In the initial period of Internet development, the website amounts are relatively few, we can search the information more easily. However follows the Internet explosive development, the general network user want to find the material to be very difficult, so some specialized search websites appeared.
Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were students at Stanford University and the company was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. Now, Google already became the biggest search engine in the world, Google’s incomes amounted to 4.227 Billion US dollars in 2008, and have 2,0164 employees. (Google, from wikipedia 2009)
Baidu is a company of provide Chinese search services. Baidu was founded by Li Yanhong and his friend Xu Yong in American in 1999, headquarters in Beijing. Now, Baidu is leading Chinese search engine for websites, audio files, and images. Baidu’s incomes amounted to 629 million US dollars in 2007, and have 6,252 employees. (Baidu, from wikipedia 2009)
At the end of June, 2008 China netizen quantity have achieved 253 million, surpasses the US large scale for the first time, the netizen scale leaped to the first in the world. (China have 298 million netizen, 162 million people have Blog 2009) As one big market has huge netizen quantity and huge development potential, China’s Internet market attracts each big company, Google as the biggest search Service company in the world must will not give up this big cake.
Opposite the expansion in other areas of the world, Google wants to enter and seize the Chinese market became very difficulty, it must meet a strong adversary -Baidu. Although Baidu was found in the US, but as a native brand Baidu made the biggest Chinese search engine actively. 2000 year Google announced that increase simplified and the traditional two kinds of Chinese edition in Google.com, started to provide the search service for the global Chinese user. Google relies on its international influence to attracted numerous users in China, it’s users group come from white-collar, high school record, high income crowd mainly, but this time Baidu in China’s user group come form student group mainly, its influence even was inferior to Yahoo.
But to 2005, Yahoo’s market share plummets in China, but Baidu suddenly rose, became the NO.1 in China search market. To 2006, Google’s market share from 33% dropped to 25.3%, but the Baidu’s market share from 52% rose to 62.5%. (The disparity between Google and the Baidu continues to enlarge 2006)
What reason caused Google in 2004 to 2006 rout and Baidu’s success? The most people look like, Google has the formidable technical support, the company size and fame all bigger than Baidu, why will be defeated. The analysis thought that the key was Google’s localization strategy not successful in China.
Baidu has a clear goal from found initial period: becomes the NO.1 Chinese search engine in the world. Baidu advertisements propaganda is also base on this point, the classical advertisement language “the Chinese most understands Chinese”, it made more Chinese users to the Baidu stem for stem, became Baidu’s faithful fans. Baidu’s user orientation is the common people social stratum, but Google in China’s user orientation is the social elite member. Two different social orientations already caused Google to lost first, because in China most netizen mainly are built by common people, the social elite member’s populations are not too many, therefore Baidu has held the part of people who can decide the market share truly.
Baidu will also cater many people’s national mood. Google as an American Company, some Chinese thought that the Foreign company has controlled China’s network search is not a good thing, that will lose own country’s information security. Baidu in each kind of publicity material strengthens itself “understands Chinese” and “on behalf of China”. As only one search company which Google, Yahoo and so on international big companies can not exceed in mainland China internet market, Baidu has represented Chinese nationality industry and the national culture in information time, it got numerous people’s supports. Some Chinese netizen said: if Google does it better than Baidu, he will not use Google and will use own Baidu. Such Google lose a part of market as an out comer’s status.
A Baidu’s advertisement about Baidu VS Google
Analyzes from the technical angle, that worth mentioning is Google surpassed Baidu in the user appraisal, the result fairness, the company culture and the enterprise spirit, the technological innovation and the overall appraisal, Google merely in turning on speed and server stability two base values lose. But precisely these two base values let Google in 2005 lose 8 percentage points in the market share. Moreover Baidu masters its core technologies, the Pinyin chain translating Chinese character and the new window opens the function, this also causes Baidu taking the initiative in Chinese search domain.
