Already know the Baidu PPC basics? Take your game to the next level! This advanced guide reveals expert strategies for keyword targeting, bidding optimization, and campaign analysis. Gain a competitive edge and dominate the Chinese online market with Baidu AD (PPC).
With China being one of the most digitalized countries in the world, brands need to develop their online reputation and brand awareness. One effective way they can do so is by using Baidu PPC advertising (Pay-per-click). Baidu Paid Advertising will provide a great way to increase your visibility and presence on the search engine (considered as the ‘Chinese Google’).
Baidu has long been China’s go-to search engine, including advertising, for information. Running a campaign on Baidu PPC is not as straightforward or intuitive as it might seem. There are some critical differences between Google Advertising formats in other countries around the world and ads with Baidu, meaning that successful campaigns require research to understand how these channels work differently from what you’re used to. Let’s get started with advertising on Baidu with our Guide!
Can you advertise on Baidu?
Advertising on Baidu is an effective way to reach Chinese customers, but it must be done carefully. To place an advert on Baidu, businesses must have a business registration certificate and either a Chinese business license or an overseas business license.
Baidu: The Leading Search Engine in China
With more than 1.05 billion internet users as of 2023, the Chinese population increasingly relies on the web to look for information regarding a brand’s reputation, reviews, pictures, videos, etc. As the most popular Chinese search engine, Baidu is the 5th most consulted website in the world.
It represents around 70% of the search engine market share. In comparison, only 4% of internet research in China was done with Google. Baidu is one of the most popular search engines in the world.
Given these figures, it is no surprise that brands should take advantage of Baidu as a beautiful search engine when entering the Chinese market.
Advertising in China: Baidu PPC Ads
The internet advertising market has been expanding at a double-digit growth rate in the past decade. However, when it comes to advertising in China, you have to focus not only on the most popular platforms in terms of users but also (and most importantly) on each platform’s infrastructure to see if your advertising campaign fits their services. Thus, to use Baidu, you must understand precisely how it works.
(© Croud)
The Main Benefits of Paid Advertising on Baidu
Given the incremental growth of mobile users, Baidu will undoubtedly continue to invest heavily in its mobile ecosystem to bring a better user experience. This provides a lucrative opportunity for marketers to reach a broader and more engaged audience base.
Simply put, Baidu is a step you can’t skip in Mainland China. 70% of all first-stage research is conducted based on the Baidu search engine. However, to have effective advertising campaigns on Baidu, you must use Mandarin Chinese keywords; we can help you with this task.
Cosmetic brand Innisfree on Baidu
Baidu Paid Advertising: Pay-per-click
Unlike Google, Baidu’s DSP/Media Banner ads are not mainly used as the majority of all advertising is PPC (Pay-per-click). PPC search results are also perceived differently in China, which has more trust in paid search compared to the West. One reason for this is the predominance of PPC throughout the development of Baidu’s platform, with Chinese digital players monetizing their websites.
Key features of Baidu PPC
- 2 Lines of Ad Copywriting (although often only one will typically show, depending on ad placement).
- Top 5 search results on Baidu
- Brand Zone
- Paid ads / natural search results are more challenging to distinguish
- Ad keyword bidding prices can fluctuate, so the campaign needs to be closely monitored
There are some limitations when it comes to Baidu ads, notably for health & pharmaceutical products, where you’ll have to speak with a specialist first.
The effectiveness of PPC depends on the sector; often, high-value investments or relatively low-scale purchases will thrive on Baidu PPC (e.g., Real Estate & FMCG). Cosmetics are also typically associated with Baidu PPC.
!Baidu PPC Advertising: L’Occitane Baidu Brand Zone
L’Occitane – Baidu Brand Zone
How to Set Up a Baidu PPC Account?
To apply for Baidu’s PPC advertising, you will need to submit a bunch of documents for Baidu to check the potential and seriousness of your company and respect some strict prerequisites.
Baidu Paid Ads: Prerequisites
- Have an account on Baidu’s Paid Search Platform
- Have a license and own SAP CPI tenant to build a connection
- Mandarin Chinese website
- Your registered company name must be the same as on your website
- Business Registration Proof
- Company bank details
- A copy of your company/seal on your documents
Baidu Advertising: Fees and Regulations
It is essential to consider that Baidu requires an initial payment to set up a Baidu account, which you can then use for your advertising campaigns. Moreover, you’ll have to pay some fees depending on your region to start using your ads account.
In terms of regulations, China is stringent when it comes to health products, gambling, finance, etc. Thus, rules for companies in these industries will be even more rigorous.
Moreover, note that some words such as ‘Number 1, Best, Top class, Trustworthy, Guarantee’, etc. are prohibited on Baidu, and you won’t be able to use symbols on your ad copy unless you prove they are yours. Avoid all political content that could lead to scandals, and pay attention to the content you post.
