Podcast
Visibility Brief
Hosted by Visibility Brief by Yext · EN
Visibility Brief is your bi-weekly guide to brand visibility in the age of AI search. Hosted by Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell, each episode breaks down how AI is reshaping discovery, and what CMOs, digital leaders, and transformation executives need to do to stay visible when traditional SEO no longer applies. From shifting consumer behavior to platform disruption, we go beyond the buzz to deliver clear, strategic insights you can use, fast. Featuring expert guests, original research, and real-world advice from the front lines of AI adoption, Visibility Brief helps you understand where brand discovery is headed, and how to lead through the change. New episodes every other week.
13episodes
Episodes
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Why ‘Visibility’ Without Trust is Meaningless in an AI-First World
1w ago00:30:41Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell sits down with Will Reynolds, CEO and VP of Innovation of Seer Interactive, for a conversation about how AI is reshaping not just search — but the fundamentals of marketing itself.For years, marketers have measured success in rankings, impressions, and traffic. But AI is changing what those numbers are worth. When a chatbot can summarize everything ever written about a brand into a single answer, being visible stops being a competitive edge and starts being table stakes.A brand can show up everywhere and still lose if it isn't believable and trustworthy to customers. And when this trust becomes the deciding factor, the old marketing playbook starts to break.Will's argument: AI is pushing marketing away from content built for scale and toward something much harder to fake: credibility.The episode breaks down:Why visibility alone no longer drives resultsThe risks of overusing AI-generated contentHow unique perspectives, lived experience, and subject matter expertise are emerging as the most valuable signalsWhat marketers should stop, start, and rethinkIf you’re a marketing leader navigating the shift from visibility to credibility, this episode will help you rethink how your brand shows up — and whether it earns the trust required to win.
Transcribe →SEO Is at a Crossroads
3w ago00:33:14Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of The Visibility Brief, recorded live at SEO Week, Rebecca Colwell is joined by Garrett Sussman (Director of Marketing at iPullRank) and Christian Ward (Chief Data Officer at Yext) for a candid reflection on where the industry actually stands today.A year ago, AI search felt like a novelty. New tools, new ideas, and a lot of speculation. Today, the tone has shifted. The excitement hasn’t disappeared – but it’s been replaced by something more grounded: uncertainty, urgency, and a growing realization that the rules are changing faster than most teams can keep up.So what’s actually changed in the last 12 months? And more importantly, what hasn’t?This conversation goes beyond tactics. It’s about how SEO is evolving as a function, why so many teams are still “admiring the problem,” and what it will take to move from understanding AI to actually acting on it.The episode breaks down:Why the industry feels more mature, but still a bit stuckThe gap between understanding AI’s impact and actually changing strategy or executionWhy technical understanding of AI pipelines mattersWhy SEO is positioned to lead…but often doesn’tWhy content strategy is shifting back toward uniqueness and contextWhy brands are struggling to define success in AI visibilityThe tools are evolving. The models are improving. The opportunity is real. But most brands haven’t made the shift yet, and that gap is where the next wave of advantage will be created.
Transcribe →How AI Is Changing the Path from Search to Booking
Apr 2800:31:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Leah Hutcheon, Founder & CEO of Appointedd, to explore how AI is changing not just how people find brands, but how they move from discovery to action.As AI assistants take on more of the research process, customers are arriving at decisions faster, with more context and more confidence. That means less browsing, fewer clicks, and a much shorter path between “I’m interested” and “I’m ready.” And increasingly, that moment shows up as a booking.So what does it mean when customers commit their time before they ever step into a store or complete a purchase? And how should brands design for a world where intent is signaled earlier and more clearly than ever?Drawing on her experience building 'intent infrastructure' for global retailers, Leah reframes bookings as far more than a calendar slot. They're a signal of intent, a moment of trust, and one of the most valuable opportunities a brand has to create a meaningful experience.The episode breaks down:Why bookings are becoming a primary conversion signalWhy time is the most valuable signal customers give youWhy most brands underinvest in the booking experienceHow leading retailers turn appointments into high-value interactions that drive higher spendHow intent data transforms the customer journeyWhat shifts when AI agents — not customers — do the browsingIf you’re a marketing leader thinking about how AI is reshaping customer behavior, this episode will help you rethink where real intent emerges, how to design for it, and why the moment someone books may matter more than anything that came before.
