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 7, 2024 • 16min
Get to know your thought leaders! With Paige Hobart
In this episode Paige Hobart shares how important it is for your SEO to get to know your thought leaders.Discussion points include:Why get to know your thought leaders?What can sales reps offer?What can product evangelists offer?What can the CEO offer?What types of content is produced?How do you measure success?Why is search volume reactive not proactive?
Mar 6, 2024 • 16min
2024 is the year of Query Satisfaction - with Arnout Hellemans
In this epsiode, Arnout Hellemans explores why he believes that 2024 is the year of query satisfaction.Discussion points include:How are content UX, core web vitals and E-E-A-T coming together?How do you know which queries to optimise for?What software do you use?How do you go about establishing how to answer the query? (i.e. content form)How do you satisfy UX, core web vitals and E-E-A-T at the same time?How do you optimise for Google’s SGE and other AI results?What is your content creation process?
Mar 5, 2024 • 23min
Influencer Marketing to Influence Search - with Maria White
Maria White and David Bain discuss how we need to be moving from Influencer Marketing to Influence Search.Discussion points include:What does Influence Search mean?Are you talking about using influencer to create quality and relevant content for your website?How do you identify the influencers?How do you persuade them to write for you?Do you ask these influencers to talk to the press on your behalf?What does success look like?How do you measure the success of related social activity?
Mar 4, 2024 • 18min
Creator-Led SEO will dictate 2024 and beyond - with Ashley Liddell
Ashley Liddell and David Bain discuss how creator-led SEO will dictate 2024 and beyond.Discussion points include:What will these relationships with creators look like?Why long-term relationships?How do you build these relationship?How much do they cost?What sort of content do you want them to create?What happens when the relationships ends?
Mar 1, 2024 • 18min
Listen to what your customers say FIRST and then validate it with keyword research - Martin Huntbach
Martin Huntbach and David Bain discuss the importance of listening to what your customers say FIRST and then validating this with keyword research.Discussion points include:How do you listen to your customers?Face-to-face / video recordings / surveys?How do you validate it with keyword research?Are there missed opportunities if your customers don’t suggest certain topics?What tools do you use?What search volume is good?Is zero search volume ever still interesting?How do you incorporate the keyword on the page and within the content?How do you choose what content suits the keyword?How do you try to rank for the keyword?
Feb 29, 2024 • 14min
We are going to have to adapt extremely fast in 2024 - with Fabio Embalo
Fabio Embalo and David Bain discuss why ee are going to have to adapt extremely fast in 2024.Discussion points include:What do SEOs have to do differently?How does this impact the way that things are currently done?What has to be optimised to appear in SGE?How do you drive traffic from SGE?Should SEOs also be using AI in their own processes?Should SEOs also be using AI to create content?
Feb 28, 2024 • 21min
Become "Uncopyable" for SEO Success in 2024 - with Kerry Campion
In this episode, Kerry Campion discusses why it's important to become "uncopyable" for SEO success in 2024.Discussion points include:How do you become "uncopyable"?What’s an example of a strong brand messaging strategy?How do you lean heavily into your own customer stories and what value does that provide?How do you nurture relationships with thought leaders and what are you looking to achieve from that?Are internal or external thought leaders key?Are there any AI evolvements that you are nervous about from a content perspective?
Feb 27, 2024 • 14min
Make sure your content attracts the right audience and helps them convert - with Begum Kaya
Begum Kaya and David Bain discuss the importance of making sure your content attracts the right audience and helps them convert.We have endless opportunities to find the right topics, optimize the websites accordingly, and try to reap fruits before really understanding our audience. However, we've seen many examples where it doesn't mean anything beyond some text. Begum believes we have to move towards the communicative and humane side of things and build our voice rather than covering all we can that touches our niche on the internet.
Feb 26, 2024 • 15min
What does a post-SGE, AI influenced world mean for SEO? With Nik Ranger
Nik Ranger and David Bain discuss what a post-SGE, AI influenced world means for SEO.Discussion points include:How do you leverage natural language processing techniques for information retrieval?How do you leverage natural language processing techniques for text analysis?Why is it more important than ever to understand the mechanisms that underpin how and why results are displayed?What does this mean for SEO?How does this affect an SEO strategy?
Feb 23, 2024 • 17min
Focus on the end user only and understand WHY they are searching - with Eli Schwartz
Eli Schwartz and David Bain discuss why you need to focus on the end user only and understand WHY they are searching.Discussion points include:Why is this important?How do you find out why they are searching instead of what they are searching?What tools do you use to assist you with this?How do you alter your content to appeal to the why?Does this apply to every type of content?How does this interweave with other digital marketing activities?How does this change of focus impact the bottom line measurable?
