Search & discovery in 2026: What

In every one of Econsultancy's predictions pieces for 2026, changes to search and discovery have loomed large: from the potential role of agentic in shopping to the AI-search-shaped elephant in the room in B2B marketing.

But our editorial wouldn't be complete without a deep dive into the subject itself, and we've got a stellar line-up of experts who've given their thoughts on the search and discovery landscape: what's been changing, what's notably not changed, and how marketers should respond.

With thanks to:

Alex Postance, VP Activation, Journey Further:

For years, marketers operated on the assumption that journeys start with intent. Someone searches, you appear, job done. But that's not how discovery works anymore, it's not linear. People don't start with intent - they start with exposure. They stumble across brands long before they go looking for them.

This shift means brands can no longer rely on one dominant channel. Discovery is happening everywhere, and you need (quickly) to be present in all the places that shape attention.

…Discovery is happening before purchase intent forms - so early-stage influence is crucial. Consumers move across platforms like Reddit, TikTok, Amazon, and ChatGPT in a single journey. We're living in a world where every customer journey is at least mildly moderated by code. So for next year, brands need to ensure their go-to-market strategy is findable by machines, compelling to humans and proven in growth.

Jaquie Pantoja, Digital Account Director, Curious Health:

Research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows that while search engines and health websites remain dominant, 21.2 percent of people are already using LLMs for health information. Even so, the most common way of validating what they found online was still by consulting healthcare professionals, cited by 30.3 percent of participants.

For healthcare communications, this creates a clear challenge. Visibility in AI-generated answers matters more than ever, but trust still comes from alignment with authoritative, human-led sources.

…As discovery moves away from clicking links and towards consuming AI-generated responses, editorial coverage and trusted journalism are increasingly shaping how brands show up inside AI tools.

Earned media, expert voices and thought leadership don't just influence how people see brands, they also influence how AI systems describe them. That's why PR, SEO and content teams are starting to work more closely together than ever.

Demi Vaitkunaite, SEO Manager, Modern Citizens:

SEO, paid search, content, social and other specialisms are too often planned and measured as standalone channels, with separate strategies and KPIs. This siloed approach inevitably limits the effectiveness of activity and makes it harder to realise the full ROI.

What's needed is a genuinely integrated strategy that treats search and discovery as a connected ecosystem rather than a set of individual tactics. By bringing these disciplines together - sharing insight, aligning goals and coordinating execution - brands can create a more consistent presence across touchpoints.

Cristy Garcia, CMO, Impact.com:

Generative AI is collapsing the customer journey. Instead of multiple touchpoints, including search, comparison, reviews and recommendations, AI will increasingly deliver a single, context-aware answer. That answer will be shaped by the signals AI trusts: creator content, commerce publisher data, product attributes, and brand authority.

For customers, this means faster, more personalised decisions. For brands, it means that visibility depends on the quality, consistency, and trustworthiness of the content about them across the open web. Ecommerce teams will have to optimise not just their site, but their entire content and partnership ecosystem, because AI systems are using all of it to decide which product "wins."

Ann Smarty, Co-Founder at Smarty.Marketing:

Zero-click discoverability is going to get stronger, and not because of ChatGPT (which we all thought), but because Google is actively integrating zero-trend features in organic search. AI Answers are everywhere in organic search: you can ask AI to find and compare prices right from local maps, you can do shopping research right from AI Mode (and soon use Instant Checkout from there, just like you now can in ChatGPT).

Shopping decisions are being made without a single click, and actual buying is going to happen without clicks, either. Losing traffic is something we all need to come [to] terms with.

Ann Smarty, Smarty.Marketing:

Google is still dominating [the landscape of search] … Based on different studies, the overlap of citations between Google's organic search and ChatGPT citations is between 30-60%. In my personal experience, when comparing, it's much higher. I think most tools comparing the overlaps overlook the "fan-out" queries, i.e., actual queries ChatGPT runs (they are usually different from how the prompt is worded).

…We expected Google to be behind in AI (because ChatGPT started so strongly), but Google is now launching LLM models that are better and faster than ChatGPT's, so OpenAI is pausing all other activities to keep up. It looks like, after more than two decades of dominating organic search, Google is very likely to dominate AI too! It is profitable (unlike ChatGPT), it has more data (index and user engagements, ranking signals, etc.), and it has existing infrastructure, which ChatGPT is still building.

Yet you won't hear many marketers talk about that because clients are asking about ChatGPT marketing more and more, so it is easier to attract clients if you keep talking about ChatGPT.

Demi Vaitkunaite, Modern Citizens:

I'd love us to retire the narrative that "traditional SEO is dead" and has been swept aside by AIO, GEO, AEO and every other new acronym. These labels are often used interchangeably, but they all sit on top of the same fundamentals. Technical foundations, information architecture, on‑page optimisation and off‑page authority are still critical - they are what enable AI systems and answer engines to understand, trust and surface your brand in the first place.

Rather than abandoning SEO, the focus for next year should be on evolving it: treating "AI optimisation" as an extension of core search practice, not a replacement.

Ann Smarty, Smarty.Marketing:

After many discussions and much reading, I am still looking for one clear explanation as to how [SEO and GEO] are fundamentally different. … I was asked a few times how I would define "GEO", and in my mind, it is no different from SEO:

If you think about it, both are about making your site machine-friendly.

