Google Maps and Google Places are massively popular across the world. Google has allowed local businesses to get in touch with local customers as well as allow customers to easily review the businesses they patronize.
The example below shows how our business is listed on Baidu, the search engines will give your business a large map image and the priority of a relatively high ranking on the first page.
In China, Baidu, the world’s largest Chinese search engine, doesn’t want to fall behind so they have a maps platform as well. As is often the case, the Baidu version of a product isn’t as great as Google’s version. What Baidu does have though, is much greater search engine usage within China and a larger base of Chinese advertisers as well. This makes Baidu Maps a good option for local businesses in China. We’re often asked, “how do I add my business to Baidu Maps?” Here’s the answer, in short.
First, Make Sure Your Business is in China
So far, Baidu only has maps for mainland China, as well as for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Can I Add a Listing Like on Google Places?
You could have added your listing yourself before the year 2010, but unfortunately, it’s not as easy anymore. If you want to list your business you need to call Baidu Maps, sign a contract with them, and pay a fee. It will cost a couple of thousand Yuan (a few hundred US dollars) to list your business on Baidu Maps for one year. Specifically, it’s 2,500 Yuan per year to list one business. If you list more than one or sign a contract for 3 years, you’ll get a discount. For example, you can get one listing for three years for 5,000 Yuan, or 3 listings for 1 year for 6,000 Yuan. Then you will get a page that shows up on public maps and looks like this page.
Baidu does not allow users to add their own reviews, but it does aggregate reviews from other websites.
What Else Can I do With Baidu Maps?
Baidu Maps allows you to create your own maps using a flexible API. At the simplest, you can mark your business and create a map of your business, then display this on your website.
Using the API, you can also create a customized map showing many different locations organized in an easy-to-navigate fashion. This is great for businesses or websites with multiple locations, such as chain stores, hotel group buying platforms and real estate companies.
Below is a customized Baidu Map of hotel rooms.
Users can easily view prices on the map, or see the names and prices of hotels on the menu on the right side. It also has a link to reviews of this hotel. When they decide where they want to stay, they can use Baidu’s great “how to get there” feature. This feature will show you how you can get there via public transportation or on foot.
The Baidu API is only available in Chinese.
Baidu pay-per-click ads do not show up on Baidu maps.