Baidu is the internet search engine company largely dominant in the Chinese internet space. The Chinese people cannot access Google as the Great Firewall of China blocks it. However, Baidu offers similar services and features that Google does but focuses on China, where it controls 78% of the search market as of February 2021.
Even though it is mainly present in the Chinese internet space, Baidu is still the 6th largest and most popular search engine and one of the world’s biggest internet companies. It compares to Google based on the variety of services it provides, especially the AI and internet-related services.
Baidu generates its revenue from advertising in a similar way to Google. Advertisers have to bid on keywords, which triggers their ads display. They can also pay to get priority placement for search results. The company has two main segments, Baidu Core – AI products and services, and keyword-based marketing – and IQIYI – offering online advertising. However, most of the company’s revenue comes from Baidu Core, accounting for over 70% of generated revenue. This segment also includes a mobile platform – the Baidu App – the number one search-plus-free app in China.
