SEO in 2026
Majestic.com
SEO is continuing to change at an alarming pace. And yet, in some sense, the principles of good SEO remain the same.
Hello, and welcome to SEO in 2026 – a significant repository of current thinking from many of the world’s leading SEOs.
We're pleased to be able to welcome you to the fifth book and fifth series in this podcast, now well and truly an annual tradition, brought to you by Majestic.
“How people search has seen a bigger shift in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, and this makes SEOin2026 a must-read for anyone working in the industry. Majestic has brought together 117 of the SEO industry's brightest minds to share their insights into what matters, and what doesn't, to continue to drive growth with organic search during a period of massive uncertainty, and the book should be seen as a valuable reference point to keep your strategy on the right track.”
JAMES BROCKBANK
Managing Director and Founder, Digitaloft
“I highly recommend that every SEO professional set aside a couple of days for SEOin2026. You'll thank me for helping you plan your year effectively. I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world's leading SEO champions.”
NITIN MANCHANDA
Founder & Chief SEO Consultant, Botpresso
“This collection of wisdom from many of the best minds in SEO today is a great line in the sand of where we as an industry are, what problems we face, and how we tackle them. Anyone in SEO or marketing should be dipping into this on a regular basis.”
SIMON COX
Technical SEO Consultant, Cox and Co. Creative
“This series continues to be the industry’s leading source of the most timely advice a marketer could ever want. The most forward-thinking SEO experts in the world come together once a year to create this invaluable collection of new knowledge that should never be passed up on!”
PAM AUNGST CRONIN
President and Founder, Pam Ann Marketing and Stealth Search and Analytics
“2025 has been a sprint for the SEO industry, with AI reshaping how we understand visibility, relevance, and authority. SEOin2026 is not just another trends book; it’s a roadmap for what’s actually coming. I loved being part of it and seeing how experts around the world approach the same challenges from different angles.”
RAMONA JOITA
SEO Consultant and Founder
“David is good at drawing out the substance of a conversation. He will explore the topic and challenge assumptions, steer the conversation into an unexpected direction, and build on your ideas – making you think a bit deeper and sharper. Our recent conversation flew by as always, and as always – I’ve come out energised about the topic with more to think about.”
SUKHJINDER SINGH
Freelance SEO Consultant
Hello, and welcome to SEO in 2026 – a significant repository of current thinking from many of the world’s leading SEOs.
We're pleased to be able to welcome you to the fifth book and fifth series in this podcast, now well and truly an annual tradition, brought to you by Majestic.
“How people search has seen a bigger shift in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, and this makes SEOin2026 a must-read for anyone working in the industry. Majestic has brought together 117 of the SEO industry's brightest minds to share their insights into what matters, and what doesn't, to continue to drive growth with organic search during a period of massive uncertainty, and the book should be seen as a valuable reference point to keep your strategy on the right track.”
JAMES BROCKBANK
Managing Director and Founder, Digitaloft
“I highly recommend that every SEO professional set aside a couple of days for SEOin2026. You'll thank me for helping you plan your year effectively. I'm extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the world's leading SEO champions.”
NITIN MANCHANDA
Founder & Chief SEO Consultant, Botpresso
“This collection of wisdom from many of the best minds in SEO today is a great line in the sand of where we as an industry are, what problems we face, and how we tackle them. Anyone in SEO or marketing should be dipping into this on a regular basis.”
SIMON COX
Technical SEO Consultant, Cox and Co. Creative
“This series continues to be the industry’s leading source of the most timely advice a marketer could ever want. The most forward-thinking SEO experts in the world come together once a year to create this invaluable collection of new knowledge that should never be passed up on!”
PAM AUNGST CRONIN
President and Founder, Pam Ann Marketing and Stealth Search and Analytics
“2025 has been a sprint for the SEO industry, with AI reshaping how we understand visibility, relevance, and authority. SEOin2026 is not just another trends book; it’s a roadmap for what’s actually coming. I loved being part of it and seeing how experts around the world approach the same challenges from different angles.”
RAMONA JOITA
SEO Consultant and Founder
“David is good at drawing out the substance of a conversation. He will explore the topic and challenge assumptions, steer the conversation into an unexpected direction, and build on your ideas – making you think a bit deeper and sharper. Our recent conversation flew by as always, and as always – I’ve come out energised about the topic with more to think about.”
SUKHJINDER SINGH
Freelance SEO Consultant
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 13, 2025 • 19min
Omnichannel marketing will be essential for SEO success in 2025 - with Joshua Squires
Joshua Squires shares why omnichannel marketing will be essential for SEO success in 2025 - with David Bain.Discussion points include:Omnichannel marketing (for SEO performance) turns the typical SEO approach on its head by influencing audience behavior to achieve results in the SERPs. Google's leak plus what was revealed in the antitrust suit have made it clear that user interaction is one of the most powerful signals. To influence behavior, users need to see and hear a message multiple times over a long period of time and they need to see social proof that what they are being asked to do is going to in some way benefit them.SEOs can add wind to the sails of other channels by providing essential research, audience and competitor insights, and technical know-how. Getting people to search won't matter if the landing page isn't findable on search. To further add value, the output of omnichannel marketing will naturally build up a brand's entity in search-- which also has value in terms of being visible in AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT.
