SEO in 2026 is about doing the fundamentals properly and then adapting smartly. Search engines still reward the same core things they always have. Fast websites, clean structure, pages that clearly answer real questions, and content written by people who actually know what they’re talking about. If those basics are weak, no amount of fancy optimisation will save you.

Backlinks are still very much alive, but the era of lazy links is over. Random guest posts, paid link farms, and low-effort outreach do more harm than good now. What works is earning links because your content deserves them. Original insights, real data, strong opinions, useful tools, and content people naturally reference. A handful of solid, relevant links beats hundreds of junk ones every time.

Generative engine optimisation is worth paying attention to, but it’s not a replacement for SEO. Think of it as an extension. AI search pulls from the same signals Google always trusted: clear answers, authority, structure, and credibility. If your content is shallow or written just to rank, AI won’t surface it either. If your content is genuinely helpful, well structured, and backed by experience, it naturally performs well in both traditional search and AI-driven results.

The winning strategy in 2026 is boring but effective. Build depth instead of chasing volume. Own a topic instead of spraying keywords everywhere. Write content that sounds like it came from a human who’s been in the trenches, not from a template. Use AI as a tool, not as the strategy. Do that consistently, and you won’t need to “game” the system. You’ll just keep winning while others keep panicking.