Md. Faruk Khan, Co-founder and CEO of Khan IT, adjunct faculty at United International University & National University, and SEO instructor at 10 Minute School explains the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how it helps businesses achieve measurable organic growth and visibility in the competitive online space. A leading SEO specialist in Bangladesh with over a decade of experience, Mr. Khan has successfully assisted numerous businesses in establishing a strong online presence and has overseen SEO and digital marketing strategies for major corporations across Bangladesh.
What is SEO and why is it so important for businesses?
In layman’s terms, search engine optimization (SEO) is a process by which websites can appear high in Search Engine Results Pages (SERP). Say, you build a website for your business selling products or services. Normally, internet users have no way of knowing that your website exists. So, you can follow a set of rules and guidelines outlined by search engines like Google, and Bing so that when people search for words related to your products or services, your website will appear on the SERP. The process of following that set of rules and guidelines properly to give your website a better chance at appearing on search pages and increasing organic growth is called SEO. However, SEO goes beyond that as it is a very powerful strategy for building your brand, and therefore, is crucial for your business. Every single business today needs to have a good online presence. When people want information about your business or even you, the first place they will look is online, on Google, Facebook, YouTube and more. Good online branding is therefore mandatory. A website which is well-optimised for search engines will be more trustworthy and much more likely to attract clients or customers.

Co-Founder and CEO
Khan IT
When should a business start its SEO strategy and how often should SEO strategies be updated?
The SEO process should ideally begin before you have chosen a name for your business and have constructed your website as it is a highly involved process, crucial for brand building. A website that follows fundamental SEO guidelines has strong foundations and will see long-term benefits. An SEO expert can guide you through that process.
It takes about one to two years to execute an effective SEO strategy. The majority of your investments will happen in the early years of your business when you are building your brand online. After that, depending on the type of business, your SEO strategy needs to be updated accordingly. For e-commerce websites, SEO is a mandatory ongoing process as these websites will always need to have high-ranking visibility in SERPs to ensure quality website traffic. For service-oriented businesses, once the business brand is properly established online, it may be considered to postpone SEO for some time.
Each year Google releases 8 to 10 major algorithm updates. These updates might prompt a rethinking of SEO strategies and SEO experts are best equipped to handle these scenarios as they best understand the implications of these changes on website visibility.
What tools can businesses use to measure whether SEO strategies are working effectively?
There are three main ways to measure the effectiveness of SEO for businesses. Organic growth of the website, number of organic keyword searches that are leading people to the website, and the level of online branding success. To analyse the first two, Google has provided two fantastic free tools called Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA4). All SEO experts will make use of these two free tools and integrate them into websites to track progress. The tools show how many people the website reaches organically, how many people visit the website, the location of the visitors, and how long they spend on the website. These stats are fully transparent as they are given both to the SEO expert and the business owner.
To understand online branding success, the easiest way to check is to search for the business name using the correct spelling. If the first result page is displayed like a visiting card, where all search results are related to that business only, then the branding has been very successful. Naturally, new businesses will not see this level of online presence in their early stages, but this is why we have SEO so that, over time, businesses can achieve this level of visibility.
WHEN PEOPLE WANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS OR EVEN YOU, THE FIRST PLACE THEY WILL LOOK IS ONLINE, ON GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE AND MORE. GOOD ONLINE BRANDING IS THEREFORE MANDATORY.
How effectively are Bangladeshi businesses utilising SEO, and what are their expectations from its implementation?
There’s still a lack of SEO utilisation among Bangladeshi businesses. A common misconception is that the goal of ranking high in SERPs is solely to drive online sales. However, this doesn’t always align with customer behaviour in Bangladesh, where, for certain products, many customers prefer to make in-store purchases for peace of mind. For example, when buying an air conditioner, typical searches include “best 1.5 ton AC,” “best AC brand and model in Bangladesh,” or simply the “price of a 1.5 ton AC in Bangladesh.” If you run a home electronics business, this is where SEO becomes important. You want your business to appear consistently in these search results and your website should provide all the relevant information to help customers feel confident that you’re the right business for their needs. In this way, customers are much more likely to visit your store because your website answers their questions. Ultimately, your well-optimised website, strong focus on organic growth, and close collaboration with an SEO expert to guide you through this process can help you develop effective strategies for long-term success.
What trends in SEO can we expect to see in 2025?
The SEO industry is set for tremendous growth. In 2023, it was valued at USD 82.3 billion, with projections to reach USD 143.9 billion by 2030. As AI continues to rise, SEO is expanding in new directions. One key trend is the growing influence of voice search, fueled by the increasing capabilities of AI voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana. This will lead to the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), a term gaining popularity among SEO professionals, though it’s still relatively new in the field. Another area of expansion is the integration of AI itself. With the increasing demand for AI-powered automation and quick services, businesses need to quickly understand how to incorporate AI tools into their websites to meet user expectations. The final area of expansion is content. Terms like keyword density and concepts like including a ton of backlinks no longer hold a place in search engine rankings. Instead, real, organic, verifiable, and sincere content takes precedence. Businesses will need to adapt to these emerging trends to stay competitive in this ever-changing landscape.
Photograph by Ridhwan Chowdhury Adnan