Website positioning in Sweden

‍Trade relations

Sweden maintains solid trade partnerships around the world, with particularly strong ties to both its European neighbors and major international markets. According to OEC data, Sweden's main export destinations are:

• Germany ($18.4 billion),
• United States ($18.1 billion),
• Denmark ($14.4 billion),
• Norway ($10.9 billion),
• Netherlands ($10.2 billion).

Exports

Sweden's export economy is diverse and advanced. In 2023, according to the OEC, Sweden's main export products were:

• Automobiles ($14.4 billion),
• Refined petroleum ($10 billion),
• Packaged drugs ($9.14 billion),
• Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($5.94 billion),
• Motor vehicle parts and accessories ($5.87 billion).

The country occupies unique export niches, being the world's largest exporter of iron powder ($474 million), polymer ion exchangers ($464 million) and motor vehicle chassis equipped with engines ($430 million).

Imports

Sweden's import market is equally significant. The country's major imports in 2023 included:

• Automobiles ($11.3 billion),
• Oil ($11.2 billion),
• Refined petroleum ($7.19 billion),
• Motor vehicle parts and accessories ($6.48 billion),
• Computers ($4.51 billion).

The main countries of origin for Swedish imports are Germany ($29.6 billion), the Netherlands ($17.6 billion), Norway ($15.9 billion), Denmark ($11.2 billion) and China ($10.8 billion).

For Polish companies interested in expansion, Trading Economics data shows that trade between Poland and Sweden is significant, with Polish exports to Sweden amounting to $9.10 billion in 2024, while Polish imports from Sweden amounted to $6.42 billion in the same period. This places Sweden among Poland's important trade partners in the EU.

Swedish consumers in the e-commerce sector

Swedish consumers are sophisticated, tech-savvy and demanding. According to Statista, about 55% of Swedes always conduct online research before making major purchases, underscoring the importance of digital presence and visibility in search results.

Comparing demographics, women aged 25-34 are the most active in e-commerce, with nearly 90% of women in this age group shopping online. The average Swedish e-commerce user spends $4,348 annually in online stores, an amount that is expected to rise to $6,350 by 2027.

Mobile optimization is essential, as 47% of web traffic in Sweden comes from mobile devices, with desktops and laptops accounting for 50%. Properly adapting websites to mobile devices is a key factor in successful SEO.

Payment methods

Digital payment methods dominate the Swedish e-commerce sector and are used in almost 70% of online transactions. Popular options include:

• Swish (a Swedish mobile payment system),
• ApplePay,
• Klarna,
• AfterPay.

Mobile commerce

Mobile devices are increasingly important for Swedish e-commerce, with more than 35% of consumers (DataFeedWatch) making purchases via smartphones. In 2022, Swedes completed more than 40% of their online transactions via mobile devices, a slight increase from the previous year.

Delivery

In the Swedish e-commerce market, PostNord is the dominant courier service provider, with 66.6% of online stores using their services. Other major delivery options include:

• Budbee Home Delivery,
• DHL,
• DB Schenker,
• UPS.

VAT rates in Sweden

Sweden applies different VAT rates tailored to different categories of goods and services.

The standard VAT rate in Sweden is 25% and applies to most goods and services. However, there are reduced rates for certain categories:

• VAT 12% applies to hotel accommodation, foodstuffs (excluding alcoholic beverages), restaurant meals and low- or non-alcoholic beverages,
• VAT of 6% applies to newspapers, magazines, books, e-books, passenger transportation, maps, sheet music, some cultural services and transportation on ski lifts.

