Jiyun Kim, Author at The Egg https://www.theegg.com/author/jiyun-kim/ Digital Agency - Search, Social, Display Mon, 25 Nov 2024 08:34:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 https://www.theegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/favicon.ico Jiyun Kim, Author at The Egg https://www.theegg.com/author/jiyun-kim/ 32 32 Search Engine Market Share in Korea 2024: Navigating Korea’s Search Behaviour https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/search-engine-market-share-in-korea Tue, 07 May 2024 09:08:23 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=80450 The post Search Engine Market Share in Korea 2024: Navigating Korea’s Search Behaviour appeared first on The Egg.

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Search Engine Market Share in Korea 2024: Navigating Korea’s Search Behaviour

Search Engine Market Share in Korea. Navigating Korea’s Search Behaviour

In today’s digital era, the reliance on traditional portal search services for information is fading away. While Naver continues to hold its status as ‘Korea’s No.1 Portal’, platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are emerging as popular alternatives, reshaping the search engine market share in Korea in 2024. These platforms cater not only to conventional searches but also offer rich media content attracting diverse user interactions.

Further revolutionizing the search landscape, AI based services, like ChatGPT are changing how information is sought on the Internet. Instead of manually searching through pages of results, users can now engage in a direct, conversational exchange to quickly obtain the information they need. This innovative approach to search, combining AI-powered technology with user-friendly interfaces, outlines an imminent change in how South Koreans navigate and access information online, reflecting a transformation in search behaviours.

South Koreans are increasingly turning to an array of platforms that integrate traditional search functions with social and interactive elements and multimedia formats to fulfill their information/search needs. This article draws data and insights from the recently released Search Trends Report 2024 by Open Survey.

Youtube Taking Center Stage

According to the “Search Trends Report 2024” by Opensurvey, internet users’ platform preferences for searching show Naver leading at 87.0%, followed closely by YouTube at 79.9%, surpassing Google’s 65.8%.

Following these, Instagram ranked fourth with 38.6%, followed by Namuwiki/Wikipedia at 34.0%, KakaoTalk (#Search) at 33.9%, and Daum at 29.1%. Notably, ChatGPT secured the eighth position with 17.8%, ranking higher than Facebook at 11.9% and X (formerly Twitter) at 10.7%.

Search Trends Report 2024 by Opensurvey
Search Trends Report 2024, Open Survey (mobile survey conducted nationwide targeting 1,000 men and women aged 15 to 59)

Divergent Search Preferences Across Age Groups

Search platform preferences across age groups

Age Range Platform
All Ages Naver, YouTube, Google
Age 10-20 YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Namu Wiki
Age 20-30 Google, Namu Wiki, YouTube
Age 30-40 Instagram, Naver, Kakao Talk
Age 40-50 Daum, Naver, Kakao Talk
Age 50-60 Daum, Nate, Kakao Talk

 

The report highlights distinct preferences across age demographics when it comes to primary search platforms. Naver is favored by the 30s age group, whereas YouTube is more popular among younger demographics (10s and 20s). Conversely, platforms like Google and Instagram resonate more with younger users, while older demographics (40s and above) show less inclination towards said platforms.

Thus, understanding the preferred platforms of different age groups is crucial for crafting an effective content strategy. Businesses should adapt their content formats and messaging to resonate with users on Naver, YouTube, Google, and Instagram, depending on the target audience. Also, business should invest in targeted ads on Naver, YouTube, or Instagram to reach specific segments of the population more effectively.

Key Usage Factors and Platform Performance

Search preferences also vary based on specific search situations or purposes. Users prioritize the reliability of search results when seeking knowledge or news, favoring Google, Wikipedia, and ChatGPT. For place-related or shopping information, they emphasize platforms with minimal advertising, for instance Instagram.

Key usage factors and services by search context

Search Context Factors to Consider Preferred Platforms
Knowledge Are the results trustworthy? Google

Namu Wiki

Chat GPT
Place Is there no promotion or advertising influence? Instagram

X (Formerly Twitter)
Shopping Does it provide the user’s reviews? YouTube

Instagram

Kakao Talk #Search
News/Issue Is there no promotion or advertising influence? Daum

Nate
Education Does it provide the expected result? Google

Namu Wiki

Chat GPT
Life Are the results trustworthy? Naver

Daum

Nate
Content Does it provide the user’s reviews? YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

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The Rise of Generative AI and Future Expectations

Despite ChatGPT’s growing awareness (80.8% of users are familiar), its adoption rate (34.5%) suggests untapped potential.

Most individuals (65.2% of non-users) cited the primary reason for not using ChatGPT as “I don’t have many situations where I need ChatGPT, indicating a need for more tailored applications. Similarly, there are users who have tried ChatGPT before but currently refrain from using it for similar reasons. This dual scenario suggests that uncertainty about when to use ChatGPT in specific situations or contexts could impact user engagement and adoption. Understanding the optimal use cases for ChatGPT may help improve its adoption rate and address concerns related to security and answer quality.

As AI technology continues to shape the search landscape, users foresee interactive, multimedia-rich responses. Yet, ensuring data accuracy and trust remains crucial for sustaining search engine credibility.

ChatGPT Logo

Future Trends in South Korea’s Search Behaviour and Market Share

In summary, understanding the shifts in Korea’s search engine market share in 2024 is crucial for anyone making digital marketing and content strategy decisions. Naver remains a strong leader, but services not traditionally considered search engines and new players like ChatGPT are starting to change the scene. This makes it more important than ever to have strategies that are both flexible and tailored to the local market.

By staying ahead of these changes, companies can not only improve their reach in Korea but also gain a competitive advantage. It’s about more than just knowing the trends; it’s about using them effectively. Therefore, stakeholders must watch these changes closely to connect with one of Asia’s most dynamic digital audiences.

To find out more about Naver’s adoption of generative AI, read our article “Leverage Naver’s Generative AI: CUE: to Reach Korean Audiences“.

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]]> Korea SEO: Understanding Naver’s Unique SERP Features https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/understanding-navers-unique-serp-features/ Sat, 02 Mar 2024 06:51:44 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=75991 The post Korea SEO: Understanding Naver’s Unique SERP Features appeared first on The Egg.

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Korea SEO: Understanding Naver’s Unique SERP Features

A complete guide to Unique serp features on Naver

SERP features are special ranking elements on a search engine results page (SERP) that go beyond traditional organic results (i.e., the “10 blue links”) to enhance the SERP and make it more informative.

Naver—Korea’s most popular search engine—shares many similar SERP features with familiar search engines like Google. But because Naver operates more like a portal than a pure search engine like Google, there are subtle differences in the appearance and functions of its SERP features as well.

To encourage a more exploratory search experience, Naver’s search results are displayed in several curated sections on a single SERP and heavily favors content from its array of properties like Naver Café, KnowledgeIn, Naver Blog, and Naver Shopping. Consequently, its SERP features are adapted to supplement this style of user journey.

This makes it critical to understand Naver’s SERP features and the available search options that fuse its universal SERP with its native properties, whose results tend to rank higher.

