SEO in 2026: inbox spam everywhere… and a bit of truth underneath
If you run a business and you’ve got a website, you’ll know the vibe: SEO is everywhere. Open your emails — “Hello sir, we can rank your website #1 on Google in 7 days”. A random number rings. Then your inbox gets a message from a “serious agency”… right next to one from irfan45632@gmail.com signed “SEO Manager, London” 😅
And honestly? It’s not your fault you’ve developed an allergy to it. SEO has turned into a market where:
- half the people are selling dreams,
- the other half do proper work but can’t explain it in plain English,
- and you’ve got one simple question: does it actually work — and what does it realistically bring in?
Below is the AItronix version: no fluff, no “magic” — just what’s real, what’s myth, and what SEO looks like now — in the age of AI.
SEO isn’t a “service” — it’s an ecosystem
In 2026, SEO isn’t about someone “setting it up” once and you’re sorted forever. It’s more like your car’s maintenance: you don’t do an MOT once in your life and call it a day. Things move:
- Google shifts the rules,
- your competitors keep tweaking,
- your offer changes (prices, services, availability),
- new platforms keep popping up (TikTok, Maps, marketplaces),
- and on top of that you’ve got AI-powered search that “reads” the web differently from classic Google.
SEO today is: tech + content + trust + consistency.
SEO spam: why is there so much of it?
Because SEO is hard to verify at a glance, which makes it perfect for pushing nonsense.
Typical red flags:
- “We guarantee #1 on Google”
- “1,000 backlinks in a week”
- no audit, no plan — just “pay now”
- messages from odd emails / no company details / no contract
- “send us your hosting access and we’ll do the magic”
⚠️ Heads up:
To do SEO properly, someone often needs access to your hosting, CMS, DNS, Analytics and other sensitive systems.
In other words… you’re handing over the keys to the house.
That’s why SEO should only be done by someone you trust — the wrong person can cause a mess (or worse).
The most common SEO myths that need binning
❌ Myth 1: “SEO is just keywords”
Keywords matter… but without solid structure, speed, genuinely useful content and trust signals — keywords alone won’t do much.
❌ Myth 2: “A WordPress SEO plugin is enough”
A plugin is like a dashboard in your car — it shows you what’s going on, but it doesn’t fix the engine.
❌ Myth 4: “Bulk-bought links always help”
Sometimes you’ll see a quick bump… but more often it wrecks your link profile and you get a short peak and a long slide.
❌ Myth 5: “SEO = Google”
Not anymore. You’ve also got Google Business Profile (Maps), YouTube, TikTok, Amazon/eBay and a growing category: AI search.
“Deep SEO” — the bits you don’t see, but that move the needle
This is the part nobody mentions in spam emails, because it’s not glamorous. It’s technical, a bit boring, and it requires real skill.
Technical foundations:
- speed and Core Web Vitals (real UX, not “it feels fast to me”)
- cache, compression, CDN (when it actually makes sense)
- clean indexation (sitemap, robots, canonical)
- URL structure and internal linking
- redirects, 404s, duplicates
- schema / structured data (services, products, FAQ, location)
- security (SSL, updates, form protection)
- language versions (hreflang, consistent EN/PL structure)
Images and files (yes, the “small details”):
- image file names (not
IMG_3847.jpg, butcctv-installation-dorking.webp) - alt text (for accessibility and for machines)
- WebP/AVIF formats, sizing, lazy-load
- tidy media folders and a clean content library
This is the kind of SEO done “properly”. And it pays back over the long run.
SEO in the age of AI: what’s changed?
More and more people now search via:
- ChatGPT / AI assistants
- Google with generated answers and summaries
- Perplexity and similar tools
- voice search and full-sentence questions
That means these things matter more than ever:
- clear answers, FAQ, content written “to questions”
- structure (headings, sections, lists)
- structured data (schema)
- credibility and brand signals (reviews, case studies, real photos, clear authorship)
- consistency across the web (website + profiles + maps + socials)
In short: it’s not just about “ranking” anymore — it’s whether your business is understandable to both people and machines.
