The 8 Trends I’m Betting My Entire Marketing Strategy On in 2026

Your customers aren't finding you the way they used to. 26% of searches now [music] end without a click. Instagram

alone sees over 6.5 billion searches every day. And Chad GPT is about to

every day. And Chad GPT is about to launch ads that behave like Facebook, not Google. So if you're still marketing

not Google. So if you're still marketing like 2024, you're already behind. I'm

Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital. My

team works with hundreds of brands across dozens of industries and every day we analyze patterns most marketers never even see. And today I'm going to walk you through the eight digital

marketing trends that will shape visibility in 2026 and how to use each one immediately. Because when you

one immediately. Because when you [music] understand what's actually happening, you stop reacting and start leading. Let's dive in. Trend number

leading. Let's dive in. Trend number

one, stop sending traffic off platform.

Capture leads where they are. If you're

still sending social media traffic to landing pages, you're losing leads before they ever see your offer. Here's

a real reason. Platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook kill your distribution the moment your content tries to move off platform, even if it's just click the link in my bio or visit

our site. These platforms want people

our site. These platforms want people inside their ecosystem, not bouncing out of it. So, the algorithm immediately

of it. So, the algorithm immediately throttles your reach and your ad costs go up. And even when people do click

go up. And even when people do click out, most mobile users drop off the moment they hit a slow loading form or a page that isn't built for quick conversion. Here's what you need to do.

conversion. Here's what you need to do.

Keep the entire lead capture process inside the platform. Use tools like Manyhat to trigger automated conversations. When someone comments

conversations. When someone comments with the keyword, they comment, the software automatically sends them DMs, you capture their information without them ever leaving the platform. This

reduces friction, boosts engagement signals to the algorithm, and gives you higher quality leads because you're tracking behavioral intent, not just form fields. Trend two, search moved

form fields. Trend two, search moved beyond Google. For years, search meant

beyond Google. For years, search meant Google. But now, search is happening

Google. But now, search is happening everywhere. Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok,

everywhere. Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, Chad, GBT, Snap, LinkedIn, even [music] your browser. Snap signed a $400 million

your browser. Snap signed a $400 million deal with Perplexity [music] just to power their search. Buyers are jumping across platforms like Stepping Stones and most brands only show up on one of

them. Here's what we're seeing in the

them. Here's what we're seeing in the data. Instagram 6.5 billion searches a

data. Instagram 6.5 billion searches a day. YouTube over 3 billion. Tik Tok is

day. YouTube over 3 billion. Tik Tok is becoming [music] a new product search engine. Chad GBT emerging as a trusted

engine. Chad GBT emerging as a trusted discovery tool. This isn't random. It's

discovery tool. This isn't random. It's

a clear shift in consumer behavior. And

once you understand the shift, you can use [music] it to win. This is called search everywhere optimization. creating

content that's formatted, structured, and packaged in a way that ranks across all major discovery surfaces, [music] not just traditional search engines.

Here's exactly how to do it. Start by

weaving [music] your targeted keywords naturally into everything. Your script,

your captions, your on-screen text, and your description. That's how platforms

your description. That's how platforms understand the true topic of your content. Then build topic clusters.

content. Then build topic clusters.

Create multiple posts around the same core theme so platforms start mapping you as the authority. Consistency also

builds discoverability. And finally,

optimize for conversational search.

People now search in full phrases and the algorithms read the layers of your content. Audio captions, transcripts,

content. Audio captions, transcripts, and visual text to [music] match that intent. When your content aligns with

intent. When your content aligns with how people actually search, you start showing up everywhere they look. Trend

three, the AI slob problem is hurting teams more than helping. AI promise

speed, but for most marketing teams, it's creating [music] confusion, rework, and hallucinations. We ran a study

and hallucinations. We ran a study comparing free and paid AI tools, and the hallucination rates were almost [music] identical. That means people are

[music] identical. That means people are trusting answers that look correct, but are completely wrong. And that false confidence is killing campaigns. Here's

what's happening. Markers are using AI to write copy, analyze data, and build strategy. But they're not validating the

strategy. But they're not validating the output. They're assuming the AI is right

output. They're assuming the AI is right because it sounds confident. But when

you dig into the data, you find errors, fake [music] stats, misqued sources, conclusions that don't match the evidence. And here's a surprising twist.

evidence. And here's a surprising twist.

