Sohrab Vazir
Consultant | Founder | Global Citizen | Writer
Tag Archives: SEO
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.
How I will help you increase your website traffic organically
The internet is full of guides on how to increase your website traffic organically, as one simple Google search will tell you. And some can be quite useful, it can be a DIY project and you may increase your website traffic organically (to some degree). However, long-term measurable results will most likely require an expert: and that’s where I come in. As I said before, my intention is not to slay off DIY guides on increasing website traffic organically. However, this article is for founders and businesses who seek to make early investments in their inbound marketing campaigns. This campaign consists of 25 blog articles, that I will write, following the completion of the steps outlined below. For full details please see here. First, let us look at the skills and activities required to increase your website traffic organically through a planned campaign. These are (in respective order): The combination of these steps, when done correctly, will increase your website traffic organically. Now let’s look at each stage in more detail. 1. Product/service evaluation During our first and second calls, I will get a thorough understanding of what you are offering, and what your key distinguishing attributes are. These will enable us to tailor the next steps based on a customer-centric approach. Moreover, understanding the key issues affecting your target audience is imperative. 2. Keyword research & planning After the first step, I will then begin researching the relevant keywords to your business and industry. In doing so, I will consider a range of factors including: Keyword popularity Your budget and company size Strategic ranking: this involves identifying popular keywords unique to your audience through unconventional methods 3. Website heath check | Technical SEO assessment I will run a general website health check / technical SEO analysis for your website. This step is crucial and one that many SEO copywriters or even agencies will neglect. The reason is this: Adverse technical SEO factors affecting your website’s visibility make all other efforts essentially pointless. Therefore, it is important to identify any major issues such as spammy backlinks, missing meta descriptions and so on. 4. Copywriting In the final step, I will begin writing the 25 articles that this campaign is based on. You may be asking “Why 25 blog articles?” This is based on 8 years of SEO experience and research, which is generally the benchmark for witnessing a 30-100% increase in organic website traffic. At this point, leave the magic to me and sit tight whilst your awesome content is in the process of creation. Increase your organic website traffic with me by 30-100% in 6 months. Get started 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. 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 SEO is more than just a marketing strategy?
The consensus around SEO is viewing it as another marketing tool and strategy. However, this view is thoroughly incorrect; SEO’s function and impact go far beyond mere marketing. Okay so before I explain the vast functions of SEO, let’s go over what is and entails. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process and practices that aim to increase a specific webpage and/or website’s presence and exposure within internet search engines. As you may be aware, the most popular search engine in the world is Google. Therefore a considerable number of services and literature around SEO revolve specifically around Google. SEO as a marketing strategy In the modern age, our first source of information online is Google/search engines. Hence, it is not a surprise that plenty of marketing campaigns are based on search marketing. First of all, It is important to distinguish between SEO and SMO (social media optimization). Secondly, for the sake of clarity, this article will primarily focus on SEO and the role of search engines. SEO enables businesses to gain exposure to local and international audiences, using a range of metrics in doing so. SEO | brand identity and reputational factor What others say about a business is important, unless you are dealing with an organized smear campaign. Note that in the heading I used the word “identity”. SEO is closely aligned with the “identity” factor both in an individual and corporate context. As I stated before, the main method through which we obtain information about a person or company is by Google/search engines. What appears about you and your business online is the first “picture” that portrays your individual and/or corporate identity. SEO demonstrates competence In line with the previous point about brand identity, SEO reveals more than elementary information about an entity. For instance, say you are looking for a specific service and/or product. Most individuals do not look beyond page 1 of Google’s search results. Why? You can partly blame it on laziness. However, I argue that it’s the principle of ‘trust” involved in this scenario. When an individual or company has a strong SEO presence, it (correctly) creates an indirect reflection of its competence. SEO is integral to inbound marketing I recently wrote an article highlighting the importance of inbound marketing. To keep it brief, I argued that today’s world is hyper-competitive, and therefore you require innovative approaches to marketing. As such, inbound marketing and specifically industry/subject knowledge is an efficient activity within the inbound marketing domain. SEO is the bridge between thought leadership and prospects becoming aware of the thought leader. If you need help with SEO, content writing, or online reputation management, 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. As a solo founder, I grew my business to 30+ UK cities, with a global client base across 100+ countries. Following the Pandemic killing my precious work/business, I now transfer my knowledge to other entrepreneurs.
