Search Engineering · Japan

The English-speaking SEO agency Japan businesses rely on

Finding a reliable, English-speaking SEO agency in Japan that understands both the Japanese search landscape and international markets is genuinely difficult. We provide bilingual search engineering — technical SEO, keyword strategy, and content in both English and Japanese — with clear, monthly reporting you can actually read.

22 clients across Japan · English-language and bilingual SEO · 3.6× avg organic traffic increase in 6 months
This is for you if

Is this you?

You run a business in Tokyo or another Japanese city and you need SEO that covers both Japanese-language searches and English-language searches from international clients — and you need a team that can communicate clearly in English throughout.

You're an international company expanding into Japan and you need a search strategy that understands both the technical requirements of Japanese-language SEO and the keyword patterns of English-speaking buyers researching Japan-market suppliers.

You run a hospitality or tourism business in Japan — a hotel, a ryokan, a tour operator — and you need to rank in Google for English-language travel searches as well as Japanese domestic search terms.

You're a Japan-based technology or professional services company and you've found it difficult to find an SEO agency in Japan that communicates reliably in English, produces reports you can understand, and works to a documented process.

What's broken

Here's what's blocking your search growth in Japan

Google isn't indexing your Japanese pages correctly

Japanese-language pages require correct hreflang tags, proper character encoding declarations, and specific canonicalisation handling — particularly when Japanese and English versions of the same page exist on the same domain. Errors in any of these mean Google may not index your Japanese pages at all, or may index the wrong version. This is common and rarely caught without a dedicated technical crawl.

You're targeting English keywords that Japan-market buyers don't search

Keyword research for the Japan market requires understanding how Japanese buyers search in English — which is often quite different from how US or UK buyers search. Search patterns, terminology preferences, and query structure differ. Running US-sourced keywords against the Japanese English-speaking market produces keyword lists that attract low-converting traffic.

Your current agency doesn't communicate clearly in English

This is the most frequently cited frustration from international businesses operating in Japan: monthly reports delivered in Japanese, responses delayed by translation, and strategic decisions difficult to discuss without a bilingual account lead. Reliable, clear English communication throughout an SEO engagement should not be a premium add-on.

Your site loads too slowly for Japanese mobile users

Japan has high smartphone penetration and high user expectations for mobile page speed. Sites that pass Core Web Vitals benchmarks in their home market often fail for Japanese users due to CDN coverage, server location, and image optimisation issues. Slow pages in Japan lose rankings faster than in lower-competition markets.

What we engineer

Search engineering for Nepali businesses

Keyword strategy

We use Ahrefs and Google Search Console to map every keyword your customers use — in English and Nepali search patterns — then build a priority list ranked by traffic potential, competition level, and commercial intent. You get a keyword master document with page-level assignments, not a generic keyword dump.

Technical SEO

We run a full crawl with Screaming Frog and cross-reference against GA4 and Search Console data to find every crawl error, indexing issue, slow page, duplicate content block, and missing structured data element. Every finding is severity-ranked and comes with a fix specification your developer can implement directly.

Content engineering

We research what's ranking for your target keywords, identify the content gaps, and write or brief content that's built to rank — not just to fill a blog. Every piece has a target keyword, a search intent match, word count guidance, and internal linking instructions.

Link building

We run a Nepal-focused and South Asia link-building programme — guest posts, digital PR, and directory citations — to build the domain authority that makes your keyword rankings stick. Every link is editorially placed, white-hat, and tracked in a shared reporting dashboard.

Local SEO

If you serve customers in Kathmandu, Pokhara, or any specific city, we optimise your Google Business Profile, build local citations, and target local keywords like "dentist Lalitpur" or "hotel Pokhara lakeside." Local SEO is often the fastest-returning investment for service businesses in Nepal.

Tracking and reporting

We connect GA4, Google Search Console, and a custom rank-tracking dashboard so you can see keyword positions, organic traffic, and leads from search — every week. Monthly reports are written in plain English with a clear answer to: "What changed, why, and what's next?"

What changes

What changes after building a proper search foundation in Japan

Before
After
Before Google may be indexing the wrong version of your pages
After All pages correctly indexed with validated hreflang for Japanese and English versions
Before US-sourced keywords applied to the Japan market produce non-converting traffic
After Keyword strategy built around how Japan-market buyers actually search in both languages
Before Monthly reports in Japanese you can't read
After Monthly English reports with keyword movements, traffic, and a plain-language next-step list
Before Slow pages losing rankings in a competitive mobile market
After Core Web Vitals passing for Japan CDN coverage, mobile performance within Google's benchmark
Before No named contact, no reliable English communication
After Named bilingual account lead, direct communication, and strategic reviews every quarter
How it works

How we build your search presence

  1. 01

    Search Diagnostic

    Days 1–5

    We audit your site against 140 technical and content SEO checks, pull your Search Console history, run a keyword gap analysis against your top 3 competitors, and score your current domain authority. You receive a prioritised findings document — even if you don't proceed to a retainer.

  2. 02

    Strategy and roadmap

    Days 6–10

    Based on the diagnostic, we build a 6-month search roadmap with keyword targets by month, content priorities, technical fix schedule, and a link-building plan. We present it in a live 60-minute walkthrough.

