Korean brands · US market entry
Websites for Korean Brands Entering the US Market
A Korean site translated into English does not sell in the United States. The copy reads foreign, the checkout expects Naver Pay, and US Google has no idea what the company is. I am a bilingual senior software engineer in Los Angeles, 12+ years of experience and 50+ websites built, and the US-side partner for Korean brands and companies that need an American presence: a site written for American customers, a US commerce and payment stack, and search structure built for Google and AI answers, with the whole project run in Korean when you prefer.
The work so far: a recording studio in Korea whose inquiries doubled after its bilingual site launched, an international hiring platform connecting talent with Korean startups, a Korean-American medical device supplier selling to US clinics, a commercial real estate advisory serving Korean investors in US property, and a US storefront for a Seoul herbal-skincare brand, built as a proof of concept and in preview. Every site custom-coded, owned by the client, grown month after month.
Why Korean sites stall in the US
01
Translation is not localization
Copy that works in Seoul reads foreign in Ohio. A heritage reference every Korean knows means nothing to an American shopper, product names carry no context, and the tone that signals premium at home signals confusing here. The site has to be rewritten for how Americans search, read and decide, not translated.
02
The Korean stack does not work here
Imweb, Cafe24, Naver Pay and KakaoPay are invisible to US customers. Americans expect Apple Pay and a card checkout, US shipping and returns in plain language, sales tax handled, and claims that stay inside FDA and FTC rules for cosmetics, food and supplements. A US launch needs a US commerce stack from day one.
03
There is no Naver here
In the US, discovery is Google, Google Business Profile, reviews, and now AI answers from ChatGPT and Gemini. A site built for Naver's rules carries none of the structure those engines read. If US Google cannot understand the brand, nobody finds it, no matter how strong it is at home.
Built for Korean companies, with the receipts
Detour Only Records
Korean & EnglishA professional recording studio in Korea with a bilingual English and Korean site. Inquiries doubled after launch, the English side reaching clients the Korean site never did.
GlobalBridge
240+ placementsAn international hiring platform connecting global talent with Korean startups, 240+ placements and counting, built as a bilingual platform with the English side written for candidates abroad.
Michelle's Skin Clinic
New launchA K-beauty medical spa in Koreatown, Los Angeles: the Korean clinic experience explained to American clients, every treatment on its own page, fully bilingual, Vagaro booking one tap away.
9 Google reviews — pulled straight from my Business Profile
What a US launch site includes
English written for American customers
Adapted, not translated, by a bilingual engineer who reads the Korean original. For the Seoul skincare storefront that meant explaining hanbang in one paragraph for US shoppers instead of assuming it, and keeping the brand's Korean voice on the Korean pages.
A US commerce and payment stack
Shopify or a custom store with Stripe: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, US shipping and returns pages, tax handled, order emails in English. Built so the first American order works the way the customer expects.
Search structure for US Google and AI answers
Structured data describing the company, the products and the market, pages written around the searches Americans actually type, and robots rules that let ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews read and cite the site. A US Google Business Profile where a US address exists.
Compliance-aware copy
Cosmetics, food and supplement claims that stay inside FDA and FTC rules: no disease claims, no "FDA approved" where the law does not allow it, ingredient and usage statements carried over from the brand's own product pages, never invented.
Korean on the Korean side, English on the American side
Two properly written versions where the audience is bilingual, each indexed on its own, so a Korean-American customer and a first-time American customer each land on the page meant for them.
The whole project in Korean, if you prefer
Discovery call, design feedback, revisions and the monthly report in Korean, over KakaoTalk or video, scheduled for Korean business hours. The contract comes with a Korean summary. Pricing is fixed in writing within 48 hours.
A preview before anything goes public
The site goes up on a private preview address first, hidden from search, for the brand's sign-off. Domain, indexing and the public launch happen only when the brand says go.
Growth after launch, reported in Korean
US Google rankings come from what happens after launch: new pages, posts, Google Business Profile updates. Care plans cover hosting, monitoring, monthly SEO work and a monthly note in Korean on what changed and what it did.
Who this is for
Four kinds of Korean company keep calling with the same problem, a strong brand at home and no footing in the US.
Consumer brands
Skincare, food, beverage, lifestyle: a US storefront with the right copy, the right checkout and the right claims. The Seoul skincare storefront is the template.
Ask about the previewFranchises and retail
A US official site that explains the concept to Americans, lists locations, and handles franchise or wholesale inquiries in English and Korean.
Restaurant web designB2B suppliers and platforms
Catalogs, quote requests and partner pages for Korean suppliers selling to US clinics, retailers and companies.
한국어 웹사이트 제작Professional services for Korean investors
Real estate, finance and advisory firms serving Korean clients with US assets, bilingual and compliance-aware.
Koreatown web designThree ways Korean brands launch in the US
Most brands try the first one, pay for the second, and end up needing the third.
| Translate the Korean site | US agency | Brian Yang Web Design | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who reads the Korean original | A translator, or a plugin | Nobody | A bilingual engineer |
| Copy | Literal English, foreign to US readers | English, but the brand gets lost in the brief | Adapted for American customers, brand intact |
| Commerce | Korean platform, Korean payments | US stack, at agency rates | Shopify or custom with Stripe, built to the brand |
| Communication | In Korean, with no US expertise | In English only, US hours only | In Korean or English, Korean business hours available |
| US Google and AI answers | None of the structure | Often an add-on | Built in from day one |
| After launch | Nobody on the US side | Retainer through an account manager | Monthly growth, reported in Korean |
The Korean side of a brand already works. The job is giving it an American side that works the same way.
