In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, reaching the right audience in the right market is crucial. Baidu search engine, China’s leading search engine, holds a dominant position with over 56% of the market share (statista) and more than 704 million monthly active users (TechNode). This extensive reach makes Baidu an indispensable platform for businesses aiming to penetrate the Chinese market. Additionally, Baidu boasts access to over 600,000 alliance websites, enhancing the visibility and impact of your advertising efforts.
In this article, we will explore the top 5 reasons why you should start using Baidu Ads in 2025:
#1: Google doesn’t work in China
#2: Baidu PPC Advertising is one of the best platforms in China
#3: Baidu has a Lower CPC (Cost per Click) Than Google Ads
#5: It can be difficult to get started with advertising on Baidu
There are alternative platforms you can use to advertise online in China, but none of them come close to matching the reach of a Baidu ad. Baidu has an enormous search engine market share in China at 56.15% by the end of September 2024. When comparing Google and Baidu, the key differences stem from their market positioning in China. Google is largely inaccessible due to local restrictions. In contrast, Baidu dominates as the country's primary search engine. Baidu further distinguishes itself by offering reliable and cost-effective advertising solutions tailored specifically for the Chinese market. So when you’re looking to advertise in China, you should always start with Baidu advertising. Baidu also continues to grow each year, with about 704 million monthly active users in December 2024 on the Baidu App, a 5.5% improvement year-on-year.
Not sold on Baidu ads yet?
Here are our top 5 reasons why you need to use Baidu ads:
#1: Google Doesn’t Work in China
The most fundamental reason to prioritize Baidu vs Google is simple: Google doesn’t work in China. As of 2022, almost all Google services, including Search, Display, Gmail, Drive, Translate and YouTube, are blocked in China due to government restrictions.
Some services like Google GDN (Google Display Network) and Google Analytics (URL tracking) can function with VPNs to work in China. However, they cause loading problems for websites that need to route information through the Great Firewall, so marketers use Baidu Analytics instead.
The Chinese government has also tightened regulations on VPN usage, making Baidu’s compliance with local laws a key advantage. Baidu offers a range of advertising options tailored to Chinese consumer behaviour, making it the go-to choice for businesses targeting this market.
Pro Tip: Focus on Baidu’s keyword-based targeting to reach your audience effectively without the complications of Google’s restricted services.
#2: Baidu PPC Advertising: A Top-Tier Platform in China
Baidu PPC advertising is one of the best advertising platforms in China, offering reliable targeting and conversion rates. Unlike other platforms that focus on impressions and broad targeting, Baidu excels in keyword-based advertising. This precision ensures higher accuracy in reaching your target audience.
In contrast, many Chinese platforms have struggled with inflated engagement numbers. Baidu’s transparent metrics and robust keyword targeting set it apart, making it a trusted platform for businesses, especially in the B2B sector.
#3: Baidu Has a Lower CPC (Cost per Click) Than Google Ads
Baidu ads are significantly more cost-effective than Google Ads, particularly for high-volume keywords. On average, Baidu’s CPC is 25-40% lower than Google’s for similar search terms. This lower cost per click makes it an attractive option for businesses looking to maximize their advertising budget.
Baidu does have some strict payment terms, requiring an initial deposit in Baidu Ads of at least RMB 7,000 (USD 1,042) for foreign companies, along with an additional RMB 1,000 as a one-off service fee and RMB 600 annually for the Company Authentication fee. But the overall cost of your Baidu Advertising campaign should be comparatively lower.
#4: Baidu Is Growing Rapidly
China’s current domestic internet usage is around 1.1 billion people in 2024, with Baidu advertising capturing a significant portion of this audience. Baidu continues to innovate, developing native mobile search applications and expanding its international reach. With around 80% of its income derived from online marketing and advertising services (compared to Google’s 74.6%), Baidu’s growth trajectory is poised to continue.
For businesses targeting Chinese audiences abroad, Baidu offers a unique opportunity. Many Chinese users living or travelling overseas rely on Baidu as their primary Chinese search engine, providing a consistent channel to reach this audience.
#5: Challenges Create Opportunities With Advertising on Baidu
Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a list of reasons why you SHOULD be using Baidu? Well, one of the best reasons you should be using Baidu is almost always overlooked: the barrier to entry. Like all services in China, Baidu is subject to the laws and requirements of the Chinese Communist Party, which (unlike Facebook and other platforms) doesn’t want just anyone to advertise. This means that to get started on Baidu, you will need to provide a lot of paperwork and registration information of your Chinese company (International companies may also apply in Hong Kong).