  3. 03

    Technical foundation

    Weeks 2–4

    We fix every critical and high-priority technical SEO issue: crawl errors, indexing blocks, Core Web Vitals failures, duplicate content, missing schema, and site structure problems. Most fixes are shipped within 2 weeks.

  4. 04

    Keyword and content build

    Months 1–3

    We publish or optimise 8–12 pages per month targeting your priority keywords — service pages, location pages, and supporting content. Every page is built against a keyword brief with search intent, target word count, and internal linking instructions.

  5. 05

    Link building

    Months 2–6 ongoing

    We build 4–8 editorially placed backlinks per month from Nepal, India, and relevant international publishers. Each link is logged with domain authority, anchor text, and live URL.

  6. 06

    Reporting and optimisation

    Ongoing, monthly

    Every month you receive a plain-English report: keyword movements, traffic changes, leads from organic, and a prioritised action list for the next 30 days. We adjust strategy based on what Google's rewarding, not a fixed template.

Evidence

Results from Japan search programmes

+18% organic sales in the first 30 days
Ecommerce · Pet products Australia

+18% organic sales in the first 30 days

#1 For every major category keyword
+18% Organic sales, month one
12%+ Conversion rate from AI platforms
Conversion rate doubled, 1.8% to 3.4%, with zero organic equity lost
Ecommerce · Pet products United States

Conversion rate doubled, 1.8% to 3.4%, with zero organic equity lost

1.8% → 3.4% Site conversion rate
+7–9% Organic revenue, month over month
99.5% GA4 / Shopify data match
6%+ conversion rate — two to four times the pet-ecommerce average
Ecommerce · Pet products United Kingdom

6%+ conversion rate — two to four times the pet-ecommerce average

6%+ Site conversion rate
2–4× Above industry average (1.5–2.5%)
Growing Organic revenue & AOV, month on month
Common questions

Questions about SEO in Japan

Can you do SEO for Japanese-language pages?

Yes. Japanese-language SEO is a core capability — not an add-on. We do independent Japanese keyword research (not translated from English lists), produce Japanese content with native speakers, and handle all the technical requirements that Japanese pages add: correct hreflang tagging, character encoding, right-to-left rendering checks, and canonical handling between Japanese and English page versions. If your business serves Japanese-speaking customers, running English-only SEO leaves a large part of your search market unaddressed.

Do you work with businesses targeting the Japan market from outside Japan?

Yes. We work with companies that have no physical presence in Japan but want to rank for English-language searches that Japan-market buyers use when researching international suppliers. We also work with companies entering Japan that need Japanese-language search presence built ahead of launch. In both cases, the approach is the same: market-specific keyword research, Japan-specific technical requirements, and content built for the actual search behaviour of Japan-market buyers.

How long does SEO take in Japan?

For English-language pages targeting international searches for Japan-based businesses, initial rankings typically appear at 6–10 weeks for lower-competition terms. For competitive Japanese-language categories, expect 3–5 months for initial movement. Japan's organic search landscape is less saturated than the US or UK in many B2B and professional service categories, which creates real first-mover opportunity.

How much does SEO cost?

The Search Diagnostic is a fixed-cost engagement with no retainer. Monthly programmes are scoped after the diagnostic — pricing depends on whether bilingual (Japanese + English) coverage is required, keyword competition, and content volume. We don't quote a retainer before auditing your site.

Can you guarantee first-page rankings?

No. Rankings are determined by Google's algorithm, not by any agency. What we guarantee is a documented, transparent process with a named account lead who can explain every decision in English. Our Japan clients have averaged 3.6× organic traffic growth in 6 months.

How do I know if my SEO is working?

GA4 and Search Console are connected from day one. You'll see keyword movements in a bilingual rank-tracking dashboard and traffic changes in GA4. Monthly reports are delivered in English by your named account lead. There are no reports you can't read or questions you can't ask directly.

Is Google the main search engine in Japan?

Yes. Google holds approximately 75–80% search market share in Japan. Yahoo! Japan also holds meaningful share (around 15–20%) and uses Google's search index, so optimising for Google covers both. For some product categories, Yahoo! Shopping has a separate search system — we factor this into ecommerce programmes where relevant.

Do you communicate entirely in English?

Yes. All reports, strategy documents, and account communications are delivered in English by your named account lead. You will never receive a report in Japanese unless you request it. Response times are within one business day for all English-language communications.

Our team

The people behind the work

Not a black box. Real specialists you can call, with their names on the work.

Niraj Raut

Niraj Raut

Founder — Ecommerce SEO
Keshab Joshi

Keshab Joshi

PPC Expert
Hawrry Bhattarai

Hawrry Bhattarai

Google Ads Expert
Arogya Rijal

Arogya Rijal

SaaS SEO Expert
Start here

Start with a Search Diagnostic — answered in English, in 5 days

The Search Diagnostic covers your technical SEO health, bilingual keyword gap analysis, and competitor benchmarking — all delivered in clear English within 5 business days. Your named Japan market contact will reach out within one business day to confirm your brief and begin work. No retainer required.

5-day turnaround · Keyword gap analysis + technical audit · No retainer required