SEO is a highly untapped area when it comes to boosting a business’s digital marketing efforts. Not many Malaysian businesses are aware of the importance of SEO and how it contributes to a successful marketing strategy.
Practicing SEO can be a tedious task however, you can’t afford to miss out on this strategy in today’s digital landscape.
In this blog, we will touch base on the basics of SEO, along with why and how you can use SEO to boost your digital marketing efforts in the Malaysian market.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Malaysian Market
As of 2021, there has been a significant increase in e-commerce, mobile usage, and social media in Malaysia.
- E-commerce: The e-commerce market in Malaysia is growing at a fast pace, with an estimated value of RM 105 billion (USD 25 billion) in 2020, and is projected to reach RM 170 billion (USD 41 billion) by 2024.
- Mobile usage: Mobile devices are the most popular means of accessing the internet in Malaysia, with a smartphone penetration rate of over 80%.
- Social media: Social media usage is also growing, with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular platforms. (Even the recent up-trend app called Xiao Hong Shu is popping up in the Chinese market!)
According to a survey by Google, 86% of Malaysians have made online purchases in the past year.
This means that the role of SEO in capturing the attention of Malaysian consumers is immensely crucial. If your business is to miss out on setting up SEO, you’re going to lose out a lot when it comes to visibility and relevance in search engine results pages (SERP).
The Basics of SEO
If you have been reading up until here and still have no idea what SEO is, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization – the practice of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to a website from search engines through organic search results.
In simpler terms, it’s all about optimizing your website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
The goal of SEO is to make your website more relevant to search queries that your target audience is searching for and to ultimately attract more visitors to your site.
SEO involves a variety of techniques such as keyword research, on-page optimization, technical optimization, link building, and content creation. By using these techniques, SEO aims to improve the quality of your website, and its relevance to search queries, and ultimately help it rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
The practice of SEO is continually evolving as search engines update their algorithms to provide more accurate and relevant results for users. As a result, SEO requires ongoing attention and adaptation to stay effective.
Different components of SEO (mentioned in the next section) work together to improve the quality and relevance of a website, which can improve its ranking on search engines and increase its visibility and traffic. By using a comprehensive SEO strategy that incorporates all of these components, businesses can improve their chances of success in the online marketplace.
Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
Optimizing a website for search engines involves a combination of technical and creative techniques that aim to improve the quality and relevance of the website’s content, structure, and overall user experience.
Here are the basic steps involved in optimizing a website for search engines:
Keyword Research
Identify the search terms and phrases that people use when searching for products or services related to your business. Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify high-volume, relevant keywords that you can target.
This optimizes your website content and structure to match those keywords. It also helps search engines understand the relevance of your website to specific search queries, which can improve your ranking for those keywords.
On-page Optimization
Optimize the content and structure of your website to make it more relevant and accessible to search engines. This can include optimizing titles, headings, meta descriptions, and content for target keywords, and ensuring that the website has a clear structure and easy navigation.
This improves the quality and relevance of your website content and also your ranking for target keywords while increasing the likelihood of search engines displaying your website in search results for those keywords.
Technical Optimization
Optimize the technical aspects of your website to improve its performance, speed, and accessibility. This can include optimizing site speed, improving site structure, and ensuring that the website is mobile-friendly.
This improves the user experience and makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your website.
Off-page Optimization
Optimize the website’s external factors, such as backlinks and social media presence, to improve its authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines.
This improves your website’s authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines.
Content Creation
Create high-quality, informative content that is optimized for target keywords. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and other types of content that provide value to your target audience and establish your business as an authority in your industry.
You will be able to attract more traffic to your website and establish your business as an authority in your industry.
Note: It’s important to note that SEO is an ongoing process, and businesses need to regularly review and update their SEO strategy to keep up with changes in search engine algorithms and user behavior.
Measuring the Success of Your SEO Efforts
Tracking the success of your SEO efforts is essential for understanding how your website is performing, identifying areas for improvement, and refining your strategy to better meet the needs and expectations of your target audience.
Set Up Analytics Tools
These digital marketing tools can provide insights into key metrics like traffic, bounce rate, session duration, and other relevant metrics.
Examples: Google Analytics or other third-party tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Set Up Goals and Funnels
Define your goals and funnels based on user behavior. Goals can include lead form submissions, product purchases, or other key user actions that drive business value. Funnels can help you understand how users navigate through your website and identify areas where they might be dropping off.
Analyze Traffic Sources
Understand where your visitors are coming from, whether they are from organic search, social media, referral traffic, or direct traffic. This can help you determine which traffic sources are driving the most traffic, which sources are converting better, and which sources need improvement.
Monitor Keyword Performance
Use analytics tools and other keyword tracking tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to monitor how your website is performing for target keywords. Identify which keywords are driving traffic and conversions and which ones need improvement.
Monitor Website Speed and Mobile-Friendliness
Website speed and mobile-friendliness are important factors for SEO.
Examples: Google’s PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix
Monitor Backlinks
Monitor the quality and relevance of backlinks pointing to your website, and identify opportunities to improve your link profile.
Examples: Ahrefs or Majestic
Use Data to Inform Decisions
Use the data you collect to inform your decisions on improving your SEO strategy. For example, if you find that a particular page is not performing well, you can make improvements to the content or structure to increase its relevance and quality.
Staying Ahead of the Competition
With more businesses and consumers moving online, competition in the digital marketplace is increasing. By staying ahead of the competition, businesses can increase their visibility, leads, conversions, and revenue.
All of these would also make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for and complete the desired action, whether it’s making a purchase or filling out a lead form. Once you’ve reached that stage, your business’s reputation and credibility are going to strengthen in the eyes of potential customers. Building trust and loyalty is going to be much easier!
However, the most important part of staying ahead of the competition is that the digital marketplace is constantly changing, so businesses need to be equipped to adapt to these changes.
One of the best ways to stay informed is by following SEO experts and influencers like Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, and Brian Dean. They are well-known SEO experts in the digital marketing industry that you can seek advice and gather tips from.
All in all…
The importance of using SEO to support digital marketing efforts in Malaysia cannot be overstated. SEO is a cost-effective way to drive traffic to a website as it is an organic and sustainable approach to digital marketing. By investing in SEO, businesses can enjoy long-term benefits and a high return on investment.
Want to get started on SEO?
We are the best people for you!
Kredence Creative Solutions (better known as KCS) is a digital marketing agency in Malaysia that offers all types of digital marketing solutions such as Data-driven Marketing, Creative Development, and Advanced IT Solutions. We also offer more, just ask us!
Contact our specialist now and we will get in touch with you.
