This article, part of a simplified series, aims to demystify Digital Marketing and technical terms used by marketing agencies. It is, by design, a shallow primer, basic introduction. Learn more: Ande Digital: Search Marketing support.
Many of our potential clients are European based with a strong presence in China – looking to improve on that. They are often familiar with local, home country search engines but not so Baidu. That’s understandable as Baidu is arguably more complex. Yet, very often, they don’t fully appreciate the impact these differences make when reaching Chinese buyers.
However, it’s not just the technicalities of Baidu SEO v/s Bing SEO, V/s Google SEO etc that is a challenge. There is also the shopping culture difference that needs to be taken in consideration. In China, the balance of power swung more in the customers favour that it is in say the UK.
Therefore, when connecting your product or service to Chinese consumers, you need to seriously consider UX (User Experience), User Engagement wherever your brand and customer interact. Critical in B2B as well as B2C. We also discuss this at How WOM can stretch your marketing budget in China
Our title is not trying to suggest that Baidu China SEO (or anything related to China or Baidu ) is easy. The question is framed to highlight that this is what many of our potential clients believe when they first approach us. To underscore: If we were to try to sum up Baidu China SEO in a nut shell, we would say it is neither quick nor easy.
However, we understand where some of this confusion arises.To many marketers, Baidu is a search engine, as is Google. They have a working knowledge of Google, ergo, Baidu must work the same way. Biggest difference is language. The only kernel of truth is Baidu and Google are search engines. Other than that, Baidu is more complex. Even without the headache of Chinese language.
Possibly adding to this is the impression some marketing agencies create with their websites. They tend to, either knowingly or innocently, downplay the challenges whilst talking up the “huge opportunities” Baidu offers. This can be misleading. Often, but not always, these are off shore agencies. In other words, not based here in China so possibly only have a vague working idea themselves. They “outsource” clients China accounts to domestic partners and from here on in it can be down hill. Or uphill.
It's important to understand that yes, there still are opportunities in the China market, but it takes hard work, dedication and time. Nor is it a one time, quick set and forget - your opposition are doing the same. Misinformation, confusion and language difficulties can turn what is arguably a difficult task at the best of times into a living nightmare.
Solid research and updated data is vital when exploring any new market, but none more so than China. One can never, ever be over prepared for China. Sadly useful information is hard to find, often obscured by politically driven misinformation or salacious, click bait news.
To restate – Baidu is not an easy animal to come to grips with. To cover everything in this article the complexity of Baidu marketing in China generally would lead to an excruciatingly long piece of work and China's marketing landscape is not static. Ideally we strongly suggest you set up several meetings, either face to face or virtual with different providers.
Aim to develop a deeper, clearer idea of some of the challenges you can expect if you elect to enter the China market. If a provider isn’t prepared to set aside an hour or schedule a series of meetings with you, walk away. This will only lead to difficulties further down the track. There are many excellent marketing professionals in China. Shop around.
To keep it brief, the following is a short compilation of some points which we are more often asked. Again, it is not a definitive, exhaustive A to Z handbook. If you have questions – contact your preferred Baidu SEO / SEM provider or, you can drop us a line below:
There is an impression that Baidu imposes some form of restriction, rule or law re language. Or a belief that you can not use the Baidu platform in any language other than Chinese. This is incorrect. Baidu do NOT limit, constrain, or control your choice of content language in any way or form. However, bear in mind that whilst Baidu is available in English, some of the internal pages may be in Chinese. If you wish to use English or your own default language, you can.
But we would strongly counsel against this.If you are trying to market to a group of people whose target language is not English, not French, not German not your own language, surely it makes sense to address them in their own language. Not just economic sense, but courtesy and respect – which as we’ve mentioned in other articles, is vitally important to Chinese consumers.
Any Baidu Marketing strategy is going to need a not unsubstantial investment of both your time and money. Consequently, you would be seeking an equally substantial return on that investment. Therefor it would be economical suicide to have your content in any language other than the L1.
Or to put another way, why would you spend huge money to talk to people in a language they don’t understand?Seems a stupid question, right, but many foreign brands do~ So invest a little more in translation.
There is translation and then, there is translation.There is a trend, among both Chinese and non Chinese firms to task a student or friend of the CEO family who studied language, with translating the website. Casual translators.This isn’t something we suggest.
