8 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2026
May 29, 2026 By Ashley Orndorff, aka Marketing Geek
Technology is always evolving and, as user behavior changes, digital marketing continues to evolve to keep up. Some of these trends are new, and some have been around for a bit and are continuing to pick up steam, even now. These are a few of the digital marketing trends to watch (or continue to watch) in 2026:
- More AI integration
- Continued growth of “zero-click” searches
- Integrated digital marketing
- SEO for voice search
- Personalization
- Visual search
- Social media ecommerce
- Short videos
1. More AI Integration
Over the years AI has been integrated into search engine features and algorithms, starting with location-based search results, machine learning, and contextual searches. With the big jump forward in LLMs (large language models) and machine learning, the search engine landscape saw even more changes and volatility as AI was integrated more and in more ways.
We have already seen this over the years with the launch of AI overviews in Google in 2024, AI mode in 2025, and the continued expansion and integration of both in 2026. Other AI platforms and search engines continue to develop and train their own algorithms, and capabilities continue to evolve, including agentic AI, where AI agents can be used to complete tasks on behalf of human users out on the web.
2. Continued Growth of “Zero-Click” Searches
Between search engines incorporating AI and launching AI features and a surge in AI tools, many of which are serving and launching their own search engine-type features, there have been a lot of changes. Not only are there several new search sources gaining ground, but there are also new SERP features in Google, like AI overviews or summaries, that are shaking up the results and shifting traffic as “zero-click” searches increase.
Clicks Continuing to Decrease For Top-of-the-Funnel Searches
Top-of-the-funnel searches that used to result in clicks to a website can now be easily answered by AI overviews and chatbots. Although website clicks and traffic from search engines are still around, there are far fewer for the same types of queries than a few years ago. Digital marketing and SEO need to keep up.
Although the foundation of strong branding and building brand identity, awareness, authority, relevance, etc. are still important and relevant, SEO tactics, strategies, and expectations need to continue to evolve and expand to include various channels and remain aware of these emerging and evolving features.
The Role of Content Continuing to Evolve
For example, there is still a place for top-of-the-funnel content that is relevant to your target audience on your website, but it is not going to deliver the same amount of clicks from organic search as it would have years ago. And, if you are creating it with the goal of winning “easy” traffic from search engines; you are likely to be disappointed.
In the current search landscape, the role of content is more about creating useful user pathways on your site, content that can be quoted by other sources, content that can be repurposed other places across the web where your audience hangs out, etc., while still giving your brand a chance to be visible even when searches don’t result in immediate clicks.
Establishing E-E-A-T and Unique, Authentic Brand Voice
Establishing authority via E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) signals and an authentic brand voice is essential. Human experience and expertise and other information unique to your brand will help you create more impactful content that gives you a better chance of being cited and earning links and mentions.
3. Integrated Digital Marketing
As search engines began to focus more on brands, it became more and more important to merge offline and online efforts. And, as consumers became increasingly more mobile, it became more and more important for brands to be omnichannel.
With the continued rise of AI and changes in the search landscape, this has only become more important. The buyer’s journey is not a funnel anymore; it’s more like a pinball game, and you need to be in the places your potential buyers are visiting for a chance at conversion. You need to:
- Be where your customers are.
- Find the right mix of channels and platforms for your business.
- Integrate your strategies across platforms.
Be Where Your Customers Are
Businesses needed to have a presence where their customers were searching and interacting. Although it’s been important to have a presence and offer a great user experience on multiple channels for years, it is absolutely imperative for your digital marketing efforts to be comprehensive in 2026. This continues to make integrated digital marketing an important trend.
Find the Right Mix of Channels and Platforms for Your Business
The key component of integrated digital marketing is using a variety of platforms and channels to increase your brand’s reach. The mix of channels that is right for your business will vary based on a ton of different factors, but it’s clear that you need to be dominating multiple channels in order to stay competitive.
The search landscape is fractured, even more so now than it has been. Google may still hold the majority market share, but you don’t want to ignore other platforms where your target audience is starting their searches, asking questions, and making decisions, possibly before even getting to your website.
Integrate Your Strategies Across Platforms
Email, video, social media, search, paid, and more – no matter what combination of platforms and channels are right for your business, your strategies should be linked, brand messaging should be consistent, and campaigns should be cohesive across all of them.
When it’s done well, integrated digital marketing ensures your brand has a presence on the channels and platforms that are most important to your customers and that your efforts are delivering results.
4. SEO for Voice Search
With the continued rise of voice search queries and voice assistants, SEO for voice search continues to be on trend in 2026. Although it’s not quite on par with traditional search engines or visual search just yet, it’s still not a channel you want to ignore.
There are still over 1 billion voice searches every month. Mobile voice search queries and voice assistants rely on well-structured information that is easy to digest and answers questions quickly, which means they often rely on featured snippets and first-page results to answer a question. Plus, several of the things you do for voice search can also benefit you when it comes to AI agents finding and navigating on behalf of users.
Don’t Ignore Structured Data
Well-structured and well-written content, in addition to solid local SEO, can help you compete. Structured data, schema markup, and relevant, concise answers to conversational questions can help you compete when it comes to voice search.
