AEO for startups
Build AI visibility from zero without enterprise pricing, on a tool you can self-host for free.
A new brand starts out invisible to AI engines, because there is little for the models to have learned. The job is to build a credible footprint quickly: clear content, early reviews, and mentions on sources the models trust.
Budgets are tight, which is the catch with most tools in this space. An open-source platform you self-host for free lets you start measuring on day one and only pay for the API calls you actually make.
Prompts that matter here
- best [new category] tools
- alternatives to [incumbent]
- what is [your brand]
What to do
- 1
Define a tight prompt set
A handful of high-intent prompts beats a broad, expensive list. Track the questions your earliest buyers ask.
- 2
Tell a clear category story
Help engines place you by explaining your category and product plainly, with consistent naming.
- 3
Earn your first reviews
Early mentions on trusted sources give the models something to ground an answer about you in.
- 4
Track weekly
Visibility moves as you publish and get covered. A weekly read shows whether it is working.
Where Elmo fits
Elmo is free to self-host, so an early-stage team can track AI visibility without an enterprise contract and only pay for the provider API keys it uses.
/ FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there a free AI visibility tool for startups?
- Yes. Elmo is free and open source to self-host. There is no license fee or per-seat pricing, so you only pay for your own infrastructure and the AI provider keys you use.
- When should a startup start doing AEO?
- As soon as buyers in your category ask AI engines for recommendations, which is early for most categories now. Starting sooner builds the trusted footprint that later answers draw on.
Ready to track your AI visibility?
Deploy Elmo in minutes and start monitoring how ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews talk about your brand. Open source, self-hosted, free.