What a US launch site costs
Published tiers, same as the pricing page. A full US storefront or official site is usually Plus or a custom quote, fixed in writing within 48 hours, in Korean if you like.
Starter
$700
A three-page English presence: who you are, what you sell, how to reach you in the US.
- 3-page custom design
- Mobile-first build
- Basic SEO setup
- Contact form
- Source code yours
5 to 7 business days
Basic
$1,500
A five-page official site written for American customers and partners.
- 5-page custom design
- Mobile-first build
- Basic SEO setup
- Contact form
- Source code yours
7 business days
Plus
$2,500+
A US storefront or full official site: commerce, bilingual pages, structured data, a blog for US searches.
- Everything in Basic
- Shopify or Stripe commerce
- Advanced SEO setup plus structured data
- Bilingual English and Korean
- Blog or CMS option
From 14 business days
Starting prices. Catalogs, multi-location sites and custom platforms are quoted fixed, in writing, within 48 hours. Care plans from $50 a month, with the monthly report in Korean.
How a US launch runs
Four steps, each with something to see, and nothing public until the brand says so.
1. Discovery, in Korean
What you sell, who buys it in the US, what the Korean site already says, which claims are allowed here. A fixed quote within 48 hours.
2. Build on a private preview
The site goes up on a preview address hidden from search. Copy, commerce and the Korean pages are reviewed there, with unlimited revisions.
3. Sign-off, domain, launch
The brand approves the English copy and the photo use. Domain, indexing, Google Business Profile and the first submissions to Google and Bing happen in one pass.
4. Grow, and report in Korean
Monthly posts and pages for the searches Americans run, Google Business Profile updates, and a monthly note in Korean on clicks, rankings and what changed.
Straight from Google
A simple 3-step process
- 1
Free 30-minute call — fixed all-in quote within 48 hours.
- 2
Design & build in 1–2 weeks, with weekly check-ins and unlimited revisions.
- 3
Launch, then grow — I stay on to get the site found on Google and in AI answers, month after month.
Common questions
How much does a US website cost for a Korean brand?
With me, $700 for a focused three-page English presence, $1,500 for a five-page official site, and $2,500 and up for a US storefront or full site with commerce, bilingual pages and structured data. Larger builds are quoted fixed, in writing, within 48 hours, in Korean if you prefer. There is no hourly billing and revisions are unlimited.
Do you translate our Korean site or rewrite it?
Rewrite, from the Korean original. A translator produces correct English that still reads foreign; the job is copy an American customer recognizes, with the brand's voice intact. Product facts, ingredients and usage carry over exactly from your own pages. For a Seoul skincare brand that meant explaining hanbang in one paragraph for US shoppers rather than assuming the reader knew it.
Shopify or a custom site?
Shopify when the catalog is large or the brand's team will run the store day to day; a custom site with Stripe when the brand wants a storefront that looks like nothing else and a checkout tuned to it. Both take cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, handle US tax, and ship with US shipping and returns pages. I recommend one on the first call based on how the brand operates, not on what is easiest to build.
What about FDA and FTC rules for cosmetics and food?
US rules are stricter than most brands expect: no disease or treatment claims on cosmetics, no "FDA approved" on products the FDA does not approve, substantiation for efficacy claims, and clear ingredient and usage statements. I write inside those lines, carry claims only from your own product pages, and flag anything that needs a regulatory advisor. It is not legal advice; it keeps the site from needing it.
How do American customers find us? There is no Naver.
Google, Google Business Profile, reviews, and increasingly AI answers from ChatGPT and Gemini. Every site carries structured data describing the company and the products, pages written around the searches Americans type, and robots rules that let the answer engines read and cite it. Where the brand has a US address, a Google Business Profile is set up alongside. Nobody can honestly guarantee a ranking; the site is built to be found.
Can we run the project in Korean, on Korean hours?
Yes. The first call, design feedback, revisions and the monthly report can all run in Korean, over KakaoTalk or video, scheduled for Korean business hours. The contract comes with a Korean summary of the key terms. The English side of the site is written natively, so neither audience gets a translation.
Can we see it before it goes public?
Always. The site is built on a private preview address, hidden from search engines, and stays there until the brand approves the English copy and the photo use. Domain, indexing and the public launch happen only on your go.
Who owns the site?
You do. On final payment the source code, the domain and the content are yours, and the site runs on infrastructure in your name. Hosting stays with me only while a care plan is active, and the handover comes with a written note on how to run it.
Do you also handle Amazon, marketplaces or US advertising?
No. The website, its commerce, its search presence and its growth are the work. For Amazon listings, paid ads and US logistics I will tell you plainly what is outside my scope and, where I know one, who does it well. The site is built so those channels have somewhere credible to send people.
How long does a US launch take?
Five to seven business days for a Starter presence, about seven for a Basic site, and from fourteen for a storefront or full official site. Bilingual pages add a few days for both versions to be written properly. The clock starts when I have your Korean site, product information and photos, and the first call ends with a short checklist in Korean.
Bring the brand to the US properly
Send me the Korean site and tell me what you want to sell in America. You will have a fixed, all-in quote within 48 hours, in Korean or English, and a preview address before anything goes public. The consultation is free.