The Complete Guide to Baidu Search Ads (Baidu PPC)

Baidu, often dubbed the Google of China, remains the largest search engine in China, holding 53.47% of China’s search market as of February 2026, with closest competitors Haosou (360搜索) and Bing holding 17.1% and 16.9% respectively. With China’s internet user base reaching 1.125 billion by the end of 2025, Baidu paid search remains an effective marketing channel for companies targeting Chinese users. This guide covers what Baidu Ads is, how paid search works on the platform, why it matters, and how foreign companies can launch campaigns in China.

What is Baidu Ads?

Baidu Ads (百度营销) is Baidu’s advertising platform. It covers paid search, display advertising, feed-based advertising, and other ad products distributed across Baidu’s owned properties and its partner network. 

Baidu reports more than 1 billion platform users, 677 million monthly active users on the Baidu App, over 6 billion daily searches, and more than 15 billion daily feed content distributions. That reach spans search, content, maps, cloud services, and a wide range of other properties.

Baidu Ads has four key products: Search Ads (搜索广告),  Feed Ads (信息流广告), partner content network (百青藤), and Brand Ads (品牌广告). This guide focuses primarily on Baidu Search Ads, or Baidu PPC, the keyword-based paid search product formally known as 搜索广告. 

What are Baidu Search Ads?

Baidu Search Ads (搜索广告), also known as Baidu PPC (pay-per-click), is Baidu’s keyword-based paid search advertising product. Advertisers spend on keywords relevant to their products or services, and their ads become eligible to appear when users search for those terms on Baidu. Billing is based on valid clicks, meaning advertisers pay only when a user clicks their ad, not when it appears.

How Do Baidu Search Ads Appear?

Baidu Search Ads appear primarily as text-based results above and below the organic search listings. The standard format includes a headline, display URL, and description lines. Baidu also supports enhanced formats, including sitelink extensions, call extensions, and structured snippets, providing users with additional paths to engage.

How Does Baidu PPC Work?

Baidu PPC calculates ad ranking based on ad spend and ad quality. When a user searches on Baidu, the platform runs an auction among all advertisers who have ad spend on matching keywords. The ads that win are shown above or alongside the organic results. Winning is not purely about who spends the most; it is about who offers the best combination of bid and quality.

Quality Score

Ad ranking on Baidu is determined by quality score multiplied by ad spend. Quality score runs on a scale of 1 to 10 and is assessed at the keyword level based on three factors:

• Estimated CTR: how likely the ad is to be clicked for a given query
• Creative relevance: how closely the ad copy matches the search term
• Landing-page experience: how relevant and usable the destination page is

A higher quality score means better placement without necessarily outbidding competitors. A low quality score forces higher ad spend to hold position, making it expensive to compensate for weak creative or a poor landing page.

Bidding and Click Billing

Advertisers set a maximum CPC (cost-per-click) bid at the keyword level. The actual amount charged per click is typically lower than the maximum; it is determined by the next competitor’s bid and quality score. Campaigns can start from as little as CNY 50 per day, with budget controls at both account and campaign levels.

Baidu also supports oCPC (optimised cost-per-click), an enhanced bidding model that adjusts bids automatically based on the likelihood of a conversion. oCPC is useful for advertisers who have enough conversion data and want to optimise toward leads or purchases rather than clicks.

Landing Pages

Landing-page experience has a direct effect on the quality score. A page that loads slowly on Chinese networks, is mismatched to the keyword, or lacks a clear conversion path, will suppress quality scores. For foreign companies, this means the best strategy is building a dedicated Chinese-language website with service landing pages rather than directing paid traffic to a generic homepage or an English-language site.

Since Baidu only accepts Mainland Chinese business licenses (营业执照) for advertising account approval, the website used in search campaigns must be owned and operated by the same Chinese legal entity. This means the domain registrant information, website ownership, and Baidu account entity must be fully consistent.

If the website is hosted on servers within mainland China, an ICP Filing (Internet Content Provider filing) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is legally required. The ICP Filing must also be registered under the same Chinese company that opens the Baidu account.

While foreign companies may technically host websites overseas (such as in Hong Kong or other international locations) to avoid ICP filing, such sites often suffer from slow loading speeds, stricter content reviews, lower quality scores, and weaker overall performance on Baidu. For stable, long-term search advertising, a Chinese-language website hosted in mainland China with a valid ICP Filing remains the standard and most effective setup.

Search Term Management

Once campaigns are live, Baidu provides search term reports showing which actual queries triggered impressions and clicks. Reviewing this data regularly is one of the highest-return optimisation activities available; it reveals new keyword opportunities, surfaces irrelevant queries to exclude with negative keywords, and shows how search behaviour evolves.

Why Should I Run Baidu Ads?

1. Reach

Baidu processes over 6 billion searches every day across a user base of more than 1 billion people. For any company that wants to be discoverable by Chinese users who are actively looking for products, services, or suppliers, it is the primary search channel in the market.

