October 14, 2009
Internet, October 14, 2009. Yandex launches a portal for Kazakhstan. The new www.yandex.kz offers all key services provided by Yandex customized for web users in this country.
Web search on yandex.kz is based on the Kazakh, as well as on the Russian, language. Also, Yandex shows local websites in return to “local” user queries. For instance, the search query [president] triggers information about Nursultan Nazarbayev on top of search results on yandex.kz, while yandex.ru first shows results with Dmitry Medvedev. Web users searching for [exchange rate] on yandex.kz, will see US dollar to tenge rate, not dollar to rouble rate. Web users can choose the language for their search interface to match the language of the search results.
Yandex users in Kazakhstan also have an opportunity to setup a free email account on yandex.kz. Yandex.Maps now offers detailed maps of Almaty and Astana down to building address level, while the Yandex.Timetable service shows timetables for local and regional trains and planes. Besides, visitors to yandex.kz can read the Kazakhstani news, have a look at TV listings or event guide, choose locally available products on Yandex.Market or browse through car offers available in the Republic on Yandex.Auto.
Kazakhstani advertisers can enjoy the whole range of the advertising tools offered by Yandex.Direct. They can choose either Russian or Kazakh language for their ads and pay for their online advertising campaigns both, in roubles or in tenge. Kaznet Media is Yandex’s exclusive partner for online advertising services in Kazakhstan.
“We want to partner with the internet companies and websites in Kazakhstan to offer, together with them, exiting internet experiences to our users,” says Alexander Laryanovsky, head of Yandex's Regional Development. “Yandex.Market is awaiting Kazakhstan-based online shops, and Yandex.News is ready to receive news from the country’s mass media. We are encouraging website owners to use Yandex.Maps API, add our informers, participate in our widget program and promote their resources on Yandex’s front page.”
Currently, more than 1.2 million people living in Kazakhstan – almost half of all internet users in this country – use Yandex’s services. The total share of Yandex search in Kazakhstan, including www.yandex.ru and Yandex-powered search.mail.ru, reaches 46%, according to LiveInternet.ru.
