The internet population in China has achieved a milestone with over 800 million users who are actively using the net and over 80 percent of the country’s population are search engine users. Over 60 to 65% of the users perform extensive research before buying a service or product with most of the research done on Baidu. As one of the crucial practices of digital marketing, search engine marketing is vital for an organization’s success in China’s online marketplace. Baidu dominates the search engine space and globally it is the second most used search engine. By total revenue, Baidu has over 80% of the market share in search engine market space. As with every digital platform in China, most of the revenue for Baidu comes through search engine marketing. This demonstrates the potential of Baidu SEM and why it is important for your business.

Definition of Baidu

Baidu consists of an index that has millions of web pages with billions of searches on its search engine portal every month. Its main function is internet searching but also hosts Baidu Music (music service), Baidu Map, Baidu Space (a social network platform), Baidu Baike (an online encyclopedia) and  Qunar (a booking service).

Baidu Analytics

The best technique to collect accurate analytics from a campaign is adding the Baidu Analytics web statistics tracking system to your site. It allows you to see the number of users visiting your website, at what time they are visiting and their entry point. This helps in providing an insight into the advertisements that drive the most people to your website. 

Baidu SERP

This is similar to the world’s most popular search engine. The layout consists of two columns with structured data on the right and search results on the left. The search results have various paid advertising items where users need to scroll down for finding more organic results. With this format, paid advertisements have more traction for Baidu SEM.

Baidu has its own news, video search, and documents tab as well as own maps service. The most popular services offered by Baidu are Baike, Tieba, and Zhidao. By using these services you will run a successful Baidu campaign and provide your users with tailored content for their needs. This also leads to the growth of your brand visibility thereby driving organic traffic to your site.

Baidu Zhishu

Basically, Zhishu has an index where it provides insight into the volume of searches for specific keywords on Baidu. Enter any term in the query box and you will be provided with a wealth of search trends, historical data and other important factors that will be required for your online marketing.

Baidu Keyword Planner

A tool that helps the marketers for purchasing search ads on Baidu but can be very effective for SEO keyword research. It displays the search volumes for a particular keyword at a specific period of time.

Baidu’s Search Tools

After passing through the application process, you are ready for starting your campaign. Now you have the options for targeting your customers. Search tools are crucial for any Baidu SEM strategy and Baidu boasts of some incredible tools that will help you target potential users.