From Elance freelancer to SEO agency: Pankaj Kumar on naxisweb
Pankaj Kumar is CEO of naxisweb, which provides SEO, online reputation management, web development and social media marketing. The conversation traces how freelance projects led to an agency, where clients come from, and why building a business takes more than SEO skills.
Strong SEO skills can help win early work, but growing an agency also requires learning to build a team and not handle everything alone. Pankaj Kumar also stresses practical experience and adapting SEO work as search changes.
What’s the short story of how your business started, and what makes it genuinely different from the other options your customers have?
I worked as an SEO expert for 5 years. Alongside my job, I started freelancing on oDesk and Elance. After bidding on projects for a few days, I started getting clients. Eventually, I decided to start my own SEO agency. . I focus on understanding each client’s business, identifying the right opportunities, and delivering practical SEO strategies that help improve organic traffic, rankings, and leads. I believe in honest communication, long-term relationships, and providing real value rather than making unrealistic promises.
How did you win your first customers, and where does most of your new business come from today?
I won my first client on Elance (now Upwork). Since then, I’ve gained new clients through my website and freelancing platforms. Having worked as a freelancer for the last 10 years, I also get clients through direct referrals.
What’s one decision that changed the direction of your business, and one mistake that taught you the most?
One decision that changed the direction of my business was moving from freelancing to opening a physical office and building my own SEO agency. It helped me grow my business, work with more clients, and build a team.
One mistake that taught me the most was trying to handle everything myself in the beginning. I learned that growing a business requires more than SEO skills.
What has changed in your industry or in what your customers expect over the last couple of years, and how have you adapted?
AI has changed the SEO industry significantly over the last couple of years. Customer expectations have also evolved, with businesses looking for faster results, better content, and more visibility in search engines and AI-powered platforms.
I have adapted by focusing on AI-driven SEO strategies, improving content quality, and keeping up with changes in Google’s algorithms and search behavior. I also focus on technical SEO, user experience, and building high-quality backlinks to help clients improve their organic visibility.
Rather than relying on outdated SEO techniques, I continuously learn, test new strategies, and adapt my approach to deliver sustainable results for my clients.
If you were advising someone starting out in your industry today, what would you tell them to do first, and what would you tell them to ignore?
I would advise anyone starting in the SEO industry to first focus on learning the fundamentals of SEO, including keyword research, technical SEO, on-page optimization, content strategy, and link building. More importantly, they should work on real projects to gain practical experience rather than just relying on theory.
Thank you to Pankaj Kumar and the team at naxisweb for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
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