Unified Performance Campaign
One Yandex Direct campaign across Search, the Advertising Network, Maps and Product Gallery. The expert mode that gives the most control on Yandex.
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Search engine ad platform
Yandex Direct Advertising Management
Yandex Direct is Yandex's ad platform: it places ads in Yandex Search results, on sites and apps in the Yandex Advertising Network and on Yandex Maps. In Türkiye there are also location-based products for Navigator and Maps, plus Ecomm+ for e-commerce, which is paid only per result. Yandex is not for every brand. For brands selling to Russian-speaking audiences, or to map users in Istanbul, it fills a gap Google cannot close.
Purpose and appearance
What do we use this platform for?
We open Yandex for two audiences Google and Meta do not cover well on their own: foreigners researching holidays, homes or medical treatment in Russian, and people in Istanbul looking for a restaurant, service or store on the map. In e-commerce, we test whether Yandex adds incremental sales on top of existing channels. The goal decides which Yandex product we open; results are measured in Metrica and compared with Google and Meta in one table.
Funnel stages it serves
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
Yandex Ads
campaign types and ad formats within Yandex Ads
Product Campaign
Automated Yandex Direct ads for the products and categories in your catalog. An e-commerce campaign that launches quickly with minimal settings.
ExploreMedia (Display) Campaign
Awareness on Yandex with banners and video. CPM auction, cross-device frequency caps and Brand Lift measurement.
ExploreMobile App Ads
Yandex Direct app install and in-app action campaigns, built on a tracking system connection and correct event mapping.
ExploreEngagement Campaign
Viewable display ads on Turkish websites through Yandex Ads, with no charge for unseen impressions and a bigger retargeting pool.
ExploreYandex Geo: Priority Placement
A green pin, higher positions and a richer business card in Yandex Maps and Navigator. Brings routes and calls to physical locations.
ExploreYandex Navigator and Maps Media Ads
Banners, on-route billboards, logo pins and Branded Route in Yandex Navigator and Maps. Brand reach for people on the move.
ExploreYandex Ecomm+
A Yandex e-commerce campaign where you pay only for results, with a CPA or ROAS strategy running on your product feed and Metrica.
ExploreWho should advertise on Yandex in Türkiye?
Yandex's value in Türkiye comes not from its search share but from its audience. In Antalya, Alanya, Bodrum and Istanbul, Russian-speaking tourists and foreign residents use Yandex every day. For brands selling hotels, transfers, tours, restaurants, real estate and medical tourism services to this audience, Yandex is often the most direct channel. With an ad written in Russian, we can reach users whether they are already in Türkiye or still planning their holiday.
We reach Turkish-speaking local users mostly through Navigator and Maps. The user base of Navigator and Maps in Türkiye is measured in millions, and a large share of routes start in Istanbul; we share detailed audience data on our Yandex Geo page. For a business with a restaurant, store, service center or showroom in Istanbul, we think of Yandex first as a map channel.
Which Yandex Direct campaign type should you start with?
Yandex products are split by goal, and each has a different buying model: some are sold by auction per click or per conversion, some at a fixed cost per thousand impressions (CPM), and Ecomm+ is charged only per result. We choose the product based on the target audience and the site's measurement setup. On a new account we usually start with one or two products and add others as data builds up:
- The Unified Performance Campaign to manage all formats in Search and the Advertising Network in a single campaign
- For e-commerce sites with a feed, the quick-to-set-up Product Campaign or Yandex Ecomm+, paid per result
- Media campaigns for awareness, and Engagement campaigns for traffic with guaranteed visibility
- Mobile App ads for app installs and in-app actions
- Priority Placement for physical locations, and Navigator and Maps media ads for brand reach
Why Yandex Direct needs Yandex Metrica
Yandex's automated bidding strategies read goals from Yandex Metrica. On accounts where the site only has GA4, Yandex cannot see conversions and the campaign is forced to optimize for clicks. So the first step of setup is adding the Metrica tag through Google Tag Manager and defining goals in Metrica, such as form submissions, phone calls, WhatsApp clicks or purchases. For sites serving Russian speakers, we also check whether there is a Russian landing page; a Russian ad that sends users to a Turkish or English page does not bring conversions. We generally do not use the Campaign Wizard and Easy Start modes aimed at small businesses, because control over goals and placements is limited.
Yandex Ads: when do we recommend it?
We recommend it
- Hotels, tours, transfer services and restaurants serving Russian-speaking tourists or foreign residents
- Real estate firms selling homes to foreigners, and medical tourism clinics
- Businesses with physical locations in Istanbul that want to stand out in map searches
- E-commerce sites with a ready feed looking for an additional performance channel beyond Google and Meta
We don't recommend it
- Brands selling only to a Turkish-speaking audience where volume on Google is not yet saturated
- Businesses that want to target Russian speakers but have no Russian landing page or Russian-language customer support
- Companies that want to run measurement only with GA4 and will not approve adding Metrica to their site
How we manage Yandex Ads
- Audience and language decisionWe clarify whether the target is a Russian-speaking audience, local Navigator users or e-commerce buyers.
- Metrica setupWe install the Metrica tag and goals, and align goal definitions with GA4.
- Product selectionWe choose the one that fits the goal from Unified Performance, Product Campaign, Geo or Ecomm+.
- Russian contentWhen needed, we prepare ad copy and landing page recommendations in Russian.
- Channel comparisonWe read Yandex's cost and conversion quality in the same table as Google and Meta.
Yandex Ads: metrics and requirements
Metrics we track
- Metrica goal conversions
- Cost per conversion
- Conversion rate by language
- Routes and searches (Geo)
- ROAS
What you need to get started
- A Yandex Direct account and billing details
- A Metrica counter with form, phone, WhatsApp or purchase goals set up
- For Russian campaigns, a Russian landing page and a team that can respond in Russian
- For Geo products, a verified Yandex Maps listing for each branch
The Brand Move Yandex Team
Contact us nowTo learn more about Yandex ad formats, contact The Brand Move Yandex team today.
Explore further
Search Engine Advertising overview
Other Search Engine Advertising platforms
Google Ads
Google Ads management across Search, Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube and App, with campaign types chosen by goal and accurate tracking.
ExploreMicrosoft Advertising (Bing)
Ads on Bing, partner search engines and the Microsoft Audience Network. A channel that complements Google Ads for desktop and B2B audiences.
ExploreFrequently asked questions
Yandex Ads: frequently asked questions
What is Yandex Direct?
Yandex Direct is the ad platform behind ads in Yandex Search, the Yandex Advertising Network and Yandex Maps. Products are split by goal: some are bought per click or per conversion at auction, some at a fixed CPM, and Ecomm+ is paid only per result.
Do Yandex ads also show to users searching in Turkish in Türkiye?
Yes, Yandex Search and the Advertising Network also reach Turkish-speaking users, but Yandex's share of Turkish-language search is small. For local audiences we usually prioritize Navigator and Maps products, and for Russian-speaking audiences, Search and Advertising Network campaigns.
Do you write the Russian ad copy?
We prepare the ad copy and content recommendations for the landing page in Russian. The page itself must be in Russian and inquiries must be answered in Russian; otherwise you end up with a campaign that gets clicks but no conversions.
Isn't GA4 enough for Yandex?
We keep using GA4 for reporting, but Yandex's automated bidding strategies read goals from Yandex Metrica. Without Metrica, the campaign cannot learn from conversions. We run both tools with the same goal definitions and explain any differences in the report.
Let's run a first Yandex Ads review together.
In a free call we review your search terms report, conversion settings and budget split, then send you the first three fixes in writing.
Book a growth call
No sales pressure. Just findings.