SEOblog Interview: SEO Expert Rifat Ahmed from MonsterClaw LLC

We’re excited to have interviewed SEO expert Rifat Ahmed, CEO, of MonsterClaw LLC, for the next installment of our Featured SEO Expert Series!

MonsterClaw LLC is one of SEOblog’s Top SEO companies in Los Angeles.

MonsterClaw LLC uses a bespoke SEO approach and engages enough manpower to ensure each project reaches its best growth potential. Every SEO plan is customized to its core for that particular project. MonsterClaw specializes in working with four- to five-figure websites to help them reach their seven- to eight-figure growth target.

MonsterClaw LLC houses over 30+ Google certified experts to run its marketing department operations, led by an ex-Fortune 500 business development specialist. MonsterClaw has served several A players in the industry and is now actively expanding its happy client base.

What would you say is unique and/or challenging about the SEO industry?

“SEO is one of the most effective inbound marketing techniques. In my opinion, SEO, if done right, offers more return on investment than any other traditional marketing methods. It brings an audience that is already interested in a product or service. Very few other marketing techniques can achieve that.

“SEO does come with its fair share of challenges. Google algorithms are updated very frequently and we need to adapt to these changes. What works today might not work tomorrow and we need to keep ourselves prepared. Another noteworthy challenge is the Google Sandbox. New websites are far more difficult to rank than old ones, and understandably so.”

How does your agency stand out in a crowded market?

“While it is true that there are many SEO agencies, I believe every agency works with a different approach. For example, at MonsterClaw, we specialize in recovering from Google penalties and implement steady growth practices. Sites that suffer from Google penalties don’t do well in terms of ranking, and we are eager to work with such sites – it offers immense learning opportunities and, at the same time, we can save a business from near extinction. Very often, business owners give up on their website due to penalties, and we encourage them to come to us to turn their websites into revenue sources. On top of that, we love working with eCommerce sites. eCommerce sites have to deal with a lot of competition. Our team’s expertise can add enormous value to our eCommerce clients to stand out from the competition. We have worked with some relatively new eCommerce sites in highly competitive niches, and were successful.”

Can you share a success story from a local SEO campaign centered around your area?

“One of our recent success stories was for a US-based tile company. When we started the project, their site had less than 1,000 traffic per month. We have been working with them for almost a year, and now the site’s traffic is over 40,000 per month. More importantly, we were able to clinch the top spot in search engine results pages (SERPs) for more than a dozen keywords.

We take massive pride in ranking on the desirable pages for these keywords. Most of these pages are product landing pages that generate a lot of sales. Our organic SEO efforts, coupled with our client’s strategies, made the business global this year.”

What is the best advice you ever received in business?

“One of my mentors once told me: ‘For sustainable success, don’t simply build a website; build a brand instead.’ This is the best piece of advice I have received in my eight-year career. Sure, one can solely focus on a website and work to bring more traffic to it, but the brand value is what makes this stream sustainable. Targeting keywords is fine, but what about turning the brand name into a high monthly search volume keyword? Isn’t that cool? To achieve something like this, being brand-focused is mandatory.”

What do you think is the most important quality that makes an agency truly great?

“In MonsterClaw, we maintain three core competencies – 100 percent white-hat techniques, strong monitoring and tracking and keeping up with Google updates. These core competencies account for the most important quality that makes an agency truly great: creativity. You need to be creative to become successful. You have to adapt to Google updates, without following any sketchy technique. At the same time, you will also have to track the results of your efforts and analyze the data to determine your next step. Without being creative, all these might become a bit too overwhelming.”

Any predictions for the future of SEO?

“If I am to make one prediction for the future of SEO, I’d say the future lies in voice search. With AI virtual assistants getting better and better, voice searches will become the norm in a few years. We have seen a major shift in search trends when smartphones were introduced, and the same is going to happen with voice search. It’s not rocket science, either. Speaking is definitely easier than typing, and once internet users become comfortable with AI assistants, voice search will take search engines by storm. It would be wise for SEO agencies to prepare for it. When the time comes, first-movers will get a lot of advantages.”

What is your reaction when you hear that “SEO is dying”?

“I find this laughable. SEO will exist as long as search engines exist. In fact, SEO is becoming more important day by day. Businesses that didn’t have any online presence are starting to operate online. These newcomers will need the help of SEO to make their presence known. Locally operated businesses need to rank for local search results, and it needs specialized skills to do so. Most importantly, Google itself acknowledges the significance of SEO. I refuse to believe SEO will die anytime soon.”

What do you think is the most important contributor to keeping clients happy?

“Sustainable growth is key to keeping clients happy. You might take it slow, but your progress has to be sustainable. There is no shortcut when it comes to organic growth, and a sustainable foundation can make it a lot easier to grow in terms of traffic, leads and revenue in the long run. I understand that sometimes quick results are more desirable, but that should not outweigh the importance of sustainable growth techniques. Quick results also tend to fade quickly, and it will make clients frustrated. All you need to do is to be honest with clients, make them understand the importance of steady but solid growth and do your best work.”

Interested in being considered as an SEOblog “Featured SEO Expert”? Reach out to our team at [email protected]! We’d love to hear from you and give you a high-traffic platform to share your SEO agency’s story and insights.