What does the future of search really look like in a world of zero-click results, AI overviews, and shifting user attention? 

In this episode of The Search Session podcast, Gianluca Fiorelli welcomes Rand Fishkin, one of the most recognized voices in the SEO and digital marketing world, for a candid and thought-provoking conversation. 

Together, they explore why SEO is thriving, how branding has become central to success, and what the rise of zero-click searches means for marketers everywhere. Rand shares his vision of marketing as a story, with Google, OpenAI, and marketers as key players, while also questioning who the true heroes really are. 

The discussion goes deep into how SEO supports branding—through structured data, Knowledge Graph optimization, and sentiment-driven clustering—and why memorability matters more than awareness alone. They also examine the attention shift, as TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit increasingly dominate user behavior, and search now accounts for less than 10% of online activity.

This wide-ranging SEO podcast episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in the future of search, branding strategies, and the evolving role of digital marketing. If you want to understand how zero-click searches, AI, and changing platforms are reshaping the landscape, don’t miss this conversation with Rand Fishkin.

This is the 28th episode of:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sm3ydVBxdAJ84k2qsH1LkTDbtbdNrGh 

Here's what you'll learn in this episode:

• (00:05 ) Meet Our Guest: Rand Fishkin
• (04:17 ) SEO Through an Outsider’s Lens
• (10:26 ) AI and SEO: From Data to Creativity
• (17:01 ) From Audience Research to Zero-Click Strategy
• (27:06 ) Personalized Search and Its Impact on SEO & Branding
• (34:20 ) How Rand and Casey Henry use AI
• (46:30 ) Rand Fishkin Beyond Marketing

👉 Read the full article and explore additional insights: https://www.advancedwebranking.com/blog/branding-in-age-of-ai-zero-click-serps

Where to find Rand Fishkin

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin/ 
• X: https://x.com/randfish  
• Website: https://sparktoro.com/ 

Where to find Gianluca Fiorelli 

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianlucafiorelli/ 
• X: https://x.com/gfiorelli1 
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gfiorelli1.bsky.social 
• Website: https://iloveseo.net/ 

Made with ❤️by Advanced Web Ranking, the people behind the world's most accurate and longest-standing rank tracker.

Get your free 30-day trial and find your true visibility in organic search for any market: https://www.advancedwebranking.com/

Be sure to subscribe for more actionable marketing and SEO tutorials:    https://x.com/awebranking