SEO in Denmark – Where to Start?
Does SEO in Denmark and entering the Danish market make sense? In order to be able to answer this question you need to find out more about the nature of an average Dane. Knowing how Danes spend time on the Internet, what they are interested in and which websites they visit the most frequently will not only give you the answer to the mentioned question but it’ll also make it easier for you to form an opinion. Keep reading our today’s entry and find all the necessary information in a nutshell.
What is Denmark famous for?
Denmark is a relatively small Scandinavian country with its population reaching almost 5.8 million people. Probably the first things that come to your mind when you hear the word “Denmark” are Legos and the name of a famous fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen.
For many, the abovementioned Scandinavian country can also be associated with a very cool climate and an ecological lifestyle of its inhabitants. However, trying to deduce anything specific from this set of simple stereotypical information can be rather misleading. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at statistics which will give you a clear picture of SEO in Denmark.
Being online in Denmark – who is an average Danish Internet user?
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is an indicator that measures the digitization progress of EU countries. It’s based on analyzing five factors, such as:
- the access to broadband networks and their prices,
- citizens’ ability to use the Internet and various digital services,
- the Internet usage,
- digitization of companies and trade,
- digitization of public services.
Why have we decided to write about this particular country? Well, Denmark turns out to be the leading European country in the Digital Economy and Society Index. Therefore, there is a greater chance that your Danish customer will be a conscious Internet user taking advantage of online shopping and services on a regular basis. Thanks to the highly developed e-government system which provides quality statistics, the local market can be thoroughly analyzed. Our today’s entry to a great extent is based on data from Statistics Denmark – statbank.dk.
In 2017 as many as 97% of Danes already had access to the Internet. Of course, it was used primarily to send or receive emails and to search for the news and important events around the world. When it comes to the e-commerce industry, it’s vital to mention that 90% of people living in Denmark use online banking services. This piece of information will certainly come in handy while planning the available payment methods in your new online store. More than three quarters of the Danish Internet users look for various services, browse the offers of tourist agencies and actively participate in social media.
How to make a successful debut on the Danish market?
You already know who the Danish Internet users are, but how to make them find and visit your website and not the one of your competition?
Obviously, the basis is a well-optimised website in an appropriate language version. Inadequate preparation of the website can make it difficult for you to rank high in search engines. If you need help, our previous articles on Foreign Market Entry Success and 5 On-site Page Optimizations You Can Do on Your Own may be useful. Irregardless of the country you choose for your business, it’s a good idea to analyze which pages are the most frequently visited there. In this respect, Denmark isn’t an exception.
Social media platforms in Denmark
Facebook and Twitter are definite leaders among social media platforms in Denmark, therefore it’s worth taking care of the visibility and activity of your company there. Other SM are used by less than 5% of the Internet users. Moreover, Reddit is quite high in the popularity rankings of websites, so remember to be present on this type of bookmarking sites.
Search Engines in Denmark
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Google, with over 95% of the market share, is an unquestionable leader among search engines in Denmark. Thus, SEO activities in the homeland of Hans Christian Andersen should be based on guidelines and solutions prepared by Google, especially that it leaves its competition far behind.
The Danish opinion on SEO – beginnings of development
Henrik Bondofte, one of the Danish experts, in his speech for Semrush drew attention to the rather sceptical approach of Danish entrepreneurs towards various SEO activities. Due to the relatively small number of companies and potential customers, the competition on the market isn’t too high and the negative attitude can be noticed mainly among small and medium sized enterprises. However, in recent years the awareness and focus on SEO activities in Denmark have increased. It’s connected with the development of search engines and noticeably more holistic approach to SEO, which, of course, already for a long time hasn’t been only about tediously created links. This in turn has a direct impact on the growth of the Internet marketing services market. You should also note that most local SEO specialists are still wet behind the ears as usually, they’ve been working in the industry only for a few years. The offers of companies vary as well – they depend not only on the experience and advancement level of an employee but also on the services which are to be provided under the contract. An attempt to find approximate hourly rates on the websites of different local agencies can be infeasible as they prefer individual valuation. But when you finally manage to find some general information, the bids are between DKK 500 – 1200 per hour of specialist work which according to the exchange rate of 15.03 gives about € 66 – 160.
E-commerce market in Denmark
According to Eurostat statistics, in 2017 80% of Danes made at least one online purchase. So we’re analyzing the market with almost 4.7 million customers. Although it may seem that the amount is insufficient, you should take into account that the number of the local companies will probably be proportional, therefore fighting for top positions in Google rankings may turn out to be much easier than you thought at the beginning, especially that Denmark is rather cautious when SEO is concerned.
Don’t forget about the mobile version of your website. 32% of the Danish customers stated that they use a smartphone when finalizing the purchase. Although it’s a relatively small percentage when compared to other Scandinavian countries, it’s still ⅓ of the market share.
An average Danish consumer spends around €230 on online shopping. Debit and credit cards are unquestionable leaders among payment methods. Second, but very far behind them in percentages are online payments. According to data from 2017 concerning online shopping, Danes most eagerly buy tickets for various events as well as clothes and sports equipment. Among the most popular online shops in recent years are the bookstore Saxo, the distributor of electronic equipment Elgiganten and international stores of Amazon, Zalando, H&M or the Scandinavian cdon.com.
To conclude
When deciding to enter the Scandinavian market, you can surely expect a conscious Internet user who will frequently and eagerly take advantage of the benefits of the online world. Want to find out more? On our blog you can read about international SEO in other Scandinavian countries:
SEO in a country like Denmark doesn’t have to be complicated. A properly loKeep reading our today’s entry and find all the necessary information in a nutshell.cated website with a mobile version and profound research of the industry in which your company operates is a starting point. Having analyzed the above expert’s statement it can be deduced that appropriate technical and substantive preparation should bring you the expected results. However, bear in mind that SEO is a long-term process requiring not only consistency but also flexibility as you’ve to be quick to react to the steps taken by your competition and various updates of search engine algorithms. But there is one major asset – SEO doesn’t force you to stay in one place, it can be done from anywhere, using services of any agency you wish. The only prerequisite for success is a professional approach.
