Live SEO Trends
What's gaining traction in search right now. Keyword trends, AI search updates, and practitioner commentary.
The SEO landscape in 2026 looks fundamentally different from even two years ago. AI search engines now process hundreds of millions of queries daily. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overviews have created an entirely new discovery layer where users get synthesised answers instead of scanning link lists. For SEO practitioners, this means tracking two worlds simultaneously: traditional search rankings and AI search visibility.
Three macro trends are defining SEO in 2026. First, generative engine optimisation (GEO) has emerged as a discipline alongside traditional SEO. Brands are now optimising content to be cited by AI systems, not just ranked by Google. Second, the search engine landscape is more fragmented than at any point in the past decade. Our 100-brand ecommerce data shows ChatGPT already sends more sessions than Bing Organic. Third, Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews are reshaping click behaviour on the SERP itself, with measurable declines in click-through rates for informational queries where AI summaries appear.
This page tracks what's actually moving in search right now. The trending topics below are derived from query data across 300+ sites monitored through SEOTesting and Google Search Console. The Google Trends widgets show live search interest data. The AI Search Pulse section surfaces the latest platform updates across ChatGPT, Google, Perplexity, Copilot, and Claude. Everything is updated regularly with practitioner commentary from Lawrence Hitches, Chief of Staff at StudioHawk, Australia's largest dedicated SEO agency.
Whether you're an SEO practitioner tracking emerging opportunities, a marketing manager evaluating where to invest, or a business owner trying to understand how AI is changing search, this page gives you the signal without the noise.
Trending Topics
Search topics gaining traction this week based on query data across 300+ sites.
Brand new cluster appearing across multiple variants: tools, reporting software, metrics, dashboards, Melbourne-specific.
Search interest surging week-on-week. The term is crossing from niche SEO circles into mainstream search behaviour.
Growing cluster with agency, tools, skills, and analysis variants all appearing. First-mover territory.
utm_source=chatgpt.com queries continue climbing as more brands discover AI referral traffic in GA4.
First appeared this week. Ecommerce platform-specific SEO queries gaining traction.
Technical SEO fundamental seeing renewed interest. Strong positioning opportunity.
Seasonal interest around award nomination periods. 'SEO agency of the year' appearing.
How-to redirect queries gaining impressions. Evergreen technical topic with cyclical interest.
Shifting Interest
Topics seeing reduced search activity this week.
Local agency queries losing impression volume. Market may be shifting to specialised searches.
Interest dropping this week. Possibly seasonal post-Q1 budget cycle.
Broad term losing ground to more specific queries like 'generative engine optimization' and 'AI Overviews SEO'.
Technical SEO fundamental with volatile week-to-week interest. Likely cyclical, not a trend.
Platform-specific consultant queries losing share as the market diversifies.
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What people searching for "SEO" and "AI search" are also looking for. Live data from Google Trends.
Related to "SEO"
Related to "AI Search"
ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude vs Perplexity
Related to "ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude vs Perplexity"
Search Interest: SEO vs AI SEO vs GEO vs AEO
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AI Search Pulse
Latest updates from the AI Search Tracker.
Search Live Expands Globally with Voice and Camera Input
Change: Google expanded Search Live to 200+ countries where AI Mode is available. Users can now use voice and camera input for hands-free troubleshooting and visual search queries. Canvas feature for creative writing and coding also launched in AI Mode across the US.
SEO impact: Multimodal search (voice + camera) means content needs to be optimised for conversational queries and visual recognition, not just typed keywords. Product images, video content, and structured data become more important as visual search grows.
Personal Intelligence Expands Across AI Mode and Gemini
Change: Google's Personal Intelligence feature expanded across AI Mode, Gemini in Chrome, and the Gemini app in the US. The feature connects to Gmail, Google Photos, and other personal data to provide personalised AI search responses. Users can opt in to let Google's AI reference their personal information when answering queries.
SEO impact: Personalised AI search means different users may see different AI-generated answers for the same query. Brand recognition and prior user interaction become ranking signals. Businesses with existing customer relationships (email subscribers, repeat visitors) may get preferential citation in personalised results.
Perplexity Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over User Data Sharing
Change: A class-action lawsuit was filed alleging Perplexity secretly shares user conversations with Meta and Google via hidden trackers, including Incognito mode activity. Filed in federal court in San Francisco under California privacy laws.
SEO impact: If substantiated, this could impact Perplexity's user trust and adoption trajectory. For SEO practitioners tracking AI search traffic, Perplexity's share of referral traffic (currently ~1% of AI search volume) may stall. Privacy-conscious users may shift to Claude or ChatGPT, redistributing AI search traffic patterns.
Microsoft Restricts Free Copilot Access in Office Apps
Change: Microsoft removed free Copilot Chat from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, restricting AI assistance in Office apps to paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders. Free Copilot remains available via the standalone app and Bing.
SEO impact: This paywall shift may slow Copilot adoption in enterprise workflows, but concentrates usage among paying power users who are more likely to act on AI recommendations. For Copilot SEO, the audience gets smaller but higher intent. Bing-powered Copilot search remains free and accessible.
Google Ask Maps Launches Conversational Local Search
Change: Google launched Ask Maps on March 12, 2026, in the US and India on Android and iOS. Powered by Gemini, the feature lets users ask complex natural language questions about local places and receive contextual AI recommendations. Users can book restaurant reservations, save places to lists, and share locations directly from the conversation. Desktop availability is coming soon.
SEO impact: Local businesses now compete for visibility inside AI-mediated conversational queries in Google Maps. Google Business Profile accuracy, reviews, and structured attributes become more critical as Ask Maps surfaces recommendations based on Gemini reasoning rather than traditional keyword matching.
Enterprise SEO queries are surging this week. The cluster is brand new (March 2026) and Google is already testing it in SERPs across multiple variants: tools, metrics, dashboards, Melbourne. Meanwhile, Claude for SEO keeps growing as a topic with agency, tools, and skills queries all appearing. The biggest signal right now: AI search is fragmenting fast enough that 'generative engine optimization' is becoming a real search term.