Some people rebuked Baidu that Baidu has imitated Google in many places, but Baidu thought that nearly all search engines imitate the adversary in certain extent, including Google imitated Infoseek, AltaVista. Baidu can imitate the adversary and do it better than its adversary also is a successful place. Baidu has developed one batch new functions in view of the Chinese users. For example the “Baidu tieba”, it started as the Chinese TV program super-girl’s fans exchange platform in 2005, latter “Baidu tieba” developed successfully and the content were more and more, now so long as you input some star, movie, cartoon, or each kind of noun, you could enter with this related BBS join the discussion, now “Baidu tieba” already became the biggest Chinese BBS in the world. Baidu discovered that lots of netizen searched “what kind of”, “why”, “how” and so on phrase key words in the net every day, therefore Baidu thought that internet cannot satisfy the netizen demand to the information, why not to construct a platform, let the netizen and netizen shares the knowledge and the experience mutually? Therefore “Baidu know” then was found, now “Baidu know” was the best online question and answer platform. But the Google has an question and answer platform in the US, but is the payment, it just means you have money, come here and ask questions, who want to get money to reply.
As a user, I thought that Google besides occupy the overwhelming superiority on the satellite map, other service aspects fall behind the Baidu. Moreover the I believe some small detail aspects Baidu conforms to Chinese’s custom, Baidu Chinese calls the Baidu, is Chinese Pinyin, remember easily by the Chinese, Google is English remembered not conveniently. Afterward proved my this viewpoint is correct, Google for its name change to remember easily by the Chinese, changed name for the “Guge”, a name has the Chinese poetic sentiment. Google’s search interface is defers to traditional the western webpage, if you click search clause the webpage enters next page automatically, but if you click clause in Baidu, it will present the new page, this detail will bring the enormous convenience to the seeker, it means that I may simultaneously select operate several webpage and carry on the comparison.
Although Google encounters Baidu’s powerful counter-attack in the Chinese market, and Google in the inferiority temporarily, but it did not indicate that Google already planned give up the Chinese market, Google also reflected its development strategy in various, promote its market share in China.
In 2005 Google dug the senior management Li Kaifu from Microsoft, appointed him as Chinese area president, and organized China R&D center. On April 13, 2006 Google want to carry out the Chinese localization in further, in Beijing Google Company CEO Eric Schmidt issued that the Google Chinese name is “Guge”, it is the Google’s only non-English name brand. “Guge” means the song of sowing and expectation, it symbolizes the joy of farming and harvest, also expressed one energy about strive diligently. (Guge, from wikipedia 2009)
The baidu can surpassed Google rapidly from 2005 to 2006, the MP3 search service helped it very big busy, Baidu hold MP3 search share above 85% in China, the MP3 search has brought more than 30% current for Baidu. However the MP3 search still belonged to the legal vacuum region before 2007, Baidu was considered frequently by the copyright owner. Baidu closed its MP3 search service basically at the end of 2007, the user had already can not to download MP3 in Baidu. But Google catches up in the MP3 service, on August 5, 2008, Google and “great whale music network” announced jointly that promote the new Google music product, all free download music got the legal copyright authorization. (Two modes of music search: Google and Baidu 2008) Such Google occupied initiative completely in the MP3 service. Meanwhile Google launched the positive public relations, cooperated with each Chinese big website, and developed the new services.
In newest annual report in 2008, Baidu occupied 62.8% market earning share, compares 2007 to promote 3.1%. Google China market share reaches 6 % in 2007 year, the market share reaches 32.5%. (Google China earning share breaks through 30% for the first time 2009) However this benefitted from “Baidu search gate” event in 2008, the media disclosed Baidu has joined the advertisement factor in the search, namely which company gave more advertising expenditure, that company will be searched first by the netizen, that has affected the search’s objectivity and fair, so Baidu encountered accusation, Baidu’s company image and income also therefore event receives affects from this affair. Google has held this opportunity counter-attack Baidu.
In the future Chinese netizen quantity will swift increase by ten million person every year’s speed, if Google wants to occupy predominance still has many difficulties, Baidu as China native search magnate, at present still occupied the absolute monopoly status. But Google also have the opportunity, 2008 service income grew also showed Google in the progress, what competition between Google and Baidu in the future several year? Let us look it!
Reference:
Google (2009) wikipedia [online] available from [2009]
Baidu (2009) wikipedia [online] available from [2009]
China have 298 million netizen, 162 million people have Blog (2009) Sina Science and Technology [online] available from [14 January 2009]
The disparity between Google and the Baidu continues to enlarge (2006) The Chinese search market in 2005 [online] available from [10 January 2006]
Guge (2009) wikipedia [online] available from
[2009]
Two modes of music search: Google and Baidu (2008) The first finance and economics newspaper
[online] available from [5 September 2008]
Google China earning share breaks through 30% for the first time (2009) 163 Technology news
[online] available from [22 April 2009]
