Baidu now allows almost any overseas business (except for specific industries: gambling, medical, auction, pharma, etc.) to run ads on Baidu. Even companies without a legal presence in China are now able to advertise on Baidu, which is great news for businesses looking for exposure in the Chinese market. For a successful Baidu campaign, the cost could range from 7,000 RMB to over 100,000 RMB, depending on a multitude of factors.
But how much do you need to spend on Baidu for a successful campaign? Estimating the cost for Baidu advertising can be difficult for non-Chinese speakers, and Baidu is frequently changing its prices. This blog goes through all the fees and costs when setting up a Baidu advertising account.
Baidu Account Set-Up Fees
Although a Baidu account is technically free, the amount of deposit greatly varies the benefits you receive. There are two channels for deposits when setting up a Baidu account, the Baidu Official site or through a Hong Kong agency.
For the sake of cost-saving, we recommend the Baidu Official site when possible, but for some countries, it is only possible through a Hong Kong agency.
With Baidu Official China
The official deposit is for any Chinese companies or overseas companies, excluding ones based in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and France. We’ve simplified the services in the chart below for a straightforward look at what is offered for each deposit amount.
Note: Baidu will deduct a 1000 RMB service fee (one time) and a 600 RMB company verification fee (annually) from the deposit.
Baidu Ads Deposit Options - Mainland Company (Beijing)
|
Deposit (RMB) |
Annual Fee |
Company Verify Fee |
Coupon (After opening account) |
Coupon (After activating account) |
Baidu Feed Ads Coupon |
Baidu Search Ads Coupon |
Total Account Balance (RMB) |
|
6,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
1,300 |
❌ |
7,300 |
|
10,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
+500 |
11,800 |
|
20,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
+1,400 |
22,700 |
|
30,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
+2,400 |
33,700 |
|
50,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
+5,000 |
56,300 |
|
60,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
+5,000 |
66,300 |
Baidu Ads Deposit Options - Overseas Company (Beijing)
|
Deposit (RMB) |
Annual Fee |
Company Verify Fee |
Coupon (After opening account) |
Baidu Search Ads Coupon |
Baidu Feed Ads Coupon |
Total Account Balance (RMB) |
|
6,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,000 |
+1,300 |
7,300 |
|
10,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+1,500 |
+1,300 |
11,800 |
|
20,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+2,400 |
+1,300 |
22,700 |
|
30,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+3,400 |
+1,300 |
33,700 |
|
50,000 |
-1,000 |
-600 |
+600 |
+6,000 |
+1,300 |
56,300 |
Baidu Ads Deposit Options - Overseas Company (HK)
|
Deposit (RMB) |
Annual Fee |
Company Verify Fee |
Baidu Search Ads Coupon |
Baidu Feed Ads Coupon |
Total Account Balance (RMB) |
Note |
|
7,000 |
-1,500 |
-600 |
❌ |
❌ |
4,900 |
Hard to apply with Baidu headquarters. |
|
20,000 |
-1,500 |
-600 |
❌ |
❌ |
17,900 |
Needs to apply with Baidu headquarters. |
|
40,000 |
-1,500 |
-600 |
❌ |
❌ |
37,900 |
Normal deposit amount. |
- Hong Kong-based companies must apply via a Hong Kong office
- Beijing office can't open an account for the company in HK, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, UK and France
Baidu Set Up in Hong Kong
For companies based in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and France, you’ll need to open a Baidu ads account via the Hong Kong office. Expect to pay 2,100 RMB in verification fees annually when depositing through a Hong Kong agency.
|
Benefits/Rights |
Deposit 7,000 RMB (this offer needs to apply first) |
|
1,500 annual verification fee |
The ad account balance will be 5,500 RMB after the 1,500 RMB annual verification fee is deducted. |
|
Basic Baidu Service |
HK Baidu consultant |
|
Ads portfolio |
Various basic Baidu ad products |
|
Insight report |
Baidu ads data report |
|
600 RMB annually Baidu company authentication fee |
This will be free for the first year and charged for the second year. |
Daily Costs of Baidu
When determining the ad budget for your campaign, take the daily costs of running the Baidu ads into consideration. The bare minimum spending for Baidu ads currently stands at 50 RMB. However, similar to Google ads, competitive keywords cost more due to demand. With that said, expect niche industries to fetch a daily price of 200–300 RMB and high-demand industries to fetch 500–800 RMB daily. This daily budget can be gauged daily and depends on the Baidu Index, which measures the market’s competitiveness.
Taking an average estimate of daily prices based on niche and high-volume industries, here’s how much you would expect to pay every month.
|
Monthly Price for Niche |
Monthly Price for High-Volume Industries |
|
3,000 RMB |
20,150 RMB |
Extra Costs
Although it may seem simple enough, running an effective Baidu ads campaign as an overseas company can require extra costs. This is because Baidu has restrictions, one being that it complies with China’s censorship laws.
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, in order 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. Cost-wise, expect around 3,000 RMB per year to host your website on Alibaba cloud servers.
Agency Handling Fee
If you aren’t prepared to handle Baidu advertising on your own, you can always hire external help in the form of a Baidu agency. To learn more about this, take a look at our blog regarding finding the right Baidu agency to help with your marketing efforts in China. The costs of this service are typically a percentage of the advertising budget. They will usually be 10–20% of the budget for the service fee and set-up fee. This can be useful; however, these agencies typically require monthly spending upwards of 100,000 RMB per month, meaning that this option is not recommended unless a large company is looking to invest heavily in Baidu ads.
Conclusion
The cost of Baidu advertising can significantly differ based on how your company chooses to approach it. Going with a bare minimum deposit and target niche words can let you get away with a 7,000 RMB budget per month; however, when considering the campaign’s success and your industry, realistically, be prepared to pay a little more.
Want to learn more about Baidu advertising? We’ve compiled a master guide for you to learn everything you need to know about Baidu.
Does your company need assistance with advertising in China? Speak with one of our marketing experts to find out how we can help. We’re a Baidu Hong Kong agency ready to help you take your brand into China.
