Playbook · Industry startups
SEO & AI search playbook for climate tech startups
Climate buyers are technical and sceptical. Sustainability leads, engineers and finance teams want to see methods, sources and assumptions, and they've seen plenty of vague green claims.
That makes methodology pages, calculators with sources and precise explainers the strongest page types. It also means marketing claims need care: the US FTC's Green Guides exist to help marketers avoid misleading environmental claims.
Updated By the LaunchRanked team4 sources checked
Searches to plan around
Query patterns and the intent behind them. We don’t quote search volumes: check your own Search Console for the ones you already appear for.
“how to calculate [emissions type]”
MethodStep-by-step methods with the standard they follow.
“[disclosure rule] requirements”
ComplianceExplainers for rules your buyers face, sourced and dated.
“[technology] cost”, “[technology] payback calculator”
EconomicsCalculators with assumptions written out.
“carbon accounting software”, “[category] software”
B2BBuyers compare methods, integrations and audit support.
“[technology] vs [technology]”, e.g. “heat pump vs gas boiler”
Consumer decisionFor consumer-facing climate products. Comparisons need running costs, assumptions and the region they apply to.
Page families that work
Methodology pages
/methodology/scope-3
How you calculate, which standards, which data sources.
Calculators
/calculators/heat-pump-payback
Formula, sources and assumptions on the page.
Regulation explainers
/regulations/[rule]
Who it applies to, deadlines, sources.
Datasets
/data/[dataset]
Open data with Dataset markup for Google's Dataset Search.
Risky page types
Vague green claims
Unqualified environmental claims are exactly what the Green Guides warn against.
Impact numbers without method
They won't be cited, and they invite scrutiny.
Technical pitfalls
Reports only as PDFs
Publish key findings in HTML, with the PDF as a download.
Stale regulation pages
Rules and deadlines change. Date pages and review them.
Jargon-only pages
Buyers include finance and operations people. Define terms.
Numbers that differ between pages
A figure on the homepage, another in a report and a third in a sales deck undermine every one of them. Keep impact and emission factors in one data file and render every page from it.
How AI assistants answer questions in this category
Assistants answer climate definitions from what they know, and look for sources when asked to calculate or compare. They're more likely to cite pages that name the standard, the data source and the assumptions, because those are what make a number defensible.
What tends to earn a citation
- Methodology pages that name standards and data sources.
- Calculators with assumptions written out.
- Dated regulation explainers with links to the official text.
Check whether the AI crawlers you want can reach your site with our AI crawler checker.
Where links come from
Research and datasets
Open data and methods get cited by researchers and journalists.
Policy and industry groups
Contributions to working groups and public consultations.
Climate newsletters and startup directories
Climate newsletters, plus startup directories.
Directory lists that fit climate tech startups
- Startup directories
- SaaS directories
- Newsletters that feature tools
- Where to submit: Startup databases
- All directories
Each directory is checked on its own site: price, link type and review process. We never sell links.
A 90-day plan
Days 1–30
Method first
- Publish your methodology page.
- Review marketing claims against the Green Guides or your local equivalent.
- Move key report findings into HTML.
Days 31–60
Tools and explainers
- Build a calculator with sources.
- Write explainers for the rules your buyers face.
- Publish a dataset if you can share one.
Days 61–90
Authority and loop
- Share data with journalists and researchers.
- Review regulation pages for changes.
- Rewrite titles at positions 5–20.
What to watch in Search Console
The Performance report gives clicks, impressions, CTR and average position by query, page, country, device and date. Traffic from Google's AI features is counted there too, under the Web search type (Google).
- Links to methodology and data
- The Links report shows whether you're being cited.
- Queries with “how to calculate”
- Method demand.
- Regulation page impressions
- Timely compliance demand; spikes near deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
How do we avoid greenwashing claims?
Make claims specific, qualified and backed by a method. The FTC's Green Guides are a useful reference in the US.
Should we publish our methodology?
Yes. It's what technical buyers and assistants look for.
Does Dataset markup help?
For actual datasets, it helps them appear in Google's Dataset Search.
Are PDFs fine?
Offer them, but put key content in HTML too.
Sources
Checked on September 23, 2026. Search patterns and page advice are our own judgement from running this playbook; we don’t quote search volumes or third-party statistics.