SEO in 2026

With Google reducing the payoff from SEO by introducing AIOs, building authority is becoming ever more important. But how do you use data to design highly effective digital PR campaigns?In this episode, David's questions to Andreas include:- You suggest Benchmarking link volumes, quality and velocities to see where you are vs competitors - what does this mean and why do you suggest this?- You say that SEOs are chasing link sources, and that they should chase the target destinations instead. What does this mean?You also recommend using Internal search pages as an insight by product - why?- You suggest using indexes to find where you're under indexing on your content. What’s the value in doing this?

Sally Raymer talks about how you should go about tackling changes from algorithm updates.Discussion points include:How do you keep track of Algorithm Updates?How do you decide what are the key algorithm updates to act on?How soon do you act?Changes in intent / competition / volatilityHow do you analyze changes in user intent?How do you determine whether your brand can continue to compete in these spaces?How do you find new opportunities?What are some examples of bad practices that get punished now?How do you regain momentum after suffering from an algorithm update?How do you predict the sustainability of new found opportunities?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

Victoria Olsina shares the importance of building your own prompt libraries for your clients.During the conversation we focusing on the following steps:Data Collection: Gather extensive data from the client, including previous content, style guides, and brand guidelines.Training the Model: Use this data to train a GPT, ensuring it understands the client's voice, preferences, and industry specifics.Customization: Fine-tune the model to handle specific content types like blog posts, social media updates, and product descriptions.Integration: Integrate the GPT with tools like content management systems and collaboration platforms for seamless use.Continuous Improvement: Regularly update the model with new data and feedback to keep it current and effective.

Danielle Neah Amponsah shares why digital PR isn’t just for links - it’s a powerful tool to build your brand.Talking points include:How do you run a successful digital PR campaign in 2025?How does digital PR integrate with other marketing channels?Is digital PR part of SEO?How do digital PR and SEO work more effectively together?How do you measure the impact of a digital PR campaign?How do you incorporate digital PR into an overarching marketing strategy?How is digital PR changing?

Kevin Indig shares that the key to success in SEO for 2025 is automation.Discussion points include:1/ mining insights from forums, SERP Features, and top-ranking content2/ creating massive amounts of baseline drafts for editorial content3/ enhancing aggregator content programmatically

Erik Wikander shares that it is essential that you understand how AI will impact search behaviour and content creation.Topics discussed include:How will AI impact search behaviour?How will AI impact content creation?How do you create unique AI content that performs well in search?How do you use AI for the entire SEO and content marketing process?What are the downsides to this?How do you compete if everyone is doing the same thing?

Ian Helms believes that AI doesn’t need to improve—SEOs and marketers need to get better at using it.Talking points include:How do you maximise the potential of AI?What are the key limitations of AI?Are these limitations likely to stay?How do SEOs work smarter with their use of AI?What tools should they be using?How should they incorporate AI into their workflow?What happens if you don’t use AI? Will you get left behind?Are there certain SEO tasks that will never use AI for?

Bill Hartzer shares that you can use AI tools to help you do your job more efficiently.Talking points include:What AI tools are you referring to?How do you use them as efficiently as possible?How do you link everything up together?How do you ensure that AI is doing a good job?How do you know what to ask AI to do, and what to do yourself?What other tasks are you planning on testing AI on?

Zack Kadish believes that in the age of AI, content marketers must prioritize human-centered, customer-first content.Talking points include:How would you summarise the AI-driven and evolving SERP landscape at the moment?Why is it important to prioritize human-centered, customer-first content?Why does this make it more likely that SEO will be a success in an AI-driven and evolving SERP landscape?What does creating authentic, authoritative content that addresses real user needs look like in 2025?Why does this strengthen trust, enhance user experience, and build brand credibility?How do you measure the impact of this?How do you continue to stay on top of the evolving SERP landscape and how do you know when to adapt your SEO strategy accordingly?

Ashley Segura and David Bain discuss the age-old debate: Quantity vs Quality.Talking points include:- How to produce content at scale- What tools do you recommend?- What type of content works best?- How should content be produced?- Do you favour in-house or agency?- What data should be utilised?

Tamara Novitović shares the importance of predicting user needs with AI & secure backlinks that drive rankings and engagement.Talking points include:How do we Predict user needs with AI?How does this help to secure backlinks that drive both rankings and engagement?How important a ranking factor is user intent and how should we optimise for it?What about engagement - how important a ranking factor is that?How can AI be used to predict user search trends and behavioural patterns? (competitor analysis, algorithm impact, etc).Can we provide AI with user data to help it better understand their needs?What metrics do we use to track user behaviour?Can we use AI to build a backlink strategy that attracts credible links?

