SEO in Estonia

What else is worth knowing about the Estonian market?

• Area: 45 33 km²
• Population: 1.4 million
• GDP: $41.29 billion (2023)
• GDP per capita: 30,700 euros
• Currency: euro (EUR) as of 2011.

Data protection policy in Estonia

As a member of the European Union, Estonia complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (RODO). A company operating in the Estonian market must ensure compliance with data protection requirements. Be sure to inform your customers and site users how you process their data. 

Forms of payment

Estonians, as a digitally oriented society, prefer electronic payment methods such as:

• Bank transfers 
• Payment cards (Visa, Mastercard)
• Electronic wallets 
• Mobile payments 

Delivery

For Estonian consumers, speed and reliability of delivery are key factors in purchasing decisions. The main suppliers in Estonia are:

• Omniva
• DPD
• Itella 
• Venipak

SEO in Estonia

Google dominates the Estonian search engine market with more than 90% share, which simplifies the planning of SEO activities. The other search engines are of little importance.

The share of search engines in Estonia (February 2025) is as follows:

• Google: 91,48%
• Bing: 4,75%
• Yandex: 2.53%
• DuckDuckGo: 0.77%

Marketplace SEO

In Estonia, it is worth paying attention to the optimization of listings in popular marketplaces, especially on platforms:

• Kaup24.ee - Estonia's largest marketplace.
• Hansapost.ee - the second largest e-commerce platform.
• Prisma.ee - a popular food platform.

Important elements of marketplace optimization include:

• Tailoring product titles and descriptions to the preferences of Estonian consumers.
• Use of relevant keywords in Estonian.
• High-quality product photos.
• Publish positive customer reviews.

Website optimization

As in any market, a comprehensive SEO audit is the starting point for an effective strategy. In the case of Estonia, it is particularly worth paying attention to elements such as:

• Technical structure of the site
• Mobile optimization
• Page loading speed
• Content in Estonian or English
• Local meta tags

Mobile devices

Mobile optimization is important in the Estonian market. Sites that are not fully responsive lose some of their potential traffic. According to Digital 2025: Estonia, mobile devices accounted for almost 20% of web traffic. 

Which domain extension to choose?

For companies planning a long-term presence in the Estonian market, we recommend a domain with the .ee extension. Alternative options are:

• Subdomain (e.g. ee.yourwebsite.com)
• A subdirectory (e.g., yourwebsite.com/ee)

Google sees .ee country domains as more suitable for Estonian users, which could translate into better search rankings.

Competitor Analysis

In-depth competitive analysis of the Estonian market is a pillar of understanding local SEO specifics. We will check and answer questions such as:

• What keywords generate the most traffic for competitors?
• Which sites link to competing sites?
• What kind of content performs best in the Estonian market?
• What content marketing strategies are used by competitors?

Language and content

Localizing content goes beyond translation. It requires understanding local cultural nuances and language preferences.

To effectively reach the Estonian market, it is worthwhile:

• Create content in both Estonian and English (many Estonians prefer English in a business environment).
• Include local events to make content more engaging.
• Adapt the message to cultural differences avoiding literal translation.
• Use a native speaker or local expert to ensure naturalness of communication.

Keyword research

Keyword research must take into account the peculiarities of the Estonian language. Due to linguistic differences, simply translating phrases of, say, Polish or English into Estonian may not yield the expected results.

Key aspects of keyword research for the Estonian market:

• Analysis of search phrases in Estonian and English.
• Exploring search intentions: informational, transactional, navigational, commercial.
• Checking the popularity of specific long tail words and phrases. 
• Analysis of the seasonality of searches in the Estonian market.

Key phrases related to location

For companies offering local services, key phrases will include the names of Estonian cities and regions, such as:

• "elektroonika Tallinnas" (electronics in Tallinn).
• "jalatsid Tartus" (footwear in Tartu).
• "mööbel Pärnus" (furniture in Pärnu).

Link building in Estonia

Effective link building in the Estonian market should include:

• Collaboration with local portals and blogs.
• Publication of guest articles in Estonian media.
• Participate in local events and initiatives.
• Building relationships with Estonian influencers.
• Presence in Estonian company directories.

Our Digital PR strategies focus on quality, not quantity of links. A few valuable links from respected Estonian sites will have a better effect than many backlinks from little to no relevant sources.

Why should you do SEO in Estonia with us?

1. Experienced partner - benefit from our experience in search engine optimization in European markets and an effective SEO strategy for your business, which we will adapt to your goals, industry and cultural environment.
2. Cooperation with local experts - we are supported by Estonian specialists who understand the local market and trends very well.
3. Comprehensive approach - we offer a full range of services from market and competitor analysis, technical optimization of the site, to content marketing and link building.
4. Transparency - we provide full transparency of activities and access to real-time reports, so you have full control over the positioning process.
5. A tailored approach to your goals - all activities will meet the needs of your company in the Estonian market.

Summary

Estonia offers exceptionally promising business expansion opportunities. However, successfully reaching Estonian consumers requires a finely tuned SEO strategy that takes into account the unique characteristics of the local market, buying behavior and technological preferences of the audience.

It is also important to adapt content in both Estonian and English (a commonly used language in business), establish strategic partnerships with local marketing experts, and understand the Estonian e-commerce ecosystem.

Investing in a professional SEO strategy tailored to local realities will allow your company to not only position itself effectively in the Estonian market, but to build a sustainable competitive advantage.