As 2025 comes to an end, I want to be honest—this is the time of year when many professionals feel anxious. Most people already seem prepared for 2026, while many are still unsure about where they stand, what they specialize in, or what direction digital marketing is actually heading.
So let’s take the next few minutes and calmly understand what may change in SEO and digital marketing in 2026—and what will remain exactly the same.
Before making predictions, it’s always important to look back. Predictions only matter if previous ones were realistic. That’s why understanding what actually happened in the last few years is critical before planning ahead.
Two Major Areas of Change in SEO
All upcoming SEO changes can be divided into two broad categories:
- Search engine–related changes
- AI-related changes
AI is a big topic, and many of you already expect major disruption there. We’ll come to AI shortly. First, let’s talk about search engines.
Google Is Not Going Anywhere
Since 2023, we’ve repeatedly heard statements like:
- “Google is finished.”
- “ChatGPT will replace search engines.”
- “New AI search engines will dominate.”
But here we are—2023 is gone, 2024 is gone, and 2025 is ending.
Google is still dominant. Its market share hasn’t disappeared. In fact, people are searching more than ever.
If someone told you to forget SEO and only optimize for ChatGPT or other tools, that advice was misguided.
If the platform hasn’t changed, why would you abandon SEO?
ChatGPT’s search ambitions are unclear. Perplexity is more of a research tool, not a mass-market search engine. People are not shopping or making buying decisions there. Real users—real customers—are still on Google.
If you want to sell products or services, Google is still where your customers are.
SEO is not dead.
But SEO is changing.
Major SEO Changes You’ll See in 2026
1. Fewer Pages Will Be Indexed
Google will become more selective about indexing pages.
Why?
Because discovery, crawling, and indexing all cost Google resources. And now, Google increasingly prefers to show its own content through AI Overviews and AI Mode.
This does NOT mean you should stop publishing content.
It means you must be strategic.
Low-value pages will struggle to get indexed. Only pages that genuinely add value will survive.
2. Generic TOFU Content Will Lose Value
Top-of-the-funnel content like:
- “What is SEO?”
- “What is the capital of England?”
- “How to make samosa?”
Google doesn’t need the 30-millionth version of these articles.
AI can answer these instantly—without sending traffic to your website.
Some such pages will still exist for attribution and citations, but as a professional, you should not invest your time or money in generic content.
If you rely on this content for traffic, you’ll wait endlessly with little return.
3. SEO KPIs Will Change
For years, SEO success was measured using:
- Rankings
- Impressions
- Clicks
Now, clicks will decline, especially for informational queries.
Users can get answers from:
- AI Overviews
- AI Mode
- Social media
- Forums
- AI tools
So why would they click your site?
This doesn’t mean business will disappear.
It means SEO professionals must connect SEO efforts to revenue.
Start measuring:
- Form submissions
- Calls
- Lead quality
- Conversions
If you only report clicks and rankings, clients will question the value of SEO.
SEO must now directly support business outcomes.
4. Website Security Will Become Critical
Website security is one of the most ignored areas in SEO.
Earlier, attacks were mostly bulk and random.
Now, attacks are becoming targeted and personalized.
We’re seeing cases where:
- Websites look normal to users
- But Google bots are blocked intentionally
- Entire sites become invisible to Google without the owner realizing it
These attacks are harder to detect and take time to fix.
With AI tools making technical knowledge more accessible, custom attacks will increase.
In 2026, ignoring website security will be costly.
What Will NOT Change in 2026
Google’s Core Ranking Signals
Despite rumors about AI browsers and agent-based browsing tools, Chrome is still the primary source of real user data.
Until the majority of users stop using Chrome—which hasn’t happened—Google’s ranking signals will continue to work the same way.
New tools don’t succeed because marketers use them.
They succeed only when real users adopt them.
And that hasn’t happened yet.
The Reality of AI Predictions
Anyone confidently predicting the future of AI is guessing.
AI is evolving too fast—even AI company founders admit they can’t predict what will happen next year.
What we do know is this:
- Strong fundamentals always survive
- SEO basics still matter
- Marketing around Google Search will continue to work
There is no real competitor to Google Search right now.
Markets have consolidated, not expanded.
What Should You Do Moving Forward?
Do exactly what has always worked—but do it smarter.
- Focus on unique, experience-driven content
- Stop copying or translating low-effort content
- Connect SEO directly to leads and sales
- Strengthen website security
- Adapt to lower traffic but higher intent
Informational content will still work—but only when it’s original and valuable.
Copied content and shortcuts have already failed.
Also Read: How to Optimize LinkedIn Profile for Maximum Visibility in 2025
Final Thoughts
2026 may feel uncertain, especially because of AI.
But uncertainty doesn’t mean collapse.
SEO isn’t going anywhere.
Marketing isn’t going anywhere.
Your job and business are safe—if you evolve intelligently.
At XYZ GrowUp, we’ll continue tracking these changes, adapting strategies, and sharing real insights—not hype.
Stay consistent.
Stay informed.
And keep doing SEO the right way.
Thank you for reading.
This is Monis Ali, SEO Specialist at XYZ GrowUp.
