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AI-generated responses appear like a direct danger to the standard natural traffic websites used to get from search engines. Today, LLMs simply rip the content on websites and people no longer need to visit a site any longer.
While I personally think this danger is blown totally out of proportion (based upon information from websites I've personally seen), I don't think it's a reason to ignore it totally. From my own experience growing both blogs and YouTube channels, specifically to offer something, I can inform you that video converts way more than composed content.
And the audience can choose up on more subtleties in your message. It's a lot simpler to tell if someone is lying or full of it if you can see their facial expressions and their tone of voice. So YouTube ought to definitely remain in your SEO and material method. Usage video as demand generation and a method to develop trust with an audience.
And since you have actually constructed the trust with video, your standard SEO efforts will convert much better. There's even more to it. Earlier this year, I had an inkling that if I turned a few of my finest ranking post into YouTube videos, and embedded them into my existing post, my blog site posts would rank even better.
I made a YouTube video about the subject, embedded it into that blog post, and I've been ranking # 1 because.
In 2025, we saw everyone talking about how AI search was going to take over Google. Beyond just SEO, the marketing neighborhood as a whole started to get bombarded with influencers attempting to ride the AI hype train.
It ended up being tough to discover trusted sources that weren't biased or had a surprise agenda to sell us something. While I do think there are advantages to using LLMs in our workflows, I do believe it has been overhyped. And in 2026, I predict lots of marketers will realize that ChatGPT and Perplexity are simply a small 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 search engine race. Search habits hasn't essentially moved far from Google. Beyond simply that, there are a few things that have actually rubbed me the incorrect way about the AI SEO trend.
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 "eaten up" by LLMs and shown to users without anywhere to click.
If you were to take that exact same concept over to Google, you would see the very same conversion rates. Google's conversion rates reveal less because the traffic is greater due to it being watered down by all the top of funnel material that is in the formula. Other things like how ChatGPT can make stuff up, it never fully follows triggers correctly (i.e.
I do still believe that bigger business will set aside a speculative budget plan to check things like ChatGPT apps and other AI SEO tools. In 2026, I predict individuals will understand optimizing for Google will permit them to reveal up in ChatGPT and Perplexity. Simply look at ChatGPT Atlas or Perplexity's Comet internet browsers.
Don't do it. These techniques might work now in ChatGPT and other LLMs, but they're short-term plays that will ultimately get punished. Focus on white hat strategies that develop genuine authority and trust in time instead of going after quick wins that won't last. The 2000s are back. Scammy keyword packing strategies, spending for low-quality backlinks, delivering thousands of ineffective articles all in the name of ranking high.
ChatGPT and other LLM algorithms are not as fully grown. I can't call this individual, but I met an SEO director at a big banking business.
And from there, they are utilizing their primary business domain, that has an extremely strong brand authority, and sending out backlinks to the microsite. And this has resulted in higher rankings for their brand name in LLMs like ChatGPT.It blew my mind that big, reputable business are doing this. And I recognized how much black hat (or grey hat) techniques are going on behind the scenes.
In 2026, I predict these methods will continue to take place. Until ChatGPT's algorithm gets as wise as Google's search algorithm. That seems like a long time from now. Anyways, I personally would not advise taking part in this. It's short term thinking and your energy is finest invested on white hat marketing methods that can stand the test of time and enhance your sites trust signals over time.
Focus on quality over quantity. Share real insights, use your own images and videos, and develop topical authority in your specific niche. This is how solo creators and small teams can beat substantial brand names in 2026. Niche blogging is back child. With a twist. This is among the greatest SEO trends for material marketing I'm seeing today.
You require a real organization, be it a newsletter company, a service-based business, SaaS company, or ecommerce shop. And then you add on this human-centered niche blogging to the website to organically grow your core product/service offering. In 2026, I predict that Google's algorithm will continue to get smarter about which web pages consist of AI material and which do not.
I understand heaps of people quietly squashing it with AI produced material (even going after top of funnel keywords). But what I am saying is that engaging, human material will outrank AI created content with no initial insights. There are two routes I see with SEO's right now: Produce thousands of AI-generated blog posts and get them to rank in the middle/bottom of page 1.
Produce a hundred human post and get them to rank at the top of the very first page. Quality over amount. The first path is based on sheer volume, and can cause traffic development. You do run the risk of a potential algorithm update harming your rankings. And anybody who composes much better human material will rank greater in positions 1-3. The 2nd route is slower, however can yield greater ranking positions and more trust with readers.
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