Feb 12, 2025 • 21min
Do not forget to prepare for Agentic Search - with Gianluca Fiorelli
Gianluca Fiorelli discusses how to prepare for Agentic Search, with David Bain.Discussion points include:What is agentic search?What is an example of it?Why is it so important?How does it work?What do SEOs need to do to prepare for it?How do you measure success?How do you pitch the value of this internally?Read the full transcript of Gianluca's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/additional-insights/gianluca-fiorelli
Feb 11, 2025 • 17min
Search Experience Optimisation is the (real) definition of SEO - with Nitin Manchanda
Nitin Manchanda shares why Search Experience Optimisation is the (real) definition of SEO with David Bain.Discussion points include:What do you mean by "Search Experience" and how is it different from the "Search Engine" optimization?What about organic experience? (Discoverability on other platforms) ODO - Organic Discovery OptimizationWhy is optimising for user intent, behaviour and expectations important in the new landscape of SEO?Everyone is talking about AI. Do you see any implications of recent AI developments on Search Experience?How can we use AI-powered tools and techniques to optimise for the overall search experience?What are the most essential ingredients to ensure Search Experience Optimisation?
Feb 10, 2025 • 15min
Why SEOs must speak the language of business - with Navin Israni
In this episode, Navin Israni shares why SEOs must speak the language of business - hosted by David Bain.Discussion points include:Why SEOs must speak the language of business?What does speaking the language of business actually mean?What does this mean for conversations with clients, tasks and reporting?What kinds of activities are a good use of an SEO’s time in 2025?What kind of reports do clients want?Should SEOs give up on impressions. clicks, and rankings in 2025?How else is the SEO role evolving?What are the key skills that all SEOs need to embrace in 2025?Is this skillset different for SMEs versus larger organisations?
Feb 7, 2025 • 19min
How to transform from an employee to a successful SEO consultant - with Dre de Vera
Dre de Vera shares how to transform from an employee to a successful SEO consultant - with David Bain.Discussion points include:What is personal branding SEO?How do you build Your Personal Brand with Video?How do you measure the value of this?Why is building your Connections and Networking important?What is an example of effective networking?How do you attract clients from your network?Are there other ways of measuring the value of building a network?Should every SEO network?Would you like to talk about any Success Stories in relation to this?What have you learned along the way?If you were talking to Dre from 5 years ago, would you tell him to do anything differently?
Feb 6, 2025 • 19min
Social media giants like TikTok are blurring the lines - with Isa Lavahun
In this episode, Isa Lavahun shares show Social media giants like TikTok are blurring the standard SEO lines - hosted by David Bain.Talking points include:What does this mean for SEO strategy?How does social search intent impact SEO?How differently do users search on social media?How do you determine the type of content that you should be creating?Can you create the same content for your website and social media?What does this mean for user journeys?How do you measure the value of convoluted user journeys?
Feb 5, 2025 • 17min
How to communicate about your technical SEO audit developers - with Rosemary Osuoha
Rosemary Osuoha discusses how to communicate about your technical SEO audit developers with David Bain.Talking points include:What are the key aspects of a technical SEO audit to communicate with developers?How should this communication occur?Over what timeframe should this communication occur?How has what is necessary to communicate changed over time?What are the aspects of a technical SEO audit that aren’t necessary to communicate with developers? Read the full transcript of Rosemary's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/additional-insights/rosemary-osuoha
Feb 4, 2025 • 16min
Social search is more important than ever - with Mathilde Høj
In this episode, Mathilde Høj shares how social search is more important than ever - with David Bain.Talking points include:Why are users fleeing Google and turning to TikTok?What are the types of searches on TikTok?How do you Incorporate TikTok into your search strategy?How do you catch all user touchpoints?What do you optimise for in TikTok?How do you combine this strategy with YouTube and your website?How will AIO impact social search?
Feb 3, 2025 • 18min
Focus on non-login forums to secure placements - with Navah Hopkins
Navah Hopkins shares the importance of focusing on non-login forums to secure placements with David Bain.Discussion points include:What are the benefits to seeking placements on non-login forums?What placement / content type are you referring to?Does the size of the forum matter?How do you select the forum that is optimal for your business?When you talk about getting data for paid and organic creative, what data are you referring to?Why does this bypass the need to rank organically?How do you identify if a forum has the right audience?What kind of feedback are you looking for on forums?Are there any other benefits to doing this?Should you still try to rank your organic content on Google too?
Jan 31, 2025 • 16min
Democratise your content strategy to leverage the emerging search universe – with Ashley Liddell
To help you understand where to focus your attention with so many different platforms at the table, Ashley Liddell from Deviation encourages you to trust the democratic process.Ashley says: “Audiences are diversifying the platforms that they’re leveraging for search and the search landscape is democratising.As that happens, SEOs need to be democratising their content strategies to go across these platforms and leverage this search universe that’s emerging.”
