Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important parts of a digital marketing plan. Although it brings new opportunities, it will also add challenges that SEO experts need to overcome. Apart from the high volume of major algorithm updates, many big technology announcements were made to express the next chapter in the search space. Unfortunately, SEO in Persian has encountered some uphill challenges in Iran. In this article, Zigma8 asked Iranian SEO professionals to share their biggest challenges while working on SEO projects in Persian.
Why Is SEO Important for Farsi language?
To put it simply, SEO is Google’s way of elaborating which sites qualify to rank top for each query entered into the search engine. SEO is important as it keeps the results fair. SEO reduces the result manipulation so that sites appealing for each search are there because they deserve to be there. Users trust search engines and having the top rank signals to searchers that a website is credible. SEO improves user experience and can increase conversion rate. It is cost-effective to drive qualified traffic to a site without directly paying for it. Now, let’s get into the real deal. When planning digital marketing strategies in Iran, what are the SEO challenges?
The challenges of SEO for Digital Marketing in Iran
The importance of Keyword Research Tools in Digital Marketing in Iran
One of the most critical SEO challenges in Persian/Farsi is that Iran is basically banned, and there is no Google.ir out there. So, SEO specialists in Iran are relying on minimum data to develop a detailed SEO strategy. Therefore, SEO-based tools do not report real data, and they are not maintainable. The first step of Farsi SEO is to gather a list of primary Farsi keywords to build your strategy upon them. Many of these tools can help businesses determine their keywords in no time, such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, etc. But in Iran, they will not give you reliable data as the Farsi/Persian language cannot be selected in their settings. This way, the first and easiest step of SEO strategy becomes more of a challenge. Another challenge worth mentioning is the expensive cost of these tools which can be considered inaccessible for newcomers in the business and fresh startups.
Off-Page SEO in Iran for Farsi Digital Marketing
Usually, if a website or a blog is using another website’s or blog’s content, they would mention the source and add a link to the main content. The majority of internet users will do this, but not in Iran. There is a bad habit of plagiarism in Iran that many will try to use great content in a way to make it their own without mentioning the right source or adding a link. If they do, they will mark the link as “No Follow” so that Google does not include it in its crawls. As if they are the authentic author or producer of that content. This will lead to not having free organic links to your content, and you will need to pay for these kinds of links to bring yourself credibility.
Another off-page SEO challenge in Iran is the lack of dedicated news agencies in different fields like travel, beauty, health, nature, etc. That is why Farsi/Persian SEO managers in Iran are bound to publish content and reportages in Advertising Networks that are way different from their specific business’s nature. Relevancy is a crucial feature for Google, so creating a community to exchange Farsi/Persian content and build credibility is essential for any SEO strategy. But the lack of these resources can be a great challenge for digital marketing in Iran.
Filtered Social Media Platforms in Iran
Iran’s government has a policy of filtering some of the most popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter. These social media platforms have the potential to drive and reach millions of people around the world. But due to this filtering, the number of Iranian Internet users utilizing these platforms is significantly small. For that, many businesses and startups lost the opportunity to employ inbound marketing in Iran and profit from them. This will limit digital marketing attempts in Iran remarkably. So, one more time, off-page SEO will be destroyed as your content cannot get enough traffic flow, reach, attention and engagement as you have limited access to many of these platforms and distribution channels.
Persian/Farsi Content Creation
Most Persian/Farsi search queries are happening in Iran. While Google does not track Iranian users’ activities, plenty of algorithms and features cannot be seen in Iran and Persian results. It is not wrong to say that Persian/Farsi may be the last language for Google to use its AI system for. As a result, whenever there is a new update related to content and crawling, it will take a lot of time to include the Persian/Farsi language. Google updates aim to rank credible and most related sites and content; this delay, as a matter of fact, will decrease the quality of Farsi/ Persian web content notably. This has not been proven yet, but Iranian SEO experts believe many of Google’s features are not activated for the Farsi/ Persian language at all.
Another important issue is that the number of Farsi Speaking users on Google is not that much, so it is acceptable that they are not the prior target of these updates or do not have a developed web atmosphere.
Many tests and research APIs have not supported the Persian language for years now. This proves that Google will not change this situation anytime soon. To top it off all, it should be noted that Google My Business also eliminated Iran from its list of countries; therefore, SEO experts cannot maneuver on local SEO and local search explicitly.
Believe it or not, what doesn’t kill you may make you stronger! That’s why SEO experts in Iran outgrown these challenges and found their way around them. Therefore, whether it is engagement, awareness, SEO, or lead generation, Zigma8 | 360° Creative Communications is a multi-award-winning agency in Iran empowered by its professional team to conduct an effective offline and online advertising and marketing strategy with the goals you have in mind.
Suppose you are looking for SEO experts to create and offer fruitful marketing experience in Iran. In that case, Zigma8 is the right place for you. Check out our services for more references, and leave us a message if you are ready to start.
