Short answer: some shops do fine with Naver Smartplace alone, and some are better off adding a website. Smartplace is a service where an offline shop posts hours, menu and booking details to Naver search and maps for free. A website is a space under your own address (domain) where you gather your intro, photos and inquiries. They are not rivals; they do different jobs, so which one you need depends on what your customer looks at before deciding. This post also works out the cost using site30cut’s pricing (KRW 200,000 build fee, 3 free revisions).
How do Smartplace and a website differ?
Smartplace is your shop’s information page inside Naver. Naver provides the basic listing and tools such as booking and ordering, but layout and display follow the frame Naver sets. On a website you decide the structure, and the same address works from Google search, business cards and a QR code on your sign, not just Naver.
Naver describes Smartplace as a service for registering shop information and using business tools such as booking and ordering for free (source: Naver Smartplace guide). So a neighborhood shop that only needs to share hours, menu and location can use it as its basic front door.
When is a website worth having?
A separate website helps if any of these apply.
- Your service needs a long explanation, such as process, pricing structure or past work
- Customers also arrive from outside Naver: Google, an address on a card or flyer, a referral
- You quote prices after an inquiry: on-site services, custom work, lessons
- You want a page you manage yourself to show up when people search your shop name
If your shop is a restaurant that people pick straight from the map for lunch, keeping Smartplace up to date comes first.
What does a website cost?
With site30cut the build fee is KRW 200,000, including domain registration and Naver and Google search registration. Three revisions are free and year-1 maintenance is free. From year 2 it is KRW 50,000 a year, so three years come to KRW 300,000 (within 3 revisions, calculated from the values in the site’s pricing page).
KRW 300,000 over 36 months is a little over KRW 8,333 a month. That figure is a calculation, not a separate charge. The question is whether one customer inquiry could cover about that much.
The order for using both
You do not need both perfect from day one. This order keeps the load light.
If hours or prices differ between the two, customers make a wasted trip. So fix both the same day whenever something changes.
FAQ
Do I not need a website if I have Smartplace?
If you only share hours, menu and location, it may be enough. Shops with long explanations or quote-based work get more from a website.
Can I drop Smartplace once I have a website?
Many customers look for shops on Naver, so keeping both is safer. Decide after checking where your inquiries come from.
What if cost is a worry?
The only costs are the first KRW 200,000 and KRW 50,000 a year from year 2, so you can see the 3-year total above before deciding.
Full pricing is on the pricing page and the steps are on the process page.