It’s possible Naver could lose ground as a result of criticism over what some call a monopoly. Opponents on both sides have scrutinized the engine; some want more regulation of the content, others are calling for more transparency in the results.
No matter what side you’re on, if your global audience is on Naver, it’s time to start thinking of the Korean search engine as a viable publisher for your brand. Understanding how to compete on Naver comes with a learning curve, however.
Unlike Google, Naver doesn’t crawl the World Wide Web to discover and rank content; likened to a directory service, those who want a place within the Naver portal must first sign up with the engine and then create accounts for specific services within Naver.
The Naver experience is centered on user-generated content, social interaction and paid listings. While there is some element of search engine optimization in order to compete in the organic listings, the primary way to be discovered includes a multi-faceted approach to being visible in as many areas of the search results as possible.