If you are planning to expand your business in China, in-depth knowledge of the regional search engine marketing is a must. Unlike in the West, Google does not rule the roost here. In fact, the Chinese government specifically banned Google a few years back, and that encouraged the growth of domestic search engines such as Baidu, Shenma, and Haosu.  Of these, Baidu is the most influential, commanding nearly 90% share of the Chinese market.

Daily used by over 60 million citizens of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Baidu offers excellent and effective marketing opportunities to businesses. At the same time, for foreign firms, there may be a few disadvantages. Let’s consider both the pros and cons of working with Baidu SEM (https://adstochina.westwin.com/Baidu-SEM) to connect with the Chinese audience.

The Pros of Using Baidu SEM

It Increases Your Online Visibility

As the most popular search engine in China, Baidu processes around five billion search queries daily. That means that your advertising campaigns on Baidu SEM are guaranteed to reach millions of potential customers or clients. The influx of website traffic will enhance your online visibility, and, if handled correctly, will boost your business and bring you immense profit.

It Allows for Segmented and Targeted Marketing

You can carry out market research for your products or services and find the audience that is most likely to purchase and use them. By segmenting your prospective audience by age, gender, profession, interests, and more, you can fine-tune your advertising campaign to cater to your specific audience.

It is Cost-Effective

Advertising on Baidu is comparatively less expensive than what you would pay for advertising on Google. It is also more effective and will bring more traffic to your business. Unlike in the West, most Chinese consumers don’t find advertisements annoying, and they will click on yours if your products or services catch their interest.

Cons of Using Baidu SEM

You Need to Know Chinese

Since Baidu primarily caters to a native audience, the mode of communication is entirely in Chinese. To run successful advertising campaigns and derive the full benefits of Baidu SEM, you need to be able to read, write, and speak Chinese fluently. It will also help to have a considerable understanding of the Chinese culture, social trends, and market trends. Knowledge of the language and culture is essential for selecting the right keywords and key phrases and for devising marketing campaigns directed at appealing to the sensibilities of a selected demographic.

If you don’t know the language, you can always learn it. Thinking of the long term, it is preferable that you do. However, becoming fluent in Chinese can take time. To plunge into the Chinese market right away, you have the option of hiring a native speaker or a China-focused marketing company to help you get over the language barrier and navigate your way around the country.

You Need to Get Chinese Hosting

When it comes to search engine ranking, Baidu gives a clear preference to websites with a .ch suffix. Foreign suffixes will rank lower or not show up at all in search results. And, as you’re probably aware, search engine users don’t generally go beyond the first five or ten pages. So, if you don’t appear in the search results for their search terms, your business is as good as non-existent.

It makes sense, therefore, to purchase and host your website in China if you mean to do business here. The Baidu SEM will be more effective then and give you better access to the Chinese market.

You Need a Chinese Internet Content Provider License

Unlike with Google Ads, you need government permission and approval before you can make use of Baidu SEM. To appear in Baidu search results, you must get an official internet content provider license from the Chinese government. With the application form, you must include a copy of your business registration and other business documents and pay the requisite fee.

Without the license, opening an advertisement account is impossible, and you won’t show up in the Baidu search results either. The licensing process can be a long drawn out one, taking even months to get approved, but it will be well worth the wait.