Marketing & Growth

Is traditional SEO dead, what should an early-stage startup actually do?

No, but it has mutated. Google still sends far more visitors than all AI assistants combined (about 134 times more in one 2026 clickstream study), while AI answers eat top-of-funnel clicks (up to a 58% CTR drop when an AI Overview appears). Google says its AI features use its normal index, and its own guide, updated in July 2026, tells you to skip AEO hacks like chunking pages or adding llms.txt files. An early-stage startup should run lean, bottom-of-funnel SEO and layer AEO on top, rather than picking one and abandoning the other.

Part of SEO on eChai Explore.

On the AI map, 29 October 2026 Marketing, ads and AI search

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Terms in this answer

Answer Engine Optimization Search Engine Optimization Click-Through Rate

More in Getting Found in AI Search (AEO/GEO)

Why does it now matter how ChatGPT and Perplexity describe my startup? 19 → How do founders get their product recommended by AI assistants? 19 → How do I find out what ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini currently say about my startup, and track it over time? 22 → How do AI assistants actually choose which sources to cite in an answer? 20 → Do Reddit, review sites, and press mentions matter more than my own website for AI visibility? 16 → Should I publish comparison pages and 'best X' listicles to win AI recommendations? 18 → What technical setup does my site need so AI crawlers can find, read, and cite it? 22 → Google now answers with AI Overviews and AI Mode. Does my Google strategy change? 19 → How do I measure traffic, signups, and revenue coming from AI search? 19 → I sell products online. How do I get into ChatGPT Shopping, Perplexity, and agent-driven commerce? 19 → ChatGPT says something wrong or outdated about my startup. How do I fix it? 17 →

Also in Starting Up

The same ground, over in Brand, web & content, our Starting Up track.

How do I write copy that explains what my product does clearly? 2 → How do I make a website for my business, step by step? 9 →
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