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China Internet Population Hits 513 Million
27
Jan
Jan
As expected, China Internet population surpassed 500 million in 2011.
According to the latest report published by CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center), the country had a population of 513 million Internet users as of December 2011.
The total population of Chinese netizens increased by 56 million in 2011 (+11% year over year). Indeed, China Internet population surpassed 450 million in 2010.
Internet penetration hit 38% of the total population in 2011 (+4% year over year), a Chinese netizen being a 6+ year old resident in mainland China and having a home phone number or a mobile phone and used the Internet in the last 6 months.
Among those 513 million users, 356 million access the Internet with mobile devices (+18% year over year), that is about 37% of total population.
Regarding eCommerce, statistics show that over 194 million people now shop online. The growth is almost 21% compared to 2010.
If you can read Chinese, you can visit CNNIC website and find the entire report.
More detailed statistics about situation of Internet in China in 2011 in a coming post. Stay tuned!
Baidu Search Results Go Social
17
Jan
Jan
Is Baidu following Google’s path in terms of social search results?
A good question to ask to their staff as China’s leading search engine has recently been testing a new social feature that clearly reminds me of Google +1 feature and follows Google's announcement about search results getting more personalized.
Baidu Social Feature
As you can see in the above screenshot, the social feature is present in Baidu search results.
For instance, if I search 'Baidu' in Chinese, the social feature that consists of a thumb up icon very similar to the Facebook Like button is displayed next to the URL in the SERPs.
Next to the icon, you can also see a number (more explanation below).
Please note this social feature is still being tested and doesn’t appear for every search result.
A Way to Boost Baidu Social Share?
Contrary to Google that owns Google+, Baidu doesn’t have its own social network excluding its personal blog service known as Baidu Hi (Baidu Space).
According to an official post on Sina Weibo, the number that appears next to the thumb up icon indicates how many times a web page has been shared using Baidu Share, a social sharing tool that the Chinese search engine company launched last summer.
However, Baidu had bigger ambitions for its social bookmarking service. That is why testing this social feature may mean that Baidu wants to boost the adoption of Baidu Share in the future.
A New Ranking Factor for SEO?
In terms of SEO, it’ll be extremely important to monitor when Baidu largely releases this new social feature. I think it makes no doubt that Baidu will eventually go to this direction.
What will be very interesting to see is how this social feature will affect rankings. As Google uses its +1 button, Baidu may use its social sharing tool as a positive ranking factor.
In short, it may mean that the more your website is shared on Baidu Share, the better your rankings are.
Stay tuned for more explanation about SEO for Baidu!
China Internet to Go Faster & Cheaper
27
Dec
Dec
China will invest heavily in telecommunications infrastructure to increase Internet access speed by five times by 2015, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
At the same time, the Chinese government plans to decrease the broadband service rates generally 3-4 times more expensive than other countries.
Internet access in China is indeed currently rather slow, China's broadband bandwidth is currently ranked 71st in the world, China’s average being 1.8 Mbps compared to a global average of 5.6 Mbps.
By comparison, the average bandwidth in the US is currently 20-25 Mbps, five times that of China.
China’s average broadband bandwidth is expected to hit 20 Mbps in urban areas (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, etc.) by 2015, that is to say 5 times the current level while rural areas will reach 4 Mbps.
Regarding the costs, the leading broadband service provider, namely China Telecom, promised to cut rates by 35% by 2016.
China has the largest Internet population in the world (over 450 million users), and over 155 million family broadband users by the end of 2011.
More information and statistics about Internet in China to come very soon. Stay tuned!
Most Searched Keywords on Google China in 2011
19
Dec
Dec
Google recently released its 2011 Zeitgeist highlighting how and what the world searched in 2011. The search company also published a ranking of the fastest rising searches in every country, including China.
Here is the list of 10 keywords that gained the most popularity in China in 2011:
1. Japan Earthquake 日本地震 (Rìběn dìzhèn)
One of the most powerful earthquakes in the world that hit the Japanese Pacific coast in March 2011 and resulted in massive damage.
