Guide

How to Rank on Google in Japan

Updated 30 October 2026 · Chenab Digital

Google is the most-used search engine in Japan, and Yahoo! JAPAN’s organic results are powered by Google too. If you rank well on Google in Japan, you are visible to most people searching here.

Japanese search still has its own habits, though, and an SEO approach copied from English-speaking markets often misses them. This guide covers what is different and what to do about it.

1. Research keywords in Japanese, not just in English

Most of your customers in Japan search in Japanese. English searches inside Japan exist, but the volume is usually small. Start by finding out what Japanese customers actually type.

Japanese keyword research has some quirks:

• The same idea can be written several ways. “Website production” can be ホームページ制作, HP制作 or ウェブサイト制作, and each has a different search volume. Kanji, katakana, hiragana and English loanwords can all appear.
• Local searches often use the city name. People search for a service plus a city, such as ホームページ制作 千葉 (website production Chiba).
• Translating your English keywords is not enough. A direct translation can be grammatically correct and still be something nobody searches for.

Use a keyword tool set to the Japan database, check the real search results for each candidate keyword, and ask whether the person searching could actually become your customer. A smaller keyword with buying intent is worth more than a big one without it.

2. Match the search intent

Before writing a page, search the keyword on google.co.jp and look at what ranks.

• If the results are company service pages, you need a strong service page.
• If they are long comparison articles (common in Japan, often titled “おすすめ10選”, or “10 recommended”), you may need an in-depth guide, or a listing on those comparison sites.
• If they show a map pack, your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website.

3. Get the technical basics right

Google needs to crawl, render and understand your pages. Check that:

• Your pages are indexed (use Google Search Console).
• The site loads fast on mobile phones. Most searches in Japan happen on smartphones.
• Each page has a unique, descriptive title and meta description.
• Your site uses structured data (schema) for your organisation, services, FAQs and breadcrumbs.
• If you have English and Japanese versions, they live on separate URLs (for example /en/ and /ja/) with correct hreflang tags, so Google shows the right language to each searcher.

4. Write content that earns trust

Japanese users tend to expect detail before they contact a business: clear prices, company information, process explanations, photos of real people and premises, and answers to common questions.

• Publish a company information page (会社概要) with your registered company name, address and representative.
• Show prices, or at least starting prices.
• Answer common questions on the page itself.
• Have Japanese content written or edited by a native speaker. Unedited machine translation reads as untrustworthy and rarely ranks.

5. Do local SEO (MEO)

In Japan, local SEO is often called MEO (Map Engine Optimization). For businesses that serve a local area, the Google Maps “local pack” can bring more customers than the regular search results.

1. Create and verify a Google Business Profile.
2. Choose accurate categories and fill in every field: hours, services, photos and a description.
3. Keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere online.
4. Ask happy customers for reviews, and reply to every review.
5. List your business in relevant Japanese directories for your industry.

6. Build links from relevant sites

Links from other websites are still a strong ranking signal. In Japan, useful sources include industry associations, local chambers of commerce, business partners, Japanese press release services and media coverage. Avoid paid link schemes. They can lead to penalties.

7. Measure what matters

Track rankings for your important keywords, but judge success by enquiries: form submissions, calls, WhatsApp and LINE messages. Set up conversion tracking from day one so you know which pages and keywords bring customers.

Summary

Step	What to do
Keywords	Research in Japanese, check every variant, filter for buying intent
Intent	Look at what ranks before you write
Technical	Indexed, fast on mobile, schema, hreflang for bilingual sites
Content	Detailed, trustworthy, natively written Japanese
Local	Google Business Profile, consistent details, reviews
Links	Relevant Japanese sources, no paid schemes
Measurement	Track enquiries, not just traffic

If you would rather have someone handle this for you in English, that is exactly what we do.