What is Naver? easy and detailed introduction

How to do Naver SEO: A Comprehensive Guide 2024

Naver is the most popular search engine in Korea, occupying more than half of Korea’s search market, making Naver SEO a very essential part in entering Korean market. In this article, we will provide you with the guidelines for Naver SEO and introduction to Naver’s SERP layout and features, algorithms, and factors that influence your rankings on Naver.

SERP Layout & Features

In Korea, Naver operates not only as a search engine-like Google- but also as a portal or directory. Although it can search for information on Naver, the results are not fully crawled across all web pages worldwide like Google, but very localized like Yahoo!. Therefore, Naver prioritizes the latest trending contents to be ranked on the platform itself. Thus, it is important to consider the components of Naver when targeting Korean market.

Naver Homepage

Naver's search algorithm is constructed based on the Korean language, offering highly relevant results all in one page, incorporating contents from various sections such as Naver Cafe, KnowledgeIn, Naver Blog, Naver Shopping, and more.

By delivering this interactive and comprehensive search experience, Naver has established itself as one of the most engaging platforms worldwide, primarily targeting Korean language users who spend over 27 minutes per visit on average.

You'll encounter a diverse range of content types (including images, videos, news, etc.) and formats of advertisements on the main homepage of Naver.

Naver Search Tools & SERP

On Naver's SERP, the search tools are showcased at the top. These tools offer sections for related keywords, with corresponding information beneath each section tailored to the search query. By clicking the ellipsis icon located in the top right corner of the interface (below the search box), users can access additional options to refine related searches. The available related search choices may differ based on the selected search category such as view, images, news, etc.

Naver Vertical Search Categories

Naver, similar to Google, allows access to various information through vertical search categories. Meanwhile, the specialty of Naver is that it provides a mixture of images and user-generated contents (UGC) from properties such as Naver Blog and Naver Cafe, reflecting Korean preferences for cultural and lifestyle-centered information beyond search results. In other words, Naver tailors its results based on user search queries and preferences, emphasizing cultural and lifestyle content, which sets it apart from Google. In October 2020, Naver eliminated the website category from the Vertical Search feature, while still having organic results to be accessed through the Universal Search function.

Naver’s Search Suggestions

Naver suggests a list of related searches or suggested keywords based on the search queries. In other words, keywords or phrases suggested as related search terms on Naver reflect related keywords, contents, and users’ search intents as a whole.

Naver Talk

Naver's Trending Search feature was discontinued in March 2021 after companies were overused to advertise promotions. As the demand for new communication interfaces increased, other real-time features such as Naver Talk have been introduced that allow users to chat with each others in real time.

Naver Unique SERP Features

Naver’s search engine results page(SERP) consists of various categories and displays no more than 10 organic results per page, which makes it more complex and lengthy. Considering Naver’s characteristics, it is critical to diversify the content portfolio in order to be highly ranked in Naver's SERPs.

In particular, in terms of search ranking, Naver prioritizes the results of its own attributes- the contents that are published in its own products such as Naver Blogs, and sometimes it can be seen that it integrates the contents under the “view” section to expose more of its own services.

Naver Paid Search Ads

There are diverse types of advertisement formats and specifications available on Naver. Also, since these advertisements can take up quite a lot of space on Naver SERP, we need to consider how to use these Naver paid search ads.

Naver Websites

Naver suspended its website search function in October 2020, but now the organic results of all assets owned by Naver can be found in the full search section of the first SERP. In 2021, Naver released an algorithmic update based on the SOLID project. This update was intended to better align with the search intents and to better understand the contextual nuances of titles and meta descriptions, and the SOLID project has made Naver's search results more relevant and reliable by considering more ranking signals.

Naver Smart Block

Naver view section displays diverse contents including Naver Blog, Post, and Cafe, and is based on the C-Rank and DIA+ algorithms. Recently, the View search results have been integrated into Naver Smart Block.