2. Naked Wedding Era 裸婚时代 (Luǒ hūn shídài)
Very popular Chinese TV show that talks about a young couple who is in love and wants to get married despite all their financial problems. In extension, the term “naked wedding” refers to a marriage without material prerequisites such as flat, car, and fancy wedding ceremony.
3. Discount 折扣 (Zhékòu)
The third most-searched term in Google in 2011, mainly because Chinese Internet users are fond of finding good deals online.
4. Libya 利比亚 (Lìbǐyǎ)
Following the revolutions in the Arab countries known as the “Arab Spring”, Libya underwent a civil war in 2011 that led to the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s political regime.
5. Kung Fu Panda 功夫熊猫 (Gōngfu xióngmāo)
American computer-animated action comedy movie very appreciated by the Chinese people. The sequel to the 2008 edition was released in 2011 and starred many famous actors including Jackie Chan.
6. Ipad2
Apple is one of the most appreciated brand in China, so are the second generation of the US company’s tablet computer.
7. Android 安卓 (Ān zhuō)
Though Google as a search engine has difficulties to succeed in China, its OS for mobile devices is quite popular in China’s smartphones market.
8. Transformers 变形金刚 (Biànxíng jīngāng)
Another blockbuster movie appears in the most search keywords on Google China in 2011 (the third edition was released last summer).
9. QQ2011
The most popular Instant Messaging (IM) in China for iOS such as iPad, Iphone and iPodTouch.
10. Weixin 微信 (Wēi xìn)
A more and more popular mobile instant messaging (similar to Whatsapp in the West) by Tencent, a Chinese company well-known for its QQ IM.
What other Chinese keywords did you search in 2011?
The Future of Ecommerce: One Shop, Thousands of Windows
25
Nov
Nov
Ecommerce has reshaped how people shop these past few years. More and more people now search information and buy products or services online.
And this current trend is here to stay. That is why online buyers and sellers have to adapt themselves to become smarter and then benefit of all opportunities offered by ecommerce.
Here are a few brief thoughts about the future of ecommerce.
Ecommerce as Custom-Tailored Experience
I think there is no doubt that successful ecommerce sites will have to create a unique experience for each visitor.
What I mean is that online retailers will have to provide you with a custom-tailored experience that can remember your preferences, estimate your level of interest in a certain item, and make dynamic adjustments to prices and options.
In brief, do everything so you have a great online shopping experience, and therefore transform your visit into a sale.
In my opinion, by implementing powerful online marketing features, combined with attractive design, Ecommerce of the future will look like a static catalog less and less, and feel more and more like a dynamic offline shop.
Adapt to visitor’s environment
Don’t get it wrong, ecommerce websites already adapt their shop to visitors, but I’m sure this will go further.
Today, when you visit multilingual online shops, have you ever asked yourself why your default language (if available) is displayed?
Actually webmasters can set language of their website according to your web browser preferences or your IP location. For instance, if you have your browser in Chinese, ecommerce websites can choose to display their website in Chinese to you.
The same applies for mobile devices. When you visit an online shop from your iPhone or Android, you can be redirected to a mobile version if available.
However, I'm sure online retailers could go even deeper to adapt their shop windows to their visitor’s environment. Many have talked about a convergence of “mobile, local, and social”. I think ecommerce is clearly going this direction too.
1. Mobile
As Internet users access Internet from their mobile devices (phones, tablets) more frequently, mobile commerce (also known as m-commerce) has been booming the last few years.
Even though mobile commerce is still an emerging channel and only accounts for a tiny share of all ecommerce market, I'm convinced it will continue to grow in the next years.
2. Local
Online retailers could go further in terms of local customization. I’m actually thinking of three examples:
- Adapt your shop window according to your visitor's location. If your visitor is located near the seaside, maybe you could show him sunglasses and swimming suits! If he’s near mountains, he could be interested in walking shoes, backpacks, or hiking jackets.
- Adapt your shop window according to weather. Imagine today is really sunny, what about display sunglasses and swimming suits in your main shop window?
- Adapt your shop window according to period. Many offline and online shop already do it. For example, if your target market is located in a country where Christmas is celebrated, show them items related to Christmas.
3. Social
Social will also be the key of ecommerce in the future. Why? Because you are more likely to buy something that your friends recommend you.