2. High-Intent Traffic

Search captures users at the precise moment they are looking for something. A user searching on Baidu for a specific product or supplier has already expressed intent, they are not being interrupted by an ad while doing something else. This makes Baidu PPC particularly well-suited to lead generation, B2B acquisition, and bottom-funnel conversion, where reaching users at the point of intent delivers the highest return.

3. Measurable Budget Control

Campaigns can start from RMB 50 per day. Advertisers set daily budgets at the account and campaign level, control bids at the keyword level, pause campaigns at any time, and monitor performance across impressions, clicks, and conversions. This controllability makes it one of the more accessible entry points into China’s digital advertising for companies that want to test and scale carefully before committing to larger budgets.

How Can Foreign Companies Run Baidu Ads?

Foreign companies can run Baidu Ads through two verified routes. The right option depends on whether the company already has a Chinese business entity and the infrastructure to support a direct account.

Option 1: Open Directly with a Chinese Business License

Companies that have already established a mainland Chinese entity can open a Baidu Ads account directly. Baidu requires consistency between the company operating the account, the website used in ads, and the domain registered to the account. The registered main domain must match the domain used in ad links, which means companies taking this route need a China-facing website registered under their mainland entity before the account can be opened.

Option 2: Open Through a Local Partner

Foreign companies without a Chinese business license can open and manage an account through a local partner such as AppInChina. Baidu’s service agreement explicitly supports agent participation, and Baidu provides an official agent lookup page where verified partners can be identified.

This route is practical for companies entering China for the first time and for those seeking support with account setup, Chinese copywriting, landing-page localisation, and ongoing campaign management.

Option	Best For	Advantage	Disadvantage
Direct with a Chinese business license	Companies with a mainland entity and China-ready website	Most direct route to account ownership	Requires the full mainland setup upfront
Through a local partner	Companies without a mainland entity or local execution capacity	Practical entry route for foreign companies	Less direct control and reliance on a partner

How Do I Open a Baidu Ads Account?

Opening a Baidu Ads account requires strict compliance with Chinese regulatory standards. The process involves documentation, website verification, prepayment, and a review period before campaigns can go live. Here is what to expect at each stage.

1. Choose your Account-opening Route

The official Baidu Marketing Platform is at e.baidu.com. Direct self-service registration is available only to companies with a valid mainland Chinese business license. Foreign companies without a local entity must open through a Baidu-authorised local agent, which can also be arranged via the platform.

Route	Eligibility	Min. Deposit	Notes
Direct opening	Mainland Chinese business license required	CNY 5,000	1to 3 business day review
Through a local partner	No mainland entity required	CNY 6,000	Full-service setup support available

2. Prepare your Documentation

Baidu requires original, high-resolution scanned copies of all the documents below.

Required for all applicants:

• Business license. Valid Mainland business license (营业执照) content scope must match what is being advertised
• Legal representative ID (法人代表身份证). Front and back copies; must be valid within six months
• Corporate bank account certificate. Account name must match the business license exactly; personal cards are not accepted
• Verified mobile number and email. Used for verification and account notifications

Additional documents by industry:

Industry	Required Documents
Education / Food / Medical / Finance	Relevant industry permits (e.g., 办学许可证, 食品经营许可证)
E-commerce / Retail	Trademark registration certificate (R mark); product qualification files
Real Estate / Recruitment	Industry qualification certificates

3. Prepare a Compliant China-facing Website

Baidu’s approval process and ongoing campaign performance depend on having a properly structured, Chinese-language website. Key requirements:

Content and hosting:

• Written entirely in simplified Chinese; content must match the scope of the business license
• Hosted on servers in mainland China (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas hosting are not compliant)
• ICP Filing completed via the MIIT portal at beian.miit.gov.cn; the filing entity must match the business license name exactly. AppInChina provides website hosting, localisation and ICP Filing support.
• Domain registered under the same Chinese entity as the Baidu Ads account

The China-facing website must ideally load in under 3 seconds on Chinese networks and be optimised for the mobile user interface, as 90% of Baidu traffic is mobile. If you do not yet have a China-facing website, Baidu’s official landing page tool Jimu Yu (基木鱼) allows you to build compliant landing pages without an independent website. To test website speed in Mainland China, use the AppInChina Website Tester. 

4. Register and Submit Documents

1. Go to e.baidu.com and click Register Now (立即注册) at the bottom of the page
2. Enter company details and verify via mobile number
3. Log in and navigate to Account Settings and Qualification Review (资质审核)
4. Upload all required documents, enter your domain details, and bind your ICP filing number
5. Finally, submit your application for review. Standard turnaround is 1–5 business days.

Applications can be rejected if the domain does not have an ICP Filing or if the ICP Filing entity and the Business License name are not the same. If website content is inconsistent with the license scope, applications also risk rejection. Rejected applications can be revised and resubmitted.

5. Sign the Contract and Prepay

After approval, sign the electronic promotion contract on the platform and make the initial prepaid deposit by corporate bank transfer. 

