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AI-generated answers seem like a direct threat to the standard organic traffic sites used to get from search engines. Today, LLMs simply rip the material on sites and individuals no longer require to check out a site anymore.
While I personally think this hazard is blown completely out of percentage (based on information from sites I have actually personally seen), I don't believe it's a reason to disregard it entirely. From my own experience growing both blogs and YouTube channels, specifically to sell something, I can tell you that video converts way more than composed content.
It's a lot much easier to tell if someone is lying or complete of it if you can see their facial expressions and their tone of voice. YouTube ought to certainly be in your SEO and material method.
And because you have actually constructed the trust with video, your standard SEO efforts will convert much better. But there's a lot more to it. Previously this year, I had an inkling that if I turned some of my best ranking article into YouTube videos, and embedded them into my existing blog posts, my post would rank even much better.
Scaling Innovative Assets for Leading TopI utilized rank in between 2-3 for the keyword "AI marketing tools." I made a YouTube video about the topic, embedded it into that article, and I've been ranking # 1 considering that. In 2026, think of YouTube videos as a method to beef up your SEO blog site posts to rank even better.
In 2025, we saw everyone talking about how AI search was going to take over Google. Beyond simply SEO, the marketing community as an entire started to get bombarded with influencers attempting to ride the AI hype train.
It became hard to find trusted sources that weren't prejudiced or had a prejudice to sell us something. While I do think there are benefits to using LLMs in our workflows, I do think it has been overhyped. And in 2026, I anticipate numerous marketers will recognize that ChatGPT and Perplexity are simply a little part of the SEO market.
Google still controls 90% market share and with its AI Mode and AI Overviews, it remains in the best position to win the AI online search engine race. Browse habits hasn't essentially shifted away from Google. Beyond just that, there are a couple of things that have actually rubbed me the wrong way about the AI SEO pattern.
Some claim ChatGPT has a 16% conversation rate and is much better by more than 2X compared to Google. What these marketers don't understand is that Things like homepages, pricing pages, or bottom of funnel content, tends to be shown in ChatGPT. The informational top of funnel content is "consumed" by LLMs and shown to users without anywhere to click.
If you were to take that same idea over to Google, you would see the same conversion rates. Google's conversion rates show less since the traffic is higher due to it being watered down by all the top of funnel content that is in the equation. Other things like how ChatGPT can make things up, it never fully follows prompts properly (i.e.
I do still think that bigger business will reserve a speculative spending plan to evaluate things like ChatGPT apps and other AI SEO tools. But in 2026, I anticipate individuals will understand optimizing for Google will permit them to show up in ChatGPT and Perplexity too. Simply look at ChatGPT Atlas or Perplexity's Comet internet browsers.
Do not do it. These techniques may work now in ChatGPT and other LLMs, but they're short-term plays that will eventually get punished. Concentrate on white hat methods that construct genuine authority and trust with time rather of chasing after fast wins that will not last. The 2000s are back. Scammy keyword stuffing tactics, paying for low-quality backlinks, delivering thousands of worthless articles all in the name of ranking high.
ChatGPT and other LLM algorithms are not as mature. I can't call this individual, however I satisfied an SEO director at a big banking business.
And from there, they are using their primary business domain, that has a very strong brand name authority, and sending backlinks to the microsite. And this has led to higher rankings for their brand in LLMs like ChatGPT.It blew my mind that huge, credible companies are doing this. And I realized how much black hat (or grey hat) techniques are going on behind the scenes.
In 2026, I forecast these methods will continue to happen. Till ChatGPT's algorithm gets as wise as Google's search algorithm.
Share genuine insights, use your own images and videos, and develop topical authority in your niche. This is how solo developers and small groups can beat huge brands in 2026. This is one of the most significant SEO trends for content marketing I'm seeing right now.
You require a genuine service, be it a newsletter service, a service-based business, SaaS business, or ecommerce shop. And then you add on this human-centered specific 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 websites include AI material and which do not.
I understand tons of individuals quietly squashing it with AI generated material (even going after top of funnel keywords). What I am stating is that engaging, human content will outrank AI created content with no original insights. There are 2 routes I see with SEO's right now: Produce thousands of AI-generated post and get them to rank in the middle/bottom of page 1.
Produce a hundred human blog site posts and get them to rank at the top of the first page. And anyone who composes much better human material will rank greater in positions 1-3. The second path is slower, but can yield higher ranking positions and more trust with readers.
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