◀ Anchor ▶
Naver will abolish real-time Internet search terms, shortened real-time tests at the end of this month.
Despite the criticism of manipulating public opinion, the service has been maintained for 16 years. What is the reason for removing it?
Reporter Jeong Jin-wook analyzed it.
◀ Report ▶
A’real-time search term’ service that ranks and displays the words with the greatest increase in search volume over a certain period of time on the portal site.
At this moment, it has gained great popularity in that it shows people’s interests vividly.
However, the criticism that it was soon turned into a method of creating public opinion according to taste rather than showing public opinion by intentionally entering the same word into the search box and raising the ranking did not cease.
It was abused as a specific product marketing technique, and at the time of the appointment of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in 2019, words such as “Strengthen your homeland” and “Resign your homeland” went up and down the rankings for three days, leading to a political battle.
As the controversy over the real sword continued, Kakao first abolished the real sword last February, and Naver, the number one portal in Korea, decided this time.
[김진규/네이버 PR실장]
“Because of the increasing number of users’ direct search behaviors, it is correct to end the service such as the rapid search term that we have provided for presentation purposes (I think it is correct according to the current trend).”
Experts say that Naver’s search volume is not as good as it used to be.
Naver’s main source of income is advertisements that are exposed when a search word is entered.
By increasing the influx of people through the real inspection service, the search volume and advertising revenue have been gained, but the situation has changed greatly now.
Naver, which occupied more than 80% of the domestic search market in 2016, fell to 50% of search terms last year.
On the other hand, Google, which had a market share of less than 1% five years ago, is threatening Naver by raising its share to more than 30%.
[이택광/경희대 글로벌커뮤니케이션학과 교수]
“It is also true that we are going to a structure where it is difficult to earn advertising revenue in relation to real swords anymore. YouTube and advertisements are going to that direction…”
In the end, it is interpreted that Naver has taken a strategy to focus on new businesses that are rapidly growing, such as distribution and webtoon, rather than the profits of the search market, which is expected as a controversial real-world inspection service.
The recent meeting with Naver’s Chairman Lee Hae-jin with Shinsegae Group’s vice chairman Jeong Yong-jin is an attempt to expand the field in new fields such as distribution.
This is Jung Jin-wook, MBC News.
(Video coverage: Kim Jaehyun / Video editing: Oh Yurim)
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