Yandex vs Google: Brand Promotion Strategies for Russian Search Engines

When it comes to brand promotion, the first step is selecting the most suitable search engine. Whether you’re a specialist from anywhere in the world, it’s essential to consider which search engine currently dominates the Russian market and the opportunities it presents. It’s important to note that no single search engine can claim absolute market leadership or meet all business requirements while providing a comprehensive solution.

In Russia, despite the blockage of many foreign marketing tools since 2022, the landscape of contextual advertising remains complex. While Google.Ads functionality may seem unavailable, the Russian audience continues to use Google products. Simultaneously, Yandex, Russia’s native search engine, offers favorable terms and conditions for various aspects of brand promotion. As a result, navigating between different tools becomes crucial, carefully selecting the best options or utilizing a combination of them to achieve optimal results.

In 2023, effectively promoting a brand through search engines in Russia requires a comprehensive understanding of the landscape. Quarter Billion Agency experts, drawing from their own experience, have shared valuable insights to guide brand marketers.

Yandex vs. Google: Contrasting statistics regarding active user counts in Russia

However, determining the exact market share for each of them poses a challenge due to significant variations in metrics reported by different sources.

Based on Similarweb data, Google holds the top position in Russia with a commanding market share of 74.01%, while Yandex trails behind significantly with a share of 10.98%.

The LiveInternet portal metric confirms Google’s leading position in Russia, albeit with slightly different figures. According to their data, Google holds a share of approximately 63%, while Yandex’s share amounts to around 37%.

Contrary to other sources, the analytics from Yandex Radar present a completely different perspective. According to their data, Yandex holds a significant market share of 63.51%, while Google lags behind with 35.99%.

The varying indicators can be attributed to the choice of web analytics calculation tools, according to experts from Impulse.Guru. Each tool employs different methodologies, leading to contrasting results.

Similarweb, for instance, gathers data from four primary sources: websites, partners, public data, and the Contributory Network aggregator. LiveInternet, on the other hand, collects information from a vast network of 576 thousand websites. Both resources analyze user numbers, which, in our perspective, may not provide the most accurate representation since individual users can visit a website multiple times.

Yandex Radar, however, adopts a distinct system based on its proprietary algorithms. It primarily considers traffic from Yandex.Metrica counters. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that even this approach may not fully reflect the actual market situation.

Thus, the choice of web analytics tools plays a significant role in generating different indicators, making it challenging to ascertain the precise market landscape.

StatCounter, a service that relies on search engine transitions as its primary metric, provides the most comprehensive view of the situation.

According to StatCounter’s data for February 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, the following trends emerge:

In Russia, Yandex dominates the search results across all types of devices, holding a share of 54.77%. It maintains a narrow lead over Google, which accounts for 43.37% of the market. Other search engines collectively occupy a minimal share of no more than 3%.

When it comes to desktop usage, the audience in Russia demonstrates a higher preference for the Yandex search engine, which holds a dominant share of 60.83%. In comparison, Google lags behind with a share of 37.1%.

On the other hand, when it comes to transitions from smartphones and tablets, Google takes a slight lead with percentages of 50.19% and 54.42% respectively. In comparison, Yandex follows closely behind with shares of 48.19% and 43.63% respectively. This trend is not surprising, considering that many users have Google preinstalled on their devices by default.

In the realm of game consoles, Google takes the lead with a significant share of 79.88%. However, when it comes to contextual advertising, this device category holds less importance compared to desktop and smartphones.

As a result, determining the clear market leader becomes challenging. While Yandex holds the top position in Russia, the margin is relatively small. This prompts skilled marketers to frequently run advertising campaigns on both search engines simultaneously. It’s important to note that Yandex and Google algorithms and tools differ from each other, which should also be taken into consideration when planning advertising strategies.

Varieties of Contextual Advertising

Contextual advertising remains a cornerstone tool for nearly every marketer, offering exceptional efficacy across diverse tasks and audiences. However, achieving optimal results demands profound expertise and a competent approach from advertisers.

Regardless of the chosen search engine, contextual advertising can be broadly categorized into two types: search engine advertising and network advertising. Moreover, each search engine presents additional options and nuances that must be considered when crafting campaigns.

