Hive SEO Manchester 2026 was split into two parts: a hands-on training day, followed by a full day of talks, panels, networking and plenty of SEO discussion.
Google I/O 2026: What The Latest Search & Shopping Updates Mean For SEO
Introduction
This year’s Google I/O 2026 made one thing very clear: Google Search is continuing its shift away from a traditional “10 blue links” experience and towards a far more AI-led, conversational and predictive ecosystem.
For businesses, marketers and SEO professionals, this isn’t just another algorithm update cycle. It’s a structural change in how visibility works online.
Across the keynote announcements and search-focused sessions, Google doubled down on AI-generated search experiences, multimodal discovery, agentic search behaviour and deeper integrations between search, shopping and Gemini. The result is a search landscape where being visible increasingly depends on trust, authority, brand signals and machine-readable expertise rather than simply ranking a webpage.
Below, we break down the key announcements from Google I/O 2026 and what they mean for SEO, digital PR, ecommerce and search visibility moving forward.
The End Of The Traditional “10 Blue Links”
One of the clearest themes from Google I/O was that Google Search is no longer designed around a simple list of website links.
Instead, search is increasingly becoming an AI-curated interface where users receive summarised answers, recommendations and actions directly within the SERP.
Google demonstrated:
- More advanced AI Overviews
- Conversational follow-up queries
- Context-aware search journeys
- Multimodal search experiences
- AI-generated shopping recommendations
- Deeper integration with Gemini
This means users are spending more time interacting with Google itself rather than clicking through to websites.
For SEO, this changes the core objective.
Historically, success was heavily tied to ranking position and click-through rate. Now, visibility is increasingly influenced by whether Google trusts your brand enough to cite, reference or surface your information within AI-generated answers.
What This Means For SEO
Businesses now need to optimise for:
- Citation visibility
- Brand authority
- Entity recognition
- Trust and reputation signals
- Topical expertise
- Structured information retrieval
- Content that can be easily summarised and referenced by AI systems
The future of SEO is becoming increasingly tied to machine trust rather than simply keyword matching.
AI Overviews Are Expanding Further
Google confirmed that AI Overviews are continuing to expand globally and are becoming a much more central part of the search experience.
These AI-generated summaries are now appearing across a wider range of informational, commercial and comparison-style queries.
Google also demonstrated:
- More detailed generated answers
- Follow-up conversational interactions
- Comparison and recommendation functionality
- AI-assisted decision making
- Deeper query refinement journeys
This creates both opportunities and risks for brands.
The Key Challenge: Reduced Organic Clicks
As AI Overviews become more comprehensive, users may no longer need to click through to a website to get basic information.
This is especially important for:
- Informational publishers
- Affiliate websites
- Comparison content
- Commodity-style blog content
- FAQ-led content strategies
Businesses relying heavily on informational search traffic may see continued declines in traditional organic CTR.
The Opportunity
While clicks may reduce, authority becomes more valuable.
Brands repeatedly cited within AI Overviews are likely to benefit from:
- Increased brand awareness
- Higher perceived trust
- Stronger entity recognition
- Improved future retrieval likelihood
- Better branded search demand
This creates what many are now calling a “citation economy” within search.
Search Is Becoming More Conversational
Google showcased major advancements in conversational search experiences powered by Gemini.
Users can now:
- Ask more complex follow-up questions
- Continue search journeys naturally
- Refine recommendations in real time
- Use conversational prompts rather than isolated keywords
For example, instead of searching:
“best running shoes”
Users may now ask:
“What are the best running shoes for marathon training if I overpronate and run four times a week?”
This fundamentally changes search behaviour.
What This Means For Content Strategy
SEO content now needs to better satisfy nuanced, contextual intent rather than isolated keywords.
That means creating content that:
- Demonstrates real expertise
- Answers layered questions
- Covers topics comprehensively
- Includes contextual depth
- Shows real-world experience
- Uses clear semantic relationships
Thin, highly templated SEO content becomes increasingly vulnerable in this environment.
Multimodal Search Is Accelerating
Another major theme from Google I/O was multimodal search.
Google demonstrated search experiences combining:
- Text
- Voice
- Images
- Video
- Live camera input
- Contextual memory
Through Gemini integrations, users can increasingly interact with Google in more natural ways.
Examples included:
- Pointing a camera at products for recommendations
- Asking questions about live surroundings
- Combining voice and visual search
- Receiving contextual shopping suggestions
What This Means For Brands
Brands now need to think beyond traditional webpage optimisation.
Visibility increasingly depends on:
- Image optimisation
- Video discoverability
- Product feed quality
- Structured data
- Visual search readiness
- Cross-platform entity consistency
Search is becoming a multi-format ecosystem rather than a purely text-based one.
