2026 is another year where big changes to online visibility are expected. We expect to see further changes to SEO and AI interactions, as well as differences in the way online users interact with the internet at large.
And as a small business just trying to keep your head visible above the water, that probably doesn’t come as great news!
And we get it. Online visibility is a tricky game, and it’s incredibly intimidating to try and keep your business somewhere near the top of the listings for your target keywords. That’s why local SEO efforts reign supreme right now, as it’s far more manageable to rank through location than anything else.
So let’s break down the problem a little, by starting with the places you’re most likely to be found online. When you know where your customers are most likely to ‘bump’ into you, visibility feels much more possible!
On Google
Trusty old Google is still king of online visibility. It’s the number one most used search engine in the world, and there are over 16 billion Google searches per day. That’s a lot of searching, a lot of active users, and a high chance to be found because of it.
You can still rely on classic SEO practices to boost yourself to the top of the page. Of course, there’s always a chance for an AI overview (AIO) to push you back down, but even the AIO could reference you as a source and pop an easy-access link right there for the world to see.
On AI Chat Models
Like we mentioned above, AIs and LLMs are one of the top sources of visibility in 2026. It seems like every company has a chat model of its own these days, from Google to Amazon to ChatGPT itself. Everyone’s involved!
And while it can seem like you’ll never get any traffic back from these engines, you can get yourself featured and mentioned by them. Really, llm visibility is one of the best SEO tactics to focus on for the year ahead.
After all, users are most likely to turn to an LLM to ask for recommendations. If someone wants to know where to find a certain business in the area, you could be the first name the chatbot pulls up.
On Social Media
If there’s one place that could beat both Google and LLMs for online influence, it’s the world of social media. Social media is a place where anyone can put themselves out there, and as a business trying to gain visibility, you can do the same.
It’s just more personal when it’s on social media, as you can get engaged with your audience in an incredibly direct way.
Both Instagram and TikTok are great places for businesses to be right now, with sites like Facebook coming close on their heels. Sign up, get set up, and start posting for your audience.
Want to be found online in 2026? Focus on these 3 places!
