Keyword Research for Nepali Businesses: English, Nepali and Romanised

Keyword tools were built for big markets. For Nepal, they often show zero searches for terms that bring real customers every week. Nepali searchers also mix English, Nepali script and Romanised Nepali ('ghar bhada Kathmandu', 'momo kaha paincha'). Good keyword research here relies on tools and common sense together.

The short answer

Start with what customers ask you on the phone, check Google autocomplete and 'People also ask', look at what you already rank for in Search Console, and use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush for difficulty and ideas. Then group keywords by intent and give each group one page.

How people in Nepal search

A practical process

• Write down 20 questions customers actually ask your staff
• Type each main service into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions
• Note the 'People also ask' questions and related searches at the bottom
• Check Search Console Performance for searches you already appear for
• Use Ahrefs, Semrush or Google Keyword Planner for volume and difficulty
• Look at the top three results for each keyword: what type of page ranks?
• Group keywords with the same intent and assign one page per group

Don't trust 'zero volume'

Tools estimate volume from limited data, and Nepal is a small slice of it. A keyword like 'website design company in Butwal' may show zero, yet bring a few high-value enquiries a month. For local and B2B services, intent matters far more than volume.

Match the page type to the search

If the top results for a keyword are all guides, a service page will struggle to rank, and vice versa. If they're mostly Google Maps results, focus on your Google Business Profile. Looking at the results page is the most underrated step in keyword research.

Free and paid tools