Ecommerce & Shopping Received Major AI Updates
Google also announced significant AI-driven shopping enhancements.
These included:
- AI-generated product recommendations
- Personalised shopping journeys
- Smarter product comparisons
- Virtual try-on improvements
- More contextual shopping assistance
- AI-assisted product discovery
Google is increasingly acting as a recommendation engine rather than just a product search engine.
What Ecommerce Brands Need To Focus On
To remain competitive, ecommerce businesses will likely need stronger:
- Product data feeds
- Merchant Centre optimisation
- Product imagery
- Reviews and reputation signals
- Structured product information
- First-party brand authority
- Digital PR and brand mentions
Product visibility is becoming increasingly tied to trust and brand confidence.
Gemini Is Becoming Central To The Search Experience
One of the biggest takeaways from Google I/O is that Gemini is no longer separate from search.
It is becoming deeply integrated into how Google retrieves, interprets and presents information.
This means Google is increasingly evaluating:
- Which brands it trusts
- Which sources appear authoritative
- Which entities demonstrate expertise
- Which websites consistently provide reliable information
This reinforces the growing importance of E-E-A-T.
E-E-A-T Is Becoming Even More Important
Google didn’t explicitly position every announcement around E-E-A-T, but many of the changes strongly reinforce its growing importance.
As AI systems summarise and recommend content directly, Google becomes more reliant on trust evaluation systems to determine:
- Which information is accurate
- Which sources are reputable
- Which brands demonstrate authority
- Which publishers are safe to surface
Key Signals Likely To Matter More
Businesses should increasingly focus on:
Strong Brand Reputation
Brands with recognised authority are more likely to be surfaced in AI-generated experiences.
Expert-Led Content
Demonstrating genuine expertise and experience becomes critical.
Third-Party Validation
Digital PR, mentions, citations and external references continue to grow in importance.
Structured Transparency
Clear authorship, editorial standards, references and provenance all help reinforce trust.
Entity Consistency
Google increasingly needs confidence in who your business is and what topics it should be associated with.
AI Search Will Reward Trusted Entities, Not Just Optimised Pages
One of the biggest strategic shifts from Google I/O is that SEO is becoming increasingly entity-driven.
Historically, SEO focused heavily on optimising pages.
Now, Google is increasingly trying to determine:
- Which businesses are trusted
- Which entities are authoritative
- Which brands deserve visibility
- Which organisations consistently demonstrate expertise
This means SEO can no longer operate in isolation.
Future visibility increasingly relies on:
- SEO
- Digital PR
- Brand marketing
- Reputation management
- Thought leadership
- First-party audience building
- Community trust
- Expert credibility
What Businesses Should Do Next
1. Invest In Brand Authority
Brand recognition and trust are becoming increasingly influential in AI-led search experiences.
2. Create Content With Genuine Expertise
Thin AI-generated content without depth or expertise will likely struggle long term.
3. Improve Structured Data & Technical SEO
Google’s AI systems rely heavily on structured understanding of content and entities.
4. Focus On Topical Depth
Building deep expertise within a niche is increasingly important.
5. Strengthen Digital PR & Off-Page Signals
External validation continues to play a major role in trust evaluation.
6. Prepare For Lower CTRs
Organic traffic reporting and SEO measurement models may need to evolve beyond simple clicks.
7. Think Beyond Google Rankings
Visibility increasingly exists across:
- AI Overviews
- Gemini
- Conversational search
- Shopping experiences
- Visual search
- Recommendation engines
Final Thoughts
Google I/O 2026 reinforced that search is rapidly evolving into an AI-first ecosystem.
The traditional SEO playbook of keyword targeting, scaled content production and ranking position optimisation is becoming less effective on its own.
Instead, Google is moving towards a model where visibility is increasingly awarded to brands and entities it believes it can trust.
That means the future of SEO will likely revolve around:
- Authority
- Reputation
- Expertise
- Brand recognition
- Entity understanding
- Citation visibility
- Trust validation
For businesses willing to adapt, the opportunities remain huge.
But success in modern search will increasingly depend on building a genuinely trusted brand rather than simply optimising webpages.
Cedarwood Win Eight European Search Awards
Lovely night at the European Search Awards with Cedarwood taking home a total of EIGHT awards including Best Integrated Search Agency! ✨
Content for beginners
In today’s competitive digital landscape, content is no longer optional. It is the foundation of every successful digital marketing strategy. Whether you’re investing in SEO, PPC, or Digital PR, high-quality content plays a crucial role in attracting, engaging, and converting your audience. At its core, content connects your brand with the right people at the right time.
