China’s Search Engine Landscape: A Strategic Overview

China’s Dual Search Engine Ecosystem

The Chinese search engine market divides into two fundamental categories based on linguistic differences: Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Mainland China predominantly utilizes Simplified Chinese search engines, creating a distinct digital ecosystem separate from other Chinese-speaking regions.

Market Leaders and Their Dominance

Baidu commands an impressive 70.58% of the total search market, establishing itself as the undisputed leader in China’s digital landscape. Following at a considerable distance is 360So with a 12.51% market share. However, these percentages tell only part of the story when planning targeted online campaigns.

The Nuanced Reality of Search Behavior

Our research reveals fascinating patterns in how Chinese users interact with search engines based on educational background and geographic location:

• Educational Segmentation: Users with Master’s degrees conduct nearly half of their searches through Google China, while those with high school education or less turn to Google for merely 10% of their search activities.
• Geographic Variations: Search preferences shift dramatically across different regions of China, creating opportunities for precision-targeted campaigns.

These insights underscore a critical strategic principle: effective search marketing in China demands platform-specific and location-aware targeting, with budget allocations carefully calibrated to align with your specific branding objectives and sales priorities.

Understanding China’s Major Search Engines

Each of China’s search platforms offers unique advantages and specializations that savvy marketers can leverage for maximum impact…

Introduction of Major Search Engines in China

Baidu, Inc. (Baidu), incorporated on January 18, 2000, is a Chinese search engine for websites, audio files, and images. Baidu offers 57 search and community services including Baidu Baike, an online collaboratively-built encyclopedia, and a searchable keyword-based discussion forum. In October 2008, Baidu ranked 9th overall in Alexa’s internet rankings. Baidu offers a number of services to locate information, products and services using Chinese-language search terms, such as, search by Chinese phonetics, advanced search, snapshots, spell checker, stock quotes, news, knows, postbar, images, video and space information, and weather, train and flight schedules and other local information. The user-agent string of Baidu search engine is baiduspider.

Google China, founded in 2005, is the subsidiary of Google, Inc., the world’s largest Internet search engine company, in the People’s Republic of China’s mainland. The competitors of Google China include Baidu.com, often called the “Google of China” due to its resemblance and similarity to Google. In August 2008, Google China launched a legal music download service, Google Music, to rival Baidu’s potentially illicit offering.

Since announcing its intent to comply with Internet censorship laws in the People’s Republic of China, Google China has been the focus of controversy over what critics view as capitulation to the “Golden Shield Project” (also known as the Great Firewall of China). Because of its self-imposed censorship, whenever people search for interdicted Chinese keywords on a blocked list maintained by the PRC government, google.cn will display the following at the bottom of the page (translated): In accordance with local laws, regulations and policies, part of the search result is not shown. Some searches, such as (as of June 2009) “Tank Man” are blocked entirely, with the only the message “Search results may not comply with the relevant laws, regulations and policy, can not be displayed” appearing.

Qihoo 360, full name Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd., is a Chinese internet security company known for its antivirus software (360 Safeguard, 360 Mobile Safe), Web Browser (360 Browsers), and Mobile Application Store (360 Mobile Assistant). It was founded by Zhou Hongyi and Qi Xiangdong in June 2005. Qihoo 360 had 496 million users for its Internet Security products and 641 million users for its Mobile Antivirus products as of June 2014.

Sogou is a Chinese search engine which can search text, images, music, and maps. It was launched 4 August 2004 and is owned by Sohu, Inc., SoGou means “Search Dog” in Chinese. As of August 2008, it has a rank of 184 in Alexa’s internet rankings. Sogou provides an index of up to 10 billion web pages.