VAT regulations for e-commerce

For e-commerce companies operating in Sweden, it is important to understand and correctly implement several important VAT issues. According to PwC's tax summary, these include:

1. Platform rules: As of July 1, 2021, digital platforms that facilitate sales between sellers and consumers may be deemed to have bought and sold products themselves for VAT purposes, even if they never physically owned the goods. This creates significant VAT liabilities for marketplace operators and requires careful compliance planning.
2. Distance selling in the EU: A pan-European turnover threshold of €10,000 (about SEK 99,680) applies to all distance sales across EU borders. Companies exceeding this threshold must charge VAT at the rate applicable in the customer's country. To manage this, companies can:
   • Register for VAT individually in each client country (administratively complicated),
   • Use the One Stop Shop (OSS) system, which allows a single quarterly VAT return to be filed for all remote sales, with payments made to a single tax authority, which then distributes them accordingly.
3. Importing goods to consumers: For shipments under €150 from outside the EU, merchants can simplify customs procedures by collecting import VAT at the time of sale and declaring it through the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) system. This creates a smoother customer experience, as goods go through customs faster, and consumers do not receive separate import VAT invoices from shippers. IOSS declarations must be submitted monthly.
4. Reverse charge for electronics: As of April 1, 2021. Sweden has implemented a reverse charge mechanism for certain electronic goods when the invoice amount exceeds SEK 100,000 (excluding VAT). This applies to cell phones, integrated circuit devices, game consoles, tablets and laptops sold between Swedish VAT-registered companies.

Starting January 1, 2025, the turnover threshold for VAT registration in Sweden will increase from SEK 80,000 to SEK 120,000. The change will benefit small businesses and individual entrepreneurs by raising the annual turnover limit for VAT exemption. Companies below this threshold can still register voluntarily if they want to recover input VAT.

Consumer protection and regulation

Sweden maintains extremely strict standards for product quality, safety and labeling, reflecting its strong culture of consumer protection. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, companies entering the Swedish market must navigate several specific requirements:

• Country-of-origin marking is not required for industrial imports, although products bearing incorrect origin markings are strictly prohibited,
• Products created to look like they were made in Sweden must be clearly and permanently marked with the correct foreign origin,
• Consumer products imported from outside the EU (including textiles, leather goods, gold and silver jewelry, and furniture) are subject to special labeling requirements,
• Particularly stringent special marking and labeling regulations exist for pharmaceutical, chemical and food products.

Sweden has implemented very comprehensive health, sanitary and labeling rules, supported by advanced product quality monitoring capabilities. For details, companies should consult the relevant Swedish regulatory agencies:

• Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket).
• Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket).
• Swedish Chemicals Agency (Kemi)

For food products, the requirements for retail packaging are particularly detailed. Each package must include:

• The name of the manufacturer, packer or importer,
• The commercial name of the product,
• Net metric weight or volume,
• Ingredients listed in descending order by weight,
• Last recommended consumption date,
• Storage instructions (if the product is perishable or intended for infants).

All this information must be provided in Swedish. Local importers often help foreign companies with proper labeling to meet these requirements.

The Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) enforces these regulations to ensure transparency, safety and accurate information for Swedish consumers. Companies that fail to meet these standards may face barriers to entry or penalties.

SEO in Sweden

With 55% of Swedish consumers starting their shopping journey with online research, having a strong search engine presence is absolutely essential for success in this market. Proper SEO in Sweden can significantly increase your company's visibility.

Search Engines

When it comes to search engines in Sweden, Google reigns supreme with a dominant market share of 89.2%, making it the top target for your SEO efforts. The rest of the search engine pie is divided between:

• Bing: 7.28%,
• DuckDuckGo: 1.4%,
• Yahoo: 1,23%,
• Yandex: 0.58%.

This strong concentration means that correct search engine optimization for Google will cover the vast majority of the potential Swedish audience. But don't ignore Bing completely - with more than 7% market share, it still represents a significant number of users.

Website optimization

In Sweden's highly digital marketplace, where consumers do thorough analysis before buying, technical website optimization is particularly important. A technical audit is the starting point for effective SEO in Sweden, focusing on:

• The technical structure of the site,
• Mobile responsiveness (key, given that nearly half of Swedish web traffic comes from mobile devices),
• Page loading speed (Swedish users expect fast-loading pages),
• Localized content in Swedish,
• Local meta tags optimized for Swedish search patterns.

Optimizing your site's content is a key component of your SEO strategy that can significantly increase conversions and visibility in search results.

Choosing a domain extension

For companies planning a long-term presence in the Swedish market, the .se domain extension is strongly recommended, as it immediately signals a local identity and commitment to Swedish customers.

