What is Yandex? Explaining the search engine that is as popular as Google in Russia!

The other day, it was reported that the original source code of Yandex,

the search engine

with the largest market share in Russia, had been leaked. Many people probably learned about Yandex for the first time at that time.

Yandex is said to be more popular than Google in Russia, but in Japan it is also used for

inbound marketing

aimed at Russian tourists visiting Japan. Therefore, in this article, we will explain the features and benefits of Yandex, and why it is effective for inbound marketing in Russia.

What is Yandex?

Yandex is Russia’s largest search engine and a technology company headquartered in Russia. Although it is not well known in Japan, it is well known worldwide and is so large that it is called the Google of Russia.

Yandex’s search engine is targeted at users within Russia and specializes in Russian language searches. It has a high market share and seems to have a high level of satisfaction from users.

Also, Google and Yahoo! As such, we operate a wide range of businesses other than search engines, including online advertising services, online payment services, music streaming services,

cloud

storage services, and taxi dispatch services that originate from search engines.

History of Yandex

Yandex was a search engine founded by a company in 1997. Initially, it operated as a

directory

-type search site with manual listings, but later changed to an automated search engine in response to global trends.

In 2019, it has become such a large presence in Russia that it was put under state control by the Russian government. The operating company was registered as Yandex in 2000, and in 2008 it opened a subsidiary in the United States and is also working on global search.

Related articles

• 
  What is a search engine? Introducing 10 search engines in the world
  

Yandex share

How much market share does Yandex have among the many search engines? Let’s check the search engine share from February 2022 to February 2023.

We will introduce the share of search engines around the world.

Source:

StatCounter

In the world, Google has 92.25%. Next is bing with 3.18% and Yahoo! followed by 1.32%, followed by Yandex at 1.02%.

The results for Japan are as follows.

Source:

StatCounter

In Japan, Google has 76.44%. Next, Yahoo! followed by Bing with 15.63%, followed by 7.21%, and Yandex was out of range.

On the other hand, in Russia:

Source:

StatCounter

Yandex achieved 50.31%, which is higher than Google’s 46.49%.

Yandex Japanese search

Yandex can also be searched in Japanese. When I actually searched for the keyword “travel to Japan,” I got the following search results. Yahoo! News pages are also listed.

Japan is written as “Япония” in Russian, so when I entered this character and searched, I got the following results. “Japan” is displayed as regional information on the right side. Travelers visiting Japan probably know information about Japan by looking at these search results.

Features of Yandex

Yandex is incredibly popular in Russia, and we will introduce its main features.

Search engine strong in Russian regions

As mentioned earlier, Yandex is a powerful search engine in Russia. When we look into the reason for this, we find that it has been providing search engines in Russia from an early stage.

It has become familiar to Russian Internet users because it was offered when directory-type search engines were still in use, and has evolved into a machine learning-type search engine based on Google-like

algorithms

. You can easily imagine that.

Another key point is that Yandex specializes in regions in Russia and is targeting regions with high affinity. Google has a wide range of services in countries around the world, whereas Yandex is basically focused on Russia and its surrounding countries, so it can be said to be a contrast.

Utilizes machine learning algorithms

We mentioned that Yandex’s search engine uses a proprietary machine learning algorithm. A search engine algorithm is a mechanism that evaluates keywords searched by users based on certain rules. Pages evaluated based on these rules are displayed at the top.

Yandex’s search engine algorithm seems to focus on solving the user’s problem when generating answers based on the user’s

needs

based on the search keyword, rather than just returning mechanical answers to the keyword. This algorithm is said to be similar to Google’s.

In addition, Yandex’s rules are said to be created closely in Russia, and seem to be designed to help Russian users solve problems.

Comprehensive service provision

Yandex offers a variety of services other than a search engine. For example, the following services:

When you open a new tab, you’ll see a drop-down menu of frequently visited and recommended sites, and when you type in the search bar, you’ll see a list of search engines that you can choose from. . Also, if you use Yandex email, it seems to be more convenient.

Security and performance improvement features are also attracting attention. Other features include blocking annoying ads, password protection, and autofill.

We will introduce you to specific ways to use this service. Install the app and enter basic information. It looks like you need to enter your phone number. You can also pay by credit card.

Then select your current location and the destination you would like to take the taxi to. The app will show you the map and you just need to make your selection. Next, select the taxi rank and payment method. As the rank of the taxi increases, so does the price.

Once you have made a reservation, a map will show you how the taxi you arranged will be heading towards you. When you board a taxi, compare the model and number of the taxi displayed on the app with the model and number of the taxi that actually arrived.