It’s also a benefit when it comes to good SEO, optimizing for AI answer engines, whether you call that search everywhere optimization, GEO (generative engine optimization), AIO (AI optimization), or something else, and more. This makes things like knowing your user, strong keyword research, and solving for user intent that much more important in 2026. You have to know:
- Who you’re targeting
- What information they need to make buying decisions
- Where they go to get information
- What you can provide that is relevant to them and unique to your brand
5. Personalization
As search engines evolved to better understand the context of user queries and began to integrate AI and machine learning into their algorithms, the search results became more and more personalized. At the same time, user expectations moved towards more personalization.
It’s important to strike the right balance. Too much personalization and too much contact too soon is one of the ways businesses annoy potential customers and drive them away. The more you can personalize your experience towards users, without coming across as creepy, the better the experience you offer.
This also helps you better meet their expectations, and better solve their problems in a relevant and memorable way. This increase in personalization has led to the continued rise of micro-moments for users and also the use of chatbots for businesses.
Micro-Moments
Micro-moments refer to specific times and situations where a user wants to accomplish something. These are moments when the user has a specific question in order to know something, needs directions to go somewhere, needs more information on how to do something, or wants to buy something.
Micro-moments tend to be focused on sudden wants and needs that pop up during the buying cycle and will influence their decision. Prioritizing these specific moments and making them a part of your digital marketing strategy allows you to take the individual user into account and solve for user intent.
Ignoring them, on the other hand, is one of the common ecommerce mistakes to avoid that is also a mistake other businesses should avoid as well. Positioning your brand well for these micro-moments can also help you as agentic AI becomes more widespread.
Chatbots
Chatbots allow users to interact with your business in a personal way immediately. Whether you employ human interaction, canned responses, or a combination of both, chatbots allow you to meet your user where they are, interact immediately in a meaningful way, and also capture some of your customer’s micro-moment needs. You can also use them to help you use social media for customer service.
With chatbots, your business has the opportunity to level up customer service and improve response time for better customer service, which can streamline the process for both your business and your customers. With continued developments in LLMs (large language models) and AI, chatbots are more widely available and can be trained into valuable resources for your potential customers.
You can also gain valuable insights through customer interactions with your chatbot in order to improve your website, create content to fill an informational gap, identify potential issues in other areas, and more. Using insights from your chatbot, customer service channels, and more in these ways allows you to use data to generate content ideas that are highly relevant and impactful for your target audience.
6. Visual Search
Visual search is more than just image search and optimization; it’s all about allowing users to capture images and use them to find what they need. Products like Google Lens and Pinterest Lens offer a technological update to visual search that allows users to explore everything around them with their phone and find what they need more accurately.
Google Lens
With the Google Lens app or with the way Google Lens has been integrated into Google Photos on mobile devices and into Google search, users can “search what you see” by taking a picture with their smartphone and finding more information about what’s in it.
For example, a user could take a picture of a landmark or building to find out more information about it, take a picture of an object in order to figure out where to buy it, and more. People are using Google Lens for approximately 20 billion visual searches every month. Because it is so integrated with “normal” Google search now, people can also right-click any image in Google Chrome to “Search image with Google,” which will run a Lens query.
Pinterest Lens
With Pinterest Lens, users can take a picture of something with their phone inside the Pinterest mobile app and pull up related ideas on Pinterest about it. There is even an integration with the Shop tab to allow you to discover and purchase products you like.
7. Social Media Ecommerce
Social media and ecommerce have been becoming more integrated for years, and it’s one of the digital marketing trends that will only continue. Across many platforms, there are more and more opportunities to feature products, and even allow customers to purchase without having to leave the platform. This provides a lot of opportunities for ecommerce businesses and nonprofits as well.
Crypto and NFTs
Regardless of how you feel about them or whether you invest in them, you can’t avoid talking or hearing about cryptocurrency and NFTs. It may not be something you are considering for your business right now, but there are things to be aware of and potential for the future, depending on how things continue to develop.
NFTs and cryptocurrency take finance and selling beyond a physical product or service and take them into the digital realm. Some platforms have already integrated cryptocurrency payments, and they’re also integrating with social media platforms.
X (previously Twitter) moved to integrate bitcoin payments in addition to other payment methods as a way to allow users to tip content creators towards the end of 2021. They have also done giveaways with NFTs, integrated display tools to showcase in-app NFT purchases, and more. With the launch of the Metaverse and the developments since, Meta is also doing something similar with Facebook avatars and NFT display options.
8. Short Videos
As TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Stories, Facebook Reels, and more have continued to be popular and dominate the social landscape, especially when it comes to video, there continues to be a shift towards shorter videos.
Longer videos still have a place and a purpose. But the topic and intent have to be the right fit for a longer video. When it comes to bite-sized content, it’s hard to beat short, DIY videos. With these short videos as one of the digital marketing trends, the video needs to be good, but it also doesn’t need to be over-produced either.
Short video posts are the standard on TikTok and other social media platforms have moved towards similar formats. Instagram and Facebook have Reels and Stories, YouTube has Shorts. In addition to your other posts, short, authentic, and candid videos are also one of the types of content to post on social media.
Make Sure Your Website Supports Your Marketing Efforts
There are plenty of digital marketing trends that you need to keep in mind moving forward. These are just a few of the hot topics continuing to gain some serious traction right now that you need to keep in mind for your ongoing digital marketing efforts.
If your website or marketing efforts aren’t delivering for your business, it could be a sign you need a new website and that it may be time for a refresh and some updates. Contact us for a meeting of the MINDs to see how to get back on track!
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