Very often, IT or marketing terms are outside the experience of casual translators, your website my come off as difficult to understand or half baked. Remember, competition is brutal in China, you need to present as a polished, professional company. The British expression of tar and ships comes to mind~
Likewise a mix of L1 and L2 which requires the visitor to use translation software is also prone to misunderstanding. At the end of the day, it is up to you, but after 30 years, our advice is to use 100% L1 in ALL material and have it professionally translated. And include localised images too, humans like to see photos of people like themselves. More relatable. We do not provide translation services, but we can recommend those who do.
In short no.
You are free to host anywhere, continue to host your Chinese site with your English or local, China domestic site hosting company.
However, there is a caveat – see below.
Some potential clients are also confused over the Chinese ICP certification.Without going into detail this is mandatory if you want to use Baidu.Which then turns the above answer on its head.
Or, to put it another way, to use Baidu, you must have an ICP and that means hosting in China. Neither hosting nor ICP are services we offer but we can refer you to professionals who can guide you through this.It’s worth noting that hosting in China is a little different from the west, prices are higher and flexibility is limited. Pretty much a captive market.
Another common question is: “Can we do Baidu SEM without Baidu SEO? Short answer is yes: of course, it’s totally possible to launch an SEM campaign without supporting SEO. ( Search Experience Optimisation.) You will have little trouble finding agencies who will do that for you. We cover SEM - SEO what is the difference in more detail.
However in our professional view and experience, that is a little akin to building a house by putting up the roof without the walls. Given the amount of money invested in Baidu SEM, that isn’t something we would recommend if you were looking for a reasonable financial return. We would not be keen to proceed on that basis.
Again, of course, your call, but definitely something to discuss with your future provider, esp around KPI, milestones and values. Make sure they are set in concrete, carved in stone. When your campaign fails to reach expectations, you ‘re going to need solid legal agreements to argue your case for compensation of breach of contract.
UX or User Experience is important in China, maybe more so than your other markets. If you are used to building your marketing around your brand, or brand centric content; ie we we we, you may want to learn to shift gears more to a consumer centric approach: you, you you. This applies to both B2B and B2C marketing, but critical in the latter.
If your Chinese customers can’t relate to you, don’t feel a connection, or that you are not focused on them, it’s an uphill battle. The battle is hard enough in China under normal conditions, don’t tilt the playing field against yourself.
Baidu is not an easy animal to understand. It has a Googlesque appearance but under the hood is frighteningly different and difficult to comprehend. It does, in fact, confuse many native, battle hardened Chinese business pro’s who opt to outsource that aspect of their marketing.
As in all aspects of foreign investment, due diligence, solid research and an open mind is paramount. Be prepared to ask lots of questions, get lots of differing – answers. Come here, invest a few months travelling, getting to know the country, your target market, suppliers, partners.
If you haven’t commissioned and actioned a SWOT test, do it before you come here. Pack it in your suitcase when you fly here and double check your answers with the situation in real time. Build and strengthen your skills and knowledge of digital marketing generally. Develop a dedicated China focused DM team. The more you know, the better your results will be.
Reevaluate your options and position. Do that often. If you haven’t already done so, commission a current competitor evaluation, (the China marketing landscape can be very different in 6 months.) Consider approaching your local Trade and Enterprise arm of your Consulate in Beijing might be helpful. They may not have updated fine point answers ( your agency should help there) but they will be able to give you a good overview, warn of known pitfalls, etc. Join the Chamber of Commerce, they often have good resources and networking works extremely well in China.
Once you’ve been here a while, built a better, clearer, real timer picture of the landscape, logistics, population breakdowns, labour availability, legalities and how it relates to and impacts your brand, your product. THEN start to ask questions around Baidu, Baidu Seo and SEM. It will make more sense to you, and you will be better placed to ask more relevant questions.
Its an old cliche but never-the-less true: China is a marathon, not a sprint
Perhaps we could recommend this link: “Navigating the long-haul China journey: an interview with NZ entrepreneur Rachel Speedy. (who successfully breached the extremely competitive Chinese F&B /edible oil market, one of China’s toughest from any angle, going on to carve out a successful business)
This link to our China business publication library may add a few more arrows to your real time China business and marketing background information quiver.
When you are up and running we also provide Angel Coaching Services to bring your team up to speed- and keep them there – as well as seminars, workshops or just weekly feedback virtual meetings with your key people.
It’s sheer selfishness on our part; we need you to succeed as much as you do~
OK, that’s a very quick look at Baidu SEO / SEM – as we said, not exhaustive. We truly hope it has been some help and given you a clearer base to work from.
For more information or free analysis relative to your company and the China Market we invite you to meet us personally or - E-mail / Telephone