7 Website Marketing Strategies for 2026

6 Steps to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand

Introduction

Website marketing in 2026 no longer works the way it used to. Traditionally, it meant promoting your site to attract visitors and turn them into customers. Your website is still central. But much of the customer journey now happens beyond it.

Before someone visits your site, they’ve often already checked AI tools, Reddit threads, and social media. Those sources influence how they see you. This means if you’re not visible and credible there, many people won’t reach your site.

But if people encounter you in those places, they arrive on your website with more context and trust. That means better traffic with a higher intent to convert.

1. Position Your Website for AI + Human Discovery

Over 65% of buyers now use AI to research options before visiting a website. According to Clutch Research.

Your job is to make sure that opinion is accurate and that your site backs it up.

Engineer How the Internet Describes Your Brand

You can influence how people talk about your brand online. This starts with being clear on your brand messaging strategy. Here’s what it should define:

Here’s Slack’s old brand guidelines to give you an idea.

This creates a shared language for everyone in the company. What really matters here is consistency.
Everyone who speaks about your brand should have access to this document.

Structure Your Website for Easy Reading and Parsing

Your site must be easy for humans and AI systems to interpret.

Finally, continue following core on-page SEO best practices.

2. Use Videos to Build Trust

There’s something about video that text can’t easily replicate. It lets people feel like they know you. That familiarity becomes the foundation of trust in you and in your business.

Establish Credibility Through Long-Form Videos

Long-form usually means YouTube. But it can also mean webinars, interviews, hosted training, and deep educational dives.

First, define what role YouTube plays in your business. The highest-value videos help buyers evaluate before they engage or buy. That might include:

Like YNAB’s YouTube channel.

Reinforce Familiarity with Short Form Videos

Start with one platform. Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok are the most practical entry points.

3. Capture Google Discover Traffic

Google Discover is Google’s personalized content feed. The articles that appear usually match topics you’ve recently searched for or engaged with.

Create Google Discover-Focused Content

Getting your content selected for Google Discover usually comes down to a few specific criteria:

4. Optimize for Conversions in a Zero-Click World

“Zero-click” means users get answers directly from other places without visiting your website. That’s why [conversion rate](/content/conversion-rate-optimization "Conversion Rate Optimization: The Definitive Guide"/index.html) is even more critical for website marketing in 2026.

Prioritize Revenue per Visitor

Your job is to get visitors to act as soon as they land. This often means reducing friction and anxiety.

5. Lead with Humans Behind Your Brand

Put a recognizable voice, face, and personality behind your brand. This familiarity reduces perceived risk, making decisions easier.

Publish Thought Leadership Content

This shows your brand’s clear point of view on how things should be done in your category.

6. Build Visibility on Third-Party Sites

Most of the trust that brings someone to your website was built somewhere else. Show up on other people’s platforms.

Support Niche Communities

Identify communities that influence buying decisions in your category to begin your contributions.

7. Repurpose High-Performing Ideas

Find proven ideas and repurpose them in different directions, such as converting long-form content into short-form formats or vice-versa.

Some of your most valuable visibility and trust-building work happens on third-party sites. The trust you build on those platforms significantly influences how your website performs.