The concept of Naver view section, which gathers experiences, opinions, and reviews to meet various user search needs in different contexts, has continued to be integrated into Naver Smart Block. Smart Blocks analyze user intents to provide more accurate search experiences. They offer a flexible array of blocks tailored to specific intents, derived from search results with complex intentions.

From the perspective of tabs, the View tab, which has been integrated into Smart Blocks, will be transitioned into Blog and Cafe tabs to enable faster navigation of vertical contents.

In other words, while viewing Smart Blocks centered around search intent to facilitate easy and quick discovery of desired content, users will also have the flexibility to utilize specific tabs based on content format within their search queries.

Naver Encyclopedia

Naver Encyclopedia is Naver's own encyclopedia platform. It collects and provides various professional and encyclopedias in the form of databases.

KnowledgeIn

KnowledgeIn is Naver's Q&A platform. Once the user leaves a question, other users can answer it or discuss various topics. People can also vote for or against an answer left by other users, or give a different answer to that answer again.

Naver Algorithms & Ranking Factors

Naver Blog, Post, and Cafe use two algorithms: the C-RANK and the D.I.A.+ algorithms. The intention of both algorithms is to provide users with high-quality, relevant content. Below is a description of two algorithms.

C-RANK ALGORITHM

The C-Rank algorithm is the Creator Rank algorithm, which analyzes the reliability of the source. The C-Rank algorithm is applied by document-by-document basis, with the mainly evaluating Context, Content, and Chain.

Context reflects how focused a document is on a searched interest or keyword. Content refers to the overall quality of a document based on its expertise, reliability, quantity, etc. Chain refers to the interaction between documents based on the pattern they are consumed and the degree to which users participate. In short, it evaluates 1) the topics of interest, 2) the quality and depth of content, and 3) the delivery to users.

The main reference indicators of the C-Rank algorithm are the Blog Collection, Naver Database, Search LOG, Chain Score, Blog Activity, and Blog Editor thematic scores:

• The Blog Collection refers to the basic quality of documents through the basic information of documents, namely, titles, body, images, etc.
• The Naver Database evaluates the source and reliability of documents through the database.
• The Search LOG evaluates the source and popularity of documents through the search log data of Naver users.
• The Chain Score evaluates the reliability and popularity of documents through the interest in documents, news, and other sites on other websites.
• Blog Activity refers to the active operation of blogs that is evaluated through blog activity indicators.
• The Blog Editor thematic score evaluates the concentration of documents on subjects after classifying them based on deep learning.

D.I.A.+ Algorithm

The D.I.A.+ algorithm is the Deep Intent Analysis+ algorithm, which analyzes the informativity of each document. Based on the traditional D.I.A. model's approach, new findings (such as deep learning matching, pattern analysis, and dynamic ranking) are additionally reflected.

The D.I.A.+ algorithm was introduced to overcome the limitations of the C-Rank algorithm. While the C-Rank algorithm focuses on the overall thing, D.I.A.+ algorithm focuses more on the individual parts. In other words, the D.I.A.+ algorithm values the quality of each documents deeply than the C-Rank algorithm.

The main logic of this algorithm is the analysis of the user's search query. It is necessary to accurately grasp the user's search intention and expose the appropriate content. In addition, these search query patterns are analyzed through meaning-based clustering and learning. At this time, logic is applied using a document pattern analyzer, and the algorithm continuously learns and optimizes the search data accumulated in this way.

The main reference indicators of the D.I.A.+ algorithm are document and subject fit, whether experience information is included, the fidelity and accuracy of the information, whether there are abatements (abusing documents), the originality of the document, the up-to-dateness of the information, and the degree of agreement between search query intent and the document.

Conclusion

In order to successfully conduct digital marketing in Korea, executing correct Naver SEO is essential. By optimizing Naver SEO through effectively utilizing SERP Layout & Features, Naver Universal SERP Features, and Naver Algorithms & Ranking Factors. Through this guide, you will be able to increase your online visibility in the Korean market.