The vibe in 2026
Audiences are allergic to “AI slop”, which is essentially summarized as content that feels faceless, generic, and optimized for algorithms instead of humans (or even just sounds like a robot). The flip side? Brands that show visible effort, such as a real voice, depth, (and for the love of all things HUMOR and ENTERTAINMENT), and proof they actually care…will win attention, trust, and selection across search, socials, and AI answers (now being called AIO).
What people are rejecting
- Blanding: samey visuals, samey copy, samey takes. (Note: The Canva templates are meant as a guide, folks. Not to use right out of the box like 1,000 other people).
- Unedited machine text: correct but soulless. No personality, no fun, no humor.
- Trendjacking without participation: posting about moments you never showed up for IRL or with real POV. Note: I don’t feel this is the same as simply jumping on a fun trend. I’m still 100% for businesses having fun with trends (TSwifts album release trend, anyone?).
Signals of human craft (what to ship)
- Voice: specific, opinionated, plain-English. Just write like you actually talk. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, perfection is overrated when it comes to your marketing and writing.
- Receipts: process shots, behind-the-scenes, screenshots, before and after, numbers. These are some of my favorite posts, seeing from YOUR POV (Point of View, for those not familiar with Tiktok lingo).
- Helpfulness: TL;DRs, checklists, how-tos, comparisons (the formats people save). You know a lot about SOMEthing. And that something is of use to SOMEone. Why not make a guide? Checklist for cleaning your grill before summer? Step-by-step guide for organizing your thoughts for writing your book (someone please make this, I need it). Your top 10 recipes for the holidays? All of these are marketable, sellable, and downloadable at no expense to you except your time. Make the thing.
- Design intention: readable typography, white space, fast load, accessible patterns (alts, headings, contrast). Set up a simple Canva page of your branding colors, fonts, logos etc to get a feel for your “brand”. Stick to this when you are using Canva templates as a basis for what you create. That will immediately boost your brand visibility and credibility.
From SEO to GEO: be selected, not just ranked
Search is evolving into GEO (Generative/Graph/Guided Engine Optimization), not an acronym to chase, but a mindset: structure information so humans (and AI) can select you confidently. That means:
- A Brand Facts page (canonical details: who, what, pricing ranges, locations, social handles, awards, FAQs). Organize all of your information so that you can reach your clients where they are. Maybe your client only uses TikTok, so be on TikTok and make sure they can find your TikTok handle easily.
- Structured content blocks (TL;DR, FAQs, How-To steps, comparison tables). Google and LLM’s like Chat-GPT LOVE these. They are useful for your target audience, too. Put FAQ’s anywhere they make sense on your site and throughout your content.
- Schema for the above (FAQ, HowTo, LocalBusiness, Product/Service, Organization). Something you will likely need a web designer for, but it wouldn’t hurt to look up some YouTube videos for a better understanding.
- Consistent authorship (bios, headshots, expertise) so your name/brand is quotable. My first epiphany of branding was reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Jab Jab Right Hook” book, where he highlights missed wins from brands that put out photos on social media that simply didn’t have their brand logo anywhere. What a waste of digital real estate.
Where AI belongs (and where it doesn’t)
Use AI to draft, summarize, transform, and QA, then let a human (aka YOU):
- sharpen the angle,
- inject real examples and screenshots,
- trim fluff, and
- design for readability.
AI is your power tool; you’re the craftsperson. The key is to not copy and paste, but to review, edit, and publish.
10-step 2026 playbook (steal this)
- Publish a Brand Facts page and link it in your footer. You know what your clients have asked over the years. Write them down, answer them, publish them.
- Add a TL;DR (3–5 bullets) atop key pages. Have you ever done the activity “Say what you do in 5 words or less?”. It’s a fun activity I’ve done at networking events, because it makes you think about how to convey what is most important about your business. Highlight this sort of summary at the top of your website (and marketing materials like brochures, Facebook cover photos, etc), so people immediately know what you do.
- Ship FAQs that answer real objections (pricing, timelines, warranties). This will save you some headaches later, especially if you have an automation or workflow that can send these links to them automatically to avoid any “Well, I didn’t know that” questions later on. Use tools like AnswerThePublic.com and Google Trends to see what questions are being asked in your niche and answer them on your website.
- Create at least one How-To and one Comparison page per core offer.
- Add schema (FAQ, HowTo, LocalBusiness/Product/Service) to those pages. This helps Google and AI understand the intent behind your content.
- Show visible craft weekly (BTS photos, process reels, annotated screenshots). Record EVERYTHING. Everything can be turned into content. My favorite part of Sesame Street growing up was the how crayons are made videos.
- Build evergreen carousels (checklists, before/after, mistakes to avoid). Your business solves a problem for your clients, right? Target that, offer free tips, and get them invested in your expertise.
- Turn every form into a flow (form → email → CRM → calendar → invoice). You can easily automate all of this so any form submission is added to your e-mail list, your CRM, etc. Your business is to get clients, which doesn’t mean just making the sale; it also means harvesting leads and potential referrals.
- Track zero-click KPIs: impressions, saves, brand mentions, branded search. Stop focusing on followers and likes.
- Ship a monthly refresh: update stats, add a FAQ, improve the TL;DR. Don’t just set it and forget it. You need to maintain, edit, adjust, modify, and review constantly. Your business isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago, right? Your content shouldn’t be, either.
What to measure (beyond clicks)
- Saves, shares, and replies on social (intent > vanity). STOP WITH THE VANITY METRICS. I have a client now who spends money regularly to get his Instagram followers to over 100k and hires Thai spam bots to comment on everything. Do you think he’s actually getting customers this way? No, it’s all vanity, and it’s a complete failure.
- Impressions and branded queries in GA4/Search Console. Do you have your Google Search Console connected to your website? Are you looking at your analytics? Contact us to help you get these set up so you have a better view behind the scenes of your online presence.
- Mentions/quotes in AI-style summaries (manual checks periodically). Search for what your clients may look for in Google or other LLM’s to see what results pop-up. Utilize this to adjust your strategy moving forward.
- Conversion rate on refreshed pages (form fills, calls, bookings).
Bottom line about AI Slop
If it doesn’t feel human, it won’t be of interest to your potential client. Pair helpful structure (TL;DRs, FAQs, schema) with visible craft and clean design. This is how you beat AI slop and show up everywhere that matters in the coming year. You got this, boo.
Before you go: grab your Brand Facts sheet
If 2026 is about being selected, not just seen, your next move is a simple Brand Facts page (or at least implemented throughout your website). It’s a single, public snapshot that tells humans (and AI/search) exactly who you are, what you offer, where you operate, and how to contact you, plus proof you’re legit.
How to use it (15–30 min):
- Add a TL;DR (3–5 bullets), your NAP (name/address/phone), hours, and booking/contact links.
- List 2–4 core services with one-line descriptions and price ranges.
- Drop 3 proof points (years, reviews, awards) and 3–5 FAQs (pricing, timeline, fit, next steps).
- Paste the matching JSON-LD from our template, publish, and link it in your footer as “Brand Facts.”
- Set a monthly 15-minute reminder to update one proof point + one FAQ.
Ready to ship yours? Download the free template below.
