You already know search engine optimization is essential.
But in China Google is banned and the main search engine is Baidu. The Great Firewall of China blocks access to select foreign sites, including the search engine giant.
So, here the matter goes beyond localizing your content and adding another /language/ folder to your main website.
We’ve been a Baidu SEO agency in China for over a decade. We’ll share with you our hands-on experience on how we rank websites on Chinese search engines.
Baidu is the leading search engine in China, with a daily active user population of 620 million or a 62.94% market share. It works the same way as Google, but it’s focused on the Chinese market.
This platform has the right to block and censor search results based on government regulations. It offers a wide range of services, including maps, news, antivirus software, and internet TV. There are 57 different sub-platforms and tools that make the experience more enjoyable and convenient for Baidu users.
It also has a revenue stream similar to Google Ads, where advertisers bid on keywords to display their ads in front of relevant searches.
Baidu is not only a search engine but one of the most valuable tech companies in the world. It’s one of the world’s leaders in AI advancement, especially when it comes to smart driving and machine learning, with many ongoing projects meant to move us one step toward a smart future.
We invite you to check this short video summary of Baidu in 2022 to understand how the company actually performs and what are other aspects of its work in China. Baidu’s search engine is unlike any other Chinese search engines. Often called Chinese Google, nowadays it goes beyond its core focus.
Just like Google, apart from being a search engine, Baidu is also a whole ecosystem of apps and platforms providing different types of services for its users.
Most U.S. marketers are familiar with Google, but it’s not the ideal platform for Chinese SEO. The world’s top search engine is available in China, but it has limited capacities in this territory. Over the past years, the Chinese government put restrictions on freedom of speech and free access to information, causing several problems for the company.
We recommend studying Baidu SEO marketing strategies if you’re serious about tapping this audience. Below are some reasons why doing so would benefit international companies.
Baidu is the largest search engine in China. Like Google, Baidu also processes billions of searches daily, translating to a massive pool of potential audiences. For this reason, we would compare SEO efforts with Baidu in China to programs with Google in the U.S. Baidu has other Chinese search engine competitors like Sogou, Shenma, and Haosou, but it dominates this space with a market share of almost 63%.
SEO is the process of enhancing your website to improve its search engine visibility. It’s one of the most cost-effective, long-lasting digital marketing strategies you can implement. Once you establish your SEO ranking, you will benefit from its effects for a long time — even without running ads.
Using Chinese SEO to grow your business requires a deeper understanding of how Baidu works. Learning its preferences can help you develop ideal strategies. Let’s go through some similarities and differences between Baidu and Google below.
Baidu strongly favors .cn domains in its algorithm. Don’t waste your resources trying to rank a .com site in this territory. We recommend using the same domain prefix you currently have and buying its .cn version. The first step in boosting your SEO in China is to set up a website hosted in Mainland China.
Don’t spread your content over several subdomains for whatever reason. Baidu prefers top-level domains (TLDs) and will penalize you for breaking up your site.
The only way to improve your online presence in China is to use simplified Chinese on your site, from widgets to menus to in-image texts. Be careful with the language you use, as your English content might get lost in translation.
Google takes time to crawl and index any website, and no third party can affect its algorithm. However, with Baidu, you can use public relations (PR) and marketing efforts to speed up this process.
Baidu also values links from Chinese websites more than foreign sites. Aim for external and internal links to and from .cn domains to boost your ranking.
Like Google, Baidu offers various products, such as an encyclopedia and antivirus software. The Chinese search engine has ventured into several markets like job and travel searches. Baidu tends to boost its online dominance through its other digital properties, so its algorithms work differently than Google’s.
Baidu doesn’t crawl JavaScript well, so we recommend serving your content in plain HTML for mobile and desktop versions.
Despite Baidu being a machine learning (ML) expert, it hasn’t reached the same level as Google’s features. In Baidu SEO, it’s essential to use image alt texts and metadata to boost your chances of ranking on image searches.
Meta keywords play a critical role for Baidu. For this reason, we recommend optimizing keywords the same way you would any page — not too spam-filled.
However, many people receive error messages using this method. If you don’t receive a notification from your chosen device, we recommend creating an account through Baidu Cloud. You will again go through forms and verification processes.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issues Internet Content Provider (ICP) licenses to allow China-based websites to operate. You need one to host your site in China.
The good news is you don’t need an ICP license for your Baidu marketing efforts in the country. You only need one if you prefer to host your site on Chinese servers. However, it’s worth noting that choosing local servers does have some advantages, like quick loading times.
Baidu regularly crawls websites to update its search engine, but the indexing process usually takes anywhere between one to two months to complete the process. As mentioned earlier, PR and marketing efforts can speed up this process.
Yes, Baidu offers Application Programming Interface (API) services that allow brands to interact with Baidu servers directly. With a developer on your side, you can build applications to manage your marketing efforts.
With China’s population reaching an astounding 1.4 billion and its middle class increasing its spending, the country has become an ideal market for international companies.
At Gentlemen Marketing Agency, we know what it takes to get you in front of the ideal audience. We can help you develop groundbreaking content, keywords, backlinks, and press releases to take your business to new heights.