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Do AI search rankings actually matter?

In this episode of Found in AI, Cassie breaks down new research from Rand Fishkin and SparkToro that challenges one of the biggest assumptions marketers are making about AI-powered search: that rankings still matter.

She walks through what the data actually shows about how AI engines like ChatGPT and Google AI generate brand recommendations, why rankings are wildly unstable, and why visibility — not position — is the metric brands should be paying attention to instead.

Using both Rand’s research and her own Search Engine Journal displacement case study, Cassie explains how smaller brands can compete with legacy publishers in AI-generated answers by optimizing for visibility, probability, and share of voice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why AI search engines don’t produce stable rankings — and never will
• What Rand Fishkin’s research reveals about how brands appear in AI answers
• The difference between visibility frequency and AI Share of Voice
• How to correctly calculate AI Share of Voice (and what it actually tells you)
• Why rankings have nothing to do with appearing in AI-generated recommendations
• How a GEO strategy helped a smaller brand displace Search Engine Journal in AI answers
• Why AI search rewards consistency and pattern recognition over domain size
• What marketers should understand before spending money on AI visibility tools

If you’re a marketer, content strategist, or founder trying to understand how AI-powered search really works — and how to increase your chances of being included in AI answers without chasing meaningless rankings — this episode will help you rethink what visibility actually means in the age of AI.

Resources:

SparkToro's latest research

Case Study: The Displacement of Legacy Authority: A 125-Hour AI Share of Voice Case Study

Let's connect:

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

P.S. Is your brand losing its "Answer Authority"?

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 February 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/

Send us a text

📬 Love the podcast? You’ll love the newsletter.
Get the weekly 3-2-1 on AI search + marketing: Subscribe

Can you opt out of AI search without losing visibility?

In this episode of Found in AI, Cassie breaks down two recent Google updates that quietly confirm where search is headed — and why publishers and brands now face a real tradeoff between control and visibility.

She unpacks what Google actually means when it says sites may be able to opt out of generative search features, how Google-Extended fits into the picture, and why opting out of AI-powered experiences isn’t a neutral decision if discovery and demand matter to your business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What Google is really signaling about the future of AI Overviews and generative search
• How Google-Extended works — and what it does and doesn’t affect
• Why opting out of generative search can reduce visibility, even if rankings stay intact
• How conversational follow-ups are reshaping the old SEO mental model
• Why being useful across a conversation now matters more than ranking for a single query
• What brands should consider before deciding whether to opt out — or lean in

If you’re a marketer, content strategist, or founder trying to understand how AI-powered search impacts visibility, authority, and discovery — and whether opting out is worth the risk — this episode will help you think through the tradeoffs clearly and strategically.

Let’s connect:

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

P.S. Is your brand losing its "Answer Authority"?

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 February 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/

Send us a text

📬 Love the podcast? You’ll love the newsletter.
Get the weekly 3-2-1 on AI search + marketing: Subscribe

How do AI search engines decide who to trust?

In this episode of Found in AI, Cassie breaks down what entity authority actually means in the context of AI search, and why strong SEO alone is no longer enough to show up in AI-generated answers. She explains how AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity build confidence in brands, creators, and concepts — and why so much of that trust is formed off your website.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What entity authority is and how AI engines use it to assemble answers
• Why AI search prioritizes recognizable sources over perfectly optimized pages
• How YouTube explanations can influence AI visibility even when blog posts don’t rank
• Why Reddit provides critical conversational context for AI systems
• How LinkedIn posts can surface in AI Overviews — even without long-form articles
• Why consistency across platforms matters more than publishing volume

If you’re a marketer, content strategist, or founder trying to understand why your content isn’t showing up in AI answers — and what to do about it — this episode breaks down how entity authority really works.

Let’s connect:

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

P.S. Is your brand losing its "Answer Authority"?

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/