6 SEO Trends for 2026 You Should Know

With search capabilities growing and generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools regularly making waves in search engines, it’s not uncommon to wonder how SEO will look in 2026. Keeping up with the latest SEO trends is essential for staying competitive.

Search engines are already such a dynamic landscape of brands vying for users’ attention, meaning it’s all the more critical that businesses optimize their SEO strategies for 2026 to stay ahead of the curve.

Perspectives d'avenir

"J'aime comparer le référencement à une voiture : même si nous avons toujours quatre pneus et un volant, l'aspect et les capacités de ce que nous conduisons ont changé.

SEO changes too, whether we’re talking about helpful content, page experience, or AI search (all of which have happened in the span of less than three years).

C'est pourquoi il est important non seulement de maintenir votre référencement, mais aussi d'adopter une approche proactive pour faire évoluer votre stratégie de référencement".

Sarah Expert SEO WebFX

The good news? You can start creating an SEO strategy that’s flexible amid emerging trends and stands out among competitors with the help of these six SEO trends.

1. Optimizing for AI search

To no surprise, one of the biggest SEO trends for 2026 is optimizing for AI search. There’s no disputing that 2025 was the rise of AI, with ChatGPT and AI Overviews taking center stage (among others). Now, going into 2026, the focus is on optimizing for AI search.

The increased use of AI search means:

• More zero-click searches
• Struggles with attribution (dark traffic)
• Bigger focus on brand visibility
• Increased focus on content quality

To leverage this 2026 trend, follow these best practices:

• Focus on quality vs. quantity of content: Creating unique, helpful content will help you earn more citations than putting out lackluster, unoriginal content. Focus on providing value and adding to the conversation.
• Answer questions directly: Don’t give paragraphs of fluff and anecdotes without directly answering the query. Providing direct, succinct answers will create more opportunities for you to be cited vs. dragged-out, indirect answers.
• Add schema: While it’s not confirmed that schema impacts AI visibility, there are indicators that it could be helpful for providing AI engines with context. Integrate relevant schema into your pages to help improve AI search visibility — it’s beneficial to traditional SEO too!
• Target conversational phrases and prompts: Don’t limit yourself to long-tail keywords. Start targeting longer, more conversational phrases (Ex. “How do I start building a 401K?”) related to your keywords to help show relevancy and earn more visibility.

2. E-E-A-T more

L'année prochaine, l'expérience, l'expertise, l'autorité et la confiance (E-E-A-T) deviendront de plus en plus importantes dans la création de contenu pour le référencement. Plus précisément, l'expérience aura probablement plus de poids dans le classement des pages sur les moteurs de recherche.

Comment montrer E-E-A-T aux moteurs de recherche

Qu'est-ce que l'E-E-A-T et comment pouvez-vous le démontrer ? En ce qui concerne l'E-E-A-T, l'expérience fait référence à la crédibilité et aux connaissances des sources. Google mettant l'accent sur l'expérience des sources dans un domaine ou une niche, il sera de plus en plus essentiel que les pages web établissent clairement leur expérience et leur crédibilité sur des sujets afin d'être mieux classées dans les moteurs de recherche.

 

Par exemple, les articles rédigés par des réalisateurs et des critiques de cinéma renommés peuvent renforcer l'autorité et le référencement des sites web de divertissement.

Voici quelques moyens pour les entreprises de démontrer leur E-E-A-T (plus important, leur expérience) à Google :

• Prouvez la valeur de votre contenu en incluant des informations détaillées
• Montrez qu'il y a de vraies personnes derrière votre site web en incluant des études de cas et en mettant en avant des critiques et des témoignages vérifiables.
• Veillez à ce que votre contenu soit exempt d'erreurs grammaticales, de fautes de frappe et d'informations erronées, et établissez des liens vers des sources fiables.

3. Micro-intents in search

One of the biggest trends shaping up for 2026 is a new look at search intent — specifically, the focus is on how search is becoming more focused on micro-intents and context. The focus is no longer on just matching keywords — it’s about understanding the behaviors and patterns behind user searches.

A lot of this shift in search intent is driven by AI. Platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and the like all leverage user behavior and past interactions to help deliver better results. It’s not just about targeting relevant keywords — it’s about understanding the micro-intents behind each search and catering to them.

So, how can you cater for micro-intents?

The easiest way is to ask yourself this with every page: “What does this user actually want to do right now?”

We can’t live in an idealistic world anymore where we’re saying, “Well, we want them to do this or that!” Instead, we’re focusing on all the possible reasons why they’re coming to your site and what intentions they have.

Think of the term “SEO audit.” There are dozens of micro-intents hiding behind that query, including:

• How do I audit my SEO
• I’m looking for a free checklist to audit my SEO
• I need a tool to help me audit my SEO
• I need an agency that can help me audit my SEO

So, how can you address micro-intents and ensure you’re delivering helpful information the user wants?

The answer is my next trend.

4. Content clustering

Content clustering is one of the biggest SEO trends for 2026. This strategy operates like a spiral. You take a main topic and come up with subtopics for it — then, from those subtopics, you branch out into even more specific topics.

So, how does this help with micro-intent?

Since multiple micro-intents can happen with a certain search term or query, creating content clusters helps you address the varying micro-intents that someone may have, like the ones I mentioned above.

5. Leveraging multimedia

In 2026, having text-only pages isn’t an option. Most search results include a mix of multimedia, like images, videos, and interactive elements. You need to include elements like these in your content if you want it to rank and be cited in search results.

Optimized videos and images are becoming more important in search engine ranking processes, and it’s safe to assume they’ll significantly impact SEO in the coming year.

Start integrating images, graphics, and videos into your content to add visual engagement to your content.

6. Contenu personnalisé et axé sur l'utilisateur

Our final SEO trend for 2026 is one you’ve likely heard before. To crush your SEO goals in the new year, create user-focused content that provides helpful information. After all, the content you create for your website is all for users, right?

It’s about giving searchers exactly what they want in your content. Provide clear information, answer all questions, and ensure you’re explaining things easily.

En fin de compte, la création d'un contenu axé sur l'utilisateur consiste à aider les utilisateurs à trouver l'information dont ils ont besoin sans difficulté. En restant informé des dernières tendances en matière de référencement, vous pourrez créer un contenu qui trouve un écho auprès de votre public.

Optimize your 2026 SEO strategy with SEO.com

Ready to start incorporating these SEO trends for 2026 into your next campaign? Team up with SEO.com, a group of digital marketing experts with 25+ years of experience in helping clients successfully navigate ever-changing search algorithms while outperforming competitors in search results.

Contactez SEO.com en ligne aujourd'hui pour en savoir plus sur nos services de référencement !