Does Having A Korean ccTLD Matter For Rankings?

From experience, you can perform well within South Korea on a .com domain, but if you’re trying to localize going with a .co.kr ccTLD won’t hurt.

A ccTLD like .kr is not absolutely necessary for ranking well in South Korea.

You can achieve similar results with a generic TLD (like .com) by implementing proper geo-targeting methods, good quality content, and aligning your website with Naver SEO best practices.

There are some benefits to a .kr domain, such as:

  • User Trust: Local users are more likely to trust websites with a .kr domain, as it suggests the site is relevant to their region, offers local services, or is written in the Korean language.
  • Competition: If you’re targeting the South Korean market, having a .kr ccTLD can help you better compete against local websites, which may also be using this domain. While Google claims ccTLD is only a weak ranking factor, in local searches, it can give you an edge over global competitors.
  • Localized Content: While the domain extension itself matters, localized content (in Korean, addressing South Korean cultural and business preferences) will play a bigger role in boosting rankings.