SEO 2025 vs. SEO 2026: What's ACTUALLY Working Today

Learn the three CRUCIAL pillars of high-revenue SEO campaigns 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM948Sd_TiY Try Semrush for FREE: https://thankyouninjas.com ==================== The team here at Exposure Ninja spends tens of thousands of hours a year doing SEO for businesses in all shapes and sizes. And over the last few years, it has changed a lot. This complete guide to SEO in 2026 covers what's still working, what's not, and the exciting new stuff coming, and turns it all into a game plan you can copy. But first, let's recognise what search actually looks like these days. When you search on Google, you see sponsored results, big AI Overviews with recommendations, and discussions from Reddit and Quora, mixed in with organic results. As marketers, we need to understand how to improve our visibility in each of these different areas. In this video, I break down: • What's still working — solid technical foundations (crawlability, schema markup, fast load times). Russell Regulatory Services went from 24 leads in 12 months to a 297% increase in just six months by fixing technical issues first. • Why brand clarity matters more than ever — AI Overviews are describing your business in a single sentence to potential customers. If you can't describe what makes your business different in a few words, you're losing leads worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. • How SEO works differently now — 55% of searches result in AI answers rather than clicks. People are still buying the same amount of stuff, but the way they find it is changing. • Why SEO no longer just means Google — your customers are using Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, and Bing. We're seeing some clients get wild increases in Bing traffic and conversions. How we think about this: two-pillar strategies — traditional SEO and AI Search Optimisation. As I explain in the video: "Your customers are now using lots of different types of search. Yes, they're using Google, but they're also using Perplexity or Claude or ChatGPT or even Bing." The four questions that should guide your SEO in 2026: 1. Where is your audience spending their time? 2. How is your audience interacting with your business already? 3. How do you communicate most effectively with them? 4. How can you support their decision-making? This SEO guide for leaders shows exactly how SEO works in 2026 and turns complex SEO trends into a clear strategy. My advice: don't get too stuck in the technicalities — focus on these four questions. Want the full State of AI Search report? Read it here 👉 https://exposureninja.com/state-of-ai-search-report/ Feeling overwhelmed about SEO in 2026? Request a free digital marketing review at https://exposureninja.com/review. We'll analyse your business, your current SEO, and your visibility in AI tools, then map out a prioritised 12-month action plan. Not everybody is eligible, so you need to apply. Timestamps 00:00 How SEO Works 01:16 What Still Works for SEO 07:06 What Doesn't Work for SEO 10:00 What's Changing in SEO in 2026 16:01 Your SEO 2026 Playbook ==================== Exposure Ninja is an award-winning search marketing agency specialising in AI Search, SEO, and PPC. We grow B2B and B2C brands into industry leaders in search. Proudly B Corp Certified. Request a review of your website and marketing 👉 https://exposureninja.com/review/ Follow Exposure Ninja https://linkedin.com/company/exposureninja https://instagram.com/exposureninja https://facebook.com/ExposureNinja https://tiktok.com/@exposureninja ==================== Scripted by: Kelly Wilson Recorded by: Tim Cameron-Kitchen Edited by: DirekVim Thumbnail by: Dale Davies Produced by: Dale Davies and Tim Cameron-Kitchen *Disclaimer: Exposure Ninja may get a commission through the marked links above, at no cost to you #ExposureNinja #SEO