Digital marketing on Baidu is not the same as on Google. While both aim to increase brand visibility, Baidu follows its own rules for search engine optimisation (SEO), content formats, and platform partnerships. To succeed in the Chinese market, you need to understand how content marketing works within Baidu’s ecosystem.
This Baidu content marketing guide from QWERTYLABS shows you how to use Baidu’s webmaster tools and platforms to grow your brand in China. From Baidu Baike and content localisation to pay-per-click (PPC) ads and search engine marketing, we break down everything you need to launch a strong digital marketing strategy.
Baidu is China’s largest search engine and a primary driver of online discoverability, web traffic, and engagement. As of 2025, it holds over 60% of the Chinese search market, making it the top choice for content discovery, keyword research, and brand awareness. Unlike Google, Baidu owns and promotes a network of in-house platforms that frequently rank high in search results. These include:
This means content marketing on Baidu is not just about optimising your website, but building a strong presence within the Baidu content marketing ecosystem. If your brand doesn’t show up across these Baidu-owned platforms, then you are likely missing a large share of online visibility from Chinese users.
Baidu users also expect content that is:
In China, trust is built through consistent content, authoritative profiles, and third-party validation. Content marketing on Baidu is one of the most effective ways to build long-term visibility and digital trust in the Chinese online landscape.
To succeed on Baidu, brands must understand both user behaviour and platform limitations. The Chinese internet has a unique local search ecosystem, shaped by digital restrictions, platform rules, and national regulations. Foreign businesses often face issues with regulatory risk, marketing research, and risk management when entering the market.
Understanding the licensing conditions for internet content providers (ICP) is crucial for your marketing plans. Also, take note of the server hosting and content laws that you have to navigate. On top of that, the competition in this space is strong, and companies must invest in localisation to build trust and stay relevant.
Below are key challenges you will face to compete effectively on Baidu:
Your website must be hosted on a local server to be discoverable in Baidu. It’s part of the search engine’s ranking requirement and China’s internet governance system. That would mean needing to get an ICP license issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Otherwise, Baidu cannot index your website.
There are two types of ICP licenses, namely personal for non-commercial use and business for company websites. Then, choose a web hosting service with options like Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) or Huawei Cloud. These local cloud providers are optimised for China’s domain name system (DNS).
Sites hosted offshore suffer from slow speeds, broken indexing, and ranking limitations due to IP address mismatch and firewall blockages. Migrating to a .cn domain and using a Chinese cloud computing provider with a verified ICP license can significantly improve crawl rates and indexing consistency on Baidu.
Chinese content localisation is far more than just translation. It involves reshaping your brand narrative to resonate with local culture, expectations, and demography. Baidu’s algorithms favour content that aligns with Chinese linguistic norms, values, and current affairs.
For effective localisation, you need to adapt both the language and tone. For example, a direct call to action common in Western ads may come off as overly aggressive in the Chinese market. Soft-sell approach, aspirational tone, and community-centric values often work better.
Understanding cultural sensitivity is essential to avoid missteps in imagery that can lead to backlash or censorship. Equally important is the conversation style used in Baidu content. Chinese internet users often prefer informal, relatable language that aligns with social media trends or local dialects. Focus on intent-driven phrases and cultural familiarity.
China’s national censorship and access control system is one of the biggest technical challenges for international marketers. It restricts or blocks foreign websites, and Baidu favours platforms that operate in the country. This affects user visibility and impacts crawlability for the search engine’s spiders.
Issues like IP address blocking, authentication failures, and internet access limitation mean your website can be invisible in search results even if it’s online. While China does not maintain a public whitelist, aligning with local domain registration, hosting, and content standards ensures better compatibility with Baidu’s indexing systems. Using domains hosted locally in China with the .cn extension and an ICP license works great even for foreign-owned websites.
China enforces strict guidelines on online content through a framework of regulation, law, and platform-specific policies. Baidu is bound to follow them closely, and so are the websites relying on it for traffic. Any content seen as politically sensitive or morally questionable may be deindexed or cause penalties in your domain.
For brands, every piece of content must go through content regulation checks. Topics related to government policy, protests, gambling, or taboo social issues are considered high-risk. Even user-generated content must be carefully moderated, as platforms and websites in China can be held liable for hosting content that violates censorship guidelines.
Baidu also has its moderation mechanisms in addition to national rules. Promotional content must comply with the search engine’s advertising policies, while organic pages need to meet publishing standards. Assessments are based on information privacy, safety, and appropriateness.
