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AI-generated answers appear like a direct danger to the conventional natural traffic sites utilized to get from search engines. Today, LLMs just rip the material on websites and people no longer require to go to a website any longer.
While I personally think this hazard is blown entirely out of proportion (based on data from sites I have actually personally seen), I don't believe it's a reason to ignore it totally. From my own experience growing both blog sites and YouTube channels, especially to sell something, I can tell you that video converts way more than composed content.
It's a lot easier to inform if somebody is lying or full of it if you can see their facial expressions and their tone of voice. YouTube needs to absolutely be in your SEO and material strategy.
And because you have constructed the trust with video, your traditional SEO efforts will transform much better. However there's much more to it. Earlier this year, I had an inkling that if I turned some of my best ranking post into YouTube videos, and embedded them into my existing post, my post would rank even better.
I made a YouTube video about the topic, embedded it into that blog site post, and I've been ranking # 1 because.
Keep focusing on Google, which still owns 90% of search market share. Buy AI search experiments if you have spending plan, however do not abandon what's actually driving traffic and conversions today. In 2025, we saw everyone discussing how AI search was going to take control of Google. Beyond simply SEO, the marketing community as an entire begun to get bombarded with influencers trying to ride the AI hype train.
It became hard to discover relied on sources that weren't prejudiced or had a surprise program to offer us something. While I do believe there are advantages to using LLMs in our workflows, I do think it has been overhyped. And in 2026, I anticipate many marketers will realize that ChatGPT and Perplexity are simply a small part of the SEO market.
Winning Conversational SEOGoogle still controls 90% market share and with its AI Mode and AI Overviews, it's in the best position to win the AI search engine race. Browse behavior hasn't fundamentally shifted away from Google. Beyond just that, there are a couple of things that have rubbed me the wrong way about the AI SEO trend.
What these online marketers don't understand is that Things like homepages, pricing pages, or bottom of funnel material, tends to be shown in ChatGPT. The informative top of funnel content is "consumed up" by LLMs and revealed to users without anywhere to click.
If you were to take that very same principle over to Google, you would see the very same conversion rates. Google's conversion rates reveal less due to the fact that the traffic is greater due to it being diluted by all the top of funnel material that remains in the formula. Other things like how ChatGPT can make stuff up, it never ever completely follows triggers properly (i.e.
I do still believe that bigger business will reserve an experimental spending plan to check things like ChatGPT apps and other AI SEO tools. But in 2026, I predict individuals will recognize enhancing for Google will allow them to appear in ChatGPT and Perplexity too. Simply look at ChatGPT Atlas or Perplexity's Comet browsers.
Don't do it. These tactics might work now in ChatGPT and other LLMs, but they're short-term plays that will ultimately get punished. Concentrate on white hat strategies that develop genuine authority and trust with time rather of chasing after fast wins that won't last. The 2000s are back. Scammy keyword stuffing methods, spending for low-grade backlinks, delivering countless useless short articles all in the name of ranking high.
Now, the algorithm is mature enough to ignore all that rubbish. However, ChatGPT and other LLM algorithms are not as mature yet. I can't call this individual, however I met an SEO director at a big banking business. This individual told me they (and all their competitors) are developing microsites (like small blogs) on various domains.
And from there, they are using their primary business domain, that has an exceptionally strong brand authority, and sending out backlinks to the microsite. And this has actually resulted in higher rankings for their brand in LLMs like ChatGPT.It blew my mind that big, reputable business are doing this. And I realized just how much black hat (or grey hat) methods are going on behind the scenes.
In 2026, I anticipate these techniques will continue to take place. Until ChatGPT's algorithm gets as smart as Google's search algorithm.
Focus on quality over quantity. Share genuine insights, use your own images and videos, and build topical authority in your niche. This is how solo developers and little groups can beat big brands in 2026. Niche blogging is back infant. But with a twist. This is among the greatest SEO patterns for content marketing I'm seeing right now.
You require a genuine service, be it a newsletter service, a service-based company, SaaS business, or ecommerce shop. And then you add on this human-centered niche blogging to the site to organically grow your core product/service offering. In 2026, I anticipate that Google's algorithm will continue to get smarter about which web pages include AI material and which don't.
In truth, I know tons of individuals silently crushing it with AI produced content (even pursuing top of funnel keywords). But what I am saying is that engaging, human content will outrank AI produced material without any initial insights. There are 2 paths I see with SEO's right now: Produce countless AI-generated blog site posts and get them to rank in the middle/bottom of page 1.
Produce a hundred human blog posts and get them to rank at the top of the first page. Quality over amount. The very first path is based on large volume, and can cause traffic development. But you do run the risk of a prospective algorithm upgrade harming your rankings. And anyone who writes much better human content will rank higher in positions 1-3. The second path is slower, however can yield greater ranking positions and more trust with readers.
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