While most digital marketers continue to obsess over Google rankings, backlinks, and traditional search engine strategies, one Indian entrepreneur has quietly shifted the narrative.
Apoorv Sharma, a Bengaluru-based founder, has launched Derivate X, India’s first SEO agency purpose-built for AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Rather than chasing browser-based traffic, Derivate X focuses on helping brands get discovered through large language models (LLMs).
The Silent Shift in Search
Back in 2023–24, as businesses invested heavily in content marketing and Google SEO, Sharma noticed a different pattern emerging: users were beginning to turn to conversational AI platforms for answers. ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and startups like Perplexity were quickly becoming the go-to for direct, summarized information.
Realizing that the way people search is fundamentally changing, Sharma took the leap and built Derivate X — an agency that doesn’t optimize for Google, but for AI-led discovery.
A New Definition of SEO
Traditional SEO relies on backlinks, keyword density, and long-form content. In contrast, LLM SEO is designed to:
- Help brands get cited within AI-generated answers
- Optimize for conversational prompts like “What are the best tools for…”
- Position companies to appear in natural language model responses, not just link-based rankings
“It’s not about being found on page one anymore,” Sharma says. “It’s about being part of the single answer AI gives users. That’s a completely different kind of visibility.”
Tangible Results and Market Impact
Derivate X is not just a concept in progress. It’s already showing strong traction:
- Clients have been cited in real-time ChatGPT responses
- Brands are reporting 5-figure revenue deals driven by AI-led discovery
- Derivate X clients are consistently outperforming competitors on Perplexity AI search results
While many agencies are still learning what “AI SEO” even means, Sharma and his team are already executing and scaling the concept.
Built in Bengaluru, Backed by Impact
What began as a radical idea is now one of India’s most innovative entries into the future of search. Derivate X was born in Bengaluru, but its focus is global.
“This isn’t just another SEO company. It’s a redefinition of how brands will be discovered in the age of AI,” says Sharma.
As AI systems become the new interface of information, Derivate X positions itself at the forefront — not reacting to change, but architecting it.