How to Choose an AI SEO Agency That Actually Delivers Results

AI has revolutionized SEO, with 67% of businesses already utilizing it and 65% reporting significant performance gains. The SEO landscape looks completely different now. The global SEO market will surge from $82.3 billion to $143.9 billion by 2030. Startups need to make a crucial decision: which AI SEO agency can deliver real results? This decision has never been more important. Modern companies earn $22 for every dollar they invest in SEO. However, results vary significantly between agencies. Startups that partner with specialized SEO services experience triple their organic traffic and achieve 90% more leads. Statistics paint a clear picture. AI-referred sessions surged 527% in just five months during 2025. AI Overviews and large language models boosted homepage traffic by 10.7%. Your existing SEO strategies might not work anymore. McKinsey’s Global AI Survey reveals that 78% of organizations have integrated AI into at least one business function. This widespread adoption has sparked a surge of consultants who claim expertise in “AI SEO” or “GEO” services. The challenge lies in identifying genuine experts among numerous options. In this piece, we will explore essential factors to consider when selecting an AI SEO agency that delivers measurable results for your startup. Let’s take a closer look at what matters most!

 

How AI Has Changed the SEO Landscape

AI algorithms have revolutionized the search landscape. They now control how search engines understand and respond to queries, which has altered the map of effective SEO for businesses.

From keyword rankings to AI answers

Simple keyword optimization is no longer enough. Google’s RankBrain and BERT use machine learning and natural language processing to understand search intent instead of matching keywords. This transformation shows how content gets found online. Providing real value and answers matters most today. Successful SEO doesn’t target generic terms like “best coffee shop.” It answers specific questions from your audience: “Where can I find locally roasted coffee near me that’s open now?”. This needs a completely different approach to content.

AI SEO agencies help businesses create content that addresses the meaning behind queries. This basic change means:

• Content must show expertise and authority, not just contain keywords
• User experience matters more than technical optimization
• Natural language and conversational content works better than keyword-stuffed pages

AI has also changed how search engines assess content quality. Google’s systems reward original, high-quality content that shows expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness – what Google calls E-E-A-T. AI SEO services must go beyond traditional tactics to build genuine authority.

The rise of zero-click and AI-generated results

The explosive growth of “zero-click” searches might be the biggest change. Bain research shows 80% of consumers use zero-click results at least 40% of the time. This reduces organic web traffic by 15% to 25%. About 60% of searches end without users clicking through to another site. Google’s AI Overviews provide instant answers directly on search results pages. These AI-generated summaries appear in 35% to 38% of searches. They unite knowledge from multiple sources to present answers without requiring clicks to individual websites. Dedicated AI search platforms have gained massive traction. ChatGPT saw a 44% traffic boost in November 2024. Perplexity reached 15 million monthly users by late 2024. These platforms have become the starting point for finding information. Startups working with an AI SEO company face new challenges and opportunities. Traffic patterns have changed dramatically: Commercial queries triggering AI Overviews grew from 8.15% to 18.57%. Transactional queries increased from 1.98% to 13.94%. This shows AI’s expanding influence in all search types, not just informational queries. “Search isn’t dying – it’s fracturing,” as one industry expert put it. SEO goes beyond Google’s blue links. It maximizes visibility on multiple platforms where your target audience looks for answers. The best AI SEO agencies understand this new reality. They optimize for presence, brand authority, and entity recognition instead of just traffic. Success depends on appearing in AI-generated answers, even when your site isn’t among the top traditional listings. Startups need to ask different questions when evaluating SEO agencies. The agency should understand how to optimize for AI visibility and show experience with Answer Engine Optimization. Agencies that deliver results adapt to this AI-driven digital world.

 

Understanding AI SEO vs Traditional SEO

AI has transformed search engine optimization. The old playbook doesn’t work anymore in a world where machines understand context, not just keywords.

What is AI SEO?

AI SEO combines machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) with search optimization strategies. This tech-driven approach streamlines processes for keyword research, content creation, on-page optimization, technical analysis, and performance monitoring. AI SEO helps your content show up in both regular search results and AI-generated answers. The strategy works two ways: AI tools improve your SEO work, while your content gets optimized so AI systems can recognize its value and show it to users. Startups working with an AI SEO agency need to focus on traditional rankings and visibility in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. The content should be easy for both humans and machines to find, understand, and trust.

