search marketing in china- where do we start?

Search Marketing in China

Dec 2010

sinotechgroup.com.cn

Agenda

•  Chinese Search Marketing ‘Fast Facts’ •  The Search Marketing Landscape

•  Baidu to Google SEM Differences

•  General Approaches to Chinese Search Marketing

•  Fast Facts- SinoTech Group


Fast Facts

Up to June, 2010, the number of net citizens in China has reached 420 million

The number of broadband net citizens has reached 364 million

The number of mobile net citizens in China has reached 277 million

The weekly online time of net citizens is 19.8 hours

The growth rate of users for online payment, web shopping and e-banking was 30%

26th Statistical Report on Internet Development in China (July, 2010)


Search Engines use varies with Socio Demographics

And Socio Economic Status (High end user* Market Share)

Engine Preference varies by location

By user Age Distribution

* Aged 25+, 4 yr degree, Earn 3,000+ RMB / Mnth

Search Engine Share

Baidu

Other Yahoo

Google


The Chinese Engines (Main ones)

and……China Mobile is expected to launch a search engine in 2011


Baidu’s Phoenix Nest (PPC Platform)


Google (Adwords)


China – Comparative User Search Patterns


Lets ‘deep dive’

Google vs. Baidu

Acknowledgement: Sourced from Gordon Choi’s fantastic blog with incredible SEM information


China – Search Engine Marketing

Most companies use Baidu and Google to reach the Chinese audience. They have SEM programs called: •  Baidu PPC Phoenix Nest •  Google Adwords


China – Search Engine Marketing

When considering the search campaign, note that Baidu Phoenix Nest and Google Adwords both employ an account structure that consists of 3 major levels:

•  Campaigns •  Ad groups •  Ads and keywords


Quality Score & Keyword Quality (Google)

Adwords: Google Adwords Quality Score: Quality Score is re-calculated every time your keyword is eligible to trigger an ad. Adwords Quality Score algorithm differs when it is affecting ads on Google and the Search Network or ads on the Content Network. Google Includes Ad Position in Adwords Quality Score Calculation: As click through rate (CTR) is one of the most important factors in ranking ads, and normally the higher the ad ranks, the more clicks the ad gets. Landing Page Load Time to Affect Adwords Quality Score: Optimize your landing pages will improve the Quality Score of your Google Adwords campaigns’ performance.


Quality Score & Keyword Quality (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu PPC Keyword Quality: Ad ranking in Baidu’s new PPC system, Phoenix Nest, is very much based on keywords’ maximum cost-per-click (CPC) and keyword quality, after Baidu’s retires the old PPC system. Factors in keyword quality includes click through rate (CTR).


Keyword Matching & Click Reports (Google)

Adwords: Adwords Search Query Report: Shows search queries that have led visitors to your website through your Adwords ads, and connects the clicks to conversions in most Adwords reports for all further keyword analysis. Adwords Broad Match Keywords: A keyword match type that is used in conjunction with negative match keywords to maximize the number of clicks, discover new keywords, and reduce cost. Adwords Negative Keywords: A keyword match type to reduce cost by excluding irrelevant clicks. You can use negative keywords as negative broad, negative phrase or negative exact in your campaigns or ad groups. Adwords Separates Statistics for Google and Search Partners: Google reveals the origins of clicks you have received by separately reporting clicks of Google search and clicks of Search Network (Google’s search partners)


Keyword Matching & Click Reports (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu PPC Search Queries: Shows search queries that have led visitors to your website through your Baidu PPC ads, but does not connect the clicks to conversions for any further keyword analysis. A basic negative keyword matching can be applied to Baidu Phoenix Nest campaigns.


Ad Text Optimization

Adwords: Adwords Dynamic Keyword Insertion: DKI helps you automate ad text creation, allows you to minimize the time you spend manually creating and managing your ad groups, ensures your ads are relevant and improves your ads’ click through rates (CTR). Adwords Trademark Keywords: Google’s trademark policies are applied on ads and keywords, and differ from country to country. If your competitors have infringed your company’s trademarked “terms” on Adwords, file complaints through Google’s online trademark complaint procedure. Baidu Phoenix Nest: Dynamic keyword insertion can be applied to any ad text. Note: You need to contact Baidu’s account management team to file protection for your trademarked “terms”.


PPC Editing Tools

Adwords: Adwords Editor: When you have a large number of Adwords campaigns, ad groups, ads and/or keywords, use Google Adwords Editor to download your account, update your campaigns, ad groups, ads and/or keywords offline, and then upload your changes to your Adwords account. Adwords Editor shows Quality Score of your keywords and is available in almost 40 languages. The tools includes keyword opportunities tool and keyword grouper. Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu PPC Editor: A basic editor that allows you to create/edit campaigns, ad groups, ads and keywords offline and then post changes to Baidu Phoenix Nest.


