SEO: the 3 keys to success (and more!)

The world of SEO is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends can be a challenge. In this blog post, we're going to explore what we think are the 3 most important ideas for success with SEO, along with other crucial factors you should consider to boost your digital marketing strategy in 2026. This article was updated in October 2026 based on Google Search Central's official documentation.

1. First-person experience: Authenticity as a differentiating factor

In December 2022, Google added an extra E for "Experience" to E-E-A-T in its Search Quality Rater Guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust). Google's current documentation makes two things clear: trust is the most important aspect, and E-E-A-T is not itself a specific ranking factor, because Google's systems combine many signals to identify helpful, reliable content created to benefit people. Since March 2024, the former helpful content system has been part of Google's core ranking systems. In practice, content that shows real experience of the subject, whether through personal opinions, interpretations of data, tests or real cases, is more likely to be helpful than generic summaries.

Why is this important?

Trust and credibility: Authentic content conveys trust and credibility to users, and Google says trust is the most important aspect of E-E-A-T.

Differentiation: In a sea of generic content, personal experience becomes a differentiating factor, attracting and captivating a loyal audience.

Greater involvement: Stories and personal accounts connect with readers on a deeper level and make content more useful and memorable.

How to create content with the first-person experience:

Share your experiences: Write about your experiences, challenges and learnings in your area of specialisation.

Conduct interviews with experts: Interview experts with practical experience in the topic you're covering.

Create case studies: Present case studies that demonstrate your experience and the applicability of your knowledge.

Include customer testimonials: Include testimonials from satisfied customers of your products or services.

Show who is writing: Identify the author with a short bio that explains their experience (the "Who" in Google's guidance).

Be transparent about the "How": If automation or AI played a substantial role in creating the content, tell readers and explain why.

Don't forget: Authenticity is the key to standing out in the digital world. Be honest, transparent and show your unique voice to your audience. Google sums it up in the "Why": create content primarily to help people, not to attract search engine visits.

2. AI in search (AI Overviews and AI Mode): What changed after SGE

Search Generative Experience (SGE) is no longer the name used in Google's documentation. Today, the AI features in Google Search are called AI Overviews (AI-generated summaries) and AI Mode (a search mode designed for longer, more complex questions, with follow-up questions). Both may use a technique called "query fan-out", which runs several related searches across subtopics and data sources to build the answer, and both show links to web pages.

What does this mean for SEO?

No "special" optimisation: According to Google, there are no additional requirements or special optimisations to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Your page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet.

Non-generic content: Offer a point of view of your own, such as first-hand experience, rather than summaries or common knowledge. Organise the text with clear headings and add relevant images and videos.

Technical basics: Allow crawling (robots.txt and CDN), use internal links, keep important content in text, provide a good page experience and keep structured data consistent with the visible text. You don't need llms.txt files, special markup or to break your content into small chunks.

Measure: In Search Console, the Generative AI performance report shows your site's impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode.

AI Overviews and AI Mode summarise an answer quickly, but they include links to web pages. For Google, optimising for AI search is optimising for the search experience, which means it is still SEO. So be wary of "GEO" or "AEO" promises that contradict the official documentation.

3. User satisfaction: The voice that matters

Google's ranking systems prioritise helpful, reliable information created to benefit people, and they aim to reward content with a good page experience. User satisfaction remains a crucial factor for SEO, but it pays to be precise: Google's documentation does not state that metrics such as bounce rate or time on page are direct ranking factors.

What does Google say it values?

Helpful, reliable content: Google's core systems prioritise content created to benefit people rather than to manipulate rankings.

Page experience: There is no single signal. The page experience aspect Google highlights for ranking is Core Web Vitals, but a good overall experience (HTTPS, good display on mobile, no intrusive ads or pop-ups) matters to users.

Bounce rate and time on page: Use them as your own diagnostics, not as ranking factors. In Google Analytics 4, bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that were not engaged (sessions shorter than 10 seconds, with no key event and fewer than two page views). They help you see whether your content meets user intent.

How to optimise for user experience:

Address user intent: Research and understand your audience's needs and expectations when searching for a particular topic.

Create relevant and informative content: Provide high-quality content that answers users' questions fully and accurately.

Optimise the user experience: Make your website intuitive and user-friendly, with simple navigation, fast loading and an attractive design.

Remember: SEO centres on the user experience. By prioritising user satisfaction, you can create content that not only ranks well in search engines, but also engages and delights your audience.