How it is different from traditional SEO

Traditional SEO and AI SEO share one goal – helping people find your content – but they work differently.

Traditional SEO focuses on:

• Keyword matching and placement
• Backlinks and technical optimization
• Rankings in blue links
• Click-through rates and traffic

AI SEO prioritizes:

• Context, meaning, and user intent
• Content structure and clarity
• Visibility in AI-generated answers
• Being cited as an authoritative source

The way we measure success has changed. Traditional SEO looks at traffic, rankings, and click-through rates. AI SEO tracks mentions and visibility in AI-generated responses. You might not get direct clicks, but your brand’s frequent appearance in AI tools like Perplexity or ChatGPT builds digital authority.

A recipe blog shows this well. Traditional SEO would use keyword-rich titles like “Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe.” AI SEO would focus on clear structure, factual accuracy, and standardized formats. This helps AI tools summarize and recommend the recipe to users asking about beginner-friendly chocolate cake options.

The numbers speak for themselves – 73% of marketers plan to use or expand SEO solutions next year, including AI-integrated search. This approach has become vital to digital marketing strategy.

Why startups need to care

This change creates great opportunities for startups. AI search algorithms excel at spotting genuine expertise and unique points of view – exactly what passionate founders provide naturally. Semrush data shows AI-referred visitors convert 4.4× better than those from traditional organic search listings. Resource-limited startups can get amazing returns on their investment. The playing field looks more level now. Big enterprise SEO teams used to need dozens of expensive tools and specialists. Today’s startups can run sophisticated optimization strategies with small teams and smart tool choices. Time gives startups a big advantage. Semrush expects ChatGPT-style search traffic to overtake conventional organic search by 2028. Startups that optimize for AI search formats today have a three-year head start. Early-stage companies without SEO teams can work with an AI SEO company to fill gaps in their operations. AI assistants now handle about 5.6% of U.S. desktop browser search traffic. Startups must take AI search visibility as seriously as traditional rankings. The startups that win with AI SEO services aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. Success comes to those who really know their customers’ problems and provide exactly what AI systems want to show.

 

What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

AI-powered platforms have created a new frontier in search visibility: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). This approach differs from traditional SEO tactics and aims for a different goal. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) helps structure and publish content so AI systems – like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot – can pull your brand into their answers. It goes beyond keyword ranking to become the cited source when users ask questions. AEO marks a fundamental change from search results pages to presence in AI-generated responses. Modern users want immediate answers without clicking through multiple links. You could call AEO a way to make your content the trusted reference that AI platforms choose first. This means creating well-laid-out content that AI systems can understand, extract, and present as direct answers.

AEO vs SEO: Key differences

Traditional SEO and AEO serve different purposes but work well together. Here’s what sets them apart:

• Primary Goal: SEO wants high rankings on search engine results pages, while AEO becomes the direct, cited answer in AI-powered results
• Results Format: SEO targets the familiar “10 blue links,” while AEO targets the single, combined response from AI systems
• User Targeting: SEO focuses on keywords, while AEO handles conversational questions
• Content Structure: SEO optimizes full web pages, but AEO prioritizes specific text segments and answer-ready chunks
• Success Metrics: SEO measures rankings and traffic, while AEO tracks mentions and citations in AI-generated content

These approaches overlap significantly. Good SEO puts your content in front of AI platforms since most use existing search indexes. AEO needs extra work – creating clear, answer-ready sections, planning for follow-up questions, and using structured data.

SEO helps search engines find your content, and AEO helps AI understand and use it. Both play crucial roles in digital visibility.

