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 27, 2025 • 16min
Utilize AI as an ally, rather than viewing it as a threat - with Taylor Kurtz
Taylor Kurtz discusses the importance of utilizing AI as an ally, rather than viewing it as a threat.Discussion points include:Why might AI be a threat?How do you turn it into an ally?How do you use AI for different agency tasks?- client communication- report analysis- content creation- much more?What sectors are you finding to be particularly suitable for the use of AI?What about hallucinations?Any other sectors that you are working with?
Mar 26, 2025 • 21min
Think about about E-E-A-T as your brand’s online reputation - with James Brockbank
James Brockbank shares the importance of thinking about E-E-A-T as your brand’s online reputation.Talking points include:How can E-E-A-T your brand’s online reputation?What aspects of E-E-A-T are key to doing this?How do you align link building, content and brand signals?What aspects of link building, content and brand signals do you focus on most and why?Can you do this in an automated way?How does this link together in an overarching strategy?
Mar 25, 2025 • 16min
Include expert perspectives in your content - with Chris Meabe
Chris Meabe shares the importance of including expert perspectives in your content.Discussion points include:How do you become an expert source?What measurable impact does it have?What statistics are Google using to quantify the level of expertise?How do you demonstrate your level of expertise?How do you enhance your level of expertise?How do you become the reliable source?
Mar 24, 2025 • 17min
Authenticity is the difference maker for content in 2025 - with Jack Chambers Ward
Jack Chambers Ward shares that authenticity is the difference maker for content in 2025.Discussion points include Jack's 5 tips for creating authentic content:1. Curate your content like you’re a magazine editor2. Let your brand values drive the content, before the brief, before the keywords.3. Stay consistent with your message and branding across channels4. Leverage positive and negative elements in your marketing5. Cut once, measure twice
Mar 21, 2025 • 16min
Concentrate on one topic at a time to gain topical authority and improve rankings - Dani Leitner
Dani Leitner shares the importance of concentrating on one topic at a time to gain topical authority and improve rankings.Talking points include:Why is Google focusing more on topical authority?What difference does this make to the quality of content it serves?What does this do for a small brand’s ability to compete?Why can small brands compete more effectively?How do you build topical authority?How do you know the right audience questions to answer?How do you know where you should be engaging with your audience?
Mar 20, 2025 • 21min
Focus on delivering meaningful content to users (and don't dismiss EEAT signals) - Iva Jovanovic
Iva Jovanovic shares the importance of focusing on delivering meaningful content to users (and don't dismiss EEAT signals) .Talking points include:What is meaningful content?How important is EEAT in content in 2025?You say that “Quality content will now more than ever be the main thing for all search engines” - how do you define quality content?By all search engines - are you mainly referring to Google?How do you think that the content creation process should be handled in 2025?How should brands decide on what content to create?How should a brand incorporate EEAT into their content?What are some mistakes that companies are making with their content creation process?
Mar 19, 2025 • 16min
Focus on building brand search volume - with Ryan Jones
In this episode, Ryan Jones shares the importance of focusing on building brand search volume.Discussion points include:Why is building brand search volume important?How do you measure increases in brand search volume?How do you know which marketing activity increased the brand search volume?Can SEOs claim credit for increasing brand search volume?What are the key SEO activities that can increase brand search volume?What are the key non-SEO ways to increase brand search volume?Should you try to increase brand search volume on non-traditional search engines and discovery engines?What is the future of building brand search volume?
Mar 18, 2025 • 16min
Experience (within the E-E-A-T family) is the key element within the AI era - with Gemma Fontané
Gemma Fontané shares that Experience (within the E-E-A-T family) is the key element within the AI era.Discussion points include:- How experience will be a differential element for websites- Concrete tips to leverage experience through Google (&other platforms)- Why is experience so important?- How does Google measure experience?- How do you demonstrate experience?- How will the importance of experience continue to evolve?
Mar 17, 2025 • 17min
Stop assuming that 'producing content' is a necessary component of modern SEO - Jono Alderson
Jono Alderson shares that we should stop writing articles. He says "Stop assuming that 'producing content' is a core, valuable, or necessary component of modern SEO. Burn your content marketing playbook, and critically assess the role of content in a world where Google can synthesize answers to increasingly large numbers of (types of) queries."Discussion points include:Why do we need to burn our content marketing playbook?How do we critically assess the role of content in a world where Google can synthesize answers to increasingly large numbers of queries?What does this do - how do we adapt our strategy?What does a content marketing playbook look like in 2025?What content strategies won’t make it?Is AI going to make content marketing doomed?Can we use AI in a way that augments our content, without fear of being gazumped?How does this affect the setting of an SEO strategy?
Mar 14, 2025 • 15min
The intersection between UX and SEO - with Laura Iancu
Laura Iancu discusses the intersection between UX and SEO with David Bain.Talking points include:Do you need to be a UX designer to deliver a user-friendly website architecture?What are some simple steps to take in order to deliver a search engine-friendly website?How do you like to stay on top of the latest UX trends and techniques?How do you ensure that UX and SEO works together effectively in a large organisation?What do you look for as a user to ensure that your website is mobile friendly?You say that UXR is your friend - what do you mean by that?You advise that an SEO should practise by constantly auditing competitor websites - what does this look like?You say that the accessibility tab in Google Lighthouse + a screen reader can be your best friends - why is this?
