This talk is about ¡®How to Achieve SERP Dominance in China ¨C Ideas For a Dynamic Baidu Strategy¡¯.
I address the strategy of using a combined on-page and 0ff-page approach which utilises the SERP feature nuances of Baidu to achieve maximum SERP real estate. The talk will include an overview of the Baidu SERP in 2022, as well as tips on utilising a potential muti-site approach to back your efforts.
2. A LITTLE ABOUT ME
? SEO Consultant with over 10 years experience both agency
and client side
? Last ¡°full-time¡± roles include EU Head of SEO at Samsung
partner agency Cheil & Head of SEO at PeoplePerHour
? Went into the solo consultancy game in 2020
? Built up a China SEO niche over the years owing to a
number of years living/working there/speaking the
language and have helped bring the likes of Mulberry,
Galeries Lafayette and Louvre Hotels Group into the
China digital space
? Lazy musician & part-time politics man in free time
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
3. CHINA SEO PUBLICATIONS
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? https://adage.com/article/viewpoint/advertisers
-china-s-search-market/305704
? https://moz.com/learn/seo/content-marketing-
china-side
? https://builtvisible.com/baidu-seo-guide/
4. RECENT RAVINGS ON CHINA SEO
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? https://www.theseorant.com/seo-podcast/seo-china
? https://www.owainlloydwilliams.com/exploring-baidu-analytics-seo-tools/
5. WHAT ARE GOING TO LOOK AT TONIGHT?
? Baidu in 2023: the SERP make-up
? Typical China SEO headaches: operational bureaucracy and
workarounds
? Maximising your SERP real estate using Baidu products
? Considerations for a multi-domain strategy
? Where to get further China/Baidu SEO tips
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
17. Who is eligible
for an ICP
licence?
ICP Licencing
? Chinese-owned businesses with a Chinese business
license can apply for a Business ICP
? Partially or wholly foreign-owned (non-Chinese)
businesses with any type of Chinese business license
(Joint-Venture or WOFE, for example), can apply for a
Business ICP
? Chinese nationals, using their state-issued ID, can apply
for an Individual ICP
? Foreign (non-Chinese) individuals, using their passport
as ID, who can be physically present in China long
enough to fulfill some basic registration requirements, can
apply for an Individual ICP
25. Baidu Maps/Local SEO
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? Like in Google, Local SEO is a big thing
for navigational queries or local business
info
? Baidu map listings take up A LOT of real
estate on the SERP
? Can be claimed/managed by using
verified Baidu account and submitted
Chinese business documentation
? Can be managed in Baidu Maps app
26. Baidu Baike
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
2nd organic result
(Maps is 3rd!)
? Baidu¡¯s own Wikipedia
? Will typically occupy top 1-3 results of
organic results on entity searches
? Again, Can created and edited by using
verified Baidu account and submitted
Chinese business documentation
? Strict editorial and content approval
policy
? Use this as a separate website for brand
awareness opportunities
28. Baidu Zhidao
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? Popular Q&A forum, will be at the forefront of
all informational/long-tail queries in the SERP
? Great for getting involved in the conversation
and marketing your brand
? Requires Baidu account to get involved
? Account verification options opening door to
micro influencer status on certain topics
33. Website.com/.cn
/products
/product-a /product-b
/news
/global /covid
/tools /about-us
/pricing /careers
Case Study: Trading Industry
1) Chinese translation of main
site (near-China hosting)
Microsite A (Trading Learning/FAQ Centre)
Microsite B (Seasonal Offers Site)
Integration with WeChat/Chinese Social Media/CRM
Microsite C (Interactive live forex ticker)
Aggressive
linkbuilding
2) Lead Gen Microsites
34. Considerations For This Approach
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? While spreading SEO efforts like this across different domains may seem a bit
mad, it allows the option to spread risk within regulated industries that could
see websites blocked/site outage
? You¡¯re able to experiment and have a bit of fun (think old school churn and burn)
with sites targeting different unbranded keyword buckets for quick lead gen
? Linkbuilding in China is a grey area, though you¡¯ll do well to adhere to similar
modern-day quality content marketing practices where possible
? It¡¯s not risk averse and you may need to have a fallback strategy in place with
backup domains and automated redirect scripts in case things go awry
35. Here¡¯s What This Could Look Like (Sorry, NDAs etc)
Branded search term
Chinese version of site (with
sitelinks rich snippets)
Placement on third-party
industry listing site
Learning centre microsite
(with sitelinks rich snippets)
Baidu Zhidao FAQ listing
36. Key Takeways
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
? It¡¯s difficult to ascertain the ideal setup for launching a site in China without in-
market business credentials, though there are some accessible workarounds
? Baidu will often be your biggest competitor in the SERP. Use this to your
advantage.
? If you have the resources, a multi-domain strategy targeting different search
terms can bear fruit
? Don¡¯t get in trouble with China¡¯s censors.
38. Useful China SEO Tools
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
Get a Baidu account:
https://passport./v2/?reg&overseas=1
ICP licencing:
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/chinese-icp-
licensing-what-why-and-how-to-get-hosted-in-china--
cms-23193
Baidu Webmaster Tools & Learning Centre
https://ziyuan./
https://ziyuan./college
Baidu Analytics:
https://tongji./
In China page speed testing :
https://www.17ce.com/
https://tool.chinaz.com/sitespeed
SO Trends
https://trends.so.com/
Baidu Index (content & keyword research)
https://index./v2/index.html
Dragon Metrics
https://www.dragonmetrics.com/
39. Useful China SEO Resources
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
Ultimate Guide to Baidu SEO in China ¨C Dragon Metrics https://www.dragonmetrics.com/baidu-seo-guide/
SEO for China: Chinese Search Engine Optimization (Kun Tang, Marcus Pentzek)
https://www.amazon.com/SEO-China-Chinese-Search-Optimization/dp/B0B5MK9SBV
Tianxianmao (SEO Forum)
https://www.tianxianmao.com/
Tangren SEO (SEO Forum)
https://www.tangrenseo.com/
Heimaoxuexi (Black Hat World!)
https://www.heimaoxuexi.net/
40. Follow these people for more on China SEO
owainlloydwilliams.com | @Owain_LW @SearchLDN
Kun Tang: https://twitter.com/KunTangChina
Marcus Pentzek: https://twitter.com/MPentzek
Adam di Frisco: https://twitter.com/di_friscoSEO
Du Ye SEO: https://www.weibo.com/maxjincz
Karl Gao (WeChat ID: karl_gao)
Bai Yang SEO (WeChat Official page)