SEO services in Japan – see your site's issues and a better version first

What SEO services cover: three pillars of Google search

SEO (search engine optimization) is the set of work that makes your pages more likely to appear high in search results. Google tries to rank the pages that help searchers most, so the work falls into three areas.

• Technical: making sure Google can read your pages properly – mobile layout, speed, SSL, sitemaps, indexing status and duplicate pages
• Content: answering searchers' questions in concrete terms – service pages, how pricing works, FAQs, guides for your area or industry
• Trust: clear company information, natural mentions from partners and local media, and a well-kept Google Business Profile

Pushing only one pillar rarely works; steady progress on all three is the faster route. Being cited in Google's AI Overviews and in tools like ChatGPT now also brings visitors – see AI search optimization for how that works.

Signs your SEO needs attention

If several of these sound familiar, your site has clear room to improve in search.

• Your site only appears when people search for your exact company name
• You keep publishing blog posts, yet visits and inquiries stay flat
• Search Console is not set up, so you cannot see which searches bring visitors
• Every page title is just your company name, or they are all the same
• Pages load slowly on a phone and the text is hard to read
• Old links or bulk articles from a previous provider are still there and nobody knows what they are

The last two can weaken everything else you do. A good first step: open Search Console and check the queries with the most impressions and clicks, plus any pages that are not indexed.

A practical Google SEO checklist

There are hundreds of possible SEO tasks, but only a handful make a real difference for small and mid-sized business sites. In order of priority:

• Target searches: assign one inquiry-driving search to each page, such as "service + city" or "problem + solution"
• Titles and descriptions: write a specific title and meta description for every page around its search and content
• Headings and copy: make the h1 and h2 structure tell the story, and include what buyers need to decide – pricing approach, process, FAQs
• Internal links: connect related pages so visitors and Google reach your key pages easily
• Technical base: speed, mobile layout, structured data, sitemap submission, clean redirects
• Local search: for walk-in businesses, keep your Google Business Profile (MEO) consistent with the site

Avoid keyword stuffing, mass-producing thin articles and buying links. Tactics that break Google's guidelines can push your rankings down. Go through this list for your own site and tick what is done – the gaps show you where to start.

How an SEO project runs and how long it takes

SEO is a cycle: research, fix, measure, fix again. A typical project looks like this:

• Review: use Search Console and GA4 to see which searches bring traffic, which pages are read and where inquiries come from
• Diagnosis: list technical problems, match searches to pages and compare your content with competing pages
• Plan: rank the fixes, starting with high impact and low effort
• Implementation: rewrite titles and headings, add or merge pages, improve speed
• Measure and adjust: check rankings, clicks and inquiries every month and decide the next step

Results typically start to show after three to six months; competitive fields and new domains can take longer. To get going, have ready: view access to Search Console and GA4, access to your site's admin panel and a list of your main services and service areas. For budgets, see SEO pricing in Japan, and for splitting work with an outside provider, see outsourcing SEO.

What to check before hiring an SEO provider

Before you sign with anyone, confirm these four points.

• No ranking guarantees: Google decides rankings, so nobody can promise a position
• Clear reporting: you should see what was changed each month and what happened as a result
• Account ownership: Search Console, GA4 and your domain stay in your company's name
• Hands-on fixes: the provider can edit and add pages on your site as well as analyze it

The fourth point is the one most often missed – a good report is of little use if nobody can put the changes live. Our guide to choosing an SEO company goes into more detail.

How UNANOBO handles SEO: a free demo first

Before you commit, UNANOBO reviews your current site, lists its SEO issues and builds a free demo of your key pages restructured for search. You see which searches we would target and how each page would change, on a real screen, and then decide whether to go ahead.

The process is simple: free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder handles every project personally, from the first review to improvements after launch, and the same contact also covers site edits, MEO, Google Ads and GA4 setup. Everything runs by message, in Japanese or English. Search Console and GA4 stay in your name; you simply share access.