So, to help you maximize your search visibility in front of your Korean audience, we’ve analyzed five of Naver’s unique SERP features, starting with:

Naver Featured Snippets

Prominent on both Naver and Google, featured snippets are highlight excerpts of a webpage’s text or contents that appear at the very top of the SERP and are most relevant to a given search query.

However, what’s unique about Naver’s featured snippets is that, for relevant search terms, they can feature content pulled directly from Naver’s service pages—like Naver Flight, Naver Book, edwith (i.e., Naver Education). For instance, by searching “flight booking” on Naver, a featured snippet from Naver Flight will appear as the first result on Naver’s universal SERP.

Google’s featured snippets, by contrast, are usually made up of the highest-ranked third-party content for any given search term.

Searching Flight Booking on Naver will spawn a featured snippet from Naver flight

Searching “flight booking” on Naver will spawn a featured snippet from Naver Flight

Naver Knowledge Snippet

Naver’s knowledge snippets, on the other hand, are the equivalent to Google’s algorithm-powered featured snippets, which, as mentioned, are the top-positioned results on the SERP featuring excerpts from sources that best match a user’s search intent.

But while Google’s algorithm draws what it deems as the most relevant excerpts from the countless third-party websites on its index, Naver will often feature third-party excerpts from its own properties—e.g., Naver Blog, Post, or Café—if possible.

For example, for the search term “digital transformation” in the image below, you’ll notice that while Google fitted its featured snippet with content from a third-party website (koreadx.kr), Naver’s knowledge snippet showcases a relevant result from its encyclopedia property: Naver Terms.

Naver’s knowledge snippet (left) vs. Google’s featured snippet (right) for “digital transformation”

Naver’s knowledge snippet (left) vs. Google’s featured snippet (right) for “digital transformation”

3. Naver’s knowledge snippet for the search term “metaverse meaning” features a result from Naver Post

Naver’s knowledge snippet for the search term “metaverse meaning” features a result from Naver Post

As such, content that is detailed, well-structured, and best answers a given search query will have a higher likelihood of ranking as a knowledge snippet on Naver’s SERP. In 2021, Naver even outlined how knowledge snippets are served on its SERPs with three main steps:

  • Firstly, Naver’s algorithm determines whether knowledge snippets are best suited to answering a given user’s search query.
  • Next, it scours its database for content that is most relevant to the search query.
  • Finally, it extracts the key pieces of information from these relevant resources that best match the particular search query and the user’s intent.

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Naver Smart Blocks (AiRSearch Technology)

AiRSearch is Naver’s new AI-powered search technology that analyzes users’ intent and interest towards a particular topic and helps them not only find answers, but also discover their taste through personalized results related to it. 

Naver delivers these results via Smart Blocks, a SERP feature that curates various information about a topic to fuel exploratory search. For example, if a user searched “home baking” on Naver, they’ll find results for popular related topics like “home baking cake” and “air-fryer baking”. 

Then, depending on the vagueness of their intent, they can either browse for answers to any home baking-related queries or narrow their search by exploring those related topics on the same SERP—all without having to enter additional searches themselves. 

6. Naver’s Smart Block feature for the search term “home baking”

Naver’s Smart Block feature for the search term “home baking”

And while Smart Blocks predominantly covers search topics in the lifestyle category (hobbies, interior design, recipes, gardening, etc.), Naver announced it would gradually expand its topic coverage ideally to about 10-15% of total search results. Similarly, it will add more personalization—primarily by gender and age group—to its results and plans to apply additional responsive searches that consider user feedback in real-time. 

Therefore, if your brand category relates to any of the existing—or up-and-coming—topics under Smart Blocks’ coverage, it is critical to identify the relevant high-performing target keywords and create content based on them to boost your visibility on Naver. 

Starting from February 2024, Naver’s VIEW tab, previously showcasing Naver blogs and cafes together, has been replaced with separate tabs for blogs and cafes. Naver has introduced smart blocks tailored to search intent, facilitating users in quickly discovering relevant information. Consequently, the VIEW tab has transitioned into distinct blog and cafe tabs to streamline navigation of vertical content based on its format. The Blog tab features content produced in personal spaces, while the Cafe tab hosts content generated in community settings with multiple participants. 

Naver VIEW switches to the blog and cafe tabs

As of Feb 2024, The Naver VIEW tab switches to the blog and cafe tabs. 

Naver LatesT CONTENT Section

Whenever users search terms relating to a particular brand, it will generally rank first on Naver’s SERP alongside its social media links and a collection of its latest content.

Navers latest content section for the search term Adidas

Naver’s latest content section for the search term “Adidas” 

Aside from the familiar likes of YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, this section may also link to the latest content posts by the brand on Naver-owned properties—whether that’s on Naver Blog, Naver Post, or Naver TV.

But not every brand is eligible to rank on Naver’s SERP with a section of its latest content: To do so, the brand must reach a follower threshold on each of its official channels. Moreover, it must have posted at least once in the last 28 days, hinting toward regular and engaging social posting as a best practice for ranking on Naver with this SERP feature.

Ultimately, Naver’s latest content section is ideal for conveying your brand message at a glance and redirecting traffic to your social channels where users can explore more facets of your brand, product, or service.

***

Understanding the SERPs of popular local search engines is essential to any search strategy. And since Naver regularly updates its SERP features to enhance its user search experience, you must optimize your content accordingly to stand out in front of your Korean audience.

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]]> How To Do Naver SEO 2024: The Ultimate Marketer’s Guide https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/naver-seo-guide-understanding-the-korean-search-engine/ Sat, 02 Mar 2024 04:00:02 +0000 http://test.theegg.com/?p=25072 The post How To Do Naver SEO 2024: The Ultimate Marketer’s Guide appeared first on The Egg.

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How To Do Naver SEO 2024: The Ultimate Marketer’s Guide

How to do Naver SEO 2024: The Ultimate Guide 2024

$1.8 trillion US dollars! That’s the tremendous GDP generated by the global economic powerhouse that is South Korea.

And this massive market potential—along with the fastest internet speed in the world and one of the highest smartphone penetration rates—makes Korea primed for digital engagement.

However, Korea remains relatively untapped for international brands who must navigate the unique Korean alphabet, distinct consumer behaviors, and a hyper-localized search environment.

Check out episode 06 of APAC in 3 for an introduction to Korea as a market and its #1 search engine, Naver. For a deeper dive, read our full comprehensive guide to Naver SEO below (you can even jump to a specific section from the table of contents).

Full Guide to Naver SEO

Comprehensive Guide to Naver SEO

To help you take Naver SEO by storm, we’ve put together a comprehensive Naver SEO guide to analyze the market shares, SERP features, ranking factors, as well as best practices for monitoring your site so that you can optimize your digital presence across Korea’s diverse and opportunity-rich market.

Let’s dive in!

Korea’s Search Engine Market Share

Naver is Korea’s #1 search engine, occupying 59% of Korea’s search market. Google and DAUM occupy just over 32% and 6%, respectively, while the remaining <2% is subdivided even further by smaller search engines:

Korea’s search engine market share by monthly average users (source: Statista as of March 2024)
Korea’s search engine market share by monthly average users (source: Statista as of March 2024)

FAQ: Is Naver in English?

