How to Apply Lessons from Mark Suster’s Blog to Your Startup SEO

Struggling to turn your startup blog into a magnet for investors?

Let’s break down how to apply lessons from Mark Suster’s blog to your startup SEO.

Suster didn’t just write about startups—he built a gravity well for inbound deal flow.

In this post, I’ll walk you through 20 lessons pulled from his blog Both Sides of the Table, reframed to help founders rank higher, get noticed, and raise faster.

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Mark Suster is at the center of L.A.'s venture capital scene - Los Angeles Times — How to Apply Lessons from Mark Suster’s Blog to Your Startup SEO

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Mark Suster: Blogging and VC Combined

Mark Suster is a venture capitalist at Upfront Ventures.

He built a reputation by blogging early and often.

His blog wasn’t fluff—it was insight.

What worked:

He wrote from lived experience.
His blog became a resource hub for founders.
Each post added to a larger narrative.

Treat your blog the same way—as a long game that compounds.

Why SEO Matters for Startups Fundraising

Organic search is your silent sales team.

If your content ranks when VCs search for “startup metrics” or “AI GTM strategy,” you win before you pitch.

For more, see our blog post: What are the most effective methods to raise capital quickly for my startup.

Key SEO Techniques from Both Sides of the Table

Suster didn’t “do SEO”—but his content was SEO gold.

Here’s why:

Clear, keyword-aligned titles.
Real stories people searched for.
Answered VC and founder questions before they were asked.

Learn to rank by writing to serve, not sell.

How To Use Long-Tail Keywords in Startup Content

Forget “how to raise funding.”

Instead, write:

“How to get intros to VCs in Australia”
“How to write a seed-stage investor update”
“How to prove traction with zero revenue”

Targeting specific pain points = higher rankings + better leads.

Incorporating LLMs to Optimize Startup Messaging

LLMs can’t replace founder voice—but they can sharpen it.

How I use them:

Rewrite passive content.
Extract themes from interviews.
Generate FAQs and summaries.

See how LLMs power investor tools in How Predictive AI is Transforming Venture Capital in 2025.

Mark Suster’s Guide to Content-Driven Growth

Suster wrote to build trust—not clicks.

Do this weekly:

Tell a personal story that maps to a founder problem.
End with 1 lesson and 1 action step.
Use headlines that promise clarity, not clickbait.

Measuring Content Success for Your Startup

Metrics to watch:

Time on page
Scroll depth
Referrals from VC domains

And of course, investor replies that start with: “I saw your blog post…”

How to Leverage Investor Blogs for SEO

VC blogs are full of keywords founders Google every day.

Reverse-engineer them.

Then write better.

See how we break this down in Fred Wilson’s AVC Blog: Building a Brand in Venture Capital.

Aligning SEO With Fundraising Goals

Every blog post is a fundraising breadcrumb.

Build trust → Show insight → Attract inbound.

Need a model? Check out Angel investor strategies 2025.

How to Build a Content Calendar Inspired by VC Blogs

Steal this cadence:

Week 1: Founder mental model
Week 2: Market signal analysis
Week 3: Behind-the-scenes ops story
Week 4: Strategic forecast

This structure turns chaos into clarity.

Examples of SEO-Optimized Blog Posts by Mark Suster

Using Storytelling in SEO Content

Want to write like Suster?

Anchor in story.

Conflict
Hard decision
Data
Personal lesson

Read: What founders get wrong about storytelling in fundraising.

The Role of Data in Optimizing Blog Engagement

Use Google Analytics, Hotjar, or even ChatGPT to:

Detect weak intros
Identify high bounce keywords
Compare scroll depth by post type

Refine relentlessly.

Keywords to Rank for Fundraising and VC Topics

Clusters that work:

“Pitch deck metrics seed stage”
“How to raise capital in a downturn”
“AI startup GTM fundraising playbook”

Use LSI: traction, cap table, burn rate, IRR, data room, due diligence.

For guidance, explore Venture Capital Trends to Watch in 2025.

Mark Suster’s Vision for Startup Marketing

He didn’t see marketing as ads.

He saw it as clarity.

Marketing = storytelling + metrics.

Same goes for your blog.

To sharpen your messaging, see Why does Hormozi believe perception of marketing outweighs product quality in profit growth.

FAQs

1. Who is Mark Suster?
A VC at Upfront Ventures and author of the blog Both Sides of the Table.

2. Why should startups follow his blog strategy?
It drives deal flow through trust, not just traffic.

3. Can SEO really attract investors?
Yes. It’s long-game inbound fundraising.

4. What are long-tail keywords?
Niche, high-intent phrases like “how to prepare an investor FAQ sheet.”

5. How do I use AI in my blog process?
Brainstorm, draft, edit—but always keep founder voice.

6. What is Capitaly.vc?
A founder-first community and platform to raise capital faster.

7. How many blog posts should I publish?
Start with 1 per week. Build a rhythm.

8. Where can I learn about raising capital content strategies?
Check out What data points does AI use to forecast promising investment sectors quickly.

9. What’s the ideal blog structure?
Hook > Conflict > Story > Lesson > CTA.

10. Do investors read blog posts?
Yes—especially if they’re doing diligence or inbound prospecting.

Conclusion

Mark Suster showed how powerful a founder-led content strategy can be.

If you apply his lessons, you won’t just rank—you’ll resonate.

And in a world where everyone’s pitching, resonance wins.

Start now.

Apply lessons from Mark Suster’s blog to your startup SEO—and let your content raise capital for you.

Subscribe to Capitaly.vc to raise capital at the speed of AI.

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