Baidu Ads, Best Practices in 2022

Baidu Advertising is a prevailing instrument in the China marketing strategies. When used effectively, it can elevate any product or branding to great levels of exposure. Let us dive into several key considerations any marketer must recognise and apply.

Baidu Ads is not Google Ads

There is a common perception that Baidu is China’s Google. In certain way, it is true. It commands mostly all the searches by China internet users, and is used frequently by almost everybody connected to the web in China, and has several shared additional features, including a cloud service, image search and location-based products. However, there are several key differences when it comes to PPC advertising.

·        Paid ads and natural search results are visually much less diverse and straightforward on Baidu

·        Longer ad copy. Baidu allows more characters in the title, about 50 and 80 characters in two lines of copy

·        Baidu PPC fees are paid up-front, and an initial down payment is required when registering. Top-ups are possible, but it is important to plan carefully to avoid a campaign being abruptly discontinued due to delays in payments

·        There are restrictions on the types of products and services that can be advertised on Baidu. It’s important to abide by regulations prohibiting or limiting the advertisement of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, financial services and sensitive content.

·        Landing pages must hold an ICP license. Superlatives in ad copy are a not recommended at all.

·        Many Baidu searches refer to Baidu Zhihu, Baidu’s equivalent to Quora. PPC advertising on specific Zhihu pages is an additional means to get targeted click-throughs.

Localize your landing page

Localization of landing page includes a couple of key steps. Firstly, legal. As of the latest rules, which came into force in April 2021, Baidu is providing two options for the landing page, in accordance with laws on content management in China. One is to use a Baidu-provided H5 page, mini-program or mini-site. These are built using Baidu’s ‘Jimuyu’ tool, and are reviewed for content before being allowed online.

The other option is to develop a website and apply for an ICP license. The basic requirements to obtain the license are that the website be hosted in China, and the content reviewed by the authorities. After the URL is set as part of a PPC campaign, it may not be changed anymore, and URL redirections upon landing are strictly prohibited.

Secondly, the UI, UX and content should all be localized. This means getting professionals to translate copy in a context-appropriate way, and constructing the page in a way that appeals to China’s internet users and adhering to the authority’s law. There are significant differences in the way websites are required to look and operate in China.

Baidu Ads for mobile platforms

Another popular buzzword is that in China, the internet is mobile. For this reason, it is always great to adopt landing pages fit for small screens. Responsive design is a must for websites, but Baidu’s proprietary Jimuyu service is perhaps best suited for this enhancement. It has in-built templates for H5 pages, mini-programs and mini-sites, and a number of agencies exist to help build them from the ground up.

The added advantage to using Jimuyu is increased functionality with Baidu’s app. While the search engine is primarily still browser-based, the app now records 250 million daily active users. Integrating with its interface increases the value of any PPC campaign.

Set the right objectives

It is important to set proper timeline-based goals instead of simply applying the any goals that might have been developed with the use of Google PPC. Just as different media allows different forms of messaging, different ad platforms allow different outcomes. For example, Baidu Advertising campaigns can be very useful for the following things:

·        Building brand awareness among China internet users

·        Generating leads to conversions for China-based products and services

·        Generating hypes about product launches, events or activations

But they’re not particularly useful for:

·        Connecting China users with products or services out of China

·        Making dynamic campaigns in which landing pages adapt or change regularly

·        Integrating with global campaigns

Choose suitable keywords

One is that Baidu PPC limits negative keywords to 100. Another is that a typical campaign will have 20-30 keywords. This is why it is incredibly important to do thorough research. Do not rely on automatic translators; allocate budget and time to get the help of a professional translator, and double-check with native speakers. Adjust strategy accordingly, by reviewing and comparing the keywords from URLs that are ranked lower than the top spot.

Search volumes, levels of competition and estimated bid costs of keywords are searchable through Baidu Keyword Planner, which is available from the Baidu ads members’ backend.

Keywords bidding and quality scores

The prices for bidding on keywords usually vary, especially during a campaign. It’s thus important to continually focus on spending, and adjust budgets accordingly. PPC campaigns are paid up-front, and payment transfer may take a few days or even a week, so it’s a good idea to include some collateral into each campaign budget.

Baidu Advertising has a function where it’s possible to bid for URLs, as well as keywords. When a given URL is returned in a search, the ad will appear too. By researching relevant websites that are highly ranked, it is possible to piggyback on their SEO.

When a campaign ended, there is still hope that the ad page still ranks highly in organic searches, but please bear in mind that Baidu now controls for content. When ranking, the algorithms are stirring from traditional SEO factors like keywords, text and meta-text. They prefer to rank pages according to what they consider to be high quality content. 

By understanding the differences between Baidu and Google Advertising, and the nuances involved using Baidu PPC, there are no reasons why brands within or out of China shouldn’t find great success with campaigns. As with all things marketing in China, it’s vital to avoid the mistake of assuming that the platforms work in exactly the same ways as international platforms. It might take a bit of time and spendings to adapt, but it is wise to thinking globally, but acting locally.