2026 Google predictions: How will search change
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It’s not new news that the SEO game is changing, fundamentally. Within this post, we’re not predicting algorithm updates or spam updates, but I quizzed some of our expert Organic team to reveal their SEO predictions for 2026, and beyond.
By 2026, the SERP real estate will have shifted significantly and there will be no more talk of reaching “page 1”.
The focus has gradually been shifting over the last 18 months, with the introduction of AI overviews, and I don’t anticipate this slowing down anytime soon. As search specialists, we must look beyond chasing a click and instead focus on becoming the definitive, trusted source the AI engine uses to build its perfect answer.
One thing we don’t know is just how many curveballs we will be thrown along the way, but we do know that it’s going to be a long-game as we shift our mindsets away from clicks and towards conversational authority too.
Blaithin McMahon
SEO Account Manager
"In 2026, search is going to move away from just keywords and towards more conversational, context rich answers powered by AI. Visibility will depend more on having strong topical depth and authentic EEAT signals that showcase real expertise. Essentially, SEO will be all about nurturing web presence and authority, rather than simply optimising pages"
AI has significantly raised the quality bar for trust, over the last year or two. This is due to Large Language Models (LLMs) generating vast amounts of content which Google and other search engines must rely much more heavily on signals that prove authenticity and real-world authority. I personally couldn’t agree more with Bláithín’s SEO predictions – these align exactly with the trends we can already see within the SERPs.
DPR and brand recall will give you a huge advantage
Ryan Jones
SEO Account Manager
"AI models will still be the main focus in the industry but ultimately, Google will still be just as dominant (if not more) and it's important to ensure we are still educating our clients on this and showing them the figures to back it up. I think brand will be just as important as ever when it comes to getting mentioned in AI overviews and other AI models, so DPR and brand recall are likely to be huge and will give you a massive advantage for maintaining visibility in an ever-evolving SERP landscape"
As Ryan mentioned, as the industry remains fixed on new AI models, the reality for 2026 is that Google still remains the main gatekeeper to both user intent and traffic, which is why we would never completely shift focus away from traditional search to AI either.
As AI now creates summaries, rather than linking to sources directly, the biggest hurdle is to build trust, and rightfully earn your spot within those sources. In 2026, we believe that AI will cite those brands with strong public reputations and active PR efforts. Essentially, your brand’s good name is one of the most important factors that guarantees you show up in search.
You must dominate positions 3-5
Trishin Rambajan
Head of Software Development
"From an AI dev perspective, LLMs still very much rely on Google search results to generate AI overviews and deep research reports. Search results are still being scraped and web pages of those search results are still being scraped for deeper research. For this reason, my opinion on it is that traditional SEO will remain relatively the same but a larger emphasis will need to be made on dominating the top 3 - 5 results, and I also believe that the company brand will become increasingly important too."
We’re sure that it’ll come as no surprise that traditional SEO (as we all know and love) isn’t going anywhere. AI systems, such as Google’s Overviews, still need to be fed reliable information from brands and websites. The information they are fed often comes from the top 3 to 5 search results.
This means our focus should now be a dual approach. We must still fight to dominate those top spots, but we also must build a strong, trustworthy company brand too. If your brand is highly reputable, AI is much more likely to choose and cite your information from those top results.
Shifting the focus to back to your Technical SEO foundations
Glen Morrant
SEO Account Manager
"Best practice across technical SEO elements will become increasingly important in 2026 ensuring that all possible value is accessible and understandable by search engines and LLMs. Site speed is more important than ever with the current landscape and It's likely that additional technical aspects will need to be included as understanding of what new models search for becomes clearer and generally agreed upon."
Glen predicts that in 2026, every website needs to be in perfect technical SEO health to become the ultimate source of information for AI and LLMs.
If your technical setup is slow, broken, or disorganised, AI will move to a faster website, where they can gather the information quicker. Therefore, we must ensure every technical element, from site structure, code bloat, redirects, data formatting (and much more) is perfect so AI can instantly read and understand all of your high quality content without an issue.
Regulated content deemed more important than ever
Shona Worsman
Content Lead
"Google will be even hotter on authenticity and trust signals than ever before. AI chatbots are getting a bad reputation for the legitimacy of YMYL-type content. Businesses and firms in regulated spaces will need to put 110% into content creation and blog formats, ensuring authorship, industry recognition, and real-world expertise are all clearly visible. Opinions and thought leadership pieces will need to be backed in verifiable data, supported by credible references, and ideally linked to peer-reviewed or recent data & research."
