Google Ads vs Baidu Ads: What's the difference and how to get started?

If you?doing business in China or targeting Chinese customers or leads, Baidu must be your first choice to promote your business in China just like you grow your business in other countries with Google Ads.

You might be familiar with Google Ads and it seems that Baidu Ads are similar to Google Ads in some aspects, but there are some differences between them you need to take care of.

Available Regions & Languages

Google Ads serves most countries in the world, while Baidu Ads only focuses on China.

If you are serious about growing your business in China, the best option is to use Baidu Ads instead of Google since Google Ads doesn't work in China now.

As a result, you can see that Google Ads is multilingual but Baidu Ads is only in Chinese, which means from landing page to ad copy, everything should be?original in Chinese. Please note that you cannot simply translate English into Chinese.?

Besides,?you can easily distinguish a paid search from an organic result on Google, while the paid ads look very similar to organic results on Baidu.

Opening an account

It is effortless to open a Google Ads account; individuals and companies can sign up with a few clicks. On the other hand, there are lots of steps to open a Baidu Ads account.

Firstly, only the company can apply for an account on Baidu Ads. In other words, a copy of your?business license?and your?certificate of incorporation?is necessary. Other documents vary depending on your industry and country but all documents should be stamped with your?company seal.

Then you should prepare a?fully accessible?Chinese-optimized website?because the?URL of your website?is required when applying for a Baidu Ads account. Also, if your business relies on customer support, dedicated Chinese customer service can be better for your campaigns.

*If you want to learn more about all the necessary documents for the Baidu Ads account, contact us.

Overseas companies are unable to open Baidu Ads accounts directly. They need Baidu official agencies to help them open accounts.?So?the process of opening a Baidu Ads account is also complex.

At first, a Baidu agency like us will evaluate your business to see if you are eligible to advertise on Baidu.

After evaluation, you need to submit digital copies of all the required documents to Baidu to review.

The next steps include contract signing, official approval, and then transferring?the?initial deposit to activate your Baidu Ads account.?

*This is a general process, the exact process may differ due to certain businesses.

Restrictions

Although there are some restrictions on Google Ads like certain image restrictions on Google shopping ads, it is far more inclusive than Baidu Ads.

Baidu prohibits the following ads (including but not limited to) according to respective ad policies in China.

?Healthcare products, including medical instruments and pharmaceutical products

?Medical treatment plans

?Gambling-related ads

?Franchise opportunities

?Sex products

In addition to certain industries, you cannot also use certain terms and phrases in your ad copy. There is no official list of blacklisted terms, but we include some general words you cannot use.

a. Words related to "the most" like most excellent, biggest, etc.

b, Words related to "number one" like number one famous brand.

c. Words related to "first/national" such as first choice, exclusive, and first type.

d. Words related to "level" such as global level, and top level.

Since the variety of businesses, we can't?list all the banned words. If you are not familiar with regulations and policies in China, we recommend contacting us and our marketing specialists will guide you step by step.