Many SEO practitioners are accustomed to optimization from Western companies like Google and Bing, whereby the view of optimizing Baidu – China’s supreme search engine can be little intimidating.

However, it is not really difficult in reality, even if you are totally unfamiliar with Baidu and the strategies. All you need are the right tactics and tips to achieve success.

Instead of using Google to search the web, the majority of China’s residents use another search engine called Baidu. Baidu was originally founded in January of 2000. Baidu tops the charts when it comes to Chinese search engine landscape, next to its main competitor Sogou. 

Let us dive into the following 15 tips that will help you to run your ads effectively and enjoy higher Baidu rankings.

1. Invest in High-Quality Translation

If you still are running ads in other language, you will need to get them translated into simplified Chinese if you are marketing to mainland China, Malaysia or Singapore, or traditional Chinese if you’re marketing to Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

It is crucial that you invest in a high-quality translation service if possible (or if you’re particularly lucky, recruit the help of colleagues who are fluent in Chinese). Automatic translation tools alone will not be enough, so a more distinct approach is necessary for maximum effectiveness.

2. Optimize Meta Descriptions

Unlike Google, Baidu actually uses meta descriptions as a ranking factor. These are the brief descriptions that can show up under a search result in the SERPs. You should always write unique meta descriptions for each page regardless of the search engine you’re optimizing for, and it is very important when optimizing for Baidu.

To get the best results possible, remember to include the page’s primary keyword and keep the description well-written and natural-sounding.

3. Be Mobile-Responsive/Friendly

Mobile-friendly is “seeing” the same information from desktop to mobile, while mobile-responsive is “experiencing” the same information from desktop to mobile. Just like Google, Baidu places a lot of emphasis on those factors when ranking pages. This makes sense given that their flagship app sees about half a billion monthly active users.

To ensure your site performs smoothly from within Baidu’s mobile app as well as from users’ own browsers:

• improve overall page scrolling and loading speed;
• prevent using long walls of text;
• use legible font in a size that doesn’t require zooming in to read;
• place each page’s most important content above the fold;
• ensure all buttons are big enough to comfortably tap with a finger;
• adopt responsive web design; and
• use Baidu’s mobile adaptation tool to let the search engine know that your main site and mobile site URL are linked or related

4. Use Standard Code

Baidu’s users dislike rendering content written in JavaScript, so stick to standard HTML instead. Also stay away from iFrames and Flash, though since iFrames no longer commonly used and Flash is officially dead.

After your site’s code is complete, run it through W3C’s Markup Validation Service. You can do so via URI, file upload or direct input depending on your preference. This will ensure that your site’s code is accurate and can be easily understood by Baidu’s crawlers.

5. Include Image Alt Text

Image alternative text, or alt text for short, are brief descriptions of images that both search engines and people can use to understand what those images represents. You can see if an image has alt text by viewing its source code.

Baidu uses alt text to determine how images should be ranked, so it’s crucial for SEO practitioners to write accurate, unique and high-quality alt text for every image. Be sure to include any relevant keywords, and always keep it as natural-sounding as possible.

6. Use Baidu Webmaster Tools

Similar with Google Search Console, a suite of tools designed to help webmasters view and analyse how their site is performing, view valuable metrics and determine how to boost their rankings, Baidu’s Webmaster Tools platform functions in the same way. You can see exactly how Baidu is moving and indexing your site, and also find out how it can be improved for better rankings and performance.

If you’re not fluent in Chinese, you can turn to third-party guides such as those provided by Dragon Metrics and BaiduGuide to understand how Baidu’s Webmaster Tools works.

7. Display Best Content First

While Google’s enthusiasts typically don’t run into budget issues with sites that have less than a few thousand URLs, Baidu’s actually have a much shorter attention span.

Because of this, you would do well to place each page’s best and most important content toward the top of the page. This means things like primary keywords, answers to possible user questions and vital information should come first.

8. Be Sensitive

If you’re from a Western country, it may strike you as unusual for the government to have any sway over business’ online content. But that’s exactly the case in China, and all websites have to abide by the government’s rules if they want to remain visible to users.

As stated in an official 2020 document from the Chinese government, restricted online content includes:

• exaggerated titles;
• gossip;
• improper comments on natural disasters, major accidents or other disasters;
• anything sexual in nature;
• horror or gore; and
• anything that may encourage minors to contradict social norms.

All such content can be categorized as “negative” and should be avoided at all costs. Otherwise, you risk having your site hidden from Baidu’s search results entirely, as well as those of any other Chinese search engine.

