Naver Combines Social Networking With a Reliable Search Engine to Stay the Most Visited Website in South Korea

Since its launch in June, 1999, the web portal Naver has been on the rise in South Korea, bringing social networking together with a competent search engine and community services en route to becoming the most visited website in the country.

Naver Has Evolved Into a Social Networking Site

Though Naver originally operated primarily as a search engine, the web portal has grown into a reliable social networking site, most notably including blogs, cafes, messaging, and email services that encourage interaction between users. The growth of community spaces within the portal has become one of its primary selling points, as it allows its users to stay connected to one another while still permitting effective utilization the website's other functions.

Along with boasting an above-average search engine and several means of social networking, Naver has been able to remain relevant by offering a multitude of other commodities to users. This includes news, shopping, maps, and a tool bar, all of which can be accessed on the web portal itself, a setup that has proven to be very useful and popular among users, especially in South Korea. Having so many services in one, easy to use location has promoted dependence and trust in Naver, which has earned its reputation as a reliable, multi-faceted web portal.

Even though Naver has continued to add services for the benefit of its users, most of which being undeniably successful, its focus on social networking has allowed it to stand out from the pack. The portal promotes interaction among users through its blogging service, cafes, and community boards, allowing individuals to connect with others and share information.

Naver Leads the Pack in South Korea's Online Scene

Naver has never truly caught on outside of South Korea, seeing as over ninety percent of its users reside in the web portal's home country, but that has not stopped it from dominating the online landscape in its homeland. Ranked as the most visited website in South Korea, Naver leads internationally dominant social networking sites like Facebook, ranked sixth, and Twitter, ranked 25th, by a significant amount. The functionality of Naver's community-centered services is great enough to convince users to conduct much of their activity though it rather than others that are more well known elsewhere.

However, while Naver is certainly more popular, Facebook and Twitter are still desired in South Korea, as Naver does not offer the same functions as those two social networking sites do. The overall consensus at this point and time is that until South Korea's online leader expands even further into the social networking scene, foreign services like the aforementioned Facebook and Twitter will see high demand within the country.

Along with trumping other social networking websites, Naver has been able to prove its competence as a search engine, news source, and shopping center as well. Major corporations like Google, Amazon, Ebay, Wikipedia, and Yahoo all fall short of matching Naver in South Korea, proving that this web portal's multi-functionality is a positive, as the addition of new services had not led to a decrease in the overall quality of the website.

Daum and Google Provide Competition In South Korea

Though Naver, according to Alexa, is locked into the number one spot in terms of most visited websites in South Korea, it is does not exist without challengers. Daum, also based in South Korea, is the fourth ranked website and is incredibly similar of Naver in terms of functionality, providing email, messaging, blogs, and a search engine to all users. However, Naver, which was founded prior to Daum and has more of a foothold in the South Korean market has maintained its advantage by providing more options and pushing a more community-oriented feel.

While Daum is remains Naver's main South Korea-based rival, Google stands alone as the main competitor, with google.co.kr ranking number two and google.com ranking at number three in terms of the most visited websites in the country. Along with the impressive numbers, Google shares many of the same services and attributes as Naver and on top of that, is a more established and successful brand worldwide. Both of these web portals allow users a massive amount of search customization while also offering news, maps, shopping, email, and a widely-used blogging network.

The dethroning of Naver by Google may seem imminent, but the silver lining for the Korean corporation is that their agenda includes something that Google does not, that being a greater focus on a sense of community. While Google's search engine is built for personal use, Naver encourages the spreading and sharing of individual and researched knowledge through their many community spaces, allowing users to stay connected with one another. In short, the social networking aspect of Naver has a distinct advantage over their American-based competitors, especially among South Korean users.

Naver's International Presence

Naver may be a dominant force within South Korea, but it does not have the same influence worldwide. Sites like Google, ranked number one in the world as the most visited website according to Alexa, as well as Facebook, number two, and Twitter, number nine, that Naver, number 68, has a leg up on in South Korea have a stranglehold on the international market. As much as this Korean web portal may wish to grow in other markets, there are so many alternatives that already have stake
d their claim across the globe that immediate growth seems highly unlikely.

Despite this, Naver will surly maintain its dominant presence in South Korea while continuing its growth as a social media staple within its home country. This website has shown its ability to accommodate the needs of its users in the past, and their is not a shred of evidence that suggests that they will cease evolving in the future.