Inbound SEO is a vast topic, and that also reflects how imperative it is to your online growth. Many marketers make the mistake of neglecting inbound marketing as a whole, and this is also the case with inbound SEO.

Personally, when I launched my start-up, StudyFlats, I didn’t have much of a budget to spend on paid SEO, primarily Google Ads and Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising.

However, one skill that I did have was writing. Initially, I mainly focused on academic writing, but with StudyFlats mainly catering to the student market, I had to adjust my writing. 

StudyFlats was also highly reliant on SEO. We linked international students to private accommodation providers/student halls through our online platform.

Therefore, I had to use my writing skills to somehow promote the company’s online presence / SERPs. In the meantime, a competitor also raised over £70m in funding, whilst in the first year I launched and ran the company from Newcastle University’s co-working space and coffee shops with £500 in my bank account (3 years later, we were a team of 5 and operating across 30+ UK cities).

It was during this time that I began to realise the magic of inbound SEO. 

The SEO keywords that we sought to rank for, for instance, “student accommodation” were beyond competitive. Thus, I began brainstorming about other relevant topics for our audience, international students, which may not necessarily be relevant to student accommodation. In other words, I prioritised inbound SEO. 

This was a key factor in getting traction for the business and helped us not only attract more students but also establish trust in the industry as a whole. 

These are some of the key reasons why you should prioritise inbound SEO:

Suitable for lower marketing budgets 

Before handling six-figure budgets for StudyFlats, I started it with less than £500 in my bank account, and also as a solo founder. 

Inbound SEO, as I explained above, was instrumental in getting our foot in the industry and attracting organic website visitors.

Thought leadership & industry recognition 

I made a TikTok video recently about improving your sales skills, especially as a founder. 

My key point in the video was that trust is a vital factor in sales/business development and success in the aforementioned.

Sadly, this is neglected by a lot of founders and companies as they overfocus on meeting sales quotas or their product/service offerings. 

Inbound SEO enables you, whether as an individual or an organization, to establish thought leadership and trust within your stakeholders and the wider industry. 

Qualified leads 

Do you know what I hate? Cold calling, cold emails, basically anything “cold” within a professional context. 

Yes, I understand that cold sales are a necessary part of business for many/most companies. 

However, sales lead generation and conversion do come at a cost for founders and companies. This also becomes problematic where there are resource limitations. 

Inbound SEO helps you accelerate and skip the entire lead generation, as well as parts of the conversion processes. 

Qualified leads mean that the people visiting your website as a result of your inbound SEO campaigns, are already interested in either what you offer or your sector. 

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About My name is Sohrab Vazir. I’m a UK-based entrepreneur and business consultant. At the age of 22, and while I was an international student (graduate), I started my own Property Technology (PropTech) business, StudyFlats. I grew my business to over 30 UK cities, and a team of four prior to 2020. Currently, I help founders and businesses increase their online presence through strategy inbound marketing campaigns.