The Search Session What Comes Next for News SEO and Publishers | John Shehata
Ever wondered how news SEO is evolving in a world of AI, Google Discover, and creators?
In this episode of The Search Session, Gianluca Fiorelli sits down with John Shehata, audience growth consultant and news SEO expert, to explore the shifting landscape of visibility. They dive into why news SEO plays by different rules, how AI Overviews and Google Discover are reshaping discovery, and what publishers need to rethink to stay ahead.
From multi-format strategies to empowering journalists as creators, this conversation uncovers the opportunities and risks shaping the future of news SEO in 2026.
This is the 45th episode of: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sm3ydVBxdAJ84k2qsH1LkTDbtbdNrGh
Here's what you'll learn in this episode:
- (00:07) Meet Our Guest: John Shehata
- (01:07) Building SEO Events Beyond the Usual Hubs
- (07:23) Why News SEO Is Different: Speed, Scale, and Impact
- (09:47) Measuring the Real Impact of AI Overviews on News
- (18:27) Will AI Enter Google Discover—and What Happens If It Does?
- (22:24) Responding to Short Attention Spans
- (26:05) Journalists as Creators in the Creator Economy
- (33:21) To Block or Not to Block AI Crawlers
- (37:26) News SEO in 2026: Regulation, Workflows, and new SEO Roles
- (42:35) Beyond the Bio: John Shehata
👉 Read the full article and explore additional insights:
https://www.advancedwebranking.com/blog/what-comes-next-for-news-seo-and-publishers
Where to find John Shehata
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnshehata/
- X: https://x.com/JShehata
- Website: https://john-shehata.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/
🎙 Listen to The Search Session on your favorite platform:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sm3ydVBxdAJ84k2qsH1LkTDbtbdNrGh
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FzI5qwHtIndtiibZWiroS
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-search-session/id1796043201
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