10 SEO Trends I've Observed in 2026: Query Fan-Out, AI Search, and Beyond

Ryan Law, Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs, breaks down how SEO has fundamentally shifted over the past year, driven by AI search engines and new technical infrastructure. The analysis, backed by proprietary Ahrefs data, highlights trends including query fan-out (searches for the term up 2,550% year-over-year), the rise of AI Overviews and AI Mode integration, and the declining performance of traditional information-only content. The piece emphasizes that SEOs must now optimize for both traditional search and AI-powered search experiences, requiring topic cluster strategies that address fan-out queries rather than chasing individual variations.