Manuel Madeddu shares the importance of not being used by AI.Discussion points include:What are the challenges with AI?What’s best practice?What is a holistic approach?How do you work on efficiencies?What are your thoughts on search engines using AI?

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?

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?

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?

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

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

Andy Mollison shares the importance of using AI to help do the dirty work (the boring bits), but don't forget to be human first. He shares that using scripts and tools can automate processes that would normally take hours.Discussion points include:You say “Don’t forget to be human-first.” What does that mean in practice? What elements need to be done by a human?What processes should you be automating?How do you use AI to create meta descriptions?How do you use AI for redirect mapping?You also suggest uploading your tone of voice to AI chat to check content for brand alignment - how does this work?How do you create tone of voice / brand guidelines ?What AI software do you prefer to use at the moment and why?What are the downsides to using AI?How do you ensure that you don’t end up creating generic content that Google won’t like?How will the use of AI continue to evolve in 2025?

In this episode, Nikolas Monti-Potsolakis shares that SEO will be more about people, building relationships and getting to show empathy. Being in someone’s shoes. Understanding. And ultimately caring for their clients' business. For the person. Not just the numbers. Going above and beyond their needs and egos.Discussion points include:How can you measure the ROI of people?What good does building relationships and showing empathy do for SEO?How do you care for a client’s business and what good does that do?How do you get to understand and care for a client’s business?You say, don’t just focus on the numbers - what numbers should you focus on?How do you build the areas around the numbers into a strategy?How do you justify the value of relationships to your boss?How will this approach continue to evolve in the future?

Amit Raj discusses the importance of relevance and depth when it comes to content and link building with David Bain.Discussion points include:What is relevance? Available vs retainable market / KD scoreLinks - context - what content attracts best links? Most relevant links - content pitching publicationsWhat do you mean by depth?What does this mean when it comes to content?What does this mean when it comes to link building?How do you measure relevance and depth?Where does this fit into an overall SEO strategy?

Desmond Boateng shares the importance of not forgetting the human touch, hosted by David Bain.Discussion points include:How do you know when to use the human touch and when to rely on AI and automation?When does the use of AI go too far?You say that Google is smart enough to recognize your AI content - surely if you’re subtle with your use of AI content then this won’t be obvious to Google?How do you go about demonstrating the human touch?How does incorporating the human touch make a positive difference to Google?Are there other search engines that you focus on too, or primarily Google?

In this episode, Julia Carolin-Zeng discusses the return to human written content, how the flood of AI content has caused a decrease in qualityand seeing a return to content written by humans with a human voice.Talking points include:How do you measure this decrease in quality?Is AI not getting better and better?How can human writers possibly compete with the speed of AI?What does “with a human voice mean”?What aspects of human writing can compete with AI?Are search engines not ambivalent nowadays if something has been written by AI - is it not just all about user experience?What is your process for creating an article?

Arnout Hellemans shares that SEO in 2025 is a lot about task completion and query satisfaction. This means that UX and CRO will start to play an even bigger part in the ordering of documents.Discussion points include:What do you mean that SEO in 2025 is a lot about task completion and query satisfaction?How do you optimize for task completion and query satisfaction?What role will UX and CRO play in SEOWhat metrics will Google look at specifically?What are some examples of UX and CRO improvements that a site can make? How do you measure the impact of the improvements for UX and CRO that you make?How does UX and CRO impact the overall content strategy?How should an SEO with in-house UX and CRO teams?Where does brand fit in?

Jade Pruett shares the importance of focusing on creating original, expert-driven content with real stories and insights - and that Google rewards value over keyword stuffing.Discussion points include:What does the best original content look like at the moment?What do you mean by expert-driven content?Can you use internal and external experts?What kind of real stories and insights do Google prefer?What is your preferred way of producing this type of content?Should we try to produce vide, audio and written content at the same time?How do you structure your content for maximum impact? (Visual content and coding)Do you advise creating social posts from this content?How does expert-driven content fit into a marketing strategy?

In this episode, Fabio Embalo shares that in 2025, SEO strategies will prioritise user experience, leverage AI-driven content and branding synergy, and emphasise mobile-first indexing, as search engines evolve to deeply understand user intent and content relevance.Discussion points include:How do we use AI and Machine Learning to analyse search trends?And what about content strategies - how do we use AI and Machine Learning to refine that?Can we use it to better understand user intent?How is search changing through the more prominent use of visual and voice search?And how is mobile use evolving and how is that impacting SEO?How do you optimise for user experience?Is quality always better than quantity?Where does branding fit into this?