Content and SEO: driving organic growth
Search engines prioritise content that is relevant, valuable, and authoritative. Well-structured blog posts, landing pages, and on-site content help search engines understand what your business offers and who it serves. When content is optimised with strategic keywords, clear headings, and user intent in mind, it improves visibility and rankings.
However, SEO content is no longer just about keywords. Search engines reward content that demonstrates expertise and answers real user questions. Long-form guides, thought leadership articles, and regularly updated blogs help build trust with both users and search engines, leading to sustained organic growth over time.
Content and PPC: Maximising paid performance
PPC campaigns rely heavily on content to convert clicks into customers. From ad copy and extensions to landing pages and call-to-action messaging, content determines how effectively your paid traffic performs.
Strong PPC content is clear, concise, and aligned with user intent. When ad messaging matches the landing page content, it improves Quality Score, reduces cost-per-click, and increases conversion rates. Without compelling content, even the most well-targeted PPC campaigns can struggle to deliver ROI.
Content and Digital PR: Building Authority and Trust
Digital PR thrives on content that tells a story. Data-led campaigns, expert insights, and engaging narratives help brands earn high-quality backlinks and media coverage. Journalists and publishers are far more likely to feature brands that provide original, valuable, and newsworthy content.
By combining strong content with strategic outreach, Digital PR enhances brand credibility and domain authority. Both of which directly support SEO performance. A well-executed DPR campaign doesn’t just generate links; it positions your brand as a trusted voice within your industry.
A unified content strategy
The most effective digital marketing strategies treat content as a unifying force. SEO informs what topics people are searching for, PPC tests what messaging converts best, and Digital PR amplifies content to wider audiences. When these channels work together, content becomes a powerful growth engine.
Final thoughts
Content is not just words on a page, it’s the backbone of SEO success, PPC performance, and Digital PR impact. Brands that invest in high-quality, strategic content are better positioned to attract attention, build trust, and drive measurable results. In an ever-evolving digital world, content remains the one constant that fuels long-term success.
Back to basics: what is SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is often talked about as a technical, complex discipline, but at its core, SEO is about two simple things: helping search engines understand your content, and helping users find your website. When done well, SEO ensures your site appears in relevant search results, drives qualified traffic, and supports long-term digital growth.
How search engines work
Google is a fully automated search engine that uses programs called crawlers to explore the web. These crawlers discover pages primarily by following links from other pages Google has already indexed. Once a page is found, Google attempts to understand its content and decide where it should appear in search results.
This means SEO isn’t about “tricking” Google, it’s about making your website accessible, understandable, and genuinely useful.
The five core pillars of SEO
While SEO includes many tactics, it generally breaks down into five key steps:
- Keyword research
This involves understanding what your audience is searching for and how they phrase those searches. A beginner and an expert might search for the same topic using very different terms, so intent matters just as much as volume. - Content creation
Content should be written for users first. It needs to be well-structured, accurate, easy to read, and genuinely helpful. Copying content or writing purely for rankings is ineffective long term. - On-page SEO and structure optimisation
This includes page titles, headings, internal links, URLs, and overall site organisation. A logical structure helps both users and search engines navigate your site. - Links and mentions
The vast majority of new pages Google finds are through links. High-quality links and brand mentions signal credibility and authority. - Technical SEO
This ensures your site can be crawled, indexed, and rendered properly. It includes page speed, mobile friendliness, secure connections, and clean code.
Platforms, plugins, and tracking
WordPress is a self-hosted platform, meaning you host and manage it yourself, but it also offers hosted solutions. Either way, SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math can help manage basics such as titles, meta descriptions, and sitemaps without touching code.
Performance can be tracked for free using Google Search Console, which shows how Google views your site, which pages are indexed, and what queries you appear for.
Domains, hosting, and site structure
Your domain name and hosting provider form the foundation of SEO. When choosing a web host, consider security (SSL/TLS encryption), server location, 24/7 support, and accessibility for search engines and AI systems. You should be able to control robots.txt files and sitemaps easily.
A logical site structure is equally important. Each category and subpage should connect naturally through internal links, helping users and search engines understand how content relates.
Local SEO and visibility
Local SEO focuses on helping your business appear in geographically relevant searches across Google Search, Google Maps, and increasingly, AI platforms. This is especially important for businesses serving specific regions or physical locations.
Helping Google see your site clearly
You can submit a sitemap to guide search engines toward your most important pages. It’s also crucial that Google can access elements like CSS and JavaScript. If key components are blocked, your pages may not appear correctly in search results.
Clear URLs, breadcrumbs, and structured data all improve how your site is interpreted. Reducing duplicate content and setting canonical versions of pages ensures Google doesn’t waste time crawling URLs you don’t care about.
Content that works
Good SEO content is interesting, useful, and written naturally. Break content into sections, use headings, update old posts regularly, and remove content that’s no longer relevant. Images should be clear, relevant, and supported with descriptive alt text to help both accessibility and image search.
