If 2024 felt like a telenovela, 2025 was the spinoff nobody asked for.

Many websites suffered declining clicks due to AI search features, and just as we were getting used to AI Overviews (AIOs),  Google rolled out AI Mode to compete with ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs).

Meanwhile, LLMs are launching their own browsers, which means we might need to start optimizing for SERPs in more channels.

It’s a lot to keep up with.

So, how do you prioritize? What should you focus on when everything is in flux?

In this article, 20 SEO and content experts share their top predictions for 2026 to help you prepare for what’s next and build future-proof strategies.

1. Relevance engineering will define the future of AI search

Garrett Sussman — Director of Marketing at iPullRank

Prediction:

By 2026, AI Mode will replace traditional SERPs as the dominant form of search. SEO will evolve into Relevance Engineering as conversational and personalized results become the norm.

Why it’s important:

Search behavior is no longer linear or universal. Instead of ten users seeing the same SERP, each user sees a uniquely generated experience tailored to their history, preferences, biases, and the AI’s interpretation of their intent. Traditional keyword tracking becomes obsolete in this environment.

To succeed, brands must move beyond static rankings and build omnichannel content networks that meet users wherever their “query fan-outs” lead. 

How to implement:

• Rebuild around personas: Define keyword universes tied to user intent and business goals.
• Map the query fan-out: Identify the related questions, variations, and formats triggered by your top topics.
• Model AI behavior: Use SEO tools that reflect how LLMs generate and surface content to uncover where and how you're visible.
• Create content ecosystems: Build interconnected assets across formats and distribute them on the platforms LLMs cite.
• Design content as training data: Make your assets extractable, semantically rich, and machine-readable.
• Optimize for resonance, not density: Align every piece with audience needs and interaction patterns, not just keywords.

More from Garrett Sussman:

How to optimize for AI Overviews

2. Back-end optimization will be crucial for agentic AI & assistants

Dave Cousin — SEO & Migration Consultant

Prediction:

In 2026, back-end SEO will be just as critical as front-end optimization. With the rise of agentic capabilities, brands will need to ensure that their APIs, databases, and content structures are accessible and usable by AI across smart devices like Google Nest, smart TVs, and others.

Why it’s important:

Users will expect AI to answer questions and act. Whether it’s booking appointments, ordering takeout, or playing a specific movie, AI assistants will need seamless access to structured data and executable actions. 

Brands that don’t prepare their back-end systems will be invisible in this next phase of interaction.

How to implement:

• For e-commerce: Adopt Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) or emerging alternatives. AI-optimized product feeds will become a core discipline as assistants begin facilitating direct purchases.
• For subscription or media content: Enable AI assistants to search and surface your product via protocols like Media Control Protocol (MCP) because accessibility through smart devices will be a key differentiator.
• Plan for integration: Structure your back-end systems with future access in mind. AI accessibility will require clean APIs, well-organized databases, and robust action mapping.

3. Brand sentiment and trust will influence AI visibility

Lana Volkov — SEO & Content Strategy Consultant

Prediction:

In 2026, brand visibility in AI search results will hinge on trust. Earned media, such as social mentions, reviews, and high-quality backlinks, will play a key role in shaping how AI models and users perceive your brand.

Why it’s important:

LLMs prioritize content from trusted, credible sources. Brands consistently mentioned across the web are more likely to be surfaced in AI Overviews and LLM tools. 

Sentiment around those mentions, whether positive or negative, directly influences how AI ranks and presents your brand, impacting visibility and user trust.

How to implement:

• Treat branded search volume as a vital top-of-funnel metric and increase awareness through targeted campaigns.
• Build relationships with publishers, influencers, and review platforms to grow backlinks and third-party credibility.
• Use AI visibility tools to track how your brand is represented in search engine results and other online platforms.
• Turn praise and criticism into engagement opportunities.
• Maintain consistent messaging, tone, and presence across all platforms to reinforce brand trust.

4. Product-led content will drive AI search visibility

Olivia Barrow— Fractional SEO & Content Strategist

Prediction:

In 2026, brands that showcase how their products solve specific problems will win in AI search. With buyers using AI, content should focus on how your product solves a specific use case, rather than explaining problems.

Why it’s important:

Both B2B and B2C buyers increasingly expect AI tools to recommend the best product for their situation. 

Buyers won’t waste time reviewing endless demos or trialing every option. Instead, they’ll prompt AI with highly specific queries like “landscape ideas for windy areas in full sun, Zone 10a California” or “project management tool with automated workflows for task dependencies.” 

