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How has SEO in Thailand Changed in the Last 5 Years

As I am continuously studying SEO and traffic trends, I always like to keep an eye on Thailand’s keyword search volumes on Google. The keywords I focus on are mostly English keywords being searched in the Kingdom. One of the main tools I have been using is ‘Google Trends’. Using this tool as well as the search volumes tool on Google Ads I have been able to spot keywords in English that are increasing in search volume year by year.

Software Used to Track Thai Search Engine Traffic

Actually, the tool I use to track all my keywords is SEO Powersuite’s keyword tracker. If you pay for the algorithm update on a yearly basis, you can track as many keywords as you like in any language, and in pretty much any country in the world.

You can also set it to track people using browsers in the Thai language, but searching using English keywords, as well as have it set to track people using English browsers and searching in English, or just set it to track ‘Any’ for any language or browser for a particular keyword in English. You can also track the same in Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines.

The idea of using the various settings is because I can reasonably assume someone using a browser in Thai is likely to be a Thai person. I know this is not the case because people use internet cafes, their girlfriend’s computer, and so on. All that being said, if you are into your stats, and you want to break them down from one large ‘Any’ group into separate groups, then you never know what useful insights you may be able to pick up by doing so.

Google Ads Keyword planner links up to the keyword tracker software. This is perfect because next to every keyword I use there is a search volume count. That count is straight from Google itself. Every time I update the keywords I am tracking; the search volume column also updates by auto logging onto my Google Ads account and pulling the data directly from their most current database.

English Keyword Searches on Google Thai Are Increasing

One of the trends I have been noticing is the keywords keep rising in search volume Now in other markets, I track such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, is that Google searches are being used less often than the past. Most keyword search volumes in these countries have been trending downwards for quite a while now.

The main reason Google searches globally are decreasing is that Social Media is so reliable when looking for business services, shops, or things to do. Surely that trend would spill over into Google Thailand. For many keywords in Thailand, it seems that this is not the case and I think I have a pretty good idea as to why.

Why Is This Happening?

Thailand has never been colonised, and as such European language is not part of their culture. Malaysians speak English, Cambodians and Laotians speak French, Singaporeans and Hong Kong speak English, Filipinos speak Spanish, and so on. It means that Thailand has been slower than most to catch up with their neighbouring countries.

More Thais Speak English

Today Thailand is starting to catch up on the rest of the world. Or at least more people in the Kingdom are starting to learn to speak English. If you look at the demographics of the country, there is a growing affluent class that is super wealthy, and tend to have 3 or 4 children that all attend high-end International schools or Thai private schools where English is drummed into these students from a young age making them proficient speakers.

The number of international schools in Thailand, in particular, is growing fast. This has created a segment of Thai students that actually cannot write in Thai. Some of them are better at English than they are in Thai because the only language they communicate in outside of their home is English.

In addition to this, many of these affluent English-speaking students will go onto university to learn an international degree taught and all work submitted in the English language. Many of these students will then go abroad to Australia, the USA, or the UK to complete a master’s degree.

More Foreigners Are Living in Thailand

One of the most obvious reasons behind an increase in English language searches on Google is because the number of foreigners living in Thailand has been increasing year on year. This could be people coming to work in Thailand because there are more international businesses operating within the country than ever before. Or it could simply be retirees that have come retire in a country where their pension will go a lot further than if they stayed at home.

Written By

My name is James Donaghue. You can look me up online as James Donaghue freelancer or James Donaghue writer to find out more information about my writing and me. Please also keep your eye out here on Techsling for freelance writing work and stories about my career, advice about how to become an SEO freelancer, time hacks, and articles that are examples of people's success stories who have shown excellent business management skills.

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