Baidu
China's leading search engine and AI platform.
Baidu at a glance
Baidu is a technology website and one of the most visited sites in China, currently ranked #1 in the country. It was founded in 2000 by Robin Li, Eric Xu and is headquartered in Beijing, China. Today Baidu is owned by Baidu, Inc.. Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 4.5 billion visits per month. The business earns money mainly through search and feed advertising (baidu core), baidu ai cloud enterprise services, apollo autonomous driving and smart-vehicle licensing. Its closest rivals include Sogou, 360 Search, Bing China, Google (blocked in China).
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 4.3 billion / month | +1% |
| Q2 | ≈ 4.4 billion / month | +2% |
| Q3 | ≈ 4.6 billion / month | +3% |
| Q4 | ≈ 4.5 billion / month | -2% |
Traffic sources
- Direct55%
Default search engine, bookmarks, app
- Organic search15%
- Referral12%
- Social10%
- Paid & other8%
Audience & demographics
- Men54%
- Women46%
- Age 18-2420%
- Age 25-3429%
- Age 35-5434%
- Age 55+17%
Baidu's audience closely mirrors China's internet population, with strong penetration across tier-1 to tier-3 cities.
Geographic reach
- China92%
- Taiwan2%
- United States1%
- Other5%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- Millions, dominated by brand and navigational terms
- Estimated organic traffic
- Self-referential; largest referrer within China
- Strongest clusters
- News, encyclopaedia (Baike), maps and local services
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 百度 | 1 | Very high | — |
| 百度地图 | 1 | High | — |
| 百度翻译 | 1 | High | — |
| 百度网盘 | 1 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- Hundreds of millions
- Link profile
- Dominant within the Chinese-language web
Top referral sources
- Direct / default search45%
- Baidu App ecosystem30%
- Other Baidu properties (Baike, Tieba)15%
- External sites10%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
Baidu invests heavily in AI research; its Ernie foundation models power search summaries, Baidu App features and enterprise cloud offerings.
Mobile app statistics
- Voice and AI queries
- Hundreds of millions per month
- Mobile share of searches
- Majority of total volume
Company information
- Website
- baidu.com
- Sector
- Technology
- Owner
- Baidu, Inc.
- Owner type
- Public company (NASDAQ: BIDU; HKEX: 9888)
- Founders
- Robin Li, Eric Xu
- Founded
- 2000
- Headquarters
- Beijing, China
- Employees
- ≈ 39,000
- Ownership
- Publicly traded on NASDAQ and Hong Kong Stock Exchange; Robin Li holds a significant founder stake
- Valuation
- Market capitalisation approximately USD 35-40 billion
- Revenue
- ≈ RMB 135 billion (≈ USD 19 billion) annually
- Languages
- Chinese (Simplified), English
- Top traffic sources
- Direct, organic search, mobile app
Ownership, investors & funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | IPO | NASDAQ listing | Public markets |
| 2021 | Secondary listing | Hong Kong Stock Exchange | Public markets |
Financials
- Revenue trend
- Low single-digit growth in core ads; faster growth in AI cloud
- Profitability
- Consistently profitable at the group level
- Cost base
- R&D, data centres, traffic acquisition costs
Business model & revenue
Baidu monetises search intent through pay-per-click advertising, similar to Google, while diversifying into cloud computing, generative AI (Ernie Bot) and autonomous driving through its Apollo unit.
- Search and feed advertising (Baidu Core)
- Baidu AI Cloud enterprise services
- Apollo autonomous driving and smart-vehicle licensing
- iQIYI streaming subscriptions and advertising (affiliate)
- Baidu Wenku and content subscription services
Products & services
Core web, image, video and news search engine.
Navigation and local business discovery.
Enterprise cloud computing and AI services.
Generative AI chatbot and large language model.
Autonomous driving platform and robotaxi service.
Document sharing and content subscription service.
Related deals on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, Global Site Index earns from qualifying purchases.
Seller ecosystem
- Advertisers
- Millions of Chinese businesses
- Content creators
- Millions on Baijiahao publishing platform
International presence
- Primary market
- Mainland China
- Secondary markets
- Limited presence in Southeast Asia via cloud and AI licensing
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Developer platform
- Baidu AI Open Platform
- Key APIs
- Ernie Bot API, speech, vision, maps and translation APIs
Website rankings
- Country rank (China)
- #1 most visited search site
- Sector rank
- #1 search engine
- Global rank
- Top 10 worldwide
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| baidu.com | ≈ 4.5B / month | #1 search in China | — |
| sogou.com | ≈ 300M / month | #2 search | — |
| so.com (360) | ≈ 250M / month | #3 search | — |
Overview
Baidu is China's leading search engine, providing the primary gateway to the Chinese-language internet. Founded in 2000, it has evolved from a pure search company into a diversified technology group spanning AI, cloud computing and autonomous driving.
Traffic Statistics
Baidu attracts an estimated 4.5 billion monthly visits, with roughly 700 million daily active search users. Average sessions last close to eight minutes across more than seven pages.
Traffic Sources
Most traffic is direct, driven by default search placement in Chinese browsers and the Baidu App. Organic search and referrals from Baidu's own properties, such as Baike and Tieba, contribute significant additional volume.
Audience & Demographics
Baidu's user base closely mirrors China's broader internet population, skewing slightly male with strong representation across all major age groups.
Geographic Reach
More than 90% of Baidu's traffic originates in mainland China, with smaller audiences in Taiwan, the United States and other Chinese-speaking communities.
SEO Profile
Baidu is both the largest search engine and the largest referrer of organic traffic within the Chinese web, with brand, navigational and encyclopaedia-style queries dominating.
Technology Stack
Baidu runs on custom search infrastructure alongside its PaddlePaddle deep-learning framework and Ernie large language models, which now power AI-generated search summaries and enterprise cloud products.