A lot of companies are blaming AI for the layoffs. Not because AI actually

the layoffs. Not because AI actually replaced people, but because [music] it's a cleaner story for the public markets. Simplifying with AI sounds a

markets. Simplifying with AI sounds a lot better to shareholders than admitting that they overhired and their divisions aren't [music] growing at the pace they are expecting or aren't as profitable. Meanwhile, inside these

profitable. Meanwhile, inside these teams, the real inefficiency is coming from AI slop, hallucinations, errors, and bad outputs that waste [music]

hours. Even Perplexity CEO said on CNBC,

hours. Even Perplexity CEO said on CNBC, he doesn't believe AI is [music] the true reason behind these job losses.

>> The results of that are being seen now.

So, correlation doesn't imply causation.

Like, it's not because of AI that people are losing jobs. In fact, because of AI, we see a lot more empowerment in people.

>> So, what do you actually do with all this? You stop using AI the way everyone

this? You stop using AI the way everyone else is using [music] it and start using it the way top performers do. Top

performers aren't using AI blindly.

They're using AI intelligently. Here's

how. Use AI to generate first drafts, not final drafts. Cross reference any stats or claim [music] that AI gives you. Check the source. Verify the date.

you. Check the source. Verify the date.

Build internal quality checks. [music]

If something feels off, dig deeper. Use

AI for ideiation, not execution. Let it

help you brainstorm, but don't let it make strategic decisions without human [music] oversight. The biggest ROI we're

[music] oversight. The biggest ROI we're seeing from AI isn't from tools themselves. [music] It's from using AI

themselves. [music] It's from using AI platforms like Chat GBT as a discovery channel to drive traffic and conversions. When you stop using AI to

conversions. When you stop using AI to replace your word and start using it to extend your reach, you produce work that's sharper, faster, and way more accurate. AI doesn't replace your

accurate. AI doesn't replace your judgment, it multiplies it. Once you

understand that, you stop feeling threatened and you start feeling empowered.

AI tools aren't just answering questions anymore. They're evolving into full

anymore. They're evolving into full discovery engines. And just like Google,

discovery engines. And just like Google, they're starting to prioritize trusted sources. We're seeing clear patterns.

sources. We're seeing clear patterns.

Listicles get cited constantly.

Structured pages get pulled into answers. Websites [music] with

answers. Websites [music] with consistent formatting are showing up more often. If you publish top 10 lists

more often. If you publish top 10 lists across multiple categories, top 10 tools, top 10 agencies, top 10 products, top 10 comparisons, you start training Chat GBT to see you as authority. Here's

how the strategy works. Create listicles

in very specific niches. Don't just

publish top 10 digital marketing agencies. Publish the subcategories, top

agencies. Publish the subcategories, top 10 SAS agencies, top 10 e-commerce agencies, top 10 affordable marketing agencies, top 10 agencies for

franchises. The more micro categories

franchises. The more micro categories you own, the more Chad GBT cites you as a source. And no, you shouldn't be

a source. And no, you shouldn't be citing yourself. You should be

citing yourself. You should be leveraging digital PR to get other trusted sources that are authorities in your field to site you. And you need to make your case on why you are a better

fit than the competition. And Chad GBT will eventually build its own authority system to prevent strategies like people just blogging on their own website and saying, "Hey, we're the best." So right

now, you shouldn't focus on shortcuts.

