Toronto Startup Website Audit 2026
We machine-verified the public websites of 50 funded Toronto startups using our 20-Point AEO Readiness Test — the same test now live as a free checker. The doors are open, but the house is empty.
Headline findings
- Median score: 10.75/20. No company scored 0; none scored above 17.
- Startups capture 95% of “default” points (crawler access, server-rendered HTML, entity presence) but only 29% of “deliberate” points (schema, answer-first copy, llms.txt, pricing transparency).
- Only 5% have FAQPage schema; 52% lack Organization schema; 33% have llms.txt (roughly 3× the ~10% global rate).
- Only 1 of 50 has machine-readable pricing in schema.
The 20-point test
Eight criteria, each worth 2.5 points: AI crawler access, JavaScript-free rendering, off-page entity alignment, Organization schema, FAQPage schema, answer-first formatting, llms.txt, and pricing transparency. Group A captures what your stack gives you by default; Group B is what you must build deliberately.
The audit used plain server-side fetches — no headless browser — so results reflect what AI crawlers and assistants actually see in raw HTML.
What to do next
Fix the deliberate column first: Organization and FAQ schema, answer-first hero copy, llms.txt, and machine-readable pricing where it fits your model. Stratezik runs these programmes for Toronto and GTA operators every week.