To succeed in China, brands must build a clear Baidu marketing strategy starting with strategic planning that fits their overall business process. Use audience research to understand who your content should reach and create a content roadmap to plan what, when, and where to publish.
Your content must support each stage of the marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion. Focus on scalability so your strategy can grow with your brand and earn higher traffic, stronger brand authority, or more leads. Planning keeps your strategy consistent, measurable, and ready for growth in the Chinese web.
Aligning your content with business goals means setting clear targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). These goals include growing brand awareness, improving lead generation, and increasing user retention. Planning must fit your long-term management strategy.
Every brand is a business opportunity, but only with the right approach. Content should both entertain and guide users toward your goal. This approach strengthens your strategy and keeps your messaging focused towards traffic or sales. Aligning with your brand’s purpose ensures your content adds value to your domain.
A multi-channel strategy helps promote your brand at every touchpoint. In China, platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin cover the full user journey. WeChat builds loyal relationships through chat and content, while Weibo helps content go viral with hashtags and public sharing. Douyin attracts users through short-form videos and influencer-driven content.
Choose channels based on your audience and business types. Some platforms work best for raising awareness, and others are better for improving conversion rate. Using the right channel will increase your reach and make your brand visible at every step.
WeChat is a powerful tool for instant messaging, content sharing, and user engagement. Brands can create official accounts to publish updates and interact with followers. You can also use chatbots to answer questions automatically.
You can control your audience in closed groups of chats via WeChat’s private traffic feature. This gives you direct access to customers without relying on search engine visibility, similar to Facebook’s group and page systems. Features like WeChat Pay, mini-programs, and messaging all in one place make the platform ideal for building loyalty and trust.
Weibo is a public social network that boosts visibility using hashtags, viral trends, and open engagement. Users can keep up with your posts by friending and following your brand’s official account, and make their interactions easier to track. Weibo supports influencer marketing and works well for brand campaigns or product launches. Its structure allows your posts to reach beyond your followers, too.
Use these to amplify your message and stay visible in China’s fast-moving online space. Pair it with Baidu SEO for full effect because your Weibo interaction and traffic add to your domain’s crawlability and rank.
Douyin is China’s version of TikTok, its global sister brand coming from the same company, ByteDance. It is an engagement platform specialising in short-form videos and algorithm-based discoverability that helps create viral sensations daily. While it’s mainly for top-of-funnel reach, it also supports in-app shopping and paid ads.
This platform is the most ideal for catering to younger users and building emotional connections. Use Douyin to showcase your products, share behind-the-scenes clips, or partner with influencers. Its strong algorithm helps content go viral quickly.
Brands need the right content strategy, like choosing the right formats and making content that fits both user needs and Baidu’s algorithm. Baidu prefers content variety, so mixing long articles, native posts, and user-focused formats boosts visibility. Platforms like Baijiahao help brands reach mobile users directly within the search engine’s ecosystem.
Long-form frequently asked questions (FAQs) and explainer articles perform well. These can improve your chances of landing a featured snippet.
Brands should also use a smart marketing mix, combining blogs, branded posts, and third-party content to build presence. Use engagement formats like question and answers (Q&A) or visuals to prolong the user’s time on a page.
Regular blog updates help your content rank higher. A steady stream of fresh articles improves your pageviews and builds SEO strength. These blogs should focus on trending or relevant topics to generate search traffic. A clear update schedule and strong content management system (CMS) make it easier to publish consistently.
Baidu Feed, powered by Baijiahao, also favours regular posts. Content that’s mobile-friendly, informative, and over 500 words tends to get better results. Brands should treat blogs as core SEO content tools, not just news updates. If done right, they support both discoverability and loyalty.
Baijiahao is Baidu’s official publishing tool supporting verified authors and brands, making it a trusted source for Chinese readers. Posting regularly can grow your reach and improve how often Baidu shows your content. Verified posts also add brand equity, helping you look more credible.
Brands should use Baijiahao to publish thought pieces, product explainers, or behind-the-scenes stories. Consistency is key, and a trusted brand with active Baijiahao posts has a better chance of ranking high in search engine results pages.
Zhihu, Tieba, and other Chinese platforms show up on Baidu’s page consistently, making them the best forums to let users share questions and reviews. They rely heavily on user-generated content, which Baidu favours due to freshness and relevance.
