Exploring 5 Essential Baidu Tools For B2B Online Marketers

In our last Baidu blog post, we introduced the basics for setting up a Baidu PPC account. Setting up a Baidu PPC account is just the beginning as B2B online marketers must consider the ongoing management and continued refinement of their Baidu advertising program. In this article, we present you 5 important tools essential to Baidu PPC Advertising: The Baidu Keyword Tool, Bid Estimate Tool, Search Terms Report Tool, Baidu Analytics and The Baidu Editor.

Baidu Keywords Tool:

If you are unfamiliar with the search behavior of Chinese online consumers, the Baidu keywords tool is the best place to start exploration. The Baidu Keyword Tool is a free tool for keyword research, provided by Baidu to PPC Marketers, and used for integration into their Baidu Ads Web account or Baidu Editor.

Typically, online marketers submit a “core keyword” for which the Baidu system will display relevant keywords based on account information on the keyword tool homepage. This is one way for marketers to get a baseline for establishing deeper keyword research.

A more refined option is for marketers to choose the target geography and the device (PC or Mobile) when they submit the “core keyword”. The Baidu Keyword Tool will list suggested keywords with metrics such as “reasons” the keyword could be valuable (in Baidu, this is literally represented by icons that indicate potential positive outcomes), average daily search volume, competitive status and the month of highest search volume.

Baidu Keyword Tool result with keyword “同轴线缆(Coaxial Cable)”

If Marketers want to add new keywords to an existing campaign or ad group, there are 2 ways to finish this work:

• Select the keywords, and click the button “Add”; or select multiple keywords, and click the button “Add keywords “
• Save the keyword(s) to your target campaign with the match type directly.

Additional Tips:

• Research Localized keywords– Besides providing the geography targeting, the Baidu Keyword Tool also provides one “Advanced option” which allows marketers to research keywords with city name. Location and proximity can be an important factor for the Chinese buyer. For example, sometimes the keyword results list will show keywords like “Beijing Coaxial cable” (IE, keyword with city name as an initial qualifier)
• Automatic grouping function– This is a function that helps Marketers to categorize the different keywords and make the account structure more effective to manage.

Search Terms Report Tool

The most efficient and convenient way to know which search terms contribute clicks to an advertising campaign is through the search terms report. There are also 2 ways to access to the search terms report: Baidu Ads account and Baidu Editor (we’ll discuss the latter a bit later).

The Baidu Search Terms Report offers keyword search query information to marketers according to the entire account or specific campaigns and ad groups, and even individual keywords or ad copy. It makes it easy for marketers to find their most important keywords (based on defined metrics), low value keywords, and opportunities to incorporate negative keywords.

Baidu Search Term Report Tool

Additional Tips:

• The Search Term Report will report on the specific keywords (search queries) that contributed to certain clicks on ads presented, but not all. For example, single-click results may not be visible unfortunately.
• Marketers can filter the result by selecting the device (PC or mobile).

Bid Estimate Tool

Another awesome tool for Baidu PPC is The Baidu Bid Estimate Tool, which is used to estimate the bid price of keyword opportunities.

Depending on your “core keyword”, bid price, and your geography targeting, the Baidu Bid Estimate Tool provides metrics like search volume, position, and estimate clicks.

Here is an example of “同轴线缆(coaxial cable)”. We’ve input the keyword “同轴线缆”, setting the bid price as CNY 3.00 and choosing the geography targeting to “Guangdong Province” only. Once processed, the system will generate the estimate result for this keyword. As illustrated in the example below, it appears the position for this bid will be around 8 – 10, and the estimate daily clicks will be less than 10.

Baidu Bid Estimate Tool with keyword “同轴线缆 (coaxial cable)”

Additional Tips:

• The Bid Estimate Tool allows marketers to research the keywords with different match types. For example, if you plan to investigate the estimate bid for the keyword “coaxial cables” with exact match type, you just need to submit “[coaxial cables]”. More information is here:
  • Keyword = Broad Match
  • “Keyword” = Phrase Match
  • [Keyword]= Exact Match

• The Bid Estimate Tool provides only an estimated price per click but the final position and cost will be also affected by the quality score of your ads.

