The Chinese Internet is often compared to a separate universe. It operates by its own rules, features its own platforms, and follows a distinct logic of consumer behaviour. While in the West the path to purchase often begins with Amazon or Google, in China things are both more complex and, at the same time, more structured.
Despite the explosive growth of social commerce on Douyin and Xiaohongshu, the Baidu search engine remains the primary gateway for commercial traffic. With a market share of over 70% and a daily audience of 200 million people, Baidu is an absolute must-have channel for any serious entry into the Chinese market. On our website, you can explore our dedicated section on Baidu business promotion.
However, 2026 has brought its own adjustments. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the rules of search engine results pages (SERPs), regulators are tightening requirements for foreign businesses, and users are becoming increasingly demanding regarding speed and relevance. In this article, we’ll explore how to build an effective PPC strategy in this new reality and avoid wasting your budget right from the start.
Baidu: The Leading Search Engine in China
Many still perceive Baidu as an analogue of Google from a decade ago. This is a dangerous misconception. Today, Baidu is a vast ecosystem encompassing maps, cloud storage, the iQiyi video service, the Baike encyclopedia, and the Tieba forum. All of these services are interconnected through a unified authorisation and user data collection system.
For advertisers, this means the ability to gather detailed analytics and fine-tune targeting with a precision unavailable on Western platforms. However, there is a flip side: Baidu demands complete transparency. If you want to advertise, be prepared to provide documentation, confirm your legal status, and host your website locally.
The Main Benefits of Paid Advertising on Baidu
When we start working with a new client at Mates Asia, we are often asked: where should we begin — with SEO or PPC? Our answer is always the same: start with paid advertising if you have the budget. And here is why.
Organic promotion in China takes time. To reach the top for competitive queries requires months of meticulous work on content and link building. PPC, on the other hand, puts you on the first page of search results starting today.
But speed is not even the main advantage. The real value lies in the data. By launching a paid campaign, you gain access to the actual search queries of your target audience. You see which words work, which ads attract clicks, and which go unnoticed. This information becomes the foundation for your future SEO strategy. We always use PPC before embarking on large-scale organic promotion.
Baidu Paid Advertising: Pay-per-click
If you have ever set up Google Ads, the basic principle of Baidu PPC will feel familiar. Advertisers compete for the right to be shown for specific keywords. However, there is a nuance that often becomes a stumbling block for foreigners.
It is not just about the size of your bid; the so-called Quality Score plays a decisive role. Baidu evaluates the relevance of your ad, its click-through rate (CTR), and the quality of your landing page. If your site takes longer than three seconds to load, is not optimised for mobile devices, or fails to deliver on the promises made in the ad, you could lose the auction even with a higher bid. The algorithm simply decides that the user does not need a poor experience.
Key features of Baidu PPC
The main trend of the last two years has been the widespread adoption of OCPC technology, or Optimized Cost Per Click. Whereas before you manually managed your bids, Baidu now increasingly suggests trusting artificial intelligence. Algorithms analyse the behaviour of millions of users in real-time and adjust bids to attract those most likely to make a purchase.
It may sound intimidating, but in practice, this increases campaign effectiveness by 20-30%. OCPC works particularly well in e-commerce, where the algorithms have enough data to learn from. The only condition is that you must provide the system with quality «input data»: configured goals, a segmented audience, and relevant creatives.
Another important change concerns the visual format. Simple text ads are becoming outdated. Image carousels, videos, and interactive elements are appearing more and more frequently in Baidu’s search results. To be noticed, you need to think not only about keywords but also about visual storytelling. And of course, regulatory restrictions cannot be ignored: the number of ad spots on a page is strictly limited, typically to no more than six ads on desktop and three on mobile.
How to Set Up a Baidu PPC Account?
To open an advertising account, you need a Chinese business license or a partnership with a company that has one. You need a website hosted in China that holds an ICP license. You will have to go through identity verification, which in 2026 often includes biometric confirmation. And this entire process will be conducted in Chinese, with no English support.
This is precisely why most international brands work through local partners. At Mates Asia, we use so-called «port accounts,» which allow our clients to legally launch ads without needing to open their own office in China. We handle all the bureaucracy: from document submission to communicating with tech support.
Baidu Paid Ads: Prerequisites
Baidu Advertising: Fees and Regulations
How much does it cost to advertise on Baidu? To launch an advertising campaign on Baidu, you need to make an initial deposit—the minimum amount required to activate an account starts at 5,000 RMB. These funds will be used for clicks, but they are held in your account and cannot be withdrawn.
As for cost-per-click, the effectiveness of your advertising campaign and the final costs depend on several factors. Baidu evaluates the quality of your ads based on click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate (CR), keyword relevance, and landing page quality. The higher these metrics, the more favorable your cost-per-click can become.
Additionally, OCPC (Optimized Cost Per Click) technology allows Baidu’s algorithms to automatically adjust bids to maximize conversions, potentially reducing CPC by 20-30% with proper setup and sufficient data volume.
Regarding regulations, strict rules apply. Any form of superlatives is prohibited: «best,» «leading,» «number 1». Comparisons with competitors are forbidden. Politically sensitive topics are also prohibited. Violating these rules leads to ad rejection, and systematic violations can result in account suspension.
Main Differences Between Baidu and Google Paid Ads
Every client who comes to us with experience in Google first tries to transfer their skills to Baidu. And every time, we see the same mistakes. The platforms only look similar on the surface. The fundamental differences are colossal. In our detailed article on Chinese search engines, we break down these differences in depth.
