In the bustling landscape of China’s digital ecosystem, content creation platforms reign supreme, offering an avenue for publishers to engage audiences and businesses to bolster their marketing strategies. Among these platforms stands Baidu Baijiahao (百家号 in Chinese), a strong contender that has garnered attention since its inception in 2016. But what exactly is this content creation sub-platform, and how does it fit within the Baidu ecosystem?
Understanding Baidu Baijiahao
Baidu Baijiahao emerged onto the scene as a blog-style platform where approximately 1.9 million publishers converge to disseminate news, share content, and nurture a media ecosystem. It represents Baidu’s response to the evolving digital landscape, rivaling platforms like Toutiao and WeChat by equipping creators to wield greater control over their online presence. From bloggers to journalists, Baijiahao serves as a strong match for diverse content creators seeking to captivate audiences through interactive features such as polls and live video chat rooms.
One notable feature of Baidu Baijiahao is its integration with Baidu’s search engine, which means that content published on the platform can potentially reach a large audience through Baidu’s search results. This integration provides an incentive for content creators to use the platform to increase their visibility and reach in China’s online ecosystem.
Find out more about SEO for foreign brands and how to optimize Search Engine Results Pages
Baijiahao: Account Registration
Gaining traction on Baidu Baijiahao begins with registering an official account. It’s a prerequisite for amplifying brand visibility and ranking on Baidu’s search results. Whether as a media outlet, business entity, government agency, or other organization, securing a verified account paves the way for enhanced engagement and outreach within the digital sphere.
Integration Within the Baidu Ecosystem
At the heart of Baidu Baijiahao lies its integration within the broader Baidu ecosystem. It encompasses a myriad of interconnected platforms, including Baidu Wenku, Baidu Cloud, Baike, and Post. This seamless integration facilitates the flow of traffic, with over 95% of referrals emanating from Baidu’s search results.
The Baidu search traffic and Baijiahao’s content position in Baidu is perhaps its most important and tempting feature for brands seeking to improve their visibility on the Chinese market. In order to maximize your exposure on Baidu SERP (Search Engine Results Page), start with keywords research. Choose the right ones and incorporate the theme you want to express with relevant keywords. Pay attention to the quality and readability of the article, as well as the density and distribution of keywords. In order to obtain a better ranking, keywords can be incorporated into various aspects such as titles, text, and pictures.
After publishing articles, it is also necessary to actively promote them. You can share articles to more people through social media, WeChat Public, QQ group and other methods. With time, your articles will also start to climb the SERP pages given that you did your SEO homework correctly!
Baijiahao or official WeChat Account?
The two platforms, Baidu and WeChat, serve different purposes. Your target audience will most likely find out or search for your brand differently. It also depends if your business is registered in China or not. If not, then you might not be able to apply for a Baijiahao account. If you do, we still recommend to focus and strengthen your presence on WeChat first. Most likely your customers will treat it as your most important information hub. This is important if you don’t have a Chinese website and ICP license to make it operate legally in China.
Secondly, you can easily repurpose content from WeChat to Baijiahao and this way kill two birds with one stone.
Read more about WeChat SEO to learn how to leverage WeChat Search engine
Maximizing Marketing Potential
For businesses navigating the intricate landscape of Chinese marketing, leveraging Baidu Baijiahao offers a strategic avenue for reaching target audiences and bolstering brand presence. By adhering to best practices such as prioritising high-quality content, leveraging keywords, and partnering with influencers, companies can harness the platform’s analytics tools to refine their marketing strategies and foster meaningful engagement with consumers.
Operational Mechanisms and Benefits
Operating within the realm of Baidu Baijiahao reveals a plethora of benefits for content creators and businesses alike. Beyond its expansive reach, Baijiahao offers a suite of resources. Those encompass content and follower management, paid consulting services, and access to a free picture database. Moreover, the platform fosters entrepreneurship through acceleration services tailored to guide creators towards industry success.
Unlocking Key Features
Baidu Baijiahao’s repertoire extends beyond conventional content creation, offering innovative features designed to augment brand visibility and audience engagement. From content mounting functions to keyword optimisation and the “Follow” button, businesses can leverage these tools to cultivate a loyal follower base and expand their private domain traffic pool with precision and efficacy.
Baijiahao stands as a formidable asset allowing content creators and businesses to thrive in an ever-evolving ecosystem. It also confirms the self-contained nature of China’s digital landscape, where major entities seldom collaborate beyond their ecosystem confines.
By leveraging its operational mechanisms, harnessing its marketing potential, and unlocking its array of features, stakeholders can chart a course towards success in the dynamic realm of Chinese digital.
If you wish to know more about marketing in China, please contact our team. We use our knowledge and expertise to help businesses build meaningful partnerships and develop their network among Chinese customers. For additional information, please contact at contact@thewechatagency.com.
Written by Brice Le Guen – Greater China Director at KRDS / the WeChat Agency