Barry Schwartz: The Future Of SEO and How Google is Changing

In this episode of Local Marketing Secrets, Danny Leibrandt sits down with the legendary Barry Schwartz — the founder and editor of Search Engine Roundtable, longtime contributor to Search Engine Land, and a go-to authority for all things SEO and Google updates. For over 20 years, Barry has tracked every major algorithm shift, interviewed Google’s top search executives, and built one of the most trusted voices in the SEO world.

Together, Danny and Barry dive deep into the future of SEO, the rise of AI Mode, and how Google's search is transforming in real time. Barry shares insider insights from Google I/O, explains the impact of AI overviews on organic traffic, and breaks down what SEOs and business owners actually need to be focusing on in this new landscape — from branding and AI agents to why keyword targeting just isn’t enough anymore.

They also explore the growing overlap between search and social, the evolving role of EEAT, the rise of LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini, and even the future of AR glasses and multimodal search.

If you want to understand where SEO is headed (and how to stay ahead), this is a must-listen with the man who’s been documenting it all from the front lines.

Barry Schwartz, Founder of Search Engine Roundtable:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick/

X (Twitter): https://x.com/rustybrick

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/rustybrick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barryschwartz/

Search Engine Roundtable: https://www.seroundtable.com/

RustyBrick: https://www.rustybrick.com/

Danny Leibrandt, Founder of Pest Control SEO:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt  

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/   

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt   

Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com 

Pest Control SEO: https://pestcontrolseo.com/ 

Local Marketing Secrets Platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalMarketingSecrets 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TCL0LhZbsJS6mzanqnnT1?si=224075c9fbda42f5  

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-marketing-secrets/id1741176782 

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0bb5254-5d6c-4940-8211-085157cc1239/local-marketing-secrets 

Podcast Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Barry Schwartz

06:11 Google I.O. Update: AI's Impact on Search

11:54 Advertising in the Age of AI Search

14:43 Ads in AI Mode: The Future of Advertising

17:44 The Landscape of LLMs: ChatGPT vs. Gemini

20:49 SEO Strategies in an Evolving Market

23:39 The Rise of Visual Search and Smart Glasses

26:56 The Future of Search: Beyond Glasses

29:43 Keyword Optimization: A Shift in Focus

32:50 Understanding EEAT: The New SEO Standard

41:48 The Future of AI in Content Creation

46:00 The Intersection of Search and Social Media

51:03 Advice for SEOs and Business Owners

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