L.A. Weekly*Brand Partner Content*
When he was 13 years old, he stumbled upon what soon became his single-most driven focus. Vithurs Thiru entered the digital marketing and SEO game when it was still an online wild west. He consumed everything he could about the field. Tried, failed. Tried again. Perfecting his approach, Vithurs slowly, but surely became an SEO specialist to reckon with – and turned profits that spoke for themselves.
10 years since he started his journey, that’s led to highly successful ventures like Rankfluence and Blessed CBD, this entrepreneur looks back at the field he loves so much; what’s changed, how it’s changed him, and how it’s all still his favourite game.
Down the rabbit hole – well, sort of
The notion of sitting at your computer making money was a highly appealing one to the teenage Vithurs. He came from modest means, with a father that worked around the clock to provide for his family, and particularly his oldest son’s private tutoring. This meant that luxuries like game consoles or shopping for snacks in high-end grocery stores were reserved for his peers – while he himself remained glued to the school bench, day and night. When he came upon an ad for making money online, it was head first into a new realm – of search engine optimisation. Besides from Vithurs’ immediate interest in the topic, it also came with the possibility of maybe, just maybe, buying that game console for himself.
I was completely hooked on SEO from day one. I can’t really tell you exactly what it was, but the fact that I could read about something, just by the computer, take the concepts I learnt and apply them – and that they then worked – was mind blowing. It was so far removed from the idea I had about what work was, seeing my Dad work all the time in traditional employment. And then here was this possibility of going about it completely differently – with the potential for far greater profits.
The profits came. At age 15, Virthus was running a successful SEO services agency – although most of his clients were unaware they were dealing with a minor. Thanks to his drive to always learn – to always be the most updated authority on the market – his age wasn’t really important, though. Vithurs navigated the optimisation waters with precision that yielded incredible results for his customers.
Broadening the digital scope
Vithurs was making good money, for sure. But he was making it for someone else – and soon enough he figured it would make more sense to put his talents to his own ventures. Out of his SEO experience, Vithurs’ affiliate marketing pursuits began – a market he stumbled upon during his online research, and soon saw others in the industry were doing well with. He knew what had worked for his clients, and so the affiliate marketing projects he launched grew fast and effectively – providing more range and possibility to Vithurs and his digital positioning. He attributes his early successes to his sincere passion for SEO – but also the rules, which were very, very different back then.
SEO has changed a lot over the years. I mean, back when I started all you needed were some automated links and aggressive keywords targeting and you were set. The level of entry is considerably trickier now; the SEO industry has gotten more competitive, and more complex. Search engines, such as Google, are getting more advanced, and so you have to be willing and able to adapt – all the time. That’s the only way to succeed. 10 years later, I’m still here – but some of my colleagues have sadly left the industry over the years due to its ever changing rules.
Vithurs is a knowledge addict, and his addiction serves him well. In an online world that changes faster than you can say ‘pivot’, it’s essential to be open, adaptable, and high-paced. You’ll soon fall behind if you don’t embrace the change, and Vithurs reckons you had to love re-learning. SEO will always change and develop. To succeed online, you’ve got to roll with the punches.
The beauty of continuous transformation
To a lot of people, that notion is nightmare-worthy. To Vithurs, it’s heaven. He can always improve. Always change. Always move forward in continuous transition from one venture to the next. In essence, transformation is what it means to be a serial entrepreneur – especially in digital marketing. When you learn the industry, trial and error, adapt, and repeat, success follows.
Too many that want to get into SEO rely on “gurus” and “coaches” to get their info – without testing, without learning, without applying themselves. SEO is both theory and practice. I’ve realized that you’ll reap the proper results when you combine both the understanding of key subjects with practical testing and experimentation. The thing is, you have to find out what works, and you have to do that yourself. Knowledge is entrepreneurial power, I reckon. There’s an immense satisfaction in ‘Today I know more than I did yesterday’.
As long as there’s a search engine, there’s going to be a need for SEO. Vithurs is convinced of that. He also sees a continuous increase in businesses that need to be found online, and so their need for Google. On the trajectory the professional realm is headed, Vithurs is exactly where he wants to be. Always focused, always learning. Looking for new openings; new possibilities; new concepts to consume. If he’s not learning something new, he’s doing something wrong.
Lucky for Vithurs, there’s no shortage of new knowledge in his field.
Instagram, @vithurs
This interview was conducted by Synne Lindén
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