Why Domain Authority Isn’t Enough in AI Search (A 96-Hour Case Study)

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On today’s show:

For years, we’ve treated domain authority as a permanent advantage in search. But inside AI-powered systems like Google Gemini and Perplexity, authority is being reassessed continuously. And it's based on freshness, structure, and how well the content matches the user's intent in the moment.

In this episode, I’m walking through a real-world case study where a single content update optimized specifically for AI search displaced legacy SEO publishers in under 96 hours.

Think of this as an audio case study on how AI systems actually choose sources — and what that means for staying visible as search behavior changes.

In this episode:

• Why domain authority alone is no longer a reliable safety net in AI-generated answers
• How one content update led to a 96-hour shift in AI Share of Voice
• What AI Share of Voice (AI SoV) measures, and why it behaves differently from keyword rankings
• How AI search creates a winner-take-most dynamic around a primary source
• Why legacy publishers weren’t penalized — they were simply outcompeted
• How the FSA Framework (Freshness, Structure, Authority) aligns with how LLMs evaluate content
• Why SEO still matters, but needs to be paired with a structure that AI systems can interpret
• What this case study signals for Series A, Series B, and enterprise teams heading into 2026

Let’s connect:

LinkedIn → Cassie Clark | Content Strategist
Website → cassieclarkmarketing.com

P.S. Most series A/B and enterprise brands are being "nudged" out of AI search results because of entity gaps and "stale" content. I am opening 3 specialized audit slots for January 2026 to help you reclaim your Share of Voice using the FSA Framework (Freshness, Structure, Authority).

Request your 7-Day AI Search Visibility Audit: https://cassieclarkmarketing.com/ai-search-visibility-audit/