AI Search
Content Strategy
By Skyword Staff on May 21, 2026
Brands keep their content strategy relevant in AI-dominated search by shifting from high-volume keyword targeting to topical authority — building deep, specialized content libraries around ownable niche topics where firsthand expertise and unique perspective give them an edge AI cannot replicate. According to Clearscope founder Bernard Huang, Google now evaluates a site’s “focus score” for depth and relevance on specific topics, making niche specialization more valuable than broad coverage. The playbook: identify your ownable lanes, pursue “information gain” by adding perspectives AI cannot synthesize from consensus data, and treat search as a mid-to-bottom-of-funnel channel that captures demand generated elsewhere.
A Content Disrupted podcast with Bernard Huang, founder at Clearscope.
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How is generative AI disrupting Google search, and what does that mean for brands and content creators? In this episode of Content Disrupted, Clearscope Founder Bernard Huang sits down with Skyword EVP Dan Baptiste to discuss the current and future state of SEO and AI-powered search. They delve into the cannibalization of search traffic, the new way to approach topical authority, and how to use content to build trust and credibility in a landscape flooded with commoditized information.
Bernard is the co-founder of Clearscope, the leading SEO optimization software for high-quality content teams. Before Clearscope, Bernard started an SEO consulting agency, was a growth advisor in residence at 500 Startups, and led growth at a YC startup called 42Floors.
[01:16] Google’s algorithm history is a steady march toward rewarding genuine value over tactical manipulation. Bernard shares his journey from being a growth hacker at 42 Floors, where he experimented with various SEO strategies, including black hat tactics. He highlights the importance of major Google updates:
Bernard’s insights underline exactly how Google’s evolving algorithm updates have pushed SEO strategies from a game of manipulation to a focus on creating valuable content that genuinely serves users.
[11:41] AI is absorbing the informational queries that used to drive organic clicks — but it cannot replace trust, perspective, or firsthand expertise. What Bernard described as an emerging trend has since become the dominant reality: AI Overviews now appear in nearly half of all Google searches, and the cannibalization of informational traffic is no longer a forecast — it’s the baseline condition content teams are operating in. As Huang noted, technological improvements have always redirected specific queries away from Google — and AI’s capability to generate content directly, such as job templates or recipes, represents the most dramatic version of that shift yet.
He advises content creators not to fear this shift but to adapt by focusing on areas where AI falls short, such as providing unique perspectives, firsthand experiences, and trustworthy recommendations. Huang points out that while AI excels at consensus-based answers and structured “stuff” like itineraries, it lacks the perspective, depth, and credibility users seek in certain types of trust-based searches, such as product reviews or specialized guides.
The challenge for content creators lies in differentiating their work by emphasizing human elements and expertise that AI cannot replicate, thereby maintaining relevance in the ever-changing digital landscape.
[18:44] The brands that win in AI-era search are those that add something the algorithm cannot synthesize from existing consensus. Bernard discusses how Google’s algorithms have evolved, now valuing content that offers genuine opinions and perspectives. This evolution suggests that search is becoming better, as it encourages content creators to produce valuable, authentic information rather than just filling pages with SEO keywords.
However, Google still faces the challenge of the vast amount of AI-generated content skewing the information landscape and the need to differentiate between authentic information and commoditized content. Bernard points out that while AI can generate content rapidly, Google’s focus on user engagement signals still creates a complex environment where brands with higher domain authority tend to dominate.
This dynamic now needs content creators to leverage their subject matter expertise, authenticity, and unique insights to stand out in a crowded digital space. Bernard explains how brands can capitalize on the way search associates topics and things with an “information gain” approach that focuses on additive content within networks of topics where subject matter expertise or firsthand expertise is assumed or required.
[29:35] High-volume keyword targeting is no longer sufficient. Google now evaluates a site’s focus score — a measure of content depth and relevance on specific topics — making niche specialization the new competitive advantage. Bernard highlights that the traditional method of targeting high search volume keywords and creating basic content or content clusters around them is no longer sufficient. Instead, smaller publishers should focus on specialization within their niche, delving deeply into various aspects of a topic to establish authority.
This shift means that creating comprehensive, unique content that explores the nuances and intricacies of a subject can help smaller sites rank higher in search results. For example, rather than just covering general information about marathons, a site should include detailed content such as personal training experiences, common mistakes, and unique insights into marathon preparation.
This approach not only differentiates smaller publishers from larger competitors but also aligns with Google’s efforts to combat the flood of commoditized content produced by AI. Although the search volumes for these specialized topics might be smaller, the aggregate effect of a well-developed library of granular, authoritative content can drive significant traffic over time.
The “focus score” concept is drawn from Huang’s analysis of the 2024 Google API leak, which exposed internal site-level attributes including site focus score, site embeddings, and site radius — signals Google uses to evaluate how closely a piece of content aligns with a domain’s overall topical identity. Huang has written and spoken about these attributes extensively, arguing that they represent the most precise definition of topical authority the industry has ever had access to. Google confirmed the documents’ authenticity but cautioned that some modules may be outdated or experimental — so while these signals shouldn’t be taken as a complete ranking recipe, they represent the most direct evidence the industry has ever had of how Google evaluates topical identity at the site level.
[36:07] Search now functions less as a discovery channel and more as a mid- to bottom-of-funnel channel. Brands need to create content for search that captures interest generated from other platforms. Bernard emphasizes the importance of defining specific topics or “ownable lanes” that are aligned with your brand’s identity and target audience.
He further advises that brands should adopt a multichannel content creation approach, producing engaging content tailored to different platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. This strategy requires moving away from generic, high-volume keyword content and focusing on adding unique value to niche topics.
Smaller brands should narrow their focus to specific aspects where they can provide unique insights, rather than trying to dominate broad topics. Overall, a niche-oriented strategy demands effort and thoughtful planning, offering significant rewards for producing high-quality, detailed content. Instead of spreading efforts thinly across broad topics, brands should identify high-level topics that are both relevant and manageable.
Q: Is AI-generated content penalized by Google?
A: Google does not penalize AI-generated content by default. It penalizes low-quality, unhelpful content regardless of how it was produced. The Helpful Content Update emphasized expertise, authority, and trustworthiness — so the production method matters less than whether the content genuinely serves users. Brands using AI should ensure human oversight, original perspective, and factual accuracy to maintain rankings.
Q: What is topical authority, and why does it matter more than keyword volume now?
A: Topical authority is a measure of how deeply and comprehensively a site covers a specific subject area. According to Bernard Huang, Google now evaluates a site’s “focus score” for depth and relevance on specific topics, meaning a site with 50 deeply specialized articles on one niche can outrank a site with 500 shallow articles across many topics. This shift rewards brands that own a subject rather than chase traffic across unrelated keywords.
Q: How should enterprise brands adapt their content strategy for AI Overviews?
A: Enterprise brands should focus on three shifts: first, build deep topical authority in ownable niche areas rather than targeting broad keywords; second, invest in content that adds “information gain” — unique perspectives, proprietary data, and firsthand expertise that AI cannot synthesize from existing sources; third, treat search as a mid-to-bottom-of-funnel channel and create content that converts demand generated from platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.
Follow and subscribe to Content Disrupted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. In this podcast, we host candid conversations with pioneering CMOs and researchers on the topics most relevant to enterprise marketers, from the psychology behind today’s digital buying behaviors and how to craft more relevant creative to maximizing internal trust in the marketing team.
Featured image by ugguggu at Adobe Stock.
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