Hi! I’m Vikas Solanke, and this is the story of how I went from answering calls in a bustling Bangalore call center to leading a cutting-edge digital marketing and SEO team.

Buckle up, because this tale is packed with passion, persistence, and a pinch of wit.

My career kicked off in December 2003 at America Online (AOL) in ITPL, Whitefield, Bangalore.

Imagine a time when working in an international call center was all the rage. We even had American accent training to ensure we sounded just right for our customers across the pond.

At AOL, we helped Americans set up their email using a CD they received in the mail. (Inbound calls).

My pseudo name was “JOY,” and yes, we had to pretend we weren’t in India. Here’s a snippet of how every call opened:

Thank you for calling Americal Online. My name is JOY! Are you calling to set-up your FREE trial of America Online, today?

AOL wasn’t just a job; it was an experience. With an amazing work culture, top-notch facilities, and stellar employee benefits, I thrived.

In my very first month, out of over 200 people, I snagged the “Roaring Tiger” award for the highest conversion rate.

Not too shabby, right?

One day, a customer mentioned a site called Craigslist. Curious, I explored it and stumbled upon an ad offering $100 a week for online form submissions.

I took the job and unknowingly entered the world of SEO. I was doing link building for a Californian web design company, learning tools like WebPosition Gold and Internet Business Promoter (IBP) by myself.

WebPosition Gold software screenshot.

Internet Business Promoter (IBP) software screenshot.

This was pre-YouTube, so it was all trial and error.

I’ve been in the SEO scene almost from the beginning.

From manually changing meta titles using HTML editors to leveraging sophisticated AI tools for data analysis and content optimization, I’ve witnessed and adapted to the seismic shifts in the SEO landscape.

Each phase of my journey has been a stepping stone, building the expertise I bring to our SEO Company today!

My professional SEO journey has largely been as a private consultant, working on performance-based projects. I’ve also worked full-time with several companies, including Fortune 500 giants.

The experience was mixed.

Start-ups gave me creative freedom, while big companies often restricted my role to implementing predefined strategies.

Working for established companies often felt like being an executioner in a jail. Your job is to pull the lever, execute the orders, and take home a paycheck.

Almost no decision-making power, no room for creativity. Just repetitive tasks and a fixed salary.

This wasn’t my cup of tea.

You can’t decide who to execute, when to execute, or how to execute. You are just there, pulling the lever, and taking your paycheck.

I never wanted to be the lever puller and get a fixed paycheck. That would be a big injustice to myself.

Fast forward to today, many of those “steady job” SEOs are getting replaced by fresh talent with AI expertise.

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial, and that’s exactly what we do at Rankk.net

We’re not your typical SEO team. We’re a band of highly motivated, independent thinkers who thrive on breaking free from limitations.

Every project is a new adventure, and we genuinely celebrate your successes as our own.

We blend professionalism with a dash of casual flair, making your SEO journey both effective and enjoyable.