You should focus on long-term strategies by getting other people in your industry to talk about you. Yes, it involves outreach and more work, but it's worth the effort because then your results will start compounding. And if you don't

want to do this yourself and you just want someone to do it for you, my agency, NP Digital, has a massive digital PR team with over a 100 people [music] where we help companies get listed as the main source and pitch

journalists on why they should be the best in their industry. Of course, if you have a crappy product or service, it's harder for us to do that. But if

you have a good product and a good service, it's much easier and definitely doable. All you have to do is just go to

doable. All you have to do is just go to npd digital.com and fill out the form.

Now, if you are creating content on your own website, make sure you're formatting it correctly with clear headers, bullet points, tables. This makes it easy for

points, tables. This makes it easy for AI to extract and site your content.

Keep your content updated. Add last

updated dates to your pages and AI engines will favor fresh, current information over old, outdated information. You also want to use schema

information. You also want to use schema markup. This tells AA engines exactly

markup. This tells AA engines exactly what your content is about and makes it easier to site. You also want to site yourself strategically within your own content and mention the products and services you offer, as well as integrate

case studies, stats, facts, and data like that to show that you are a credible source. And when you get cited

credible source. And when you get cited by multiple websites that rank you as one of the top sources in the industry, this builds authority within the AI platforms. This makes them want to site

you more than your competition in the long run, who's just focusing on creating articles on their own website, discussing how they're the best source.

This is going to be the new SEO. Almost

no one is doing it. What they're

focusing on is still the old stuff versus digital PR where it's really at and that makes the difference. Sure, you

need to still have all the fundamentals, but without digital PR, you're not going to do as well on Chad GPT, Perplexity, or even Gemini. [music] And when you understand that Chad GPT is becoming a ranking system, your content strategy

immediately becomes more intentional, more strategic, and far more profitable.

Trend five, AI ads will behave like Facebook with Google level intent. When

Chad GBT launches ads, they won't work like Google search ads. They will target you based on your full search history, your intent over time, your interests, your patterns, your problems, your

goals. This is identity based targeting

goals. This is identity based targeting with search level accuracy. If you

search for marketing agencies, Chad GPT could show you an ad for a marketing agency. But if nine of your last 10

agency. But if nine of your last 10 searches were about losing weight, Chad GBT might show you a weight loss ad instead because that's what's actually top of mind for you right now. They're

not just responding to what you type.

They're responding to your deeper intent across everything you've been searching.

And look at who Open AI is hiring.

Former Facebook and Instagram ad engineers, people who specialize in predictive modeling and behavior-based targeting. Google shows you ads based on

targeting. Google shows you ads based on what you type. Facebook shows you ads based [music] on who you are. Chat GBT

will do both. This means one thing.

Brands that define their category early will have the advantage of being the default recommendation inside AI platforms. You no longer are competing for keywords. You're competing for

for keywords. You're competing for associations. And here's how you

associations. And here's how you position yourself now. Build topical

authority. Create content that is consistently addresses specific problems for specific audiences. The more you publish on a topic, the more AI associates your brand with that category. You also want to use

category. You also want to use firstparty data. Integrate your CRM,

firstparty data. Integrate your CRM, purchase history, and customer interactions into your ad platforms. This trains AI systems to understand who your best customers are. You want to create content that teaches AI who you

help. Don't just say we're a marketing

help. Don't just say we're a marketing agency. Say we help SAS companies scale

agency. Say we help SAS companies scale from 1 million to 10 million through performance marketing. The specificity

performance marketing. The specificity trains the AI. Once you understand that, you stop creating random content and you start creating content that teaches AI exactly who you are and who you help.

Trend six, browsers are becoming AI platforms. This is one of the biggest changes [music] coming in 2026 and one of the least discussed. A is moving into browser layer, not just website layer.

