SEO
Finnish Search Engines and the Search Engine Market in Finland
KL
Kai Lemmetty
·4 min read
seocontentsocial media
KL
Written by
Kai Lemmetty
Digital marketing expert at Gaasly, helping businesses grow in international markets.
Written by
Digital marketing expert at Gaasly, helping businesses grow in international markets.
Search engines are an essential tool for finding information, products, and services online. In Finland, like in other parts of the world, search engines are a ubiquitous part of daily life. With a population of over 5.5 million, Finland has a highly connected and tech-savvy population, with high internet penetration rates and a robust digital culture.
So, what are the most popular search engines in Finland? Unsurprisingly, Google is by far the dominant player in the Finnish search market. According to StatCounter, Google.fi has a market share of around 94%, making it the clear leader. Bing.com and Yahoo.com are distant competitors, with less than 2% market share each. Yandex.com, a Russian search engine, also has a small presence in Finland, with less than 1% market share.
In addition to these global search engines, Finland has several local search engines that cater specifically to Finnish users. Fonecta.fi is a popular directory service that provides local business listings, reviews, and maps. 020202.fi is a phone and address directory that allows users to search for people and companies by name or phone number. Suomi24.fi is a social networking and discussion forum that includes a search function for finding content within site. Eniro.fi is another directory service that specializes in local search, with information on businesses, people, and places.
Despite the dominance of Google and other search engines, local search engines like Fonecta and Eniro remain popular in Finland, especially for users seeking information about businesses and services in their local area. However, the vast majority of searches in Finland are still conducted on Google.
Privacy concerns and GDPR compliance are important issues for search engines in Finland and other European countries. In May 2018, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect, requiring companies to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting and processing their personal data. This has had a significant impact on search engines, which rely on user data to provide personalized search results and advertising. As a result, search engines like Google have had to adjust their data collection and processing practices to comply with GDPR requirements.
In addition to privacy concerns, search engines in Finland face competition from social media and other online platforms. With the rise of social media and messaging apps, more and more people are using these platforms to search for information and connect with others. This trend has led to increased competition for search engines, as they try to keep up with changing user behaviours and preferences.
In conclusion, search engines are an integral part of the online experience in Finland, and Google is the clear leader in the search market. However, local search engines like Fonecta and Eniro also play an important role in providing information to Finnish users. With GDPR compliance and increased competition from social media, the future of search engines in Finland remains uncertain, but they are likely to remain a vital tool for accessing information and services online.
If you need help with optimising your website for search engines in Finland, read more about our SEO services in Finland here.
Frequently asked questions about search engines in Finland
Is SEO good way to enter the Finnish market? It usually is a good way, but growing organic visibility takes more time than paid advertising.
What are the key things to consider in SEO when entering Finnish market? Website should be localised and properly translated. Also, culturally tailored websites usually get the best results, so just translating from one language to another is not the way to go.
Are Finnish search engines or search portals worth the investment? They sometimes can be, but it is rather case specific. It should not be considered as a first move to make when thinking about entering Finnish market.