Adapt to visitor’s behavior
In addition to adapt your windows to your visitor’s environment, you could also think of adapting your shop to your visitor’s behavior.
Let’s pretend one of your visitors visited cameras in your online shop. Well, maybe when he comes back to your homepage, it could be relevant to show him some cameras.
This technique could be actually similar to retargeting, also known as behavioral retargeting. You could therefore target your consumers based on their previous actions on your website, especially when their actions did not result in a sale.
China is Future of Ecommerce
China will undoubtedly play a major role in the future of ecommerce. China is expected to overtake the US as the world's largest ecommerce market by 2015, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
China's ecommerce market is projected to reach more than 2 trillion RMB (approximately $314 billion) in transaction value by 2015, the number of Chinese ecommerce shoppers growing to 329 million during the same period. See our previous article about China's Ecommerce Market in 2010.
How do you see the future of ecommerce? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
China Search Engine Market: Google Still Declining
17
Nov
Nov
China’s search engine market hit 5.5 billion RMB (approximately 867 million USD) in 2011 Q3, according to online market research firm iResearch.
The search revenue increased by 78% from the same period last year. This dramatic increase is due to a boom in Chinese e-commerce ad spend.
China Search Engine Market size and its evolution (by iChinaStock)
Still according to iResearch data, Baidu now holds nearly 78% market share by revenue of China search engine market while Google’s market share declined from 19% to 18% compared to the previous quarter.
IResearch data comes from search company financial reports and estimates from its own tracking systems.
Below is the full evolution of search engines' market share in China:
| 2010 Q1 | 2010 Q2 | 2010 Q3 | 2010 Q4 | 2011 Q1 | 2011 Q2 | 2011 Q3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baidu | 67.8% | 71.0% | 72.7% | 73.4% | 74.6% | 77.3% | 77.7% |
| 29.5% | 26.8% | 24.8% | 24.0% | 22.2% | 19.3% | 18.3% | |
| Sogou | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Soso | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| Other | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
From beginning of 2010 when Google decided to redirect Chinese users to its Hong Kong website, Google has lost 11% market share while Baidu has gained 10% over the same period. As we mentioned before, Google’s loss is Baidu’s gain, but not only.
Indeed, other local search engines also benefit from Google’s decline. Sogou, a Chinese search engine powered by Sohu, and Tencent’s Soso have seen their market share increased over the past year.
Other search engines only account for 0.4% of China’s search engine market. Read more about all the search engines in China.
What search engine do you use in China? Baidu, Google or another one? Do you know you can use both Baidu and Google through BaiGoogleDu?
Submit your Customer Service Hotline to Baidu
11
Nov
Nov
Baidu recently unveiled a tool allowing companies to submit their customer service phone number to the Chinese search engine index.
How many times did it happen to you when you want to contact a company customer service but do not know or find any phone number? Baidu strives to make your life easier with easily returning you the hotline you look for.
What is Customer Service Hotline in Baidu?
With this search feature, Baidu revealed a useful tool that displays a company hotline in prominent positions in the search engine results pages when users search the customer service phone number.
For instance, if you want to look for Qunar Customer Service phone number (Qunar is a very popular travel search engine in China), you would type “去哪儿客服”on Baidu, “去哪儿客服”meaning “Qunar hotline” in Chinese.
Baidu displays a special “hotline box” that shows Qunar’s customer service phone number. Users can therefore call directly that number or visit Qunar’s website by clicking the phone icon to find more information.
Why to Submit my Company Hotline to Baidu?
Below are the main reasons why you should submit your customer service phone to Baidu index:
- Customers: When your customers search your hotline phone number, you help them find useful information quickly.
- SEO: The hotline box is displayed in a prominent position in Baidu search results page. The clickable icon redirecting to your website will potentially drive traffic to your website, especially if your site does not rank high in Baidu. On the contrary, if your customer service page was already well ranked on this query, you may see a decrease in terms of visitors as users will get their answer without visiting your page.
- Free: Submitting your hotline to Baidu is free, and moreover, if you advertise about your customer service on the search engine, it means that people will therefore click less on your ads, so you will save some money.