So, for businesses trying to figure out their 2026 priorities, here's my advice: Focus on proper, long-term SEO (relevant content, good, consistent backlinks, branding, proper site architecture, site usability and accessibility, etc.) Yes, organic traffic is much lower for everyone, but organic search drives discoverability elsewhere.

Jean-Christophe Pitié, CMO, ContentSquare:

No matter how fast the technology evolves, the brands that own the content will always own the experience. We've seen this before, from the rise of search, to social, to mobile. Every time a new layer of technology appears, everyone predicts the 'death of brands,' and every time the same truth wins: the content creators are the ones who shape demand.

Consumers will absolutely use AI assistants, but they'll still want access to the source: the brand's own voice, its product stories, its real experience. That's why the brands who invest in rich content, differentiated storytelling, and a strong digital identity will stay in control. AI may distribute and remix information, but it's the original content that sets the rules of the game.

In other words: AI changes the tools, but branded content is still the power play.

Larraine Criss, COO, Preciso:

From a search perspective, generative AI is already reducing the number of people clicking through to websites, so brands need to look to other methods, such as native advertising and influencer marketing to drive them there.

Once on a website, a brand should be using AI-driven product recommendations and conversational AI to cross-sell and up-sell.

Demi Vaitkunaite, Modern Citizens:

Brands seeing the strongest organic growth will be those that have genuinely diversified their content mix - not just in theory, but in practice.

We'll continue to see written content perform well, but the organisations pulling ahead will be the ones investing meaningfully in video (both long and short‑form), interactive tools, visual assets, and original research that can be discovered and consumed across multiple platforms and formats.

Search and discovery are no longer confined to a single channel or a single content type. …The safe bet, then, is this: diversification is no longer optional. It's the baseline for staying competitive in search and discovery in 2026 and beyond.

Gracia Novoa, Media Manager at Fox Agency:

Transactional pages are still the strongest performers. When intent is clear, well-optimised product and solution pages still deliver strong CTRs and conversions.

At the same time, platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram are claiming more SERP real estate. Smart brands will learn how these channels complement their organic strategy and capture attention at the right moment.

Steve Clarkson, Content Director at Journey Further:

Right now, the format delivering the most impact is also the oldest one we have: conversation. And a platform where that really matters is Reddit, which more marketers should be taking seriously. Reddit … [is] a trusted, peer-to-peer environment where people feel comfortable asking real questions, sharing lived experience, and comparing options with genuine intent.

That combination of expertise and authenticity is exactly what Google wants more of through E-E-A-T, which is why Reddit threads now feature so prominently across AI Overviews and deeper SERP real estate. Brands can use this shift to reclaim organic reach where it's been slipping, through two big plays:

Show up and participate: That means contributing to relevant subreddits in ways that actually add value: AMAs, expert responses, or simply being a helpful presence in the conversations that shape buying decisions. Brands can also go a step further by building and nurturing their own communities. Sonos and Nike are strong examples of brands that treat subreddit ownership as a long-term asset.

Secondly, brands can use Reddit as a social listening engine. Few places offer such unfiltered insight into what people really think - the pain points they're wrestling with, the associations they already have with a brand, and the emerging needs that haven't yet shown up in keyword tools. It's basically a standing focus group. These signals should feed content strategies - helping marketers prioritise the niche questions people are actually asking alongside established search demand, seasonal patterns, and cultural spikes.

The caveat is that Reddit isn't a channel you can hack - it's a culture you have to respect. Brands need to follow the norms, work with moderators, and show up with something genuinely useful. Ignore that and you'll be shut down fast. Honour it and Reddit becomes the closest thing we have to true word-of-mouth at scale, the kind of advocacy you can't buy, only earn.

Ann Smarty, Smarty.Marketing:

I see FAQs and listicles (top lists in various categories) are cited all the time. I would definitely start utilizing both. But make sure they are genuinely useful (keyword research is also important!). Surfacing these in organic search is the most important step to getting consistently cited by LLMs.

Demi Vaitkunaite, Modern Citizens:

Top formats right now blend clear intent page types, such as dedicated event pages (webinars, careers) and blogs structured as topic clusters or content hubs rather than standalone pieces - with smart on-page elements: a top summary or "at-a-glance" box for instant context (users and search engines love it), plus FAQs drawn from keyword research, customer service teams and "People also ask" to cover long-tails and earn featured snippets.

Marketers should double down here, alongside original research and data-led content that attracts links and positions brands as credible sources, interactive tools for engagement, templates/checklists for informational/"how-to" traffic, and case studies for B2B authority.

Gracia Novoa, Fox Agency:

Clients are carving out spending for AI visibility, and teams are racing to develop sophisticated methods for prompt discovery and performance tracking. In this environment, adaptability and resilience matter more than ever. The search landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and those who combine creativity with strong analytical skills will lead the way.

Demi Vaitkunaite, Modern Citizens:

Two of the biggest skills gaps we see at the moment sit at opposite ends of the spectrum: AI‑era execution, and genuinely strategic thinking.

On the execution side, there is growing demand for people who can use AI well in the day-to-day - for analysis, spotting patterns in performance data, scaling optimisations and supporting testing, rather than treating it as just a content shortcut. Alongside that, there's increasing demand for practitioners who understand how traditional SEO translates into AI and LLM visibility.

…The other area that is often missing is a more strategic, commercially grounded mindset. It's no longer enough to be very good at "delivering things". The real value comes from being able to answer the "why?" and the "so what?":