The amazing power of inbound marketing
Inbound marketing is extremely underrated, especially when it comes to larger organizations. The reasoning behind this is clear: we live in an impatient business world, and inbound marketing is a long-term strategy. In this article, I wish to briefly highlight what inbound marketing is. I will then proceed to explain why it is not optional but essential to implement an appropriate inbound marketing strategy. What is inbound marketing? So, to provide a full overview, I will define inbound marketing in two ways: Definition 1 | Formal & academic Inbound marketing refers to strategies and practices that discuss, evaluate and correlate with the audience needs, wants and psychological profile (yes, I came up with this myself and did not steal it from somewhere else). Definition 2 | Informal Inbound marketing is about creating content for your audience and reaching out to them without talking about what you sell. The key factor is content creation. This can be in various forms such as SEO, email marketing, video creation, guest posts, research, webinars and so on. The purpose of content creation within an inbound marketing strategy is to resonate with your audience’s wants and needs. The business world, sadly, is guilty of a key marketing flaw. Inbound marketing is often compromised for outbound marketing and direct sales Arguably, the majority of companies often focus on direct marketing methods and generating full life-cycle leads themselves. This article is not to devalue outbound marketing and direct contact methods. However, one goal of this piece is highlighting the current dynamics of the business/marketing world. In doing so, I wish to reflect on how inbound marketing can be leveraged as a primary strategy for each business. We live in a hyper-competitive world Have a new business idea? Somebody has already come up with it. Have a cool new brand name in mind? Somebody else has thought of it already. Launched a new business? There’s a good chance there is a comparative competitor. Already scaling? So is your competitor…… The above serves as a brief verbal demonstration of the global environment in which business is conducted. We are living in the age of “innovation”. From a small business perspective. Everyone has access to the enhanced commercial technologies today, such as Shopify. Therefore, everyone is now somehow self-legitimised to be known as a “businessperson” or a “CEO”. And sometimes, there’s no issue with that, everybody has to start somewhere. The point of this is to show that it’s now somehow about “what” you sell, but “how” you sell it. Likewise, larger corporations also ought to be innovative in their marketing agendas. The issue with outbound marketing is that it is easily replicable and overly used by all stakeholders, from companies to other marketing stakeholders such as agencies. Innovation cannot be applied to “cold calling” per se. Unless you wish to sing people a song on the phone, which I would strongly advise against. Inbound marketing is innovative In contrast, inbound marketing leaves a great amount of room for creativity. One basic, and advanced, example is a website’s blog / SEO. You can use your blog for so much. However, you would be impressed to see how far subject knowledge combined with SEO proficiency can get you. Plus, this approach to marketing allows you to target your specific audience by using subject awareness and thought leadership. Generate loyal prospects Building on the last point and the early definition provided, inbound resonates with a consumer’s needs and mindset. In the context of written content/SEO in an inbound campaign, it is the consumer who is seeking content on a particular subject. This particular subject also somehow pertains to the work of the company. Let’s consider an example: my work as a business consultant working with skilled migrants. I write blogs on issues such as business visa policies. I’m not an immigration lawyer, nor a government representative. However, these are subjects that my prospects / future clients are interested in, and frankly so am I in my own case. This practice has not only attained clients, but also warm qualified leads, as well as prospects on social media such as LinkedIn followers. Cost-efficient (but not time-efficient) Outbound marketing has the advantage of generating results in the short-term. However, those results come at a cost, such as time, staff, planning and more. Outsourcing is accordingly a costly option too. However, inbound marketing, mainly requires “subject knowledge”. Therefore, there is this added element of “skill” within this strategy. However, it can generally be done at a more cost-efficient arrangement. And this principle applies to a range of stakeholders, from solo founders to large organizations. Nonetheless, developing successful inbound marketing campaigns and achieving results take time. It is important that entrepreneurs and companies adopt inbound marketing strategies with a thorough awareness of its long-term nature. Inbound marketing can be a game changer for your business. Need an expert’s opinion? Get in touch with me to discuss your inbound marketing plans! 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. As a solo founder, I grew my business to 30+ UK cities, with a global client base across 100+ countries. Following the Pandemic killing my precious work/business, I now transfer my knowledge to other entrepreneurs.
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.
