The New Rules of SEO: How Domain Authority Powers AI-Driven Search
AI Is Changing SEO—Here’s Why Domain Authority Still Matters and Why It's Your Secret Weapon
Have you noticed AI Overviews are returning links from sites like Forbes?
Is Forbes even a reputable site anymore? For me, Forbes lost credibility a few years back when it became an ad haven.
However, now, because it has high domain authority and AI is trying to pull from reputable sources, the AI bots are rewarding it, and anyone else with high domain authority, with links to content in your AI Overviews.
Forbes is still an ad haven. But now it's filtering and changing search along with other sites with high domain authority.
Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon still rule when it comes to Domain Authority
You can check out current rankings on Moz's top 500.
What type of SEO content should I focus on for AI Overviews?
Structured, easy-to-parse content
Easily summarized content that can be picked up in 1-3 bullet points
Content with good on-page SEO: proper titles, meta descriptions, headings
Natural language that matches longer, conversational queries
Semantic SEO: content that answers related questions and expands on context
Content formats that perform well for AI Overviews
Bullet points/numbered lists - easy for the AI to summarize
Q&A/FAQ sections - directly answers the user’s questions
Short scannable paragraphs (2-4 lines) - easier for AI to parse
Tables or comparisons - structured, clear information
Glossaries or definitions - good for explaining terms quickly
Case studies/examples - useful in explaining ‘how’ or ‘why’ and aims to help, not just sell
Real life example:
I asked Perplexity: “how do you start an LLC in California?” It came back with 10 sources (some domains were the same).
You notice that the domain authority is above 50 (anything above 40 is considered reputable).
Each of these pages were selected because they had clear concise structure, helpful intent, authority, and/or trust.
Download checklist here for free.
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