Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
Taking Korean companies to the top of online search engines
Stephen Revere, CEO of InterCultural Communications / Courtesy of InterCultural Communications
By Jon Dunbar
Despite Google’s worldwide dominance, Korea stands out as one of the few nations where the U.S. tech giant isn’t the primary tool for online searches. Instead, Koreans mostly turn to social media and the nation’s top web portal Naver for their digital inquiries.
This unique internet landscape poses both challenges and opportunities, a scenario Stephen Revere, an American web developer and the founder of InterCultural Communications Inc., works to help clients navigate.
For the last couple of decades, Naver has been the leading online information source for Koreans. But Revere explains that, unlike Google, Naver isn’t primarily a search engine — it is a vast digital ecosystem that seeks to corral every search into another aspect of its massive repository of content, primarily user generated. In addition to its question-and-answer platform KnowledgeiN, there are Naver Blogs, Naver Cafes, Naver Videos, Naver Shopping, Naver Encyclopedia, Naver Travel and Naver Sports among others.
Naver’s inward-looking digital environment has its advantages. Content on Naver is closely monitored, significantly reducing dead links and error pages. But this system has inadvertently led to a gap in web development skills among Korean businesses, Revere explains.
“Naver’s dominance has disincentivized Korean businesses from investing in world-class websites, and Korean website developers tend to not learn cutting-edge technologies because there’s little client demand,” he said. “A website in Korea doesn’t have to be good. Its mere existence establishes just enough credibility, and that’s primarily what Korean businesses are looking for from their website. It’s not a sales tool, because no one will find their website from a non-branded search on Naver anyway.”
Revere brings a unique perspective to the Korean market with his background in paid search engine marketing (SEM) and organic search engine optimization (SEO) for global giants like Google, Bing and Yahoo.
Google, known for its rigorous standards, demands high-quality websites that satisfy user search intent for its top search results.
“The most crucial aspect for Google is fulfilling user search queries,” Revere said. “If Google consistently provides the answers people are looking for, they keep coming back. That’s the key to effective SEO for businesses.”
Revere’s SEO journey began in 2012 after making his first website for 10 Magazine, a print magazine for English-speaking residents of Korea that has since become online-only. Since then, he has expanded his expertise, helping dozens of clients lift their rankings in unique Google searches. His approach is comprehensive, utilizing advanced tools that scour the entire internet, discovering search volume and tracking rankings of sites.
What sets Revere’s business apart is his ability to tailor these global strategies to the Korean market. He can help optimize websites not just in English but also in Korean, ensuring that local businesses aren’t left behind in the global digital race. In addition to website design, his services include Google Ads management, organic search engine optimization and local search via Google Business Profile optimization, all of which are pivotal in helping Korean businesses navigate the broader internet landscape.
InterCultural Communications Inc. is not just about climbing the ranks on Google — it’s about bridging the digital divide, ensuring Korean businesses can compete on both a domestic and a global stage.
As Korea continues its digital evolution, Revere’s understanding of both the local and global digital ecosystems positions him uniquely to guide Korean businesses into a new era of internet visibility and success.
Visit intcultcom.kr for more information.