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.

Links

• Barry Schwartz / RustyBrick

• Search Engine Roundtable

• Search Engine Land

• Barry on X

• Barry on YouTube

• Barry on LinkedIn

• BackTier

• Jason Wade

• Jason’s bio video

Lake Wales Is Building a Startup Economy. But Who's Building the Startups?

Podcast: Lake Wales Startups / BackTier
Host: Jason T AI Wade
Estimated runtime: 10–12 minutes
Format: Commentary, local economic development, entrepreneurship, and AI

Episode description: Google AI says Lake Wales, Florida, has a growing entrepreneurship ecosystem, supported by business incubators, government incentives, youth programs, and downtown redevelopment. But what does that actually mean for someone trying to start a business? We examine the organizations, the money, the opportunities, and the missing connections between economic development and entrepreneurship.

https://youtu.be/nlmdSnHQrik

Title: Lake Wales Startup Night: Startup Legal Strategy with Denise Tessier, Esq.

Starting a business creates questions that a website, logo, or AI-generated business plan cannot settle. Who owns what? What should partners agree on? What belongs in a client contract? When should you bring in an attorney?

In this episode of the AI Visibility Podcast, Jason Wade previews the next Lake Wales Startup Night, featuring Startup Legal Strategy with Denise Tessier, Esq. The free gathering offers an opportunity to meet fellow entrepreneurs and bring questions about starting or growing a business.

Whether you’re exploring an idea, building a side business, or already serving customers, come with a question you want to sort out.

Event details

• Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · 6 PM

• The Thirsty Dragon

• 126 N 1st St, Lake Wales, FL

• Free to attend

• Reserve your seat and submit a question for the attorney

Topics in this episode

• Questions to ask before starting a business with a partner.

• Clarifying ownership, responsibilities, and expectations.

• Preparing questions about client agreements and contractor work.

• Using AI to organize your questions before speaking with an attorney.

• Building connections with founders and neighbors in Lake Wales.

About Denise Tessier, Esq.

Denise Tessier is an attorney with Tessier Law Firm and the featured speaker for Lake Wales Startup Night’s Startup Legal Strategy event. Learn more at TessierLawFirm.com.

About Jason Wade

Jason Wade is an AI Visibility strategist and the founder of BackTier. He is the host of the AI Visibility Podcast. His work focuses on AI Visibility, Generative Engine Optimization, Answer Engine Optimization, entity authority, and the infrastructure behind machine-generated recommendations. He is also conducting an ongoing name-ambiguity and entity-resolution experiment using the names Jason T Wade and Jason AI Wade to study how AI systems distinguish, merge, classify, and resolve identities across the web. Learn more at BackTier.com and JasonWade.com.

Links

• Lake Wales Startup Night — RSVP

• Tessier Law Firm

• Startup Night articles and past-event content

• BackTier

• Jason Wade

• Lake Wales Guide

• Florida Slice

Contact the organizers: email@jasonwade.com · 321.946.5569