There are no official English versions of Naver or its properties. The only instances you might see English on Naver are on its account signup page, Korean-English dictionary, and webtoons (i.e., online comics).

Despite this, a workaround is to use your browser to translate pages into English. After doing so, most of the Korean content gets translated, with a few minor exceptions like online shopping ads.

2. Naver’s homepage when Chrome’s auto-translate is applied

Naver’s homepage when Chrome’s auto-translate is applied

SERP Layout & Features

At a glance, Naver operates more like a portal or directory than a true search engine, like Google.

While you can search for information on Naver, results are much more localized—like on Yahoo! and MSN—and not comprehensively crawled from every webpage in the world. These sites, in particular, prioritize the latest trending content higher on their homepages.

3. Yahoo! and MSN’s homepages filled with trending content and platform propertiesYahoo! and MSN’s homepages filled with trending content and platform properties

As you can see, search engines like Yahoo! and MSN are busy with trending content and search options from their own platform properties.

With that said, let’s dive deeper and uncover how Naver is laid out.

Naver Homepage

Naver’s search algorithm is built around the Korean language and delivers more relevant results on a single page, including content from Naver’s array of properties like Naver Café, KnowledgeIn, Naver Blog, and Naver Shopping.

Providing such a comprehensive and interactive search experience has made Naver one the world’s most engaged platforms, even though it’s targeted primarily to Korean speakers, with users averaging more than 27 minutes per visit.

Here, you can see Naver’s homepage jampacked with a variety of content types (images, videos, news, etc.), properties, and ad formats.

4. Naver’s homepage interface

Naver’s homepage interface

Naver Search Tools & SERP Layout

On the universal search engine results page (SERP), you’ll notice Naver’s search tools at the top and a section below that with information relating to your search term.

 

Naver SERP - Search Tools and Related Information
Naver SERP – Search Tools and Related Information

Clicking the ellipsis icon on the top-right of the interface (under the search box) reveals additional options to filter your search, including:

  • Sort results by relevance
  • Sort results by date
  • Filter results by time range (one hour, one month, one week, one month, three months, six months, one year)

Note: Search options will vary depending on your search category (e.g., view, images, news, etc.).

Naver Vertical Search Categories

Naver owned properties

Naver-owned properties

Naver, like Google, offers access to a wide range of information via its vertical search categories located at the top of the SERP. Interestingly, the order in which these appear on both platforms varies depending on the search term and the users’ historical search behavior.

But unlike Google, Naver provides more of a blend of images and user-generated content (UGS) across properties like Naver Blog and Café, suggesting it is very much culture and lifestyle-driven—and that Koreans prefer more than just search results.

Note: As of Oct 2020, Naver removed the Website tab from its vertical search options, though you can still find organic results under the universal search tool.

Naver Related/Suggested Searches

There are key differences between related searches on Google and Naver.

  • Depending on the keyword, Naver either generates a list of related searches or suggested keywords (or sometimes neither).
  • On Naver, related searches are shown as keywords drawn from an analysis of related keywords, content, and the user’s search intent.

Naver SERP - Related keywords for the search term Weekly Weather

Naver SERP: Related keywords for the search term “weekly weather”

Naver Trending Searches

Naver’s trending search feature, which reveals popular keywords in real-time, was discontinued in March 2021 as it became overly used by companies to advertise their promotions.

10. Naver’s trending search feature (discontinued in March 2021)

Naver’s trending search feature (discontinued in March 2021)

But with the growing demand for new communication interfaces, Naver has instead been developing its other real-time feature, Naver TALK, which lets users chat with each other during live streams.

On Naver’s universal SERPs, each page consists of 10 or more different vertical search results.

Try picturing Google’s first SERP featuring 30 or more results ranging from images, videos, news, maps, books, scholar texts, and more; That does not even come close to Naver’s 19 different vertical categories—and this is without including their featured snippets.

Naver SERP - Vertical categories

Naver SERP: Vertical categories

With 19 different vertical categories, Naver’s SERPs are much longer and busier than Google’s, which display no more than 10 organic results per page. This makes diversifying your content portfolio a must to appear across Naver’s SERP opportunities.

Furthermore, the displayed SERP varies depending on the search query. Depending on the keyword, PPC ads may appear at the top, or organic search results may take precedence. Moreover, not all of Naver’s SERP features are consistently visible. For instance, for keywords with purchasing intent (e.g., toys), the Naver Shopping section is prominently featured. However, for informational queries (e.g., digital conversion), the Naver Shopping section may not be present, and instead, organic search results, news articles, or Naver book search results might be displayed. Consequently, it’s important to adjust your strategy for dominating the Naver SERP accordingly. 

Naver places a strong emphasis on exposure across its platforms, such as Naver Blog, which frequently appear in organic search results.

Naver Paid Search Ads

There are various types of ad formats and specifications on Naver, which you can learn more about from our website.

It is, however, worth noting that ads can occupy a large real estate on Naver’s SERPs, so you should familiarize yourself with the different ad formats available for the keywords you are trying to rank for.

Naver SERP - Paid ads

Naver SERP: Paid ads

Naver BLOG

Naver SERP - Blog section

Naver SERP: Blog section

Previously, Naver used to display Naver Blog and Cafe simultaneously under the View section. However, starting from February 2024, Naver View has been transformed into a combined platform for both blogs and cafes. 

Naver Blog provides results organized by topics referred to as smart blocks. 

Naver Websites

Naver SERP - Organic results section

Naver SERP: Organic results section

Naver removed its website search function in October 2020, but organic results—from all Naver-owned properties—are now found under the universal search section on the first SERP.

In 2021, Naver announced an algorithm update based on the SOLID project, which promises a better matching of search intent and understanding of textual nuances in titles and meta descriptions.

By considering more ranking signals, the SOLID project has made Naver’s results more relevant and better trusted.

Naver Encyclopedia

Naver SERP - Encyclopedia results section

Naver SERP: Encyclopedia results section

This vertical search section displays results from Naver’s own encyclopedia platform, as well as from Wikipedia.

KnowledgeIn

KnowledgeIn (지식iN)—Naver’s Q&A platform akin to Yahoo! Answers—continues to be highly popular among Korean users, who can post questions for other users to answer or raise discussions across a multitude of topics. Answers can also be up- or down-voted by other users.

Naver SERP - KnowledgeIn section (1)

Naver SERP: KnowledgeIn section

Ranking Algorithm for View Search

In May 2021, Naver applied its robust new ranking algorithm to View search to deliver relevant and higher quality pages to users on its SERP. With more frequent indexation, it can better reflect user search intent and lay the groundwork for applying new ranking features quickly.

This is particularly important given the continuous updates to C-Rank and D.I.A+, two algorithms first applied to Naver VIEW back in 2016 and 2017.

The ranking update includes:

  • Providing well-indexed pages that reflect user search intent
  • Offering meta title/tags to index well-structured websites

Robots.txt

Although not as comprehensive as Google’s Search Console, Naver Search Advisor (previously Naver Webmaster Tools) is handy for submitting manual requests whenever you need the bot’s attention.

Among its functions, one of the most useful lets you create robots.txt files—albeit at a rudimentary level—and have them checked once updated.

