Barrett manages the Organic Search department at V Digital Services. His primary duties involve supporting fulfillment efforts across all clients, testing and validating new tactics targeting AI search tools, and handling corporate training efforts for search industry updates. His background includes several years in creative and technical marketing in emerging markets.
How users search, discover, learn, research, navigate and buy online has fundamentally shifted over the past few years.
As AI & LLMs move from experimental technology into baseline consumer expectations, brands must follow their users wherever they roam.
In 2026, we are witnessing three critical shifts in user behavior:
- Zero-Click Becomes Normalized: Users now find instant answers displayed “above the fold” through AI Overviews which meet their immediate needs on the SERP without additional clicks. Raw traffic goes down, but intent becomes concentrated.
- The Compression of Search Journeys: Users spend less time “pogo-sticking” between multiple websites. Ten minutes of research now take 10 seconds with point-and-click comparisons and data points pulled from across the web through AI.
- Multi-Platform Fragmentation: Discovery no longer solely occurs on Google. Brands need to be visible from Chatbots, Social signals, and anywhere “Answer Engines” appear.
Since generative AI has been introduced into the search landscape, we’ve seen a significant increase in the required confidence a user must have to engage with brands. The research phase of the user journey is more expansive and influential than ever before, and those brands who can’t provide trust signals and clear value propositions are struggling to maintain relevance in their markets – Barrett Langendoerfer, SEO Manager
What Users Are Actually Doing
AI has accelerated our expectations for efficiency. Finding information used to involve visiting multiple websites, reading reviews, and verifying what you learned against other sources.
AI platforms aggregate data from websites, reviews, social posts, images & videos then deliver consolidated results using knowledge from billions of other searches without ever visiting a website. This compressed research process means users are spending less time studying websites and more time acting on information they find online.
Key patterns we’re seeing:
- Conversational searches: Searches increasingly look like how we speak and contain multiple layers of context & intent.
- Fewer website visits: Since AI does the background research, users are more likely to find an answer without clicking through.
- Trust matters: Sites that project strong signals of authority, entity, and E-E-A-T earn more trust from users and AI platforms.
- Discovery is everywhere: Users are discovering your brand in AI Overviews, chatbots, social posts, and traditional search results.
How This Impacts Your Business
While understanding user behavior explains how searches happen, the next question is: what does it mean for business visibility and performance?
SEO’s North Star used to be “Click-Through Rate”. In 2026 we care less about traffic volume and more about qualified attention. Businesses need to rethink traditional SEO metrics: traffic alone no longer reflects impact. Instead, visibility in AI-driven search is measured by:
Here’s what that means for your business:
- Pre-click influence: How often your brand or content appears in AI summaries or references.
- Qualified leads: Fewer clicks often translate into higher conversion potential, as users are further along in the decision-making journey.
- Multi-platform authority: Mentions across AI, LLMs, social, and traditional SERPs reinforce credibility and visibility.
- Entity and E-E-A-T signals: Brands with strong, consistent entity presence outperform competitors in AI-driven results.
To ensure that our clients remain visible, it’s critical that we as an agency rethink the “funnel” we’re used to. In order to earn user’s trust and eventually their dollars, you need to spend more resources on high-mid funnel activity, and have a comprehensive content plan which helps move them down the funnel. In short – you need to put more effort into nurturing prospects and truly EARN trust by adding identifiable value throughout their journey. – Barrett Langendoerfer, SEO Manager
Behavior-Focused SEO Drives Results
At V Digital Services, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the digital curve on behalf of our clients. It is our job to not just track these trends but to be actively responding. Our Organic SEO Department has utilized these behavioral shifts to drive measurable outcomes for our clients.
Case Study 1: Automotive Industry
- Challenge: Capturing users in the high-intent research phase for vehicle longevity.
- Work: Deep schema build-outs, header markup, and internal linking to anchor the dealership as a trusted entity.
- Result: Blog content secured #1 in AI Overviews and #4 in Gemini, generating 653 high-intent visits despite a “zero-click” environment.
Case Study 2: Healthcare Industry
- Challenge: Establishing authority in a high-stakes, E-E-A-T-sensitive medical field.
- Work: Updated robots.txt to allow AI agents, implemented Table of Contents, FAQs, and schema for answer engine retrieval.
- Result: The site was cited in 139 AI Overviews across 8 pages. A single blog post was referenced by ChatGPT and Perplexity, demonstrating multi-platform authority.
In the first case study, this was a huge win because it means we’ve won the trust of the marketplace. These high visibility citations expose us to a wider network and influence purchasing decisions over a long period of time.
In a similar way, the second case study here provided the same type of results but at even greater scale. By focusing on E-E-A-T, but adapting how we highlight and signal it in a technical sense, we’ve won huge gains on the AI visibility front. – Barrett Langendoerfer, SEO Manager
Why Understanding Your Users Behavior Translates to Business Results
Every shift in user behavior , from zero-click searches to conversational queries, changes how businesses capture attention and convert leads. Understanding these patterns directly drives measurable results.
- Be present where decisions happen: Visibility in AI Overviews and LLM summaries shapes purchase decisions even before a site visit.
- Make every interaction count: Compressed search journeys mean fewer clicks overall. Optimized content, structured data, and technical readiness ensure clicks are high-intent, qualified leads.
- Measure what matters: Traditional metrics like traffic understate success. Tracking citations, AI mentions, and multi-platform authority quantifies the real impact of visibility and trust.
The V Digital Services Difference
Success in SEO in 2026 is about understanding how users search, where they browse, and what they trust. We use human-first strategies and AI-forward tactics to build SEO for the ever-changing ways people use search.
AI SEO That Evolves with Search
Search algorithms have always rewarded clarity, trusted businesses, and smart strategies. But where businesses appear in search has changed. We want you to be visible where your customers are making decisions, not just where they click.
We achieve this through:
- SEO for Visibility, Not Rankings: Search engines now understand intent and meaning, not just keywords. We structure content clusters around the topics your audience is searching for, optimizing pages for AI comprehension and practical user guidance.
- Helpful Content, Structured for Search: Content is crafted for both humans and AI. Tables of contents, clear headings, FAQs, internal linking, schema markup, and author attribution help users and AI understand your authority and expertise.
- Tailored to Every Business: Whether local, e-commerce, or multi-location brands, we adapt strategies to your goals, from “near me” queries to large-scale content clusters and product optimization.
At V Digital Services, we believe SEO shouldn’t try to “game” the system. Instead of focusing on tricks and loopholes, our AI-forward SEO is built to adapt to search engines and most importantly enhance the user experience.
Contact us to learn how V Digital Services can help your business stay discoverable, be trusted, and outrank the competition in 2026 (and beyond).