Majestic

Announcing SEOin2026 - your guide to navigating SEO for the upcoming year! Once again, we've teamed up with David Bain to bring you the very best actionable tips for 2026 from over one hundred SEO experts. Coming soon as a book, podcast and video series at seoin2026.com

Andrew Cock-Starkey (@optimisey.com) believes that AI is taking over top-of-funnel exploration, with users returning to traditional search once they know what they want, so you should focus your content on their next questions, not the ones they start with. maj.to/3PkS4f3

Laura Iancu (@searchpedia.bsky.social) believes that, whether using AI conversationally or strategically, everyone in search and marketing needs to start approaching the AI environment with far greater mindfulness. maj.to/3OCOkFR

Laura Iancu (@searchpedia.bsky.social) explains that AI models mirror your own biases and beliefs the more you train them, and encourages actively diversifying the perspectives and inputs you feed them to avoid narrowing your research and thinking. maj.to/3OCOkFR

Filipa Serra Gaspar believes that apps offer real benefits for e-commerce, but only build one if it genuinely serves the business, not just for the sake of having one. maj.to/4s86L3A

Filipa Serra Gaspar explains that App Store Optimisation starts with auditing and competitor analysis using specialist tools, but requires a distinct keyword approach, as app store search behaviour differs significantly from Google search maj.to/4s86L3A

Crystal Carter (@crystalontheweb.bsky.social) believes that positioning yourself in LLMs isn't about copying others; it's about being present wherever users and AI systems will look for information about you. maj.to/3P5pApz

Crystal Carter (@crystalontheweb.bsky.social) warns that before investing heavily in AI search optimisation, you should verify your audience is actually using these platforms, because while ChatGPT draws billions of visits, Google still commands over ten times that. maj.to/3P5pApz

Mathilde Høj recommends integrating with e-commerce, media, and social teams to ensure organic optimisation runs through all of your marketing activities. maj.to/3OYmX9b

Mathilde Høj believes that search is no longer a channel; it's a behaviour, which means that you need to adapt your entire marketing strategy to it and have a more integrated approach. maj.to/3OYmX9b

Ivana Flynn believes that the fundamentals are consistent across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and beyond: understand your product deeply and let that drive your optimisation strategy. maj.to/3PiopTH

Ivana Flynn recommends diversifying your traffic sources beyond Google, keep learning through every algorithm update, and stay standing no matter what gets thrown at you. maj.to/3PiopTH

David Iwanow explains that YouTube remains the world's second-largest search engine, and alongside TikTok and Instagram, consumer demand for video content across these platforms has never been higher. maj.to/3QmghlM

David Iwanow recommends only creating content that you would proudly put your name to and share with friends, reasoning that if it's not that good, it's not worth the resources. maj.to/3QmghlM

Sean Barber (@searchwithsean.bsky.social) warns that many businesses still aren't aligned on what the business does, who it serves, and what it's trying to achieve. maj.to/4sNIj7L

Sean Barber (@searchwithsean.bsky.social) believes that understanding your users, where they search, what they expect, and how they prefer to consume content, is the foundation of any effective SEO or content strategy. maj.to/4sNIj7L

Ed Ziubrzynski shares that users are increasingly turning to short-form video on YouTube or TikTok for quick answers, bypassing long-form website content entirely in favour of speed and simplicity. maj.to/40piMpj

Ed Ziubrzynski believes that wherever there's a search bar, SEOs should be involved, from YouTube titles to TikTok hashtags, especially as short-form videos are increasingly appearing directly in Google search results. maj.to/40piMpj

Montserrat Cano (@montsecano.bsky.social) recommends auditing your workflows for repetitive tasks and error-prone processes, then assessing where AI can genuinely add value before adopting any tools. maj.to/4cL4pmG

Montserrat Cano (@montsecano.bsky.social) believes that SEOs should stay grounded and focus on strategies that scale across global markets, rather than chasing every shiny AI-related object. maj.to/4cL4pmG

Cathryn Stormont recommends auditing all your business listings and directory citations to ensure name and address details are consistent everywhere, because uniformity across platforms is a key trust signal. maj.to/40tqcba

Cathryn Stormont explains that local and "near me" searches are less dominated by AI overviews, making Google Business Profile and map listings especially valuable for driving traffic to local businesses. maj.to/40tqcba

Tom Rudnai explains that sentiment and brand fit are far better measures of AI optimisation success than visibility metrics, as they capture a much fuller picture of your actual influence. maj.to/4boCBCf

Tom Rudnai believes that AI search isn't a directory like Google because it enters the buyer journey much later and drives far fewer clicks, requiring a fundamentally different optimisation mindset beyond traditional SEO thinking. maj.to/4boCBCf

Maryanna Franco explains that citations indicate whether your website provides enough useful, extractable information for LLMs to generate replies. maj.to/47Hn66N

Maryanna Franco explains that context-rich mentions build brand confidence better than volume, and recommends that you should measure brand role and recommendations over mention counts. maj.to/47Hn66N

