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SEO and digital marketing in Turkey: Google and Yandex, the Law No. 6563 consent rules and the KVKK notice

How a company in Turkey, or one selling into Turkey, should choose an SEO company or a marketing agency, built on Law No. 6563, the KVKK read on mevzuat.gov.tr, Google's tax rules and StatCounter figures, on 22 October 2026.

Published by AI Knows Us · Updated 22 October 2026

SEO in Turkey is the one large market where a second search engine really matters: in September 2026 Google handled 73.42% of searches and Yandex 25.19%, so an SEO company in Turkey should report on both. Marketing email and SMS need prior consent under article 6 of Law No. 6563 on electronic commerce, every message must show who sent it, and an opt-out must stop the messages within three working days. Personal data falls under the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (KVKK). Ask any agency in Istanbul or elsewhere how it handles all three, and keep Search Console, Yandex Webmaster, your analytics and your ad accounts in your company's name.

The Turkish search and social market in numbers

StatCounter's figures for September 2026, read on 22 October 2026, put Google at 73.42% of searches in Turkey, Yandex at 25.19%, Bing at 0.71%, Yahoo at 0.35% and DuckDuckGo at 0.24%. In Spain, Italy and Switzerland in the same month, Google alone had more than 80%. In Turkey, one search in four goes to Yandex, so a plan that only looks at Google misses a quarter of the market.

For social media, the same source shows Facebook sending 69.86% of the visits that social networks send to websites in Turkey, Instagram 16.72%, YouTube 8.85% and X (Twitter) 2.69%. Instagram's share is much higher here than in Spain or Italy in the same month, which matters for a brand that sells through visuals.

What to ask an SEO agency in Turkey about Google and Yandex

  • Both webmaster tools. Register the site in Google Search Console and in Yandex Webmaster, and ask for reports from both.
  • Both sets of rules. Google publishes its Search Central documentation in Turkish. Yandex has its own guidelines. Ask the agency which work it expects to help on both engines and which is specific to one.
  • Positions on both. A page can rank on one engine and not the other. Ask for keyword positions on Google and on Yandex in the monthly report.

Our guide to Yandex Webmaster and when a site needs it explains the setup. For Turkish-language buyers, our Turkish guide to choosing an SEO ajansi covers the same hire in Turkish.

Turkish, English, or both

A company selling to Turkish customers needs Turkish pages written for Turkish searches, not translations of an English site. An exporter, a hotel or a clinic serving visitors from abroad also needs English pages, and often others. Google says it decides a page's language from its visible text, so keep one language per page, give each its own URL and connect them with hreflang. Check demand in Google's Keyword Planner with the location set to Turkey for Turkish terms and to your buyers' countries for English ones.

An advertising agency in Istanbul serves the whole country's largest market, but the rules below apply in every city, from Ankara to Izmir and Antalya.

Marketing email and SMS under Law No. 6563

We read Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce in the text on mevzuat.gov.tr. Three articles decide how a Turkish email or SMS campaign must work:

  • Article 6, consent. Commercial electronic messages may be sent to recipients only with their prior consent, which can be given in writing or by any electronic means. Where a recipient gave contact details so that you could contact them, messages about changes, use and maintenance of goods or services you supplied need no separate consent. Article 6(2) adds that commercial electronic messages may be sent to tradespeople and merchants without prior consent.
  • Article 7, content. The message must match the consent given, identify the service provider, and carry reachable contact details such as a phone number, SMS number or email address. Depending on the channel, it must also state its subject, its purpose and, where sent for someone else, on whose behalf.
  • Article 8, refusal. Recipients may refuse commercial messages at any time without giving a reason. The sender must make refusing easy and free by electronic means, give the details in each message, and stop sending within three working days of receiving the request.

So a B2B list of merchants is treated differently from a consumer list. Ask your agency how it records consent for each person and how fast it processes refusals.

Personal data under the KVKK

Article 10 of Law No. 6698 requires the data controller, when collecting personal data, to inform people of the controller's identity and any representative, the purpose of processing, to whom and why the data may be transferred, the method and legal basis of collection, and their rights under article 11. Every enquiry form, newsletter sign-up and lead form needs that notice. Article 18 sets administrative fines for breaches, including failing this duty to inform, so make the notice part of the brief rather than an afterthought.

Google Ads billing in Turkey

Google's tax help page says Google Ads accounts served by Google Turkey (Google Reklamcilik ve Pazarlama Ltd. Sti.) are charged VAT at the Turkish standard rate, a rate the government can change. Check which Google entity your invoices name, and keep the ad account in your company's name so the invoices are yours.

What to put in the brief

ServiceWhat to ask for in writing
SEOPages to be written or fixed each month, with positions reported on Google and Yandex
Local SEO in Istanbul or another cityA Google Business Profile owned by you, with real address, hours and photos
Email and SMSConsent records under article 6, sender details under article 7, and refusals handled within three working days
Data protectionA KVKK article 10 notice on every form
Social and paid adsAccounts in your name, and media cost shown apart from the agency fee

Agencies in Turkey price by monthly retainer, fixed project or hourly rate. Compare quotes on hours, named people, languages, deliverables and exclusions. Refuse any offer that promises a position: Google's own page on hiring an SEO says "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."

Questions about SEO and digital marketing in Turkey

Do we need to optimise for Yandex in Turkey?

If your buyers are in Turkey, yes. StatCounter put Yandex at 25.19% of Turkish searches in September 2026. Register in Yandex Webmaster and track positions there as well as on Google.

Can we email Turkish businesses without consent?

Article 6(2) of Law No. 6563 allows commercial electronic messages to tradespeople and merchants without prior consent. Messages to consumers need prior consent, and every message must still identify you and offer a free way to refuse.

When must we stop sending after someone opts out?

Article 8 of Law No. 6563 requires the sender to stop within three working days of receiving the refusal.

Should an Istanbul company build its site in English or Turkish?

In the language of each buyer. Turkish customers need Turkish pages. Buyers abroad need English or their own language. Put each language on its own URL.

When can we judge whether our SEO agency in Turkey is delivering?

Read Search Console and Yandex Webmaster for impressions, positions and indexed pages, the Business Profile performance report for calls and directions, and your enquiries by page. The outcome depends on competition, your offer and your budget.

Gemini's share in Turkey and what it means

StatCounter's September 2026 chatbot figures for Turkey give ChatGPT 75.75% of use and Google Gemini 21.56%. With one user in five on Gemini, a Turkish company should look at both assistants when it asks how it is described, and at answers in Turkish as well as English, because each language draws on different sources. AI Knows Us puts buyers' questions to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews and shows which companies each answer names.

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