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Seznam.cz

Seznam.cz is the most important Czech internet portal and search engine, playing a key role in the Czech digital market. It is a unique phenomenon, because the Czech Republic is one of the few countries in the world where a local search engine competes meaningfully with the global giant Google over the long term. Seznam is not only a search engine but a whole network of services, including email, news, maps (Mapy.cz) and its own advertising system, Sklik.

For companies operating on the Czech market, Seznam is an essential part of the marketing mix. It holds a strong position especially among more conservative and older audiences, but its influence is felt across all generations thanks to services such as Novinky.cz, Seznam Zprávy and Firmy.cz.

The main parts of the Seznam ecosystem:

  • Sklik: an advertising system for managing PPC campaigns (similar to Google Ads), showing ads in Seznam search and across its extensive display network.
  • Mapy.cz: a top-tier mapping service, often preferred over Google Maps in Czechia (especially for hiking).
  • Firmy.cz: the largest business directory in Czechia, key for local SEO.
  • Zboží.cz: a price comparison and shopping advisor (a competitor to Heureka), essential for e-shops.

Advantages

  • Local dominance: in some demographic groups in Czechia, Seznam still has greater or comparable reach to Google.
  • Sklik and the display network: it offers access to premium advertising space on the most-read Czech sites (Novinky.cz, Sport.cz, Proženy.cz).
  • Better support for Czech: Seznam's algorithms have historically been very well adapted to the Czech language (inflection, diacritics).
  • Trust: for many Czech users Seznam is “the gateway to the internet”, which increases trust in ads shown on the platform.
  • Mapy.cz for local marketing: if you have a physical store in Czechia, a listing on Mapy.cz is critical to your success.

Disadvantages

  • Limited geographic reach: Seznam is relevant purely to the Czech market (and partly to Slovak users living in Czechia). It is unusable for global campaigns.
  • Smaller market share on mobile: since both Android and iOS default to Google, Seznam lags behind on phones.
  • Technical differences in SEO: optimising for Seznam requires slightly different practices than for Google (greater emphasis on the Firmy.cz directory, for instance).
  • A narrower choice of formats: although Sklik keeps advancing, it is still catching up with Google Ads on some advanced AI and automation features.

Practical example

A Slovak e-shop selling tools decides to expand into the Czech market. The owner thinks translating the Google campaigns will be enough. After a month, though, he finds his results weaker than expected. On the recommendation of the Invelity agency he also launches campaigns in Sklik and registers with Zboží.cz. Suddenly he reaches thousands of new customers who barely use Google and search only through Seznam. Thanks to a presence on both platforms the e-shop maximises its profit in Czechia and covers the full spectrum of local users.