By Ayaka Uchida (CEO, A-Digital Works Ltd)
You’ve translated your website. You’re running ads. Traffic is coming in.
But conversions? Zero.
This is a common story I hear from Japanese companies trying to expand into Europe. Despite making significant efforts in translation and digital campaigns, they struggle to generate leads or inquiries.
As someone supporting Japanese brands from within the EU, I see the same mistakes repeated. This article outlines three real-world cases where marketing efforts failed—not due to poor ads or weak copy, but because of structural misalignments in how the site was built and localized.
Mistake 1: Your Ads Are Live—but Nothing Gets Delivered
Many Japanese companies set up EU-targeted advertising campaigns only to realize that impressions never appear, or performance flatlines right after launch.
This is usually due to platform-side delivery restrictions triggered by GDPR compliance issues.
Platforms like Meta and Google often limit ad delivery from outside the EU—especially when cookie consent isn’t properly managed. If your website doesn’t implement a compliant cookie banner (one that allows selective consent), you may be blocked from audience targeting altogether—even if your ad technically runs.
This issue isn’t visible in the ad manager interface, making it difficult to detect. Campaigns can appear approved but remain quietly restricted, wasting budget and causing confusion.
Mistake 2: Your Website Looks Fine—but It Feels Suspicious
Many Japanese companies build beautifully designed websites. Yet users in Europe often bounce immediately.
Why?
Because European users scrutinize trust signals far more closely than Japanese audiences do.
Common red flags that lead to instant distrust:
- No customer reviews (e.g. Trustpilot, Google Reviews)
- Japanese phone numbers (+81) or missing local contact info
- No VAT number, business address, or legal page (Impressum, Mentions Légales)
- “Company Info” or “Terms” pages that are missing or in Japanese only
Even worse, sites using Japanese kanji in buttons or form labels are often mistaken for scammy Chinese sites.
No matter how well the site is translated, anything that feels unfamiliar or opaque will drive users away.
In Europe—especially in Germany, France, and the Nordics—fraud awareness is high, and users will leave at the first sign of inconsistency.
Mistake 3: Your Landing Page Has Traffic—but No Clear CTA
Some companies manage to generate traffic, but still see zero inquiries.
The reason? Their CTAs are buried, vague, or too “Japanese” in tone.
In Europe, users don’t read everything top to bottom—they scan. If your site is long, overly detailed, and has no clear next step, users won’t convert.
In addition, Europeans are more likely to contact a brand via Instagram DMs or Facebook messages than by filling out a formal contact form. If your site doesn’t offer that option, it may feel outdated or inaccessible.
In short: Your funnel doesn’t stop at the ad. It ends at conversion—and that requires intuitive, culturally fluent design.
Summary: Conversions Don’t Fail Because of Language. They Fail Because of Structure.
If your global marketing isn’t delivering results, it may not be your ads or your message—but your setup.
A-Digital Works helps Japanese companies optimize not just translation and SEO, but conversion design, compliance, UX, and trust-building tailored for the European market.
If you’re running ads overseas but not seeing returns, let’s talk.
📩 Contact: info@a-digitalworks.com
By Ayaka Uchida (CEO, A-Digital Works Ltd)