It’s clear that Google will be obsessed with realism and trust in 2026, more than ever. I’m a firm believer that every piece of content should have a clear author who is a real expert, and all opinions must be backed by sufficient research and data. If your content showcases real world insights, knowledge and expertise, you will gain a massive advantage over the generic content AI can produce.
We also believe that if you can provide insight to crawlers that no one else online can, then you’re in the most advantageous position possible.
Jess Atkinson
Organic Search Director
"How we measure the performance of organic search is going to see a massive shift in 2026. It's not been about the number one ranking for a while now, but as Google continues to add more SERP features and people use different platforms to search, your Share of SERP will become the most important metric. So HOW visible is your brand on whichever SERP you're ranking on, the more visible you are the better. This could be the traditional 10 blue links, or it could be a DPR mention in an article that ranks on the first page, or a brand mention on Reddit that appears in the SERP, or UGC on TikTok that reviews your brand product."
Jess’ prediction will really determine what “organic success” looks like. In 2026, one top ranking URL will no longer guarantee success because the SERPs are now scattered with AI Overviews, videos, images, knowledge panels and other various SERP features.
We need to shift our mindsets, whether that be looking at product listings, a YouTube video, a highly ranked article that mentions your brand (a DPR win), or even UGC content such as a Reddit thread that appears in the search results. All of these are positive brand signals which could result in some serious wins for you and your brand.
Jess also has recently created a super insightful “organic playbook” which you can download here >> https://embryo.com/lp/new-organic-playbook/
Video optimisation will be key
Joel Hopwood
SEO Executive
"As the second largest search engine after Google, YouTube is becoming central to how people search. SERP features like AI overviews are prioritising authentic, first-hand video content that meets E-E-A-T standards and fuels the zero-click experience. In 2026, optimising YouTube videos for discoverability, credibility and zero-click visibility will be critical as search evolves towards richer, human-led experience."
A well-produced video showing an expert demonstrating a process, reviewing a product, or explaining a complex answer is the strongest possible signal of Experience and Expertise that AI can find.
Also, as AI Overviews increasingly try to discover authentic, high-quality content to build their responses, Joel’s prediction is that 2026 will see more video content be prioritised and pulled directly into the main Google SERP.
Owning search presence across every platform
Tom Hemingway
Head of Digital PR
"“2026 search is going to be about presence, not only the position. The brands that can win will be the ones people come across naturally, in lots of different places: news articles, TikTok videos, podcasts, product round-ups, and even in the answers AI tools provide. A joined-up organic approach helps earn those mentions, expert quotes and proof points that make a brand feel familiar and trustworthy before someone is even ready to search. So performance shifts away from chasing single keyword rankings, and more towards share of SERP and share of attention. To do that well, we need to know where our audience actually spends time and what influences them, then show up consistently in those places with content that feels relevant and real. 2026 is about building recognition and trust long before search intent forms.” "
This prediction from Tom focuses on a really holistic approach to Organic – which is something we strive for all sites. Content creation can no longer be limited to blog posts and the odd guide or two, it must be strategy-led and deliberately create assets that can be shared across various platforms, earning the recognition that your brand deserves.
The focus will undoubtedly shift to dominating visibility on social platforms like TikTok, YouTube and even via podcasts and video channels too. Although these are not typically recognised as organic channels in the past, if it’s where your users are searching, and you can capture the traffic via organic means, then it should be.
Final thoughts for 2026
To summarise, it’s clear that 2026 is currently unknown. Who would’ve ever predicted the shift in search that we’ve seen in 2025? That being said, our specialists are all analysing trends and changes on a regular basis, keeping up with insights and are making educated SEO predictions for the year ahead.
The era of chasing the single “top spot” link is officially coming to a close. Success in 2026 will be defined by a fundamental shift in mindset as well as adapting strategies to whatever lies ahead. We will be prioritising technical health of sites, as well as, no doubt, shaping the way in which we report to clients too. SEO is now much beyond “page 1” and even beyond your typical search engines, for that matter.
Omni-channel presence across various platforms and capturing where your users are searching will be pivotal for success. If you’re planning ahead for 2026 and would like to get in touch, please reach out to our expert team today.