The brands that appear will be those that demonstrate value with visual proof, deep insight, and multi-format content.

How to implement:

• Focus on bottom-of-funnel content: Assume your audience already understands their problem and show how your product solves it better.
• Be specific about your strengths: Highlight use cases and Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) where your product excels. Don’t be afraid to say who it's not for.
• Use evidence: Include photos, screenshots, tailored demo videos, and customer examples, not AI-generated content.
• Leverage community insights: Monitor Reddit, Quora, Facebook groups, and other forums to identify the language and questions your audience is using.

5. Diversified content formats will increase AI visibility

Success Olagboye — Freelance Content Writer for B2B & B2C SaaS

Prediction:

In 2026, brands that publish across multiple content formats will enjoy more stable visibility in AI responses.

Why it’s important:

AI platforms like Perplexity are now pulling data from a broader set of channels, including social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. 

They also prioritize formats that solve problems, such as calculators, templates, checklists, and interactive tools. 

Brands that diversify their output are more likely to enjoy citation stability across various search experiences.

How to implement:

• Repurpose across formats: Don’t rely solely on written content. Convert articles into multi-modal formats to increase reach and relevance.
• Invest in utility-driven content: Create calculators, templates, checklists, and tools that provide immediate value and encourage clicks.
• Tap into trusted platforms: Share content on channels that AI tools regularly pull from, including Reddit, YouTube, and key social networks. 

More from Success Olagboye:

I Tracked AI Brand Mention Volatility Across 481 Sites — Here’s What I Learned

6. SEO will split into RAG vs non-RAG content strategies

Mark Williams-Cook — Digital Marketing Director at Candour

Prediction:

In 2026, brands will build content strategies around queries and topics that trigger Retrieval Augmented Generation in LLMs.

Why it’s important:

If you're aiming for visibility in LLM platforms, knowing which prompts trigger web searches for grounding is critical. 

If no search is triggered, the response comes from the model itself, something you can’t influence until it’s retrained. However, when grounding happens, you have an opportunity to influence answers quickly. 

Brands will focus on identifying and targeting grounded prompts to boost the return on content efforts.

How to implement:

• Use Google’s Gemini API to check if a prompt triggers grounding via Search.
• While there’s no public API, use the Developer Console (Network → Conversation) to view search_prob and search_model_queries, which reveal the web search terms ChatGPT is using.

7. Top-of-funnel content will shift from search to LLM discovery

Melissa Popp — VP of Content Strategy & Innovation at RicketyRoo

Prediction:

As more users turn to AI assistants for early-stage answers, TOFU content will shift from search visibility to model influence.

Why it’s important:

LLMs have become the new awareness engines. If your brand’s expertise isn’t reflected in their responses, you lose visibility before a search happens. 

The brands that appear in AI answers will dominate the top of the funnel through education and earning citations from trusted sources. Ignoring this shift means losing your audience the moment curiosity sparks.

How to implement:

• Write for ingestion: Use questions, definitions, and concise examples that LLMs can easily absorb and repurpose.
• Distribute beyond your site: Publish thought leadership, guest content, and open data on authoritative domains to expand your model footprint.
• Build topical gravity: Create consistently interlinked content that reinforces expertise across your niche, signaling authority to Google and LLMs.
• Audit your AI presence: Ask AI tools what they surface in your category. If your brand doesn’t show up, treat it as your next optimization opportunity.

8. High-performing content will prioritize clarity and cognitive ease

Ricci Masero — Marketing Manager at Intellek

Prediction:

In 2026, top-performing content will be judged by its ability to deliver high Information Gain Rate while minimizing cognitive load. That means opening with concise, value-led summaries that deliver insight immediately.

Why it’s important:

A Surfer SEO report revealed that introductions are cited 43% more often in AI Overviews. When you deliver clarity and context upfront, you earn attention and, hopefully, citations.

How to implement:

• Use Information Gain Rate to frame your content. Open with insights, skip vague warm-ups, and get straight to the “so what.”
• Structure content with tight sections, clear headings, and paragraphs that focus on one idea. Make every sentence earn its place.

9. Demand-led content will be key to success 

Chima Mmeje — Senior Content Marketing Manager at Moz

Prediction:

In 2026, SEO will be driven by demand-led content that captures attention and builds affinity. Conversational AI is transforming search, and winning brands are those that create direct relationships with their audience without depending on traditional SERPs.

