Towards the end of the year, the search industry media is filled with updates and predictions. Bold, disruptive ideas steal the spotlight and cause a feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out).
However, steady internet sales growth doesn’t come from chasing the next big trend. In SEO, what really matters is always the same.
FOMO is not good for you
We are always excited about the next big thing. Each new idea is set as a disruptive force that will level the playing field.
Real shifts do happen, but they are rare. Most of the time, the promised chaos disappears into a storm in a teacup.
Over the years, search has introduced many innovations that now do not raise eyebrows. Just a few examples:
- Voice search.
- Universal Search.
- Google Instant.
- Knowledge Graph.
- HTTPS as a status signal.
- RankBrain.
- Mobile-first index.
- AMP.
- Captions included and zero click search.
- EAT EAT.
- Web Essentials.
- Corridor indicator.
- An overview of AI.
Some say these developments will revolutionize SEO or even destroy it. That never happened.
The latest addition to the SEO hype cycle, LLMs and AI, fits well into this list. After the first awakening, the happiness has already started to disappear.
The advantages of LLMs are clear in other areas, especially coding and software development. AI tools improve efficiency and significantly shorten production cycles.
In biological research, however, their impact remains limited, despite warnings from disaster forecasters who want to pay attention. No AI-driven competitor has captured meaningful search market share.
Apart from ethical concerns about the carbon footprint and excessive energy consumption, accuracy remains a major obstacle. Because they rely on unverified input, the responses generated by LLM often leave users confused rather than informed.
AI-driven platforms still rely on web searches and using SEO signals to train models and answer questions. Like any bot, they need servers and content to be accessible and transparent.
Without strict quality controls, low-quality inputs produce inconsistent and unreliable results. This is one of the reasons why Google’s organic search market share remains close to 90%.
It also explains why Google is likely to remain dominant in ecommerce search for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, the vast majority of users will continue to rely on Google as their search engine of choice.
It’s all about data
Basically, it makes little difference whether the business focuses on Google, LLM-based alternatives, or both. All search engines rely on transparent data, and that will not change.
Fast, reliable, and reliable indicator signals lie at the core of all measurement systems. Instead of chasing hype, brands and businesses are better served by focusing on two key areas: the needs of their customers and the clarity of their web platforms.
The customer’s needs always come first.
Most users don’t care if the provider uses the latest innovation. They care about whether expectations are met and promises are kept. That will not change.
Meeting user expectations will always be the primary goal of SEO.
Clarity is important. A platform that cannot be clearly defined or identified does not stand a chance in competitive fields such as retail, tourism, markets, news, or affiliate marketing.
Ensuring that bots can crawl the site, and algorithms can clearly understand the unique value of its content, will remain a key success factor for both SEO and GEO for the foreseeable future.
Other factors are unlikely to change, including brand recognition, user trust, ease of use, and fast site performance.
These features have always been important and will continue to do so. They only support SEO and GEO if the platform is properly crawled and understood. That’s why regular reviews of technical indicators are an important part of being successful on the Internet.
At the beginning of the new year, you have to resist the fear of missing out on the latest news. Following the herd rarely helps anyone stand out.
A better approach is to focus on what is certain to remain unchanged through 2026 and beyond.
What to do next
Publishers can breathe a sigh of relief. There’s no need to chase a new tool just because everyone else is. Accept it if it makes sense, but no single tool will make a business successful.
Focus on what you do best and make it even better. Your customers will see you and appreciate you.
At the same time, make sure your web platform is fast and reliable, that your most relevant content is re-crawled regularly, and that the bots clearly understand their purpose. These are SEO and GEO factors that will endure.
Perfect SEO is both an art and a science. Although it is more complicated in 2026, the constant base signals are very important.
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