How Do AI Engines Decide What to Cite? The FSA Framework Explained

Send us Fan Mail📬 Love the podcast? You’ll love the newsletter. Get the weekly 3-2-1 on AI search + marketing: SubscribeHow do AI engines decide what to cite? They prioritize content that demonstrates freshness, structure, and authority—not just traditional SEO signals or domain authority.In this episode of Found in AI, Cassie breaks down the FSA Framework (Freshness, Structure, Authority), a practical model for understanding why AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity consistently cite some brands while completely ignoring others, even when those brands have high domain authority.The episode explains why traditional SEO alone is no longer sufficient for AI visibility, how AI engines evaluate entities instead of pages, and why small or lesser-known sites can outperform industry giants when their content is easier for AI systems to extract and reuse.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why AI search has overtaken traditional search behaviorHow Google’s shift toward AI Mode changes content discoveryThe three factors AI engines rely on to select sourcesWhat freshness signals actually look like to a large language modelHow to structure content so AI systems can extract and reuse itWhy authority in AI search means entity strength, not domain authorityHow Cassie used the FSA framework to start appearing in AI-generated answersA simple diagnostic test to understand why you’re not being citedA 30-day plan to improve AI visibility—even with a small siteIf you're listening to this and thinking I need someone to lead this for me, that's what I do.I'm an AI search visibility consultant and a fractional content strategist for startups and enterprise brands. If that sounds like the kind of help you're looking for, email me at [email protected]. Or request your 7-Day AI Search Visibility Audit: https://cassieclarkmarketing.com/ai-search-visibility-audit/Let’s connect:LinkedIn → Cassie Clark | AI Search Visibility ConsultantWebsite → https://cassieclarkmarketing.com