactics 29:51 Proving your expertise 34:01 Put experts on camera 37:58 Low-budget video setup 39:51 Authenticity beats big productions 41:10 Why showing your face matters 43:13 How to build trust signals 46:18 AI search and funding 50:03 Bad press is actually bad press 52:59 Always keep a human in the loop 55:11 Recommendations: Sean’s actionable tip 57:41 Recommendations: Sean’s SEO tools 59:38 Recommendations: TV and movies 01:03:54 Episode wrap-up

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3.4
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Every Monday, Jack Chambers-Ward has in-depth conversations with SEO experts from around the world. Covering topics from attribution in GA4 to networking tips for introverts and everything in between. Search With Candour is the perfect way to kickstart your working week! https://withcandour.co.uk/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Candour
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    377
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Candour
  • Show Website
    Search with Candour

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