5 Search & video trends that will shape your 2026 marketing strategy

Introduction

(00:00) I want to quickly talk about how 2025 search and video trends will shape your 2026 marketing strategy. Because in a world where search behaviour is changing very fast, we all need to be rethinking how brands connect with audiences.

SEO trends from 2025

(00:13) So, I’ve been looking at Google’s recent search trends for 2025, and I would say there are five key shifts that every marketer needs to watch as we move into 2026.

Optimise for intent, not just keywords

(00:23) First, search is becoming much more conversational. People are no longer just typing simple sort of keywords; they’re asking complex open-ended questions. This reflects a deeper, curiosity-driven journey where users want answers and context before they commit to a purchase. So you need to optimise for long-form what I call intent-rich queries. If you do, you’ll capture not just the transactional searches but those broader discovery moments higher up the funnel too. And my top tip here is to focus on topic clusters and conversational long-term keywords that come off the bottom of those. 

Invest in visual discovery

(01:00) Now, second, visual search is redefining discovery. Visual search like Google Lens is growing rapidly and changing how people find products online. Users are now searching with images or with photos, which means great visuals aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential. You need high quality product images to bridge that gap between discovery and purchase. And I know this sounds a bit 2010, but my top tip for this is to make sure you’re using descriptive file names, alt text, and structured markup so that you’re helping the search engines to actually understand your visual assets. 

Treat video as a core search asset

(01:36) Third, video is not optional anymore: it’s now central to engagement. Search and video are increasingly intertwined. When users see a trending topic, many turn straight to platforms like YouTube to watch content that goes deeper or it’s just easier to digest. This trend points to, I guess, a future where video content doesn’t just support SEO, maybe it is SEO. So, the top tip for this one is to embed video on your key pages and remember to optimise your titles, descriptions, and transcriptions for that visibility. 

Build content around real cultural interest

(02:08) Number four, culture and community will drive attention. So breakout search terms are often tied to cultural moments, whether that would be entertainment or fandoms, but people search for what they care about and then go to video platforms to engage with those topics or search to find out more. Brands that lean into that sort of authentic creator partnerships can really ride this momentum. And it does take effort, but a helpful tip here is to try and sort of try and build content around trending cultural keywords using tools like Google Trends to guide you. 

Use structured data to optimise for AI search

(02:39) And finally, point five, AI isn’t just a topic to discuss: it’s now part of search’s DNA. Consumers are asking about AI and searching with AI more than ever. This reflects a more sophisticated audience that expects smarter, faster experiences. We know that AI-driven search features are shaping how how results are delivered, so brands must adapt strategies to work with these new paradigms um not against them or ignore them.

How SEO will change in 2026

(03:05) I know I’ve mentioned this lots in my previous videos, but the tip here is to prioritise that structured data and clear answer focused content to align with these features, not just push out what you want to say. And even though search engines have always said that they want to focus on sort of constantly displaying the most helpful, reliable and relevant content for the users’ specific query, the reality is that SEO in the past has often been a bit of a game of shortcuts where where people have tried to cut corners rather than actually focus on good marketing. But the thing that is exciting to me as we approach 2026 is I think gaming your SEO will become harder. And this will therefore be the year I think when proper search marketeers with sort of strong brands in a good product or service will start to truly meet users where they are in conversations in visual discovery and within video. So if you want to stay ahead, focus on intent-driven content, visual optimisation and strategic video SEO. These aren’t just trends anymore: they will be foundational for your success next year.