My SEO Journey [PRO Edition] is a series where professionals in the SEO Industry, Digital Marketing, or Web Design share their honest SEO Journey filled with failure, success, and most importantly, proven results. Episode #156 features Shoaib Mughal from Apexpay.

As SEO specialist at Appexpay, I lead strategies to enhance organic search visibility, drive traffic, and optimise site performance through keyword research, link-building, and content development.

Websites I have worked on:

• https://apexpay.org
• https://www.shopbeguile.com

From the initial learning curve to the excitement of your career, you need to have a strategic plan and implement it every step of the way. Through my personal experience, I have found that there are three key components to achieving SEO success: patience, link building, and Visibility. Here’s a comprehensive overview of how these factors shaped my freelance SEO journey.

Patience: 

SEO success is not a quick fix. This is a long-term investment in your online presence. I learned early that instant results are rare. However, SEO success is built over time through constant effort and strategic changes.Learning curve: When I first started, it was very difficult to understand the details of SEO (keywords, on-page optimization, backlinks and algorithms). I knew it would take a long time to understand these parts. Patience became my friend as I spent hours learning, testing and refining my strategies.

• Track progress: SEO results are not always visible. Tracking tools like Google Analytics and Search Engine are essential for tracking progress. Even though my symptoms didn’t show up immediately, I knew that patience was the key. Optimization and adjustments based on the data will result in significant improvements.

• Customer expectations: Managing customer expectations is another area where patience plays a role. Informing clients about when to see SEO results helped set realistic goals and maintain a good working relationship.

• Networking: Working with other SEO experts and digital marketers allowed me to share ideas and learn from their experiences. Attending conferences, participating in webinars and joining industry groups provided valuable insights and opened doors for collaboration.Customer Relationship: Building strong and loyal relationships with customers is essential. 

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Link building:

Link building iis a crucial aspect of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because it directly impacts a website’s authority, visibility, and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Here’s why link building is important and its role in SEO success:

Increases Organic Traffic:

• Referral Traffic: Links from other websites can drive direct referral traffic to your site. If a popular site links to your content, it can lead to an influx of visitors who are interested in your niche.

• Sustainable Traffic Growth: Unlike paid ads that require continuous investment, the benefits of link building can be long-lasting. A single quality backlink can continue to drive traffic and improve rankings for years.

• Compounding Effect: As you accumulate more backlinks over time, the overall authority of your site increases, leading to a compounding effect on your rankings and traffic.

 Builds Relationships and Partnerships

• Networking Opportunities: Link building often involves reaching out to other website owners, bloggers, and influencers in your industry. This can lead to partnerships, collaborations, and further opportunities for exposure.

• Industry Authority: Consistently getting backlinks from authoritative sites helps establish your brand as an authority in your industry, which can lead to more business opportunities.

Link building is essential for establishing site authority, driving traffic, and improving rankings, all of which contribute to long-term SEO success.

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Visibility:

Visibility is a critical aspect of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) because it determines how easily your website or content can be found by users through search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Here’s why visibility is important and its role in SEO success:

 Brand Awareness

• Consistent Presence: High visibility helps build brand awareness. When users consistently see your brand in the search results, they become more familiar with it, which can build trust and increase the likelihood of future engagement or conversion.
• Perceived Authority: Being visible in top search results often gives the impression that your brand is an authority in its field. This can influence users’ perception and make them more likely to choose your product or service over competitors.

Credibility and Trust

• Top Rankings: Websites that appear in the top positions of search results are often perceived as more credible and trustworthy. Users tend to trust Google and other search engines to deliver the most relevant and trustworthy results, so being visible at the top can boost your credibility.
• Positive User Experience: Good SEO practices that improve visibility, such as high-quality content, fast load times, and mobile-friendliness, also enhance the user experience, which in turn builds trust and credibility.

Conclusion

My free SEO journey is proof of the importance of patience, link building and visibility. Each element plays an important role in achieving long-term success. By embracing these principles, I was able to navigate SEO trends, produce results for clients, and build a freelance business. If you are just starting your SEO journey, remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint, and each step you take will make you stronger and more visible..