Is Your Brand Authority Being DESTROYED by AI Search Algorithms?

About This Episode

AI search doesn’t rank websites the way Google used to.

So how does it actually decide which brands deserve visibility?

In this episode of SEO On Air, agency leaders unpack how AI-powered search engines evaluate brand authority, trust, reviews, citations, and real-world credibility—and why rankings alone no longer tell the full story.

If you’re still optimizing only for keywords and links, this conversation may completely change how you approach SEO in 2025.

🎙️ Featuring agency leaders:

Kerry Sherin – Firebrand Studio Co

Chris Westmeyer – Digital Strike

Christine Brinkley – HeiPro Digital

Julia Wang – Firebrand Studio Co

This episode breaks down:

• How AI evaluates brand trust
• Why reviews and citations influence AI answers
• What AI visibility tools get wrong
• How strong brands win even when clicks drop
• Why SEO, GEO, and AEO are converging

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – How AI search really evaluates brand authority

01:45 – Introducing the guests & agency backgrounds

04:10 – Why most AI visibility tools fail in real-world use

07:00 – Testing AI tools internally before selling to clients

10:20 – The blind spot in AI referral traffic (ChatGPT, Perplexity)

13:00 – SEO vs AEO vs GEO: why the difference barely matters

15:30 – Why “good content” is still the foundation of AI search

18:10 – Structuring content for AI answers + traditional SEO

20:30 – Brand mentions, citations, and backlinks as AI fuel

23:00 – Why reviews matter more now than ever

25:30 – Authenticity vs AI-generated content spam

28:30 – Are AI Overviews killing publisher traffic?

31:20 – HubSpot vs NerdWallet: real AI traffic case study

34:45 – Using AI visibility as brand billboards, not click drivers

37:30 – Schema, structured data, and helping AI understand content

40:15 – How agencies should educate teams and clients on AI

43:00 – Best newsletters, podcasts & learning resources for SEOs

46:30 – Final advice for brands navigating AI search in 2025

48:45 – Closing thoughts & episode wrap-up