As we approach the end of 2025, it’s always fun to look towards how SEO could shape up in the new year. Given our expert knowledge of travel, iGaming and finance, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a look at what you can expect from SEO in these industries in 2026.
We’ll take a close look at the biggest upcoming trend in each market and how you can make the most of them in your SEO strategy. So, step into our time machine and let’s find out what 2026 has in store!
Capturing the Conscious Travel Trend
Conscious travel is one of the key trends emerging in 2026. Travellers are thinking more about how their choices impact the world and want to make a positive difference in the places they visit. In 2025, the voluntourism industry, which combines travelling with volunteering, was worth a staggering £1.56 billion according to National Geographic.
The general shift to more conscious travel choices has also been reflected in the destinations people are choosing. Trends are moving off the beaten path and away from places where overtourism is having a negative impact, such as Barcelona. Instead, travellers are looking to align their getaways with their ethics by choosing destinations such as Armenia and Cameroon where their money can have a bigger impact.
Even when consumers don’t base their whole holiday around volunteering, they’re still looking to incorporate it into their travel through activities like beach cleaning. A particular focus of voluntourism has been on the environment with travellers getting involved in things like conservation and planting trees. It aligns with increased interest in responsible tourism as searches for ‘sustainable travel’ increased 191% between 2020 and 2023.
How Can You Capitalise on Conscious Travel?
To capitalise on the conscious travel trend, highlight how consumers can get involved in volunteering around the world and show how their money makes a difference in the local community. Turn the focus of your content towards mindful travel destinations which combine a holiday with making the world a better place.
As tourists begin to consider more carefully how their travel impacts the environment, spotlight stays which take sustainability seriously. Many hotel comparison sites, and even Google search results, have introduced an eco-certified category to make finding hotels which align with travellers’ ethics easier. Consider creating your own content and labels focused on sustainable holiday swaps and platform eco-certified hotels.
The Importance of Presence in iGaming
In iGaming, diversifying your SEO strategy to include platforms like Reddit, is going to be essential in 2026. Reddit is being used by Google to train AI and as of April 2025, it was behind only Wikipedia in terms of visibility from search results. It also averages around 110.4 million daily users!
Where once Google’s AI overviews relied on information from Wikipedia, we’re seeing Reddit being used more frequently. It’s now the second most cited source for Google overviews and is responsible for 46.7% of Perplexity AI citations. Having a trustworthy presence on the platform will become increasingly important for getting featured in Google overviews and citations.
Although Reddit links are no-follow and don’t pass equity, it’s still a key focus to increase brand awareness and boost traffic. When you post on Reddit, it can appear in search results years after it’s published, giving it a longer-lasting impact. For iGaming providers, the focus will be on establishing a trustworthy presence on the platform and trying to capitalise on that to drive traffic.
What Should Your Content for Reddit Look Like?
Content on Reddit is a careful balance as users are well-known to downvote posts which are obvious self-promotion. Treading delicately requires a focus on content which is valuable to users, answers their questions and fulfills community needs. Look to post content which targets a genuine gap or user need, rather than just trends, to become a trusted contributor and ensure your page stays relevant.
By applying the principles of EEAT, sharing expert insights and interacting with users, you’ll boost your content. Avoid overly promotional posts, or direct product links, to prevent being downvoted. Tailor your content so it’s comprehensive and focuses on engagement rather than keywords. Adopting strategies for a whole new site can sound a little daunting, so why not let the experts do it for you? Our team includes specialist experts in EEAT who can help to grow your brand across platforms, including Reddit. Reach out if you’re looking to capitalise on the ever-growing opportunity that Reddit offers your marketing strategy!
Once you’ve established a solid voice on the platform, you can begin incorporating promotional content with natural links for subtle traffic directing. It’s important for iGaming providers to get ahead of the game and build a voice on Reddit now to become a reliable source and enjoy the indirect SEO boost.
Adapting Finance Content to the AI Future
Since launching AI overviews in 2024, Google has seen a 10% increase in usage in key markets for queries which are likely to return an overview. For those in finance, where users often look to AI overviews to understand difficult topics, embracing AI will be an essential part of a successful SEO strategy. Google intends for AI to become further integrated into search in 2026 by adopting more elements of AI Mode into traditional search.
They’re also focusing on developments like Agentic AI search which does all of the work of a search for the user. We could also easily see this being used in the finance sector for queries such as ‘Find me an ISA with interest over 4.5%’. Google’s Agentic AI search returns something called a fan-out, where they offer different options in categories, such as the ISA with the highest interest, one with the most flexibility and another with the best user ratings.
How to Get Ready for AI
As AI is set to play an even bigger role in search results, for those in the finance sector of SEO, adapting content to be AI-friendly is more important than ever. It will mean reviewing the content on your site to ensure it has a clear focus, isn’t overstuffed with keywords and answers users’ queries. Make sure that your content is effectively labelled with a clear schema markup, so AI can more easily categorise and easily return it for relevant searches.
As simple questions, such as ‘What is an ISA?’, are increasingly answered directly through the AI overview of a search result, you’ll see fewer clicks from users looking for answers to straightforward queries. Instead, shift your content towards guides for things like signing up for an account or a demo of how to start investing. We recommend moving away from over-saturated keywords and looking for the high click potential.
What Can We Take Forward for SEO in 2026?
In order to do well in 2026, you’ll need to make sure you’re nailing your content for SEO. Although in industries like travel, it’s important to keep up with trends such as voluntourism, you should also aim to answer user questions and fill a gap in knowledge. When using platforms like Reddit, create content that will remain relevant over time. You can help to boost your site on Google results by diversifying your strategy and building a trustworthy voice on other platforms.
You can also expect AI to continue to become increasingly important in SEO. Since the introduction of Google’s AI overviews, we’re no longer just competing to get users to click on our page, but to get Google to incorporate our content in their overviews and cite it. As more elements of AI search are incorporated into the traditional search function, it will be vital to reflect on your content to assure it’s accurate, relevant and answering users’ key questions.
As new AI features and trends approach in 2026, SEO will certainly experience a shake up. Get in touch with our team to make sure your content will make the cut in the new
