Naver Search Advisor

How do I register my website with Naver Search Advisor?

Log in to Search Advisor's Webmaster Tools with your Naver ID, register your website address and complete ownership verification. The two usual ways to verify are uploading the HTML verification file Naver gives you to your website's root directory, or adding an HTML verification tag to the page's head section.

Upload the verification file exactly as you received it, without renaming it. It's safest to leave the verification tag in place even after you've been verified. If the tag or file goes missing when the website is rebuilt, you may have to verify ownership again.

It's best to register on the day your website goes live. It can take a while for Naver to find a new website on its own, so telling it first is faster.

1. 01Log in to searchadvisor.naver.com with your Naver ID and go to “Webmaster Tools.”
2. 02In the site registration field, enter the website address you actually use, exactly, including https.
3. 03Verify ownership by either HTML file upload or HTML tag.
4. 04Enter your sitemap address under Submit sitemap in the “Request” menu.
5. 05If your site has a blog or news section, submit its RSS address in the same menu, too.
6. 06For important new pages, enter the address under Web page collection request.
7. 07On the robots.txt validation screen, make sure Naver's search robot (Yeti) isn't blocked.

What's the difference between Google Search Console and Naver Search Advisor?

Both are free tools for checking how a search engine reads and shows your website, but one covers only Google Search and the other only Naver Search. Registering with one doesn't carry over to the other, so you need to register with each.

Customers in Korea often use Naver and Google side by side. The search terms they type and the pages they land on can differ by search engine, so checking both tools gives you a clearer view of how your customers search.

Rather than trying to match the numbers between the two tools, follow the trend in each one. They count differently, so it's normal for the numbers to differ even for the same period.

I registered, but my website still doesn't show up on Naver. What should I do?

First, check Search Advisor's Reports menu to see how many of your pages Naver has collected and reflected in search. If they haven't been collected at all, it's most likely an access-settings problem; if they've been collected but don't appear, it's more likely a content or timing issue.

Web page collection requests have a daily limit. Instead of submitting every page, start with the ones customers really need to see, such as your front page, menu and directions.

If page addresses changed in a redesign, set up the setting that forwards old addresses to the new ones (redirects) and submit the new sitemap again. That way the search visibility built up on the old addresses can carry over to the new pages.

• robots.txt or security settings are blocking Naver's search robot
• The verification tag was dropped in a redesign, so site ownership verification was lost
• The page is almost all images, with no text to read
• The sitemap address is wrong, or the sitemap only lists old page addresses
• The site launched recently and Naver hasn't finished reading it yet

How should I build my website so Naver can read it well?

Naver's search robot also reads written text and page structure. So the basics are a different title and description for each page, prices and opening hours written as text rather than images, and a description (alt) on every photo.

Search Advisor has a web page optimization check: enter a page address and it reviews basic elements like the title and description. Run it once after publishing a new page and you'll easily spot anything missing.

It's also worth taking care of the title, description and image shown when a link is shared (Open Graph). This check flags missing Open Graph titles and descriptions, and KakaoTalk previews use the same information.

Choose readable page addresses, too. Addresses like “/menu” or “/reservation” that show what's on the page are easy to understand for customers and search robots alike.

How should I split roles between Naver Place, a blog and my website?

Think of it this way: Naver Place serves customers searching on the map, your blog serves customers looking for reviews and news, and your website serves customers who want to learn about your business in detail. Keep your name, address, phone number and opening hours identical across all three, down to the last character.

Put your website address in the website field on Naver Place, and link your blog posts to your booking or detailed pricing pages so customers go straight to the information they want. Of the three, Search Advisor takes care of making sure your website is easy for Naver Search to read.

For example, a neighborhood math academy might put its location and consultation hours on Naver Place, stories about its classes on its blog, and courses by grade, the timetable, tuition and a consultation request on its website.

What should I check when someone else registers my site with Search Advisor?

First, check that Search Advisor is registered under your own Naver ID as well. If it's registered only under the agency's ID, you'll have to redo ownership verification from scratch when you switch agencies later.

On every plan, ISSYMO registers your site with Search Advisor and submits your sitemap at launch. If your website was built elsewhere, we can open up its registration status together at our meeting.

• Registering the version of your address (with or without www) that you don't actually use
• The verification tag or file was dropped during a redesign, so ownership verification was lost
• Not checking error notifications after submitting the sitemap
• Having a blog section but not submitting RSS, so new posts get collected late