Beyond the 3 keys: Other SEO factors to consider

Content freshness: Review older content regularly, update it when needed and remove it if it is no longer relevant. Avoid changing dates just to look more recent.

Video content: Embed high-quality videos on a page of their own, next to relevant text, with a descriptive title and description.

Natural language and search intent: Questions are getting longer and more conversational, including in AI Mode. Write naturally and use the words people actually search for, especially in the title, main heading, image alt text and link text.

Mobile-first indexing: Google uses the mobile version of your content for indexing and ranking, known as mobile-first indexing. Make sure your mobile site has the same content as your desktop site; responsive design is the approach Google recommends.

Core Web Vitals: These are three metrics: LCP (loading, ideally within the first 2.5 seconds), INP (responsiveness, under 200 milliseconds) and CLS (visual stability, under 0.1). Google strongly recommends good results, but makes clear they do not guarantee top rankings and that chasing a perfect score purely for SEO reasons may not be the best use of your time.

Structured data: Implement valid structured data that matches the visible text of the page to become eligible for rich search results, where applicable. It is not required to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.

Spam policies and AI: AI can help you create content, as long as it is reviewed and useful. Avoid mass-generated pages with no value (scaled content), buying and selling links, expired domains repurposed to manipulate rankings and site reputation abuse (third-party content published on a site mainly to exploit its ranking strength). Sites that break the policies may rank lower or not appear at all.

SEO isn't just about keywords and backlinks; it's about creating a holistic, user-centred experience. By focusing on the 3 key ideas discussed above - first-person experience, AI in search (AI Overviews and AI Mode) and user satisfaction - along with the additional factors mentioned, you can develop a comprehensive SEO strategy that will help you achieve your digital marketing goals.

Remember, SEO is an ongoing process. Follow Google Search Central's official documentation instead of chasing every algorithm fluctuation. By continually optimising your content and user experience, you can establish a strong online presence and attract a loyal audience.

Do you agree with our top 3 SEO ideas for 2026? If not, what do you think we're missing? Please leave your comments below.

FAQs

What's the biggest change in SEO for 2026?

The biggest change is AI search (AI Overviews and AI Mode) living alongside classic results. Google reinforces the long-standing principle: helpful, reliable content created for people (E-E-A-T, where trust is the most important aspect), with a good page experience. The foundation is still SEO.

How do AI Overviews and AI Mode affect SEO?

They generate AI summaries for searches, including more complex ones, and show supporting links. To appear as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear with a snippet; Google says there are no additional requirements. So traditional SEO optimisation remains crucial.

Does Google use bounce rate and time on page for ranking?

Google's documentation does not state that bounce rate or time on page are ranking factors. What it describes is rewarding helpful, reliable content and a good page experience (including Core Web Vitals). Use those metrics, for example in Google Analytics 4, as your own diagnostics of user satisfaction.

Is keyword research still important?

Keywords remain a fundamental aspect of SEO. However, the focus has shifted to understanding the user intent behind the keywords and creating content that fulfils those specific needs. Use the words people search for, especially in the title, headings, alt text and link text, and avoid keyword stuffing, which breaks the spam policies.

How can I create content that reflects the first-person experience?

Share your own experiences, conduct interviews with experts, create case studies that showcase your expertise and include testimonials from satisfied customers.

What do I need to do to optimise for AI Overviews and AI Mode?

There are no special optimisations. Make sure your pages are crawlable and indexable, with original content and a point of view of your own, well organised with headings, with important content in text and with relevant images and videos. You don't need llms.txt, special markup or to split your content into fragments. Track performance in the Generative AI performance report in Search Console.

How important are backlinks in SEO in 2026?

Links are still important: Google says link analysis and PageRank remain part of its core ranking systems and that the vast majority of the new pages it finds each day are discovered through links. But buying or selling links, excessive link exchanges and automated link-building programmes break the spam policies. Aim for natural links from relevant sites, and use rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" on paid links.

Should I focus on local SEO if I have a physical location?

Absolutely! Optimise your Google Business Profile with complete, up-to-date information and encourage reviews. According to Google, local ranking depends on relevance, distance and prominence (which includes reviews and links from other websites). Also include local keywords in your content.

Is video content important for SEO?

Yes, as long as it is high quality and embedded on a page of its own, next to relevant text and with a descriptive title and description. Consider incorporating videos into your content strategy.

What are some additional SEO factors to consider?

Mobile-first indexing, Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP and CLS), content freshness, natural language and compliance with spam policies are crucial aspects for a complete SEO strategy in 2026.