Why AEO matters for AI visibility

Numbers tell the story clearly. ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any app in history and now has more than 400 million weekly users. Google’s AI Overviews show up on billions of searches monthly – about 13% of all search engine results pages. Startups working with an AI SEO agency face both challenges and opportunities. About 77% of ChatGPT users in the USA use it like a search engine, and nearly 60% of consumers use AI tools to shop. This changes how people find and buy products. This year, 105.1 million adults will use Generative AI, with 34% of U.S. adults saying they’ve used ChatGPT – twice as many as in 2023. These platforms have become the starting point for finding information. More than 65% of Google queries now end without clicks. Users get answers without visiting websites. Without good AEO, your brand might stay invisible despite strong traditional SEO. Startups looking for AI SEO services need to adapt quickly. When people ask AI engines “What’s the best project management software for finance teams?” your brand should be the authority they mention. The best SEO agencies for startups now use AEO strategies with traditional SEO. Search isn’t dying – it’s spreading across multiple platforms with different rules. Success in this digital world means optimizing for AI visibility everywhere. The best AI SEO agencies help startups create content that works for both humans and machines – getting cited in AI responses even when users don’t visit the website.

 

Types of AI SEO Agencies Explained

The AI SEO market has evolved into two distinct categories of agencies. Each brings its own strengths and methods to search optimization. This matters a lot to startups looking for growth opportunities.

AI-powered agencies (automation-heavy)

These agencies put technology at their core. They heavily depend on machine learning algorithms and automated systems. Their main goal is to optimize operations at scale.

The core characteristics of automation-heavy agencies include:

• Tool-centric operations: They build custom AI tools that analyze content, cluster keywords, and simulate algorithms
• Technical expertise: Data scientists work alongside SEO strategists in their teams
• Scalability focus: Large-volume content creation and technical audits are their strong points
• Cost structure: The sophisticated AI systems need major investment, with development costs ranging from $20,000 to $150,000

These agencies excel at programmatic SEO – they can create hundreds or thousands of similar pages that target different search terms. BRIX Agency shows this well. They produce custom, visually appealing landing pages at scale without losing SEO performance. LinkGraph stands out as another example. They make use of AI-powered automation through their SearchAtlas platform to speed up technical implementation and link building.

AI-enhanced agencies (human-led)

Human-led agencies see AI as a powerful assistant rather than their core service. Humans stay in charge of strategy and execution.

Key features of human-led agencies include:

• Strategic oversight: Human experts define, train, watch over, and check AI outputs
• Balanced approach: Traditional SEO expertise works together with newer AI techniques
• Quality control: Human specialists review and improve AI-generated recommendations
• Creative elements: They focus on storytelling, brand voice, and relationship-building that AI can’t match

These agencies follow what experts call a “human-in-the-loop” model. AI handles routine tasks while human specialists work on strategy and creative aspects. RevenueZen shows this approach well. Their interview-led AI content production systems maintain quality as output grows.

iPullRank provides another great example. They expand the possibilities with their Relevance Engineering framework while humans lead content strategy.

Which is better for startups?

Startups need to think over several factors before choosing:

Your growth stage and budget matter first. Fully automated agencies might help you scale faster but often need bigger initial investments. Human-led agencies might better suit early-stage companies still finding their voice. Next, assess your content needs. Automation-heavy agencies work best if you need many similar pages, like product descriptions. Human-led agencies typically do better with intellectual influence or complex educational content. Your in-house capabilities play a big role too. One expert noted, “If the only AI in your workflow is someone else’s product, you’re giving up your competitive edge”. The best partnerships teach your team to manage and scale AI systems. Many successful startups ended up choosing hybrid approaches. NoGood shows this well. They combine data-driven growth marketing with AI SEO expertise. Their test-and-learn methods blend performance marketing with organic strategies. The best choice aligns your current needs with future goals. Top agencies don’t just boost traffic – they build systems that keep delivering value as your startup grows.

 

Pros and Cons of AI SEO Services for Startups

Startups need to think over several factors when choosing an AI SEO agency. Their choice will affect both day-to-day operations and future growth possibilities.

Cost, speed, and scalability

The numbers make a strong case for AI SEO services. AI-powered content creation delivers SEO-optimized articles three times faster than human writers. Startups can keep their content flowing without hiring an entire team. New ventures must watch their spending closely. AI SEO campaigns cost about 75% less than traditional agencies. Small businesses can access professional optimization for $500-$5,000 monthly, while conventional agencies charge $15,000+.