What SEO is not
Some things simply aren’t worth focusing on:
- Meta keywords
- Keyword stuffing
- Content length alone
- Treating E-E-A-T as a direct ranking factor
Final thoughts
SEO is not a one-off task; it’s an ongoing process rooted in clarity, quality, and usability. By focusing on strong foundations and user-first thinking, SEO becomes less about algorithms and more about building a site that deserves to be found.
How to track the long-term SEO impact of PR mention
Digital PR is often judged by headlines, coverage volume, or brand visibility, but its real value is revealed over time through SEO impact. While a PR mention might deliver an initial spike in traffic, the long-term benefits lie in authority, rankings, and sustained organic growth. The challenge for marketers is knowing how to track that impact properly.
This guide breaks down how to measure the long-term SEO value of PR mentions beyond surface-level metrics.
Understand what a PR mention delivers for SEO
A high-quality PR mention can provide several SEO benefits:
- Authoritative backlinks
- Brand mentions (linked or unlinked)
- Increased crawl discovery
- Improved topical authority
- Growth in branded and non-branded search demand
Not all mentions are equal. A single link from a trusted, high-authority publication can have more long-term value than dozens of low-quality placements. Before tracking performance, it’s important to understand the quality of the coverage you’re earning.
Track backlinks but look beyond volume
Backlinks remain one of the clearest SEO signals from Digital PR, but volume alone doesn’t tell the full story. Instead, focus on:
- Referring domain quality (authority, relevance, trust)
- Link placement (editorial content vs footer/sidebar)
- Link type (follow vs nofollow)
- Link destination (homepage vs key commercial or informational pages)
Use tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or similar platforms to monitor when links are discovered and whether they remain live over time. Long-lasting links from reputable sites are far more valuable than short-lived coverage.
Monitor keyword performance over time
One of the strongest indicators of long-term SEO impact is keyword movement. PR-driven links often support rankings indirectly rather than causing immediate jumps.
Track:
- Target keyword rankings for linked pages
- Supporting keywords within the same topic cluster
- New keyword visibility emerging after campaigns
It’s important to measure this over weeks and months, not days. PR often strengthens a page’s authority, which can improve rankings gradually as Google re-evaluates relevance and trust.
Measure organic traffic trends
PR mentions can introduce new users to your brand and content, but the real SEO value appears in sustained organic traffic growth. Use Google Analytics or similar platforms to monitor:
- Organic sessions to linked pages
- Overall site-wide organic growth
- Changes in traffic to related content
Rather than attributing traffic to a single mention, look for patterns following major campaigns. A steady upward trend often indicates authority building rather than short-term referral spikes.
Track brand search demand
Digital PR doesn’t just earn links, it builds brand awareness. One of the clearest long-term signals of this is growth in branded search queries.
In Google Search Console, track:
- Impressions and clicks for branded terms
- New variations of branded searches
- Increases in brand + product or service keywords
Rising brand demand often correlates with stronger trust signals, which can indirectly improve performance across non-branded keywords too.
Monitor indexation and crawl behaviour
High-authority PR links can improve how quickly and frequently Google crawls your site. Over time, this can lead to:
- Faster indexation of new pages
- More consistent crawling of deeper content
- Improved discovery of supporting pages
In Google Search Console, review crawl stats and indexing reports to identify improvements following major PR campaigns.
Measure link longevity and mentions over time
Not all PR coverage stays live forever. Tracking link retention is crucial for long-term analysis. Regularly audit your links to see:
- Which placements remain live
- Which have been removed or updated
- Whether unlinked brand mentions can be reclaimed
Unlinked mentions, when converted into links, can extend the lifespan and SEO value of a campaign well beyond its original launch.
Attribute PR impact realistically
SEO impact from PR is rarely immediate or isolated. It often works alongside content improvements, technical SEO, and internal linking. Rather than aiming for perfect attribution, focus on contribution.
Ask:
- Did rankings improve after sustained coverage?
- Did organic traffic trend upward post-campaign?
- Did authority metrics strengthen over time?
Final thoughts
Tracking the long-term SEO impact of PR mentions requires patience, consistency, and the right metrics. While headlines and referral traffic matter, the true value of Digital PR lies in authority building, discoverability, and sustained organic growth.
By focusing on backlink quality, keyword performance, organic traffic trends, and brand demand, marketers can move beyond vanity metrics and demonstrate the lasting SEO power of well-executed PR campaigns.
Why ranking for the wrong keywords can hurt your SEO
Seeing your pages rank in Google can feel reassuring, but rankings alone don’t tell the full SEO story. If you’re ranking for the wrong keywords, that shiny visibility might not be helping you at all.
