As the biggest internet market in Europe and an ever-growing online population, Russia offers vast opportunities for international businesses looking to grow sales and reach new audiences. Yet only those who understand the unique digital landscape and the expectations of a Russian audience will succeed. This session will offer an introduction to the market and the insights you need in order to build a successful online presence there.

2. |
Agenda
2
• Market overview
10 need-to-know facts
• What’s next?
Action plan

3. Market overview

5. |
Population
143,960,727
5|*http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/russia-population - August 2018, based on the
latest United Nations estimates
Internet population Internet penetration
109,552,842 76.1%

6. | 6*https://radar.yandex.ru/search?device-
category=1&selected_rows=iHMJ0E%252CvDPqTi%252C8fg2y0%252Ctmkupd%252CMCj1FA
Search engine market
shares by device
68%
26%
4% 2%
Yandex
Google
Mail.ru
Other
51%48%
1%
Google
Yandex
Mail.ru
40%
57%
1% 2%
Google
Yandex
Mail.ru
Other
*https://radar.yandex.ru/search?device-
category=1&selected_rows=iHMJ0E%252CvDPqTi%252C8fg2y0%252Ctmkupd%252CMCj1FA

7. | 7
Not one, not two…. but eleven time zones
10am in Moscow
7pm in Kamchatka

8. |
Key takeaway
8
Size
 There is a big audience to reach
when targeting Russia
 There is still room for growth,
especially compared to more mature
markets like Germany and the UK
 You need to think differently than
many other countries – for example,
setting time targeting for paid search
or scheduling social posts

9. 2. Differences

10. | 10
Moscow St Petersburg

11. | 11
Internet penetration differs by region

12. |
Key takeaway
12
Differences
 Very different experiences in big
metropolitan areas vs in the
countryside
 75% users in urban areas – so rural
areas have greatest room for growth
 Depending on your product /
service, will determine if you should
target specific cities vs whole
country

13. 3. Time spent online

14. |
Internet usage stats
• 85% of Russian internet users
access internet everyday (vs 86%
in the US)
• Average daily time online is
almost 6.5 hours
• 90% of internet users stream
video content – Youtube leads
the way
• 21% of internet users search with
voice commands
• Wifi is free in major cities in public
areas, including the Moscow
underground
14

15. |
Key takeaway
15
Time spent online
 Don’t assume that Russia lags the
West – they are avid, experienced
internet users
 Ensure you’re optimised for mobile –
and consider specific mobile ads to
target users
 Consider how video can be
incorporated into your strategy

16. 4. It’s dominated by Russian platforms

17. | 17

18. |
Key takeaway
18
It’s dominated by local
platforms
 Don’t ignore the local players
 But don’t forget about international
players either
 Understand where your audience
spends time online and spread your
budget and efforts to incorporate
them

19. 5. It has different seasonality

20. |
Key dates = more searchers
• 14th February – Valentine’s Day
• 23rd February - Men’s Day
• 8th March – Women’s Day
• 12th June – Russia Day
• 5th October – Teacher’s Day
• Christmas is celebrated on 7th
January, with a week-long holiday
20

21. |
Key takeaway
21
Different seasonality
 Take this seasonality into account
when planning campaigns
 Understand what these celebrations
are about and how you can harness
them to drive sales

22. 6. Russians speak Russian

23. Around 8% of Russians speak English fluently

24. |
Key takeaway
24
Russians speak Russian
 English content and campaigns won’t
work
 Translate and localise your content
for the Russian audience

25. 7. Quality matters

26. |
Understand how the
language works
• Cyrillic alphabet is unique
• Invest in high-quality translation
• Invest in keyword research and
content creation
26

27. |
CTAs
27
 Direct CTAs like ‘Buy Today’, ‘Don’t
Miss Out’ etc… can have a negative
impact
 Focusing more on the benefits and
features can be more successful or
less hard to sell, such as ‘Contact us’
or ‘Learn more’.

28. |
Key takeaway
28
Quality matters
 Don’t cut corners
 Research properly and rely on
experts

29. 8. Transliteration will happen

30. | 30

31. |
Key takeaway
31
Transliteration will happen
 Take transliteration into account
when setting campaigns or landing
pages
 Or you could miss a lot of traffic!

