Digital is alive and well in South Korea, and InterAd Communications Inc., a digital marketing firm specialising in SEO, SMM and digital media marketing, has today forecast a digital marketing boom in the country during 2018.
The forecast follows careful analysis of industry intelligence, in addition to InterAd’s own experience of working daily with global market giants across the world. The forecast’s focus on the South Korean region is expected to help those international companies considering entry to the market, as well as those already established in the country.
Mobile-Friendly
The importance of a mobile-friendly website cannot be understated, and with more than 47million smartphone users, South Korea is a world leader in mobile internet connectivity. From sharing digital content and social media posts, through to viewing and exploring the internet, the ability to do so on mobile is a powerful advantage at the heart of the digital marketing boom. With more and more apps and games being developed exclusively for mobile devices – including both Apple and Android, 2018 looks to be a good time to react to this wave of growth.
The Power of Search
The expansion of such mobile-friendly content has pushed mobile SEO to the top of the list for personal and business strategies in 2018.
Korea’s most popular search engine is NAVER, accounting for some 80 per cent of market share. However, this landscape also looks set for change, with the penetration of Android smartphones rocketing Google to a 200 per cent increase in use during 2017. For this reason, businesses in South Korea are looking at strategies to position themselves effectively on the Google platform. While businesses tend to pay lots of money in PPC marketing on NAVER (SEO traffic is low), due to its query-based, highly-populated nature, Google offers the chance to rank according to SEO credentials.
The future of search is also forecast to change. In fact, search engines are moving toward different types of results when a user enters keywords – offering a selection of platforms including blogs, video, multimedia, academic definitions, and even slang sites, to best answer the need of the user. A multi-platform approach to search content is therefore essential.
Businesses in 2018 will need to move away from bland content and on towards more creative media that captures the search need of a user. Attracting and engaging users is essentially the goal of SEO, and is set to become a much more competitive sphere in South Korea. Targeting the increasing Google search share and its SEO performance rating, should surely be at the top of one’s agenda in 2018.
What does this mean for business?
To stay ahead of change and embrace this digital boom, businesses in South Korea must be positioned in the most visible and effective locations. SEO and keyword searches have long been ‘buzzwords’, but many companies have fallen foul of less-than-optimal campaigns and by relying on un-reputable agencies.
Stanley Chang of InterAd Communications explain how it’s all in the planning. “Businesses must work to optimize their pages to appear in the results pages in the right natural locations for them. It’s really a combination of education, implementation, and choosing the right SEO partner or strategy” he says.
“It’s important for businesses to make their own forecast, and to remain open to change. Nothing remains static in today’s digital age, so the need to monitor the competition and react in advance is essential in SEO practices ” he adds.
Avoiding Pitfalls
In a world where online reputation is easily as important as that of a business’s physical presence, there are a number of pitfalls to be avoided. It’s a common phrase that ‘Content is King’, and the quality of content must be considered too.
“It’s much more than just highlighting a few key words” says Stanley.
“It’s about creating original content. Engaging stories always win, and one must also consider their social media presence too in 2018” he adds.
The common misconception that a business has more time to consider SEO, due to their operation in an ‘emerging market’ is also false. Korea, Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and many other Asian searchers are now using mobile devices daily to search.
- Focus on mobile SEO as much as desktop search. This will be a huge factor in 2018, and with so many mobile users in South Korea, cannot be avoided.
- Embrace Google as an up and coming search engine in the region, with plenty to offer those providing solid SEO content.
- Assess the online demand for your business, it’s services and the search terms being used. Plan a strategy NOW ready for 2018, and use a reputable keyword search tool.
- Monitor the competition to stay ahead. Keep an eye on other industries too to see what others are doing.
- Surround yourself with a reputable expert in the field, and don’t be afraid to ask them questions.
InterAd®
InterAd Communications Inc. has a clear vision on the world of digital content that helps businesses perform online. By continually monitoring the digital sphere around the world, the agency helps companies of all sizes to react and respond to the changing environment. The agency offers a range of SEO and SMM services, designed to help a business embace the search engine market, and create engaging content that really performs.
