Demystifying : Baidu Search Engine

Baidu is the major search engine of China and accounts for 90% of online search queries . It is a massive Chinese tech company specializing in internet services & AI (artificial intelligence) with over a billion active mobile Users. Since the exit of Google in 2010 from Mainland China , Baidu has seen a meteoric rise .

Baidu : More than a search engine

Users of the platform can access news, maps, government searches, internet TV, anti-virus products etc

Baidu provides different SERP features and products, including:

• Baidu Baike (Encyclopedia).
• Baidu Space (a social network)
• Baidu Patent Search
• Qunar2 (a travel booking system).
• A specialized online search for the visually impaired

It also provides an icon displaying trust factor along with the search results of brands and organisations in SERP which influences the user behaviour .

Hosting & Content Delivery

Websites with Chinese hosting perform better within Baidu SERPs . The "Great Firewall" can cause a latency based issue for sites hosted outside China resulting in a delay in loading times as well as performance (Assumption is if it is not blocked ).

Baidu will not index a page if the load speed is very slow ( including Ads) . Thus it becomes imperative for companies to use a Content delivery network (CDN) so that the content is served to the users with faster page load times and in a reliable manner .

It is important to note that Quantil, CDNetworks, Akamai, and Amazon Cloudfront are the only global CDN's that work in China.

Features Of Algorithm & Ranking Signals

1. A Mandarin website is a must to rank in Baidu : Users are mainly Chinese , English words are generally not eligible for ranking
2. Ranks sites based on the home page : Focus on making the home page effective , better and user friendly through regular updates
3. Baidu’s top keywords reflect the interests of the Chinese people
4. HTTPS and mobile first approach has gained traction
5. Thin and low quality content will not be indexed
6. Main body content , Largest contentful paint (LCP) is an important criteria for indexing
7. Avoid customised codes, special set ups and complex implementation - Keep the pages as simple as possible

Golden Rules

• Keep the loading time of pages minimum - Speed is the key
• Main body content, links should not be served through JavaScript
• Preferably deliver the content via a CDN

Baidu’s search engine is still the undisputed leader in China’s online market and will it become the engine of the future reshaping search ? Time will tell ....

Thanks for reading , hope you found the insights to be useful . Please feel free to share your thoughts , feedback and appreciations :)