What is Seznam?
Seznam is the largest Czech internet group, combining a search engine, email, news, maps and an ad network under one login. The name means “list” in Czech, a reference to its start as a catalogue of Czech websites. Unlike most European portals, Seznam never outsourced its search to Google or Microsoft: it crawls the web with its own bot, SeznamBot, and ranks pages with its own algorithm. For Czech users the Seznam.cz homepage is still a daily starting point for news, weather and email.
Seznam history and key facts
Seznam grew from a one-person catalogue into a group with revenue above 6 billion CZK in under 30 years.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Ivo Lukačovič launches the Seznam.cz catalogue |
| 1998 | Free email service starts |
| 2001 | Firmy.cz business directory launches with 55,000 listings |
| 2006 | Sklik pay-per-click platform launches; Mapy.cz becomes interactive |
| 2016 | Seznam Zprávy news service appears on the homepage |
| 2024 | Record revenue of about 6.2 billion CZK and net profit of about 1.3 billion CZK (CzechCrunch) |
| 2025 | Mapy.cz goes global as Mapy.com; Seznam Asistent AI chatbot enters beta in November |
Seznam services
Seznam services cover search, advertising, local data and media, and each one feeds signals back into the search engine.
Seznam Search
Seznam Search is a full web search engine focused on Czech-language content. Search Engine World notes that SeznamBot crawls Czech domains more aggressively than foreign ones and indexes non-Czech pages more slowly.
Sklik
Sklik is Seznam’s pay-per-click system, the Czech counterpart of Google Ads. It shows text ads in Seznam results and display or native ads across Seznam’s partner network, including news and video sites.
Firmy.cz and Mapy.com
Firmy.cz and Mapy.com are Seznam’s business directory and mapping service, which together play the role of Google Business Profile and Google Maps. Local businesses in Czechia get visibility from a complete Firmy.cz listing.
Seznam Asistent
Seznam Asistent is an AI chatbot that answers questions with citations from Seznam’s search index. Lupa.cz reports that it runs on Seznam’s own language model SeLLMa, temporarily supported by OpenAI models hosted on Microsoft Azure in Europe.
Seznam market share in Czechia
Seznam is the second search engine in the Czech Republic, behind Google. Statcounter data for September 2026 shows Google at 78.71%, Seznam at 15.05% and Bing at 4.73%. In 2000 Seznam claimed a 53% share, so Google’s rise in the smartphone era cut its position sharply. For comparison, Yandex in Russia is the other well-known example of a local engine that resisted Google, but on a far larger scale.
Seznam SEO: how to rank in Czech search
Seznam SEO follows the same fundamentals as Google SEO, with stronger weight on Czech language and local signals. In my Czech projects I focus on:
- Native Czech copy, not machine translation from Polish or English.
- A .cz domain or a clear Czech folder with correct hreflang.
- Links from Czech media, directories and Firmy.cz.
- Monitoring in Seznam Webmaster, Seznam’s version of Search Console.
- Product feeds in Zboží.cz, the Seznam price comparison site.
I describe the full process in my guide to SEO in the Czech Republic.
Seznam vs Google
| Aspect | Seznam | |
|---|---|---|
| Czech search share (Sept 2026) | 15.05% | 78.71% |
| Ad platform | Sklik | Google Ads |
| Webmaster tool | Seznam Webmaster | Google Search Console |
| AI answers | Seznam Asistent (beta, 2025) | AI Overviews, AI Mode |
| Language focus | Czech | Global |
Frequently asked questions about Seznam
Who owns Seznam?
Seznam is controlled by its founder Ivo Lukačovič, who regained 100% ownership in 2016 by buying back a 30% stake. He founded the company in 1996.
What is Seznam's market share?
Seznam held 15.05% of the Czech search market in September 2026, according to Statcounter. Google led with 78.71%.
Is Seznam only used in the Czech Republic?
Yes, Seznam's search engine targets Czech users and Czech-language content. Its map service went international in 2025 under the Mapy.com brand.
What is Sklik?
Sklik is Seznam's pay-per-click advertising platform, launched in 2006. It shows ads in Seznam search results and across Seznam's content network.
Related terms
- About us: Seznam.cz history · Seznam.cz
- Search Engine Market Share Czech Republic · Statcounter Global Stats
- Česká internetová jednička přesunula sídlo z Kypru a poprvé utržila přes 6 miliard · CzechCrunch
- Česká odpověď na ChatGPT je zde. Seznam spustil Asistenta · Lupa.cz
- Search Engine Market Share Poland · Statcounter Global Stats
- Seznam.cz: Search Engine Overview for Web Marketers and SEOs · Search Engine World