SEO depends on the industry
SEO doesn’t look the same for everyone. Not every business needs TikTok (but…)
🔧 Local services
plumber, carpenter, electrician, renovations
- Google Business Profile + reviews + real job photos = pure gold
- pages built around specific problems people actually search for
- fast contact, trust, clear pricing signals
🛒 E-commerce
PrestaShop/Woo/Amazon/eBay
- product feeds, Merchant Center, clean data
- categories without indexation chaos
- descriptions, images, structured data
- speed + checkout UX that doesn’t annoy people
💼 B2B companies
higher-ticket services, expertise
- expert content, proof, case studies
- content for longer, specific searches
- LinkedIn is often more valuable than TikTok
🍽️ Hospitality / Beauty
local places, local services
- maps + socials + short video content
- fresh info: menus, opening times, events
- TikTok/IG often makes sense
Bottom line: SEO is a strategy tailored to your business — not a “one-size-fits-all package”.
Why consistency is the real cheat code
Because SEO becomes a long-term advantage only if you:
- keep improving the site,
- publish regularly,
- update your services and pages,
- collect reviews and proof,
- track results and react.
One-off effort = a short-lived spike.
A process = steady enquiries.
AItronix proposal: subscription plans
Realistic and honest — no miracle promises
Starter
£150
/month
For a small local business
- Monitoring + technical fixes
- Optimisation of key pages
- Image improvements (alt, formats...)
- 1 article/update per month
- Monthly mini report
- Local SEO support
- Competitor monitoring
Popular ⭐
£350
/month
Most businesses choose this
- Full technical care
- 2–4 content pieces per month
- Local SEO: Google profile
- Actions tailored for AI search
- Competitor monitoring
- FAQ, schema, structure
- Priority implementations
Premium 👑
£500
/month
Win your local market
- Everything in Popular
- Stronger content + campaigns
- Expanding site structure
- Priority implementations
- Reputation + case studies
- Conversion and funnel tracking
- Online brand strategy
Premium Plus 🚀
Custom
by agreement
End-to-end solution
- Everything in Premium
- Building a website from scratch
- Server + infrastructure (LiteSpeed)
- Rebuilding existing websites
- Dedicated support 24/7
- Advanced integrations
- Full control over the tech stack
Example pricing — can be tailored for e-commerce vs services, EN/PL, number of pages
What I’d genuinely advise — no sales pitch
What I’d genuinely advise:
✓ Don’t buy SEO from people with no contract, no plan and no transparency.
✓ Don’t believe ranking guarantees. Focus on the process and KPIs (traffic, enquiries, conversions).
✓ Tight budget? Prioritise the technical foundations + local trust (reviews, proof, consistency).
✓ SEO is the engine of your online presence — not a magic sticker you slap on top.
Quick checklist: what to ask an SEO company
Before you give anyone access, make sure you know the answers to these:
✓ What exactly will you do in month 1?
✓ How will you measure results (not just “rankings”)?
✓ Who gets server access and what exactly will they change?
✓ Do you take backups and have a proper rollback process?
✓ What’s the content strategy?
✓ What’s included — and what’s “extra”?
Frequently asked questions
Realistically: first signals after 2–3 months, stable results after 6–12 months. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Anyone promising “#1 in a week” is either lying or using risky shortcuts that can hurt you long-term.
At AItronix we work on a monthly subscription basis — no long-term lock-ins. You can pause or stop at any time. We believe our value is in results, not tying people into contracts.
No problem. We can work alongside your existing developer/admin or take ownership of the SEO-specific side only. We start with an audit to show what’s working and what needs improving — then we decide together on the best approach.
Yes. We work with UK businesses as well as Polish businesses in the UK. We also build and optimise bilingual sites (EN/PL) with proper hreflang structure and localised content.
We run our own servers and we’re genuinely technical — we’re not just middlemen. We manage infrastructure (Linux, LiteSpeed, Redis, DNS, SSL) hands-on. So when we say “we’ll optimise the server”, we actually do it — we don’t just email someone else and hope for the best.
📞 Get in touch
If you want SEO without the nonsense — backed by real technical know-how:
Email: info@aitronix.co.uk
Tel: +44 7836 219112
Free 15-minute call — no pressure, no obligation