This article explores the advantages of advertising on Baidu, delving into the platform's unique features, ad formats, and best practices for optimal results.

The Dominance of Baidu in China

Baidu, often referred to as the "Google of China," commands a substantial share of the Chinese search engine market.

Image from Statista

As of 2023, Baidu's market share in China stands at an impressive 61.47%, making it the go-to platform for businesses seeking to connect with Chinese consumers online.

Read more on “How to get started with Baidu”

Baidu Ad Formats

Let’s delve into the ad formats available on Baidu.

Baidu Search Ads

Baidu Search Ads are text-based advertisements displayed prominently on Baidu's search engine results pages (SERPs) when users enter relevant queries.

Example of a Baidu Search Ad. Image from Sampi.co

In a Baidu Search Ad, you typically find a headline, description, and display URL. For instance, if a user searches for "best coffee," a Baidu Search Ad for a popular coffee brand might appear at the top of the search results, enticing users to click on the ad and visit the product website.

Baidu Search Ads Specifications:

Ad Title (Headline): Limited to a certain number of characters (usually around 25-30 characters). The headline should be compelling and relevant to the user's search query.

Ad Description: There is usually a character limit for the ad description (around 80-90 characters). Craft a concise and persuasive description that encourages users to click.

Display URL: This is the URL that users see in the ad. It doesn't necessarily have to match the destination URL, but it should accurately represent the landing page.

Destination URL: The actual URL where users are directed when they click on the ad.

Ad Extensions: Baidu allows various ad extensions, such as site link extensions, location extensions, and callout extensions, to provide additional information and enhance the ad's visibility.

Baidu Display Ads

Baidu Display Ads are visual advertisements that appear on Baidu's network of partner websites. These ads offer a more visually engaging format compared to text-based search ads, providing an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products or services through images and multimedia content.

Example of Baidu Display Ad. Image from Nanjing Marketing Group

In a Baidu Display Ad, you might find compelling visuals, a headline, and a brief description. For instance, a cosmetic brand could use Baidu Display Ads to showcase its latest makeup collection with high-quality images, enticing users to click for more details.

Baidu Display Ads Specifications:

Image Format: Image ads can be in jpg, gif or swf (Flash) format, and must be within 55 K.

Static Image Dimensions:

Banners: 468×60, 728×90, 960×90, 960×60, 640×60, 460×60, 580×90, 760×90

Rectangles: 250×250, 200×200, 336×280, 300×250, 360×300

Vertical Banners: 120×600, 160×600

Image from Baidu Advertising

Floating Ads: These are image ads on the side of the page that move up and down as you scroll.

Floating Image Dimensions:

120×270

120×120

300×250, 250×200

Baidu Video Ads

Baidu Video Ads are multimedia content displayed on Baidu's video platforms.

Example of Baidu Video search ad. Image from The Egg

Best for demonstrating product features, sharing customer testimonials, or narrating the brand's journey, Video ads can convey marketing messages in a compelling manner with its storytelling capabilities that capture the audience’s attention.

Baidu Video Ads Specifications:

Video Format: May be in jpg or swf (Flash) format, and must be within 55 K.

Dimensions: 400×300

Length: three to four seconds

CPU usage (for Flash): Under 25%

Baidu Brand Zone

Brand Zone operates like Baidu's Pay Per Click advertising. Businesses bid on keywords related to their operations, and when users search for these keywords, the winning company's Brand Zone appears. Unlike Baidu PPC, only one company can use specific keywords at a time, providing exclusivity to brands using relevant keywords in their campaigns.

Example of Baidu Brand Zone. Image from Nanjing Marketing Group

Notice how Nike’s page above it looks different from the usual Baidu search results? Apart from the Baidu menu at the top, Nike controls everything above-the-fold, including the background.

When businesses invest in Brand Zone, they get more space on the search results page for the keywords they've bought.

Baidu Brand Zone Specifications:

Brand Zone guarantees your brand's prominent placement at the top (2/3 of the page, based on the dimension 1024x78) occupying a significant portion of the page with rich media formats like videos and images. It allows you to highlight hero products, share important news, and include various sitelinks and tabs.

How to Effectively Use Baidu Ads

1. Keyword Research

Thorough research on the specific keywords your audience is searching for is the cornerstone of successful Baidu advertising.

Baidu Keyword Planner. Image from Dragon Metrics

Leveraging Baidu's Keyword Planner empowers advertisers to make informed decisions, ensuring your ad campaigns are connected with the actual search patterns of the Chinese audience.

2. Website Optimization

Most global websites don’t work in China. As a requirement, Baidu has said officially that websites with content above the fold taking over 1 second to load are not optimal for Baidu SERP. In other words, slow websites are not favourable for Baidu search ads, Baidu video ads and Baidu brand zone.

Aligning your website with Baidu's requirements not only provides a great user experience for your target audience, it also ensures your ad spend is maximized for conversion.

This is where Chinafy adds value as an optimization tool specialized for global websites to load in China. Chinafy scans your website to detect and resolve compatibility issues with Baidu, ensuring that your site functions smoothly and efficiently.

Learn more about “What is Chinafy”

4. Continuous Monitoring and Optimization

Regularly monitor the performance of your Baidu ads and leverage analytics to make data-driven decisions.

Some of the metrics you should look out for an effective Baidu ads campaign include:

Click-Through Rate (CTR): CTR is the ratio of users who click on your ad to the number of times it is displayed. It measures the effectiveness of your ad in encouraging users to take action.

Conversion Rate: The conversion rate is the percentage of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form, in response to seeing your ad. It reflects the ad's ability to turn clicks into valuable actions.

Impressions: Impressions represent the total number of times your ad is displayed. Monitoring impressions helps gauge the overall visibility and reach of your ad campaign.

Cost Per Click (CPC): CPC is the average amount you pay each time a user clicks on your ad. It is a crucial metric for managing your budget and assessing the cost-effectiveness of your campaign.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): ROAS measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. It provides insights into the profitability of your ad campaign.

Keyword Performance: Analyzing the performance of individual keywords helps identify which ones are driving results and which may need adjustments to enhance effectiveness.

Adjust your campaigns based on insights, refine targeting parameters, and optimize ad creatives to improve results over time.

Learn more about what it means to optimise for Baidu here.

Below is a table summary of Baidu’s Ad formats.

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