Will startups soon optimize for ChatGPT answers before Google rankings?
We just launched Startories on Product Hunt, would love your thoughts here: Startories
Now here’s the question that made me build it:
A few years ago, if someone needed a product, they searched Google.
Today, they ask:
“Best AI tools for X?”
“Best software for Y?”
“What are the top alternatives to Z?”
“Which startup should I use for this problem?”
And the answer may come from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity before they ever visit a search results page.
That creates a strange new question for founders:
What makes an AI recommend one product… and completely ignore another?
Is it blog content?
Backlinks?
Directories?
Reddit discussions?
Real user conversations?
Brand mentions?
A mix of all of them?
This is the problem Startories is trying to solve.
Instead of only thinking about classic SEO, Startories focuses on building visibility through Reddit discussions, keyword-targeted posts, strategic comments, and aged high-karma accounts.
The idea is simple, but maybe controversial:
If AI search engines learn from public conversations, startups need to be part of the right conversations before users ask AI for recommendations.
So I’d love to discuss this:
Are we entering a new era where startups need AI search visibility the same way they needed SEO before?
And if yes, what do you think will matter most?
Reddit mentions
Real customer discussions
Product Hunt launches
Blog content
Backlinks
Brand authority
Something else entirely
Because the next big growth channel might not be Google search.
It might be the answer AI gives before the user even clicks anything.
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