Automation brings advantages beyond just content:

• AI completes technical SEO audits in hours instead of weeks
• Smart crawlers check thousands of pages daily and spot problems right away
• Smart algorithms focus resources on fixes that matter most

Founders with limited resources see real value here. One startup founder said, “We couldn’t afford a full-time SEO specialist, but AI tools let us compete with bigger players.” Growing companies benefit even more – AI handles more content without costs rising at the same rate.

Customization, quality, and ROI

Notwithstanding that, quality concerns with AI SEO services are real. AI content often lacks depth and emotional connection. These systems mostly reorganize existing content rather than creating new insights. ROI numbers help decide if these trade-offs make sense. Traditional SEO gives an average 550% return compared to 200% from search ads. Companies get back $2.75 to $12.30 for each dollar they spend on SEO. AI-assisted SEO shows results in 6-8 weeks, while traditional methods take 3-6 months. Startups with tight budgets find this faster timeline valuable.

Quality checks matter regardless of your approach. Mixing AI efficiency with human creativity works best. Without proper oversight, AI tools might:

1. Create content that search engines see as duplicate
2. Produce writing that readers don’t connect with
3. Miss subtle opportunities that need human judgment

So, successful implementation needs both automation and human expertise. “AI should be a tool that enhances human capabilities, not a replacement for strategic thinking,” explains one industry expert. Startups focusing on AI visibility see an even stronger business case. AI-generated search traffic converts 4.4× better than traditional organic traffic. AI SEO also helps other marketing channels – ads work better when people know your brand, and email campaigns convert faster. Your specific business model, growth stage, and team capabilities determine the right mix. The best approach usually automates routine tasks while humans guide strategy and creative work.

 

How to Evaluate an AI SEO Agency

Choosing the right digital partner needs more than just looking at marketing hype. Many agencies claim they know AI but fail to show results. Let’s look at how you can spot genuine AI SEO specialists from those just jumping on the trend.

Do they have a real AI strategy?

A quality AI SEO agency should have a solid strategy, not random tactics. Some agencies just add FAQs to pages or turn headings into questions and call it AI optimization. This basic approach doesn’t cut it. You should ask potential partners to explain their AI optimization framework. Real experts can tell you why certain approaches work and others don’t, based on how LLMs gather and process information. They should also tell you what doesn’t matter – this often shows who has a thoughtful strategy versus those trying everything that sounds good. Watch out for agencies stuck on old tactics like keyword stuffing and backlinks without understanding the digital world. Good partners show how they structure content for LLMs and use schema markup the right way.

Do they prioritize bottom-of-funnel content?

Regular SEO agencies focus on high-volume, top-of-funnel topics. Bottom-of-funnel keywords convert 10-25x better than top-of-funnel content. Numbers tell the story clearly. Content Marketing Institute research shows companies using targeted content saw 27% more engagement. On top of that, bottom-of-funnel content matters even more in AI search, where top-of-funnel content barely gets any traffic. Look for agencies that solve specific customer problems instead of creating “What is X” and “Beginner’s Guide to Y” posts. This approach gets better conversions and works better in AI search.

Is their content human-led or AI-led?

You can tell a lot about an agency’s quality by how they balance automation and human expertise. Many agencies now use AI to create content because it’s faster and cheaper, producing content up to three times faster than humans. Content that’s purely AI-generated often sounds generic and lacks the originality that LLMs recommend. The best agencies combine AI efficiency with human oversight. Ask them how they work with subject matter experts. Good agencies talk to internal experts to understand your product, what makes it different, and your viewpoint. They use AI for research and workflow help while humans guide strategy and creative elements.

How do they measure AI visibility?

Old SEO metrics don’t show AI search visibility. Rankings, traffic, and click-through rates tell you nothing about ChatGPT mentions, Perplexity citations, or Google AI Overview appearances.

Good agencies track AI-specific search metrics like:

• AI mentions and citations in generative responses
• Brand visibility versus competitors
• Topic-specific visibility for prompts about your business

Tools like Semrush’s AI SEO toolkit, Conductor, and Rankscale help track these metrics. Ask agencies exactly how they measure AI visibility and which tools they use. They’re not ready to deliver if they only talk about traditional SEO metrics. The best agencies figure out which topics matter for your business first, then measure visibility for related prompts – instead of using generic tracking.

