Baidu

By | June 11, 2020

Using Baidu and Advertising on Baidu

If just using Baidu as a search engine or advertising platform, one should consider that Baidu’s top search results mainly result because they were paid promotional ads, they will not be so clearly separated as on Google or other international search engines. Some organic results will be mixed between paid ones, but mostly not in the top results and also often not so relevant, depending on the used Keywords.

In China, located consumers and the Chinese language is the main focus of Baidu. Also, if the website is being hosted within China, it will be listed with higher search results.

Advertising on Baidu

It is estimated that as many as 500 million Chinese are using the Internet regularly. It is also estimated that about 90 Percent use Baidu as the search engine of choice. So for one’s web-based marketing and to get access to the Chinese market, one should consider using Baidu for your marketing to the Chinese consumer.

Chinese Language

Only when you’re using content ads and Keywords in the Chinese language, you will be able to reach potential Chinese consumers. Simplified Chinese is the common use form of content in mainland China. Traditional characters are used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most users on Baidu will use Simplified Chinese for their searches online.

How to get started on Baidu

To set up an account, you will have to provide a copy of your business licence. If it is not in Chinese, you also will have to get your business incorporation documents translated into Chinese. No legalization of the translation or original copy is required.

You will be required to sign a formal contract with Baidu. To get your Baidu account opened and ready to use may take several days to several weeks. Once the account is opened, things will go as fast as one can expect. One Company can open only one account. This effectively means, for one company, only one website which can be used for Baidu promotion.

Host Location

It is generally advisable to use a website hosted within Mainland China when targeting Chinese customers (excluding Hong Kong). This is not required by Baidu, but it will make certain that your content reaching your Chinese target consumer. Within the PRC, there are some Internet connectivity problems with outside China located Servers. Doing this will mean you will have to register your website with the authorities before you go online and the cost also maybe a little higher, but the advantage that your site can be opened quicker and more reliable far out the way these disadvantages.
It is not necessary to go through an agent to sign up; you can deal with Baidu directly.

Website structure

Most Chinese websites are focusing on their first page. What is meant by this statement is, most or even all pages are linked from the first page. One could even say the main navigation tool is the homepage and the menu bar plays a smaller role to navigate.
This can be easily observed on most Chinese websites, as they have on their first page a huge amount of links, and only little emphasis is put on a more common tree structure throughout the site. Most Chinese SEO will target all of their backlinks on the first page. It is absolutely not necessary to follow this form of website structure. But it is advisable to consider that Chinese consumers are accustomed to this kind of style.