SEO & AI in 2026
SEO and AI are no longer an either-or in 2026 – the question is how both work together day to day. Marcus Tober gives the big picture: what has changed for search, tools and teams, and what matters now. Expect a compact situation report rather than nitpicking. Anyone who wants the year compass for SEO and AI is in the right slot.
Marcus Tober
SVP Enterprise Solutions at Semrush
Marcus Tober is SVP Enterprise Solutions at Semrush and founder of Searchmetrics. During his computer science diploma he founded Searchmetrics in Berlin in 2005 and in 2006 released one of the first SEO SaaS platforms; he shaped the company as CTO for more than 16 years. Before that he worked as an SEO specialist at Idealo among other roles. Since 2022 he has led enterprise solutions at Semrush. In between he built the SEO team and long-term strategy as Head of SEO at AutoScout24. Brands he has worked with include eBay, Adidas and Walgreens. In 2016 he was named European Search Personality of the Year. He studied computer science at Berliner Hochschule für Technik. Tober regularly speaks at conferences such as OMR, SMX and Web Summit. At SEO-Day 2026 he delivers the situation report on SEO and AI.