16. Naver Search Advisor - Creating a robot.txt file Naver Search Advisor: Creating a robot.txt file

Naver Sitemaps

Due to the limitations of Yeti, the name of Naver’s search robot, the use of sitemaps might be even more crucial on Naver than on Google.

Note that Naver Search Advisor currently only reads XML sitemaps and supports optional tags <changefreq>, <priority>, and <lastmod>.

Once you have created it, submit your sitemap to Naver Webmaster Tools to help Naver crawl your site. Only one sitemap can be submitted per site.

17. Naver Search Advisor - Submit sitemapsNaver Search Advisor: Submit sitemaps

Monitor Your Indexation on Naver

There are two ways to check your site’s indexation on Naver.

  • Naver Search Advisor: It can monitor your site’s crawlability and indexability over the past 3 months.

18. Naver Search Advisor - Number of indexable pages in the past 3 monthsNaver Search Advisor: Number of indexable pages in the past 3 months

  • Naver site search operator: Use this to index data on Naver and find indexable pages on the universal SERP.

19. Naver site search operator - Identifying indexable pages

Naver site search operator: Identifying indexable pages

Naver Open Graph Tags

Within these tags is information that will show up when pages are shared on social media.

20. Naver open graph tagsNaver open graph tags

To emphasize how crucial tagging is for your social pages, South Korea ranked second (89.3%) in the world for active social network penetration as of January 2021.

21. Active social network penetration in countries and territories as of January 2021Active social network penetration in countries and territories as of January 2021 (Source: Statista)

Naver Backlinks

You can monitor your backlink profile on Naver Search Advisor.

22. Naver Search Advisor - Backlink data

Naver Search Advisor: Backlink data

On- & Off-Page Optimization

Social Media

With regards to social, Naver Search Advisor currently only shows what social networks its crawler has found to be connected to your website.

But by using schema markup, you can send explicit signals to Naver from any of your social media channels, which can include Naver Blog, Naver Café, Naver Post, StoreFarm (Naver’s e-commerce), Brandstore, Naver TV, Facebook, Instagram, iTunes, Google Play Store, LinkedIn, Kakao Story, and more.

At the same time, you can disconnect any of them through Naver Search Advisor.

23. Naver Search Advisor - Overview of social channels linked to your site

Naver Search Advisor: Overview of social channels linked to your site

C-Rank Algorithm Applied on Naver Blog Search

C-Rank measures the authority and quality of blogs while D.I.A+ analyzes the search term to better understand user intent and optimize Naver’s SERP. As such, blogs written by authors with expertise in a specific topic would theoretically rank higher on Naver’s SERP.

Furthermore, Naver’s D.I.A+ algorithm crawls each blogs’ feature image and displays it as a snippet on the result to improve the look and feel of its SERP.

Here’s a look at Naver’s top-ranking blog results for certain search terms.

24. Naver SERP - Top-ranking blog results for search terms “monthly living cost” (left) and “movie recommendations” (right)

Naver SERP: Top-ranking blog results for search terms “monthly living cost” (left) and “movie recommendations” (right)

Naver Blog Category Selection

Since C-Rank prioritizes results based on how well they match a search term, it is far more likely for a blog specializing in a specific topic to rank higher on Naver’s SERP versus one without a theme.

And while C-Rank is capable of detecting a blog’s theme through deep learning AI, Naver recommends manually selecting your blog categories each time to improve the algorithm’s accuracy. We also recommend using manual settings wherever possible instead of depending your rankings solely on Naver’s algorithms.

To date, there are 32 topics under four main categories that bloggers can choose from:

Naver SERP – Related keywords for the search term Weekly Weather

Entertainment/Art

  • Literature
  • Movies
  • Art/Design
  • Exhibitions
  • Music
  • TV shows
  • Celebrities
  • Animation
  • TV programs

Lifestyle/Shopping

  • Daily lifestyle
  • Children and marriage
  • Animals
  • Images
  • Fashion and beauty
  • Interior/DIY
  • Food and recipes
  • Product reviews
  • Plants

Hobbies/Travel

  • Games
  • Sports
  • Photography
  • Cars
  • Hobbies
  • Domestic Trips
  • Overseas Trips
  • Restaurants

Knowledge/Trends

  • IT/Computers
  • Society and politics
  • Healthcare
  • Business and economics
  • Languages
  • Education

Entertainment/Art

Literature
Movies
Art/Design
Exhibitions
Music
TV shows
Celebrities
Animation
TV programs

Lifestyle/Shopping

Daily lifestyle
Children and marriage
Animals
Images
Fashion and beauty
Interior/DIY
Food and recipes
Product reviews
Plants

Hobbies/Travel

Games
Sports
Photography
Cars
Hobbies
Domestic Trips
Overseas Trips
Restaurants

Knowledge/Trends

IT/Computers
Society and politics
Healthcare
Business and economics
Languages
Education

Pick from 32 categories that best match your content

You can check out Blogchart Korea for real-time data on the distribution of blogs per category to know roughly how competitive each one might be.

Here’s a distribution chart you can find on the category selections from over 10 million blogs as of September 2021:

Proportions of category selections from over 10 million blogs as of September 2021

Proportions of category selections from over 10 million blogs as of September 2021

Naver Image Usage

Aside from standard regulations surrounding the publishing of images on the web, such as avoiding copyright infringement and explicit content, Naver has additional guidelines worth noting to improve the quality and ranking of your blog.

  • Use descriptive file names and captions. File names provide information about the image, and you can easily add captions directly to images via your blog post editor.
  • Check that your blog’s feature image is optimized. This is because each top-ranking blog post generates a snippet for its feature image on Naver’s SERP, which appears like this:

27. Naver SERP - Image snippets for the top-ranking blogs

Naver SERP: Image snippets for the top-ranking blogs

Naver is the #1 most popular search engine in Korea. While Google is the #2 most popular search engine in Korea.

Although both search engines are designed to carry out web searches, Naver’s SERPs are much longer and busier than Google’s. And while this may look cluttered to an outsider, Naver’s blend of images and user-generated content suggests it is very much culture and lifestyle-driven—and that Koreans prefer more than just search results.

So, while you can take a universal approach to SEO—like keyword strategy and link building—for both Google and Naver, added optimizations are a must to stand out on Naver-owned properties and paid results.

Regardless of platform, fluency in Korean is a must to connect with Korea’s massive online audience.

And this will help you better connect with the world’s most connected society!

Ready to maximize your digital marketing in Korea?

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]]> Leverage Naver’s Generative AI: Cue: To Reach Korean Audiences https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/naver-generative-ai-cue/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:28:37 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=79750 The post Leverage Naver’s Generative AI: Cue: To Reach Korean Audiences appeared first on The Egg.

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Leverage Naver’s Generative AI: Cue: To Reach Korean Audiences

Leverage Naver's Generative AI: CUE: To Reach Korean Audiences

In sync with the global wave of generative AI, Naver’s search interface has evolved, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). Naver applied the generative AI search service ‘CUE:’ to the integrated search on December 1, 2023. 

