Imagine a world without search engines. It would be like trying to navigate a vast ocean without a compass. Search engines have become essential to our daily lives, helping us find the information we need quickly and easily.

But Google isn’t the only search engine out there. In fact, the search engine market is a competitive one, with players such as Bing, Yandex, and Baidu vying for market share.

So, how does the search engine market share look based on regions, countries, and the world?

Here is an outlook of the global search engine market share:

Google — 90.63%

Bing — 3.23%

Yahoo — 3.17%

Naver — 0.48%

DuckDuckGo — 0.35%

Others — 2.09%

In China, Baidu holds dominance with 85.93% authority over the search engine space while 9.48% still prefer Google. Baidu is better at understanding and indexing Chinese content than Google. Moreover, it is the default search engine for many popular Chinese web browsers and mobile operating systems.

With the advent of AI and metaverse, the search engine market is constantly evolving. As these technologies continue to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative and groundbreaking search experiences emerge in the years to come.

China’s Internet Censorship: How It Began

Why was Google blocked in China?

The story began in 2006, when Google launched its Chinese search engine, Google.cn. The company entered the Chinese mainland market, eager to capitalise on the country’s rapidly growing population.

But just four years later, the search engine giant was forced to abandon the country, unable to comply with the Chinese government's strict censorship demands.

The story of Google’s downfall in China took force with the internet explosion of 2009. That year, the Chinese government became increasingly concerned about the impacts of unrestricted access to information.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Circular on Computer Pre-Loaded Green Internet Filter Software. This was the beginning of the Great Firewall of China, which blocks access to thousands of websites and online services, and it is constantly being updated to add new sites to the list.

As Google’s popularity grew, so did the government’s demands for censorship.

In 2010, Google’s relationship with the Chinese government reached a breaking point. The search engine giant bowed out of China in favour of Hong Kong to avoid Chinese censors.

In response, the Chinese government banned Google search sites in all languages.

Google’s decision to abandon the Chinese market was a major blow to the company’s global ambitions. China is the world’s largest internet market with 1.02 billion internet users in 2022, and Google’s departure left a major opening for its competitors, such as Baidu.

Market Share of Search Engines in China

With over 1 billion internet users, China’s search engine market is worth billions of dollars. The leading search engine in China is Baidu, followed by Sogou and Bing. Baidu has a market share of over 70%, while Sogou and Bing have market shares of around 10% each.

There are a number of factors that have contributed to Baidu’s dominance of the Chinese search engine market. One factor is the company's strong focus on the Chinese language and culture. Baidu's search engine is optimised for Chinese search queries, and the company offers a wide range of Chinese-language content and services.

Another factor is the company’s close relationship with the Chinese government. Baidu is often seen as the government’s preferred search engine, and the company has benefited from government support and investment. Moreover, Baidu is more integrated with the Chinese internet ecosystem as the default search engine for many popular web browsers and mobile operating systems in the country.

In recent years, Baidu has faced increasing competition from global search engines such as Google and Bing. Google has been trying to enter the Chinese market for many years, but it has been unsuccessful due to government restrictions. Bing, on the other hand, has been able to gain a small market share in China by partnering with local companies.

Chinese Users’ Searching Habit

In 2020, China's online shopping market reached a staggering $2.29 trillion, making it the largest in the world. With over 98% of internet users accessing the web via their smartphones, mobile commerce is the dominant force in China.

Chinese consumers are also unique in their shopping habits. They prefer to shop on single-entry points where numerous brands are represented, rather than visiting individual company or brand websites. They also tend to do extensive research and read recommendations before making a purchase.

Social media and influencers play a major role in influencing purchasing decisions, and the line between entertainment and shopping is often blurred. Chinese users can often click on items they like in social media posts and buy them in a linked online store.

Chinese merchants also place a strong emphasis on customer service, which contributes to high levels of purchasing loyalty.

This powerful market presents unique challenges and opportunities for businesses. To succeed, businesses must adapt their strategies to the unique needs and preferences of Chinese consumers.

Here are some key takeaways for businesses entering the Chinese online shopping market:

Focus on mobile commerce.
Create a strong presence on single-entry points such as Tmall and Taobao.
Invest in social media marketing and influencer marketing.
Provide excellent customer service.

China’s online shoppers are mobile-first, social-savvy, and brand-agnostic, but what are the search engine platforms you must focus on for your brand? Take a look at the five most popular search engines in China.

Top 5 Search Engines China Is Using

Baidu

Baidu is China’s answer to Google. Founded and incorporated by Robert Li and Eric Xu in 2000, it is headquartered in Beijing’s Haidan district.

Its name is inspired by the Chinese poem ‘The Green Jade Table in the Lantern Festival’ written by Xin Qiji (1140–1207). The poem talks about the search for one’s dreams despite distractions… which is essentially what a search engine does.

Baidu is known for its close ties to the Chinese government. This has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it gives Baidu privileged access to Chinese data and resources. On the other hand, it means that Baidu is subject to Chinese government censorship and regulation.

Despite these challenges, Baidu is one of the largest and most profitable internet companies in China.

Number of searches: More than 5 billion search queries every month.

Annual revenue: Over $19 billion in revenue in 2021.