Why it’s important:

We’re entering a clickless future where AI platforms store chat history and answer follow-up questions in a single thread. 

Organic traffic will continue to decline as Google and LLMs aim to deliver end-to-end search experiences without sending users to websites.

To stay visible, SEO must capture demand on external platforms and build deep affinity that allows you to serve content directly to users.

How to implement:

• Prioritize content formats that AI can’t surface, such as templates, webinars, and thought leadership content.
• Anticipate emerging topics and publish first. People want to link to the source of truth, and that’s how you earn mentions and brand equity.
• Use niche-specific trending topics on social media to create content that forms habits and keeps people coming back for more. 

More from Chima Mmeje:

Should we stop creating informational content

Should we optimize for Google’s AI Mode

10. Storytelling will be critical to content success

Chioma Anunobi — SEO Content Writer for Tech & Marketing Brands

Prediction:

In 2026, storytelling will move from a “nice to have” to a foundational content strategy that drives success. 

While AI can generate summaries, it can’t replicate human experience or a unique perspective. Storytelling will be the differentiator that makes content memorable, shareable, and citation-worthy.

Why it’s important:

In an industry where 42% of marketers use AI to produce content, storytelling cuts through the noise and conveys value to humans and algorithms. 

It’s how you create an emotional connection and brand recall, essential elements that allow you to serve content directly.

How to implement:

• Lead with story, then data: Start content with relatable anecdotes that frame a problem before introducing the solution. This approach improves engagement and makes content quotable for AIOs and journalists.
• Create case studies that show transformation: Go beyond results and show the process that led to these outcomes, including both positive and negative ones. Personalized storytelling is more likely to connect with your audience than a typical case study. 
• Share real stories in community platforms: Engage directly in forums like Reddit, where user-generated content influences LLM responses. Story-led interactions earn brand visibility and organic citations at scale.

11. AI features will become more layered and visible across the SERP

Tom Capper — Senior Search Scientist at Moz

Prediction:

In 2026, search results will become more mixed, combining formats such as AI Overviews, shopping modules, webpage guides, and nested organic results that vary in position, sometimes appearing below position three or within other elements.

Why it’s important:

The great decoupling of 2025, marked by sharp drops in organic clicks due to AI Overviews, changed how users interact with SERPs. 

If AI-generated features stabilize lower on the page or become more complex, there’s still meaningful visibility and traffic to win. 

The more we see these long-form or multi-step features, the more AI brand visibility becomes critical for SEO success. 

How to implement:

• Track SERP features and AI visibility as part of your core reporting
• Treat AI Overviews and top-of-funnel SEO as a single, unified strategy
• Invest in Digital PR to earn third-party mentions that support AI visibility
• Create high-impact content even if it doesn’t generate immediate clicks
• Strengthen technical SEO to ensure your site is crawlable, especially if you use JavaScript frameworks

Further reading from Tom Capper:

Will AIOs always be at the top of the SERPs

What is AI Mode?

12. Search engines will deprioritize crawling and indexing low-value pages

Jamie Indigo — 100% Human Technical SEO, Not a Robot

Prediction:

The web will reach saturation with low-value, AI-generated content, forcing a radical shift in strategy to prioritize high-value, unique content.

Why it’s important:

Search engines are overwhelmed with low-quality content and will increasingly deprioritize crawling and indexing pages that don’t demonstrate clear value. 

LLMs are knowledge-based systems that rely on established facts and brands to construct answers, exhibiting a bias toward well-known names (the amplification loop). 

New proposed ranking methods like In-context Ranking (ICR) and "deep read" demonstrate a move toward processing a document's full, conceptual relevance rather than just scanning for keywords.

How to implement:

• Showcase expertise: Feature subject matter experts to build trust and stand out from AI-generated content. Use text, images, and video to demonstrate topical authority.
• Prioritize performance: Prioritize key pages to ensure critical content loads quickly. Slow, client-side JavaScript won’t cut it with real-time crawlers like ChatGPT-User.
• Use semantic HTML and structured data: Use structured data (Schema) as a knowledge graph to explicitly define your brand, products, and concepts for AI consumption. Focus on a strong overall concept representation for each page.

13. Web Guide will become the default SERP for informational queries

Dr. Pete Meyers — Principal Innovation Architect at Moz

Prediction:

In 2026, Google’s Web Guide will likely become the standard SERP format for informational queries, blending elements of traditional search with AI responses.

