Establish a technical search baseline, local-language keyword plan and initial content scope. Focused on Indonesia.
Research, channel development and digital marketing support
Google held 93.07 percent of search engine market share in Indonesia in August 2026, according to StatCounter. That makes Google the main search channel for a website, but in many categories marketplaces such as Tokopedia and Shopee also shape how products are discovered, and Indonesia’s data protection law now applies to the analytics behind every site. The SEO Starter & Audit for Indonesia builds the technical and content foundations with both realities in view.
Language, marketplaces, geography and data protection shape SEO foundations in Indonesia.
Google dominates search across Indonesia, and Google Business Profile is the primary local listing. In e-commerce-heavy categories, however, many Indonesian consumers discover and buy products through marketplaces such as Tokopedia and Shopee, so a website-only strategy can miss a large share of discovery. The starter work clarifies what role the website plays alongside any marketplace presence.
Indonesia ranked 80th of 123 countries and regions in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, in the Low proficiency band. Content for Indonesian buyers therefore needs to be planned in Bahasa Indonesia around the vocabulary they actually use, while noting where English terms are also searched. Geography matters as well: national topics should be separated from location-specific services, and local pages should exist only for places the business genuinely serves.
Law No. 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection (UU PDP) has applied fully since October 2024. It contains no cookie-specific rules, but data from cookies that can identify a visitor directly or indirectly is personal data, so analytics and advertising cookies need a lawful basis, such as explicit, informed consent. Consent must be written or recorded, and the request for consent must use clear and plain Bahasa Indonesia.
The core approach, applied to Indonesian search behaviour, marketplaces and UU PDP.
We audit and fix the agreed technical issues, including metadata, structured data, image optimisation, security and internal linking. Search Console and analytics are configured behind a consent notice in Bahasa Indonesia, so tracking and advertising cookies are used only once the required consent has been recorded.
We map topics using the audience’s product vocabulary and search intent in Bahasa Indonesia, and note where English terms are also relevant. Starter briefs are written for Indonesian readers, and drafts are reviewed in the live page layout before they are approved.
We separate national topics from location-specific services and delivery areas. Local pages are proposed only for places the business actually serves, because pages for areas it cannot serve attract enquiries it cannot handle and weaken trust in the site.
We confirm during scoping whether customers discover the category through the website, marketplaces or both, and plan the website’s role accordingly. Marketplace listing optimisation is a separate deliverable that can be added where it is relevant to the business.
These are the gaps most likely to undermine SEO work in Indonesia.
UU PDP requires requests for consent to use Bahasa Indonesia. An English-only cookie consent request does not meet that requirement, so the Indonesian version is treated as part of the tracking setup.
The absence of cookie-specific regulation does not exempt cookies from UU PDP. Any cookie that can identify a visitor is personal data under the law’s general definition and needs a lawful basis, which for analytics and advertising is typically consent.
Where Indonesian consumers shop mainly through marketplaces, a website-only strategy misses much of the search and discovery activity. Marketplace presence is confirmed during scoping so that the plan reflects how buyers really find the category.
These inputs let the work start with the right access and priorities.
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| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Website and CMS access | Needed to implement technical changes and consent-compliant tracking. |
| Brand voice and audience | Keeps the Indonesian content specific to your business and buyers. |
| Marketplace presence | Shows whether marketplace listings should be scoped alongside the website. |
| Service areas | Defines which locations, if any, need pages of their own. |
The engagement letter confirms the final deliverables and level of detail.
An audit report setting out the technical issues found, why each matters for search visibility, the recommended fix and the agreed owner. Changes already implemented are recorded separately from those still outstanding, so your team can see exactly where the site stands.
A keyword-to-page map built on local-language research, with topic groupings, the intent each page should serve and briefs for the initial content. It shows where existing pages can be improved and where new pages are genuinely needed.
A record of the implemented changes, published content, outstanding work and a measurement baseline for later review. If you want to continue, it also outlines how an ongoing programme of content, monitoring and optimisation could be scoped.
Each card states where the work took place. None is presented as an engagement in Indonesia: the cases show how Viettonkin approaches comparable work, and each one sets out its full context.
Practical answers for planning your marketing brief.
Not by default. The Starter focuses on the website. If buyers in your category discover products mainly on marketplaces, listing optimisation can be added as a separate deliverable.
No. Search engines decide indexing and ranking. The engagement addresses agreed technical and content foundations.
No. Ongoing content, monitoring and optimisation can be scoped after the initial work and handover.
Translated articles tend to miss the terms local buyers actually search with, and they read as translated to native speakers. Writing in the local language from the outset serves both search intent and reader trust.
Share your target market, business objective and current setup. We will agree the deliverables, responsibilities and next step.
