Overview
Client: Lazada Philippines (Alibaba Group)
Industry: E-commerce Marketplace
Market: Southeast Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia)
Challenge: Build sustainable SEO foundation to drive long-term organic revenue growth
Industry: E-commerce Marketplace
Market: Southeast Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia)
Challenge: Build sustainable SEO foundation to drive long-term organic revenue growth
The Challenge
Lazada operates in one of the most competitive e-commerce markets in the world. Amazon, Shopee, and local marketplaces all compete for the same customers and the same search rankings. The challenge was not just ranking for product keywords, but building systematic, scalable SEO capabilities that could drive growth year after year.
The platform had hundreds of thousands of product pages across multiple categories, languages, and countries. Traditional one-off SEO tactics would not work at this scale. We needed infrastructure, processes, and teams that could optimize continuously as the platform grew.
Another challenge was regional coordination. Each market (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia) had unique search behaviors, languages, and competitive dynamics. The SEO strategy needed to be flexible enough for local optimization while maintaining platform-wide standards and shared learnings.
The platform had hundreds of thousands of product pages across multiple categories, languages, and countries. Traditional one-off SEO tactics would not work at this scale. We needed infrastructure, processes, and teams that could optimize continuously as the platform grew.
Another challenge was regional coordination. Each market (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia) had unique search behaviors, languages, and competitive dynamics. The SEO strategy needed to be flexible enough for local optimization while maintaining platform-wide standards and shared learnings.
Our Approach
We treated this as a platform transformation, not a marketing project. The goal was not just traffic growth, but building the technical foundation, team capabilities, and processes that would make SEO a reliable growth channel for years to come.
Technical SEO came first. With hundreds of thousands of pages, small technical issues compound into major problems. We focused on crawlability, site speed, mobile experience, and ensuring search engines could efficiently access and understand all product content.
Content strategy needed to work at marketplace scale. We could not manually optimize every product page. Instead, we built templates, guidelines, and automation that enabled merchant content to be SEO-friendly by default. We also created category content and buying guides to target top-of-funnel keywords.
Team building was as important as tactics. We hired, trained, and developed regional SEO teams with the skills to execute and optimize independently. This included creating documentation, playbooks, and knowledge-sharing systems so best practices spread across markets.
Technical SEO came first. With hundreds of thousands of pages, small technical issues compound into major problems. We focused on crawlability, site speed, mobile experience, and ensuring search engines could efficiently access and understand all product content.
Content strategy needed to work at marketplace scale. We could not manually optimize every product page. Instead, we built templates, guidelines, and automation that enabled merchant content to be SEO-friendly by default. We also created category content and buying guides to target top-of-funnel keywords.
Team building was as important as tactics. We hired, trained, and developed regional SEO teams with the skills to execute and optimize independently. This included creating documentation, playbooks, and knowledge-sharing systems so best practices spread across markets.
What We Did
Year 1: Technical Foundation and Quick Wins
- ✓Conducted comprehensive technical audit across all regional platforms
- ✓Fixed critical crawl errors affecting hundreds of thousands of pages
- ✓Improved site speed and Core Web Vitals scores
- ✓Optimized mobile experience for better mobile rankings
- ✓Implemented proper canonicalization for product variations
- ✓Enhanced category page structure and internal linking
- ✓Created scalable product schema implementation
Year 1: Content Infrastructure
- ✓Developed optimized product page templates used by thousands of merchants
- ✓Created category landing page framework for consistent optimization
- ✓Built buying guide content targeting informational queries
- ✓Implemented multilingual content strategy for Singapore and Malaysia
- ✓Optimized breadcrumb and navigation structures
- ✓Enhanced product filtering to generate SEO-friendly URLs
Year 2: Regional Expansion and Team Building
- ✓Hired dedicated SEO managers for Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia
- ✓Created comprehensive SEO playbooks and documentation
- ✓Established cross-regional knowledge sharing and best practice forums
- ✓Developed data dashboards for each market tracking key SEO metrics
- ✓Implemented quarterly SEO roadmap planning process
- ✓Trained product, engineering, and merchant teams on SEO impact
Year 2: Advanced Optimization
- ✓Launched structured testing program for SEO changes
- ✓Implemented advanced internal linking strategies
- ✓Enhanced merchant tools to encourage SEO-friendly listings
- ✓Created seasonal content strategies for peak shopping periods
- ✓Optimized for voice search and featured snippets
- ✓Built backlink acquisition strategy through digital PR
Year 3: Scaling and Automation
- ✓Automated technical SEO monitoring and alerting
- ✓Built machine learning models to predict SEO performance of new categories
- ✓Created self-service SEO tools for merchants to optimize their own listings
- ✓Implemented real-time SEO recommendations in merchant dashboards
- ✓Scaled content production through freelancer networks in each market
- ✓Expanded to new product categories using proven frameworks
Ongoing: Continuous Improvement
- ✓Weekly data reviews identifying opportunities and issues
- ✓Monthly cross-functional SEO council meetings
- ✓Quarterly strategy adjustments based on market changes
- ✓Regular competitive analysis tracking marketplace SEO landscape
- ✓Continuous testing and optimization of templates and processes
The Results
SEO became a primary revenue driver across all three markets:
Revenue Impact
Revenue Impact
- ✓201% average year-over-year revenue growth from organic search
- ✓Organic channel became top three revenue source across markets
- ✓Reduced customer acquisition cost by diversifying beyond paid channels
- ✓Strong contribution to profitability targets
Order Growth
- ✓175% average year-over-year organic order growth
- ✓Consistent month-over-month improvement across all categories
- ✓Higher average order value from organic traffic versus paid
- ✓Better customer retention from organic acquisition
Search Visibility
- ✓Ranking on page one for thousands of product and category keywords
- ✓Featured snippets for hundreds of buying guide and comparison queries
- ✓Improved visibility versus competitors across core categories
- ✓Strong presence in local search results for each market
Team and Capability Building
- ✓Built high-performing regional SEO teams from ground up
- ✓Created sustainable processes scalable across markets
- ✓Established SEO as core competency within product and engineering teams
- ✓Developed case studies and learnings shared across Alibaba Group
What Made This Work
The key was treating SEO as infrastructure, not tactics. We built systems that could scale: templates instead of manual optimization, processes instead of one-off projects, teams instead of consultant dependency.
