Why I'm ditching SEO

I’ve built million-dollar channels on the back of SEO.

But right now? If I were launching something new?

I’d skip SEO and go straight to paid.

Let’s get this out of the way:

SEO isn’t dead—but it’s not where I’d bet early-stage money.

Here’s why:

• SEO takes too long to deliver ROI. Startups need speed. SEO is a compounding channel—but that doesn’t matter if you run out of cash first.

• Paid works instantly. You can test angles, offers, and funnels in days—not quarters. You get a signal fast and can double down.

• Budgets follow performance. At Single Grain, we’ve seen a massive spike in interest for AI-driven SEO/GEO. But the real dollars? Still going to paid media.

• SEO is harder than ever. Google’s updates, AI-generated content flooding the SERPs, and declining organic CTRs make the game more complex and less predictable.

Jason Cohen didn’t build one unicorn off paid media—he built two.

That’s not a coincidence. It’s strategy.

SEO is still a long-term asset. It’s still powerful if you’ve got time and resources to invest. But if you’re bootstrapping or building from zero?

Paid gives you leverage.
Paid gives you data.
Paid buys you time.

Get profitable first. Then build the SEO engine once you can afford to wait.

To channeling capital efficiently,
Eric Siu

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