When it comes to Search Marketing, search engines like Google come into mind. But that’s not the case in South Korea.

Say hello to Naver, a Korean internet portal founded in 1999, and continues to reign as the top search engine platform in South Korea.

Naver’s Popularity  

Based on a recent Nielsen report, Naver, as of August 2021, is the top visited website in Korea, boasting 27.8 million unique visitors and an impressive reach rate of 83.4%.

Google, the world’s go-to search engine, only ranks fourth, next to its video streaming and sharing platform YouTube.  

Naver Search Ads 

Now, if you want to target audiences in Korea through Naver, it could get quite complicated.

While Naver sounds and functions relatively similar to Google, major differences that set the two apart are crucial not only to determine why Naver is king in South Korea but also for you to effectively leverage it for your brand.  

Let’s start discussing them.

1. Geotargeting

Naver’s geotargeting is only limited to two areas: South Korea and the rest of the world. The latter meant you cannot specifically select one country. 

2. Language

Naver Search Ads can be strategised using two languages: Korean or English. But if you want better results for your future paid search marketing campaigns, we recommend using Korean. 

3. Target

One of the factors that led Naver to outperform giants like Google in South Korea is that it not only targets websites, online platforms, apps, videos, but also online shops and blogs, giving businesses engaging in paid search strategies more channels to gain exposure and traffic. 

4. Matching

While its limited geotargeting and languages may seem drawbacks when doing search marketing, they actually result in Naver providing more accurate results. This meant that your ads will show up if queries typed are the exact match of your selected keywords.  

Get On Board with Naver Now 

There are a lot of things to know about Naver. If you’re curious and interested to learn more, just click the links below.  

• HyperX Powers Up Ads in Korea with Naver
• Naver Marketing – The Most Popular Digital Advertising in South Korea
• Case Study: Oracle Clinical uses Naver Advertising

But to sum everything up, if you want to successfully target South Korea’s hyperconnected audience, you should definitely choose Naver as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. And here in Digital 38, we can support your marketing plans in Korea with Naver.  

Our local team of specialists for South Korea are equipped with solid understanding to help you run campaigns effectively and efficiently on Naver for your brand’s growth.  

Contact us today to get started.