Brighton SEO 2026

The new rules of PPC: 5 principles to survive the AI traffic collapse

Talk by Cristiano Winckler

The search landscape is currently facing what many are calling an "AI traffic collapse", where traditional metrics are being completely redefined. We are seeing a major shift in behaviour, with 58% of all searches now ending without a single click because Google provides the answer directly. This is a major trend, considering AI Overviews now reach 1.4 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries.

In this new environment, visibility isn't guaranteed, and Google has made it very clear that not every ad is eligible to show in AI Overviews. Eligibility must be earned through high-quality standards: structured data, high page quality, excellent user experience, and strong E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

At Serenity, we’ve already been putting these strategies into practice to make sure our clients are recognised as "the answer" in both traditional and AI-driven search. By focusing on full-funnel execution, high-quality creative assets, and CRM integration, we’re moving beyond simple clicks to focus on what actually drives long-term revenue.

Why PPC and SEO running separately is costing businesses money

Talk by Everest Nwagwu

The stats from this talk really stood out and made a clear case for Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to run in sync for optimum ROI:

• 53% of web traffic is organic, yet most budgets are PPC-heavy.
• On average, PPC returns £2 for every £1 spent, while SEO returns £12.20.
• Integrate the two, and that average return jumps to £20+.

At Serenity, our PPC and SEO teams sit together, sharing data and collaborating on integrated strategies for our clients every day.

Janice Agus from IDHL also shared a key statistic at brightonSEO regarding platform audience targeting:

• 49% of Bing users are decision-makers, compared to 21% on Google.

If your organisation operates in B2B marketplaces spending budget on Google Ads without leveraging Microsoft Ads, you may be missing direct access to key decision-makers.

GEO experiments 2026: what we tested, what failed and what actually works

Talk by Thomas Peham at Otlet AI

In the Otlet AI YouTube Citation Study 2026, YouTube was found to be the second most cited social media channel in AI search summaries. Google is prioritizing non-commodity content—highly specific, original material rooted in personal, professional expertise and real-world application, such as proprietary case studies or deep-dive testing.

When digital marketing channels are aligned, every action compounds the last:

• Technical SEO: Ensures your content is crawlable and findable.
• High-quality content: Gives PR campaigns compelling material worth linking to.
• Backlinks: Build domain authority that drives organic rankings higher.
• Social amplification: Generates brand searches that signal authority and relevance to Google.

AI Overviews now claim the largest share of above-the-fold real estate on informational Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) at 21.1%, ahead of paid search ads at 19.9%, pushing traditional organic listings down to 17.9% of visible space.

To summarise:

The key takeaway from brightonSEO 2026 is clear: search strategy can no longer operate in channel silos. Surviving zero-click searches and AI Overviews requires unifying technical SEO, PPC, high-authority content, and PR into a single compounding growth strategy.