Doing a quick search online reveals the current state of anticipation that is Pakistan's article marketing atmosphere. Article marketing, via Search Engine Optimization and other methods, is a way of promoting products and services that businesses offer. Using SEO-friendly keywords, which provide valuable back-links and brand awareness, businesses in Pakistan can improve their online presence a great deal that usually ends up paying them back as much as they spent on the SEO service to begin with.
For instance, doing a quick search for 'cement' on google.com.pk will bring up quite a few factories (such as Gharibwal, Attock and Fauji in that order) but FECTO (the only one you'd ever see advertised on houses along the Grand Trunk road) won't be in the top ten until you specifically search for it. Clearly, one would think, they need some major SEO work done. And it's not just FECTO cement, it's plenty of other businesses you might want to try looking for off the top of your head. Is there scope for article marketing here? Back links? Some truly insidious and successful advertising? There most certainly is.
The interesting part about it is that there are maybe five or six providers - both individuals and companies - offering these services online. There is Abdul Hayi Mansoor who advertises himself as an 'SEO specialist' and clearly knows what he is doing as searching for that term on Google (even Google UK) brings up his page first. There is Hansonpakistan.com, a fellow called Rizwan Zahid, Zafar Ahmed and finally a site called bitextra.com that purports to offer this service.
This is Pakistan's core team of article marketing specialists and the reason I call the atmosphere anticipatory is simple. They alone will not be able to handle that sudden surge of business needs for search engine rankings that is going to go through the roof! When you stop and think for a moment, you realize that there is a huge online population of Pakistanis involved in the writing industry, especially in writing and submitting articles. Whether through online writing companies or through freelance sites, many Pakistani professionals, students and women are getting paid from countries all over the world to write their articles.
What would be interesting to see are Pakistani professionals and freelance writers from both camps merging with the common goal of promoting local businesses on the Internet. They would do this the same way it's done for businesses all over the world, through SEO-friendly article writing and marketing. There are already forums for professionals to meet this way. Now, all that remains is to create is a more definite, concrete culture of professionalism; for high-quality work to be delivered at fast turnaround speed, in order that article marketing in Pakistan and for Pakistan to truly take off!
Some sites which feature article marketing and copywriting as their core business already exist. MS Copywriters is one such well established copywriting firm which shows up in numerous search results for copywriting and article writing. This firmly clearly understands the needs of SEO-friendly copywriting and article marketing.
By Saman Rashid
