Strategic SEO for Success in Japan’s Search Engine: Google, Yahoo, and Bing
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Search Engine Landscape in Japan: Dominance of Google
Expanding into Japan necessitates optimizing your products and services for the Japanese market, with a crucial focus on your website. Effective marketing in Japan requires content localization.
In the realm of SEO optimization, understanding the usage patterns of search engines in Japan is essential.
| Search Engine | Japan (%) | U.S. and EU (%) | China (%) |
| 76.6 | 89.46~92.9 | 3.12 | |
| Yahoo! | 14.21 | 1.66~6.19 | – |
| bing | 8.22 | 0.98~2.27 | 15.13 |
| Baidu | 0.14 | 1.51 | 60.98 |
| YANDEX | 0.15 | 0.14~1.43 | |
| sogou | – | – | 10.05 |
| Haosou | – | – | 5.57 |
In Japan, Google holds the highest share among search engines. However, unlike in the West, Google’s share is relatively lower, with Yahoo holding a prominent position. This is primarily because Yahoo is the most widely used portal site in Japan.
It’s important to note that Yahoo in Japan withdrew from its independent search engine in 2010 and transitioned to using Google. The apparent high share of Yahoo is a result of many accesses coming through Yahoo, but in terms of pure search engine usage, Google accounts for over 90%.
Localization for Yahoo! in Japan
As Yahoo’s portal site also uses Google as its search engine, I verified whether the search results are the same when directly inputting into Google. Researching “Japanese SEO” yielded identical results of 278,000,000 for both.
However, on Yahoo, advertisements appear prominently, unlike Google, which displays results without ads. This highlights Yahoo’s emphasis on advertising, with some unrelated pages appearing as ads, showcasing the platform’s robust ad operation.
Regardless, a conscious effort toward SEO optimization with a focus on Google is necessary. Google’s SEO strategy is globally applicable, with no specific strategies exclusive to Japan. However, Google places a high emphasis on content quality, necessitating the creation of high-quality articles using appropriate Japanese.
On a different note, direct access from Yahoo’s portal site is significant for business expansion in Japan. Yahoo remains the most accessed site, widely used in both daily life and business. “Yahoo News” and “My Best” feature unique information, and being featured on these platforms can increase visibility and access. Clear and concise explanations in Japanese are essential for this purpose.
In Conclusion
In Japan, Google dominates the search engine landscape with over 90% share, followed by Microsoft’s Bing at 8%. While Bing requires specific adaptation due to its unique search technology, the importance of content quality is universal across search engines. Therefore, thorough website localization is crucial for effective engagement with the Japanese audience.
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.
If you need further assistance with your translation, feel free to ask here.
