Optimizing Local Searches in Japan: Success for Foreign Businesses

Google’s Local Search Alters Search Results Based on Geographic Information

For overseas businesses expanding into the Japanese market, constructing a digital marketing strategy tailored to Japan’s Google search is crucial. Particularly for businesses like restaurants, beauty salons, and retail stores with physical storefronts, local search results become pivotal. Google’s local search refers to the mechanism where search results are displayed based on specific geographical areas. For instance, if I, residing in Tokyo, search for “New York Pizza,” Tokyo-based pizza joints will appear at the top. Conversely, if someone living in the U.S. were to conduct the same search, New York-based pizza shops would likely display the results.

Hence, in local searches, the search results significantly differ between businesses and users. Beyond regular SEO practices, optimizing keywords from a user’s perspective becomes paramount in local searches.

Strategies for Securing Top Rankings in Local Searches

According to Google, various elements such as relevance, distance, and prominence combine to determine the ranking of local search results.

Relevance refers to the degree of alignment between search keywords and local information. High relevance between user search queries and comprehensive business information often results in higher rankings.

Distance indicates the proximity between the specified location in search keywords and the local search results. In the case of physical stores, closer proximity to the designated area tends to enhance search result rankings. Alternatively, if users do not specify a location, search results are based on their current location information.

Prominence gauges how widely recognized a business is. Local search results consider both online and offline prominence. This aspect aligns with traditional SEO practices, implying that higher prominence could lead to advantageous local search results. Moreover, even with low prominence, practicing SEO can improve visibility.

Utilizing Google Business Profiles

A valuable tool for enhancing local search rankings is the Google Business Profile, a free information management tool provided by Google.

While Google Business Profiles can be automatically generated from online information or user-contributed data, businesses with minimal online presence or newly established entities might need to create their profiles manually. Although these profiles are auto-generated, they might lack comprehensive information or contain inaccuracies. Therefore, businesses can add essential details like contact numbers, operating hours, addresses, and further enrich their profiles with photos, cover images, unique attributes, events, responses to reviews, and FAQs. These enhancements increase the completeness of the Google Business Profile and positively impact local search result rankings.

In Japan, prominent sites like “Tabelog” for restaurants or “Hot Pepper Beauty” for salons often dominate search results. However, the Google Business Profile holds significant relevance and can be a means for recently established businesses to secure higher rankings.

In Conclusion

Local search optimization is imperative for businesses with physical storefronts. Improving local search results can be achieved through keyword relevance and proximity. Among these strategies, fully leveraging Google Business Profiles is crucial, considering it’s a free tool.

At BizMOWA, we’re here to help you implement effective SEO strategies. We assist you in selecting the right keywords, optimizing titles and headers for SEO, and incorporating Japanese localization into your website.

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