Keyword Research for Bangladesh: Finding What People Really Search, in Bangla and English

A coaching centre wrote 30 blog posts targeting “IELTS preparation tips”. Traffic stayed flat. When we looked at their Search Console, the searches that actually brought students were things like “IELTS coaching Mirpur”, “IELTS course fee in Dhaka” and “আইইএলটিএস কোচিং”. They had been writing for the wrong searches.

Keyword research for Bangladesh is different from keyword research in the UK or US. People search in three languages at once: English, Bangla and Banglish. Tools miss a lot of it. This guide shows how to find what your customers really type, and how to turn it into pages that rank and sell.

How Bangladeshis search

• English for products and services: “laptop price in Bangladesh”, “web design company”.
• Bangla for questions and everyday topics: “ফেসবুক পেজ খোলার নিয়ম”.
• Banglish in between: “bkash diye facebook ads”, “ghore bose income”.
• Local modifiers: city, area, “near me”, “in BD”, “price in BD”.

Your keyword list should include all of these where they fit your business.

Understand search intent first

Every search has a goal. Matching the goal matters more than matching the exact words.

• Learn: “how to start a Facebook page business”. Best answered by a guide.
• Compare: “best courier service in Bangladesh”, “Shopify vs WooCommerce”. Best answered by a comparison.
• Buy or act: “SEO agency in Dhaka”, “order cake Uttara”. Best answered by a service or product page.

Google the keyword and look at the top results. If they are all guides, a sales page will struggle to rank, and vice versa.

Step 1: Collect seed keywords

Start with what you already know:

• Your products and services, in the words customers use.
• Questions customers ask in Messenger, WhatsApp and phone calls.
• Your Search Console “Queries” report, which shows real searches that already find you.
• Competitor websites: their menus, page titles and blog topics.

Step 2: Expand with tools

• Google autocomplete: type your seed keyword and note suggestions, in English and Bangla.
• People also ask and related searches at the bottom of Google results.
• Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) with location set to Bangladesh.
• Google Trends to compare terms and see seasonality, like Eid and admission seasons.
• Paid tools like Ahrefs or Semrush for competitor research, knowing they may miss Bangla volume.
• YouTube search suggestions, very useful for Bangla how-to topics.

Step 3: Judge each keyword

Do not chase only high volume. A keyword like “dental implant cost in Dhaka” may have small volume but brings patients ready to book.

Step 4: Group keywords into topics

Many keywords mean the same thing: “website design price”, “website making cost bd”, “website toiri korte koto taka lage”. Put them in one group and target them with one strong page. This avoids having several weak pages competing with each other.

Step 5: Map groups to pages

Create a simple sheet with columns: keyword group, main keyword, intent, page type, URL, status. Each group gets one page. Service groups go to service pages. Questions go to blog guides that link to service pages.

Step 6: Prioritise

Start with groups that are close to money and realistic to rank:

1. Your core services plus location.
2. Price and cost questions in your industry.
3. Comparisons and “best” lists you can honestly write.
4. Helpful how-to guides that support your services.

Writing for Bangla and English searches

You do not always need separate Bangla pages. Options:

• An English page that naturally includes a few Bangla phrases and FAQs.
• Separate Bangla pages for audiences that mainly use Bangla, with proper hreflang if they mirror English pages.
• Bangla video content on YouTube, embedded on your site.

Write naturally for people first. Forced keywords make pages hard to read and do not help rankings.

Common mistakes

1. Trusting tool volume blindly and ignoring Bangla searches.
2. Targeting “learn” keywords with sales pages.
3. Making many thin pages for tiny keyword differences.
4. Ignoring Search Console, the most honest data you have.
5. Forgetting local and seasonal words.

Seasonal keywords in Bangladesh

Search demand in Bangladesh moves with the calendar. Plan content before the peak, not during it:

Use Google Trends with Bangladesh selected to see when interest starts rising each year.

Competitor keyword research, simply

Your competitors have already tested what works. Learn from them:

1. List 5–10 competitors, including the big national ones.
2. Look at their menus, category pages and blog titles. Each one is a keyword target.
3. Use a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, if you have one, to see their top pages by traffic.
4. Note topics they cover badly: thin pages, outdated prices, no Bangla answers. These are your opportunities.

Do not copy. Write something clearly better: more current, more practical, more local.

Keywords for AI search and voice

People increasingly ask full questions: “Which courier is best for online shops in Bangladesh?” or “How much does a website cost in Dhaka?” These longer questions are gold for:

• FAQ sections on service pages.
• Blog headings written as questions.
• Short, direct answers that AI Overviews and assistants can quote.

Collect these questions from “People also ask”, your inbox and calls. Answer each one clearly in one or two sentences, then explain.

A simple keyword research template

Use a Google Sheet with these columns:

• Topic group (for example: website cost)
• Main keyword and variations (English, Bangla, Banglish)
• Intent: learn, compare, buy
• Page type: service, category, guide, comparison
• Target URL
• Priority: high, medium, low
• Status: planned, writing, published, updating

Review it every quarter. Add new questions customers ask, and update pages that are slipping in rankings.

Turning keywords into titles that get clicked

Finding the right keyword is half the job. The other half is writing a title people want to click. Compare:

Good titles include the keyword, a specific promise and a reason to click now. Keep them around 60 characters so they do not get cut off in search results.

How often to repeat keyword research

Search behaviour changes. New products launch, laws change, AI tools change how people ask questions. Repeat a light version of this process every three months:

• Check Search Console for new queries that bring impressions but few clicks.
• Look for questions your team heard often this quarter.
• Update older pages with new sections instead of always writing new ones.

Some of the best SEO wins come from improving pages you already have, not from writing new ones.

A worked example: a Dhaka dental clinic

Let us walk through keyword research for a dental clinic in Uttara.

Seed keywords

dentist Uttara, dental clinic Dhaka, teeth scaling, root canal, braces.

Expanded with autocomplete and tools

• “root canal cost in Bangladesh”
• “best dentist in Uttara”
• “teeth scaling price in Dhaka”
• “braces price in Bangladesh”
• “dant betha hole ki korbo” (Banglish: what to do for toothache)

Grouped and mapped to pages

Now the clinic knows exactly which pages to build, and which keyword each page targets. No two pages compete for the same search.

How to judge keyword difficulty without paid tools

Search the keyword on Google from Bangladesh, in a private window. Look at the first page.

• Easier: forums, Facebook posts, thin pages or old articles rank. You can beat them with a better page.
• Medium: small business sites and local blogs rank. You need good content and some links.
• Hard: big brands, marketplaces like Daraz and news sites fill the page. Target a more specific phrase first.

What the coaching centre changed

They built pages for “IELTS coaching in Mirpur” and “IELTS course fee in Dhaka”, added a Bangla FAQ section answering common questions, and turned their generic tips posts into guides that linked to the course pages. Enquiries from Google grew steadily over the next few months, with fewer, better pages.

Good keyword research for Bangladesh starts with your customers’ own words. Use tools to expand, intent to guide, and a simple sheet to plan. If you want a full keyword and content plan, see our SEO services or read what SEO costs in Bangladesh.

Questions people also ask

Amanat Mossalli TajuFounder & Digital Strategist, Digiil

Amanat has managed $4M+ in Google and Meta ad spend for brands in the UK, USA, Australia and Bangladesh since 2020. He holds 20+ certifications, including Digital Marketing Strategy from Harvard Business School Online. More about Amanat