Different types of advertising campaigns are available in Yandex Direct and Google Ads

Contextual search engine advertising is shown on search engine result pages and partner websites. In addition to promoting a brand page, it is also possible to run a retail campaign that features product cards with prices, primarily targeting the promotion of online stores.

The key characteristic of this type of advertising is its ability to directly respond to specific and relevant user queries as they enter them into the search box. In simpler terms, contextual search advertisements are only displayed to individuals who are actively searching for products or services using search engines. The cost of such advertising is based on clicks and conversions, meaning that advertisers only pay for users’ desired actions and have full control over setting the maximum cost for placing an ad.

The primary ad units in Google and Yandex search results share similarities. Both platforms can display up to 4 ads, followed by organic search results based on the user’s query. The main difference lies in the placement of the product gallery. On Yandex, the product gallery appears ABOVE the search results, while on Google, it can be positioned ABOVE or TO THE RIGHT. Additionally, both search engines offer mobile search advertising.

When it comes to advertising on networks, placements are made on websites, mobile apps, and other partner resources affiliated with the respective search engine. This type of promotion serves as supplementary information alongside the content of the search pages viewed by users. However, unlike contextual search ads, it is not necessary for users to enter a specific query to see these ads. Users may be targeted based on their previous interest in similar goods or services or their current engagement with a website on a related topic.

To put it simply, the primary goal of network advertising is to reach users who have demonstrated some level of interest in the advertised content. Yandex achieves this through YAN (Yandex Advertising Network), while Google utilizes GDN (Google Display Network).

YAN encompasses a vast network of over 50,000 websites, video services, mobile applications, Smart TVs, and Yandex’s own products like Yandex Mail and Yandex Video. According to Yandex’s 2022 data, the YAN platform reaches an average daily audience of around 42 million people. In YAN, targeting options include thematic targeting (based on page content), behavioral targeting (using user behavior on the internet), retargeting (targeting users who have already visited the company’s website), and user segments on Yandex Direct (such as contact details, geographical location, mobile device IDs, and more).

With its extensive global presence, GDN (Google Display Network) boasts a staggering network of over 2 million websites and applications, reaching approximately 90% of internet users worldwide. This vast network encompasses platforms like YouTube, Gmail, and various other developer products. In contrast to YAN, GDN offers more granular targeting options. Advertisers can choose specific websites for their ads or opt for broader settings based on audience characteristics such as gender, age, geographical location, interests, and more. GDN also provides the option for remarketing, allowing advertisers to reconnect with loyal users, similar to the retargeting feature in YAN.

Now let’s move on to the topic of contextual ad pricing

The price of contextual advertising is determined by two key parameters: rate and quality.

Rate refers to the maximum amount an advertiser is willing to pay for each click, impression, or conversion generated by their ad. It signifies the monetary value assigned to these specific actions.

On the other hand, quality represents the level of relevance between an ad and the primary queries of contextual advertising. A high-quality ad is one that aligns well with the key search terms and delivers meaningful content to the intended audience. The quality factor influences the effectiveness and performance of the ad in reaching the right users.

As a result, the quality indicator of an ad increases with each user click, indicating its relevance and effectiveness. Both Yandex.Direct and Google Ads conduct auctions for every search query, comparing rates and quality indicators of different advertisements. This process determines the order in which ads will be displayed for specific keywords. An ad with high quality but lower rate should secure a higher position than one with lower quality but a higher rate.

While there may be a price difference between advertising on Yandex and Google, it is not considerably significant. The cost variation depends on various factors such as placement geography, target audience, and more. The advertising system provides an estimated cost prior to campaign launch when loading the ad and specifying targeting parameters. However, calculating the exact amount is not possible at that stage.

Promotion through Google and Yandex for the Russian market to enhance SEO

What sets them apart?

Yandex places importance on behavioral metrics, meaning that user engagement and interaction with websites play a significant role in search rankings. On the other hand, Google focuses on content expertise, the ability to update websites regularly, and having a strong link profile.

When choosing a search engine for promotion, there are other factors to consider as well. These factors may include the target audience’s preferences, market share of each search engine, advertising opportunities, search algorithm updates, and the specific goals and objectives of the SEO campaign.

When it comes to SEO promotion on the Russian market, Google and Yandex exhibit differences. Despite some similarities, they have distinct requirements that influence the display of websites in search results.

