Power Link is Naver's keyword auction for text ads, and it runs on rules Google Ads doesn't share.
- Entity setup — Korean registration, bank account, and site, or a partner account
- Auction score — bid plus two 2026 metrics replacing the old Quality Index
- Extensions — sitelinks, price links, and a mobile-only image slot
Google Ads fluency helps you learn faster. It does not let you skip the setup.
You already know Google Ads. You know Quality Score, ad extensions, and how a CPC auction rewards relevance over raw bid size.
Power Link uses the same instincts on different rails. Naver's account rules, auction inputs, and extension formats each diverge in ways that break a copy-pasted strategy.
This guide translates Power Link into terms a Google Ads advertiser already understands: what account setup actually requires, how the auction scores your ad in 2026, and which extensions exist.
What is Power Link, and how does it map to Google Search ads?
Power Link is Naver's keyword-based text-ad product, and it's the direct equivalent of a Google Search campaign — bid on a keyword, pay per click, rank by an auction score. The mental model transfers cleanly.
Where it diverges is inventory. A Google Search ad mostly lives on one results page. Power Link runs across Naver's entire content ecosystem in one buy.
Power Link ads can appear on Naver's PC and mobile search results, Naver Cafe, Blog, Web Document, Knowledge iN, and Shopping, plus Naver's affiliated partner sites.
Treat Power Link as one campaign feeding many surfaces, not a single results page. A keyword you bid on can surface inside a Blog post's search widget as easily as the main results page.
For the display side of Naver's ad stack — GFA, the closer equivalent of the Google Display Network — see the full Naver Ads guide.
How do you set up a Power Link account as a foreign entity?
Naver's standard account requires a Korean business registration number, a Korean bank account, and a Korean-language site whose footer matches your registration — a foreign entity without those typically opens through a partner account instead. There is no self-serve foreign signup.
If you already hold a Korean entity, registration runs directly through Naver Search Advertising, the same portal covered in the SmartStore and general Naver Ads setup flow.
Without a Korean entity, the common route is a local agency or verified partner account. You submit an English copy of your home-country business registration certificate, and the partner handles the Korean-side compliance review, per Growth Marketing's account-opening guide.
- Direct account: Korean business registration, Korean bank account, matching site footer.
- Partner account: English business registration certificate submitted through an agency that already holds a verified account.
- Either path: expect a manual compliance review before your first ad runs.
Line up your Korean landing page before you apply. Naver's review checks that your site's footer information matches your submitted business license — a mismatch is a common cause of delay.
Full setup context and how Power Link connects to your SmartStore listings → Naver Ads guide.
How does the Power Link auction rank your ad?
Power Link ranks ads by combining your cost-per-click bid with a relevance score, so a well-matched ad can outrank a bigger bid — the same principle as Google's Quality Score. Bid size alone has never decided position.
Here's the part that just changed: Naver is retiring the old single Quality Index (품질지수) score entirely by the first half of 2026, replacing it with two separate metrics under its AI system, ADVoost, per Eastfortego's analysis of the 2026 update.
| Metric | What it measures | Google Ads equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Ad Relevance Score | Keyword-to-landing-page match, scored 1–10 | Landing page relevance component of Quality Score |
| Expected Click Index | Predicted CTR from your headline, description, and image | Expected CTR component of Quality Score |
Both scores reward the same behavior Google Ads already trained you to do: map each keyword to a specific page instead of your homepage, and test ad creative instead of writing one version and leaving it.
Don't chase the old Quality Index number through 2026. Naver is phasing it out in favor of Ad Relevance and Expected Click — optimizing for a metric that's being retired wastes the review cycle.
What ad extensions does Power Link support?
Power Link supports four sitelink-style extension formats plus a mobile-only image slot, and none of them map one-to-one onto Google's sitelink or callout extensions. Read the format before you build one.
- Additional Title — a second headline beside your main title on PC, or below it on mobile, pointing to the same landing page.
- Sub Link Extension — separate landing pages for multiple key pages, closest to a Google sitelink.
- Price Information Sitelinks — shows pricing before the click, each with its own landing page.
- Event Sitelink — promotes a campaign or sale without a separate landing page.
Mobile gets one extra option PC doesn't: an image slot inside the sitelink extension. Naver's own display algorithm decides when it shows, so it's inconsistent — but it lifts click-through when it appears, per The Egg's Naver-vs-Google Ads comparison.
Build the Sub Link extension first. It carries the most weight toward your Ad Relevance Score because each link points to a page that actually matches its label, unlike the Event Sitelink.
Does Power Link behave differently on mobile versus PC?
Yes — beyond the image sitelink, mobile and PC place your Additional Title extension differently and pull from a different mix of affiliated inventory. Build creative that reads correctly in both layouts before launch.
On PC, the Additional Title extension sits beside your main headline, so both read as one line. On mobile, it wraps below the headline, which changes how much of your message shows above the fold.
Mobile search also drives the bulk of Naver's query volume in most consumer categories, the same shift Google Ads advertisers have already lived through with mobile-first indexing.
Check your account's device-level bid adjustments early. A campaign tuned for PC display text often reads short in isolation on a phone screen without its second line of context.
When should you run Power Link instead of, or alongside, organic Naver SEO?
Run Power Link from day one for immediate visibility, and treat organic C-Rank and D.I.A. ranking as the multi-month system that eventually lets you scale spend back on branded terms. The two aren't competing budgets.
Power Link gets you to the top of a results page the same week your account clears review. Organic ranking through Naver's Blog and SmartStore authority signals takes months to build.
Once organic traffic on a keyword grows, most advertisers pull Power Link spend back on branded terms and keep it aggressive only on competitive category terms organic hasn't won yet.
The full organic playbook — including C-Rank and D.I.A. — lives in the Naver SEO guide, and the complete market-entry sequence is in How to Sell in Korea.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a foreign company run Power Link without a Korean entity?
Yes, through a partner account. A verified Naver Ads agency or partner submits an English copy of your home-country business registration certificate on your behalf and manages the Korean-side compliance review. A direct, self-serve account still requires a Korean business registration number, a Korean bank account, and a matching site footer.
Is the Naver Quality Index still relevant in 2026?
It's being phased out. Naver plans to fully discontinue the Quality Index by the first half of 2026, replacing it with two AI-driven metrics under its ADVoost system: Ad Relevance Score and Expected Click Index. The old score may still appear as an optional column during the transition, but optimizing toward it is no longer the right target.
What's the closest Google Ads equivalent to Power Link extensions?
The Sub Link Extension is closest to a Google sitelink extension, giving each linked page its own landing destination. Additional Title behaves more like a second headline than an extension. Price Information Sitelinks and the mobile-only image slot don't have a direct Google Ads counterpart.
Does Power Link cost more than GFA display advertising?
They're priced on different models, so direct comparison is misleading. Power Link runs cost-per-click on a keyword auction, similar to Google Search. GFA runs real-time-bid display pricing, similar to the Google Display Network. Most advertisers run Power Link first, since it captures existing search intent, then add GFA for awareness once search is stable.
Should I bid the same on mobile and PC?
Not necessarily. Mobile carries most of Naver's search volume in many categories, and your Additional Title extension displays differently across the two — wrapping below the headline on mobile instead of sitting beside it. Review device-level performance and bid adjustments separately rather than assuming one bid works everywhere.
If you want a Power Link account and keyword strategy built for how Korean shoppers actually search, rather than a translated Google Ads account, get a free audit and we'll map the setup and auction strategy to your category.
Last updated: September 2026
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