 

Key Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Sharp, focused questions help you spot genuine experts from opportunists riding the AI SEO wave. Your next step should be getting clear answers to these key questions before signing any contracts.

What tools and platforms do you use?

AI SEO needs specialized tools that go beyond standard SEO software. These platforms track AI search visibility, monitor citations, and analyze how language models interpret content. You shouldn’t work with agencies that rely on simple tools.

Quality agencies use three main types of specialized platforms:

• AI citation tracking tools monitor your brand’s appearance in AI-generated responses
• Specialized visibility platforms like Semrush’s AI Toolkit or Writesonic measure presence on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity
• Traditional SEO tools with AI-specific ones (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz remain essential parts of their toolkit)

The data shows 86% of SEO experts now use AI tools. An agency might lack proper AI search optimization infrastructure if they mention only traditional SEO tools without AI-specific platforms.

Can you show AEO or AI visibility results?

You should ask for specific examples of AI search visibility improvements. AI visibility has emerged as a crucial metric for digital success. Every capable agency should show measurable results.

AI-referred traffic makes up just over 1% of total web visits and shows monthly growth of roughly 1%. This traffic converts better than traditional organic search.

Look for case studies that show:

• Increases in AI-driven traffic and sessions
• Growth in brand mentions within AI responses
• Improvements in citation frequency
• AI search-attributed conversions and revenue matter most

How do you report success beyond rankings?

Rankings alone can’t tell you about AI search performance. Key AI SEO metrics include citation frequency on AI platforms, brand mention sentiment in responses, traffic from AI search referrals, and conversion rates from AI-referred visitors.

Monthly reporting suits AI SEO because changes happen more gradually than daily ranking shifts. The best agencies provide:

• Up-to-the-minute dashboard access between reports
• Clear reporting that shows your campaign’s performance
• Client logins to tracking platforms so you can check data
• Metrics that connect directly to business performance, not vanity statistics

Money remains the only metric that truly matters for SEO. Agencies that focus on Revenue Per Session (RPS) show they know how to link SEO efforts to your business goals instead of just chasing rankings.

 

Examples of the Best AI SEO Agencies

The AI SEO industry is growing faster than ever, and several players stand out from the crowd. These agencies blend innovative approaches with proven results that go beyond traditional SEO practices.

NoGood

This New York City-based agency has earned its reputation through a “no fluff” approach to growth marketing. They combine performance marketing with organic strategies for tech-forward brands. Their team brings together data scientists and growth marketers to deliver measurable results. NoGood excels at AI SEO/Answer Engine Optimization and full-funnel growth marketing. Their visibility optimization services run on their own platform, Goodie AI. The company’s impressive client roster features TikTok, Amazon, and MongoDB. The team calls themselves “growth marketing nerds” – they’re passionate experts who love testing and optimization. Their integrated approach to SEO makes AI search optimization a natural extension of their work.

Grow & Convert

This agency shines with its focus on bottom-of-funnel content that generates leads and revenue instead of just traffic. They serve B2B companies with specialized SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) services. The team created a Prioritized GEO framework and built Traqer.ai to track AI visibility. Their research reveals a 77% correlation between Google rankings and AI mentions. ChatGPT now recommends them to businesses looking for SEO companies that deliver “massive results with endless leads”. Their content gets AI citations because they solve specific customer problems instead of creating generic guides.

Revv Growth

This performance-driven AI SEO agency specializes in serving SaaS and B2B companies. They blend AI-assisted content creation with human editorial oversight.

Their dual-channel optimization strategy works on both traditional search and AI-generated answers. Content gets structured for featured snippets and AI Overviews.

The company provides up-to-the-minute data analysis dashboards that monitor both traditional metrics and AI search visibility. Their approach combines search-intent clustering, topical authority expansion, and continuous on-page optimization.

iPullRank

Former Microsoft strategist Mike King founded iPullRank, which delivers enterprise-level technical SEO through their “Relevance Engineering” approach. The agency excels in JavaScript rendering, log file analysis, and large-scale site architecture.