Since these platforms have high domain authority, brands can post informative answers or create expert content to earn visibility. They also support community interaction, which boosts trust. For example, answering questions on Zhihu or starting a discussion on Tieba can get indexed quickly and drive targeted traffic.
Ranking on Baidu requires aligning your digital strategy with the search algorithm’s values. Important key performance indicators (KPIs) include user engagement, crawlability, and link quality. Technical accuracy, like using structured data, boosts visibility. Regular performance tracking also improves campaign effectiveness, helping content stay competitive in Baidu.
Baidu’s search algorithm favours trusted, well-structured content. Core ranking factors include page rank, link authority, and native content from verified platforms like Baijiahao. It also evaluates mobile compatibility, speed, and metadata. Understanding how the algorithm ranks pages helps you better position your site’s content.
Baidu checks if content matches Chinese user queries using semantic relevance and natural-language understanding. Effective keyword mapping enhances content relevance by aligning target keywords with user intent. Content that shows a clear understanding of every user’s needs is more likely to rank higher.
Content must show abundance or should be rich in details, including subtopics, and offer topic depth. A good content management system helps structure this well. Use data analysis to guide what people want. The more content richness and explanation, the more valuable the page becomes.
Baidu values trust and reputation. Verified authors, good domain authority, and backlinks all signal expert credibility. High-quality references and mentions on trusted domains make your content more reliable. Your brand should build consistent authority over time to rank better.
Baidu’s feed and search prefer content with recency, freshness, and active content updates. New posts or regularly refreshed content gain more traction. Timeliness, like reacting to news or trends, can improve user engagement and keep content ranking.
Good page layout and HTML5 structure help Baidu read your site better. Use subheadings, metadata, and structured data. Add clear formatting for mobile devices or use adaptive layout to cater to all users. Use canonicalisation to avoid duplicate content. All these help with content optimisation for Baidu.
Add a unique selling proposition and original insights, like expert tips or market data. Innovation and uniqueness help your content stand out, and real insights that offer extra value win more trust. They also open opportunities for discussions and reasons for your target audience to interact with your content.
Writing for Baidu means you must understand local customs, sociolinguistics, and consumer behaviour. Chinese users prefer clear and polite writing, so keep your tone of voice respectful and informative.
Baidu rewards pages that match user intent on top of keywords’ presence. Successful content writing for Baidu means understanding how your content will resonate with Chinese readers. Content resonance plays a vital role in Baidu marketing, helping brands connect with users in ways that build trust and boost visibility.
Your brand’s tone of voice must reflect Chinese cultural norms. Direct language may feel rude, while respectful and formal tones build trust. Personalised marketing works well when it matches user preferences. Local slang may not always suit your brand, so use brand voice adaptation carefully. Speak like a local, but stay consistent with your brand identity.
A smart content strategy means writing in Simplified Chinese, keeping paragraphs short, and using clear headings. Chinese users have fast reading patterns, so put key points early. Add relevant internal links for better usability. Baidu may display your content as a snippet, so make your structure scannable and easy to digest.
Many brands entering Baidu's ecosystem fall into common traps. They are strategic missteps that reduce visibility and trust.
Here are some examples and why they should be avoided:
Avoiding these errors helps your content stand out and rank better in Baidu. A careful, local-first strategy always beats shortcuts.
Succeeding with digital marketing in China means more than just translating your website. You need localised content creation, a deep understanding of Baidu’s algorithm, and a clear strategy to reach your target audience. QWERTYLABS can help build strong, compliant, and effective strategies in this environment.
We specialise in SEO, content creation, and brand protection while also offering technical support and campaign management services. If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level in China, QWERTYLABS’ services are here to support you every step of the way. Contact us today and explore how we can grow your presence on Baidu.
Here are some frequently asked questions about content marketing on Baidu:
Yes, it’s an important channel for visibility. Baijiahao content often gets priority placement in Baidu search results.
Violations in content marketing on Baidu include politically sensitive topics, vulgar language, false information, and copyright infringement.
Yes, but English pages rarely rank well. Baidu strongly favours Simplified Chinese content.
Yes, but Baidu values link quality and relevance more than link volume, unlike Google.
Baidu tends to rank the first indexed version and penalises sites with excessive duplication.
Censored topics include politically sensitive issues, criticism of the government, adult content, and banned religious or social movements.
Yes, Baidu supports its structured data format using JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data (JSON-LD) and microdata to improve indexing and rich snippets.
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