What's the best advice you can give to professionals in SEO for 2026?

Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: What's the best advice you can give to professionals in SEO for 2026?
Podcast: Voices of Search
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor, SEO Consultant, Author of "Product Led SEO"
Date: January 23, 2026

In this focused episode, host Jordan Cooney engages SEO expert Eli Schwartz in a candid discussion about the single most crucial piece of advice for SEO professionals heading into 2026. They explore the rapidly evolving SEO landscape—particularly the hype surrounding new trends like AI-generated content and LLM (Large Language Model) visibility. The conversation encourages SEO practitioners to remain authentic, resist cheaply following fads, and maintain client trust by advocating for strategies they genuinely believe in.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Staying True to Your SEO Ideals

• [00:43] Jordan Cooney sets the stage, asking Eli for his top piece of advice for SEO professionals as the field heads into a new year defined by technological flux.

• [00:59] Eli Schwartz's Core Advice:
  “I would say stay true to your ideals. So if you don’t believe in many, many SEO, Geo, AEI or whatever consultants I talk to, they think that a lot of this is not correct. They think that there’s a lot of hype around it and they believe that SEO is where companies should be spending most of their resources and most of their attention. Stay true to that. Don’t bend and start calling yourself an AIO consultant and recommending things you don’t believe in.”
  — Eli Schwartz [00:59]

• Eli underscores the danger of chasing hot trends or rebranding oneself according to whatever buzzword is currently popular (like “AIO”—Artificial Intelligence Optimization). He warns that recommending strategies you don't believe in undermines both your integrity and clients' long-term success.

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2. Navigating Market Pressure and Trend Chasing

• [02:54] Eli shares a real-world scenario highlighting how many companies come to him, not for traditional SEO, but instead explicitly seeking “LLM visibility” (visibility within Large Language Models, such as those powering AI chatbots or generative search).

• He admits the temptation to promise the latest-and-greatest marketing solutions, but cautions against telling clients what they want to hear if it isn’t effective:

  “My answer shouldn’t be, well, do SEO and you’ll be visible in LLMs, because then I lose that prospect. If that’s what I believe, I think that’s what everyone who believes that should be. If you go and sell something that you can’t actually accomplish, you’re on the hook for it in a few months when it goes away.”
  — Eli Schwartz [02:54]

• This segues into a broader warning: professionals who lose sight of what actually works in favor of chasing what’s “salable” risk disappointing clients and damaging reputations when hype cycles inevitably fade.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Integrity Over Hype:
  “Don’t bend and start calling yourself an AIO consultant and recommending things that you don’t believe in.”
  — Eli Schwartz [01:13]

• On Resisting Client-Driven Fads:
  “If you go and sell something that you can’t actually accomplish, you’re on the hook for it in a few months when it goes away.”
  — Eli Schwartz [03:09]

• On Strategic Focus:
  “They believe that SEO is where companies should be spending most of their resources and…attention. Stay true to that.”
  — Eli Schwartz [01:08]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:43] – Jordan asks for Eli’s top advice for 2026 SEO professionals.
• [00:59] – Eli passionately urges professionals to stay true to what works, not what’s trendy.
• [02:54] – Eli recounts recent client interactions and discusses the danger of promising dubious trending results.
• [03:24] – The conversation closes with thanks and information on connecting with Eli.

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Episode Takeaways

• Stay Authentic: The rapidly evolving SEO toolbox can distract professionals with constant streams of new buzzwords and tactics, but consistent, proven strategies remain more valuable in the long term.
• Resist Trend Chasing: It’s easy to be lured into the latest digital marketing trends, but both Eli and Jordan emphasize the importance of expertise grounded in real value—not hype.
• Client Trust Matters: Overpromising results on unproven or fading trends can harm both personal reputation and client trust.

Essential message: The best SEO advice for 2026 is to hold firm to your expertise and values. Sell and execute only what you truly believe works, even when clients request every new trend—integrity and results should always come first.

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Transcript

[Jordan Cooney]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

So, last question. As a longtime independent consultant, growth consultant, Organic consultant, SEO consultant, we can throw any acronym we want in front of that. What's the number one piece of advice that you're giving individuals in our industry for the next year?

[Eli Schwartz]

I would say stay true to your ideals. So if you don't believe in many, many SEO, Geo, AEI or whatever consultants I talk to, they they think that a lot of this is not correct. They think that there's a lot of hype around it and they believe that SEO is is the weird company should be spending most of their resources and most of their attention. Stay true to that. Don't bend and start calling yourself an AIO consultant and recommending things that you don't believe in.

[Sponsor/Pre Visible]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Visible's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre visible. For more information, go to Previsible IO that's pre visible P R E V I S I b l e.IO.

[Eli Schwartz]

I'm sorely tempted to do that. You know, in many conversations I talk to potential clump companies and they say, well, we don't want to do SEO, but if you're able to help us with LLM visibility, that's all we want. And my answer should shouldn't be, well, do SEO and you'll be visible in LLMs, because then I lose that prospect. If that's what I believe, I think that's what everyone who believes that should be. If you go and sell something that you can't actually accomplish, you're on the hook for it in a few months when it goes away.

[Jordan Cooney]

Absolutely. And that wraps up this episode of the Voice of Search podcast. A huge thank you to Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor, SEO Consultant and author of Product Led SEO, for joining us. If you'd like to connect with Eli, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com you can also visit his personal website productled SEO.com if you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember the answers are always in the data.

[Eli Schwartz]

Sam.