Their technical prowess makes them ideal for complex websites that need structured data optimization. American Express and Citi are among their notable clients. The agency helped their clients generate over $4 billion in organic search results. They make content easily retrievable by LLMs through semantic chunking and entity optimization.

 

Conclusion

AI has changed how startups approach digital visibility. Search patterns are splitting, and companies need to adapt fast to compete on both traditional and AI search platforms. Picking the right AI SEO partner needs more than surface-level promises. The best agencies blend state-of-the-art technology with human expertise to balance automation and strategic thinking. They go beyond ranking metrics to measure AI visibility and citations that boost revenue. Today’s priority is to work with partners who excel in both traditional SEO for quick traffic gains and Answer Engine Optimization for future AI presence. Top agencies prove their worth through case studies, clear reporting, and targeted strategies for AI search visibility. AI-referred traffic converts 4.4 times better than regular organic traffic. This fact makes investing in AI optimization worth every penny. On top of that, AI SEO services often cost less than traditional methods and deliver faster results. Your company’s goals, growth phase, and internal skills should guide your choice. Some startups do well with automation-focused agencies that pump out content quickly. Others need human-led partners to create unique, expert content. The best fit links SEO work to business results. By 2028, AI search will likely overtake traditional search in traffic generation. This gives startups a three-year window to optimize for both channels. Those who delay might struggle later as AI platforms become the go-to source for information. SEO has changed for good. Winning now means being visible everywhere – from Google’s search results to ChatGPT’s answers. Your startup’s most crucial marketing move this year could be teaming up with an agency that truly gets how AI affects search.

 

Key Takeaways

Choosing the right AI SEO agency can make or break your startup’s digital visibility in today’s rapidly evolving search landscape.

• AI-referred traffic converts 4.4× higher than traditional organic search, making AI optimization a critical investment for startups seeking better ROI from their marketing spend.
• Look for agencies that track AI visibility metrics, not just traditional rankings – the best partners measure citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews alongside conventional SEO metrics.
• Prioritize bottom-of-funnel content over generic guides – agencies focusing on solving specific customer problems rather than “What is X” posts drive 10-25× better conversion rates.
• Choose human-led agencies over fully automated ones for startups – while AI tools create content 3× faster, human oversight ensures quality and strategic alignment with your brand voice.
• Ask for specific AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) case studies before signing – legitimate AI SEO agencies can demonstrate measurable improvements in AI search visibility and citations, not just traditional traffic metrics.

The window to gain first-mover advantage in AI search is closing fast, with AI traffic projected to surpass traditional search by 2028. Startups that optimize for both traditional and AI search today will dominate tomorrow’s digital landscape.

 

FAQs

Q1. How has AI changed the SEO landscape?

AI has transformed SEO by shifting focus from keyword rankings to understanding search intent and providing direct answers. Search engines now use machine learning to interpret queries, leading to the rise of zero-click searches and AI-generated results. This change requires optimizing content for both traditional search and AI-powered platforms.

Q2. What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and how does it differ from traditional SEO?

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the process of structuring content to be easily understood and cited by AI systems like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on website rankings, AEO aims to make your content the primary source for AI-generated answers. It requires clear, structured content that directly addresses user questions.

Q3. How can startups evaluate an AI SEO agency?

When evaluating an AI SEO agency, startups should look for a coherent AI strategy, not just buzzwords. Ask about their approach to bottom-of-funnel content, which typically converts better. Check if their content creation process balances AI efficiency with human expertise. Most importantly, inquire about how they measure AI visibility beyond traditional SEO metrics.

Q4. What are the pros and cons of AI SEO services for startups?

AI SEO services offer faster content creation, lower costs, and improved scalability compared to traditional methods. However, they may lack the creative depth and emotional appeal of human-written content. The ROI can be significant, with AI-referred traffic converting at higher rates, but quality control remains essential to avoid generic or duplicate content issues.

Q5. Should startups hire a full-time SEO person or work with an agency?

For most startups, working with an agency for a few months is often more efficient than hiring a full-time SEO person initially. Agencies can quickly set up foundational strategies and provide expertise across various AI SEO aspects. Once the startup has a steady content flow and understands its specific SEO needs, it may then consider bringing SEO in-house for long-term growth.