Naver CUE: is an AI service specialized in search, focusing on providing a variety of information for user needs. Unlike the conventional Naver integrated search, CUE: is designed to decipher complex, conversational queries. For instance, typing ‘Find me places in Hongdae where I can drink” to CUE:, it will find restaurants in Hongdae where you can enjoy drinks together. Without AI assistance, traditional searches would demand at least two separate queries like ‘Hongdae restaurants’ and ‘Hongdae bars’ to yield comparable information. 

What is Naver CUE: 

Naver Cue: is a new AI search service introduced by Naver for a new search experience. This AI-powered service is based on search service usage patterns, providing results that suit the user’s search intent and connecting Naver’s various services to help with search. 

It incorporates reasoning, search planning, tool usage, and retrieval-augmented generation technologies into a language model. It summarizes information, provides effective search results in sentence format and provides an expanded search experience through a new interface. 

Currently, Cue: is available on PC and will be expanded to a mobile version in the future. To use the CUE: service, users need to log in to Naver and activate it separately. 

 

How Naver CUE: works 

Image source: Naver CUE: website 

Cue: searches for information related to the user’s question based on Naver’s rich content, including integrated search, news, shopping, places, and movies, and then summarizes the content to generate useful answers. It then distills this information to furnish concise, pertinent answers while referencing the webpages consulted to generate these answers. Additionally, it learns search users’ usage pattern data to provide information most appropriate to the user’s query intent. Due to these characteristics, it may not provide the same answer to each user for the same query. 

 

How to Leverage Naver CUE: 

Harnessing Naver’s diverse suite of services, CUE: deciphers user intent and furnishes customized answers, forging connections to seamlessly access desired information. 

  1. Ask specific and clear questions. To best use Cue:, it’s a good idea to ask specific, clear questions. It is effective to specifically explain the purpose for which you want information or help.
  2. Ask questions as if you were having a conversation. Your interaction with Cue: will go more smoothly if you ask questions in a natural, conversational way, like everyday conversation.

Sample Queries for Reference: 

“Can you share a delicious chicken stir-fry recipe along with the ingredients to purchase?” 

“Where can I find a café with a picturesque ocean view in Aewol, Jeju Island?” 

“Update me on the latest movie releases.” 

“What exactly is the buzz around tea omakase?” 

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Advantages: Seamless Integration with Naver Services 

CUE: leverages its own service in their answer, for example, Naver Place or Naver Reservation system, enhancing convenience for users. By intelligently linking queries with Naver services, it streamlines the user journey. 

When we queried “Where are the best places to visit in Busan with children?”, Naver CUE: showed three tourist attractions. Specifically, if any of these places were integrated with Naver’s reservation system, like our client SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium in this example, it would display its Naver reservation, providing convenience to the user, and the brand using the Naver service can reach the right customers. 

Moreover, it seems to help provide information tailored to the characteristics of the product. When we searched the query “What kind of DSLR camera should I buy?”, then CUE: provided a Naver shopping page for cameras in various price ranges, with additional questions that users may be curious about were displayed, such as “What is the price range of the EOS 200D II?”, “What is the weight of the EOS 5D Mark IV?”. 

Query: What kind of DSLR camera should I buy?

According to Naver’s Customer Center, “Merely integrating generative AI into existing searches isn’t enough to enhance performance.” Emphasizing the importance of rich content, they stated, “Naver’s extensive content, such as blogs and cafes, plays a pivotal role in enriching the service.” Naver highlighted Cue:’s diverse services, spanning from grocery shopping to location reservations, catering to diverse user needs.  

Data Collection and Utilization in Naver CUE: 

According to Naver CUE: Customer Center, information related to service usage, including queries, feedback, and reports, is collected and used within agreed-upon parameters upon registration as a Naver member. Collected data might be utilized for service provision, query resolution, abuse prevention, etc., stored for up to 9 months after collection. De-identified data aids service enhancement, statistical analysis, AI learning, and new service development, not stored beyond a year. All Cue:-collected data is periodically purged as per internal policies. Users can opt out of data utilization for AI learning and new service development via the profile settings. 

 

In Conclusion 

Presently, Cue: is currently available on PC and will be expanded to a mobile version in the future. The CEO of Naver Search CIC, said, “Users can reach the search results they want more easily and quickly by applying Cue: to search. Naver has the advantages of generative AI technology, as the world’s only platform with both content and services.” 

Naver Cue:’s synergy with various Naver services like Shopping, Place, and Blog enhances user accessibility. To optimize your Korean Naver search experience, consider leveraging Naver’s platforms to embrace Naver CUE:’s potential.

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]]> How to Use Naver Blog for Digital Marketing in Korea https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/how-to-use-naver-blog-for-digital-marketing-in-korea Thu, 12 Jan 2023 07:38:43 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=76738 The post How to Use Naver Blog for Digital Marketing in Korea appeared first on The Egg.

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How to Use Naver Blog for Digital Marketing in Korea

How to use Naver Blog for your Korea Marketing – APAC in 3 – Episode 17

Debuting in 1999, Naver has since remained the most popular search engine among Korean users, whose traction to the platform makes it near-impossible to approach Korean SEO the same way you would with Google SEO.

While Naver is a search engine by definition, it operates more like a portal with an exploratory search experience, facilitated by the seamless integration of native properties—like Naver News, KnowledgeIn, and Naver Shopping—throughout its search engine results pages (SERPs).

In fact, Naver Blog—alongside other properties focused on user-generated content (UGC) like Naver Café and Post—features prominently under Naver’s VIEW section near or towards the top of the SERP. This improved search visibility undeniably makes the Naver Blog vital for your brand awareness on Naver since Naver Search heavily favors content from its properties.

Check out APAC in 3 (EP 17) to discover why you need Naver Blog in your Korea SEO strategy and how to optimize your blog content to rank on Naver. For a deeper dive into the topic, including how to get your blog verified, read the full article below!

What Is Naver Blog?

As its name suggests, Naver Blog houses blogs and informal text entries from both personal and business profiles on Naver. With a staggering total of 30 million blog posts, according to Naver’s 2021 Blog Report, Naver Blog is where highly engaged and captive Korean users flock to for results relating to product reviews, culinary experiences, travel research, recipes, and so much more.

Why You Should Promote Your Brand on Naver Blog

Naver Blog is a great brand awareness tool that lets you present your brand—from your company background and history to products or services—in a way that resonates with more users on Naver, especially those just at the beginning of your conversion funnel.

Moreover, you can customize your blog’s background and layout to befit your brand image, as well as interact with users or answer frequently-asked questions in the comments section.

1. Your blog’s background and layout can be customized to match your brand image

Your blog’s background and layout can be customized to match your brand image

While most search engines merge website and blog search results on their organic SERP sections, Naver makes the distinction clear on its SERP—in fact, often at the very top.

As you might know, Naver’s search results are displayed in several curated sections on a single SERP and heavily favors results from its UGC platforms—like Naver Blog, Café, and Post—higher on its SERPs and consolidates them under the VIEW search section, which is also navigable from the top search bar.

Depending on your search keywords, you might tend to find the VIEW section as the first-ranked section on Naver’s SERP, or at least just beneath the paid results at the very top.

For example, searching “egg tart recipes” on Naver saw the VIEW section rank first on its SERP. By contrast, inputting the same search term on Google search saw organic website results—not UGC—rank highest.