Why it’s important:

Web Guide combines the look and feel of organic search with the logic of AI models like Gemini. While it looks organic, Web Guide results are driven by "fan-outs" from the original query, and one SERP can represent multiple, related searches and hundreds of results. 

These results often rewrite display snippets based on context, largely ignoring meta descriptions.

The good news is that many of our core SEO skills are more relevant to Web Guide than AI Mode, but we have to think more broadly about keyword research.

How to implement:

• Map the full search journey: Identify related follow-up questions and anticipate how users navigate a topic. Optimize content clusters to cover the broader journey, not just a single keyword.
• Target transactional fan-outs: Even if the main keyword is informational, look for fan-outs that suggest higher intent and create content to match those decision-stage queries.
• Structure content for passage ranking: Format your content with clearly defined, standalone sections that can be surfaced independently to increase visibility across a broader range of queries.

More on Google AI Mode:

How to optimize your content strategy for AI Mode

14. SEO will evolve into influence optimization

Jono Alderson — Technical SEO Consultant

Prediction:

By 2026, SEO will evolve from ranking in search results to influencing the systems that create them. As a result,  SEO becomes the practice of shaping the informational environment so machines (and people) understand you in the way you intend.

Why it’s important:

Today’s systems assemble brand understanding from fragmented, external signals, such as content, reviews, discussions, and everything in between. 

Your reputation now lives beyond your own platforms, shaped by inputs you don’t control. The goal of influence optimization is to guide how those dots connect across platforms, languages, and moments so they align with your intended narrative.

How to implement:

• Build coherence: Use consistent tone, vocabulary, and framing across all brand surfaces. A stable, unified story compounds influence.
• Engineer presence: Don’t just publish content. Engage meaningfully in the ecosystems that feed  LLM training data.
• Model-check thoughtfully: Audit how AI systems and digital communities describe you. Use those insights to inform your strategy and shape your long-term perception.
• Play the long game: Every piece of content, brand mention, and user interaction contributes to the cumulative record. Over time, that record becomes your reputation in data and discourse.

15. SEO will return to fundamentals 

Emina Demiri-Watson — Head of Digital Marketing at Vixen Digital

Prediction:

In 2026, SEO will return to core marketing fundamentals: deeply understanding your audience, strengthening your brand, and delivering measurable business results.

Why it’s important:

In the rush to adapt to generative search, SEO has drifted away from what drives growth. Traffic is down, rankings are harder to measure, and AI outputs are inconsistent. These shifts are exposing a harsh truth that short-term tactics aren’t enough. 

Refocusing on audience insight, brand alignment, and measurable business impact is how SEO stays relevant in an increasingly complex environment.

How to implement:

• Adopt a full-stack mindset: Stop implementing SEO in isolation. Instead, adopt an integrated strategy that includes UX, CRO, content, and paid media to shape the full user journey.
• Prioritize meaningful measurement: Move beyond surface-level metrics and set KPIs that directly tie to business outcomes. Track user behavior, friction points, and micro-conversions. Be transparent about measurement limitations, and connect insights to decisions that leadership can act on.
• Develop LLM literacy: Understand how large language models work and where they can provide value. AI visibility is unstable, but AI SEO tools can help uncover patterns in human behavior, brand sentiment, and messaging effectiveness. For deeper learning, I recommend Lazarina Stoy’s Intro to Machine Learning and Britney Muller’s AI for Marketing.

16. Updating our language will matter more than updating tactics

Aimee Jurenka — SEO Strategist at RicketyRoo

Prediction:

In 2026, SEOs who succeed will be those who update their language. AI search is evolving, and aligning our language with how modern systems interpret content will become just as important as the strategies themselves.

Why it’s important:

Our industry’s vocabulary is becoming outdated as AI search moves from ranking to retrieval. We’re still using legacy terms like keywords, rankings, and backlinks in a world now powered by entities, retrieval frequency, and semantic relationships.

This language gap creates blind spots where we risk optimizing for a system that no longer exists. Updating our internal language and client reporting better aligns with how AI search functions.

How to implement:

• Reframe your reporting: Track visibility signals across AI tools and search surfaces to understand how often your brand is retrieved or cited in LLM results.
• Modernize your terminology: Train teams to speak in terms of entities, embeddings, and semantic presence, not just keywords and links. 
• Rethink keyword research: Treat prompts and topic entities as the new long tail. Focus on the questions and concepts AI tools associate with your brand.
• Prioritize semantic relationships: Consider context when building links. Focus on how your brand is mentioned, where it’s mentioned, and what content it’s associated with.