Main Differences Between Baidu and Google Paid Ads
While there are some similarities, it is essential to understand the differences between these two different search engines if you want to optimize your advertising strategies and visibility on Baidu.
Less Clear Which Links are ‘Ads’ vs Natural Results
Nike Ads on Baidu
In contrast to Google’s prominent ad section, Baidu opts for a subtler reference below the ad text to distinguish the paid links at the top of the page from the organic search results.
This can benefit firms engaging in PPC as the natural results merge with the paid results.
Baidu PPC with SEO: Optimisation in the Organic Results
It is essential to highlight that Chinese users use the internet all day; therefore, ranking organically on the search engine typically drives qualitative traffic to your website. If you want to take advantage of Baidu in the best way possible, you can combine two approaches: start with PPC to drive initial traffic, then gradually shift to a more SEO-led approach.
More Characters are Allowed on Baidu PPC Ads than on Google Ads
Compared to Google Adwords, you can write more characters on Baidu regarding your ads meta-title. The specifications are 50 characters for the title and 80 for each line of ad text (in total, two lines). You have more space to describe your products, services, or special offers in detail so that you can take advantage of them.
Using the First Line of Ad Text on Baidu PPC
In contrast to Adwords, advertisers can only write on the first line of a Baidu ad and leave the second line empty. However, it is essential to consider that even if you decide to write on both lines of your Baidu ad, they won’t necessarily be displayed, depending on where they will be displayed.
Baidu will typically not display both lines of ad text unless an ad achieves the highest level of relevancy. The top positions will feature both lines, but the lowest four positions probably will not. That’s why it is highly recommended to write the first line of your ad in a way that it can stand alone (in terms of grammar and meaning) so that you won’t be in trouble even if the second line is not displayed.
Selection of Character Keywords
Generally speaking, campaigns will feature **20-30 keyword sets based on different groups of themes. Thus, optimizing these keywords’ campaigns is essential thanks to a landing page/site audit you’ll need to do regularly. Pricing can be an issue depending on the sector of activity, but there are ways to cut down costs, and we can explain how if you contact us.
Note that A/B testing can be carried out to compare generalized terms with specific terms and see how it turns. For example, exact keywords drive more qualitative traffic and will be less expensive. Lower traffic levels will also allow you to reduce your PPC budget costs if you operate on a smaller scale.
For large-budget campaigns, bidding for & optimizing on the most searched / popular keyword terms will drive the highest level of traffic. But be careful to ensure that your budget is spread over a pre-defined campaign period. Plan everything to organize the budget you’ll need.
‘Special Offers’ are Very Effective in China
In China, more than anywhere else in the world, consumers like to make special deals, and many of them will tend to buy a product if they know that they can buy it for a cheaper price. That’s why relatively aggressive special offers are pretty standard on Baidu.
To do so, you must emphasize how the special offer will benefit consumers. Write an ad copy for your special offer and be as convincing as possible, give the reduction price, and explain clearly when the special offer will end.
Lancôme’s special offer for 618 (China Mid-year Shopping Festival)
People will typically pay more attention to an offer in PPC links than the brand, which explains why SEO and ranking in organic results are the best ways to build your brand’s awareness. If you want to take advantage of Baidu, you can combine the two techniques according to your budget.
Mandarin Chinese Language Ad Copywriting
This is incredibly important. Appropriate communication with the target audience improves your CTR, yielding higher ROI. Content cannot simply be translated but needs to be adapted and tailored for the Chinese market accordingly.
When searching for Guerlin on Baidu
Typically, you will find mentions of special offers & a brief explanation of services. There are multiple ways to present your brand and services depending on the industry sector and offers.
Chinese Landing Pages for Specific Search Terms
It is vital to drive traffic to the most relevant options, so creating local landing pages for specific product types and categories is necessary. Moreover, you should prioritize static pages as the loading page speed will be taken into account on Baidu, and your rank can also depend on that.
Dior’s Chinese website
Less Negative Words than Google Adwords
It can be bad news for advertisers that are used to listing negative keywords on Adwords: Baidu only allows a total of 100 negative keywords, much less than Google Adwords.
The recommendation for advertisers is to take the hundred shortest negatives on the campaign level, which can cover as many essential negative terms and combinations as possible, and add negatives on the ad group level.
Download Baidu’s Editor Tool
Baidu Editor tool’s webpage
To master and take advantage of Baidu, you should download Baidu’s Editor Tool directly on your desktop. On top of that, if you’re not fluent in Mandarin Chinese, it has an English version.
The functions available on it are pretty similar to Adwords Editor. However, if your account is located outside of China, be prepared that the uploading, downloading, and performance data retrieval could take much longer than with Adwords Editor.
