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Baidu Reports Growing Chinese Search Engine Results [chinatechnews.com]Total revenues in the third quarter of 2008 increased to CNY919.1 million, an 85.1 % increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Operating profit increased to CNY368.3 million, representing a 119.1% increase from the corresponding period in 2007, and net income rose to CNY347.9 million, representing a 91.4 % increase from the corresponding period in 2007. The number of active online marketing customers rew to over 194,000, an increase of 7.2% from the previous quarter.
I don't think this is a good news for the Chinese Search Giant. People in china those doing SEO for websites dislike Baidu just because its businesses model.( whereas SEOers have to discuss days and days how to compliance to Baidu and why my effort lead nothing in Baidu.) I have to say, as a Chinese Search Giant Baidu shouldn't take its purpose on money only!
Sometimes when I search on Baidu, I even got a full page of Sponsored Links in the first result page.
"Today Baidu is trying to diversify its businesses", but have it made itself a good enough search engine? On the other side, Google China is catching up! Once Baidu is loved by chinese, however, who can promise it will stand steadily for another two years?
It is becoming to be a portal site, and giving Google so big a market in Chinese Search!
There's an article out today that has similar sentiments (I can't find a publicly accessible page yet). Essentially they say that Baidu's paid SERPs will be their downfall. I know that could be a sticking point from an SEO's perspective, but I wonder how well understood it is by the general surfing populace? I doubt many know or care.
Are they obeying robots.txt yet? At least they still cache deleted Chinese government documents.
I even got a full page of Sponsored Links in the first result page.
Not unusual at all! If Baidu has 10 PPC listings for a keyword, they will fill the first page in what most people in the West would consider the area where "natural" listings are placed. So, SEO for competitive areas and popular phrases is not worth the effort. It is pay to play. The area to the right of the page are also usually CPM or fixed CPC adverts - so it is possible to have a whole page populated by paid advertising. But they do have an identifier as what are paid listings. But, searchers don't seem to mind, judging from my stats. Traffic and conversions are on the up-and-up!
NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S.-traded shares of Baidu.com Inc. declined Thursday amid a broader market slump after China's leading search engine posted strong third-quarter results but sparked investor worries about how it will fare in the economic downturn.The company posted a 91 percent jump in its quarterly earnings, boosted by rapid growth in online marketing revenue. The profit was above Wall Street's expectations, and the company's revenue outlook was also strong.
Associated Press [biz.yahoo.com]
I'm not face agaist Baidu, but I want to state an experience:
Yesterday I want to search for something to study "Cha Hua(Chinese, which means ikebana)", and I search for that on Baidu.com.(What I want to see is something knowledge about ikebana.) What I got then? The whole first result page are ikebana training school who have paid to Baidu. I opened the top one, there's no information about ikebana but their recruit students introduction. The runner-up is similar to the kemp.... Until I found useful articles/pictures/videos on the second result page.
Is it fair? I can not understand the arithmetic for ranking for Baidu. A site with no content could go first with money!
If they're aware, and it bothers them, do they change their surfing habits at Baidu, or do they use backup SEs?
People rely on SEs in their normal life, how could SE to leave people themselves to "start skipping to the 2nd or 3rd results page"?
how could SE to leave people themselves to "start skipping to the 2nd or 3rd results page"?
