AOL Japan goes Google

[bill]

Back in 2000, the AOL Japan site used Excite Japan for its robot and directory results. Then in January 2001 they switched over to using results from goo. Finally this month they switched over to Google for search results and DMOZ for the directory (but they've had that for a while now).

In Japan, AOL is about 43% owned by NTT DoCoMo, which is part of the former monopoly telephone company. The official company name is actually DoCoMo AOL. DoCoMo is most famous for their i-Mode phones.

i-Mode phones do have a special AOL menu built in, so don't be surprised if you see more hits with DoCoMo user agents now. DoCoMo AOL is promoting use of their new AOL Search on i-Mode phone...which uses Google results.

[Woz]

Thanks for letting us know Bill.

Of course my first thought is "Google just keeps expanding partners all the time", but thinking from the "Searching in Japan" point of view, do you think this will mean better SERPs for Japanese Searches. Will the results be better then Goo?

Onya
Woz

[roscoepico]

We've been seeing

IP - 210.150.10
UA - DoCoMo/1.0/N504i/c10/TB

in our logs recently. Thanks for the info.

[bill]

do you think this will mean better SERPs for Japanese Searches. Will the results be better then Goo?

Well, the Google SERPs are good, but they're a little too important for SEM work now. Having the Inktomi results on AOL was good for variety. The end users are probably getting better results from the Google SERPs but there are fewer and fewer places to get alternative searches. Inktomi is now down to just Goo and TOCC (which provides results for Fresheye).

[bill]

We've been seeing
IP - 210.150.10
UA - DoCoMo/1.0/N504i/c10/TB

That's NEC's new i-Mode phone. The 504 series phones are made by a number of manufacturers. This particular model has some pretty impressive specs [nttdocomo.co.jp].

[Woz]

>fewer and fewer places to get alternative
This seems to be a trens worldwide, a situation of great concern.

>Google SERPs are good, but they're a little too important for SEM work now.
Qe?

Onya
Woz

[bill]

Qe?

SEM = Search Engine Marketing
but you knew that already, right ;)

Google holds such a large share of the Japanese SE market it's scary...and they just keep getting bigger. There's almost no reason to focus on other engines in this market.

[Woz]

yes I knew that..

I just didn't understand what you were saying, now I do, and it seems we are saying the same thing. With Google extending fingers into so many pies and so many countries, as you say, the alternatives are withering all the time. Ture, at the moment it lessens the work load, but also creates an Eggs/Basket effect that has already been commented in other threads.

We have just seen a double whammy effect as the result of a major algo revision at G and the SERP change at Y! Thinking ahead, perhaps now is a time where it is even more important to ferret out all possible alternate avenues of SEM and offline marketing as backup. A more difficult task perhaps in these waters.

Onya
Woz

[bill]

SERP change at Y!

Well the SERPs for Yahoo Japan are still the same as before; Google hasn't taken over to the extent it has in the US. As stated in the Yahoo - Google agreement, the local Yahoos are free to decide their own course of action. I haven't heard which way Yahoo Japan will head, but they have followed Yahoo US in the past.