PPC Monitoring & Reporting
Tracking channels is of the utmost importance for a successful campaign. You need to be able to analyze which keywords drive the most traffic, convert to the most sales, stay on-site the longest, and re-enter multiple times. This data will allow you to tailor the best strategy for your campaign and help you find the most effective search terms and positioning/location’ in the search bar.
Tackling Click Fraud in China
Focusing on click-spend daily is the most effective way to tackle click fraud (false clicks from competitors) by limiting the budget available. Additionally, monitoring your daily average click-through rates is essential to identify potential click fraud. Thankfully, Baidu has taken care of this recently by establishing a team responsible for reporting, analyzing, and protecting clients when clicking fraud situations.
One important reason to use local specialists is that they can monitor this to ensure you are getting genuine clicks and higher conversion rates. If you want to know more about this topic, you can contact us, and our specialists will explain everything you have to know about Baidu.
Baidu Phoenix Nest
Baidu has a PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, platform, like Google Ad Words, named Baidu Phoenix Nest.
The main difference between Phoenix and Ad Words is that Baidu’s platform ranks websites higher depending on their spending level. In contrast, with Ad Words, the relevancy of your site’s content compared to the search phrase increases your CPC (Cost-Per-Click) and betters your position in the PPC rankings. (more about Paid advertising in China here).
Baidu Advertising Platform: Baidu Tuigang (百度推广)
Baidu Tuigang
Baidu Tuigang is a PPC (pay-per-click) advertising platform similar to Google Adwords and Adsense. By using this platform, you’ll be able to display your ads on Baidu’s search results pages and on websites within Baidu’s ecosystem.
Even though the admin interface is primarily in Mandarin Chinese, an English version has been developed. However, please consider that this service can only be used by companies with a registered address for their business within China and some other parts of East Asia. Baidu Paid Ads appear alongside the organic listings.
Types of Paid Ads on Baidu (Apart from PPC)
ProTheme
This service is available to Baidu Union members, who are then allowed to display promotional links on specific web pages and music players, apps, desktop apps, etc. Because the ads are more targeted to relevant searches than using Baidu Tuigang, they are highly appreciated when targeting a specific audience.
Pay for placement (P4P)
Using this service will enable you to reach customers following relevant searches. Your website links and information will be displayed on Baidu according to the relevant keywords. Thanks to P4P, you can, for example, buy priority placement of your business’ site within search results (contrary to Google).
Baidu TV
Baidu’s advertising service is mainly designed for video advertisements and is available for Baidu Union members’ websites. Advertisers can choose which sites and where to display their video ads.
Information Feed Ads
Launched in 2016, this feed flow ad is mixed with organic content and displayed in content-driven Baidu products, such as Baidu Forum, Baidu News, and more.
Brand Zone
The Brand Zone is a space dedicated to a specific brand to showcase and introduce this company or brand. It often includes links to the company’s website, news related to the brand, specific products, promotional information, and special offers.
Coach Brand zone on Baidu
This type of ad commonly ranks at the top position on the SERP and pushes down all the competing ads. For example, people looking for Hermès can get tons of information about the brand within a few seconds.
However, you’ll have to consider the price of this service (which is around $1,500 a month). B2B marketers need to discuss it with professionals on Baidu to get an exact quote. Thus, you can contact us to explain your project concretely so we can give you advice, prices, and tips and help you develop your visibility on Baidu.
Should You Use Baidu PPC?
Although Baidu PPC is beneficial to kick-start your project and get traffic at the beginning, an SEO strategy is more practical in the long term. Indeed, organic traffic is more qualitative than paid traffic and less susceptible to not getting any views the day your competitors decide to bid more than you on your keywords. Organic results may not be displayed before paid ads, but they still generate a nonnegligible amount of quality traffic.
That’s why you should consider all the possibilities according to your needs, expectations, and budget. If you want more information about Baidu PPC, we have plenty of case studies, so you can contact us, and we’ll send them to you.
Need a Baidu PPC Advertising Agency?
We are a digital agency based in Shanghai, China, specializing in the Chinese market. We are a dedicated team of international marketers specializing in the Chinese market: social media, web, digital tools, and Baidu, of course, regarding SEO & PPC.
For more information, please contact our specialists to discuss your project.
- Our Baidu SEO & PPC Services
- Our case studies
Baidu is different than Google, as stated in this article. On top of that, the Chinese market is evolving at a fast pace and is constantly changing. Thus, if you want to seize all the opportunities, working with a specialized agency such as GMA is more convenient and cost-efficient.
If you’d like more information about Baidu or the Chinese market in general, you can contact us directly and we will reply within 24 hours.
Learn more about Baidu AD (PPC)
- Download What is Baidu AD (PDF)
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