Not all traffic is good traffic
More visitors don’t automatically mean better results. If people land on your page expecting one thing and find something else, they’ll leave just as quickly as they arrived.
This usually comes down to search intent. Someone searching ‘what is technical SEO’ is looking to learn, not to buy. If they land on a sales-heavy service page, they’ll bounce, and Google notices that behaviour.
So while you might be getting traffic, it’s not the kind that sticks, converts, or supports long-term rankings.
When rankings look good, but results don’t
One of the clearest signs you’re ranking for the wrong keywords is when Google Search Console tells a confusing story:
- High impressions, low clicks
- Decent rankings, poor engagement
- Traffic that doesn’t lead anywhere useful
It can feel like SEO is ‘working’ but somehow not delivering real, commercial value (which defeats the point of investing in SEO at all). That’s often because the page is visible for searches it was never designed to satisfy.
Trying to rank for everything (and ending up ranking for nothing)
Another common issue is trying to make one page do too much. When a single page targets lots of loosely related keywords, it often ends up diluting its message.
Instead of being the best answer for one clear query, the page becomes an average answer for many. Worse still, it can start competing with other pages on your site that would actually be a better fit, a classic case of keyword cannibalisation.
Why does intent mismatch slow growth?
Google’s goal is simple: show users the most helpful result. If users regularly land on your page and don’t find what they’re looking for, Google may decide your page isn’t the best match, even for keywords you actually care about.
Over time, this makes it harder to rank for:
- Higher-intent, conversion-focused terms
- More competitive keywords in your niche
- Queries that genuinely match your offering
In other words, ranking for the wrong keywords can quietly block progress for the right ones.
How to Get Back on Track
Fixing the issue doesn’t mean starting from scratch. A few smart adjustments can make a big difference:
- Review the queries your pages actually rank for
- Map keywords to pages, rather than pages to keywords.
- Group keywords by intent, not just topic
- Separate informational and commercial content
- Tighten page focus so each URL has a clear job
Successful SEO isn’t about ranking for the most keywords; it’s about ranking for the right ones. When your pages match what users are actually searching for, engagement improves, conversions increase, and rankings become far more stable.
What SEO’s should keep in mind moving into 2026
As Google gets smarter and continues to update its core algorithm, moving into 2026 is less about tactics and more about trust, usefulness and user interaction.
Going into 2026, typical black hat techniques will continue to lose visibility as Google will champion content written for users, not for Google. Long tail keyword queries and conversational style search will likely continue to grow in 2026 as AI transitions into everyday life, but that doesn’t mean AI is what SEO should only be optimising for.
So here are some insights on how to keep SEO performing while search is constantly changing.
1. Helpfulness beats optimisation
In 2025, Google doubled down on its commitment to rewarding content that truly serves its audience. Pages that rely on keyword-stuffed, shallow, or low-value material continue to fade into obscurity, losing precious visibility. The winners are those who clearly understand and satisfy search intent, offering meaningful depth, actionable insights, and clarity that resonates with readers. In other words, it’s no longer enough to simply exist online; your content must genuinely inform, guide, or delight the user, delivering real value every step of the way.
2. E-E-A-T matters more than ever
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness are critical, especially for YMYL topics and industries. Showing real-world experience, author credibility, original insights, and accurate sourcing is invaluable. You can start writing quality author profiles if you haven’t already.
3. Intent-based SEO is crucial
Google understands topics, entities, and relationships better than ever. Content should be built around subject authority and question coverage, not individual keywords. Focus on creating content to solve a problem and answer a question, rather than focusing on KW volume; this should be a support. Long-tail keywords and conversational style content will continue to rise, a good time to review and match intent in your FAQs.
4. Technical SEO still supports everything
Fast load times, seamless mobile usability, intuitive site architecture, and robust Core Web Vitals remain the bedrock of a strong website. While technical issues alone won’t magically boost your search rankings, they can certainly drag them down. A beautifully optimised piece of content is essentially invisible if your website isn’t properly indexed. That’s why ensuring your site is technically sound is non-negotiable — it’s the foundation on which all your SEO efforts are built. Think of it as paving a smooth, sturdy road before inviting visitors to enjoy the scenery.
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SEO Content Writing – Stripped Back to the Basics
The point of writing SEO optimised content is to write content that is genuinely useful to the user. Google ranks content that it deems the most useful and relevant to users’ search queries.
Meta
I generally follow the rule of ‘Primary Keyword Target | Brand Name’ to frontload your primary keyword focus point, then your meta description wants to look like a shop window, for example:
“Shop commercial refrigerated display cabinets at XXX, perfect for showcasing and preserving perishable goods in any professional food service space.”