6. Conduct Keyword Research and Set Budgets

Keyword research must be conducted in Chinese. Baidu provides two official tools:

• Baidu Index (百度指数). A simple search volume trends and competitor analysis tool
• Baidu Keyword Planner. This is accessible in the ads backend under Tools and Keyword Planning

7. Build Landing Pages

Each major keyword group should link to a dedicated landing page, not the homepage, written entirely in Chinese and matched to the search intent of the keywords it serves.

Requirement	Standard
Content	100% Chinese; include product details, pricing, trust signals (certificates, reviews)
Load speed	Under 3 seconds on Chinese networks
CTAs	Quote form, phone number, WeChat QR code
Mobile	Responsive design; no content-blocking pop-ups; large tap targets

8. Launch and Optimise

After launch, access the Baidu Ads Analytics Dashboard at e.baidu.com/analytics to monitor performance. Key optimisation activities. For the first month, daily optimisation is recommended. Weekly reviews are sufficient once performance stabilises.

Do I Need an ICP Filing to Run Baidu Search Ads?

Yes. Baidu requires that the company operating the account, the website being advertised, and the domain in ad links are all consistent with one another. 

Apart from being a requirement, hosting a Chinese version of your website will improve loading speeds, users’ experience and will in turn increase your ad quality scores, meaning your ads are more likely to appear. 

Website quality directly affects campaign performance. Page speed, mobile responsiveness, content relevance, and the clarity of the conversion path all feed into Baidu’s quality score calculation and influence how users behave after clicking, making website quality one of the most important factors for a successful Baidu Search Ads ad campaign.

How Much Does Baidu Advertising Cost?

Baidu PPC is pay-per-click, meaning you are charged per valid click, not per impression. There is no fixed price; costs vary by industry, keyword competition, and campaign quality. Highly competitive sectors like finance, healthcare, and B2B tend to have higher CPCs. A strong quality score, driven by relevant copy and fast landing pages, will lower your cost per click regardless of what competitors are bidding.

To get started:

	Amount
Daily budget minimum	¥100/day
Direct account deposit	¥5,000
Via local partner deposit	¥6,000 (incl. ¥1,000 agency fee)

There is no required monthly spend. Campaigns can be paused or adjusted at any time.

How Can Foreign Brands Succeed with Baidu Ads?

1. Build Chinese Keyword Lists

Search behaviour in China differs from English-language markets. Translating an existing global keyword list typically misses high-volume Chinese terms, includes irrelevant ones, and fails to reflect how local users actually describe what they are looking for. Keyword research should be conducted in Chinese from the start, using tools and data from the Chinese market.

2. Localise Ad Campaigns

All ads should be written natively in Chinese rather than translated from English. It should reflect the specific search terms being targeted, match the expectations of local users, and carry a clear call to action. Tightly matching copy to the keyword group it serves is one of the most direct ways to improve quality score and click-through rate.

3. Optimise Your China-facing Website

Landing pages need to work for users on Chinese networks, Chinese-language copy, mobile-friendly layout, a clear conversion path, and fast load times. 

4. Manage Campaigns Actively

Performance changes over time. Search-term reports reveal new opportunities and irrelevant queries to exclude. Bid adjustments based on conversion data improve efficiency. Creative testing shows which messages resonate. Landing-page changes based on user behaviour lift conversion rates. Treating campaign management as an ongoing function rather than a setup task is what drives compounding improvement.

What Other Baidu Ad Products Are Available?

While this guide focuses on Baidu PPC, three other ad product lines are worth being aware of as campaigns mature.

信息流广告 (Feed Ads) appear within the personalised content feed of the Baidu App, distributed based on user interests and behaviour rather than search queries. They are suited to mid-funnel nurturing, retargeting, and reaching users who are not yet actively searching for a product.

百青藤 (Baijiahao Partner Network) is Baidu’s programmatic display and content network, extending ad reach to third-party websites and apps connected to the Baidu ecosystem. It is used for broad awareness, content amplification, and retargeting across a wider range of Chinese digital media.

品牌广告 (Brand Ads) are premium placements, including homepage takeovers, splash ads, and the 品牌专区 (Brand Zone) branded search feature, suited to large-scale awareness campaigns and controlling the branded search experience for companies with meaningful search volume in China.

For most foreign companies starting out, paid search is the right first investment. The other formats become more relevant as budget scales and campaign objectives expand.

How Can AppInChina Help?

For foreign companies, the most common barriers to Baidu Ads success are website readiness, account structure, and local campaign execution. Setting up a compliant, high-performing paid search presence requires a Chinese-language website, China hosting, an ICP Filing, a properly structured account, Chinese-language keyword research and copy, and ongoing optimisation.

AppInChina can help with:

• Chinese website and ICP Filing, ensuring your web presence meets Baidu’s requirements and performs well for Chinese users
• Landing-page localisation, building conversion-focused pages in Chinese, matched to your target keywords
• Account setup, working through Baidu’s registration and verification process on your behalf
• Campaign structure and ad copy, building keyword lists, bid structures, and creative in Chinese
• Ongoing optimisation and reporting, managing keyword performance, negative keywords, bid adjustments, and landing-page testing

Contact us to set up your Baidu Ads presence and begin reaching Chinese users through paid search.