Sogou

Sogou, China's second-largest search engine, is a subsidiary of Tencent, a technology giant with interests in gaming, social media, and entertainment. Sogou was launched in 2004 and quickly gained popularity due to its focus on original content and site authority.

Sogou’s search algorithm favours websites that use simplified Chinese and are hosted on Chinese servers. Backlinks are also an important ranking factor, with the emphasis seemingly on quantity rather than quality. Meta descriptions don't seem to be as important as title tags, however.

Due to its connection to Tencent, Sogou is the default search engine for QQ Browser, QQ Messenger, and WeChat, all major apps in the Chinese market. This gives Sogou a significant advantage over its competitors, as it allows the company to reach a large audience without having to rely on paid advertising.

Number of searches: About 464 million active daily users, according to the China Internet Watch.

Annual revenue: In 2021, the company’s revenue (TTM) was $0.62 billion.

Haosou

Haosuo, also known as Qihoo 360 Search and s.com, is the third-largest search engine in China. It was launched in 2012 and has quickly gained popularity due to its focus on security and its integration with Qihoo 360's popular security software.

Backed by Qihoo 360, one of China’s largest internet providers, Haosuo’s browser is preinstalled on most Chinese computers which gives it a significant advantage in terms of market share.

Known for its security features, Haosua is the number one recommendation by many Chinese businesses. It ranks websites based on their authority and trustworthiness, which means that high-quality websites are more likely to rank higher.

Number of searches: About 3.6 million active daily users according to SemRush.

Annual revenue: In 2015, over half of Haosuo’s revenue growth in the past year came from mobile search, and increased by RMB5.53 billion ($0.9 billion).

Shenma

Shenma is a mobile-first search engine developed by Alibaba and UCWeb. It is the default search engine on the UC web browser, which is one of the most used browsers in China. Shenma claims 1.74% of the Chinese search engine market, and is rapidly growing.

What differentiates Shenma from the competition is its focus on mobile search and its integration with Alibaba’s e-commerce platform. Shenma's search results are tailored for mobile devices, and it includes direct links to product pages on Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba's two largest shopping platforms. This makes it easy for users to find and purchase products directly from the search results.

Shenma is also a popular platform for app discovery. It includes a dedicated app store, and its search results often include links to apps that are relevant to the user's search query. This makes it easy for users to find and download new apps.

Number of searches: Shenma has a 3.38% market share in the search market of China.

Annual revenue: Holds $2.1 billion revenue.

Youdao

Youdao is a division of NetEase, one of China's largest internet companies. It is more like an online education platform than a traditional search engine. Youdao allows users to search websites, images, news, and perhaps most importantly to foreign users, Chinese-to-English entries.

Youdao is the biggest translation tool and online dictionary in China. It can translate Mandarin into more than 20 languages, and it provides example sentences and word usage help. Youdao is primarily used by students and high-income individuals, and more than half of its users are 24 or younger.

Youdao offers several advantages for foreign companies looking to sell international products in China. First, its large user base of students and high-income individuals is a valuable target market for many foreign companies. Second, Youdao's translation and dictionary features make it easy for users to learn about and purchase foreign products.

Number of searches: Ranked #79 in the Search Engines category, more than half of Youdao’s users are 24 or younger.

Annual revenue: RMB 1.2 billion (US$169.4 million) in 2022.

SEO in China: How is Baidu different from Google?

Baidu is the dominant search engine in China, with a market share of over 70%. Google, on the other hand, is blocked in China, so international companies targeting the Chinese market need to focus on optimising their websites for Baidu.

There are a number of key differences between Baidu SEO and Google SEO. Here are a few of the most important:

Language and Culture

Baidu is a Chinese search engine, so it favours websites and content in Mandarin Chinese. It also takes into account cultural factors, such as search intent and user behaviour.

Content

Baidu places a greater emphasis on content quality than Google. It also prefers longer-form content and content that is updated regularly.

Backlinks

Backlinks are still important for Baidu SEO, but they are not as important as they are for Google SEO. Baidu also takes into account the quality of backlinks, rather than just the quantity.

Domain Name and Hosting

Baidu favours websites with Chinese domain names and that are hosted in China.

Experienced SEO Agency

If you are an international company targeting the Chinese market, it is important to work with an experienced SEO agency that specialises in Baidu SEO. They can help you to develop a tailored SEO strategy that will help you to rank higher in Baidu search results and reach your target audience.

PRO TIP:

Here are some additional tips for SEO marketing in China:

Create high-quality content in Mandarin Chinese. Your content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience.

Optimise your website for mobile. Most Chinese internet users access the web via their smartphones, so it is important to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly.

Build backlinks from high-quality Chinese websites. Backlinks are still important for Baidu SEO, but it is important to focus on building backlinks from high-quality websites.

Get listed in Chinese directories and search engines. This will help to increase your website's visibility and ranking in Baidu search results.

Use social media to promote your website and content. Social media is a great way to reach your target audience and promote your website and content in China.

At Comms8, we can assist you in harnessing the influence of Chinese SEO Strategy to boost your brand's credibility and awareness. Contact us today to learn more about empowering your brand in the dynamic Asian market.

Not just Baidu: All You Need To Know About Top 5 Chinese Search Engines