AI is a huge part of the digital marketing trends going into 2026. If what Adobe just did is any indication, increased use of AI is right around the corner.
Adobe is buying Semrush for $1.9 billion because brands are panicking about showing up in AI chatbot answers, not just Google results anymore. Traffic from ChatGPT and similar AI tools to retail sites jumped 1,200% in a year, so Adobe wants Semrush’s decade of search data to help marketers figure out this “Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)” thing; basically, SEO but for getting mentioned when someone asks an AI a question.
The Adobe Semrush acquisition skyrocketed stock prices
The $12-per-share deal almost doubled Semrush’s stock price overnight and gives Adobe tools that Amazon and TikTok already use. Adobe’s president says brands that ignore AI visibility “risk losing relevance and revenue,” which sounds dramatic but makes sense when people ask AI instead of searching Google. Deal closes first half of 2026 if regulators approve it; Adobe’s last mega-deal for Figma fell apart over regulatory concerns.
What does the SEO platform acquisition mean for digital marketing trends in 2026?
The Adobe Experience Cloud will get a huge shot in the arm if the Semrush acquisition is approved. This will give Adobe a huge leg up in the world of AI-driven search marketing and brings to mind questions about what your company should be doing to stay relevant among ChatGPT search traffic and other AI programs that will search based on consumer input. Here are a few steps to ensure your marketing is optimized for AI search.
Focus on quality content
If you want to ensure the highest level of AI chatbot brand visibility, focus on high-quality content. Content that is comprehensive, well-researched, and provides valuable insights and information is much more valuable than one that is focused on keywords and clickbait. AI chatbots are being programmed to find more authoritative and relevant content using large language model marketing. Your high-quality content increases your brand discoverability on AI platforms.
What does the user desire?
Most users are asking natural language questions when performing searches, and some of these are done through voice search. If your content, products, and services can address the needs of your users, it’s easier for an AI system to find and present your content to a user. A natural language search is important, answering specific questions is important, and offering solutions to user challenges is also important. By using these three issues, you can focus your attention on the customer pain points, which should be a huge part of your marketing efforts.
Digital marketing consolidation
Instead of using data from various sources, it’s time for your digital marketing to consolidate and have all data and resources in one location. This is likely to be one of the biggest digital marketing trends of 2026 as agencies work to provide a focused approach to marketing to make it much easier for ChatGPT and other AI systems to find answers more easily. When funneled into one location, your data and marketing can be much more powerful and impactful than when it is spread across several sources. This doesn’t mean you abandon multi-channel marketing; it means your channels all point back to the single data source.
Improve your keyword research
The days of keyword stuffing are long gone, but keywords are still important. In today’s world, these are much more like key phrases, and your content should reflect this change. Ensure your keywords can be easily utilized in sentences and spoken naturally. Use CMS programs that support keywords that might be broken up by preposition words or conjunctions that make sense within the keywords. Your keyword research should make it easy for content creators to incorporate them naturally, without the need for grammatical errors.
Audience engagement is still important
Despite the need to strategize for AI search, you still need to engage with your audience. This is one of the most important digital marketing trends of 2026, and it’s been a strong trend for the past few years. Don’t post on social media and forget to engage with your audience when they comment or ask questions. This is a key part of building relationships with potential customers. You want them to take advantage of the products and services you offer, and that doesn’t happen without being engaged with them.
The Adobe Semrush acquisition shows the importance one company puts on the future of AI search, which is certainly one of the most important digital marketing trends of 2026. Is your company prepared for AI search and poised to be at the top of the list?
