MBA Module: Digital Marketing
Week 3
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Earning the highest-quality, lowest-cost traffic on the internet.
Today's Agenda
- How Search Works
- Search Intent
- Keyword Research
- On-Page SEO
- Technical SEO (awareness)
- Lab: On-page to sandbox
- Concept checks: short MCQ / true-false after each major Part (cold-call a student)
- Deliverable: Keyword map + on-page
Part 1: How Search Engines Work
Crawl → Index → Rank. Understanding the engine before optimising for it.
The Three Stages of Search
1. Crawl
Googlebot follows links across the web, discovering URLs and reading page content
2. Index
Google processes and stores the information in its massive database (the "index")
3. Rank
When a query is made, Google ranks indexed pages by relevance and authority using 200+ signals
What Google Actually Wants
Google's Mission: "To organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
Google ranks pages that best satisfy user intent — not pages most optimised for machines. This is the central insight that separates modern SEO from its old, manipulative form.
Part 2: Search Intent
The most important concept in modern SEO.
The Four Types of Search Intent
| Intent |
Query Example |
Best Content |
| Informational |
"What is digital marketing?" |
Blog posts, guides, explainers |
| Navigational |
"Arjan KC Nepal blog" |
Homepage, About page, Brand pages |
| Commercial |
"Best digital marketing agency Nepal" |
Comparison pages, reviews, case studies |
| Transactional |
"Hire digital marketing consultant Nepal" |
Service/product pages, landing pages |
Why Intent Mismatch Kills Rankings
Creating a sales page for an informational query = high bounce rate → Google demotes your page.
Framework: Before writing any content, search your target keyword in Google. Look at the top 5 results. That IS the intent. Match it.
Part 3: Keyword Research
Finding the exact words your customers use to find what you offer.
The Keyword Research Process
- Seed Keywords: Start with 5–10 broad topics your business addresses
- Expand: Use tools (Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, Ubersuggest) to find related terms
- Evaluate: Score each keyword on Volume, Difficulty, and Business Value
- Cluster: Group keywords by shared intent to avoid "cannibalisation"
- Prioritise: Start with low-difficulty, high-value keywords — "quick wins"
Long-Tail vs. Short-Tail Keywords
Short-Tail
"digital marketing" — 2M+ searches/month
- Extremely competitive
- Low conversion intent
- Hard to rank for as a new site
Long-Tail
"hire digital marketing consultant in Kathmandu" — 150 searches/month
- Low competition
- High conversion intent
- Faster to rank; closer to purchase
Part 4: On-Page SEO
Optimising the elements you control directly.
The On-Page SEO Checklist
Critical (Always Do)
- Title Tag: Keyword near the beginning, 50–60 chars
- Meta Description: Compelling, 150–160 chars, includes keyword
- H1 Tag: One per page, contains primary keyword
- URL Slug: Short, keyword-rich, no underscores
Important (Usually Do)
- Keyword in first 100 words of content
- Related keywords in H2/H3 subheadings
- Internal links to related pages
- Image alt text with descriptive terms
- Schema markup (structured data)
Part 5: Technical SEO Essentials
The foundation that must be solid for everything else to work.
Technical SEO: The Manager's View
You don't need to write the code. You need to know what to ask your developers.
| Issue |
Why It Matters |
Tool to Check |
| HTTPS |
Google ranking signal; trust signal |
Browser address bar |
| XML Sitemap |
Tells Google all your pages exist |
yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml |
| Robots.txt |
Controls which pages Google crawls |
yourdomain.com/robots.txt |
| Canonical Tags |
Prevents duplicate content penalties |
Google Search Console |
| Core Web Vitals |
Page experience ranking factor |
PageSpeed Insights |
Part 6: Content Strategy & Topic Clusters
The modern content architecture that defeats thin-content penalties.
The Topic Cluster Model
Structure: A single comprehensive Pillar Page covering a broad topic, supported by multiple Cluster Pages targeting specific long-tail sub-topics — all interlinked.
Pillar Page Example
"Complete Guide to Digital Marketing in Nepal"
Cluster Pages
- "SEO for Nepali Businesses"
- "Google Ads Setup Nepal"
- "Facebook Marketing Nepal"
E-E-A-T: Google's Quality Framework
Google evaluates content using the E-E-A-T framework (from its Quality Rater Guidelines).
ExperienceHas the author actually done this?
ExpertiseDoes the author know the subject deeply?
AuthorityDo other credible sites link to them?
Trustworthiness — The umbrella: is the site safe, transparent, and accurate?
Managing SEO Vendors (Manager's Lens)
Red Flags
- Promises "#1 ranking in 30 days"
- Sells generic "backlink packages"
- Refuses to explain their methods
Required KPIs
- Non-branded organic traffic (not just people searching your name)
- Organic Leads/Conversions (sales > traffic)
- Core Web Vitals health reports
Lab: SEO Audit Your Sandbox
Using Google Search Console + PageSpeed Insights
- Verify your site in Google Search Console
- Submit your sitemap
- Run a PageSpeed Insights report on your landing page
- Identify: Title tag, meta description, H1 tag — are they optimised?
- Find 3 long-tail keyword opportunities for your niche
Real Nepal Proof (Week 3)
- Local SEO (home services): leads 12–15 → 42–48/mo; organic 450 → 2,847
- E-com SEO: organic sessions +487%; ~3× organic-led revenue; CAC −58%
Deliverable for Week 3
Keyword Research Report
- 10 target keywords clustered by intent
- On-page SEO updates applied to your landing page
- One paragraph explaining your content cluster strategy
Due before the start of Week 4.