Design and development for Baidu SEO

The onsite SEO strategies you need to use for Chinese search engines are mostly similar to the ones for the likes of Google albeit with some subtle but vital differences.  Some of these different SEO practices arise from the refusal of Chinese search engines to properly rank content in other languages while others arise from their inability to infer the motive behind the user’s search and placement of more importance on keywords instead. These are just a few examples which highlight the different SEO methods one needs to use for greater web presence in China. Let us discuss some of the major onsite SEO practices present in this Baidu SEO Guide that you need to employ in more detail.

Baidu SEO Guide for Unique content

Use of aggregated content is strongly discouraged if you want a higher rank with Baidu, which does not list sites with aggregated contents. Penalizations are on offer for those who use duplicate content, so it is necessary that you prepare genuinely unique contents that are near about 300 words in length. If you ever necessitate the use of duplicate contents for practical reasons make sure to use  Baidu’s canonical tags to distinguish purposeful duplication. Moreover, since Baidu does not support hreflang tags, the usage of different language versions of the site with little differences (like the English US and English UK versions) might pass as duplication.

Contents in Simplified Chinese are a key to Baidu SEO

Baidu has never said it will not rank sites in languages other than Chinese but it does give precedence to sites with contents in Chinese language. If you own a China centric site, make sure to develop contents in plain and simple Chinese. Since meanings can get lost in translation it is important that you hire a native Chinese language speaker to develop/translate your content. Never use translational tools like Google translate for your contents. Update your contents regularly because search engines provides high precedence to sites that refresh their contents. Having contents in Chinese will also increase the rate of your site’s opening via the results page in search engines and a higher click through rate will eventually help you with better ranking.

Keywords, keywords and keywords

With each upgrade in its algorithm, Google is moving further away from keywords being the measuring stick in the search rankings it provides. However, keywords mean a lot to Baidu and are one of its most important ranking factors. The dependence of Baidu on keywords is to the point that even black hat practices like Keyword stuffing will win you an elevated place in the rankings.

Therefore ensure that your contents are heavy on keywords that you are targeting for with the header, meta description, page description and page title containing the selected keyword. Include keywords in alternative tags and texts for your images, and in titles and slugs.

Make use of tools like Baidu Feng Yun bang, Baidu Keyword Research Tool and Baidu Index to get insights into recent trends on the internet and keyword relevancy. See the Baidu SEO guide for more insight into the parameters Baidu uses for rankings.

Apply for rich snippet features in Baidu Search

Like Google, Baidu also supports rich snippets on its SERP. The matter of fact is, Baidu’s snippet are richer than that of most search engines and can be used to generate instant attention of the visitors. To add snippets to your search results you can submit the requests with structured data submission tool of the Baidu Webmaster Tools and Open Platform. Although snippets are not a direct metric for ranking, they add appeal to the search results, helping in a higher click through rate, which eventually contributes to better ranking.

 

For the most useful dos and don’ts in developing your China focused digital strategies for 2017 and beyond, you can find the articles of this series of posts here:

Michael Simonetti
Posted by:

Post Reads: 6.6K

Share this

Go on, see if you can challenge us on "Chinese aka Baidu SEO: Onsite SEO guidelines" - Part of our 168 services at AndMine. We are quick to respond but if you want to go direct, test us during office hours.

Add Your Comment

Trusted by

Oracle
QV Skincare
ACTUATE IP
Viktoria & Woods
LBG Australia and New Zealand
Magento Solution Specialist
Shell
Jalna
CSquared Executive
Chia
Hanover
DepSkin.com
Garmin
Boston Consulting Group
WTFN
TPP
Uber
Sports Power
Elucent
Grainshaker
Magento
MyAccount
Positive Poster
Bigcommerce
SMH – The Sydney Morning Herald
Rackspace
Switzer Media+Publishing
Atlantic Group of Companies
The Burger Cheese
Melrose MCT
Palace Cinemas
Street Kitchen
Bondi Sands
Brisbane Times
National Relay Services
Toni&Guy
Paypal
Acquia Certified Site Builder Drupal
The Age
Dial Before You Dig
Federation Square
Cell Therapies
Victorian Government
Hairhouse Warehouse
Australian Physiotherapy Association
Associated Press
MAP
Forbes
131 Pizza
Mark Alexander Design
Bintani Australia
Rock Pool Group
GPT Group
Engine Swim
Green St Juice CO
McArthur Skincare
National Museum of Australia
White Suede
Ubertas Group
VISSF
The Canberra Times
Adobe Professional
Australian Anthill
Celebrate Health
BlackMores
Ello
Amino Active
Windsorsmith
CAN- Common Wealth Bank
Passage To India
Google
Think & Grow Rich Inc
Melbourne Heart
Madman Entertainment
GooglePlay
Matchbox Homewares
Maxine
Smart Company
OJAY
News
Fresh Cheese Company
ADP Payroll
High Street Armadale
Focus On Furniture
Inferflora
Marshall White
Catholic Insurance
Heat Holders
Novvi
Melrose Health
Cleanfit
Herbert Smith Freehills
Van Egmond Group
Toy World
Royal Freemasons
POSTER Magazine
Tek Ocean
Unsw Australia
Naturtint
The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Gilbert+Tobin
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre – MSAC
Crumpler
Ebay
Kay&Burton
Coles
Etihad Stadium
OMS – Order Management System
Ego Pharmaceuticals
Buy Aussie Now
Macmillan Publishing
ABC
The University Of Melbourne
Mamma Lucia
SunSense Digital Agency
Plan It Sync It
Beaumont
Melbourne Central
Mecca Brands
Parker Lane
Cooper Mills
Bostik
James Buyer Advocates
Natralus Australia
Xavier
Liveoneday
Loan Market
Fairfax Media
DeeWhy Market
Castran Gilbert
Arthur Galan
PranaOn
The Fortune Institute
Bank of Cyprus
Bulk Nutrients
Jetstar
Kadac
Tomorrow Stars Basketball
Metricon
ISO Certified
Wild Rhino Shoes
Australian Government
iPrimus
French Tables
Tassal
Sunday Creek
Movember
Florsheim Shoes
Engineers Without Borders
Dinosaur Designs
AC/DC
Telstra
Vitura Health
Gadens
Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals
Australian Organic Food CO
Plants
Scrum.org
Instant RockStar
King Wood Mallesons
Fast.co
NextTech
Appstore
Tribe
Rydges
NMI Insurance
Federation University Australia
Eway
Oakdale Meat Co
Grow Your Business
Craft CMS
Moov Head Lice
DUSA, Deakin University Student Association
Carlton Football Club
SwinBurne University of Technology
Drupal
Arc One
RMIT University
Watches of Switzerland
21st Century Australia Party
Aqium Gel
Vendor Advocacy Australia
One Shift
Passage Foods
Cronos Australia
Max’s
CB Richard Ellis
Thomson Geer
Grays Ecommerce
Peter Mac
Schiavello

Testimonials

I work with AndMine for my web development and website content management. Changes are always made quickly and I'm kept in the loop at all times - the website continues to generate awesome results. Jason Digby, Eatmusik

More Testimonials
AndMine-Google-Partner-Signature
AndMine's is ISO 27001 : Information Security Management Systems Certified.
AndMine's is ISO 27001 : Information Security Management Systems Certified.