Dorjee Khando
With the rise in the ownership of handheld devices, computers and laptops, and most importantly, the soar in the number of internet users, it has become crucial for companies to bid farewell to the traditional business marketing strategies, and find ways to gain visibility and popularity on various internet-based platforms, and convert them into business. And one such way of achieving this is through the medium of SEO.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the next big trend when it comes to digital marketing in Nepal or marketing in general in the context of Nepal. Despite the fact that SEO has been in the marketing picture of this country for more than a decade now, it still seems like an area that is yet to be discovered, mainly due to the constant changes in the policies of Google, when it comes to ranking websites.
It is as trending, fresh and unexplored as it was 10 years ago, the only difference, however, is in the businesses’ position. At present, companies have more knowledge and expertise in SEO and are better equipped to use it to promote their products and services online, than in the past. That is why it could be considered as the next step to digital marketing in Nepal.
The need for Digital Marketing
We’re living in a world where everyone seeks ease and options in their day to day activities. We are getting busier, and it’s quite a necessity these days to work efficiently and save time in the process. So, instead of coming to a physical store, and going through a lengthy process of going through and buying stuff, we’d rather want to lay back, relax and shop from the comforts of our homes.
To meet the needs of these prospective customers, the businesses must adapt to these trends, by making the information about their companies and services available on the internet, and allow them to buy the products and services online.
Also, to make sure that all these information is going onto the right screens, and that conversion happens, a very effective business marketing or digital marketing strategy, in this case, needs to be conceived, and later implemented effectively. And that’s where SEO in Nepal comes to play.
Websites and Online Presence
The first step to using SEO for your benefit is to have an online presence, which can be achieved by having a website developed. A website doesn’t just contain information about the business, with the information regarding the products and services that it offers, it can also act as a medium to carry out trade and transaction, regardless of the physical presence.
The next step is to optimize the website in such way that it’s easier for search engines, mainly Google to track and identify it as a credible business and high-quality service provider. For this, a lot of work needs to be done, on the content aspect of the website, the technical aspect and the marketing aspect.
These days, we can see almost every company out there owning a website, and working closely with an SEO team, whether in-house or outsourced, to make sure that they have an online presence, and that their website is content rich and optimized as per Google standards, so that they can have the best results.
Social Media and Forums
Social Media and online forums play an important role in the SEO in Nepal, as these offer the tools for overall business marketing, and help direct a large amount of traffic to the website. The flow of visitors gained from these media improve the search engine rankings, and therefore, the overall performance of the website.
Apart from helping the businesses excel from SEO perspective, Social Media, specifically, acts as a substitute of a website. By creating a social media page, and going through an intense social media marketing procedure, a company can easily thrive and can make equal no. of sales, if not more, in comparison to the website.
There are, however, certain privileges that a website owner has over an FB page owner, especially from the perspective of payment option and credibility.
For a very long time, companies would hire fresh graduates – web developers, designers, and content writers to work for them, and offer the on the job training regarding SEO in Nepal and its ethical practices. This is how an entire generation got to know about SEO, and how to use it for the benefit of a business.
These days, however, there are numerous institutions that offer SEO training in Nepal to help the interested webmasters learn and excel at this art of maintaining an online presence, promoting the company and selling the product.
Their purpose is to meet the demands of not just the IT companies, but banks and insurance companies, clothing stores, restaurants, travel agencies and a lot of other businesses who’re seeking this SEO advantage over their competitors. This alone shows the craze of SEO among businesses.
At this time, it definitely goes without saying that SEO is the next generation tool for digital marketing in Nepal.