Transcribe →What SEO Actually Looks Like in an AI-Driven World
Apr 1400:26:22Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Leigh McKenzie, Director of Online Visibility at Semrush, to explore how one of marketing’s most established roles is being fundamentally reshaped by AI.For more than two decades, SEO meant understanding Google—how it crawled, how it ranked, and how to win clicks. But that playbook is no longer enough. AI is changing how people search, how answers are delivered, and how brands get discovered.So what does the job of an SEO actually look like now? And how should teams evolve when visibility depends on much more than a website?Drawing on his experience at Semrush, where he's had a front-row seat to the evolution of search, Leigh makes the case that SEO isn't disappearing — it's growing into something bigger, more strategic, and more cross-functional than ever.The episode breaks down:Why traditional SEO thinking is no longer enoughHow consumer behavior is changing the search landscapeWhy SEO is becoming a cross-functional disciplineWhy your website is only part of the equationHow mass content and quick-win tactics can quietly hurt long-term visibility and trustWhat SEO teams should stop, start, and rethinkIf you’re leading an SEO or marketing team and trying to understand how your role is changing, this episode will help you zoom out, rethink your priorities, and position yourself — and your brand – for what comes next.
Transcribe →Trust and Personalization in the AI Era
Mar 3100:20:55Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell sits down with Bill Simpson, Director of Value Consulting at Yext, to explore a question many marketers are still working through: how far is too far when it comes to personalization?As AI is changes how people interact with technology, customers are sharing more personal information than ever before — often without realizing it. But why does AI feel so different from traditional search, and what’s making people more willing to open up?At the same time, brands are under pressure to move faster, adopt new tools, and deliver more personalized experiences. But speed introduces risk. From data exposure to inaccurate AI responses, the line between helpful and harmful is thin — and easy to cross.Drawing on his years of experience working with brands, Bill shares insights on how marketers can move forward thoughtfully — balancing innovation with responsibility.The episode breaks down:How conversational interfaces create a sense of trustWhere personalization starts to feel invasiveWhy transparency is the new competitive advantageThe hidden risks in everyday AI workflowsHow to safely pilot AI inside your organizationWhy human oversight still mattersIf you’re a marketing leader trying to move quickly with AI while protecting your customers and your brand, this episode will help you understand the real tradeoffs — and how to navigate them with confidence.
Transcribe →Beyond Google and the Traditional Search Box
Mar 1700:27:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Heather Physioc, Chief Discoverability Officer at VML, for a conversation about how search has expanded far beyond Google — and why brands must rethink what discoverability really means.For years, “search” was shorthand for one thing: Google and the ten blue links. But today, consumers move fluidly between social platforms, retail sites, video search, maps, and AI search depending on what they’re trying to accomplish. So what does it mean to show up consistently when discovery no longer happens in one predictable place?Drawing on her journalism background and years leading cross-channel search strategy, Heather reframes SEO as something broader and more human: the practice of meeting real human needs – wherever and however they surface.The episode breaks down:Why brands must move beyond optimizing for a single engineHow consumer intent changes depending on contextHow LLMs handle complex queries better than traditional searchWhy trust is becoming the real competitive edgeHow structured data and consistency matter more than everHow to rethink measurement in a world where discovery is fragmentedIf you’re a marketing leader navigating a world where search happens everywhere (not just in a browser), this episode will help you rethink how your brand connects with customers across today’s search journey.
Transcribe →Competing in a World Without Rankings
Mar 300:25:44Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell sits down with Chief Data Officer Christian Ward to unpack something many marketing leaders are quietly feeling: the way we’ve measured visibility for the last 20 years isn’t working the way it used to.Impressions spike and dip without reason. Rankings change by the second. Clicks are disappearing. And as AI models fragment search across multiple platforms, the idea of a single, stable “position” is starting to disappear.So if rank isn’t reliable, and clicks don’t tell the full story, how should marketers measure performance in an AI-driven world?Drawing on the latest Yext Research and a new competitive scoring model inspired by Elo rankings, Rebecca and Christian explore how visibility should be measured going forward — and why the brands that win will be the ones that understand competition, context, and consistency, not just position.The episode breaks down:Why AI literacy is becoming a competitive advantageWhat model fragmentation means for brand visibilityWhy being “chosen” matters more than ranking#1How Elo-style competitive scoring reframes measurementWhy having more local competitors raises the stakes for your dataWhy structured, consistent data remains foundationalIf you’re a marketing leader trying to make sense of fluctuating rankings and disappearing clicks, this episode will help you rethink visibility — and build a more resilient way to measure success in a world where AI sits between you and your customer.