With Google Ads, you can freely use words like «best,» «number 1,» and «most reliable.» In China, this is prohibited by advertising law.Any claim of superiority must be documented; otherwise, your ad simply won’t pass moderation. Even using a registered trademark requires separate confirmation.
Google allows you to place ads on any site, regardless of where it’s hosted. Baidu requires that the landing page be physically located in China.
This isn’t a technical requirement—it’s a legal one. Without hosting in China and an ICP license, your site is considered «invisible» to the search engine.
Moderation on Google is automated and takes minutes. On Baidu, ads are reviewed not only by robots but also by human moderators. The review can take several days, and any doubt will be resolved against you if you don’t have supporting documents.
Finally, the way ads are presented is fundamentally different. Google clearly marks advertising, separating it from organic results. Baidu strives for seamless integration. Its ads look almost like natural search results, with only a small «广告» (advertisement) tag revealing their true nature. This increases click-through rates but requires even more fine-tuned relevance.
Baidu Advertising Platform: Baidu Tuiguang (百度推广)
Baidu Tuiguang (百度推广) is the interface through which all advertising campaigns are managed. If you’ve ever seen Google Ads, the general logic will feel familiar. But there’s an important difference: the entire interface is in Chinese, and no official English version exists.
Within the platform, you have access to tools for keyword research, targeting by region and city, bid management, and performance analysis. Particularly noteworthy is the ability to target business districts (商圈) in major cities—this allows you to show ads only to people who are physically near your office or point of sale.
The platform also provides detailed analytics: from impression and click counts to view depth and conversions. This data is invaluable for campaign optimization—but only if you know how to interpret it correctly.
Types of Paid Ads on Baidu Apart from PPC
Standard search advertising is the foundation of any campaign. But for a serious market presence, it’s worth looking further. Baidu offers several unique formats that can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your promotion.
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Brand Zone
Brand Zone is a premium format that completely changes the game. When a user searches for your brand, the top part of the screen transforms into your personal billboard. It can feature a large banner, multiple links to sections of your site, promotions, and contact information. It’s an expensive tool, but it’s the best way to protect your reputation and push competitors out of brand-related search results. If your budget allows, Brand Zone is a must-use.
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Pay for placement (P4P)
Pay for Placement (P4P) is the classic search advertising format we discussed earlier. It’s the basic format to start with when exploring Baidu PPC. Ads appear at the top and bottom of search results, and payment is made per click. Simple, transparent, and effective when properly configured.
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Baidu TV
Baidu TV is a video platform integrated with the main search engine. Pre-roll and in-stream ads are available here, playing before and during video content. This format is ideal for brand awareness campaigns and products that need to be «shown in action.»
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Information Feed Ads
Information Feed Ads are native ads within the news feed of Baidu’s mobile app. This format is targeted based on user interests and behavior, appears as regular posts, and generates far more trust than direct advertising. In 2026, this has become one of the primary traffic sources for mass-market products.
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ProTheme
ProTheme is an expanded ad format that allows you to add sitelinks with specific promotions, contact information, or product categories. This increases your ad’s visible space and boosts the likelihood of a click. It’s particularly effective for websites with complex structures and large product assortments.
Should You Use Baidu PPC?
The answer to this question depends on your goals and your level of readiness for the Chinese market. If you already have a localized website, understand your target audience, and need quick sales or leads, then Baidu PPC will become your primary tool. It’s an ideal channel for the B2B sector, where decisions are made after careful research, and for launching new products when you need to test demand quickly.
However, if you don’t even have an English-language version of your site, let alone a Chinese one, or if you’re not ready to adapt your marketing materials to meet local regulatory requirements, starting with PPC is premature. First, you need to go through basic preparation — at Mates Asia we help you navigate this. As part of our comprehensive promotion service in China, we accompany clients through every stage, from obtaining an ICP license to launching ads and analyzing results.
The ideal strategy today is a symbiosis of PPC and SEO. Paid advertising delivers instant results and invaluable data on search queries. We use this data to build an organic promotion strategy that, over time, ensures stable traffic without direct payment per click.
FAQ
Baidu is China’s largest search engine, holding more than 60% of the market share. Its daily audience exceeds 200 million people. For entering the Chinese market, Baidu is as essential as Google is for Europe. Beyond search, the Baidu ecosystem includes maps, cloud storage, the iQiyi video service, the Baike encyclopedia, and the Tieba forum.
Yes, but not directly. To do this, you either need to register a legal entity in China or work through a certified agency like MATES ASIA, which provides access to an advertising account through so-called «port accounts».
The main differences concern regulations and technical requirements. On Baidu, superlatives («best,» «number 1») are strictly prohibited. Ads must lead to a website with Chinese hosting and an ICP license, and moderation involves real people, which can take several days.
Yes, Baidu usage remains consistently high for commercial and B2B queries. Although social networks capture attention, search engines are still the primary channel for making informed purchasing decisions. The integration of AI and feed formats keeps Baidu relevant.
You will need a Chinese business license or a partnership with an agency, a website with an ICP license and hosting in China, documents confirming your right to advertise specific products for sensitive categories, and identity verification of your representative.
Any forms of superlatives are prohibited («the best,» «leading,» «number 1»), along with comparisons to competitors and politically sensitive content. Medical and financial topics require additional licenses.