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
Jun 26, 2024 • 18min
TTR - Time to Result - is key when planning page content - with Dan Taylor
David and Dan discuss why Time to Result - is key when planning page content.Talking points include:What do you specifically mean by TTR - it sounds like Largest Contentful Paint!What are the key ways to ensure that the user’s key initial focus is on the content that is likely to satisfy their query?What are some of the mistakes that websites make to distract users from what they’re looking for?How can SEOs help to avoid this?How can you measure the impact of this from an SEO perspective?How does this impact best practice for mobile design?How will user satisfaction continue to impact SEO success in the future?
Jun 19, 2024 • 19min
Don’t let AI take over your content strategy - with Alex Moss
David and Alex discuss the importance of not letting AI take over your content strategy.Talking points include:What is a good use of AI?How do you know if you’re using AI too much?How do you measure the impact of creative, helpful and unique storytelling?Why will this always shine through?Why won’t AI ever take over creative, helpful and unique storytelling??How do you use AI tools most effectively?
Jun 12, 2024 • 17min
Update your information on Wikipedia/Wikidata - with Josh Greene
David and Josh discuss the impact of updating your information on Wikipedia/Wikidata.Talking points include:What is Wikidata for the uninitiated?How does Wikipedia and Wikidata impact search results?How does the new AI world use Wikipedia and Wikidata?What information do you need to update to take advantage of this?Should you update your Wikipedia listing by yourself?How often should you update or refresh your listings?How do you think AI will continue to evolve to make use of Wikipedia and Wikidata?Are there any other Wiki sites that SEOs should be aware of?
Jun 10, 2024 • 18min
Change and challenges are inevitable in SEO - with Sarah McDowell
David and Sarah discuss how change and challenges are inevitable in SEO, and what to do about this.Talking points include:How often is it changing?How often do rankings change?What trends do we need to look for?Should we bother with chasing algorithms?What is Google changing about the SERP?What do we do when Google takes something away?AI – challenge, people worried about taking jobs - what are the solutions?What do SEOs need to get familiar with when it comes to AI?
Jun 7, 2024 • 17min
2024 will be the marketing era of “do more with less” - Adriana Stein
David and Adriana discuss how 2024 will be the marketing era of “do more with less” and the way to do that with SEO is have air tight people operations.Talking points include:Why “do more with less”?Is this because of AI?In-house or agency side?What are the pros and cons?Can you get as much done?What is the ultimate team size?
Jun 6, 2024 • 15min
Elevate the value of SEO by developing internal capabilities - agency vs in-house - Luis Rodriguez
David and Luis discuss elevating the value of SEO by developing internal capabilities - agency vs in-house.Talking points include:Is in-house best?What should be done in-house vs agency-side?How do you identify what is best for you , benefits or downsides .What is more efficient?Importance of teams feeling familiar across organizations - is automation diluting learning opportunities for new SEOs?
Jun 5, 2024 • 18min
There's a lot that SEOs can learn from Paid Search - with Dave Cousin
Dave Cousin believes that SEOs like to think Paid Search is easy, they get all the data they need in black and white; so why then don't we SEOs use paid search's data to make things a bit easier for us? Discussion points include:Why should SEOs be working more closely with paid search?How can paid search make the SEO’s life easier?What can SEOs learn from paid?What can paid learn from SEOs?Why is this particularly relevant for 2024?
Jun 4, 2024 • 16min
Staying Ahead in International SEO: Embrace & Keep Track of Relevant Events - Sara Fernández Carmona
David and Sara discuss the importance of staying ahead in International SEO: embrace and keep track of market-relevant events.Talking points include:How do you ensure that you’re aware of every event?I can understand how an event can impact traffic and impressions, but how can an event impact rankings?Understanding user behaviour and intent - why is this particularly unique for international SEO?Spike in impressions but not followed by clicks - why was this and what can you do about it?Leveraging seasonal trends and opportunities - how do you plan?
Jun 3, 2024 • 16min
Businesses should get clued up on how to Influence their Local Knowledge Panel - Claire Carlile
David and Claire discuss why businesses should get clued up on how to manage and influence their Local Knowledge Panel.Talking points include:What is Google’s New Merchant Experience?Why has Google done this?What do you have to do to sign-up?What is the upside?Is there any downside?How do you influence your Local Knowledge Panel BEYOND the functionality provided in the NMX?Why is this important?How do you measure the impact of this?
May 31, 2024 • 18min
Optimise your use of Google Business Profile - with Greg Gifford
David and Greg discuss the importance of optimising your use of Google Business Profile.Talking points include:What are the key changes in Google Business Profile over the past year?How has the verification process changed?Google will restrict content or access if there's a violation of their policies - what are these policies?There are Clearer standards on who can own and manage business profiles - why is this and what are the changes?What are the new guidelines on user contributions?Businesses should have only one profile to avoid discrepancies on Google Maps and Search - what happens if you have 2 profiles?Specific instructions for appointment-based businesses and those with varying operational hours - what are these?What are the current best practices for content posting?What are the current best practices for getting found?Will a business without a physical address ever have an opportunity with Google Business Profile?
