Configure your global website correctly for the Japanese market through hreflang, URL architecture, canonicalisation and localisation best practice.
When a global website adds Japan, the technical relationship between the Japanese pages and the rest of the site determines whether those pages can rank at all. This service is about getting that relationship right — the architecture, the signals and the rules — so your Japanese content is treated as the Japanese version rather than as a duplicate.
The wrong language version ranks in Japan. Japanese pages are indexed but sit far below the English equivalent for Japanese queries. Pages disappear after a template change. Google shows the English page to Japanese users, or shows nothing. In almost every case the content is not the problem — the signals telling Google how the versions relate to each other are.
Japan often arrives late in a global site’s life, added to an architecture designed for one primary market. Domain choice, subdirectory versus subdomain, whether Japanese content lives in the global CMS, and how the language switcher works are all decisions that are hard to reverse later — and all of them affect Japanese organic performance.
We assess your domain and URL strategy for Japan and set out the trade-offs, including whether a .co.jp domain would actually help your situation.
A complete, reciprocal hreflang cluster covering every equivalent page, specified precisely enough for a developer to implement and then verified in the live output.
Self-referencing canonicals per language version, and rules that stop parameters, alternate paths or regional variants from splitting your signals.
Search Console configuration, sitemap structure, language-switch behaviour and the localisation rules that keep the Japanese version distinct.
A structured approach designed to turn Japanese search demand into sustainable organic growth.
We start by understanding your business, customers, existing website, competitors and objectives in Japan.
We analyse keywords, demand, competitors and Japanese search results to identify realistic opportunities.
We prioritise technical improvements, landing pages, content opportunities and other SEO activities based on expected business value.
Depending on the engagement, we provide recommendations, collaborate with your development team or support implementation directly.
We create or optimise Japanese content based on search intent, local expectations and your positioning.
We monitor performance and continuously refine priorities based on rankings, traffic, leads, conversions and changes in the market.
Other parts of the same programme that often run alongside this one.
Build a technically strong foundation for your Japanese website or Japan-facing site section.
Build organic visibility in Japan with SEO strategies designed around Japanese search behaviour, language and competition.
Create Japanese content that matches local search intent and helps potential customers understand, trust and choose your business.
No. This service configures your website so that its Japanese version performs correctly in the Japanese market. The SEO work we do is Japanese SEO. We do not run SEO campaigns in other languages or for other markets.
For most international companies a subdirectory on the main domain is the pragmatic choice, because it inherits existing authority. A separate .co.jp domain can make sense when there is a distinct Japanese entity and a long-term commitment to the market. It is a business decision as much as a technical one, and we set out the trade-offs rather than issuing a rule.
We validate the rendered output rather than the specification: every declared alternate must exist, return 200, and point back reciprocally. Search Console’s international targeting reports and live crawls confirm it after deployment.
Tell us about your business, current website and goals in Japan. We'll discuss your current situation, identify the areas worth investigating and explore how Japanese SEO could support your growth.