Chinese Keyword Research for Baidu PPC: A Buyer-Intent Framework

Chinese keyword research for Baidu is not an English keyword list translated word for word. Chinese buyers may use different category names, abbreviations, technical specifications, application terms and commercial modifiers.

The goal is to connect Baidu PPC keywords to the real buyer stage: learning, comparing, finding a supplier, checking price, solving a problem or preparing to contact a company.

Start with the product and buyer vocabulary

Collect official product names, common market names, industry language, model or material terms and the phrases used by distributors, engineers and end users. Interview sales and support teams to find words that do not appear in English marketing copy.

For foreign brands, confirm whether the English brand name, Chinese name, transliteration and product category are understood consistently.

Separate intent into usable ad groups

Useful groups include product/category terms, applications, problems, specifications, company/service terms and price or supplier modifiers. Each group should lead to a page that answers the same question.

Do not force one generic landing page to serve every search. A technical buyer looking for an application solution needs different proof from someone searching for an agency or account setup.

Use commercial modifiers carefully

Terms such as supplier, manufacturer, company, agency, service, quotation, price and solution can indicate commercial intent, but their meaning depends on the category. “Manufacturer” may be strong for industrial sourcing and irrelevant for a marketing service.

Service campaigns should use modifiers such as agency, management, setup, account requirements, cost, campaign operations and lead generation when they match what PPCOps actually provides.

Build negative keywords from real waste

Employment, courses, definitions, free downloads, personal repairs, unrelated cities, consumer uses and unsupported product types may create wasted spend. Negative terms should be reviewed from the search-term report, not guessed once at launch.

A negative keyword can also remove a valuable query if applied too broadly. Record the reason and match type for important exclusions.

Connect keyword data to qualified leads

Clicks and forms do not show which search terms produce real buyers. Feed back company fit, role, application, budget, timing, opportunity stage and invalid reasons.

This lets the Baidu Ads strategy shift from cheap inquiries toward keywords that produce useful sales evidence—even when their click cost is higher.