Yandex offers regional targeting options, allowing for specific cities and regions to be included. By simply adding this information to Yandex.Webmaster and Yandex.Business, websites can be localized accordingly. On the other hand, Google lacks such detailed localization options, only providing targeting by country. This can be inconvenient for the Russian market, which has multiple regions with diverse audiences.

In terms of behavioral factors, Yandex places great importance on metrics such as the time spent on a website and page depth. These factors play a significant role in determining the quality of a resource. When these metrics are high, the website automatically gains higher positions in search results for relevant queries. However, Yandex system administrators also check for fake engagements to ensure authenticity. While Google also considers behavioral factors to some extent, their impact is not as significant as in the case of Yandex.

Yandex places greater relevance on commercial ranking factors compared to Google. It tracks various aspects such as product prices, product matrix, contact details, payment method information, transaction elements, and the accuracy of these parameters. By optimizing these factors, one can achieve optimal SEO results on the Yandex search engine. On the other hand, Google also considers similar factors but places more emphasis on the link profile. Often, websites with a significant volume of external links occupy top positions in search results on Google.

When it comes to text ranking factors, there are differences between the two search engines. Google prioritizes large texts and regular content updates as important ranking factors. On the other hand, Yandex focuses on the accuracy of word usage, absence of mistakes, and misprints. However, both search engines value high-quality content and it should be the main focus in SEO efforts.

The age of a website holds greater significance for Google, as it considers the domain’s age as an important ranking factor. Conversely, on Yandex, a new website with high-quality content has the potential to occupy top positions in search results.

On Google, the presence of a mobile version is crucial due to its Mobile-first indexing algorithm. This means that when ranking a site, Google primarily uses the mobile version for evaluation. If a website is not optimized for smartphones and tablets, its chances of attaining top positions on Google are considerably diminished. While Yandex also considers this parameter, it primarily focuses on evaluating user behavior rather than using it as a direct ranking factor.

The presentation of search results differs between the two search engines. On Yandex, search results include a title (up to 70 characters), a description (up to 170 characters), and icons that provide additional information about the website. This can include indicators like popularity (high traffic), user preferences (high engagement and visitor count), and a favicon, among others. In contrast, Google displays a title (up to 70 characters), a description (up to 140 characters), and a favicon, but only for the mobile version.

When it comes to contextual advertising, search results play a crucial role, and there are differences in this aspect as well. When conducting the same query, Yandex’s first pages primarily feature aggregator sites that offer a wide selection of options. On the other hand, Google tends to show thematic websites belonging to companies providing specific services.

Working with keywords is an important factor that warrants its own dedicated article. The mechanisms involved differ right from the stage of entering keywords into the system. Yandex and Google have contrasting approaches in this regard.

For Yandex, the optimal keyword density is around 3-4%. Going beyond this range may lead to site optimization issues and potential sanctions. On the other hand, Google has a higher threshold of up to 12% for keyword density. Additionally, for the Russian version of Google, word forms are considered almost indistinguishable, allowing for more repetitions of keywords. However, on Yandex, excessive keyword repetitions can be perceived negatively.

When working with both Yandex and Google, there are three key factors that should be considered:

Firstly, the focus should be on creating unique textual content. The presence of such content plays a significant role in determining the website’s visibility in general search results.

Secondly, it is important to effectively utilize keywords in the title, description, meta tags, and main text of the website. Proper keyword optimization enhances the website’s relevance and visibility.

Thirdly, building a diverse and appropriate volume of backlinks is crucial. The quality of these links is determined by factors such as popularity, credibility (being endorsed by opinion leaders), relevance to the website’s subject matter, and the overall number of links. However, it’s important to note that an excessive number of links can have a negative impact on the website’s promotion.

Understanding the various aspects by which Yandex and Google rank websites in search results is crucial right from the website creation stage. To ensure the creation of a resource that can achieve a leading position in search rankings, it is advisable to seek the assistance of skilled professionals.

The experts at Quarter Billion Agency are ready to provide guidance on all matters related to contextual advertising in the Russian market. Furthermore, they offer comprehensive services such as creating new websites from scratch, conducting thorough audits of existing websites, and developing and implementing the most optimal promotion strategies that cater to the specific requirements of both search engines, your business, and your budget.

Place your trust in our experience, skills, and expertise to ensure the successful promotion of your business in Russia!