Baidu Analytics

Baidu Analytics is a free web analysis and reporting tool for online marketers. Similar to Google Analytics, Baidu analytics provides online marketers web performance and advertising ROI metrics by generating detailed statistics on traffic, traffic sources, pages data, and conversion benchmarks.

Baidu Analytics – Tables / Graph

• Baidu PPC Data Tracking – With Baidu Analytics, marketers can observe the following metrics from their Baidu PPC campaigns:
  • Impression
  • Click
  • CTR
  • Cost
  • Conversion
  • Bounce Rate

Baidu Analytics – Website Data Metric Tab

• Website Data – Besides “PPC only”, other metrics that Baidu Analytics provides, that can help marketers evaluate website performance include:
  • Visitors Analysis: real time visitors, new visitors, geography information
  • Sources: search engine source, external links source, search term report
  • Pages Content Information: average time on site, page views/visit, and bounce rate

• Conversion Setting & Tracking – Conversion Setting & Tracking is another significant performance metrics found at Baidu Analytics. Unfortunately, at this time, Baidu analytics does not have a specific ecommerce module which could be used to track financial data but broader goal tracking is possible. 2 main conversion settings are presented as follows:
  • Form Submission Goal
    Goal setting in Baidu Analytics allows marketers to submit and track their confirmation page URL (which page you plan to track, such as the confirmation page after a form submission or a sales process).
  • Event Conversion Goal
    The event tracking conversion goal refers to the tracking various action elements of a web page, such as “clicking a link” or “Clicking a button”. When customers click the specific link or the button of the web page, it will be considered fulfilling an event conversion goal.

Additional Tips

• Event mechanisms such online chat and click to call metrics are ideal website actions for this type of performance tracking. Unlike US consumers, most Chinese website visitors prefer having a call or chat directly rather than submitting a form online.
• There is also an “SEO recommendations function”whichprovides broad SEO recommendations respective to the marketers’ website, including how to increase page load speed of your website.

Baidu Editor

Similar to Google Adwords Editor, Baidu Ads Editor is also a free tool designed to assist Marketers in managing Baidu ads account when they are offline. Utilizing the Baidu Editor, marketers can efficiently managing accounts as follows:

• To make multiple changes quickly through drag and drop / replace functionality
• To export and import files to make changes on the account.
• To view complete ad performance data across campaigns / ad groups / keywords

Baidu Editor Tool

The Baidu Editor Tool allows marketers to engage in a series of specific, data-driven tasks, like creating a new campaign or ad group, or adding and editing multiple keywords and ad copy.

In addition to making changes and viewing data, marketers can also access the keyword tool, the estimate tool and the search terms report (which we have already discussed the detail introduction before) directly in the Baidu Editor, as opposed to logging directly into Baidu through the web browser.

Baidu Editor- Various Tools

Additional tips:

• Baidu Editor is not limited to just an account management tool, it also has data analysis component as well. With the Effect Analysis Tool, marketers are able to approach further data comparison analysis like exposure analysis, conversion analysis and general analysis.
• Effect Analysis Tool will help marketers analyze keywords by comparing any two dimensions of impression, click, spend and / or conversion, and provides the potentially appropriate optimization guide and recommendations. NOTE: this tool is a new resource in Baidu and requires application by Baidu, the Baidu reseller, or agency contact.

Baidu Editor- Data Analysis function

Final Thoughts

Being proficient in these Baidu PPC Tools will help B2B marketers to manage their PPC ads effectively and efficiently. What has your experience been like with Baidu PPC management? We’d love to read feedback and perspective. If you have any questions or comments about Baidu PPC tools, please free feel to contact us or share your thoughts in the comments section below.