I Created A $1.2M/Year SEO Agency From India
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
Hello, my name is Navneet Kaushal, founder & CEO of PageTraffic. In 1999 while finishing my MBA, I started another small firm on the side that quickly became profitable after only two short years of operation.
With this newfound success and ample knowledge in internet marketing thanks to all the magazines in my college library; PageTraffic was born in 2002 with an office solely located in India at its inception, but expanded into the USA soon thereafter due to its immense growth rate within the first year, after being open year-round!
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
The Internet had a very real, and at times, an overwhelming impact on my life when I was completing my MBA. Google's initial launch saw the world change from one where people used to gather in libraries for information to one with limitless access via their mobile phones or other devices of choice - this is how it all started! I knew what direction that would take me: digital marketing -- specifically SEO practices.
A long-term marketing strategy that is worth investing time in for business owners is personal branding.
After reading up on everything there was about SEO strategies at the time, I tested them out myself (my first ever website!), and implemented those things that work well into the websites we developed for our clients. By the time graduation came around again, not only could you find me running top search engine optimization businesses across various parts of Asia but also managing SEO campaigns for clients globally.
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
After Google was launched and the initial buzz created, I could not use anything but it. The search landscape started changing very fast as a result of its popularity. It took me 6 months to buy my first PC because every day in the college lab on AltaVista or Google, I would go through hours looking for the best configuration only to skip my classes afterward with no luck; this is when I discovered how powerful internet research can be!
I started exploring the possibilities of internet marketing and learning technical languages to understand algorithms better. I was so moved by the overwhelming information at my hand that I decided to test it out on a website. While doing my MBA, this site became one of many firsts for me; an SEO company!
I don’t have a computer background and had no extra money to spare in those times to hire a web designer. So I downloaded Dreamweaver and launched the first version of the site myself! It took me almost 2+ months but it was a great learning experience. While designing my first website, user experience was the foremost on my mind. I knew my website had to be easy to navigate, full of information about the services being provided. Everything that I as a user could have looked for.
I didn’t take help from anyone and did it all by myself.
I researched and read about search engine algorithms extensively back then, and my site ranked top ten within months with PageRank 4+. Back in those days, you couldn’t underestimate the power of link building. However, I ensured that all links I built were from relevant niches. I created a blog and did in-depth blog posts which in turn helped me earn good links.
Since my website was already there on search engines, I started receiving queries for web designing and SEO from clients across the globe, who came across my sites while searching for keywords like “web designing”, “search engine promotion” and all
When I graduated from B-school, the feeling of finding my passion was so strong that it left me with a sense of purpose. Plus being your boss and captain of your ship (read company) makes life more exciting! So, I launched my own company!
Describe the process of launching the business.
Starting an SEO agency was a difficult and daunting process that required hard work and commitment. There's no foolproof way to guarantee success, but if you're willing to put in the work and be honest with yourself and your clients about your strengths and weaknesses, it could be a rewarding experience. Here are some steps we took when we started our agency:
- Created a plan for what I wanted the company to do.
- Used wordtracker (keyword research tool) to estimate the demand for specific services.
- Extensively read the webmaster world forum for the chatter around the services and pain points.
- Hired the right talent and built SOPs to ensure constant delivery of work.
- The website content was written by me keeping AIDA (attention, interest, desire, and action principle in mind)
- Besides SEO, we used PR web extensively to market our services.
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
I am as much a marketing guy as I am an SEO person. While our website gets us a major chunk of business queries, we market our services via Google Ads, Facebook, and other advertising channels. We have active marketing teams in the US, and the Asia Pacific.
We get a lot of queries through customer referrals, this speaks volumes about the quality of your work. However, the secret sauce has been me doing lots of blogging on other websites like search engine watch, ClickZ, search engine journal, economic times and many more which not only helped me in getting good backlinks but also helped me establishing PageTraffic as an authority
The satisfaction we feel upon seeing some of our clients who were started 10 years ago with us is just priceless - they became successful thanks to us so it’s only natural that we want them around forever too.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
As the internet evolves, so do how companies and brands market themselves. The old tactics of outbound marketing are becoming less effective as search engines make their results more inclusive. Companies have expanded to be present across all categories ensuring they are not missing any opportunities for potential customers; it is no longer a singular campaign with one objective but many small campaigns run simultaneously that add up into big success!
We need to rethink our strategies from time to time and keep on top of trends - if you don't evolve then your competition will pass right by you.
As an SEO Expert, I can vouch for the fact that most challenges are often the result of not understanding how Google measures relevance. A lot of people get into SEO because it's simple or they think there is some sort of silver bullet solution to rank highly on Google. Unless you have a diverse range of website content this is very unlikely.
Understanding how Google labels all their rankings and what factors they take into account when ranking web pages will help you create more relevant content pages. It'll also allow your newly optimized pages to compete with more established sites in earning better ranks at Google which can be invaluable, especially if these competing websites are well-known brands with lots of attention from consumers.
To stay ahead of this ever-changing industry, we need to rethink our strategies from time to time and keep on top of trends - if you don't evolve then your competition will pass right by you.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
If you can think about it, then make sure that your thoughts are positive and flowing in a forward motion. There is no "perfect" moment so take the time to work for what you want because waiting will only lead to regret.
Be honest with yourself by following through on all of your values even when things seem like they're impossible or going against everything inside of you - this self-honesty is key for success!
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
Ahrefs, Basecamp, freshbooks, semrush, dropbox.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
I have many favorite books, but a few that I can't shake off.
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
Most B2C enterprises are using content marketing as the main advertising strategy. However, it is not enough to just provide quality written material but ensure that said content also has an amplified presence online and via various social media outlets. Do not fall for the temptation of quick backlinks to boost your site's ranking in one or two days; these links will only hurt your website rather than help you rank higher up on Google search engine results pages (SERPs).
Ensure SEO efforts are about quantity more so than they are about their overall difficulty level concerning time spent executing them properly, while always remembering both aspects should be given equal consideration when determining which type of link building methods work best for any business' needs.
A long-term marketing strategy that is worth investing time in for business owners is personal branding. Establishing a loyal following of customers can be achieved by building trust with the public, which in turn will create space to sell high-ticket profit items later down the line if you are willing to invest now. Influencer marketing provides quick results and has been proven successful across many industries so it may also be something your company could benefit from as well - especially with social media being such an important part of society today!
Personal branding focuses on establishing loyalty among clients while influencer marketing produces instant success rates because people want their products advertised by someone they know about or have heard before, like a celebrity endorser.
Personal branding focuses on establishing loyalty among clients while influencer marketing produces instant success rates because people want their products advertised by someone they know about or have heard before, like a celebrity endorser.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
Yes, we are always seeking qualified growth marketers and SEO professionals. If you feel your skillset is right for one of our positions or feel that the position could be tailor-fit to suit your skillset, please don't hesitate to let us know. We look forward to hearing from you! You can apply to this link.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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