Sohrab Vazir
Consultant | Founder | Global Citizen | Writer
Tag Archives: Search Engine Optimization
Why you should prioritise inbound SEO?
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. 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.
Why you should hire me as your SEO content writer
The SEO/digital marketing landscape is oversaturated with SEO content writers. Whilst lack of supply in a certain industry is problematic, oversupply is equally challenging. So, with a wide pool of SEO content writers, who can be found online, on LinkedIn or through freelancer platforms such as Fiverr, how do you choose the right one? And no, ChatGPT cannot be your SEO content writer, at least not for the next few years! I wrote a few articles on this subject over the past year. As a starting point, I’d recommend checking this one out, which explains why you should hire an SEO content writer/copywriter. So, this article is essentially a semi-sales one in light of my SEO content writing services. Well, let’s dive into why you should hire me as your SEO content writer. Solid writing skills In case you haven’t seen my CV/educational history, I’ll summarise them here; I hold the following qualifications: -(BA Dual Honours) Business Management & International Relations | Keele University -(LLM | Master of Laws) International Legal Studies | Newcastle University My educational history is within the social sciences domain and has given me a solid grasp of writing in the English language. Plus, I am multilingual. My first startup was highly reliant on SEO | The business owner perspective My first business, StudyFlats, which I scaled to over 30 UK cities was highly reliant on SEO. Before I hired and led a marketing team of four, I was my own company’s SEO content writer. Remember, education is not the only factor for someone to be a decent SEO content writer. Writing competency is integral to being a good SEO content writer, but it is not everything. My experience as an SEO content writer for my previous company allows me to strategically approach your SEO needs from a business owner’s perspective. Better than an agency Now, this is not to write off agencies or bad-mouth them (although I am quite sceptical about most). The problem with writing services provided by agencies, in contrast to a freelance SEO writer such as myself, are: -Agencies manage many clients and therefore have a less tailored solution -Agencies hire either employees or freelance SEO content writers to do the writing. And they also need to make a profit, which means? More costly Although, please note, that my services are not “cheap”. No quality work is cheap, and you get what you pay for. However, due to the aforementioned points, it works out at a lower cost when you deal with an individual SEO content writer instead of a business entity such as a digital marketing agency. ChatGPT is terrible for inbound/organic content ChatGPT has and will continue to revolutionise the marketing/writing domains. It is great for smaller SEO needs such as product descriptions in an e-commerce website. However, organic content as part of your inbound marketing strategy is based on thought leadership. This requires an actual human to apply critical analysis and tailor a content strategy that is unique to your business. Want to hire me as your SEO content writer? Get in touch with me to discuss your SEO needs. 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 which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.
Why you should work with a freelance SEO writer
If you have considered or are considering working with a freelance SEO writer, this article is for you. As a tech startup founder, and now a digital marketing consultant, I have dealt with SEO for over 7 years! As an SEO copywriter myself (see more details here), I thought it would be helpful to share why working with SEO writers can be valuable. When I started my first company, StudyFlats, I needed to learn about SEO. It all just seemed so complicated and tech-based. This combined with having to juggle around all other areas of the business made me reliant on external third parties. Initially, I worked with a marketing agency, which proved useless. The high costs associated with digital marketing agencies further prompted me to seek freelancers, mainly freelance SEO writers. Bear in mind that I had £400 in my bank account as a marketing budget in the first year (oh those really were the days). Anyway, I soon discovered that working with a freelance SEO writer can be hugely beneficial, so long as the following are clear: 2 years later, I hired a marketing team of four at StudyFlats and oversaw SEO content creation as a team leader/CEO. Hence, I also possess first-hand experience with SEO writers as employees. So let’s look at why you should work with a freelance SEO copywriter: Cost-efficient Perhaps the key differentiating factor in favour of freelancers against digital marketing agencies is the pricing. Working with a freelance SEO writer helps you generate far more content at a fraction of an agency’s cost. Tailored SEO service Working with an individual freelancer, in contrast to an agency, allows for a more tailored service. Many individual freelancers are (more) dependent on positive client feedback and retention. Less liability Working with digital marketing agencies and/or freelance SEO writers bears less legal liability than hiring employees. Unless your venture is at the stage in which it needs more permanent employees, then perhaps you may consider the recruitment option. However, EVEN if you do decide to hire employees, working with freelance SEO writers can still be cost-efficient. Plus, it’s beneficial as it creates a new frame set for your existing content. These are some of the reasons why working with a freelance SEO writer can benefit your business. If you are looking to hire a freelance SEO writer, then get in touch with me today! 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 which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.
4 Free SEO Keyword Research Tools
Free SEO keyword research tools can be very helpful for new founders or small businesses with limited budgets. Keyword research enables you to understand what your customers are searching for online. Therefore, it’s a tool to also understand what search terms people use to discover products, services or information. In this article, I want to highlight 3 free SEO keyword research tools which you can use to get started. If you want to read more about keyword research, this article by Hubspot provides plenty of information. So, let’s get started with our free SEO keyword research tools: 1. Ahrefs Ahrefs has a comprehensive set of SEO tools, including a free SEO keyword research tool. This tool allows you to discover search phrases across custom countries as well as categorise the keywords via metrics such as monthly search volume. 2. Quora That’s correct, I placed Quora on this list. And no, it’s not by mistake either…. For those who are unfamiliar, Quora is a social question-and-answer platform. In my personal experience as a founder, it has been instrumental in understanding my target market. The benefit of Quora is that it allows you to discover “actual” real-world questions that people have. Hence, you can use this to your advantage. Let’s demonstrate this in an example: Example: You want to discover what people are searching for in relation to resume writing/career advice. By searching for a resume, as you can see in the image, you will see a whole list of different questions around that topic. By being strategic and using this information to your advantage, you can discover plenty of SEO keywords for free. 3. Reddit Similar to Quora, this is another odd one in the group of free keyword research tools. Reddit is also a social platform that works on the basis of questions and answers. The principle is to target social platforms that have a “community” function with questions/answers. These can be beyond helpful in SEO keyword research and planning. 4. Google Trends Google Trends is one of the most helpful free keyword research tools. This tool enables you to analyse and evaluate the popularity of custom search phrases and keywords across different locations. These are some of the most helpful free SEO keyword research tools. If you’re interested in this topic, check out my other article on 5 free awesome SEO tools. Need help with your SEO & Digital Marketing? I have over 6 years of experience in this area and offer tailored services to founders and businesses of all sizes. 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 which I scaled to over 30 UK cities. I currently help other entrepreneurs and businesses of all size with the digital marketing strategy around SEO, copywriting and content.