Chrome's Gemini, Chad GPT's Atlas, Perplexes Comet. Right now, we go to

Perplexes Comet. Right now, we go to Chad GPT, we go to Google, we go to different platforms, but [music] that's changing. Think of a browser like an

changing. Think of a browser like an app. Once you're inside it, they keep

app. Once you're inside it, they keep you there and they can monetize you without sending you to [music] websites first. Imagine this. Your customer opens

first. Imagine this. Your customer opens a tab and asks the browser to compare tools. The browser summarizes

tools. The browser summarizes everything, makes recommendations, and shows [music] AIdriven ads before they even reach a website. This is the future of discovery. Browsers are becoming the

of discovery. Browsers are becoming the new platform instead of forcing people to go to websites. AI inside the browser pulls information directly from your [music] site and shows it to users instantly. And Google is already

instantly. And Google is already preparing for this. Their new AI Mac campaigns are designing [music] to show ads across every Google surface, search, YouTube, discover, and soon inside

Chrome's AI features. [music] So, in the future, your ads won't just show up on Google's platforms. They'll show up inside the browser itself while people are using AI tools to research, compare,

and make decisions. That's why marketers need to prepare now. Start running AMAX campaigns early so you can understand how the system optimizes, and learns.

Add structured data to your website, schema markup, clean formatting, and clear sections so browsers can easily extract, summarize, and [music] surface your content. Treat your site as a data

your content. Treat your site as a data source, not just a destination. the

browser will pull from it even if users never click through. Trend seven, live content is becoming a competitive advantage. In a world full of AI

advantage. In a world full of AI generated everything, the one thing people trust most is real people. And

that's why live video is exploding.

YouTube reports that nearly 30% of users watch at least one live every week. And

very few brands are going live. People

are craving live content, but creators and brands aren't delivering it. When

you go live regularly, something powerful happens. Your audience sees you

powerful happens. Your audience sees you as a human. Your engagement spikes, your organic reach expands, your content multiplies because one live stream can become dozens of clips. And here's one

thing that gets really interesting.

YouTube now autogenerates both horizontal and vertical clips from your live streams. You can go live once [music] on desktop and the platform creates vertical versions for mobile

automatically. You create once and the

automatically. You create once and the platform repurposes it for you. Here's

how to use this. Go live once a week. It

doesn't have to be fancy. Just show up and add value. Teach something, answer questions, break down recent trend, walk through a case study. Let the platform do the work. YouTube handles the formatting, you handle the value.

Repurpose strategically. Pull out the best 60-second moments and turn them into shorts, reals, and Tik Toks.

Platforms are rewarding authenticity, not polish. And once you lean into that,

not polish. And once you lean into that, your brand stops feeling like content and starts feeling like leadership. This

is where your audience begins to trust you deeply.

For the first time in history, [music] language is no longer a barrier. YouTube

and tools like Hey Gen can now autodub your videos into dozens of languages using your own voice. And over time, [music] all platforms will do this. And

you won't even need tools like Hey Jen.

This means your next video isn't limited to one country. [music] It can reach the entire world instantly. Your reach is no longer just English [music] speakers.

It's Hindi speakers, Korean speakers, Spanish speakers, everyone. And here's

what we're seeing. Creators are getting 30 to 50% of their views from languages they don't even speak. Brands are

expanding into new markets without hiring translators or voice actors.

[music] Here's how to activate this.

Enable multilanguage audio on YouTube.

It's in your video settings. Turn it on for every video you publish. You also

want to optimize your website for global traffic. Use [music] HF lang tags. Add

traffic. Use [music] HF lang tags. Add

language selectors. Make sure your checkout process supports multiple languages. Localize your CTAs. If

languages. Localize your CTAs. If

someone's [music] watching in Spanish, make sure your landing page supports Spanish, too. This shift transforms

Spanish, too. This shift transforms creators into global brands. [music] And

once you experience global distribution, your mindset changes. You stop thinking in terms of views and you start thinking in [music] terms of world reach. This

unlocks the biggest psychological driver of all expansion. Not just of your content, but of your ambition. If you

want to go deeper into how AI search really works, watch my next video.

[music] This will walk you through how to get surfaced, how to get recommended, and how to stay visible inside every major platform.