Social Media Statistics
Baidu maintains active accounts on Weibo, WeChat and Bilibili, reaching several million followers combined.
Mobile App Statistics
The Baidu App has been downloaded more than a billion times and handles the majority of the company's search volume, alongside Baidu Maps with hundreds of millions of installs.
Company Information
Baidu, Inc. is headquartered in Beijing and was founded in 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu. The company employs roughly 39,000 people worldwide.
Ownership & Investors
Baidu is publicly traded on NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with founder Robin Li retaining a significant stake alongside institutional shareholders.
Financials
Baidu generates approximately RMB 135 billion in annual revenue, with search advertising as the core profit driver and AI Cloud as its fastest-growing segment.
Business Model
Baidu earns most revenue from pay-per-click search advertising, supplemented by cloud computing subscriptions, Apollo autonomous driving licensing and content platforms.
Products & Services
Core products include Baidu Search, Baidu Maps, Baidu AI Cloud, Ernie Bot, the Apollo autonomous driving platform and the Baidu Wenku document platform.
Competitors
Search competitors include Sogou, 360 Search and Bing's China edition, with growing competitive pressure from short-video search on platforms like Douyin.
Company History & Milestones
From its 2000 founding to its 2005 NASDAQ IPO, 2017 Apollo announcement, 2021 Hong Kong secondary listing and 2023 Ernie Bot launch, Baidu has repeatedly expanded beyond search.
Latest News
Baidu continues to roll out Ernie 4.0 across its products and is expanding its Apollo Go robotaxi service to additional Chinese cities.
User Reviews & Ratings
Users appreciate Baidu's comprehensive Chinese-language coverage and AI features, while some criticise the density of advertising within search results.
Pros & Cons
Pros: dominant Chinese search coverage, deep AI integration and a leading generative AI product. Cons: ad-heavy results, limited relevance outside China and rising competition from video-based search.
Key Statistics
~4.5 billion monthly visits, ~700 million daily active search users, ~39,000 employees and the #1 search engine ranking in China.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Baidu? Baidu, Inc., a public company. Is it available outside China? Yes, though usage concentrates in mainland China. What is Ernie Bot? Baidu's generative AI chatbot.
Data Sources
Baidu Inc. public filings, third-party traffic estimation providers and app store listings.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
Sogou, Tencent's QQ.com and iQIYI.
Website Rankings
#1 search engine in China and a top-10 global website by most traffic-ranking services.
Revenue & Funding History
Baidu completed its NASDAQ IPO in 2005 and a secondary Hong Kong listing in 2021, funding its expansion into AI and cloud from strong search cash flows.
Employee Statistics
Baidu employs roughly 39,000 people, with the largest teams in AI research, engineering and sales.
Customer Statistics
The Baidu App reaches approximately 690 million monthly active users, cementing its position as China's top search platform.
Backlink Profile
Baidu receives links from hundreds of millions of pages across the Chinese-language web, making it the dominant reference point in the ecosystem.
Top Organic Keywords
Brand terms such as "百度", "百度地图" and "百度网盘" dominate organic search results.
Top Referral Sources
Direct navigation, the Baidu App ecosystem and Baidu's own properties such as Baike and Tieba.
Website Technologies
Custom search infrastructure, PaddlePaddle deep learning, Ernie large language models, Baidu Cloud and the Apollo autonomous driving stack.
Advertising & Analytics Technologies
Baidu Ads (Fengchao), Baidu Tongji analytics and Baidu Marketing Cloud.
API & Developer Information
The Baidu AI Open Platform offers Ernie Bot, speech, vision, maps and translation APIs for developers.
International Seller Opportunities
Baidu's advertising and cloud products primarily serve the domestic Chinese market, with limited AI and cloud licensing extending into Southeast Asia.
Company history & milestones
- 2000
Baidu founded by Robin Li and Eric Xu in Beijing.
- 2005
IPO on NASDAQ.
- 2013
Launches Baidu Maps and expands mobile services.
- 2017
Announces Apollo autonomous driving platform.
- 2021
Secondary listing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
- 2023
Launches Ernie Bot generative AI chatbot.
Latest news
- Baidu expands Ernie 4.0 model across search and cloudCompany announcement · 2026
- Apollo Go robotaxi expands to new Chinese citiesPress coverage · 2026
User reviews & ratings
| Source | Score | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play (regional) | ≈ 4.5 / 5 | Millions | — |
| Consumer sentiment | Mixed | High volume | Praise for utility, criticism over search ad density |
Users value Baidu's comprehensive Chinese-language coverage and AI features; critics note heavy advertising integration within search results.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Dominant Chinese-language search coverage
- Deep integration with maps, translation and cloud services
- Leading position in Chinese generative AI (Ernie)
- Strong mobile app ecosystem
Cons
- Search results can be ad-heavy
- Limited relevance outside mainland China
- Facing rising competition from short-video search (Douyin)
- Regulatory scrutiny over advertising and health-related content
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Baidu?
Baidu, Inc. is a public company listed on NASDAQ and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, co-founded by Robin Li.
Is Baidu available outside China?
Baidu is accessible globally but is primarily used within mainland China and by Chinese-speaking communities.
What is Ernie Bot?
Ernie Bot is Baidu's generative AI chatbot built on its large language model, integrated into search and cloud products.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- Baidu Inc. public filingsBaidu Investor Relations
- Third-party traffic estimation providersSimilarweb-class estimates
- App store listingsApple App Store, Google Play
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and financial figures; traffic estimates are third-party approximations given limited independent measurement inside China.
- Last updated
- September 2026
Traffic and revenue figures are rounded third-party estimates, reviewed quarterly.
Social media profiles & statistics