A startup with no marketing budget can still build search and AI visibility with ten steps that cost time rather than money: a crawlable website with clear pages for what you sell, founder profiles, free search tools set up properly, a Google Business Profile if you serve locally, five pages answering your buyers’ main questions, one original piece of work, listings on the platforms your buyers use, genuine early reviews, founder visibility on LinkedIn, and a simple monthly check. Done in order over three months, they put the basics in place that most small companies skip.
The ten steps
- Crawlable siteServer-rendered pages with the text in the HTML.
- Clear offerOne page per product or service.
- PeopleFounders named, with profiles.
- Free toolsSearch Console, Bing, analytics.
- Five answersPages for the top buyer questions.
- One original assetA test, tool or template.
- ListingsWhere your buyers look.
- ReviewsFrom the first real customers.
- Founder voiceLinkedIn and communities.
- Monthly checkA simple baseline and trend.
1. A website crawlers can read
Use a platform that renders pages on the server: WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, or a framework such as Next.js with server rendering. Avoid a single-page app that sends empty HTML. Check with our free AI crawler access checker.
2. A clear page for each thing you sell
Each page should say what it is, who it is for, what is included, what it costs or what drives the price, and how to start. See writing service pages that rank and get cited.
3. Show the founders
An About page with the founders’ names, photos, backgrounds and LinkedIn links is the cheapest trust signal available. See E-E-A-T for new companies.
4. Set up the free tools
- Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, with your sitemap submitted
- Google Analytics 4 with your enquiry or sign-up as a key event
- A Google Business Profile, if customers visit you or you serve a local area
5. Five pages that answer buyers’ questions
Write down the five questions prospects ask most in calls and messages. Publish a page, or a section, answering each directly, starting with the answer. These are the questions AI assistants will be asked about your category.
6. One original piece of work
A small test, a free template, a calculator or a clear guide based on your own experience gives people and AI systems a reason to cite you. It does not need to be large; it needs to be something others do not have.
7. Listings
Ask your buyers’ questions in ChatGPT and Perplexity and note which directories and review sites they cite. Create complete profiles on the most relevant five. See getting listed on the sites AI assistants cite.
8. Early reviews
Ask every early customer for a review on the platform that matters most, with a direct link. Never buy or incentivise them. See getting more genuine reviews.
9. Founder visibility
Founders sharing specific, useful lessons on LinkedIn and in relevant communities, under their own names, build recognition and lead to mentions. Link back to the site when a page genuinely adds to the discussion.
10. A monthly check
- Search Console: impressions and clicks for your key pages
- Ten buyer questions in two or three assistants: are you mentioned?
- Enquiries, with “How did you hear about us?” recorded
Thirty minutes a month is enough to see what is working.
What to skip at this stage
- Paid SEO tools with large monthly fees
- Buying links or guest posts
- Publishing large volumes of generic content
- Complex schema beyond Organization, Person and the basics for your pages
Frequently asked questions
How long before a startup sees results?
Technical basics and listings show within weeks. Rankings and AI mentions for category questions usually take several months. See how long GEO takes.
Should we hire an agency early?
Not before the basics are in place and you know which questions matter. A one-time audit can be worth it once there is a site to review.
Is SEO worth it for a startup at all?
If your buyers search or ask assistants before choosing, yes. The ten steps above cost little and keep paying back.
Sources
- Google Search Central, “SEO Starter Guide”
- Google Search Central, “AI features and your website”