As a general rule, page titles should be 50-60 characters, and meta descriptions 150-160 characters, but I wouldn’t obsess over these guidelines. You’re better off writing for purpose than for strict character limits.
Make sure each page has a unique, well-targeted page title and meta description. Google may opt to provide its own meta description, but not your meta title (so get that part right).
Search Intent
One of the most important things to consider when writing SEO content is search intent.
Search intent is a user’s main goal when they enter a query into a search engine, which could be to find information about a specific topic, to visit a particular webpage, or to make a purchase.
Types of search intent:
Informational: The user wants to learn about something
Navigational: The user is trying to find a specific page or website
Commercial: The user is researching options before making a purchase
Transactional: The user wants to take an action, like completing a purchase
When considering intent, you should think about the kind of page the user would want to land on:
- Blog posts
- Product pages
- Category pages
- Landing pages
- Tools
If you were searching for ‘best commercial fridges’, you’d likely want to land on a blog page with informative, perhaps comparative content, or in a ‘top ten’ listicle format.
If you were searching ‘buy commercial fridges online’, you wouldn’t benefit from a page of lengthy content; you’re looking to make a purchase. These pages should focus on a smooth buying process; make it easy to purchase, and ensure high-quality product information.
YMYL & EEAT
YMYL (Your Money Your Life): a term used by Google to categorise web pages that might potentially impact a person’s happiness, health, financial stability, or safety. These pages are held to a higher standard due to the potential harm that inaccurate or misleading information could cause.
This is where EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness) comes in, a framework that Google uses to assess the quality of content and websites. It’s important for achieving higher rankings in search results, especially for topics related to YMYL.
Internal / External Linking
Internal and external links are crucial for SEO because they enhance website navigation, improve user experience and boost a site’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.
- Internal links help users and search engines navigate a website and build topical authority.
- External links provide valuable context and demonstrate expertise (in the context of EEAT).
Competitors
In SEO, competitors are websites that rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs) for the same keywords as your target page. They compete with you for visibility and organic traffic from search engines.
These competitors might not always be your direct business rivals, but rather any website that appears in the search results when users search for terms relevant to your content.
Keywords
Keywords are search queries that users are inputting into Google. We use them to inform our content and determine search intent. We want to avoid ‘keyword stuffing’ and only use them naturally in the content we write.
Search engines are able to understand semantics now, so the process is a little more nuanced.
Duplicate Content
Duplicate content negatively impacts SEO because it confuses search engines. If you have two very similar pages ranking for the same keywords, Google will struggle to determine which page to prioritise, potentially favouring a less important page, or neither at all.
This is referred to as ‘cannibalisation’, which refers to a situation where multiple pages on a website target the same or very similar keywords, causing them to compete against each other in the search engine results page (SERP).
This is why it’s important to have clearly targeted pages and to link between them to show their relationship.
Formatting
SEO formatting refers to structuring and presenting website content in a way that helps search engines understand it, ultimately improving its visibility and ranking in search results.
Arranged content helps Google and users understand the content. In HTML, <h1>, <h2>, and <h3> tags are used to define the structure and hierarchy of headings on a webpage. They help organise content and make it easier for both users and search engines to understand the page’s structure and content.
Here’s a breakdown of their roles:
H1: The main heading or title of the page. It’s the most important heading and should be used once per page to summarise the main topic.
H2: Subheadings that divide the content into sections, supporting the main <h1> heading.
H3: Used for subheadings under <h2> headings, providing further granularity and structure. Often listicle or bullet points.
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Effective SEO content writing is ultimately about clarity, purpose and user value. When you focus on answering real questions, aligning with intent and presenting information in a way that’s easy to understand and navigate, search performance naturally follows.
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Top 3 Tips for Working in B2B Environments
Working in a B2B environment requires a different mindset from traditional consumer marketing. Decisions take longer, multiple stakeholders get involved, and the path to conversion is rarely linear. To succeed, your marketing strategy needs to be precise, value-driven, and built around the needs of real businesses, not just individual buyers. In this blog, we’ll break down three essential tips that can help you generate stronger leads, create more meaningful engagements, and ultimately drive higher-quality conversions in any B2B setting. Let’s dive in.
- Create Relevant, Conversion-Focused Landing Pages
Make sure your landing page matches the tone and message of your ad. That way, visitors feel like they’re in the right place the moment they click through.
Focus on what really matters to your audience: the business benefits, ROI, and your unique selling points. Show them real proof of your value with testimonials, case studies, or even client logos to build credibility and trust.
Use clear, action-driven CTAs like “Schedule a Demo” or “Get a Quote.” Keep your forms short and simple, but include a few key qualifying questions (like company size or basic criteria) to help ensure you’re getting the right leads.
