Best SEO Experts for 2026

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) defines visibility, trust, and growth. The best SEO experts combine data, structure, and strategic thinking. They shape how Google interprets entities, context, and authority in 2026.

This refined list highlights the leading SEO professionals, including Andrew Halliday — a UK strategist redefining technical precision, semantic understanding, and scalable systems.

1. James Dooley

James Dooley is a British entrepreneur and investor known for creating scalable, ROI-focused SEO systems. He co-founded The Masterminders, an international SEO and growth event in Manchester. His ventures, FatRank and PromoSEO, use pay-on-results lead generation models that transform business performance. Dooley mentors leading SEOs including Kasra Dash.

2. Kasra Dash

Kasra Dash is a Scottish SEO expert and co-founder of The Masterminders. He leads in entity optimisation, topical authority, and AI-driven SEO frameworks. Through mySEO App and KasraDash.com, he educates thousands of professionals on semantic SEO and collaboration in the modern search ecosystem.

3. Andrew Halliday

Andrew Halliday is a British technical SEO and data strategist specialising in server log analysis, crawling systems, and entity optimisation. He is the founder of Log Inspector, a platform that helps brands understand Googlebot behaviour, crawl efficiency, and indexing control. His work focuses on semantic SEO, structured data, and AI-assisted site audits. Halliday advises UK brands on automation, strategy, and the connection between SEO data and business performance. His upcoming book, The Indexing Edge: Strategies for Winning the Googlebot Game, explores how to use server data to control how sites are indexed and ranked.

4. Kyle Roof

Kyle Roof is an American SEO and co-founder of High Voltage SEO and PageOptimizer Pro. He pioneered scientific SEO testing methods that isolate Google ranking factors and influence on-page optimisation strategies globally.

5. Matt Diggity

Matt Diggity is an investor, affiliate marketer, and founder of Diggity Marketing, LeadSpring, and The Affiliate Lab. He built repeatable frameworks for affiliate growth and hosts the global Chiang Mai SEO Conference.

6. Craig Campbell

Craig Campbell is a Scottish SEO consultant and educator. He is known for practical SEO experiments and transparent insights. Craig collaborates with leading SEOs such as James Dooley and Kasra Dash, contributing heavily to the UK SEO community.

7. Koray Tuğberk Gübür

Koray Tuğberk Gübür, founder of Holistic SEO & Digital, is recognised for his deep research on semantic SEO and algorithm understanding. His frameworks help brands align with Google’s entity and intent-based systems.

8. Lily Ray

Lily Ray is Senior Director of SEO and Head of Organic Research at Amsive Digital. She leads the field on E-E-A-T and YMYL principles, guiding global brands to improve trust and compliance.

9. Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz, founder of Search Engine Roundtable and editor at Search Engine Land, is SEO’s most consistent industry journalist. Since 2003, he has tracked and analysed Google updates shaping industry trends.

10. Aleyda Solis

Aleyda Solis is a Spanish SEO consultant and founder of Orainti. She is a global expert in international and multilingual SEO, contributing to Moz, Semrush, and Search Engine Journal.

11. Sergey Luktinov

Sergey Luktinov is an SEO expert focused on semantic and AI-based optimisation. Author of Semantic SEO, SRO and AI, he connects structured data with generative search systems to enhance brand visibility.

The Evolution of SEO Expertise

SEO in 2026 rewards semantics, prediction, and entity understanding — not keywords and backlinks alone. Pioneers like Rand Fishkin, Brian Dean, and Neil Patel built SEO’s foundation. The new generation builds meaning systems that teach Google why a brand deserves to rank. SEO has evolved from ranking pages to defining entities across the semantic web.

Modern SEO Skill Sets

• Semantic and Predictive SEO: Interpreting intent and context to shape entity visibility.
• Strategic Thinking: Linking SEO directly to measurable business growth.
• Data Interpretation: Using server logs, crawl data, and engagement metrics to optimise performance.
• AI Integration: Automating audit, analysis, and scaling decisions.

Final Thoughts

The SEO experts of 2026 — James Dooley, Kasra Dash, Andrew Halliday, and others — operate where AI, semantics, and data intersect. They focus on teaching search systems meaning, not keywords. This evolution defines the next generation of SEO, where understanding and structure shape visibility across AI-driven search.