According to Heike Knip's conversation with David Bain, accessibility will be a ranking factor in 2025.Topics discussed include:Why will Accessibility be a ranking factor?How important will it be?What does Accessibility seem more important now than it used to be?How will it impact rankings?What legislation is going to enforce this?What will SEOs and UX professionals have to do to comply with the law?How will they know that their accessibility has improved?What software can they use to monitor their site accessibility performance?What software can they use to find new accessibility issues?Read the full transcript of Heike's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/heike-knip

Sara Fernández Carmona shares the importance of optimizing for both search engines and users. Hosted by David Bain.Discussion points include:How would you define accessibility?In 2025, the European Union will enforce the European Accessibility Act - how would you summarise that and what does that mean for SEOs?What are the areas that providing good accessibility offers beyond visual impairments?-Cognitive disabilities: clear and straightforward content benefits those with cognitive challenges.-Auditory disabilities: transcripts and captions make audio content accessible.-Motor disabilities: ensuring keyboard navigability helps users who cannot use a mouse.-Temporary disabilities and situational impairments: accessibility also addresses temporary disabilities and situational impairments: for example, a person with a broken arm might find it difficult to use a mouse but can navigate via keyboard, and a parent holding a baby might need to use voice commands instead of touch gestures.And does inclusive language form part of this?What are the business benefits?What are some practical steps to get started with better accessibility today?

Billie Geena Hyde shares that Accessibility is sexy again (with the changes to the European Accessibility Act). Hosted by David Bain.Discussion points include:What changes have we seen to the European Accessibility Act?How does this affect SEOs?What are examples of the real data and facts around accessibility?How do we measure the value of improving accessibility?What are some big opportunities for SEOs?Can we use AI to assist with this?How does this fit into a digital strategy?

Yordan Dimitrov shares the importance of adapting to AI search trends with strong brand authority.Discussion points include:What AI search trends are you referring to?How do you adapt to AI search trends with strong brand authority?What does strong brand authority look like?How do you measure strong brand authority in the age of AI?How will AI search trends continue to evolve?How will this impact the need to continue to adapt as a brand?What are the key elements to creating a successful brand in 2025?

Martina Zrzavá Libřická shares that Customer Experience is the Alpha and Omega of SEO in 2025 - with David Bain.Discussion points include:What does Customer Experience becoming the Alpha and Omega of SEO actually mean in practice?Why is customer experience so important to SEO?What data should SEOs be looking for to find out more about their users?Which other in-house teams should you involve to make this a success?What information are you looking to find out from customers?What should you do with this information?How should this data impact their SEO strategy?How do SEOs know if this work has been a success?Can you measure the success from revenue or more traditional SEO metrics?How will customer experience continue to evolve in 2025?

Damien Robert discusses the importance of embracing Search Experience Optimisation with Search Marketing & Web Accessibility - hosted by David BainTalking points:Why is Search Marketing and Web Accessibility linked?How would you define web inclusivity - and is this different from web accessibility?How do you create an experience that’s welcome to everyone?How do you ensure that your site is universally engaging?How is paid search’s role changing?What are some key aspects of web accessibility that big brands often get wrong?How do you measure the impacts of good web accessibility?How do you measure the financial value of proving better web accessibility?

Pedro Dias shares show SEO should work in a world where AI has a bigger role - with David Bain.Discussion points include:When you talk about AI having a bigger role, what do you mean exactly?How do we work in this kind of world?What does this mean for the content that we publish?How do we design and structure websites in order to retain value and protect unique valuable knowledge?Are there any downsides to this?Should we not just let our content be consumed by AI? Is that not inevitable? Will we not at least have a bit more brand exposure by doing that?

Alan Silvestri shares why in 2025, "SEO PR" is essential - with David Bain.Discussion points include:- Introduction to "SEO PR" and its importance.- Guidelines - domain authority, traffic- Key components: link quality evaluation, content strategy, outreach principles.- Creating link-worthy content that serves both PR and SEO goals.- Proactive link acquisition techniques in PR campaigns.- Optimizing for high-value link placements and relevant anchor text.

Simon Cox reveals why it's important to remove the complexities of SEO and get back to basics in 2025, in a discussion with David Bain.Talking points include:What do you mean by saying that no-one is going to be able to keep up with AI in 2025?Should SEOs not try to use AI?What do you mean by saying that you should remove the complexities of SEO?What are the basics that everyone should get back to?How do you ensure that you are focusing on the right basics?How do you justify not focusing on AI to business leaders who might expect SEOs to have an AI strategy?What does this mean for the future of SEO?Read the full transcript of Simon's interview at https://majestic.com/seo-in-2025/additional-insights/simon-cox

Jess Joyce shares why it's essential that you're answering prospects' questions and pain points - with David Bain.Discussion points include:How do you know who your prospects are?How do you know what their needs and pain points are?How do you know you’re answering the right questions?What data do you use?Can you use all this data together?What tools do you use?What does that look like from a content perspective?What does success look like? Why take this approach over something else?