3 free SEO hacks
With SEO being integral in website visibility and traffic acquisition, it’s always good to be on the lookout for the latest SEO hacks. It’s even more important to do so as a founder/company with a small marketing budget. One thing that I learned as a founder and SEO copywriter is that sometimes a small SEO hack can end up generating a lot of traffic and sales. Before outlining the SEO hacks, I want to emphasise a key factor that you should be aware of throughout your marketing campaigns. And that is to think like your customer and understand their thought process. SEO HACK #1 Use forums and social media channels for SEO content brainstorming One way to start generating ideas for the content you wish to write on your website is by looking at your customers’ questions. Some of the best platforms to do so are Reddit & Quora. This is also covered in another blog post that I wrote about free SEO keyword research tools. SEO HACK #2 Do a speed test on your website Did you know that user experience and therefore your website’s speed affect SEO? You may have good content; however, if your website fails to provide an adequate level of positive user experience then it’s bad news for your SEO. You can do a speed test on Google’s PageSpeed Insights. SEO HACK #3 Sign your business up on online directories Online directories such as Yelp can increase visibility, as well as boost your SEO through backlinks. However, be careful with this step as too many submissions and thus low-quality backlinks can actually harm your SEO. These are 3 little SEO hacks that can help you give your online visibility a boost and rectify existing issues through a speed test. If you require assistance with SEO and copywriting, find out more about my services or if you prefer to have a chat, get in touch 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.
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.
3 things to consider when hiring SEO copywriters
You’ve decided to look into hiring SEO copywriters. The word “saturated” would perhaps be an understatement to describe this sector. Hence, finding the best SEO copywriter(s) can be challenging. SEO is crucial if your business has a digital presence, which it most likely does. The obvious reason is that online searching, particularly Google, is where customers will find your business. However, another key importance of SEO is that it helps you communicate with your audience through content. With the latter in mind, I will emphasise the “content” aspect as it will be a major factor in hiring SEO copywriters. The purpose of hiring SEO copywriters should be the creation of content that: Personally, during my time managing my PropTech startup, StudyFlats, I made several mistakes with hiring SEO copywriters. I worked with both freelance writers as well as my own in-house marketing team. These are the three things that I’d recommend considering when hiring SEO copywriters: I. Writing portfolios An obvious one. Past work is a good indicator of the type of standards that you can expect. There are external websites such as Contently that freelance SEO writers use to create their own portfolios. Check mine HERE. II. Familiarity with your industry This may not be the ultimate deciding factor. Creating SEO-optimised content mainly requires expertise and superb writing skills. Hence, a skilled SEO copywriter should normally be able to create engaging content regardless of their past experience. However, it is undeniable that past work and experience specifically in your industry is a positive factors when hiring SEO copywriters. III. Demeanour and attitude Hiring SEO copywriters may be far from being similar to hiring employees. Nevertheless, it’s important to understand that working with a copywriter is still a business relationship. Moreover, you do not want to work with a professional who may be good at what they do but have a negative attitude. Let’s look at some of the attitude green and red flags in a copywriter: Green flags Red flags Respectful & professional behaviour Rude & unprofessional (e.g. late responses, general bad attitude) Client testimonials & reviews No reviews or testimonials from previous clients (albeit there are exceptions) Takes time to understand your business & allows you to explain your issues in details Does 95%of the talking / Asks little or no questions about your business / Self-centred & one-sided dialogue These are the three top things to consider when hiring SEO copywriters. Need help with SEO and copywriting? Contact me today (and you can test me on these three factors too). 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.
Pros and Cons of WordPress
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) used by millions of people around the world. It’s a great platform for building websites and blogs, but it’s not without its drawbacks. In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of WordPress. We’ll discuss everything from its ease of use to its security vulnerabilities. By the end, you should have a good understanding of whether or not WordPress is right for you. As mentioned WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS); a CMS is a software application that helps you create and manage digital content. that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch, or to improve an existing site. WordPress is free and open source software released under the GPL. There are many advantages to using WordPress as a CMS. WordPress is easy to use, has a large community of users and developers, and is very flexible. You can find a theme or plugin for almost anything you want to do with your website. However, there are also some disadvantages to using WordPress. Because it is so popular, it is often a target for hackers. WordPress websites can also be slow. This is due to the large number of plugins and themes. There are two ways to use WordPress: via the hosted version at WordPress.com, or by installing it on your own web server. Pros: While WordPress is a great platform for many users, it may not be the best fit for everyone. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of WordPress to help you decide if it’s the right CMS for your needs. Cons: 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.