We talked to Karan Chawla of Upgrade My Site about delivering the “perfect” website to business owners, and he had the following to say:-
First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?
Karan Chawla: Everyone is doing great. Thanks.
Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Upgrade My Site.
Karan Chawla: As the name suggests, I launched “Upgrade My Site” with the objective of delivering the “perfect” website to the business owners. In Canada, USA, and Australia, I noticed that most small business owners do not get any sales or inquiries from their websites. This happens majorly because the person/agency who created their website did a substandard job for them. These guys use ready-made templates to deliver websites that cannot deliver results.
My 15 years of experience in digital marketing and my Masters in business (specialization in marketing) helps me take a logical approach while designing a website. We make websites from scratch, and these websites have the right pages, images, communication, etc. that make them super powerful. We emphasize a lot on search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization so that our websites deliver results.
How does Upgrade My Site innovate?
Karan Chawla: We constantly look for new and better technology that can add value to our clients’ online growth. E.g., to create a website, we don’t just use WordPress, which is more or less a traditional platform. Instead, if business demands, we go beyond that and create websites on WiX, Squarespace, and Duda. Some of these platforms are very new in the market and comes with a host of features that makes sense.
How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?
Karan Chawla: The pandemic has actually driven more and more people towards online presence. Early this year, when countries were locking down physical businesses, we got associated with quite a few business owners who wanted to go online as soon as possible. I remember we saved a daycare center in Chicago from closing down through our Google Ads services. Six months down the line, most businesses are online now. Everybody is trying to rank higher on Google now, and therefore, we get a lot of inquiries for SEO.
Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?
Karan Chawla: Yes, I think that’s a part of operating a business. I think “focus” is the key. Initially, we tried to diversify our service portfolio, but that did not work out because we did not have the right expertise. Today, we know our key strengths, and that’s why we offer only those services where we can do a great job.
How do you deal with stress and anxiety?
Karan Chawla: Gratitude. We talk to our clients, discuss the roadmap, and celebrate small wins with them. That makes our days better.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Karan Chawla: I’d say “everyone.” Sometimes, when I talk to business owners, some of them say “anyone” can create a website. Sure, everyone can create a website (and so can they do plumbing, gardening, teaching, etc.). The bigger question is, will such a website deliver results? We stay in the game strictly by showing results. Our websites generate sales and inquiries. All SEO clients rank on page 1 of Google. We are strictly against forced-contracts; it’s the online growth because of which the businesses stay with us.
Your final thoughts?
Karan Chawla: I think the quality of work is the most important factor. Focus on what you do the best, and deliver fantastic results is the key to success.
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