SEO beyond AI panic

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💡 What You Should Know About SEO In 2026

Every new year in SEO brings a familiar mix of panic and predictions. Google updates roll out. AI narratives explode. And marketers wonder what actually matters.

Tom Demers breaks down what is truly changing in the SEO landscape for 2026 and what is mostly noise.

1️⃣ AI Overviews Will Reshape Top Funnel Traffic: AI Overviews and AI Mode are rapidly expanding across search results. In early 2025, only about a third of basic “what is” queries triggered AI Overviews. By the end of the year, that number climbed close to eighty percent. This creates volatility for top funnel, definition based content. Transactional and local searches remain relatively stable for now, but Google is already testing AI features in local results, which makes monitoring conversion rates increasingly important.

2️⃣ GEO Will Grow But SEO Still Dominates: Generative Engine Optimization is gaining attention, but traditional search engines continue to drive the majority of traffic. Studies show search delivers roughly thirty four times more traffic than chatbots, and most small businesses have seen little to no impact from AI search so far. GEO deserves experimentation, but abandoning proven SEO fundamentals for speculative channels is a costly mistake.

3️⃣ Bad GEO Advice Will Spread Quickly: As interest in GEO rises, so will poor recommendations. Some advice encourages creating AI specific site versions or mass producing low value pages to attract LLM traffic. These tactics are either ineffective or harmful. Thin content created for AI visibility risks search penalties. High quality content remains the safest and most effective strategy across both traditional and AI driven discovery.

4️⃣ Google SERP Design Will Keep Changing: Google is balancing user retention and revenue growth, which is reshaping the search interface. Features like follow up questions and sponsored listings that blend into organic results are becoming more common. These design shifts can cause sudden changes in click through rates or ad performance. When metrics fluctuate, reviewing SERP layout changes should come before major strategy shifts.

The Takeaway

SEO in 2026 is less about chasing every new trend and more about understanding where real impact lies. AI will change discovery patterns, but quality content and core SEO fundamentals still anchor performance. The brands that win will adapt carefully, not react impulsively.

💡 The Agency Monthly Report Nobody Wants To Write

The relationship feels strong. The Slack banter is friendly. Results seem fine. So the monthly report quietly slips down the priority list.

That silence is not harmless. It is a churn signal.

Most agencies underestimate how closely reporting ties to retention, even when the partnership feels solid.

1️⃣ Why Skipping Reports Is Risky: Nearly seventy percent of agencies rate reporting as extremely important for client retention, with another twenty four percent calling it important. An almost negligible fraction believe it does not matter. When clients do not see regular updates, they assume work has slowed or stopped. Perception fills the gaps left by silence, and it is rarely generous.

2️⃣ Reports Are Proof Of Work: Monthly reports act as proof of life for your agency. They translate effort into visible progress and justify the retainer every single month. This connects directly to transparency. Clients who understand what is being done, why it matters, and how it performs are far less likely to question value.

3️⃣ Data Alone Is Not Enough: Sending a static PDF is easy to ignore. Dense spreadsheets get skimmed or skipped entirely. To make reports stick, add a short Loom video walking through the highlights. It restores human connection while anchoring the conversation in data. Clients engage more with a face and a voice than page seven of metrics.

4️⃣ Reporting As A Competitive Advantage: Most agencies treat reporting as a chore. That makes it an opportunity. Clear, consistent, and human reporting builds trust, reinforces momentum, and differentiates you in a crowded market where many agencies go quiet between invoices.

The Takeaway

Good vibes do not replace visibility. Regular reporting is not busywork. It is reassurance. When clients clearly see the work behind the results, retainers feel justified and relationships last longer.

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