Inside Growthack: 5th Year Anniversary & Sarif's Journey from Intern to Strategist | Beyond SEO 05

In this special 5-year anniversary episode of Beyond SEO, Glen (Host & Technical Lead) sits down with Kevin (Founder of Growthack) and Sarif (SEO Strategist) to look back at how Growthack went from a solo consultancy to a specialist SEO team working with leading B2B and eCommerce brands.You’ll hear how Growthack started in 2020 while Kevin was still at Experian, why he chose to focus on smaller, high-impact clients, and how the Growthack brand, name and website were pulled together at the very beginning.We also walk through Sarif’s full journey – from arriving in the UK, taking a chance on a marketing path, and joining Growthack as a content intern in early 2022… to becoming a full-time SEO Strategist owning content process, client communication, and commercial outcomes.If you’re interested in SEO careers, building an agency, or how people actually grow inside a small specialist team, this episode is for you.What you’ll learn in this episode1. How Growthack started in 2020 during lockdown while Kevin was still at Experian2. The story behind the Growthack name, branding, and first website3. How Sarif joined as a 6-week intern and ended up creating his own role4. Why real client work matters more than just “learning SEO” in theory5. How content strategy at Growthack goes beyond “traffic” and into commercial value6. Why SEO is 30–40% technical and 60–70% communication7. How working across B2B, eCommerce and SaaS accelerates learning8. Why Growthack is built as a platform for self-development, not just a job00:00 – Intro: Welcome to Beyond SEO with Growthack00:18 – Growthack’s 5th Year Anniversary & Team Reflections01:02 – From Solo Consultant to Specialist SEO Team02:06 – Sarif’s Journey: Joining Growthack in Early 202203:14 – How Growthack Started in 2020 (Experian, lockdown, side projects)04:09 – Choosing the Name “Growthack” & DIY Branding04:57 – Sarif’s Internship: Design, Content & Rebuilding the Website06:00 – From Intern to Junior Exec: Doing “a bit of everything”07:02 – Learning SEO via YouTube + Real Client Work08:20 – Moving into a Strategic Role & Owning Content09:45 – Content Beyond Traffic: Commercial Value & ROI11:00 – Why Real Conversations with Clients Shape Strategy12:15 – Working Across B2B, eCommerce & SaaS (and why it matters)13:06 – “It Depends”: Industry, context & hard conversations in reporting13:35 – You Can’t Learn SEO Without Doing It14:35 – Why Kevin Hired Sarif: Initiative, Websites & Freelance Work15:35 – Sarif’s Background: From Bangladesh to the UK & Choosing Marketing17:05 – Discovering SEO as an Introvert-Friendly Path (then realising it’s not just “behind a laptop”)18:02 – SEO as Football: Technical vs Positioning & Communication18:13 – Kevin: Technical SEO is 30–40%, Communication is 60–70%19:21 – Building SEOs Who Can Sit in the Room with CMOs & Brand Leads20:05 – University vs Real-World Experience in Marketing20:45 – The Self-Development Piece: Why Growthack Exists22:00 – Growthack as a Platform to Create Your Role23:41 – How the Business Has Changed: Kevin Doing Everything → Real Team24:56 – Glen & Sarif Taking Ownership, Freeing Kevin to Work on the Business25:32 – Sarif Now: Full Lifecycle Ownership of Client Content27:00 – Taking Responsibility & Fixing Problems Before Clients See Them28:09 – Closing Thoughts & 5-Year Reflection28:25 – Follow the Podcast & Get in TouchGrowthack.io specialises in building SEO systems that drive revenue by combining technical, content, data-driven insights and AI-ready strategies to help your business scale smarter. No hype. No guesswork. Just practical, award-winning SEO that helps your brand stay discoverable, trusted, and ready for what’s next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.