In the rapidly evolving world of digital discovery, where AI is reshaping how consumers find and trust brands, Sudhir Vashist stands out as a visionary entrepreneur. With over two decades in digital media and growth marketing, he has founded SEORCE, an innovative visibility intelligence platform designed for the AI-driven internet. We sat down with Sudhir to discuss the shift from traditional SEO to AI-era visibility, the unique capabilities of SEORCE, and his insights on building sustainable growth in a disruptive landscape.
Indian Startup Times (IST): Sudhir, you’ve seen the entire evolution of search, from the early Google Ads era to social platforms and now AI-led discovery. What inspired you to launch SEORCE?
Sudhir Vashist: Earlier, visibility meant ranking on page one of Google. Today, it means whether an AI system trusts you enough to recommend you. I’ve witnessed every major shift in search over the past 20+ years, and this AI transition felt like the biggest one yet. That’s what became the foundation of SEORCE, a platform built not just to track traditional SEO metrics, but to measure and improve how brands appear across AI-powered search engines, chatbots, and recommendation systems.
IST: Let’s dive into what SEORCE actually does. How is it different from the countless SEO tools out there?
Sudhir Vashist: At its core, SEORCE combines AI-powered SEO, real-time visibility tracking, and automation into one unified platform. It helps brands monitor how they appear across traditional search engines and emerging AI-driven discovery platforms. We go beyond keywords to track sentiment, brand mentions, and trust signals. The platform identifies technical, content, and structural issues impacting visibility, and here’s the game-changer: it can automatically fix up to 75% of on-site SEO issues without any manual intervention.
Imagine your website diagnosing its own problems and fixing them autonomously. That’s where SEO is headed, and that’s what we’re building for. What truly sets SEORCE apart is how it simplifies complexity. Instead of bombarding marketers with overwhelming dashboards and raw data, we convert those messy signals into clear, actionable insights that teams can implement instantly.
IST: One of your strongest convictions is that “visibility is the new distribution.” Can you elaborate on that?
Sudhir Vashist: Absolutely. In the AI era, visibility is no longer just a marketing channel — it’s your primary distribution layer. I’ve seen many D2C and digital-first brands become overly dependent on paid platforms like Meta and Google. They chase short-term growth, but sacrifice long-term profitability. Every day you stop spending on ads, your growth stops. That’s not sustainable.
SEORCE was created to help brands break that dependency by building a strong organic presence that’s recognized and trusted by AI systems — where trust, relevance, and sentiment outweigh ad spend.
IST: How exactly is AI reshaping SEO on a practical level?
Sudhir Vashist: AI hasn’t replaced SEO; it has radically compressed it. Processes that once took weeks, like keyword research, site audits, and optimization — can now be executed in minutes with the right AI systems. SEORCE leverages proprietary models to accelerate these workflows while keeping human oversight for critical decisions.
More importantly, AI-driven platforms evaluate brands differently from traditional search engines. They look at mentions, context, sentiment, and consistency across the web. If forums, reviews, and authoritative sources don’t trust a brand, AI systems won’t either.
IST: There are a lot of myths floating around about AI search. What are the biggest ones you’ve encountered, and what’s the reality?
Sudhir Vashist: I’m pretty direct about what no longer works: Traditional SEO alone won’t guarantee AI visibility. Backlinks without proper context or positive sentiment have diminishing value. And AI-generated content isn’t the issue — low-value content is, regardless of who or what created it.
If content genuinely helps the user, it will perform, whether written by a human or AI. The key is user-centricity, and that’s a core principle baked into SEORCE’s product design and scoring systems.
IST: You’ve advised over 2,000 brands globally. What advice do you have for founders navigating this AI disruption?
Sudhir Vashist: Modern digital companies must think like technology companies first. Tech isn’t a support function — it’s the core. I’ve seen successful pivots where companies prioritized building platforms over just products.
For SaaS and consumer founders, my simple advice is: Build clarity before scale, product before promotion, and trust before traffic.
IST: Looking ahead, where do you see visibility heading in an AI-first world?
Sudhir Vashist: As AI systems increasingly influence how consumers discover, compare, and choose brands, visibility will evolve from a short-term tactic into a long-term asset. Brands that win won’t be the loudest — they’ll be the most trusted.
With SEORCE, we’re not just reacting to the future of search; we’re helping define how brands earn relevance, credibility, and sustainable growth in an AI-first internet. In a world where algorithms decide discovery, we’re building the system that ensures brands stay chosen.
IST: Thank you, Sudhir, for these insightful perspectives. It’s exciting to see Indian entrepreneurs like you leading the charge in AI-powered marketing tools.
SEORCE represents a bold step forward in making brands future-proof in the age of AI discovery. As the digital landscape continues to shift, platforms like this will be crucial for startups and established players alike to thrive organically.
-By Muskan Dengra