- Track Quality Leads & Support Long B2B Cycles
B2B sales cycles are longer than B2C and involve multiple decision-makers, so focus on lead quality over immediate sales.
Integrate CRM data and offline conversions into Google Ads to track qualified leads and opportunities.
This ensures campaigns optimise for high-value leads and provide accurate performance data.
High-Intent Audience Targeting & Ad Scheduling
Reach people by job title, industry (e.g., healthcare, tech, finance), company size, and location (region, country, city) to ensure the right businesses see your ads.
Use ad scheduling to reduce spend on weekends or outside business hours if target companies operate mainly on weekdays.
This maximises efficiency and minimises budget waste.
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Google’s &num=100 Update for SEO
Written by Ruby, our Senior SEO Executive
Google’s new &num=100 update, rolled out in mid-September 2025, is having a substantial impact on SEO tracking tools, data accuracy, and reporting metrics. In short, Google has disabled the function that previously allowed users and crawlers to view up to 100 organic results on a single search page.
With this change, both marketers and SEO platforms are now limited to viewing only the top 10 results per query. As a result, tracking tools can no longer record rankings beyond the first page of search results, ultimately reshaping how keyword performance and visibility are reported.
SEO professionals are already noticing significant data fluctuations across major platforms:
- Ahrefs – Keywords ranking beyond position 10 will no longer be tracked accurately. These terms will now appear as “100+” or “Lost,” leading to sudden drops in reported keyword counts.
- Google Search Console (GSC) – Many users are seeing sharp decreases in impressions, not because of an actual performance drop, but because data from deeper results can no longer be collected or displayed.
What This Means Moving Forward:
While the update is inconvenient, it’s crucial to understand that the drop in reported data doesn’t reflect a real decline in traffic or rankings. Your pages still exist in those positions; it’s just that the tracking visibility has simply been restricted.
This update will require a shift in how we analyse and communicate SEO performance. Reports and dashboards may appear to show declines post-September 2025, so it’s vital to set clear expectations with clients and stakeholders.
Moving forward, greater emphasis will be placed on the top 1-10 keyword positions, traffic, and conversions. SEOs should review the tools and metrics they rely on, refine reporting structures, and focus on what truly drives value, measurable visibility and meaningful performance.
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Top 15 SEO Statistics We Think You Should Know About.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google. It involves optimising content, technical performance, and backlinks so that a site ranks higher in search results for relevant keywords.
For companies, understanding SEO is essential because it directly impacts how easily potential customers can find them online. A strong SEO strategy can drive consistent, high-quality traffic to a website, increase brand visibility, build credibility, and ultimately lead to more conversions and revenue, without relying solely on paid advertising. In a competitive digital landscape, SEO is a long-term investment that helps businesses stay discoverable and relevant.
- Google searches for ‘ChatGPT’ are increasing (Statista).
Data from Statista reveals that search interest in the term ‘ChatGPT’ surged throughout last year, reaching its peak in June 2024 with a maximum score of 100 on Google’s search index.
Although there was a slight dip in interest towards the end of the year, search volumes for ‘ChatGPT’ have remained strong and stable. This sustained interest highlights a broader movement toward conversational AI tools, with users increasingly turning to platforms like ChatGPT for information in a more natural, dialogue-based format, reshaping how people approach search and SEO.
2. Most Effective Channels for B2B Buyers to Find Products (BackLinko)
3. Google remains the dominant search engine by a significant margin (Statista).
Despite the growing impact of AI-driven search tools, Google remains the dominant force in the search engine landscape. According to Statista, Google currently holds an impressive 89.74% share of the global search market, with Bing trailing far behind at just 4.04%.
Other players like Yahoo, China’s Baidu, Russia’s Yandex, and DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused engine that aggregates results from various sources, also maintain a presence, though their user bases are significantly smaller by comparison.
4. Almost 50% of Google searches are for local products/ services (Embryo Marekting).
According to research by Embryo Marketing, nearly half of all Google searches, around 46%, are driven by local intent. This indicates a clear shift in consumer behaviour, with more users seeking location-specific content, deals, and recommendations.
To tap into this trend, businesses can strategically target region-specific keywords and develop localised, SEO-friendly content tailored to their audience’s geographic interests. Doing so not only boosts your visibility in relevant markets but also attracts high-quality, conversion-ready traffic.
5. Approximately 20% of global users engage with voice search (Google).
With voice search now used by around 20% of people globally—according to Google—it’s becoming an increasingly important consideration for digital strategy. As smart speakers and voice-enabled assistants continue to gain traction, voice-driven search is set to play a more influential role in how users discover content.
To stay ahead of the curve, consider integrating these voice search optimisation tactics into your SEO approach:
- Identify the most frequently asked voice queries within your industry to understand user intent.
