It’s common to hear complaints from Japanese companies that their website appears at the top of search results for their company name in Japan but not in searches from other countries. Depending on the situation and the environment of the customer experiencing the issue, one or more of the following could be the cause:
1. Location Information
Search engines take the user’s current location into account, not only on smartphones and tablets but also on desktop computers. As a result, search results may prioritize websites closer to the searcher’s location. For example, a company’s website will likely rank highly when searched within or near the company’s region, but it might not appear as prominently for people in other areas. This is especially true for businesses like restaurants or retail stores, where location plays a significant role in search rankings for general terms or common names. (For instance, searching for “hamburger” will prioritize nearby burger joints.)
2. Smartphone Compatibility
If the website was designed primarily for desktop use and isn’t optimized for smartphones, it may not rank well in searches conducted on mobile devices. Modern search engines often prioritize mobile-friendly websites.
3. SSL Security Compatibility
Websites that do not have SSL certificates (displayed as “https” in the URL) may be penalized in search rankings. In some cases, they may not appear at all, depending on the user’s security settings or browser preferences.
4. English-Only Searches
If the website is only available in Japanese, it may not appear in search results when the user’s language settings are set to “English only.” Even if the company name is searched directly, no results will show.
Additionally, some websites may seem to have English content on the surface, but their source code might still specify Japanese as the primary language, or the visible text might be in English while the backend source code like meta data remains in Japanese. In such cases, the website’s visibility in English-language searches will be limited.
If your website is struggling to rank in other countries searches, it’s worth consulting an expert to identify and address these issues. Proper localization, optimization, and compliance with global search engine standards can significantly improve your website’s visibility.