To register a .se domain, you must:

• Find an accredited registrar for a Swedish top-level domain,
• Provide a valid Swedish personal or organizational number, or an identification number for non-Swedish individuals or companies.

Alternative options include:

• Using a subdomain (e.g. se.yourwebsite.com),
• Create a subdirectory (e.g., yourwebsite.com/se).

A local .se domain not only increases user trust, but is also treated more favorably by Google for users searching from Sweden, potentially improving your placement in local search results. Sites in Sweden with a local domain often achieve higher rankings in natural search results.

Competitive analysis in Sweden

A thorough analysis of the competition in the Swedish market helps to understand local SEO specifics. When studying the competition, an SEO specialist should find answers to questions:

• Which keywords generate the most traffic for competitors?
• What sites link to competitors' sites?
• What types of content (content) work best in the Swedish market?
• What marketing strategies do competitors use?

Language and content for Swedish websites

Content Localization

Localizing content goes beyond simple translation, requiring an understanding of cultural nuances and references. For effective localization:

• Create content specifically for a Swedish audience,
• Include local events and trends,
• Work with native speakers or local experts.

Keyword research

Keyword research must take into account the peculiarities of the Swedish language. Due to language differences, direct translation of phrases from other languages may not yield optimal results.

Key aspects of keyword research for the Swedish market include:

• Analysis of search phrases in Swedish,
• Exploring search intent,
• Assess the popularity of specific phrases,
• Analyze the seasonality of searches.

How Swedes search for information may differ from other markets, so valuable content must be tailored to their specific needs and habits.

Keywords related to location

For companies offering local services, key words include the names of Swedish cities and regions, such as:

• "elektronik Stockholm" (electronics Stockholm),
• "skor Göteborg" (Gothenburg shoes),
• "möbler Malmö" (Malmö furniture).

Local positioning in Swedish cities is particularly important for companies with physical locations or that offer services in specific regions of Sweden.

Link building in Sweden

Effective link building in Sweden should include:

• Collaboration with local Swedish websites and blogs,
• Publication of guest articles in Swedish media,
• Building relationships with Swedish influencers,
• Presence in Swedish business directories.

A few valuable links from respected Swedish sites will be much more effective than numerous links from irrelevant sources. The quality of link building has a direct impact on positions in Google results.

Why choose us for SEO in Sweden?

1. experienced international partner

Our expertise in international SEO gives you the competitive edge you need in this sophisticated market. Let our SEO agency help you gain an edge in the Swedish market and attract new customers.

2. time and resource efficiency

Save time and resources with our comprehensive approach - from Swedish market and competitor analysis, to technical optimization of your site, to strategic content marketing and effective link building. Instead of coordinating multiple vendors, you get one integrated marketing solution.

3. risk elimination

Eliminate business risk with full transparency of our SEO efforts and access to detailed, real-time reports. We believe in showing you exactly what we do and the results we achieve.

4. local expert in Sweden

We work with experts to help bring your brand to local realities. Their invaluable knowledge of consumer behavior and search trends supports our strategies, ensuring maximum visibility and conversion.

5. an SEO strategy tailored to your business

Maximize campaign effectiveness with a strategy tailored to your company's business goals. We will create a comprehensive marketing plan that takes into account the specifics of your industry, competitive advantages and business priorities in the Swedish market. Our SEO efforts are always focused on increasing sales and visibility.

Summary

Sweden offers attractive expansion opportunities thanks to its highly developed economy, digital infrastructure and strong e-commerce market. However, successfully reaching Swedish customers requires a carefully planned SEO strategy that takes into account the specifics of the local market, consumer behavior and shopping preferences.

SEO in Sweden should not be a direct copy of efforts in other markets. The Swedish user has his or her own unique habits, and Google's search engine in this country prefers locally tailored pages. With a unique marketing strategy tailored to this Nordic country, your business can successfully compete in one of Europe's most digitally advanced economies.

A comprehensive SEO process including content optimization, valuable content marketing and strategic link building can significantly increase conversions on your site and help you achieve high rankings in Google search results.

Contact us now to find out how we can accelerate your company's growth in Sweden and other northern European markets. Our comprehensive Sweden positioning offer includes everything you need to grow your business in this fascinating country.