In this way, it is a convenient app that allows anyone to easily call a taxi.

In this way, like Google and Yahoo!, it is also independently developing a wide range of services, and further expansion is expected in the future.

Why Yandex is effective for Russian inbound marketing

Yandex is attracting attention from a

marketing

perspective for Russian tourists visiting Japan. In order to approach tourists visiting Japan from Russia, we believe that implementing measures for the most frequently used search engines can be expected to be effective.

How many Russians are visiting Japan?

In recent years, the number of foreign visitors to Japan has decreased significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to data for the July-September period of 2022, Russia accounts for 2.2 billion yen, accounting for 0.4% of the total amount spent on travel by foreign visitors to Japan by nationality and region. By the way, in the October-December 2019 period before the coronavirus outbreak, it was 8.1 billion yen.

Source:
“Summary of nationwide survey results (first preliminary report) for the period October-December 2022” of the Japan Tourism Agency “Survey on consumption trends of foreigners visiting Japan”

Also, before the coronavirus, there was a trend that the number of tourists visiting Japan from Russia was increasing. It is said that the growth rate is high in Western countries, and this trend may return after the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Reasons why inbound marketing in Russia is effective

Why is it said to be effective to use Yandex for inbound marketing to Russia? The biggest reason for this is that it is the search engine with the top market share in Russia. By running ads, you can reach more people.

There is another big reason. It’s specific to Russia. As mentioned earlier, it is a search engine developed for Russia, so it has high accuracy for Russian searches.

Also, since Russia is a very large country, user preferences and search needs vary depending on the region. Another reason why it is effective for marketing is that it has been researching for many years how to respond to such search needs.

Since many users who are planning to visit Japan from Russia are expected to search on Yandex, it is effective to publicize and attract visitors through Yandex through advertising and SEO.

Advertising and SEO with Yandex

What exactly can you do when marketing with Yandex? Here we will introduce advertising and

SEO

measures.

Listing advertisement

Yandex allows you to post listing ads. Listing advertisements are advertisements that are listed along with search results on the search results screen. We decide which advertisements to display based on the user’s needs based on their search terms and browsing history.

For example, assuming that a user who wants to travel to Japan enters the search terms “travel Japan” and “sightseeing Japan” in Yandex, specify keywords and post them in a listing ad. is possible. I believe that placing advertisements that provide useful information that meets the needs of users will lead to results.

Related articles

• 
  What types of display ads? Introducing the difference between listing ads and basic knowledge
  

SEO

Yandex also allows you to carry out SEO measures. SEO is an abbreviation for “Search Engine Optimization”, which is called “Search Engine Optimization” in Japanese. It refers to all efforts to improve the ranking of a company’s web page by a search engine so that it is displayed at the top of the list when a user performs a keyword search on a search engine. In order to increase your ranking, you need to improve your web pages based on search engine algorithms and logic.

Similar to search engines such as Google, Yandex is operated with the idea of ​​displaying high-quality content and search results that meet the needs of searchers based on its own algorithms and logic. Therefore, in order to appear at the top of search results, it is important to create web pages with high-quality content and content that meets the needs of search users.

Similarly, listing ads will be displayed at the top if the target keyword is bid on, but advertising costs will be incurred. You don’t have to pay for Yandex to do SEO, so it’s an easy-to-continue initiative.

Also, Yandex can be said to be the best medium for doing SEO. The reason for this is high search accuracy. As mentioned earlier, Yandex determines search rankings by capturing the needs of users, including all of their regional behavior history.

Therefore, when implementing SEO, it is considered easier to reach the intended target by creating content that matches search needs. Furthermore, professional and reliable page creation will help improve your ranking in the Yandex search engine, making it easier to appear at the top of the rankings.

Yandex Listing Advertising Success Story

I would like to introduce one of the cases where a Japanese company was successful with Yandex listing advertisements.

A Japanese manufacturer needed to increase the proportion of its overseas operations because the domestic market for its products was shrinking. We had been advertising on Google AdWords for Russia and South Korea on our own, but that alone was not enough to produce results.

Therefore, we thought it was necessary to operate advertisements that were more rooted in the regions for China, South Korea, and Russia, so we placed advertisements in media specific to each region. Among them, we placed Yandex listing advertisements in Russia.

It didn’t take much effort, as all we had to do was migrate the ads we had placed on Google AdWords to Yandex listing ads. The results were greater than expected, and advertising aimed at South Korea had a direct effect on sales.

Additionally, Yandex’s listing ads were not as effective as those for South Korea, but the number of inquiries via listing ads was about 1-2 per day, so it is considered to have produced some results. .

