It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Pete Everitt, director at SO Digital Communications Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation as we know it is disappearing. The days of chasing Google’s algorithm for “ten blue links” are over. In 2026, the real battleground will be Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). With Google’s AI Overviews and emerging tools like SearchGPT reshaping the search landscape, businesses won’t be competing for clicks, they’ll be competing to be the source that AI cites. If your brand isn’t recognised as a trusted authority, it simply won’t appear. Visibility will belong only to those who have earned credibility.
As AI continues to commoditise content, code and design, the value of simply “doing the work” dramatically declines. What rises in value is human strategy, judgment and empathy. Busineses will need to invest in advisers who understand why to execute a campaign, not just how. Machines can generate deliverables at speed, but they cannot replace human context, creativity or strategic foresight.
We’re also entering a correction phase. The internet is already flooded with AI generated noise, something many are already calling “slop.” Next year, the brands that succeed will be the ones that prioritise less but better. A single, authoritative, expert led piece of content will outperform a hundred machine-written articles. Authenticity, proof of expertise and human verification will become the metrics that matter.
Finally, with AI increasingly mediating and redirecting traffic, businesses must build their own data and their own audiences. Email lists, communities and direct communication channels will become critical insurance policies. In 2026, owning your audience, not renting it from search, is how businesses will stay discoverable, trusted and resilient.