17. 2026 will be the year of session signals

Veronika Höller — Head of Demand Generation at Tresorit

Prediction:

SEO success will no longer be measured by clicks or rankings, but by how well your content ends the search. If users don’t have to ask Google again after landing on your page, that’s the new win.

Why it’s important:

Google’s Interaction to Next Query (ITNQ) metric is changing how performance is measured. It tracks whether users clicked and if your content met their needs. 

If users bounce back to search results or refine their query, it’s a sign your page didn’t deliver. Session signals are a direct indicator of quality and usefulness, and they’re becoming central to SEO evaluation.

How to implement:

• Map full intent: Analyze what users search for before and after your topic, and build content that addresses the whole journey.
• Answer first: Deliver the solution immediately, then layer in supporting detail. Get to the point fast.
• Track session behavior: Monitor whether users continue searching after visiting your page. Aim to end the session, not just earn a visit.

18. SEO will merge with brand marketing and omnichannel strategy

Jonathan Berthold — VP of Revenue at Moz

Prediction:

In 2026, SEO will become inseparable from brand and omnichannel marketing. We’ll move beyond links and keywords to focus on brand performance across traditional search engines and emerging search platforms.

Why it’s important:

Keyword volume is no longer the most important metric. The real challenge is ensuring your brand appears across a fragmented landscape of answer engines. 

As LLMs influence visibility, brands that deliver consistent signals across platforms will gain an edge. 

This fragmentation creates unpredictability, but it also rewards those who adapt fast and build omnipresent Brand Authority.

How to implement:

• Integrate SEO with brand and content marketing: Align search with PR, paid, and social to build unified brand visibility.
• Expand brand mentions with influencers and affiliates: Leverage niche voices to boost presence, especially in product-led searches where LLMs will highlight only a few recommendations.
• Invest in deep topical authority: Create original research, whitepapers, and citation-worthy insights that build credibility and earn organic mentions.

More from Jonathan Berthold:

5 AI-Powered Workflows Every SEO Should Be Using Today

How I used vibe coding to build custom tools without writing code

19. Digital PR will become a must-have for SEO

Tina Reis — Senior SEO Strategist at Muhlert Digital GmbH

Prediction:

In 2026, Digital PR will become a non-negotiable part of the SEO playbook, especially for brands aiming to win visibility in AI search. 

Why it’s important:

AI tools don’t cite content that repackages existing information because they can generate it themselves. What they do cite are unique insights, original data, and trusted sources. 

Digital PR is the most scalable way to earn citations and increase visibility through newsworthy content and placements in high-authority publications. 

How to implement:

• Activate internal thought leaders: Position key team members for interviews, podcasts, and expert commentary across respected media outlets.
• Pursue fresh angles: Avoid recycling the top-ranking content. Instead, identify overlooked perspectives and lead with originality.
• Hire digital PR expertise: Bring on a specialist who knows your market and has strong media connections to build meaningful placements.

20. AI assistants will drive end-to-end shopping experiences

Ramona Joita — SEO Consultant & Founder at Marketez

Prediction:

By 2026, the entire shopping journey from product discovery to purchase will happen within large language models. As AI tools integrate with ecommerce, users will increasingly research, compare, and buy products without visiting a website.

Why it’s important:

AI assistants are changing how consumers shop. Whether it’s a new outfit or a financial product, users will rely on AI to understand their preferences and deliver tailored recommendations. 

Platforms like ChatGPT are already moving toward full e-commerce integration and zero-click experiences to increase their competitive advantage. Brands that adapt now will be the ones AI recommends first.

How to implement:

• Structure product data for LLMs: Write descriptive product copy that connects related items and links to educational content. Help AI models understand your offerings in depth.
• Optimize for conversational queries: Identify common prompts your audience uses during their buying journey and create content that naturally answers those questions in a clear, scannable format.
• Build brand visibility across platforms: Use SEO and digital PR to secure mentions. Share thought leadership on external platforms to grow your brand’s presence across the sources LLMs pull from.

To succeed in 2026, SEO needs to evolve into influence optimization.

Understand how your brand is perceived across AI search platforms, LLMs, and new browsing environments. Build authority through thought leadership content and credible third-party signals. 

The brands that win the next evolution of search are those that AI platforms recognize and prefer to cite.