Back in 2020 we talked about "keywords" and "backlinks". In 2026, the conversation is different: artificial intelligence, direct answers, and a search journey that no longer always ends with a click. Anyone working with SEO needs to understand these changes to keep attracting customers through Google — and avoid becoming invisible in the results.
Search has changed for good
AI Overviews (the AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of Google's results) already reduce clicks on the top organic result by around 34.5%. This happens because the user gets the answer directly on the search results page, without needing to visit any website. It's no coincidence that so-called "zero-click searches" now account for close to 60% of all Google searches.
For a local business or a small company, this means one thing: appearing on Google is no longer enough. You need to appear in a way that AI cites your business as a source — and that whoever does click arrives ready to buy or get in touch.
E-E-A-T still decides who wins
Google's E-E-A-T criteria — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust — remain the foundation of everything. In 2026, real-world experience carries even more weight: Google increasingly favours content written by people who actually do what they're writing about, rather than generic articles produced purely to "fill up" a blog.
- Show who's writing the content and what real experience they have with the topic.
- Use real cases, numbers, and concrete examples from your business.
- Keep the site up to date — outdated content loses authority over time.
Optimising for AI, not just Google
Traditional SEO has been joined by three new acronyms: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization, optimising to answer questions directly), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization, optimising to be cited by tools like ChatGPT or Gemini), and AIO (AI Optimization). In practice, this means structuring content as clear, direct answers — short paragraphs, lists, and an objective answer right at the start of each section — so that both Google and AI assistants can "read" and confidently cite your content.
Speed and user experience
Core Web Vitals (Google's speed and visual stability metrics) continue to directly influence rankings. A slow site, with heavy images or one that "jumps" while loading, loses positions — even if the content is excellent. This reinforces something we've long believed: SEO and web development always go hand in hand.
Human content gains ground
With so much AI-generated content flooding the internet, Google has started to place more value on genuinely human content — real reviews, forum discussions, shared experiences. If your business can generate reviews, testimonials, and content created by your own customers, you're building exactly the kind of trust signal that Google (and AI) values most in 2026.
How Blank Studio can help
Preparing a website for this new phase of SEO takes more than one-off tweaks — it requires an ongoing strategy around content, technical performance, and authority. That's exactly what we do: we track the evolution of the algorithms so your business stays visible, today and in the years ahead.
Talk to us about SEO for your business