Forget GEO Hype, Mark Williams-Cook Says Do This Instead

Episode notes

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs. In this episode we welcome Mark Williams-Cook. Director at Candour. Founder of AlsoAsked. Veteran SEO of 20 years who ships products, runs e-commerce brands, and speaks plainly about where search is actually heading. Key Talking Points SEO is not dead. AI search often equals “three web searches in a trench coat.” Retrieval still relies on real indexes, ranking, and links Why the browser wins. Agentic tasks need a real browser that executes JS, passes “are you human” checks, and respects privacy. Expect lightweight on-device models Google’s advantage. Massive index, cash flow, control of distribution. Others burn cash while renting Google or Chromium, which tilts the field Freshness bias and listicles. LLM surfaces are easy to game with recency and “best X” lists. Short-term only. It will not last Brand as the durable signal.