Authority used to feel simple: earn more backlinks and rankings would follow. But in 2025, AI search engines no longer define authority the way traditional search did — and that shift is creating confusion for brands that once dominated results.

In this episode, I unpack what authority really means to AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google’s AI Overviews. It’s no longer about who has the biggest link profile, but about which brands AI feels confident understanding, explaining, and recommending.

I explain how AI evaluates authority through topical depth, consistency, repetition across trusted sources, and how clearly a brand aligns with specific concepts or problems. We’ll explore why some websites with fewer links suddenly appear frequently in AI-generated answers, while heavily linked sites quietly fade out.

I also share practical ways to build AI authority in 2025 without chasing backlinks that no longer move the needle the way they used to. If you’re investing in content but struggling to gain AI visibility, this episode will help clarify what authority actually looks like now.

This episode is especially useful for marketers, founders, and SEO teams preparing for a search landscape that’s shifting from rankings to answers.