Barry Schwartz on AI Search, Reddit, and the Future of SEO

Barry Schwartz joins Jason AI Wade for a conversation about how AI is changing search, what still matters in SEO, and how businesses can remain discoverable as more users get answers without visiting a website.

Barry discusses the balance between firsthand experiences on Reddit and information from qualified experts, the accuracy problems with AI Overviews, and why brand recognition may matter even when a search produces no immediate click. He also shares his concerns about fabricated information and shortcuts built around mass-produced AI content.

The conversation explores agentic commerce, website usability, and Barry’s own AI project: a tool that analyzes screenshots of search features and checks whether he has covered them before.

Topics include:

  • From Yahoo’s directory to modern AI search.

  • SEO, GEO, and the debate over terminology.

  • Reddit, expert sources, and trust.

  • AI Overviews, attribution errors, and brand discovery.

  • AI-assisted development and content quality.

  • Commerce agents and website integrations.

  • Building a searchable archive of search-feature screenshots.

Guest bio

Barry Schwartz is a search-industry journalist, founder of Search Engine Roundtable, and a longtime writer for Search Engine Land. He is also CEO of RustyBrick, a web technology and software development company. His work covers search engine updates, industry developments, and the experiences of website owners and search marketers.

Host bio

Jason AI Wade is the founder of BackTier and host of the AI Visibility Podcast. His work focuses on how businesses are discovered, understood, cited, and selected across search engines, AI answers, and emerging agentic systems.

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