3. Google’s SERP for search term - “Egg tart recipes”

Naver VIEW sections for search terms “egg tart recipes”

2. Naver VIEW sections for search terms “egg tart recipes”

Google’s SERP for search term: “Egg tart recipes”

Since Naver tends to rank its VIEW section higher on the SERP and organic website results towards the bottom, leveraging Naver Blog can translate to higher search visibility and, in turn, awareness for your brand.

By linking to your main website via blog articles, you’ll also open another doorway for incoming website traffic, specifically users who’ve already shown an interest in your brand, product, or service.

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How to Get Your Naver Blog Verified

To reap the benefits of Naver Blog, businesses must first sign up for a Naver account, which you can also use to access other Naver properties.

Verifying your Naver Blog—i.e., having the official tag (a green tick) appear next to your result on Naver’s SERP—provides a sense of credibility and quality to your content, which helps to establish trust and generate clicks.

Brands can verify their Naver Blogs by applying via Official Blog (공식 블로그), where Naver will assess blogs to check whether they operate within its standards. If you meet all the criteria, the official tag for verified blogs will appear beside your blog name on your SERP result.

The prerequisites for successful verification are as follows:

  • Your company must have published at least one article in the past year.
  • You can only operate one blog account for each company entity. This means you cannot have separate blogs for departments sharing the same business registration.
  • Your blog name must reflect your brand’s official name—for example, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd can appropriately use “Samsung Electronics” as its blog
  • Your blog must not violate Naver Blog’s operating principles and official application limit standards.
  • A profile photo and blog cover photo are required.

4. The official tag for a verified blog will appear beside your blog name on your SERP result

The official tag for a verified blog will appear beside your blog name on your SERP result

Tips for Optimizing Your Naver Blog Content

While pushing out content on Naver Blog won’t guarantee that they will consistently rank at the top of Naver’s SERP, there are ways to increase their likelihood of ranking higher.

Here, let’s discuss three tips to bear in mind when creating Naver Blog content.

Tip #1: Understand Naver’s Algorithm

Naver’s VIEW search section is powered by the platform’s C-rank (Creator Rank) and D.I.A+ (Deep Intent Analysis Plus) algorithms, so you must know how Naver determines whether or not to promote your site.

  • Introduced in 2016, C-Rank analyzes the content source’s credibility, popularity, and authority rather than focusing on the content itself. It favors creators who are experienced writers and experts in their field rather than uncredentialed bloggers who cover many categories but specialize in none.
  • Introduced in 2020, I.A+ analyzes user intent by search query to provide more relevant and better quality results. To improve its matching of results and user queries, DIA+ also evaluates content quality, user feedback on content, and session duration (i.e., time spent on the content).

Pro Tip: All updates to Naver’s algorithms can be found on their Search & Tech blog, so ensure you regularly check it out.

Tip #2: Think Brand Engagement

Naver heavily prioritizes content that keeps users engaged on a webpage longer. But aside from the written content itself, there are other factors that can contribute to higher user engagement on your Naver Blog.

For instance, feature images and thumbnails are of utmost importance since they are the first visual elements users see on your SERP result. Therefore, they must be eye-catching enough to attract clicks while also befitting to user search intent—but avoid clickbait!

Furthermore, maintaining a casual and conversational tone of voice—a mainstay of Naver Blog content—will improve your content’s readability compared to content ridden with technical jargon. This is a key factor to remember on Naver, even more so than on Google: The more you can keep your audience engaged with Naver’s properties (in this case, Naver Blog), the better you will perform on Naver.

Tip #3: Leverage Collaborations and Influencer Marketing

Thousands of influencers and KOLs are present on Naver Blog, making it an ideal springboard for influencer marketing strategies to drive more traffic to your website.

Collaborating with famous bloggers—particularly those who are established in your niche or industry—means you can tap into their audience pool and benefit from their existing connection with these customers.

If you operate in B2C, you can ask influencers to introduce or review your product or service to their audiences—and direct traffic to you by linking to your website.

By providing them with unique UTM-tagged links linking back to your conversion pages, like a sign-up or purchase page, you can track the traffic performance and conversion rate of your collaboration with each blogger to inform your strategy.

5. Influencers can review your products,services, share promo codes, and link to your promotion pages

Influencers can review your products/services, share promo codes, and link to your promotion pages

 ***

Naver Blog is vital for maximizing your visibility on Naver’s SERPs and as a communication channel to interact and share the latest news/events with your customers. Hence, be sure to fully understand Naver’s ranking algorithm and tailor your content to capture user interest and keep them engaged.

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]]> Localized Keyword Strategy for SEO in Korea https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/understanding-search-behavior-and-localized-keyword-research-for-seo-in-korea/ Wed, 28 Sep 2022 06:00:32 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=48348 The post Localized Keyword Strategy for SEO in Korea appeared first on The Egg.

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Localized Keyword Strategy for SEO in Korea

How to Optimize your Korean Keyword Strategy – APAC in 3 – Episode 14

Languages and cultures differ from country to country, making localized keyword research essential for capturing the nuances of how native users search for your products or service—and converting that intent into valuable traffic.

Localized keyword research becomes even more critical wherever a local search giant dominates the local search market, such as in South Korea, where Naver is the #1 search engine with a 59% market share.

In this article, we’ve outlined best practices and cultural considerations for a localized keyword research strategy to improve your SEO in Korea and, ultimately, better engage Korean users.

Search Behaviors in Korea

Korean Search Behavior #1: Users prefer short-tail keywords

Korean users primarily search with short-tail keywords—a search behavior vastly different from how people search in English. This is because Korean language is more concise than English language. Only a few Korean characters or words are needed to convey the same meaning in English. Search behaviors in Korea are more akin to those of Chinese users since the Korean alphabet, Hangul, originates from Chinese characters.

While English speakers may search long-tail keywords like “how to claim a tax refund” or “how can I get a tax refund?”, this is uncommon among Korean users, who are more likely to search short-tail keywords like “세금 환급” (“tax refund”).

Most popular search terms on Naver also tend to be shorter keywords like “명동 맛집” (“Myeong Dong best restaurant”), “홍콩 여행” (“Hong Kong travel”), and “노트북 수리” (“laptop repair”).

To visualize this, let’s use Google Keyword Planner to compare the monthly search volumes (MSV) for Christmas decoration-related search terms in an English-speaking country versus in South Korea.

1. Google Keyword Planner - MSV for long-tail Christmas-related keywords in the United Kingdom vs. South Korea

Google Keyword Planner: MSV for long-tail Christmas-related keywords in the United Kingdom vs. South Korea

While long-tail search terms like “how to decorate Christmas tree” or “how to wrap gifts” have higher MSV in English (United Kingdom), they do not have anywhere near that search volume in Korean.

2. Google Keyword Planner - Average MSV for short-tail Christmas-related keywords in South Korea

Google Keyword Planner: Average MSV for short-tail Christmas-related keywords in South Korea

Meanwhile, shorter keywords like “Christmas tree” or “Christmas decorations” in Korean yield significantly higher search volumes.

