How to Build Authority in AI Search for Your Brand

Alex Back's team at Couch posts content about Ashley Furniture, and just two days later, ChatGPT and Google AI change their answers about the brand's quality. In this episode, we explore the systematic approach to building authority in AI search that's transforming how furniture brands—and all e-commerce businesses—can influence what millions of people learn from large language models.

After running a successful e-commerce furniture brand for 13 years, Alex now helps furniture retailers through Couch, his marketing platform. We dive into the remarkable shift happening in digital marketing, where understanding how LLMs consume and cite content has become as important as traditional SEO. Alex shares the exact content creation system his team uses, starting with video and working backwards into articles, and reveals why YouTube and Reddit have become the second and third most important sources for AI search after Wikipedia.

Key Point Timestamps:

08:14 - The AI Search Revolution Nobody's Talking About

19:13 - Where LLMs Get Their Information

28:00 - The Content Creation System That Actually Works

34:16 - One Recording Creates Everything

38:27 - The Delicate Dance of Platform Dependence

41:55 - The Reddit Problem

45:39 - The Pivot Machine Philosophy

The AI Search Revolution Nobody's Talking About (08:14)

We're living through a shift as significant as Google's emergence in the early 2000s. Alex explains how his team measures the impact of their content on AI search: "The YouTube videos themselves and some of the social media content we put out there is informing the LLMs and ultimately changing answers to questions like, is Ashley furniture good quality?"

This isn't theoretical. Before posting content, Alex's team checks what ChatGPT and Google AI say about a brand. After publishing, they check again. Sometimes within 48 hours, the answers change, citations appear, and the narrative shifts. However, nobody fully understands the rules yet. Even the best content marketers and SEO professionals are still figuring out which tools to trust for tracking LLM presence.

Where LLMs Get Their Information (19:13)

Alex attended a seminar that revealed crucial insights about how AI search works. Wikipedia remains the primary source for LLMs—the vast majority of their information comes from there. But Reddit and YouTube are second and third, neck and neck.

"I saw a whole seminar about LLMs and where they get their information," Alex shares. "Wikipedia being still the vast majority of information sources for LLMs. But Reddit and YouTube being second and third and very close to one another."

This matters because it explains why Alex's strategy works. YouTube videos no longer just rank well on Google—they directly inform what AI tells millions of people asking questions. Even if content contains errors or subjective opinions, LLMs consider it heavily, sometimes more than niche publishing sites with established authority.

The Content Creation System That Actually Works (28:00)

Alex calls himself "a talker," and he's turned that into his superpower. His refreshingly simple content creation process starts with using ChatGPT to create an outline, then recording video authentically about topics he knows deeply.

"If you start with video, it's much easier to back your way into having all this other content," Alex explains. He transcribes the raw video and gives it to his writer: "Here's the transcript, take this, these are all my words, make it into a compelling article."

The video goes on YouTube. The article—embedding that same video—publishes to the blog. Both go live within hours of each other. Then they syndicate to YouTube Shorts and other social platforms. One recording session produces a YouTube video, a blog post, social media content, and multiple touchpoints—all from turning on the camera for a few minutes.

The Pivot Machine Philosophy (45:39)

Alex describes Couch as "almost like a pivot machine." The business has taken countless twists and turns, and sometimes he's not even sure what the business is anymore. Does that sound chaotic? It is. But he also recognises something powerful about adaptability.

"Nobody really cares. Nobody knows. We have this sort of self-centric view sometimes of like, no, we can't change this. Our brand will, everything will be different and all of our... I don't think anybody really cares."

For established businesses with proven formulas, consistency makes sense. However, for newer brands or businesses without that formula yet, adaptability isn't just acceptable—it's essential. The alternative—stubbornly maintaining a strategy that no longer works—is far more damaging than pivoting.

Today's Guest

Today's guest: Alex Back

Company: Couch

Website: couch.co

LinkedIn: Connect with Alex on LinkedIn