Conversion Optimization Tools, Auto-bidding Tool (Google)

Adwords: Adwords Conversion Optimizer Tips and Adwords Conversion Optimizer Review: An optimization algorithm that manages your keywords’ cost-per-click (CPC) bids by keeping the cost of each conversion below the maximum cost-per-acquisition (CPA) you specify, based on your Adwords campaigns’ historical conversion data. Adwords Conversion Optimizer Target CPA Bidding: Specify the average amount (or actual cost) you will pay for a conversion and Targeting CPA bidding will automate your keywords’ cost-per-click (CPC) bids. Google Adwords Bid Simulator: Get estimation of cost, clicks and impressions before setting your keyword’s maximum cost-per-click (CPC). Adwords Bid Simulator’s prediction is based on your keywords’ bids and Quality Score, the keyword bids and keyword Quality Score of your competitors, historical search volume of Google.com and Google’s Search Network of your keywords, and historical click volume of your keywords.


Conversion Optimization Tools, Auto-bidding Tool (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu offers no tool for your campaigns’ conversion optimization or keywords’ cost-per-click (CPC) auto-bidding.


Conversion Tracking (Google)

Adwords: Adwords Conversion Tracking: Track Adwords keyword / ad group performance/conversion for both search-targeted and content-targeted campaigns by inserting a conversion tracking code snippet onto your website’s confirmation / thank you page. Adwords conversion tracking enables you to track purchases/sales, leads, sign-ups, and/or views of a key page as conversions with or without a value assigned to your conversions. Each Adwords conversion has a cookie period of 30 days and is reflected in most Adwords reports.


Conversion Tracking (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu PPC Conversion Tracking: A basic tool that offers multiple conversion goal tracking. All you need is to insert a conversion tracking code snippet onto your website’s confirmation / thank you page. Note: Has a limitation on the number of URL’s that can be tracked


Web Analytics

Adwords: Google Analytics: The world’s most widely-used, free web analytics tool that gives you reports on your site’s traffic data. Google Analytics can be set up in many customized ways to support your websites’ different tracking requirements. If you run campaigns on multiple Chinese PPC search engines, track PPC conversions in Google Analytics. Import Google Analytics goal data into Adwords if you are not using Adwords conversion tracking. Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu Analytics: A basic, free web analytics tool that offers traffic data reports for your Chinese website. Note: Baidu’s Analytics interface is only available in Chinese language.


Keyword Tools, Keyword Trends (Google)

Adwords: Google Keyword Tool: Offers search volume keyword data of the previous month, average search volume of the past 12 months, and advertiser competitions on the keywords. Google Search-based Keyword Tool: Get new keyword suggestions based on the actual search queries on Google and matched to specific web pages of your website, that are not currently in your Google Adwords account. Google Insights for Search: Discover keyword trends of your website’s industry based on geographical regions, and spot your competitors’ brand strength. Google Trends in Chinese: A simple version of Google’s Insight for Search, in Chinese.


Keyword Tools, Keyword Trends (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu Keyword Research Tools: Generate keywords from a “core keyword” and/or from a URL that you enter. Download the list of suggested keywords and/or add the new keywords to your Baidu campaigns. Google Trends vs Baidu Index: Discover Chinese search trends that users typed into Baidu.


Content Network Optimization (Google)

Adwords: Adwords Content Targeting Optimization: Google enables you to manage both search network ads and content network ads in one system, Adwords. Optimize your content targeted campaigns using placement report, conversion targeting tool, and site exclusion tool. Google Adwords’ matching takes your entire ad group of keywords and match semantically and thematically to Google’s content network sites. You can further improve the relevance of your targeting sites by applying Google content network site exclusion. Restructuring will expand the “reach” of your content-targeted campaigns. Adwords Placement Performance Report for Google Content Network: Reveals the referring sites’ URLs that have sent clicks to your Google content network. Google Content Network Performance Trends: This Google whitepaper reveals content network makes up of 19.6% conversions of Adwords, CPA is 2.6% lower than the search network, and clicks are 28% less expensive than the search network. Google Adwords Display Ad Builder: Set up your display ads on Google’s content network with pre-designed display/image ad templates.


Content Network Optimization (Baidu)

Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu Union: Baidu content network’s ad matching technique is still at a pre-mature stage as it can only match keyword by keyword from your campaigns to a site within Baidu’s content network. This often causes your ads appearing on irrelevant content sites and can cause extremely low conversion rates for the budget you have spent through Baidu Union. Note: To expand your campaigns’ reach in Baidu’s content network, your only option is to increase cost-per-click (CPC) which will directly increase your budget.


Ad Re-targeting

Adwords: Adwords Remarketing, Retargeting to Google Content Network: Adwords Remarketing enables Google showing ads to visitors who previously visited your site but did not convert, this time through ads on Google’s Content Network. Baidu Phoenix Nest: Baidu has not officially launched any retargeting tools for ads.


About SinoTech Group


SinoTech Group - Fast Facts

•  Heritage in software development

•  95 employees

•  Global reach

•  Independent

•  Offices in Beijing, Shanghai & Hong Kong

•  Founded in April, 2007


Thank you - 谢谢 Dr Mathew McDougall | @sinotechian

sinotechgroup.com.cn | @sinotechgroup

search marketing in china- where do we start?

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