To give you the rundown on everything you need to get started, see our “2025 Master Guide to Baidu”. There is also an approval process for ads, and you will be assigned a service representative whose job will be to check in on you and make sure that you aren’t advertising anything that might be deemed sensitive in China. Now, all this might seem like a fairly good reason not to use Baidu ads, but it’s actually an excellent opportunity for companies who are willing to put in a little effort which many of your competitors won’t bother doing.
None of these processes are difficult. It’s mostly just time-consuming and requires Chinese/Hong Kong administrative help to provide the correct documentation to appease the censors. Getting started with registering a foreign company in China usually takes around 2 months, OR starting in Hong Kong can be done within weeks with the help of a local agency. If you don't have or aren't willing to open a company in China, you can register a Baidu account as an international company. However, to use a Baidu ad as a landing page, you need to send the website URL for review. In this case, we recommend using Baidu landing pages as your website won't load fast enough in China without a local hosting solution.
Frequently Asked Questions about Baidu vs Google Ads
1. How does advertising differ between Baidu vs Google?
Advertising through Baidu means that you have unlocked the power to target Chinese-speaking regions - including Mainland China, Taiwan, etc. Essentially, you can reach out to all Chinese speakers over the world, so long as they’re using this popular search engine daily. While Google is far-reaching, it unfortunately restricts your advertising to regions other than China.
Another key difference is that unlike activity on Google, Chinese consumers don’t mind online ads and believe that any company willing to pay to promote their products in this way must be reputable. They also know that there are strict advertising laws in China as the Chinese internet has a long history with false advertising. It is perhaps a different attitude to customers in the West, but with the reach of Baidu ads, the potential marketplace for new business is colossal.
2. What are the similarities between Baidu and Google?
Baidu is termed the “Google of China'' - so you know there must be quite a few similarities between the two. Essentially, both platforms are extremely popular search engines and rely heavily on their advertising offerings and cloud services (although they. In my opinion, they will both continue growing tremendously over the next few years.
3. Why does Baidu perform better than Google in the Chinese Search Engine Market?
Amongst all Chinese search engines, Baidu is the biggest search engine and owns a significant market share. Even though Google China (which is a subsidiary of Google) has been around since 2006, it has struggled to gain a foothold in the Chinese market due to strict regulations in China. Even outside of China, Baidu still beats Google. While Google evaluates content equally, Baidu prioritises and gives a higher ranking to Chinese content. Naturally, Baidu will have a better performance in the Chinese search engine market.
Google Bard vs Baidu Ernie Bot
Technology Base:
-
Bard is based on Google's LaMDA, a language model focused on open-ended conversation.
-
ERNIE Bot is based on Baidu's ERNIE, a knowledge-enhanced pre-training model.
Data Source:
-
Bard uses data from Google Search to provide real-world factual responses.
-
ERNIE Bot uses plugins such as "Baidu Search" and "ChatFile" to deliver exact and updated information.
Features and Enhancements:
-
Bard is being developed to excel at tasks like instruction-following, answering diverse questions, creating various text forms like poems and scripts, accurate language translation, understanding nuanced questions, and quickly adapting to new information. They have recently started allowing users to use images as prompts, with the feature available in English.
-
ERNIE Bot has the ability to summarize lengthy texts and deal with Q&A efficiently. It was made faster with the 3.5 update, which made it 17 times quicker than its predecessor, ERNIE 3.0.
Development and Improvements:
-
Google's development plan for Bard includes potential applications in conversational search experiences or novel educational tools. They recently allowed Bard to be interacted with in over 40 languages!
-
Baidu's development plan for ERNIE Bot includes continuous updates and the addition of new features, with an emphasis on improving the speed of the AI model.
Human-Like Interaction:
-
Bard is designed to handle open-ended conversations that can flow naturally.
-
ERNIE Bot focuses on understanding human intentions and responding in a natural, logical way.
Getting Started with Baidu Ads
For B2B businesses looking to target the China market, Baidu Ads are crucial and should be part of your PPC strategy. It offers a cost-effective and accurate method of advertising that can even outperform other platforms in China.
So now that you see the potential for advertising in China, where do you get started?
- First, download our free eBook on everything you need to know about doing Baidu ads in China. Understanding how things work and the requirements for getting started are crucial for success.
- Hire a Baidu ads specialist or an agency with the experience to help you get started. Baidu marketing can be challenging, and advertising in China requires a completely different strategy. If you would like to speak to one of our ‘Baidu qualified’ specialists, please contact us.
Does your company need assistance with advertising in China? Speak with one of our marketing experts to find out how we can help.