- Competition: thousands of companies already submitted their hotline to Baidu index, including large firms such as Bank of China, China Southern Airlines, and Haier. If your competitors have their customer service phone number in Baidu index, it is a good reason to submit yours too!
How to submit my Customer Service Hotline to Baidu?
If you want to submit your customer service phone number to Baidu, you should meet some requirements, such as having a contact page on your website, a unified national telephone, and a Baidu account.
Here is the link to submit your hotline to Baidu: http://open.baidu.com/coop/kefu.html
You must fill in contact information, notably keywords that will trigger your hotline box, your customer service phone number, your company name and the destination URL. Baidu says it will review your application within 5 days before approving it.
Note: It seems that Baidu did not submit its own hotline!
Baidu SEO Audit Tool
25
Oct
Oct
In our SEO blog, we usually give you some SEO tips to increase your rankings on any search engine, including Google, Bing, and of course Baidu in China.
Today I am writing about Baidu SEO audit tool available in Baidu Zhanzhang, the Chinese search engine’s equivalent of Google Webmaster Tools.
The service is currently in a beta version and isn't available to everyone.
The tool checks and grades your website on a scale of 0-100 according to several factors, namely:
- The length of your URLs. Keep them short! According to Baidu, the length of your URLs should not exceed 255 bytes.
- The use of dynamic parameters. Check your URL parameters to avoid creating several URLs which access the same page, and therefore avoid having duplicate content issues.
- Your Meta data. If you do not include or use generic terms in Title and Meta Description, you could negatively affect your display and rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Your frame information. Baidu recommends you not to use any iframe on your website.
- Your flash. As you know, search engines cannot read everything contained in flash animations. However you can write text descriptions to help Baidu better understand the content of your flash animation.
- Your images. The use of “alt” tag helps Baidu better index your website’s images.
Well, this is not very detailed SEO information but Baidu makes a good step in providing users with support. If you want to read more, you can have a look at our previous articles on how to do Baidu SEO.
Please note we recently released our Baidu SEO tool for Chrome that enables you to easily check your organic rankings on the Chinese search engine in addition to our Baidu Ranking Tool.
Alibaba Wants to Acquire Yahoo
11
Oct
Oct
Jack Ma, Chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group, recently confirmed his strong interest in buying US Internet giant Yahoo, during a speech in a conference entitled "China's 2.0: Transforming Media and Commerce" at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The video is really worth watching since Jack Ma also talks about ecommerce, notably about his companies Alibaba and Taobao, and explained how these company have succeeded, the mistakes they have made and the difficulties they now face.
Here is the full video:
Yahoo currently owns 40% of Alibaba while Alibaba owns Yahoo China. Last year, Alibaba acquired an US ecommerce website named Vendio and bought shares in Sogou, a Chinese search engine.
Google China Reveals Local Group-Buying Aggregator
14
Sep
Sep
Google China unveiled a daily deal aggregator website named Google Shihui (Shihui means economical and practical in Chinese).
Google wants a share of group-buying sites' cake
With Google Shihui, users can search and browse daily deals of local group-buying sites by city, category, price, discount, etc. The website is currently in beta.
China's group-buying market has been growing very fast these past few months. Major actors include QQ Tuangou, Meituan, Manzuo, and 24quan.
However, the international group-buying website Groupon which teamed up with Tencent to launch Gaopeng in China faces many difficulties while entering the Chinese market.
With Shihui, Google China provides users with a group-buying aggregator only, and therefore focuses on its core business, namely search.
As the usual business model for aggregator websites, group-buying sites will have to pay in order to be visible on Google Shihui.
In addition to Baidu’s group-buying aggregator, Google Shihui will compete with 360’s and Tuan800’s.
Google doomed in China?
However, releasing Google Shihui a few months after Baidu released its own aggregator may highlight the situation on China’s search market where Baidu beats all the competition (Baidu's market share was over 75% in terms of search revenue in Q2 2011).
After Google decided to redirect its Chineses users to its Hongkongese site, Baidu has been the one leading the dance, and Google now acts as a follower trying to catch up with the leader, especially since it has been loosing market shares for the past few months.
Google's move with Shihui means it is still interested in China. However, following what competitors do will certainly not be enough to succeed in the long term, especially against an experienced Chinese competitor...
