May 26, 2009
1. Please provide us with your biography
See Q2 below.
2. Please tell us about your background and your role as a CEO in the company.
I hold a Master’s degree in Information Networking from Carnegie Mellon University where I received the Kennametal Fellowship. I was then hired by Verizon, U.S.A. , where I worked as a Systems Architect for two years. During my tenure I was awarded with the Verizon Excellence Award given to employees for outstanding performance.
Keen to be an entrepreneur and realizing the vast potential that the Indian economy held, I returned to India to start my own company. I also noticed that while there were plenty of SEO companies out there, many seemed to be satisfied with rendering sub-standard services that the client had to ‘make do’ with. I started Techmagnate in 2006, a Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Company with the vision to be globally-competitive and offer uncompromising quality.
As CEO of the company, my role is to formulate year-on-year growth strategies and find ways to execute them. I oversee Program and Service Delivery and all Marketing and Promotional activities. I also handle the Finances, Taxation, Risk and Facilities Management, approving yearly budgets and managing the organization's resources.
3. What are your main services?
Our Internet Marketing services include web designing and development, Search Engine Optimization, Pay-per-click Advertising, Social Media Optimization, Banner Advertisements, Link Exchanging, Affiliate Programme Management and Email/Newsletter campaigns. We provide a customized mix of these services depending on a client’s marketing needs.
4. What makes your firm different from other companies competing in the same industry?
One, we do not make promises of magical overnight listings in top search results. SEO is a gradual process and it takes time to be on top and then sustain that. We give clients a realistic picture of what they can expect with their current scenario and then exceed their expectations. I believe that maintaining an ethical approach to business is very important.
Secondly, we come not only with a sound technical background, but have strong brand consultancy capabilities too. Internet marketing is an integral part of a company’s brand-building strategy. We therefore give a product/service visibility and also have personnel that can consult clients on branding themselves online. We tailor content and the Internet Marketing plan to conform with a brand’s values and actually build a brand image.
Thirdly, we do not sell ‘package deals’ to clients. We believe in really understanding a client’s needs before recommending a customized Internet marketing solution.
5. Tell us more about your firm’s success story.
Our firm had humble beginnings with a few website design projects. However, given the quality of services, we soon grew by client referrals and built a sizeable client repertoire. We also struck strategic partnerships with SEO companies abroad. Many offshore SEO and website design projects began to flow in. There was also a growing awareness in India for the need for marketing online, vis-à-vis conventional methods of advertising. This helped us rope in more business in India as well. In a short span of three years, we have now been ranked the number 5 SEO company in India.
6. According to you, what are the most important questions a company should ask before choosing a vendor like you?
One, prospective clients should ask SEO companies for previous success stories. These are a good indication of an SEO company’s track record. The largest SEO companies aren’t necessarily the best.
Secondly, ask for costs and scope of services offered and ensure that it covers everything you need. I would suggest that companies should never choose an SEO on price alone. SEO is usually a very high ROI activity. Therefore choosing a good SEO company that can deliver, is all that matters. Companies that spend thousands of dollars on SEO services tend to make it back in a matter of weeks or months from traffic and conversion increases. Thus, going with an SEO who charges a few thousand dollars less might seem like a good idea, but if it does not do a good job, you're really hurting yourself in the long term.
Thirdly, check for totality of services. A lot of things go into good Internet Marketing: good design, technical expertise, SEO, PPC, content writing, brand-building capabilities to name a few. Always check with your vendor if he has the expertise to offer all of this.
7. What are some of the myths in your field?
A common myth is that companies believe that if they are big brands they don’t need to make their presence felt online. With the amount of time their customers are spending on the internet as opposed to newspapers, TV and radio, it would be a big mistake to not remain strong in their memory by being seen online. It’s possible that if they don’t do it, their competitors will.
Another myth, which some unethical SEO companies propound, is the promise of a quick-fix solution to your search engine rankings. The time taken for top listings to happen differs from case-to-case, but can definitely be achieved through clever, personalized and sustained Internet Marketing solutions.
8. How do you develop your skills in this continuously changing environment?
It is important to read and keep yourself abreast with new offerings in the Internet world. It is helpful even to just keep your eyes and ears open, to observe current trends, to be able feel the pulse of various age groups and figure what engages them online.
9. What do you see as the future of this industry? What will be the challenges; do you anticipate any drastic changes?
Well I believe that the Internet is the future of advertising. I only see this industry booming. The only challenges could be that this industry is likely to get more and more competitive, and it will be important to come up with new value offerings to stay ahead in the game.
10. Where do you see your firm in the next 5 years? Where do you see yourself personally?
I see Techmagnate having grown exponentially in the next 5 years. We see ourselves as being India’s largest SEO company with a vast network of SEO partners across the globe.
Personally, I see myself at the helm of affairs at Techmagnate, but with a larger team of senior management to play a more active role in the company.
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