Since this case was taken before the coronavirus, we cannot say that it will have the same effect today, but it can be used as a reference for Japanese companies’ Yandex listing advertisements.

Related articles

• 
  Explains the basic knowledge of listing advertisements. What are the benefits and features?
  

Key points for successful marketing in Russia with Yandex

When implementing inbound marketing for Russia, it is important to keep the key points in mind. Here are the main points.

Utilize internet advertising

According to the results of a report on the Russian advertising market in 2018 released by the Association of Russian Communication Agencies (AKAR), an industry association of Russian advertising agencies, the Russian advertising market was valued at 468.7 billion rubles (approx. 790 billion yen), an increase of 12%. In addition, the market size of Internet advertising increased by 22%, making it the largest advertising media market in Russia, surpassing the market size of TV advertising for the first time.

The progress of digitalization is remarkable worldwide, and further growth is expected in the future. Therefore, taking advantage of Russian Internet advertising is a great opportunity. As mentioned earlier, Yandex’s strength lies in its regional characteristics, so we recommend selecting keywords and creating content that take into account the regional characteristics of your target audience.

Use in parallel with Google

In addition to Yandex, we recommend that you also consider Google, which has a high market share as a search engine in Russia. For example, if you run listing ads on both Yandex and Google, you should be able to get better results. The key is to consider both rather than just one.

Consumption trends of Russian tourists to Japan

For your reference, we will introduce the information you need to carry out inbound marketing for Russia. What are the consumption trends of Russian tourists visiting Japan in recent years? Let’s take a look based on data from the Japan Tourism Agency.

The consumption trends of Russian tourists visiting Japan in 2019 are as follows.

The male to female ratio is 60.9% for males and 39.1% for females. The majority of respondents are between the ages of 20 and 39 for both men and women. The main purpose of visit was “sightseeing/leisure” at 62.3%. This is the result of an overwhelming number of tourists visiting for sightseeing.

Looking at the breakdown of travel expenditures, the following results were found:

This results in high accommodation and food costs. Since transportation costs and entertainment costs are low, it seems that people travel mainly by staying overnight. Also, what is interesting is what they bought while shopping and where they bought it. We will select and introduce the top three.

Top 3 items purchased

1st place Confectionery 54.0%

2nd place Clothing 44.9%

3rd place Alcoholic beverages 36.7%

Top 3 shopping places

1st place Supermarket 65.0%

2nd place Convenience store 51.3%

3rd place Airport duty free shop 50.7%

As expected, sweets are at the top of the list as they are the best souvenirs. Surprisingly, clothing came in second place, and alcoholic beverages also seem to be popular. And the travel information sources that were helpful before departure are a hot topic for marketers.

Useful travel information sources before departure

No. 1 Review sites (TripAdvisor, etc.) 28.2%

2nd place Video site (YouTube/Tudouami etc.) 25.5%

3rd place Personal blog 24.2%

4th place Relatives/acquaintances living in Japan 23.9%

5th place SNS (Facebook/Twitter/WeChat, etc.) 22.8%

General websites and SNS were ranked high, and all information other than relatives and acquaintances living in Japan, which came in 4th place, was on the Internet. This shows that Internet marketing is effective in attracting inbound customers.

Source:
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan Tourism Agency “Consumption Trends of Foreigners Visiting Japan: Survey Results and Analysis of Consumption Trends of Foreigners Visiting Japan 2019 Annual Report”

What is Russia’s Facebook “VK”?

When marketing to Russia, it is also recommended to keep an eye on media outlets that are loved by Russian internet users, along with Yandex. In particular, SNS is one of the media that is often checked before visiting Japan, so it is worth paying attention to. It would be a good idea to keep up with “VK”, which is said to be Russia’s Facebook.

VK, formerly known as VKontakte, is an SNS provided by a company called Mali.ru. It supports many languages, including Japanese.

What you can do with VK is exactly the same as what you can do with Facebook. Along with your own posts, you can interact with users with similar interests by

chatting

on Messenger, liking and sharing them, and creating communities.

It also has a great feature to find friends. In addition to narrowing down your search by age, place of residence, and occupation, you can also use the recommendation and search functions to find and approach posts that interest you.

The difference from Facebook is that it is said that there are many video posts. Facebook is also used in Russia, but some say VK is simpler and easier to use.

It is also attractive as an advertising medium. VK also has advertising services like Facebook ads. It supports a variety of ad formats, mainly in-feed ads, and allows you to limit ad delivery segments.

Since the number of users of VK is increasing, it can be said that it is effective for inbound marketing.

summary