I’m going to tell you a secret. My first startup? It was a spectacular failure. We had a great product, a brilliant team, and zero customers. We spent six months building in a cave, and when we finally launched, we heard nothing but the sound of our own echoing hopes. Why? Because I thought SEO was bullshit. I thought if we built a great product, customers would just show up.
I was wrong. Painfully, expensively wrong.
After that failure, I got obsessed. I learned everything I could about how to get a website to the top of Google. I applied those lessons to my next two companies, and both of them were acquired. Now I’m an investor in over 200 startups, including giants like Anthropic and OpenAI, and I see founders making the same mistakes I did. They’re brilliant product people, but they’re clueless about SEO.
So, I’m going to save you the pain and the expense. Here are the 11 SEO mistakes that are quietly killing your startup.
1. You’re Chasing Big, Dumb Keywords
Every founder I talk to wants to rank for some huge, generic keyword. “We’re a new CRM, so we need to rank for ‘CRM’.” No. You don’t. You can’t. You’re a tiny startup, and you’re trying to out-muscle Salesforce. It’s not going to happen.
Instead of trying to win a fight you’re guaranteed to lose, get specific. Who is your CRM for? What makes it different? Maybe you should be going after “CRM for freelance photographers” or “AI-powered CRM for e-commerce.” The traffic will be lower, but the intent will be a thousand times higher.
At RemoteTeam, we didn’t try to rank for “HR software.” We went after things like “how to pay an employee in the Philippines.” We solved a very specific problem for a very specific person. That’s how we got our first 10,000 users.
2. Your Website Reads Like It Was Written by a Robot
I can spot an AI-written article from a mile away. It’s stuffed with keywords, it’s devoid of personality, and it’s just… boring. Google is getting better and better at spotting this stuff too. They want to see content that’s written for humans, by humans.
So, for the love of God, stop writing for the algorithm. Tell stories. Be funny. Have an opinion. If you write something that you would actually want to read, there’s a good chance other people will want to read it too. And they’ll share it, link to it, and talk about it. That’s the stuff that Google really cares about.
3. You Think SEO Is a One-Time Thing
“We did some SEO last year.” I hear this all the time. It’s like saying you went to the gym last year and expecting to still be in shape. SEO is not a project, it’s a process. It’s something you have to do, day in and day out.
You need to be consistently publishing high-quality content, building links, and improving your site. It’s a grind. I’m not going to lie to you. But it’s the only way to win. The startups that I see succeed are the ones that treat SEO like a product. It’s a core part of their business, not an afterthought.
4. You’re Ignoring the Boring Technical Stuff
I get it. Technical SEO is not sexy. It’s all about site speed, and XML sitemaps, and canonical tags. It’s enough to make your eyes glaze over. But it’s also critically important.
Your website can have the best content in the world, but if it’s slow and clunky and looks like it was designed in 2003, you’re not going to rank. At MovieLaLa, we had amazing content, but our traffic was flat. We hired a consultant who told us our site was a technical disaster. We spent a month fixing it, and our traffic tripled. Tripled. Don’t be like me. Get your technical house in order.
5. You’re Not Building Any Links
Content is not king. It’s a prince. The king is links. You can have the best content in the world, but if you don’t have any links pointing to it, no one is going to see it.
Links are the currency of the internet. They’re a vote of confidence from one site to another. The more high-quality links you have, the more authoritative you look to Google. And the more authoritative you look, the higher you’ll rank.
So how do you get links? You ask for them. You write guest posts. You do interviews. You build relationships with other people in your industry. It’s a lot of work, but it’s the only way to get to the top.
6. You Don’t Understand What People Are Actually Searching For
Keywords are not the same as search intent. Someone searching for “running shoes” is in a very different mindset than someone searching for “best running shoes for flat feet.” The first person is just browsing. The second person is ready to buy.
Before you write a single word, you need to understand the “why” behind the search. What is the person looking for? What problem are they trying to solve? If you can answer those questions, you can create content that will actually help them. And that’s the kind of content that Google loves.
7. You’re Not Looking at the Data
I’m a data guy. I love spreadsheets. I love charts. I love knowing what’s working and what’s not. And it drives me crazy when I see founders who are just guessing. They’re throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks.
You need to be tracking your organic traffic, your keyword rankings, and your conversion rates. You need to know which pages are bringing in the most traffic, and which ones are turning that traffic into customers. If you’re not looking at the data, you’re just flying blind.
8. You’re Chasing the Wrong Numbers
I once had a founder brag to me that his site got 100,000 pageviews a month. I asked him how many of those people signed up for his product. He didn’t know. It turned out the answer was less than 10.
Pageviews are a vanity metric. They make you feel good, but they don’t mean anything. The only metric that matters is conversions. How many people are you turning into customers? That’s the only number that matters. I’d rather have a site with 1,000 visitors and 100 customers than a site with 100,000 visitors and 10 customers.
9. You’re a Local Business with No Local SEO
If you run a local business, and you’re not doing local SEO, you’re an idiot. I’m sorry, but it’s true. You’re leaving a ton of money on the table.
When someone searches for “plumber near me,” you need to be the first result. That means you need to have a Google My Business profile, you need to have reviews, and you need to have your name, address, and phone number plastered all over the internet. It’s not that hard. But it’s something that most local businesses just don’t do.
10. Your Website Is Ugly
This might sound superficial, but it’s true. If your website is ugly, people are going to think your product is ugly. It’s a reflection of your brand. It’s the first impression that most people will have of your company.
I’m not saying you need to spend a fortune on a fancy design. But your site needs to be clean, modern, and easy to use. If you’re not a designer, hire one. It will be the best money you ever spend.
11. You’re Giving Up Way Too Soon
SEO is a long game. It’s not something you can do for a few months and then forget about. It takes time to see results. I’m talking 6-12 months, at least.
I’ve seen so many founders give up on SEO right before it was about to start working. They get impatient, they get discouraged, and they quit. Don’t be that founder. Be patient. Be persistent. And don’t give up. If you do the right things, for long enough, you will see results.
The Ball Is in Your Court
I’ve given you the playbook. I’ve told you all the dumb things I did so you don’t have to do them. Now it’s up to you. You can either keep doing what you’re doing and getting the same results, or you can start taking SEO seriously and actually build a business that matters. The choice is yours.
Let's expand on a few of these points, because I really want you to get this.
On Finding Your Niche
When I say get specific, I mean really specific. Think about the conversations you have with your customers. What are the exact words they use to describe their problems? That's the language you should be using on your website. At RemoteTeam, we literally took customer support emails and turned them into blog posts. We weren't guessing what people were searching for. We knew, because they were telling us every single day.
And don't be afraid to be controversial. Have a strong opinion. Take a stand. The internet is a noisy place. The only way to stand out is to be different. If you're just another voice in the chorus, you're going to be ignored.
On the Importance of Patience
I know you want results now. I get it. You're a founder. You're impatient. But SEO is like planting a tree. You can't plant a seed and expect to have a giant oak tree the next day. It takes time. You have to water it, you have to nurture it, and you have to be patient.
But here's the beautiful thing about SEO. Once that tree starts to grow, it's there for good. It will keep providing you with shade (and traffic) for years to come. It's the ultimate long-term investment. While your competitors are busy pouring money into Facebook ads, you'll be getting free, organic traffic from Google. That's how you build a sustainable business. That's how you win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which item on this list has the highest impact?
It depends on your stage and context, but in my experience, the items near the top of the list tend to have the broadest applicability. That said, sometimes the less obvious items create the biggest breakthroughs for specific situations.
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.
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.
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.