Transcribe →How Psychology Shapes AI Search and Discovery
Feb 1700:32:17Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Garrett Sussman, Director of Marketing at iPullRank, for a refreshingly human conversation about how people really search — and how AI is amplifying the psychology behind it.Marketers love to talk about algorithms, platforms, and technical optimization. But what if the biggest variable in discovery isn’t the system at all — it’s the person behind the keyboard? How we frame questions, what we believe going in, and the bias we carry with us all shape the answers we get back, especially in AI-driven search experiences.With a background in psychology, literature, and technical SEO, Garrett brings a unique perspective to the table. This episode explores how identity, bias, intent, and trust influence search behavior — and what brands can do to show up accurately, even when they’re not in control of the interface.The episode breaks down:Why search behavior is as much psychological as it is technicalWhy two people can search the same thing and get totally different answers The rise of conversational searchWhy AI answers feel more trustworthy than linksHow LLMs filter, summarize, and simplify information Why reviews, forums, and social proof now shape brand visibilityWhat brands can influence in AI, even when they can’t control itIf you’ve felt like discovery is getting harder to predict – or harder to influence – this episode will give you a new lens. It’s not just about ranking for keywords anymore. It’s about understanding how people think, how AI interprets intent, and how brands can adapt by focusing on trust, structure, and a holistic, human-first approach. This episode will help you rethink visibility from the inside out.
Transcribe →The Future of Paid Search in an AI World
Feb 1000:34:01Tap to summarizePaid search isn’t broken…but it’s definitely changing. In this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by CEO Mike Walrath for a conversation about the rising cost of paid search — and why AI is forcing marketers to rethink not just tactics, but the entire structure of marketing and measurement. Cost-per-click (CPCs) are climbing, clicks are disappearing, and nearly 70% of searches no longer result in a website visit. So what happens when the click (the foundation of modern digital marketing) stops being the most important metric? Are paid ads in AI platforms the next evolution, or a replay of search’s earliest monetization debates?Mike draws on his experience building and monetizing one of the web’s first major ad exchanges to explore where AI advertising is headed next, how new models like Gemini and OpenAI are testing monetization, and what marketers must prepare for as paid and organic blur inside AI-driven discovery.The episode breaks down:Why paid search feels more expensive (and less effective) than everHow AI is rewriting the funnel — and what that means for performanceWhat early AI ad models tell us (and don’t)Why ads and organic visibility are starting to blurWhat marketers should really be tracking when clicks aren’t the goalThe hidden opportunity for marketers inside all the noiseIf you’re a marketing leader navigating rising paid costs, shrinking clicks, and uncertainty about how AI will monetize discovery, this episode will help you reframe the problem – and see why this moment may be one of the biggest opportunities marketers have ever had.
Transcribe →Rethinking Metrics in an AI-First Era
Jan 2700:34:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Anthony Rinaldi, Senior Director of Insights & Analytics at Yext, to talk about a growing challenge every marketing team is facing: the old playbook for measuring success is starting to break.Impressions are dropping. Rankings seem less reliable. Traffic doesn’t tell the full story. And yet… business results haven’t necessarily tanked. So what gives?Rebecca and Anthony dig into what’s really happening behind the scenes — how discovery is shifting into AI conversations, why a single click today often represents the work of dozens of searches, and what metrics marketers should actually be paying attention to now.The episode breaks down:Why impressions and traffic are no longer a reliable signalHow “rank” fails to capture the complexity of AI-driven resultsWhat new models of brand visibility can reveal — and why they matterHow predictive ranking models change measurement and help define performanceWhy benchmarking must be local, competitive, and contextualHow to turn visibility insights into actionIf you’re a marketing leader struggling to explain declining impressions, this episode will help you rethink what visibility really means—and how to measure success in a world where AI mediates discovery.
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