- Craft your content using natural, conversational language that mirrors how people actually speak.
- Leverage natural language processing (NLP) techniques to better align your content with how voice assistants interpret and deliver answers.
6. SEO demand is forecast to increase by 22% between 2022 and 2030 (CheckaSalary).
When integrated within a comprehensive strategy, SEO and marketing complement each other exceptionally well. SEO experts often collaborate with both digital marketing agencies and internal marketing teams to maximise impact. Industry projections indicate that the demand for professionals in these roles is expected to grow by approximately 22% between 2022 and 2030.
7. Video SEO provides significant value in enhancing brand visibility.
Incorporating video content into your website has proven to be a powerful lead generation tool, with 88% of marketers reporting success, according to Wyzowl. High-quality videos not only capture attention but also encourage users to stay on your site longer, reducing bounce rates and boosting SEO performance in the process.
Meanwhile, Finances Online reports that video is poised to become the fastest-growing segment in digital advertising, thanks to its dynamic and engaging nature.
Video allows brands to convey personality, value, and information in a compact, visually rich format. Search engines increasingly prioritise content that is relevant, engaging, and useful to users, and video checks all those boxes. When you also consider that YouTube remains the world’s leading video search platform, it’s clear that developing a well-rounded video marketing strategy is essential for maximising your search visibility and long-term digital growth.
8. Survey Revealing the Most ROI-Effective Digital Marketing Strategies (Website Builder Expert).
9. Data from SEO.AI reveals that 78% of mobile users conducting local searches ultimately make a purchase offline (SEO.AI).
When people use their mobile phones to search for something nearby, like a restaurant, store, or service, 78% of the time, those searches lead to a real-world purchase. In other words, most people who look for local businesses on their phones don’t just browse online; they actually go to the physical location and buy something.
This highlights how powerful local mobile searches are for driving foot traffic and in-person sales. If your business is optimised for local search, you’re much more likely to attract customers who are ready to make a purchase right then and there.
10. Typical Monthly SEO Expenses in the UK by Business Type (Add People).
| Average SEO monthly cost UK | Business Model |
| £50 to £600 | One man/one woman, hyper-local businesses |
| £600 to £6,000 | Small-to-medium-sized business |
| £6,000+ | Enterprise-model business, very large corporations |
11. Nearly three-quarters of business owners consider an SEO firm’s reputation as a crucial factor before deciding to work with them (Backlinko).
Before hiring an SEO company, almost 75% of business owners look closely at the company’s reputation. This means they want to know if the SEO firm is trustworthy, reliable, and has a proven track record of delivering good results.
In other words, a strong reputation is one of the most important things businesses check to feel confident that the SEO company can help improve their online presence effectively. It shows that trust and past performance matter a lot when choosing who to work with for SEO services.
12. Nearly half (49%) of business owners believe SEO delivers the highest return on investment compared to other marketing channels (Reboot).
Almost half of business owners, 49%, think that SEO (search engine optimisation) gives them the best bang for their buck compared to other ways of marketing. In other words, when they invest money and effort into SEO, they see better financial returns than from other marketing strategies like social media, email marketing, or paid ads.
This shows that many business owners trust SEO as an effective method to attract customers and grow their business profitably.
13. Distribution of Search Volumes Across 4 Billion Keywords (Ahrefs).
Research conducted by Ahrefs reveals that nearly 95% of Google searches involve keywords with very low search volumes, specifically between 0 and 10 monthly searches. This highlights the extraordinary uniqueness of most search queries. Within this low-volume segment, there were approximately 3.8 billion searches, over 18 times more than searches with volumes ranging from 11 to 1,000, and nearly 1,000 times more than those with volumes between 1,001 and 100,000.
Overall, just over 5% of searches fall within the 11 to 1,000 volume range, while only about 0.1% of searches reach volumes between 1,001 and 100,000.
14. Top 10 searches globally (Reboot).
According to Google keyword data from October 2024, YouTube dominated as the most searched website, with an impressive 580 million searches. This figure surpasses WhatsApp, the second most searched site, by 14%. Additionally, YouTube’s search volume exceeded that of Facebook by more than 60%, underscoring its leading position in user interest.
15. Google’s Revenue in Billions from 2021 to 2024
Between 2021 and 2024, Google’s revenue climbed steadily, reflecting its dominance in digital advertising, cloud computing, and online services. Each year, the tech giant brought in hundreds of billions of dollars, with the majority of income generated through its advertising platforms, Google Search, YouTube, and the Google Display Network.
This period highlights not only Google’s ability to adapt in a competitive digital landscape but also the growing demand for online advertising, cloud solutions, and digital products. As consumer behaviour continues to shift online, Google’s consistent year-over-year growth is a strong indicator of how central the company remains to the global digital economy.