Content marketing always tracks user behavior, which is constantly changing. In the past, we searched for information and clicked on “blue links,” which meant that content marketers optimized texts for search results. User behavior is constantly changing and has done so again in 2026 due to the growing popularity of AI tools.
Millions of users are already searching for ideas, products, and everything else through ChatGPT, Perplexity, or AI Overviews. This means that marketers must adapt to the new realities.
We have compiled the new content marketing trends that will be relevant in 2026. Let’s explore them together!
Trend: Zero-visit visibility will be a key factor in 2026
Experts have already predicted this trend and pointed out that “zero-click experiences will become the majority of users’ online paths.” And the numbers confirm this. Today, despite the fact that Google processes more than 5 trillion search queries per year, and the number of queries in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity is growing, organic clicks continue to decline.
Users want to get answers immediately, rather than spending time searching, as was the case in the past. What does this mean for us? It means that we need to find new ways to gain user recognition and trust. The same applies to platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube, which are either openly uninterested in external transitions or directly restrict them.
So, in reality, when it becomes increasingly difficult to get user clicks, we change our logic and focus not on click traffic, but on where your content appears, where it is mentioned or quoted.
As Colby Flood, founder of Brighter Click, explains:
Why is this really important?
This trend is one of the most influential this year because it:
- forces marketers to rethink channel priorities,
- shapes new rules for on-page optimization,
- encourages experimentation with formats beyond classic texts,
- transforms blogs from a “traffic source” to a conversion tool.
How to prepare for this trend?
Recognize the obvious. Google will most likely provide less traffic.
Next, take a systematic approach:
Cases from American experts prove that 75% of incoming leads today are directly related to visibility in ChatGPT and other LLMs. So, let’s adapt!
Trend: Multimedia content will attract the most attention
Multimedia content has always been an effective engagement tool. 89% of buyers say they want to see more videos from brands. But there is a nuance.
Videos, images, and interactive formats are no longer just a way to hold attention, but an opportunity to be seen.
One of the key reasons for this shift is Google’s deep integration with YouTube. Today, almost 30% of AI Overviews feature links or quotes from YouTube.
As Stephanie Yoder, Director of Content at Rebrandly, points out, multimedia content is more important than ever because it increases visibility on several levels at once. In search, on social media, and in AI responses.
There is another important point. Videos and images allow a brand to maintain its own identity. AI texts are often “cut” into fragments, reinterpreted, and presented in a new form. Videos, on the other hand, are distributed in their entirety. Along with their identity, tone, and message. This means that the brand still reaches potential customers, even if the content is used as a source.
This trend is only growing stronger on social media. Meta continues to actively promote video as a priority format. Video views on LinkedIn have increased by more than 36%. And short, dynamic videos have long been the “entry ticket” to the TikTok audience.
In 2026, brands that create and combine different types of content will receive significantly more visibility in both search and social media.
Why is this important?
These formats have always been effective at engaging audiences, and now they also influence rankings. Infographics and other formats, apart from plain text, have always worked well for engaging and educating audiences. But now they are becoming ranking factors that help brands appear where users are.
How to prepare for this trend?
The good news is that tools are keeping up with AI and social media algorithms. Today, you can shoot high-quality video on your phone and entrust the editing and subtitles to AI. Design services allow you to put together an infographic or visual guide in a matter of minutes.
When working with content, it is important to remember the basics:
- add transcripts and short descriptive summaries,
- use timecodes in videos,
- write metadata and captions for images.
Trend: Structure and clarity are becoming key on-page factors
Previously, search engines offered a list of materials that might match a query, but today they get answers from various sources.
In this logic, content from which AI can easily extract data has a much higher chance of being cited.
This means that it is important not just to write text, but to make it easy for machines to “read.”
As Aydin Perko, Director of Content, Automation, and AI at Organic Growth Marketing, explains:
Pay attention to the length of the subheadings. Each of them contains a direct answer that AI can quickly “pick up,” process, and show to the user in its results.
This year, we will see more and more marketers begin to:
Content is gradually being written not only for the reader, but also for the system that reads this content first.
Why is this important?
In fact, today the first reader is not the user, but the algorithm. It is the algorithm that needs to be convinced that the content is:
- understandable,
- structured,
- worthy of being cited.
So, you have to make content first “for search” and then for people. Will it be possible to find a balance? Let’s find out!
How to prepare for this trend?
Don’t stop writing for people. If you go completely into AI optimization, the brand will quickly lose its voice and trust. But keep these tips in mind to please AI as well:
- Follow a clear hierarchy: one H1, logical H2 and H3 that repeat real user questions, plus schema markup.
- Start educational sections with a direct answer to the question asked.
- Put key information up front: who this material is for, what it is about, and why the author can be trusted.
- Clearly signal the content with phrases such as “In this guide, we will discuss…”.
All of this helps content work in a zero-click and zero-visit reality, where the winner is not the one who wrote more, but the one whose text is best “read” by algorithms.