February 23, 2026
The SEO landscape is shifting faster than ever, and if your digital marketing strategy still revolves around chasing keyword rankings and watching traffic numbers climb, it's time for a serious reset. Between AI-powered search results reshaping how customers find businesses and outdated metrics losing their relevance, the rules of the game are being rewritten in real time.
At RedBrick Web Solutions, we stay on top of these changes so our clients don't have to. Here's a breakdown of the biggest SEO trends happening right now - and what they mean for contractors, home services companies, and local businesses.
The Metrics You've Been Tracking May Not Matter Anymore
For years, the SEO industry has leaned on metrics like organic traffic volume, average keyword position, and Domain Authority (DA) as benchmarks for success. The problem? These numbers look good on a report but don't always translate to leads, booked jobs, or revenue.
The industry is moving toward revenue-focused, demand-capture metrics - measurements that tie directly to how many customers actually called, filled out a form, or booked a service. For a plumber or HVAC company, knowing that your "AC repair" page generated 47 phone calls last month is far more valuable than knowing it ranks #4 on average.
If your current SEO provider is still leading with DA scores and traffic graphs without connecting those numbers to real business outcomes, that's a red flag.
AI Search Is Here, and It's Changing Everything
You've probably noticed that Google search results look different these days. AI-generated overviews now appear at the top of many searches, giving users a summarized answer before they ever click on a website. Platforms like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini are also becoming places where people search for services and recommendations.
This shift has given rise to what the industry is calling Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) - the practice of optimizing your business's visibility not just in traditional search results, but in AI-generated answers and citations. New tools are emerging to track your "AI share-of-voice," meaning how often AI tools reference or recommend your business.
For home services companies, this means your online presence needs to be clear, authoritative, and well-structured enough that AI systems recognize your business as a trusted answer. It's not just about Google anymore.
Organic Traffic Is Declining - But That's Not the Whole Story
Studies are showing organic click-through rates dropping by as much as 35% when AI Overviews appear in search results. That's a significant chunk of potential traffic that never makes it to your website because users got their answer directly from Google's AI summary.
Does that mean SEO is dead? Absolutely not. But it does mean the strategy needs to evolve. The businesses that will thrive are the ones that focus on being the source AI systems pull from - and the ones that capture demand at the moment a customer is ready to take action, not just browsing for information.
"Demand SEO" Is Replacing Keyword Stuffing
The old playbook of cramming keywords into every page and hoping for the best has been on its way out for a while. What's replacing it is an approach the industry is calling demand SEO - a strategy built on entity clarity, authority building, and creating genuinely useful content that establishes your business as the go-to expert in your market.
For a roofing company in Atlanta, that means Google and AI search tools need to clearly understand who you are, what services you offer, where you operate, and why you're a credible choice. This is accomplished through consistent business information across the web, quality content that demonstrates expertise, and a strong local presence - not through gaming the algorithm with repetitive keywords.
What's Coming Next: Agentic Commerce
One of the most forward-looking trends on the horizon is what's being called agentic commerce - AI-driven features that can shorten the path from research to purchase. Google is already testing integrations with companies like Wayfair and Etsy that let AI essentially guide a customer through the entire buying journey.
While this is still in its early stages, the implications for service businesses are significant. Imagine a homeowner asking an AI assistant to find and schedule an electrician for a panel upgrade - and the AI handling the search, comparison, and booking in one seamless interaction. Businesses that have their technical foundation in order (structured data, clear service descriptions, accurate business listings) will be positioned to benefit as these features roll out.
What This Means for Your Business
These trends all point in the same direction: the businesses that win in SEO going forward will be the ones that prioritize clarity, authority, and real-world results over vanity metrics and outdated tactics.
Here's what you can do right now:
- Audit your metrics. Make sure your SEO reporting connects to actual leads and revenue, not just rankings and traffic.
- Clean up your online presence. Consistent, accurate business information across Google Business Profile, your website, and directory listings is more important than ever.
- Invest in quality content. Pages that genuinely help customers understand your services and make decisions will perform better in both traditional and AI-powered search.
- Think beyond Google. Your business needs to be visible wherever customers are searching - including AI platforms.
RedBrick Can Help You Stay Ahead
At RedBrick Web Solutions, we specialize in building SEO strategies for home services companies that deliver measurable results. We track the metrics that matter, create content that drives real leads, and keep our clients ahead of industry shifts - so you can focus on running your business.
Ready to future-proof your SEO strategy? Contact us today for a free consultation.
