How Keval Shah Built a $200,000-a-Month Agency Using X

On this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast, Keval Shah and I discuss the growth of his SEO agency, how he built an inbound lead engine using the X Platform (formerly Twitter), and how he’s navigating the future of SEO with AI. Keval is the founder of Inbound Pursuit, a boutique SEO agency now making $200,000 to $250,000 per month, all built without ads or cold outreach.

We dive into how he used content to grow his audience and land high-value ecommerce clients, what’s changing in SEO in 2025, and how AI is transforming both SEO strategy and agency internal operations. Let’s summarize the main themes from our conversation.

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From personal blog to a thriving agency

Keval’s story begins over a decade ago, when he taught himself SEO as a teenager in an effort to drive traffic to his blog. After trying the traditional agency path and not enjoying it, he went solo and eventually launched Inbound Pursuit.

Started learning SEO in high school and made money with Google AdSense
Worked at a traditional agency and hated their outdated strategies
Inbound Pursuit launched in 2019, fully focused on growth
Built its customer base organically through content on X (formerly Twitter)

A turning point came when one of his early X followers booked a call and signed a $2,000 per month contract. That one sale solidified his content strategy and forever changed the way he approached marketing.

Build a $200,000 a month business without ads

Keval’s agency consistently generates between $200,000 and $250,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR). What makes this especially impressive is that he never ran ads or relied on cold outreach.

No paid ads or cold email
100% inbound leads from X, LinkedIn, referrals
Team built for boutique service, not massive scale
Exclusively focused on SEO for e-commerce brands

He attributes this growth to creating content that builds trust. He posts deep insights and SEO strategies that show potential clients how he thinks, rather than trying to keep “secrets” from sales calls.

Nikken for growth: why Keval only works with e-commerce brands

Initially, Keval worked with every client he could land. But when the pandemic hit and local businesses halted marketing, he naturally turned to e-commerce brands. That shift became a crucial decision.

Ecommerce brands still grew during COVID
X attracted e-commerce founders and marketers, making it a good fit
Niche positioning created more trust and authority among leads
Referral growth exploded when he became known for SEO for e-commerce

Despite his initial hesitation to narrow down his target market, Keval now considers carving out a niche as one of the smartest moves he’s made.

Mastering X (formerly Twitter) as a lead generation engine

Keval built his business by consistently sharing SEO insights and personal experiences on X. Although he originally started posting for self-expression, he quickly saw that valuable, educational content could also generate leads.

Grown to over 55,000 followers
Posts long-form content focused on SEO and case studies daily
Paid early to promote content to boost growth
The current X algorithm favors long posts with high engagement
Engagement (likes + comments), not retweets, increases reach

He advises others starting out with X to find small ways to increase initial visibility, by joining engagement groups or paying for shoutouts.

Why the content strategy has changed in 2025

SEO has evolved rapidly, especially with the rise of AI and Google’s generative AI search capabilities. Keval’s agency no longer produces high-quality blog content that does not generate traffic or revenue.

No longer focused on large-scale information requests
AI steals a lot of clicks at the top of the funnel

Instead focused on

Brand vs. brand queries
Alternative searches (e.g. ‘X alternative’)
Product comparisons
Optimized collection pages

These lower-funnel keywords often have less AI interference and result in actual conversions. In one example, a customer generated $20,000/month from blog content focused on product comparisons alone.

Links are still important: the old guard of SEO remains relevant

Even as content strategies change, Keval says link building remains crucial, perhaps more so than ever. As content becomes easier to produce thanks to AI, links have become one of the few true differentiators in SEO.

70% of his agency’s SEO efforts go towards link building
Links help both traditional search results and citations from AI models
Appearing on authoritative sites helps Google and LLMs (major language models)

He also encourages clients to ensure brand presence on Reddit, Quora and social profiles to improve citations in AI-generated search results.

Navigating AI and LLM SEO: What’s Real and What’s Hype

AI SEO is one of the hottest buzzwords in marketing right now, and customers are asking for it. Keval is clear about what it really means and what it doesn’t.

AI SEO (AISCO) clients come specifically asking for these services
True AISCO is largely a mix of traditional SEO, brand visibility on authoritative platforms, and PR and brand mentions in places where LLMs crawl (like Reddit and Quora)
Being cited by ChatGPT often correlates strongly with high Google rankings
Keval’s customers are already seeing results, including $24,000 in revenue from ChatGPT quotes over 12 months

Despite the hype of new SaaS tools promising “LLM dominance,” Keval warns that many of these tools are just glorified keyword research tools with flashy branding.

Internal use of AI: making the agency more efficient

While most of the conversation focused on customer-centric SEO, Keval also uses AI tools to improve operational efficiency behind the scenes.

Automated task registration and onboarding using Google Sheets scripts
Faster site audits using AI-powered spreadsheet scripts
Exploring tools like N8N and Google’s Opal for future automation
The goal is to improve margins and free up time for strategy and creative work

The changes to the backend may not be noticeable, but they have a meaningful impact on daily operations.

Final thoughts

Keval wrapped up the interview with advice that will resonate with anyone working in digital marketing today. When AI and SEO started to change dramatically, his first instinct was to ignore it, but that only created fear. What changed everything was embracing the uncertainty and deciding to get excited about the future.

Resistance to change leads to fear and stagnation
Excitement about change stimulates creativity and motivation
SEO professionals have traditionally been good at adapting
AI may be disruptive, but it also offers plenty of opportunities

Whether it’s rebuilding his site to focus on AI SEO or testing new content formats, Keval leans toward change rather than resisting it.

Keval Shah’s second interview on the Niche Pursuits Podcast is packed with strategies, mindset shifts, and honest advice. Whether you’re trying to get more customers, get found in generative AI results, or figure out where SEO is going, this episode offers a masterclass every day from someone who’s been in the trenches.