Hi Friend!
As we roll into 2026, the digital landscape is shifting faster than any of us can refill our coffee…
AI is officially the backbone of modern marketing, video is still the reigning queen, and authenticity is making a comeback in a big way.
If you’re planning your strategy for next year, or still trying to catch up from this one, here’s your quick-hit checklist of what’s actually worth paying attention to.
1. Plug AI into everything (strategically).
We’re past the “Should we use AI?” stage. Now it’s: “Where is AI going to save us time, money, and sanity?” Think content support, campaign optimization, smarter reporting, personalization, and anything repetitive your team secretly hates doing.
2. Prioritize short-form video.
TikTok, Reels, Shorts – these are still driving discovery. Lo-fi is performing better than overproduced. Keep it real, keep it tight, and assume people are watching on mute.
3. Build a truly personalized customer experience.
AI-powered segmentation, interactive tools, better chat experiences… all of it adds up. Your customers want less friction and more “Wow, they actually get me.”
4. Lean into authenticity.
No one trusts perfect anymore. Bring in UGC, micro-influencers, behind-the-scenes content, and honest reviews. Transparency is officially a differentiator.
5. Rethink your SEO for how people search now.
Social search is exploding. Voice search is back. Multimodal search (text, image, voice) is becoming the norm. It’s time for conversational content and platform-native visibility strategies.
6. Treat social commerce like a second storefront.
Your audience is already browsing, discovering, and buying without leaving their apps. Optimize your product feeds, build trust signals, and make the buying path frictionless.
7. Explore immersive content.
AR try-ons, virtual demos, interactive experiences – these aren’t sci-fi anymore. They’re fast becoming conversion tools, especially for eCommerce and education-driven services.
8. Put your sustainability and ethics front and center.
Consumers expect honesty and responsible practices. If your brand has strong values, show them. If you don’t… maybe 2026 is the year to start.
The Big Takeaway:
Winning next year isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things consistently: embracing AI, committing to authenticity, and showing up where your customers already are.
Read the full post here:
A Quick Look Back (and Why This Matters)
Last year’s end-of-year newsletter predicted three things:
- AI would reshape search
- Multimodal content would become essential
- Brands would need to rethink how they show up online
Twelve months later? Those weren’t “trends,” they became table stakes.
AI is built into every tool.
Social search exploded.
And visibility now depends on how well you combine traditional SEO with conversational, visual, and short-form content.
2026 isn’t about chasing the next shiny object, it’s about maturing your systems so you don’t have to play catch-up again next year.
Current Marketing News
What you need to know in SEO, AI, social, and paid media
Google Begins Rolling Out a New Core Update
Google confirmed a new core update is now live and may take a few weeks to settle. They also added new guidance noting that smaller core updates run continuously throughout the year. This means ranking movement may happen even outside major announcements. If you see changes, wait for the rollout to finish before making decisions. As always, the best long-term response is improving clarity, originality, and overall helpfulness in your content.
Read the announcement on LinkedIn
Google Confirms Smaller Core Updates Happen Continuously
Sites can improve without waiting for named updates.
Read it on Search Engine Journal
What Google’s 2025 Year in Review Tells Us About the Future of PPC
A practical look at new features, trends, and 2026 expectations.
Read it on Search Engine Journal
Google Search Console Insights Integrating Social Channels
Insights now includes performance data for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Read more at Search Engine Land
GEO Rank Tracker: Monitoring Your Brand’s AI Search Visibility
How to see where your brand shows up across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.
Read more at Search Engine Land
Mentions, Citations, and Clicks: Your 2026 Content Strategy
Future content wins depend on signals models see, not just page visits.
Read more at Search Engine Land
Looking Ahead to 2026
Here’s to a successful and inspired 2026, filled with smarter systems, stronger visibility, and steady growth.
If you want to take a fresh look at your strategy, book a call or request a free audit – I’m here and happy to help.
Schedule something with me:
Cheers!
Jenny