32. 9. Cross border shopping is big

33. Two thirds of Russians prefer to purchase
from foreign stores

34. | 34

35. |
Why is it so big?
• Lower prices
• More choice
• Access to products not sold in
Russia
• Status / reputation
35

36. |
Key takeaway
36
Cross border shopping is big
 There is a big opportunity for
international brands to grow
 Make sure you offer what Russian
consumers are looking for
 Provide clear information, especially
on delivery and customer services
on your website

37. 10. Price and deals are key

38. |
Price and deals are key
• Price is the most important factor
for Russians buying online – 38%
• Russian consumers will use search
to find deals before making a
purchase
• Russian retailers often offer
discounts, deals and loyalty
schemes to attract customers
away from foreign stores
38

39. |
Key takeaway
39
Price and deals are key
 Another way to tap into the
opportunity
 Research which deals would appeal
to your audience and use them to
attract new customers
 Include offers / promotions in your
marketing

40. |
10 need-to-know facts
about Russia
40
1. Size
2. It varies
3. Time spent online
4. Dominated by local platforms
5. Different seasonality
6. Russians speak Russian
7. Quality matters
8. Transliteration will happen
9. Cross border shopping is big
10. Price and deals are key

41. What’s next?

42. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
 Create local content
 Start social media advertising
 Set up retargeting campaigns
42|

43. The starting point

44. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
44|

45. | 45
Are Russian people
currently searching for
your products & services?

46. | 46
Google Keyword PlannerYandex Wordstat

47. | 47
The findings will determine what sort of
actions you should take in terms of
everything else that follows

48. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
48|

49. | 49
Can Russians understand your website?

50. | 50
The whole website!

51. | 51
Invest in professional
translation of your
website!

52. | 52
Is your website localised for Russians?

53. | 53
Does your site mention:
• How to place an order
• Payment options
• Delivery options
• Suitable currency

54. | 54
or alternative contact details?

55. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
55|

56. | 56
Paid analytics tools

57. |
It will help you:
 Check the performance of
your landing pages
 Help you understand your
audience
 Make decisions on which
content brings results
 Make decisions on which
design brings results
 Configure your site goals
accordingly
57

58. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
58|

59. | 59
Your choice of advertising efforts will depend on which stage
you are targeting:
Brand / product awareness
Interest
Purchase
Loyalty

60. |
Build trust!
The more Russians see
branded visual ads, the
more it builds trust
which is key for new
brand entering the
market.
60

61. | 61
Are people searching
for your product /
service?
No
Advertising
network campaigns
Yes
Search campaigns
• Yandex responsive ads
• Google responsive ads
• Banner / video ads
• Yandex text ads
• Yandex search banner
• Google text ads

62. | 62
Types of targeting
Advertising network
campaigns
Search campaigns
• geolocation
• advanced geolocation
• behavior
• age, gender, income
• interest
• keywords plus…
• geolocation
• time targeting
• device
• age / gender
• marital status, children,
• profession
• CRM data
• 3rd party DMT data
• look-alike

63. | 63
How to split the search budget in Russia?
60%
40%
Yandex
Google

64. | 64
How to split the advertising network budget in Russia?
90%
10%
Yandex
Google

65. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
65|

66. | 66
Use your keyword research findings to optimise your website for
organic ranking
Element Importance
Header Tag Very important
Title Tag Very important
Meta Keyword Tag Important
Keywords in URLs Very important
Internal Linking Structure Somewhat important

67. | 67
Google Search ConsoleYandex Webmaster

68. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
 Create local content
68|

69. |
Creating local content
69
 Help people understand what is
your purpose and your story
 Show the ‘human’ part of your
brand
 Helps you targeting specific
personas
 Improve your organic rankings (if
using your keywords)
 Provides content for social media

70. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
 Create local content
 Start social media advertising
70|

71. |
Social Media in Russia
71
 Youtube can be targeted via Google
ads
 Vkontakte (VK) has many similar
advertising options to Facebook
 Odnoklassniki (OK) is more popular
amongst older users

72. |
Vkontakte advertising
• Similar options to Facebook
• Left hand side text & image ads
• Community post (sponsored post)
• Community page
72

73. |
Here is your plan of
action!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
 Create local content
 Start social media advertising
 Set up retargeting campaigns
73|

74. |
Retargeting campaigns
74
 Target those that previously visited
your website
 Or completed a specific action on
your site
 Available on Yandex, Google and
Vkontakte (VK)

75. |
Good luck!
 Conduct keyword research
 Translate & localise your website
 Set up web tracking
 Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
 Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
 Create local content
 Start social media advertising
 Set up retargeting campaigns
75|

76. Questions?
anna.milburn@webcertain.com
www.webcertain.com
in/webcertain.com
@WebCertain