Gemma Fontané believes that analysing search results for your target queries reveals the format users actually prefer, whether that's video, images, or text, so you can match content to intent precisely. maj.to/4sGAIrt

Gemma Fontané believes that personalising content across languages and formats builds regional authority, sets you apart from competitors, and keeps your brand visible in an AI-driven search landscape. maj.to/4sGAIrt

Lau Míguez believes that localising content doesn't always mean starting from scratch; often, it's about adapting what you have to fit the local context and data. maj.to/4sD8Zb1

Lau Míguez explains that translating content isn't localisation, because true localisation means reflecting local realities, debates, and concerns, which is what builds genuine trust with both audiences and journalists. maj.to/4sD8Zb1

Simone de Palma explains that Google has improved at handling JavaScript, but aggressive client-side rendering can still cause real problems with how critical page components are fetched and displayed. maj.to/3NwJXeS

Simone de Palma recommends aligning with your client's marketing goals upfront, clearly defining your technical requirements, and finding practical workarounds when limitations arise rather than letting them block progress. maj.to/3NwJXeS

Kaspar Szymanski (@seozen.com) explains that data consistency separates genuinely successful brands from those chasing buzzwords and silver bullets in an industry where shortcuts rarely deliver lasting results. maj.to/46WZknq

Kaspar Szymanski (@seozen.com) believes that Google remains the dominant force, and consistent data alignment is critical for indexing and rankings, especially for YMYL and retail sites. maj.to/46WZknq

Krešimir Ćorluka recommends building your own test sites to experiment freely because it's easier than ever to spin one up and discover firsthand what actually works, including the grey areas. maj.to/4bmDpYi

Krešimir Ćorluka believes that AI search engines are repeating Google's early mistakes, making them temporarily susceptible to old tactics like listicle manipulation and cloaking that Google resolved years ago. maj.to/4bmDpYi

Arnout Hellemans (@hellemans.me) believes that JavaScript frameworks can cause raw and rendered HTML to differ significantly, which affects headings, schema, and other key elements in ways that severely hurt page discoverability. maj.to/40pUjAb

Arnout Hellemans (@hellemans.me) says you should always check both the raw HTML and the rendered version of your pages, because JavaScript frameworks can alter titles, headings, and schema between the two, severely impacting discoverability. maj.to/40pUjAb

Iva Jovanovic (@iva-jovanovic.com) believes that whether custom-coded or builder-based, clean code improves site performance, user experience, and how effectively your site is crawled and indexed. maj.to/3P8lHjF

Iva Jovanovic (@iva-jovanovic.com) believes that keeping your site structure clean and hierarchical, with descriptive internal link anchor text and an organised navigation menu, makes it easy for both users and Googlebot to find and understand every page. maj.to/3P8lHjF

Jono Alderson (@jono.id) believes that digital marketers must understand the Internet's mechanics, limitations, and how it works, rather than treating it like a digital version of print or outdoor advertising. maj.to/4bAO0AB

Jono Alderson (@jono.id) explains that technical website quality is as fundamental as content and links, and believes that great SEO without it is just marketing on a pamphlet that Google can't read or load fast enough. maj.to/4bAO0AB

Charlotte Crowther shares that Digital and brand PR are now deeply intertwined with SEO and GEO, and ignoring them will increasingly cost you visibility, especially as zero-click search continues to grow. maj.to/4aeTler

Charlotte Crowther wants you to understand whether a client wants awareness or conversions, then target the exact publications their audience actually reads, watches, and listens to, because traffic volume is secondary to relevance. maj.to/4aeTler

Jeremy Moser believes that a winning SEO strategy needs owned, off-page, and social elements working together cohesively, targeting the same specific keywords. maj.to/4bsdb6H

Jeremy Moser explains that paid native advertising in authoritative niche publications may not pass followed links, but sponsored content can still rank independently and reach highly targeted, in-market audiences. maj.to/4bsdb6H

James Brockbank (@brockbankjames.bsky.social) explains that traditional SEO still matters, but contextually relevant brand mentions in third-party publications are now the key driver of AI search visibility. maj.to/4rbISYv

James Brockbank (@brockbankjames.bsky.social) explains that irrelevant mentions don't just get ignored like bad links in Google; they can actively distort AI's understanding of your brand. maj.to/4rbISYv

Eva Cheng (@evachengpr.bsky.social) encourages you to extend the reach of your campaigns by repurposing and drip-feeding content across social media over weeks or months after launch. maj.to/4bEDg45

Eva Cheng (@evachengpr.bsky.social) explains that coverage in highly relevant, high-readership publications now matters more than link volume alone and that chasing irrelevant links for their own sake can actively harm your backlink profile. maj.to/4bEDg45

Kseniya Dvarakouskaya recommends that, before you translate a single page, you do keyword research in the target language, ideally together with a native speaker, and give the list of keywords to whoever translates and implements them. maj.to/4y69EEp