Baidu (China) · last updated 2026-10-14
Baidu AI Search
Baidu is the dominant search engine in mainland China. Baidu's ERNIE 5.0 was released on 2025-11-13, and Baidu has described rebuilding its search results page as an AI application, with a large share of rich media. Baidu also operates ERNIE Bot as a standalone assistant. For any publisher targeting Chinese-language audiences, Baidu's AI surfaces are a consequential AI search channel: Google has effectively no presence in mainland China.
Grounding model
ERNIE model family grounded against Baidu's web index. The index has different coverage from Google or Bing: heavy on Chinese-language sources (Baidu Baike, Baijiahao, Zhihu, official government and enterprise sites), weaker on Western sources unless mirrored or translated.
Citation style
AI-generated answer content within the results page, with source links. Baidu does not document the exact layout in detail.
What it rewards
- Chinese-language content (or high-quality translation)
- Presence in Baidu Baike, Baijiahao, or other Baidu-indexed surfaces
- Baidu Webmaster Tools registration and structured submissions
- ICP filing for hosted-in-China sites (improves indexing and trust)
What it penalizes
- Sites blocked in China or with poor connectivity from Chinese networks
- English-only content for Chinese queries
- Lack of any Chinese-language presence