Stripe is a global payment processing platform that provides financial solutions for businesses of all sizes. They were looking to expand into the Japanese market, and their internal SEO team needed content beyond the direct translation of their English roadmap. They required localisation that incorporated Japan-specific laws, regulations, and business requirements.
I was engaged as a freelancer for this project to provide content ideations and detailed content briefs tailored to the Japanese market.
The Approach
To develop content that resonated with the local audience and aligned with search demand, I conducted thorough research that included:
- Competitor Analysis – Identified high-search-volume keywords and topics from local competitors.
- Industry Research – studied the needs of Japanese businesses related to:
- Freelancing
- Types of Business Ownership
- Accountancy Laws
- E-commerce
- Referenced information from Japanese government bodies, legal documents, and industry reports.
- Trend Analysis – Monitored Google Trends and social media discussions in Japan to gauge user intent and emerging interest.
Reflections
This project allowed me to work with a global brand while deepening my expertise in SEO localisation strategy. It also tested my Japanese language skills, particularly in navigating complex legal and financial texts. While I hold business-level proficiency in Japanese (JLPT N2), this project reinforced the challenges of working with highly technical material and the importance of precise, nuanced localisation for effective content strategy.