How to Build Brand Authority in the Age of AI Search

About This Episode

Search is changing faster than ever. Between Google updates, AI-generated content, ChatGPT, and large language models (LLMs), building authority online now requires more than just ranking for keywords.

In this episode of SEO On Air, host Koa Kauwe sits down with Morgan Taylor (Jolly SEO) and Josh Bernstein (Something Inc.) to explore how modern SEO, digital PR, branding, and AI visibility intersect.

They unpack what actually works today in SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), including:

• Why programmatic AI content often fails (and what to do instead)
• How high-quality, original content drives long-term authority
• The role of link building, digital PR, and journalist outreach
• Why Reddit, brand mentions, and backlinks matter in AI search
• How ChatGPT and LLMs discover and evaluate businesses
• Why SEO is becoming a branding and PR strategy
• The biggest mistakes agencies are making with AI
• What to look for in an SEO agency over the next 3 years

Josh shares real-world testing on AI content performance, while Morgan explains how branded backlinks and media placements influence both Google rankings and AI visibility.

If you’re a founder, CMO, SEO professional, B2B SaaS leader, e-commerce brand, or agency owner trying to understand how AI and LLMs are reshaping search, this conversation delivers practical insights you can apply immediately.

In the age of LLMs, authority isn’t built through shortcuts. It’s built through strategy, thought leadership, and operational excellence.

Key Timestamps: 

00:00 – Podcast intro: Future of SEO agencies & what businesses should look for in the next 3 years

01:00 – Guest Intros and Agency Backgrounds

03:21 – How both agencies narrowed their services and evolved their business models

06:10 – Process, scalability, and operational excellence in SEO agencies

07:55 – Building repeatable systems, SOPs, and managing SEO operations

10:05 – Going the extra step: what separates good agencies from great ones

13:46 – Client communication, transparency, and trust in SEO

14:51 – Over-educating clients and the “secret sauce” myth

18:55 – SEO as a long-term strategy and the “black box” perception

20:05 – SEO as branding and PR, not just traffic and rankings

22:03 – A New Marketing Trend: CEOs recognizing the value of SEO

24:56 – Client Education, Authenticity, and AI SEO authority

26:09 – AI visibility vs traditional SEO and where they intersect

27:15 – How Google and LLMs (like ChatGPT) discover and evaluate content

29:42 – The biggest Trust Factors that move the needle in SEO Campaigns in AI world.

32:48 – AI content mistakes and what agencies may regret in the next 3 years

34:51 – Final Thoughts: Agency Differentiators, LLMs Optimization and Going beyond the basic SEO Strategy