SEO Marketing for Startups: AI, Content, and Getting Found in 2026

Every startup wants to get found. The question is how, now that the way people search is shifting under everyone's feet. For years, SEO meant ranking on Google. That still matters, but the picture is wider now. People ask AI tools for recommendations. They search inside communities and marketplaces. They read before they ever type a query. Getting found in 2026 means understanding all of it, not just chasing keywords. This session breaks down what actually works today. We will start with the fundamentals that still hold up: how search engines read your site, why content built around real questions outperforms content built around keywords, and the technical basics most startups get wrong. Then we will get into what has changed: how AI answer engines decide what to cite, what it takes to show up when someone asks an AI for a recommendation, and how buyer behavior is moving from searching to asking. We will also keep it practical for lean teams. No big budgets, no dedicated marketing hire, no agency retainer. Just the handful of things a founder or an early team can do themselves that move the needle, and the ones not worth the time. Come with your questions, your site, and whatever is not working. Whether you are setting up SEO for the first time or trying to fix flat traffic, you will leave with a clearer sense of where to focus and what to do next.