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.

Insights from

“I like to compare SEO to cars — while we still have four tires and a steering wheel, the look and capabilities of what we drive have changed.

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).

That’s why it’s important to not only maintain your SEO but also take a proactive approach in evolving your SEO strategy.”

Sarah WebFX SEO Expert

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

E-E-A-T, or Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust, will become increasingly important when creating SEO content in the coming year. Specifically, experience will likely hold more weight in ranking pages on search engines.

How to demonstrate E-E-A-T to search engines

So, what is E-E-A-T and how can you demonstrate it? Concerning E-E-A-T, experience refers to the credibility and knowledge of sources. With Google emphasizing sources’ experience with a topic or niche, it will become increasingly essential that web pages clearly establish their experience and credibility on topics to rank higher on search engines.

 

For example, articles written by renowned film directors and movie critics can boost the authority and SEO for entertainment websites.

Below are a few ways businesses can demonstrate E-E-A-T (more importantly, experience) to Google:

• Prove the value of your content by including detailed information
• Show that there are real people behind your website by including case studies and highlighting verifiable reviews and testimonials
• Ensure your content is free of grammatical errors, typos, and misinformation, and link to reputable sources

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. Personalized, user-focused content

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.

Ultimately, creating user-focused content is about helping users find the information they need without hassle. Staying informed about the latest SEO trends will help you create content that resonates with your audience.

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.

Contact SEO.com online today to learn more about our SEO services!