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
Mar 21, 2024 • 15min
Don't underestimate the power of linking sub-categories to parent categories - Katherine Nwanorue
Katherine Nwanorue shares the importance of linking sub-categories to parent categories as part of your on-page SEO strategy.Discussion points include:What about linking the other way around - from the main category body content to the minor category page?Why do this if there are links on the navigation menu?What measurable value does this provide?Does this make it more likely for the pages to be indexed?Will it result in higher rankings?Is the keyword text within the links important?How many links per page do you recommend?Any other internal link strategies that you recommend?Can this be automated?
Mar 20, 2024 • 17min
Adopting search generative experience as your SEO strategy in 2024 is pivotal - Veronika Höller
Veronika Höller shares that adopting search generative experience as your SEO strategy in 2024 is pivotal.Discussion points include:How is SGE changing the SERP?What markets does this affect at the moment?What timescale are we looking at for full international roll-out?What industry sectors does this affect the most?What about queries - what types of queries does this affect the most?What does this mean for the way that we write or optimize content?How are other search engines changing?Does this reduce the impact of Google as an organic search discovery channel?Do we have to turn to other content mediums like YouTube, TikTok or podcasts?
Mar 19, 2024 • 15min
Take full advantage of internal link optimization - with Anna Uss
Anna Uss shares the importance of understanding the full advantage of internal link optimization.Discussion points include:How do you build an internal links strategy?How important is it to have your target keyword phrase in internal links?Where should you have your internal links?How often does your internal links strategy need to be reviewed?Why is having an internal links strategy so important?Can you have measurable success thanks to an internal links strategy?What tools do you use to help manage your internal links?
Mar 18, 2024 • 15min
Understand the whole link profile of your website, not just the tier 1 links - Bill Hartzer
Bill Hartzer shares the importance of understanding the whole link profile of your website, not just the tier 1 links.Discussion points include:How deep do you go?What impact do the 2nd and 3rd tier links have?What tools do you use to research this?How can you affect the 2nd and 3rd tier links?How often should you be working on this?How do you build a multi-tier link building strategy?
Mar 15, 2024 • 16min
Use AI assistance to validate long-form content that fulfills intent - with Mark Williams Cook
Mark Williams Cook discusses why you should use AI assistance to validate long-form content that fulfills intent.Discussion points include:What type of content is this for?How do you use AI to validate long-form content that fulfils intent?What does validation mean?Why is this valuable?What AI tools do you use?How does doing this at scale provide an easy map of what needs improving?What does ‘scale’ mean?What does an easy map of what needs improving look like?
Mar 14, 2024 • 16min
Reduce, reuse, recycle applies to your website as well as the products you use - with Natalie Arney
Natalie Arney believes that reduce, reuse, recycle applies to your website as well as the products you use.Discussion points include:How do you Reduce, reuse, and recycle content?How do you review your content?How do you determine what you already have provides value?How do you provide more value?How do you ensure that content stays relevant - or do you always have to review content?What style of content are users typically enjoying at the moment?
Mar 13, 2024 • 16min
Make sure your agency is maximizing its use of AI - with Santi Clarke
In this episode, Santi Clarke from Duda recommends that your agency is maximizing its use of AI.Discussion points include:How has AI changed the way that agencies work?How do you maximize your use of AI?How do you know what aI you should be using?How do you stay on top of the most appropriate AI to be using?What are your favourite AI tools for agencies at the moment?How do you think an agency’s use of AI will continue to evolve over the coming year?What is the future of the agency model, thanks to AI?
Mar 12, 2024 • 17min
How to harness the power of informational content for e-commerce sites - with Jack Chambers-Ward
Jack Chambers-Ward shares how to harness the power of informational content for e-commerce sites.Discussion points include:Why is informational content so important for ecommerce sites?Can Informational content help at every stage of the customer journey?How do How-to articles help?What about comparison articles - are they important for E-E-A-T?How do you deal with landing pages for seasonal products?How do you use FAQs?
Mar 11, 2024 • 18min
How to Level-Up Content, Tech and Links in your SEO - with Lidia Infante
Lidia Infante shows how to level-up content, tech and links in your SEO.Discussion points include:- With opinionated, unique, expert-driven contentWhat’s an example of this?How to you go about creating this?Why can’t AI replicate this?- Rich Schema markupWhat Schema do you need to use?How do you insert it and manage it?Will AI not lead to the end of Rich Schema?- Focusing on brand awarenessWhat does that mean practically for SEO?Where do you want to see the increased brand awareness?How do you measure the impact of improved brand awareness?
Mar 8, 2024 • 18min
Think Human-First with your AI Copywriting - with Bibi Raven
Bibi Raven says that you need to think human-first with your AI copywriting.Discussion points include:What does Human-first AI copywriting mean?What do you love about AI language models?What don’t you love about AI language models?What do we need to do about AI copywriting?What does authenticity mean?Should a business define a brand voice?How does a business know that it is investing in the right creativity?