Technical excellence at scale required automation. We could not manually check hundreds of thousands of pages. We built monitoring systems that alerted us to issues before they impacted rankings. We created guidelines that made new features SEO-friendly by default.
Cross-functional collaboration was essential. SEO touches product, engineering, design, merchant operations, and marketing. We embedded SEO considerations into planning processes rather than retrofitting optimization after launch.
Regional coordination allowed markets to learn from each other. A winning strategy in Philippines could be adapted for Singapore. A technical solution in Malaysia could benefit all markets. This knowledge sharing accelerated progress across the platform.
Finally, focusing on fundamentals over tricks delivered sustainable growth. We did not chase algorithm hacks. We built great user experiences, fast page loads, helpful content, and clean technical implementations. This created resilient growth that survived algorithm updates.
Technical excellence at scale required automation. We could not manually check hundreds of thousands of pages. We built monitoring systems that alerted us to issues before they impacted rankings. We created guidelines that made new features SEO-friendly by default.
Cross-functional collaboration was essential. SEO touches product, engineering, design, merchant operations, and marketing. We embedded SEO considerations into planning processes rather than retrofitting optimization after launch.
Regional coordination allowed markets to learn from each other. A winning strategy in Philippines could be adapted for Singapore. A technical solution in Malaysia could benefit all markets. This knowledge sharing accelerated progress across the platform.
Finally, focusing on fundamentals over tricks delivered sustainable growth. We did not chase algorithm hacks. We built great user experiences, fast page loads, helpful content, and clean technical implementations. This created resilient growth that survived algorithm updates.
Lessons for E-commerce Marketplaces
Technical SEO is the foundation. At marketplace scale, technical issues compound quickly. Invest in site speed, crawlability, mobile experience, and structured data. Get the platform right before focusing on content.
Build systems, not one-off optimizations. Manual optimization does not scale to hundreds of thousands of pages. Create templates, guidelines, and automation that make pages SEO-friendly by default.
Invest in team capabilities. Consultant dependency is not sustainable. Build internal teams with deep SEO expertise who understand your business and can optimize continuously.
Coordinate across functions. SEO cannot be siloed in marketing. Product, engineering, and operations teams must understand SEO impact and consider it in their decisions.
Think multi-year, not quick wins. Sustainable SEO growth comes from patient, consistent optimization compounded over years. Focus on building capabilities that will deliver value long-term.
Make SEO accessible to merchants. Empower sellers to create SEO-friendly listings through tools, guidelines, and education. Their content optimization multiplies your impact.
Build systems, not one-off optimizations. Manual optimization does not scale to hundreds of thousands of pages. Create templates, guidelines, and automation that make pages SEO-friendly by default.
Invest in team capabilities. Consultant dependency is not sustainable. Build internal teams with deep SEO expertise who understand your business and can optimize continuously.
Coordinate across functions. SEO cannot be siloed in marketing. Product, engineering, and operations teams must understand SEO impact and consider it in their decisions.
Think multi-year, not quick wins. Sustainable SEO growth comes from patient, consistent optimization compounded over years. Focus on building capabilities that will deliver value long-term.
Make SEO accessible to merchants. Empower sellers to create SEO-friendly listings through tools, guidelines, and education. Their content optimization multiplies your impact.
Services Delivered
- ✓Technical SEO Audit and Implementation
- ✓Site Architecture and Internal Linking Strategy
- ✓Content Strategy and Template Development
- ✓SEO Team Recruitment and Training
- ✓Process Documentation and Playbooks
- ✓Regional SEO Coordination
- ✓Performance Analytics and Reporting
- ✓Cross-Functional Collaboration Systems
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