SEO

SEO agency in Japan for Google and Yahoo! JAPAN

Search in Japan works differently. Customers search in Japanese, mix kanji, katakana and English spellings, and use both Google and Yahoo! JAPAN, which serves Google-powered organic results inside its own page layout.

We research what your customers actually type, fix the technical problems holding your site back, and build content that ranks. Every report and call is in English.

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  • English-speaking team
  • From ¥100,000 per month
  • Japan-wide, in person around Noda

What you get

  • Rankings for keywords that lead to enquiries, not vanity traffic
  • A technically healthy site that Google can crawl and understand
  • Visibility in Google Maps for local searches
  • Monthly reports you can actually read

Included

  • Keyword research in Japanese and English, filtered for buyer intent
  • Technical SEO audit and fixes (speed, indexing, schema, hreflang)
  • On-page optimisation of existing pages
  • New content: service pages, guides and FAQs
  • Local SEO and Google Business Profile optimisation
  • Link building through relevant Japanese and English sites
  • Monthly ranking, traffic and lead report
Pricing

From ¥100,000

per month

Technical SEO, content and links, 6-month minimum. Local SEO / Google Maps (MEO) plan from ¥30,000 a month. One-off audits available.

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Prices exclude consumption tax. See all pricing

How it works

  1. AuditTechnical, content and competitor review.
  2. Keyword planJapanese and English keywords mapped to pages.
  3. FixTechnical issues and on-page improvements.
  4. BuildNew content and links each month.
  5. ReportRankings, traffic and leads, explained on a call.

What SEO growth usually looks like

SEO compounds: slow at first, then faster. Most sites move through these four stages. The charts are illustrations with example numbers, not data from a client.

  1. Illustration of a search performance chart with no clicks or impressions over twelve months.Illustration · example data
    1 No traffic yetA new or neglected site that Google has not yet crawled, indexed or trusted. This is where we fix the technical foundations and connect Search Console.
  2. Illustration of a search performance chart that stays flat for eight months, then rises slightly near the baseline.Illustration · example data
    2 First trafficPages start ranking for specific, long-tail searches. Impressions appear first, then the first clicks. Small numbers, but proof that Google is listening.
  3. Illustration of a search performance chart with clicks and impressions rising steadily each month.Illustration · example data
    3 Growing trafficMore pages reach page one as content and links build up, and growth starts to compound month after month.
  4. Illustration of a search performance chart that grows for several months, then levels off into a steady plateau.Illustration · example data
    4 Stable trafficTraffic settles at a new, higher baseline. The work shifts to defending rankings, improving click-through and expanding into new keywords.

How long each stage takes depends on competition, your site's history and the work invested. We report real progress from your own Search Console every month, and we never promise specific rankings or traffic numbers.

How we measure it

Competitor strength and AI visibility

Alongside Search Console, we use Ahrefs to compare your site with competitors: links, keywords in the top three, and how often AI answers such as ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews mention you.

How we report with Ahrefs →

Illustration of an SEO tool overview for a fictional software site with domain rating 71.Illustration · example data
Example: a category leader (DR 71)Ranks for 21,400 keywords with 3,800 in the top 3, and is mentioned in 2,800 AI responses, most often by ChatGPT. This is the kind of visibility we build towards over time.

Who we help

Restaurants

Bilingual menus, Google Maps and online booking for restaurants.

English Schools

Student enquiries for eikaiwa, international preschools and tutors.

Car Exporters

Stock-list websites and lead generation for used-car and kei-truck exporters.

Where we work

SEO for businesses across Japan, delivered remotely in English, with in-person meetings around our Noda office:

NodaKashiwaNagareyamaKasukabeBandoJosoMoriya

SEO work

Concept project

Bilingual website for a halal restaurant

Restaurant · Kashiwa, Chiba

A menu-first site for a halal restaurant serving both Japanese and international diners near Kashiwa Station.

See the full portfolio →

SEO: common questions

Do I need separate SEO for Yahoo! JAPAN?

Yahoo! JAPAN uses Google’s search technology for its organic results, so good Google SEO covers most of it. The page layout, ads and features around those results are different, which we account for.

How long until I see results?

Local and low-competition keywords can move within weeks. Competitive national keywords usually take 6–12 months of consistent work.

Can you do Japanese SEO if my team only speaks English?

Yes. That is the main reason clients hire us. We handle Japanese keyword research and content, and explain everything in English.

What is MEO?

MEO (Map Engine Optimization) is the term used in Japan for local SEO: ranking your Google Business Profile in Google Maps and the local results.

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Japan Market Entry

Localised websites, search and ads for companies entering Japan.

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Talk to us about SEO

Tell us what you need. We reply within one business day, in English.

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