The SEO Update by Yoast – January 2026 Edition

Watch Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss as they unpack the most important SEO news, algorithm shifts, and industry developments – so you can focus on what actually moves the needle.

This update also includes SEO year review for 2026 to help you fine-tune your plans for the year ahead with confidence.

Topics and sources

SEO predictions for 2026​

SEO in 2026: Key predictions from Yoast experts

SEO & AI news

1. Google AI Mode update: Gemini 3 flash
2. Google says what to tell clients who want SEO for AI
3. From discovery to influence: a guide to AEO and GEO
4. Some news publishers saw big declines with the Google core update
5. Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol(UCP) for agentic commerce
   • New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era
   • Under the Hood: Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)
   • Agentic Commerce: What SEOs need to consider (ACP & UCP)
6. Anthropic launches Claude Cowork, a new autonomous AI workspace
   • Anthropic’s Claude AI announces Claude Cowork in a viral post
   • Anthropic says its AI built most of Claude Cowork in under two weeks
7. Google launches personal intelligence for Gemini
8. Google trends explore with AI
9. OpenAI’s approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT

Also in the news…

1. Google: Optimization for AI search is the same as for traditional search
2. John Mueller (personally) on if schema helps with LLMs & Google
3. Alexa+ launches (in US) to rival other web LLM platforms
4. Google to prioritize removing prediction news content from search & news
5. Google AI Overviews powered by Gemini 3 Pro for complex queries
6. Apple is working on a wearable AI pin, report says
7. Claude’s new constitution
8. Clawdbot goes viral as a new open source personal AI assistant​

Yoast news

1. Yoast collaborates with Microsoft to help AI understand Open Web
2. Gemini and Perplexity added to ​Yoast AI Brand Insights