- How is AI transforming content creation in 2026? AI is becoming fully integrated into content marketing strategies, with over 80% of marketers using it to identify content gaps, build content clusters, create outlines, edit and proofread content, and integrate brand voice into platforms for more efficient content production.
- Why is video content dominating marketing strategies? Video marketing is used by 91% of businesses because it boosts conversion rates by up to 80%, performs better than other content formats according to 71% of marketers, and meets the 83% consumer demand driven by mobile technology adoption and preferences for visual content.
- What makes personalization essential for content marketing? AI search has created user expectations for tailored information, making personalized content—whether through dynamic content that changes based on visitors or content targeting specific audience segments—a mandatory priority for keeping audiences engaged and interested in 2026.
- How can brands build trust and authority in the AI era? Brands must position themselves as trustworthy authorities by integrating expertise from real industry experts, being transparent in storytelling, providing data-backed proof, and ensuring content sounds humanistic rather than robotic to stand out from AI-generated content.
- What is user-generated content’s impact on consumer confidence? UGC makes up to 73% of consumers more confident in products or services by prioritizing authenticity and relevance through organic reviews, testimonials, influencer videos, and case studies that showcase real customer experiences rather than purely promotional messaging.
Content marketing has been a long-standing staple in the marketing world — it helps you rank in search results, drive traffic to your website, and establish your trust and authority.
In the age of AI search, content is even more important — it’s one of the most powerful tools you have for increasing brand visibility and building that trust and authority.
So if you want to maximize success with your content marketing strategy, you need to keep on top of content marketing trends to ensure you’re maximizing the impact of your content.
Below, we’ll break down some of the biggest content marketing trends of 2026, which includes:
1. AI fully integrating into content creation
A IA está transformando continuamente todos os setores, e o marketing de conteúdo não ficou para trás. A previsão é de que a receita global de marketing com IA atinja a impressionante cifra de US$ 107 bilhões em 2028 e, compreensivelmente, mais de 80% dos profissionais de marketing em todo o mundo já estão integrando alguma forma de IA em suas estratégias de marketing on-line.
In 2026, AI will be an integral part of the content creation process. Essentially, most marketers will be using AI in one way or another to aid in their content creation strategy.
Here are some of the ways content marketers are expected to use AI for content creation:
- Identifying content gaps to find opportunities for new content
- Building content clusters to enhance topical authority
- Creating content outlines
- Editing and proofreading content
- Integrating brand voice into platforms to produce branded content
🤔 Will marketers use AI to fully create content?
When mentioning AI as one of the top content marketing trends, you’re naturally wondering if marketers will use AI to fully create their content. In short, yes, marketers will use AI to fully create content — but it doesn’t mean you should.
Creating content using AI, without any oversight or structure, will cause it to flop and hurt your SEO performance (hello spam penalties!). You can use AI to help with a lot of your content process, but it needs to be done smartly.
Creating content with AI doesn’t mean you fully take your hands off the wheel. It needs structure and guidance through good prompting. It needs humans reading and verifying that the information is correct. Those same humans also need to be reading it and making sure it sounds human and not robotic.
At the end of the day, AI shouldn’t be doing all the work with creating your content — it should work in tandem with your content strategy, not as a replacement.
2. Expanding video dominance
Video marketing is a leading content marketing trend in 2026 with over 91% of businesses employing it as part of their strategy. Consumer demand for video is currently at 83%, which can be attributed to the increasing adoption of mobile technology that makes it more convenient for users to consume video content.
You need to leverage video as a form of content marketing to boost authentic engagement, real-time interaction, and higher SEO rankings. Video has the potential to boost conversion rates by up to 80%, and according to 71% of marketers, it performs better than all other forms of content marketing.
If you’re looking to leverage this content marketing trend, here are some best practices:
- Publique clipes de vídeo curtos em várias plataformas de mídia social, como Instagram, TikTok e YouTube Shorts
- Crie vídeos longos e educativos no estilo de documentário, podcast ou webinar para detalhar ideias complexas para seu público
- Sempre inclua chamadas para ação (CTAs) em seus vídeos para mover os usuários pelo funil de conversão
- Aumente o envolvimento usando conteúdo de vídeo para compartilhar histórias com seu público
- Inclua vídeos gerados por usuários, como vídeos de desembalagem de produtos, em sua estratégia
- Otimize os vídeos com SEO, incluindo palavras-chave nas descrições e marcações dos vídeos
3. Personalization of content
In 2026, you can’t have content on your website without personalizing it for users. AI search has created a desire for tailored information — since these platforms tailor their responses based on what the user wants, more people expect personalized experiences. As a result, it’s going to be a huge priority for 2026.
