Achieving Top Rank listings in Search Engines using SEO

AUN Consulting, Inc.

Recently, TV programs and commercials have begun displaying search engine boxes containing keywords to help people find the advertising company’s website on the Internet. It has now become common practice for people to search for information using the Internet. To take advantage of this trend, it has become very important for companies to be highly ranked on the major search engines such as Google and Yahoo as a prominent ranking will greatly affect their sales.

To meet this demand, the number of so-called “SEO (“Search Engine Optimization”) companies,” that enable clients to gain higher rankings in search engines, has been increasing. Among these companies, AUN Consulting, Inc., is increasingly attracting attention. The company’s president, SHIDA Akira, started with one staff member and a personal computer at his apartment in 1998. In November 2005, the company was listed on the “Mothers” section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and in 2007, the company was selected as one of 500 fastest growing companies in the Asia and Pacific region.

The company’s specialized service began when a client said, “We have launched our website, but nobody is viewing it.” SEO makes company URLs appear higher up in search engine rankings when users enter specific keywords into search engines. It is important that the keywords that users will likely use to search for required information are present in the website.

Search keywords (sometimes ranging in number from 1~20) are decided upon through consultation with clients. For instance, a client may want to receive hits to their website when someone searches for the word “manga.” If users are above elementary school age, they will likely enter the word in kanji and katakana. AUN suggests keywords by taking their clients’ target market into account and also suggests ways clients’ websites can be improved.

AUN Consulting also sells advertisements interlocking with search keywords and advertisements interlocking with website contents, otherwise called P4P (“pay for performance”). P4P are text advertisements interlocking with search keywords and website contents that are displayed prominently on websites. AUN Consulting is the only company that offers SEM (Search Engine Marketing) consulting services, which comprise P4P and SEO.

The company’s service fees are not inexpensive, and even if a client contracts AUN Consulting to assist them, the company makes no guarantee that a high search engine ranking will result. However, AUN Consulting has studied the algorithms (computations behind website ranking rules) to achieve successful SEO for a long time and their clients now rely on the know-how the company has gained. This has resulted in AUN’s business growing by a factor of more than 1,000 over the last three years and the successful achievement of many projects.

INUI Kumiko, a CBM (Cross Boarder Marketing) group leader at AUN Consulting, when discussing a successful client episode, says, “The client told me, ‘I was really happy I trusted Inui-san. My reputation in the workplace has increased.’” She says that the company now places much greater importance on SEO and search engines.

While many leading Japanese companies have already taken necessary measures to achieve higher rankings in search engines in Japan, many of them have not yet done so to become prominently listed in English or Chinese search engines. Recently, AUN Consulting has been receiving more orders from companies interested in the global market. Inquiries from foreign capital enterprises are also increasing. To cope with these increasing demands from clients, AUN Consulting is also recruiting foreign staff members and plans to market their services worldwide.

“In case of foreign language websites, clients wish to consult in English or Chinese,” says Inui. “Although Japanese staff can communicate with them, native speakers will be required if the client requires detailed or technical information.

AUN Consulting – now with approximately 100 staff members – has been providing SEO services for 10 years. During this period, the staff has been consistently studying the algorithms required for success because knowledge of this key component is becoming more complicated almost by the day. Once a week, the team holds a study meeting to share the latest information. Management is also hoping to break into the mobile phone business. They also make a goodwill contribution to society by donating the sales gained from flea markets run by the company to the Japan Guide Dog Association.

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