APAC SEO Trends & Your 2011 Strategy 12/13/10

Search Engine preference and usage patterns are unique across the APAC, especially in East Asia.  Of note is the dominance of Yahoo in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, Baidu in China and Naver in South Korea, This post presents a road map to the SEO opportunity in the Asia Pacific including a look at how digital trends will transform the top 3 triggers for using a search engine from offline, to online.

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According to iProspect, a break down of the search engine landscape across the Asia Pacific looks like this:

• Google dominates in predominantly English speaking countries (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia) and also in Thailand.
• Yahoo controls search in Hong Kong and Taiwan while holding a significant portion of the Japanese and Singaporean markets.
• Baidu maintains a controlling position in China while Naver is the preferred option in South Korea.  In both countries, over 30% of searchers are unable to distinguish paid vs. unpaid results.

Search Engine Optimisation is driven by fresh content from authoritative sources that convey relevance. In the predominantly non-english speaking APAC markets, we need to consider the unique search engine choices, content consumption preferences, hardware usage, expectations of the locals and of course, native languages, in order to be able to engage effectively.

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Increasing search engine activity can be linked to the greater prevalence of eCommerce activity in the region, with consumers seeking out convenience, choice and price advantages.

Consumer attitudes towards the perceived risks of online shopping are relaxing thanks to more professional web stores, better consumer guarantees relating to returns and lost products, as well as a variety of payment methods like COD, in-store payments and other non-credit card payment options like debit cards, gift cards and micro-payment.

In the past 6 months, which of the following prompted you to perform a search online to look for more information about a company, product, service or slogan?

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Trends to Watch – The top 3 triggers for an online search are emerging web channels which bridge the offline-online divide:

1. Word of mouth from friends and relatives is driven by online social networking
Social Networking is booming across all demographics and geographies.  Variances exist in device and social network preference,  but the propensity of sharing is consistent across all countries. Expect to see more dynamic social network aware and touch-screen optimised advertising along these lines coming from providers like Socialmedia.com, Sprout and Oddcast.

image source: socialmedia.com

2. The bulk of TV advertising revenue will come from online streaming, aka non-traditional revenue as TVs become interactive web portals.

source: sonystyle.com

For the moment, consumers in emerging APAC markets are not as fragmented as their developed market counterparts.  This means that terrestrial television is still an effective communication tool (1).  However, increased bandwidth availability and demand for online video streaming in the Asia Pacific is fueling the growth of the Internet-ready TV market.

The Future: Online searches will be done through voice commands or wireless devices like tablet-style touch-screen remotes. With the advent of 3D TVs and motion sensing technology (Think X-box Kinect) we may even dispense with the need for a remote as people opt for a more natural and intuitive interactive experience.

One-way broadcast commercials will be replaced by interactive conversations where a key message spreads based on its value to the audience rather than the amount spent on securing prime time commercial spots.  Social Network connections is one form of interaction.  For example: http://sour-mirror.jp/ that let’s you connect with Facebook, Twitter or webcam. The result is a tailor-made and personalised viewing experience.  Entertainment aside, the commercial opportunity of T-commerce is emerging:

Despite T-Commerce being relatively nascent in the Australian market, the era of IP connected TVs is upon us and the sector is poised for dramatic growth and TV becomes part of the digital wallet in the near future. TV manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and Sharp are all investing heavily in bringing IP connected TV’s to market, making the Australian market ripe for growth and innovation in the sector. – insideretailing.com.au

This discussion would not be complete without a mention of Google TV, a solution that blends TV with the web, search and Android apps.  The change we are likely to see is comparable to when, for example, Freeview launched in the UK, as a bridge from the analogue to digital signal switchover. Of significance, is Google’s omnipresence.

3. Newspapers / Magazine Advertisements will develop on mobile devices (primarily tablets).

ACP Media have launched The Magshop App providing access to their entire catalogue on the iPad and iPod. Advertising Included.

Colour screen e-readers and tablet PCs are going mainstream and along with iPhone size smartphones, we are already seeing commuters happily using these devices on the train to work. Publishers are busy producing tablet versions of their magazines (currently with a focus on the iPad.) to service demand.  Full screen interactive advertising served through iphone and Android applications, Google’s Admob and other third party networks will rule.  They are more engaging, useful and entertaining than static or simple animations focused on clickthrough from days of lor. Let’s look at the iAd  as an example. It started being served through iPhone and iPod Touch apps has been expanded to take advantage of the bigger screen experience offered by the iPad. Check out this intro to iAds and then take a look at some user uploads of the a Tron Legacy iAd for the iPad on Youtube.

Tommaso Del Re, head of mobile and business development of Yahoo Southeast Asia agrees with me:

The next wave of Internet users in the region will be predominantly from mobile devices.

This is already true of most internet users in Japan and South Korea.  The rest of the APAC will follow in due course.

The iAd is building on the success of the mobile casual gaming trend.  In effect, we are able to access sponsored games or infotainment for free.  Delivered through apps, the ad can be pretty well targeted to an audience who appears to be receptive to it (see below.) Granted this is a US survey, but it’s still valid if we look at consumer behaviour, rather than where they are.



Furthermore, the green consumerism trend means people are buying less paper and relying more on their digital devices to access news and entertainment.

2010 has clearly demonstrated how rapidly the digital world is evolving.  Hopefully these specific examples have convinced you of the growing value of digital, both in terms of the expanding audience and also the technological advances that give us the opportunity to deliver engaging and entertaining ads that leads to more conversations and conversions.

Rather than helping people find your content, consider SEO  as helping your content find the right people.