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
Apr 24, 2025 • 16min
The importance of refreshing old content - with Filipa Serra Gaspar
Filipa Serra Gaspar talks about the importance of refreshing old content.Discussion points include:How do you select the content that needs to be refreshed?What metrics are you looking at when deciding on the content that needs to be refreshed?How do you know when to refresh the content, when to delete the content and when to leave it alone?How do you refresh the content?How do you know the part of content to refresh?Do you remove some of the old content or just add new content?What tools do you use?How do you know what to add to the content?Can you outsource this process?What are you looking to happen when you refresh content?How do you measure the impact of this?
Apr 23, 2025 • 22min
AI is here to stay - with Vivek Shankar
Vivek Shankar shares why AI is here to stay and what to do about it.Talking points include:Why is AI here to stay?What does that mean for content marketers?What do you mean by implementing AI successfully?You talk about models - are these best models to use for different industries?What is the wrong way to implement AI?How do you ensure quality in content?How do you measure results?What AI software do you use?How do you integrate this into your content strategy?
Apr 22, 2025 • 16min
Nail on-page SEO before doing anything else! With Olga Zarr
Olga Zarr shares why you need to nail on-page SEO before doing anything else.Talking points include:Why are aspects of on-page SEO often neglected?What aspects of on-page SEO are key for 2025?How do you know which aspects of on-page SEO to prioritize?Can you achieve much success just by focusing on on-page?Are you saying that off-page isn’t as important?How do you know when your on-page SEO activities are done?Do you use tools to measure this?How is on-page SEO changing?How do you keep a track on how SEO changes?How can you measure the success of your on-page SEO activities?
Apr 21, 2025 • 16min
Focus on SEO fundamentals and first principles rather than chasing trends - with Monty Mathur
Monty Mathur shares about the importance of focusing on SEO fundamentals and first principles rather than chasing trends.Discussion points include:You talk about Applying SEO First Principles - what does that actually mean?How do you ensure that your strategies are aligned to SEO First Principles?What does high authority actually mean?What are the core UX metrics and why?You don’t recommend chasing SEO tactic trends - why is that?How is SEO evolving and what do we need to be careful about?
Apr 18, 2025 • 21min
DON'T get distracted by AI tools and algo updates - with Greg Gifford
Greg Gifford shares about the importance of not getting distracted by AI tools and algo updates.Talking points include:What are the basics?Why are the basics still the most important part of what an SEO does?How long will the basics remain relevant for?Has anything changed about the basics recently?What does getting distracted by AI tools and algorithm updates look like?What’s an example of bad use of AI?Shouldn’t we keep track of algorithm updates and update our tactics accordingly?Is there a good use of AI?You’re known as a local SEO expert - does this advice apply to all kinds of SEO as well as local SEO?How do you incorporate focusing on the basics as part of an SEO strategy?
Apr 17, 2025 • 18min
Don't neglect the SEO fundamentals that move the needle for a website - with Itamar Blauer
Itamar Blauer shares the importance of not neglecting the SEO fundamentals that move the needle for a website.Talking points include:What impact do the fundamentals have?How do you track and measure, how do you stay on top of the fundamentals?What percentage of your time should be spent on the fundamentals rather than newer tactics or strategies?You talk about so many shiny new things happening in SEO - how do you know which shiny new thing to pay attention to? How do you tell a client that you want to focus on the fundamentals, when all they’re interested in is AI?
Apr 16, 2025 • 18min
E-commerce sites are leaving revenue off the table - with Joe Hale
Joe Hale shares why e-commerce sites are leaving revenue off the table.Talking points include:Why does this leave revenue on the table for e-commerce sites?What is the difference between a collection and a category page?What impact does creating & utilising collection/category pages have?How do you measure this impact?How do you optimise your use of these pages?How do you know which categories to focus on first?What process do you go through to promote these pages?Is this advice suitable for all types of e-commerce sites?
Apr 15, 2025 • 17min
Ensure the SEO fundamentals are done before we proceed anywhere further - with Olesia Korobka
Olesia Korobka shares that it is important to ensure the SEO fundamentals are done before we proceed anywhere further.Discussion points include:What are the basics and fundamentals that you talk about?What are the common technical issues you’re seeing on websites nowadays?Can you share some tips on how best to structure a website for 2025?Why do you start with your goals and expectations from the user?What are a few examples of good goals for a website?How do you set the funnel that you’d like users to follow towards your goal?How do you decide on the users that you want to visit your website?How do you format your content for the SERP?What do you do if you have content that isn’t bringing in the right type of user?
Apr 14, 2025 • 16min
How to use LLMs to build simple SEO tools without coding - with Gus Pelogia
Gus Pelogia shares how to use LLMs to build simple SEO tools without coding.Talking points include:What types of simple SEO tools are you talking about building?Why should SEOs build these sorts of SEO tools by themselves?How can you do this using Screaming Frog?What is vector embedding and why is it important?What is cosine similarity?How do you use Screaming Frog and OpenAI to extract embeddings?You then use LLMs to create a Python Script - why is a python script important?What’s the end result that you’re trying to achieve?What are some other simple SEO tools that SEOs could build using LLMs?
Apr 11, 2025 • 17min
Leverage AI for at-scale SEO output. But do it SMARTLY - with Ben Howe
In this episode, Ben Howe shares the importance of not being put off by the horror-stories; leverage AI for at-scale SEO output. But do it SMARTLY.
