Most advice on SEO for startups is outdated. I'm sharing the behind-the-scenes playbook I'd use today, including the costly mistakes founders keep making and the lessons that pay off the most.
What I've Learned From 75 Companies
A few patterns in SEO come up again and again.
The founders who handle SEO well understand that your team matters more than your technology.
The Counterintuitive Truth
In SEO, the best practitioners often do less, not more.
The lesson: customer feedback is the only metric that matters. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
A lot of the advice on SEO rests on assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on.
The first thing to understand is that the data tells a different story than your gut. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
Many teams spend months on the wrong path before realizing that simplicity beats complexity every time. Once they make the switch, everything changes.
The AI Angle
Any discussion of SEO in 2026 has to include AI. As someone who's invested in Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, and Hugging Face, I have a front-row seat to how AI is transforming this space.
The short version: AI makes good practitioners better and bad practitioners worse. It's an amplifier, not a replacement.
Some teams use AI to get far more out of SEO. Others spend heavily on AI that solves the wrong problem. The difference comes down to understanding what you're actually trying to achieve.
This connects to broader themes around referral programs, community-led growth, viral loops, retention strategies, SEO for startups that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
Best practice in SEO is changing fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
If you're building in this space, the best time to get SEO right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Are these recommendations still relevant in 2026?
Absolutely. While specific tools and tactics change, the underlying principles remain consistent. I update my thinking regularly based on what I'm seeing in the market and across my portfolio companies.
Q:Can I implement all of these at once?
I'd strongly recommend against it. Pick the 2-3 items that resonate most with your current situation and focus there. Trying to do everything simultaneously is a recipe for doing nothing well.
Q:How were these items selected?
Each item on this list comes from direct experience, either from building my own companies or from patterns I've observed across the 234 startups I've invested in. I prioritize practical, actionable items over theoretical concepts.
Q:How do I know which items apply to my situation?
Start by honestly assessing where your biggest bottleneck is right now. The items that address that specific constraint will give you the highest return on your time and energy.