3. Naver Keyword Planner - Long-tail vs. short-tail Korean keywords for Christmas-related FAQs

Naver Keyword Planner: Long-tail vs. short-tail Korean keywords for Christmas-related FAQs

Generally, you’ll notice that short-tail keywords have much higher search volumes than long-tail, according to Naver Keyword Planner. Thus, it is vital that you identify keyword opportunities by searching related terms on Naver and/or checking Naver Keyword Planner’s recommendations.

Korean Search Behavior #2: Users search brand terms by transliterated keywords

Transliteration involves converting words from the alphabet of one language to another based on pronunciation—i.e., changing the letters from the word’s original alphabet to similar-sounding letters in a different one.

We often see this with transliterations of branded terms in Korea.

When searching “Apple iPhone”, for instance, Koreans can transliterate the term from its original Latin characters and transfer them into Hangul characters based on pronunciation: Another prime example is the search term “플래이스테이션” (pronounced as “pley-station”), which garners a much higher MSV than the official brand term “플레이스테이션” (“PlayStation”).

However, some keywords can have multiple variations, so successfully localizing for Korean users requires an understanding of all the possible transliterations of your brand terms—and incorporating them into your content.

Remember that transliterations of certain keywords do not always yield higher search volumes, so double-check their MSVs on Naver Keyword Planner.

4. Naver Keyword Planner - Check the transliterations of popular brand terms or target keywords

Naver Keyword Planner: Check the transliterations of popular brand terms or target keywords

Korean Search Behavior #3: Search volumes can vary depending on industry

While search volumes for most Korean keywords are higher on Naver than Google, they can vary depending on industry.

In particular, business- or tech-related keywords have higher search volumes on Google than Naver. For example, the MSV for “deep learning server” on Naver was 100 and 210 on Google in November 2021.

5. Higher MSV for tech-related keywords on Google than Naver (November 2021)

Higher MSV for tech-related keywords on Google than Naver (November 2021)

On the flipside, most fashion-related keywords yielded higher search volumes on Naver than Google in November 2021.

6. Higher MSV for fashion-related keywords on Naver than Google (November 2021)

Higher MSV for fashion-related keywords on Naver than Google (November 2021)

Since MSVs across search engines can vary depending on your industry or product type, we recommend using multiple keyword planners—in this case, Google and Naver’s—to compare the MSVs of potential keywords before deciding which to target.

Korean language and cultural norms influence local search behavior. Firstly, an abbreviation of a term can sometimes turn out to be the more popular keyword of the two. In November 2021, for instance, “블프 세일” (“BF promotion”) generated higher search volume than “블랙프라이데이 세일” (“Black Friday promotion”).

7. Naver Keyword Planner - MSVs for “블프세일” (“BF Promotion”) vs “블랙프라이데이세일” (“Black Friday Promotion”)

Naver Keyword Planner: MSVs for “블프세일” (“BF Promotion”) vs “블랙프라이데이세일” (“Black Friday Promotion”)

This proves that in addition to targeting high-volume keywords, you must adapt your keyword strategy based on Korean language usage.

For another example, the trendy search term “맛집” (“tasty place”) has emerged more popular than “식당” or “레스토랑” (both meaning “restaurant”) for restaurant-related searches.

8. Naver Keyword Planner - MSVs for “Tasty Place” vs “Restaurant”

Naver Keyword Planner: MSVs for “Tasty Place” vs “Restaurant”

It is also critical to consider cultural aspects that resonate with Korean people: Search volumes for keywords relating to Korean national holidays—like “추석” (“Chusuk”) or “설날” (“Lunar New Year”)—will spike around the time they occur. Koreans also celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day together in the form of Parent’s Day, so be wary of which holidays are commonplace or foreign to Koreans.

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3 Tools for Localized Keyword Research for SEO in Korea

Although tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner and Google Search’s auto-complete function come in handy for finding related keywords, leveraging Naver-owned tools like Naver Keyword Planner, Naver Trends, and Data Lab localizes your strategy as much as possible.

Here, let’s explore three resources to localize keyword research strategy for SEO in Korea.

Naver Keyword Planner (For Keyword Ideas)

By entering up to five keywords in Naver Keyword Planner, which can be found in Naver Search Ads (just like what Google Keyword Planner is to Google Ads), you can view their MSVs by device, monthly clicks, and click-through rate (CTR).

9. Naver Keyword Planner interface

Naver Keyword Planner interface

Naver Keyword Planner also provides more keyword suggestions than Google Keyword Planner, and upon clicking a keyword, you can observe its MSV and user demographic statistics (i.e., gender, age) over time and pick out seasonal keywords too.

10. Naver Keyword Planner - MSV trends and user statistics of search term “search engine optimization”

Naver Keyword Planner: MSV trends and user statistics of search term “search engine optimization”

To learn more, check out our comprehensive guide on finding relevant keywords on Naver Keyword Tool.

Naver Data Lab (For Comparing Keyword Insights)

11. Naver Data Lab interface

Naver Data Lab interface

Naver Data Lab—similar in many ways to Google Trends—is Naver’s comprehensive keyword research tool for observing keyword trends by category, time, or region. And since it pulls data from Naver-owned properties like Naver Café or Shopping, its insights are heavily localized.

Naver Search & Tech (For Staying on Top of Algorithm Updates)

12. Naver announces their latest updates on their official blog, Naver Search & Tech

Naver announces their latest updates on their official blog, Naver Search & Tech

Staying on top of Naver’s latest algorithm and SERP updates—announced on their official blog, Naver Search and Tech—is also imperative to effective keyword targeting on the platform.

13. Google’s vs. Naver’s auto-complete suggestions for the keyword “cat”

Google’s vs. Naver’s auto-complete suggestions for the keyword “cat”

For example, Google and Naver search both have auto-complete functions but with very different keywords: When searching “cat” on both platforms, the former suggests generic cat-related keywords while Naver suggests a blend of generic and localized keywords, like the “Rooftop Cat Musical”.

Moreover, Naver has announced its new AI-powered SERP ranking feature, Smartblock, which displays SERP results based on topic to deliver relevant content to users. As such, it is highly useful to refer to Naver-suggested topics and incorporate them in your keyword research.

14. Naver’s new feature, Smartblock, serves content on the SERP by topic

Naver’s new feature, Smartblock, serves content on the SERP by topic

***

Localized keyword research is the first critical step to successful SEO in Korea. This starts with understanding Korean search behaviors—from short-tail and transliterated keywords to search volumes and cultural cues—and leveraging localized keyword research tools—Naver Keyword Planner, Naver Data Lab, and Naver Search and Tech—to strengthen your brand influence with Korean audiences.

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]]> Naver Data Lab: How to gain insights on Korean search trends https://www.theegg.com/seo/korea/naver-data-lab-how-to-gain-insights-on-korean-search-trends/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 08:19:33 +0000 https://www.theegg.com/?p=39111 The post Naver Data Lab: How to gain insights on Korean search trends appeared first on The Egg.

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Naver Data Lab: How to gain insights on Korean search trends

Naver Data Lab - Find Korean Search Trends

Dominating 59% of the local search market, Naver is the #1 most popular search engine in Korea. But how can you obtain data or marketing insights from Naver?