9. Do Your Research

When performing international SEO of any kind, it is necessary to conduct in-depth cultural and market research when optimizing a site for Baidu and its users.

To get a general understanding of the specific behaviours of Chinese consumers, you can start by reading articles to learn about the cultural differences between China and other countries. Then, you can perform more in-depth research accordingly to lure or captivate them with your ads. 

If the site you’re optimizing sells electronics products, for example, you should read a market research report on the electronics market in China. Then, you can analyse the demand and supply situation before proceeding to optimize your ads. If you were planning on selling those types of products, that information could save you a significant amount of time and money.

For even more personalized insights, you may also want to consider hiring a market research firm that specializes in Chinese digital marketing.

10. Reach New Users via Social Media

While social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram may not be commonly used in mainland China, there are a number of Chinese alternatives you can use to expand your reach and attract more visitors.

The most popular social media platforms in China include WeChat, which have more than one billion monthly active users. Other widely-used choices include Douyin, Youku, among others: Get active on one or more of those platforms, create business pages whenever possible and start interacting with your new audience.

11. Build Your Link Portfolio

Just like Google, Baidu considers backlinks and their quality when deciding how high a site should rank in the SERPs. The more high-quality links you have pointing to your site, the better.

Keep in mind that backlinks from Chinese websites are what matters for Baidu’s algorithms, since mainland China’s internet is in many ways isolated from foreign sites, including giants like Wikipedia, YouTube, Reddit and particularly Google, therefore backlinks from those places won’t do you any good.

Besides, links from Chinese websites can clearly indicate that your site is relevant to Chinese users, so they would be worth pursuing even if the non-Chinese websites weren’t blocked.

As with any other link building strategy, it is essential to start with top-notch content. Create content that users will find valuable and you’re more likely to passively gain organic backlinks from a variety of sources.

Then, start familiarizing yourself with reputable Chinese journalists and publications relevant to your vertical. Tag them on social media, let them know about upcoming articles or events when appropriate and offer to write guest posts.

It may take time, but the high-quality backlink portfolio you’ll build using these tactics is sure to be worth the wait.

12. Consider Local Hosting

Page speed is an important ranking factor for Baidu, but achieving fast speeds for Chinese users can be difficult when your site is hosted on servers located thousands of miles away.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to host your website locally, i.e. on servers located in or near China. Doing so can make a big difference.

Unfortunately, there are many requirements for web hosting in mainland China. As the Singapore-based company Alibaba Cloud explains, businesses looking to host their websites from within China are required to:

• apply for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) registration;
• obtain an ICP Filing (if they wish to distribute information);
• obtain an ICP Commercial License (if they wish to sell goods or services); and
• obtain an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) License (if they wish to process data or transactions).

What’s more, the forms used to apply for an ICP registration and EDI License can only be completed in Chinese.

If this is outside the scope of your abilities, the next best solution is to use a web hosting service located very close to (but not actually in) mainland China. For example, you could turn to services like GoDaddy Hong Kong or Dataplugs. These offer fast loading times for Chinese site visitors without all the red tape associated with mainland China hosting.

13. Publish New Content Regularly

1 piece of high-quality content are much more effective than 10 pieces of low-quality content, and as long as search engines keep prioritizing quality over quantity.

That being said, search engines also value fresh content and regularly updated sites (and so do human readers). Baidu is no exception, so it’s important for sites to regularly publish new quality content. Depending on your preferences, this could mean writing new blog posts, adding new products or something else entirely.

Just be sure to keep an eye on your site’s metrics to determine which publishing schedule resonates best with your audience.

14. Keep an Eye on Keyword Trends

You probably don’t need to be told that keyword research is a key component of a successful SEO strategy. The same is true for Baidu SEO, and an excellent place to start is the Baidu Index.

You can think of it as Baidu’s version of Google Trends, simply input any keyword or phrase into the search field and you will be able to see its current search trends:

This can help you form a clear idea of Chinese users’ demands and interests so you can choose the best keywords for your site.

15. Consider PPC

When launching a new site, reaching out to a new audience or entering a new market, a promotion campaign can give you the momentum you need to achieve the results faster.

You can promote on Baidu with the help of its pay-per-click (PPC) campaign management platform, Baidu Tuiguang. If you choose to launch a campaign, your site will of course be displayed toward the top of the SERPs. Nanjing Marketing Group’s guide to Baidu Tuiguang provides a handy example of what that looks like:

So if you’re looking to supplement your organic SEO with a paid campaign, Baidu Tuiguang is an ideal solution.