Personalization of content can vary in how it looks. It can mean adding dynamic content that changes based on who visits your content. It can also mean creating content that’s meant for one specific segment of your audience.
Either way, you’ll need to start thinking about how you can add personalized touches to your marketing that keep your audience engaged and interested.
4. Building trust and authority
You’ve long heard marketing experts preach about making yourself a trustworthy authority — it’s good for search engines and your brand reputation. Now, in the age of AI, it’s practically mandatory. If you want to reach people with your content, you need to position your brand as a trustworthy and reliable authority.
You can build your brand trust and authority by:
- Integrating expertise from real experts in your field
- Being transparent and telling the whole story (not just one side)
- Providing proof with data
- Make sure your content sounds humanistic, not robotic
5. Utilizing user-generated content (UGC)
Em uma época em que os usuários valorizam muito a autenticidade e a relevância, é vantajoso para sua empresa começar a aproveitar o UGC em suas campanhas de marketing de conteúdo. O UGC prioriza os usuários e o valor que eles esperam obter, em vez da probabilidade de se tornar uma tendência ou de obter uma classificação elevada nos mecanismos de pesquisa.
A tendência de marketing de conteúdo UGC tem o potencial de fazer com que até 73% dos consumidores tenham mais confiança em seus produtos ou serviços. Navegar pelo UGC pode ser complicado porque você precisa que seus clientes ouçam uma mensagem específica sem ser explorador.
Here’s how you can see success with UGC:
- Determine suas metas: Quais resultados você deseja? Você quer aumentar o conhecimento da marca ou impulsionar as conversões e as vendas?
- Selecione o tipo de conteúdo: Você confiará em avaliações e depoimentos orgânicos? Vídeos de interação com produtos feitos por influenciadores? Ou estudos de caso que incluam sua marca?
- Decida onde você fará a postagem: Como você usará o conteúdo? Você hospedará estudos de caso em uma página dedicada em seu website? Ou repostará vídeos e histórias marcadas em seus feeds do Facebook e do Instagram?
- Simplifique o envio de material de UGC: Como os clientes e influenciadores enviarão o UGC? Existe um formulário que eles precisam preencher para o envio de material? Ou eles podem publicar em suas páginas pessoais e depois você repostará?
6. Increasing interactive content for unique experiences
If there’s some AI can’t replicate, it’s interactive content. Interactive content includes things like calculators, quizzes, tools, and other elements that require a user to (as the name suggests) interact to access the content!
It’s one of the top content marketing trends for 2026 because it’s something that can help your brand stand out from the AI noise.
You’ll want to think about how you can best apply interactive elements to your website. It’s important that they fit with your brand and make sense for your website. Don’t add interactive elements just to have them!
7. Creating thought leadership content
I mentioned this a few times earlier, but AI is creating a strong need for expertise and authority. It’s also creating a need for content that stands out from AI slop. That’s why thought leadership content is an upcoming content marketing trend for 2026.
Thought-leadership content can do any of the following:
- Dive deeper into a topic through research and insights
- Provide a unique perspective on a topic
- Provide an expert opinion or prediction about something
This content focuses on talking about what others aren’t talking about and provides a unique angle, thought, or idea for others to consider.
Creating this type of content establishes your expertise and authority within your industry’s space, making you a trusted resource.
Stay ahead of the curve with content marketing services
While you invest time and energy to keep up with the trends in your industry, you might be unable to stay up to date with content marketing trends.
That’s where a content marketing agency like WebFX — the company behind SEO.com — comes in. We offer data-driven content marketing services that drive traffic and conversions, allowing you to focus on impressing your customers with the best products or services.
With 3 million+ hours of expertise, we can help you produce over 65 content formats to drive traffic by over 10%.
Request a free quote today to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals by following these 2026 content marketing trends.
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