Launched in 2016, Naver Data Lab is Naver’s comprehensive keyword research tool that helps you find popular keywords by category and region. And while Naver Data Lab is similar to Google Trends, there are functional differences, like Naver Data Lab’s filters for search terms by device, gender, and age.

To help you find Korean search trends, let’s explore the various functions within Naver Data Lab and compare its similarities and differences with Google Trends.

An Introduction to Naver Data Lab

1. Homepage of Naver Data Lab - Five navigational tabs

Homepage of Naver Data Lab: Five navigational tabs

Naver discontinued its real-time search service in March 2021 as it became overly used by companies to advertise. Since then, Naver Data Lab has been the go-to platform for finding Korean search trends.

Naver Data Lab’s interface is structured into five navigational tabs for each of its primary functions:

  • Home (데이터랩 홈): The homepage gives an overview of the insights from each of the platform’s main functions.
  • Search Term Trend (검색어 트렌드): This tab has graphs illustrating keyword search volumes per search term.
  • Shopping Insights (쇼핑 인사이트): This tab shows statistics on categories (i.e., search volume trends by category field) and search term (i.e., in-depth keyword analysis per term).
  • Regional Statistics (지역 통계): Here, you can check popular search trends by region with data from Naver and BC Card, South Korea’s largest payment processing company.
  • Comment Statistics (댓글 통계): This tab displays an overview of comments made on Naver News.

Pro-Tip: While there are no official English versions of Naver or its tools, you can use your browser to auto-translate pages into English.

With a grasp of Naver Data Lab’s layout, let’s walk-through each function and how to leverage their data insights to improve your site performance on Naver.

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Naver Data Lab Home

2. Naver Data Lab - Homepage

Naver Data Lab: Homepage

At the top of the homepage are shopping insights based on popular keywords per category (fields) and sub-category. The 12 main categories are as follows:

  • Fashion (clothing)
  • Fashion (accessories)
  • Beauty & cosmetics
  • Digital appliances
  • Furniture & interiors
  • Baby products
  • Food
  • Sports
  • Healthcare & social services
  • Leisure & culture
  • Duty-free shopping
  • Books

You can also filter data by a time range, like a week or month.

And below the section for popular search terms, you can easily jump to the search term tool and regional statistics.

Search Term Trends

3. Naver Data Lab - Search term trends

Naver Data Lab: Search term trends

Search term trends come in handy for identifying keyword trends among Naver’s captive 42 million users.

First, select up to five topics based on the keywords you are querying. Then, enter any secondary keywords related to the topic and separate them by commas (,).

You can add up to 20 keywords per topic. For example, when searching the keyword “table”, you can supplement your search with secondary keywords like “four-person table”, “folding table”, “dining table”, and so on.

Again, you can filter the data by a time range, whether that’s one month, three months, or a year. To narrow your search further, there are also filters for device, gender, and age.

4. Naver Data Lab - Search term trend statistics

Naver Data Lab: Search term trend statistics

After setting your parameters, Naver Data Lab shows you how many times a topic is searched on Naver by aggregating the search volumes of your entered keywords into a single trend.

The accompanying graph shows the daily, weekly, and monthly searches on Naver for the trends you wish to analyze. It also sets the total search volumes for these trends on a relative scale from 0 to 100; if the search volume figure for January is 100 and 75 in June, then searches in those months have dropped 25%.

So, like Google Trends, Naver Data Lab compares keyword trends relative to each other—instead of using their real-time search volumes—but from Naver-owned properties like Naver Café, Naver Blog, and Naver Shopping. A difference between the two, however, is that Naver Data Lab provides additional data filters for device, gender, and age.

Let’s explore how these filters can help you understand target market demographics when analyzing shopping insights.

Shopping Insights

5. Naver Data Lab - Shopping insights by category

Naver Data Lab: Shopping insights by category

Naver Data Lab’s shopping insights gives you detailed statistics of each category (field) and illustrates these with various graphs for click volume trends based on time range, device, gender, and age.

For instance, the graphs above denote that clicks for furniture/interior-related product listings are heavily attributed to mobile users (81%) and females (71%), so brands in that category can leverage this information for their targeting strategy.

On the right-hand sidebar, you’ll notice the 20 most popular search keywords relating to the category you searched, which may feed you with more elaborate keyword discoveries.

After analyzing a particular category, you can generate detailed keyword analysis. First, select a category (field) and separate the keywords with commas, then set a time range for your data before filtering by device, gender, and age.

Aside from viewing the overall trend, you can also compare the click volumes for each keyword within your specified category.

6. Naver Data Lab - Search query stats under shopping insights

Naver Data Lab: Search query stats under shopping insights

On the other hand, Google Trends has 25 categories distinct from Naver’s, ranging from education to property to law.

7. Keyword comparison on Google Trends

Keyword comparison on Google Trends


Regional Statistics

8. Naver Data Lab - Categorical interest by region

Naver Data Lab: Categorical interest by region

Regional statistics reveals the interest levels for each category by region.

You can filter the data by city and/or county (or Gu) and check the search interest level—on a relative scale from 0 to 100—for the 10 most-searched industries in that area, which is based on search terms on Naver.

9. Naver Data Lab - Card usage stats under regional statistics

Naver Data Lab: Card usage stats under regional statistics

Another key difference between Naver Data Lab and Google Trends is that the former also measures search interest based on payments made by BC cardholders, thereby letting you see the categories with the highest purchase volumes by region.

Comment Statistics

10. Naver Data Lab - Comment statistics

Naver Data Lab: Comment statistics

Lastly, comment statistics show you the status of comments made on Naver News articles, revealing the number of comments per category and their distribution by gender, device, and country.

Naver Data Lab vs Google Trends

The similarity between Naver Data Lab and Google Trends is that both platforms compare keyword trends on a relative scale, so while you cannot view exact search volume figures, both platforms paint a better picture of trends over time.

A difference is that data from Google Trends is pulled from a global database while data from Naver Data Lab is more localized since it is pulled from Naver-owned properties, which are all in Korean. The search filters to view the data are quite different as well.

Here’s a comparison of the similarities and differences between Naver Data Lab and Google Trends.

Naver Data Lab vs Google Trends: Similarities

  • Both tools let you compare the trends of up to five keywords.
  • Both tools generate graphs comparing keyword trends over time on a relative scale.

Naver Data Lab vs Google Trends: Differences

Naver Data Lab

  • Search data is pulled from Naver-owned properties, giving you more localized data.
  • You can select up to five secondary keywords (in addition to the main keyword) under search query statistics.
  • Filters include time range, device, gender, and age.
  • Data can be downloaded as CSV files.

Google Trends

  • Search data is pulled from a global database, with the choice to filter by country.
  • Filters include keyword category and additional search options like images, news, or YouTube.
  • More options for sharing your data, including downloading it as a CSV file and sharing via embedded codes or on social media.

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Analyzing keyword trends with a holistic data approach is essential for understanding your target consumers’ behaviors—even more so if your business operates in a niche or highly sophisticated industry.

So, whether you want to improve brand visibility on Naver (or any other search engine in the world for that matter), you must familiarize yourself with its keyword research tool to help you target the right keywords—and ultimately serve the right audience.

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The post Naver Data Lab: How to gain insights on Korean search trends appeared first on The Egg.

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