Google Enters Chinese Language Paid Search Field
Google has entered the Chinese-language paid search field
by launching its keyword bidding service, Adwords, in
Chinese. The service is available in two versions, simplified
Chinese, which is widely used in China, and traditional
Chinese, which is used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other
countries.
Adwords has proven to be Google's main revenue generator
in the US. In this business, advertisers buy keywords,
paying for them on a click-through basis. The keywords
show up on the search results page in a vertical column
on the right hand side. The higher the price a bidder
pays, the higher the position it will show up in on the
column. Advertisers design their own ads, and the whole
process is automated. Google only provides a small amount
of human intervention to insure that the ads are in conformity
with their internal editorial guidelines.
Payment to Google is made by registering a credit card
during the setup process. Charges are made to the credit
card while the account is active. Credit cards have only
become more popular in the past few years in China.
Google's main competitor in the US is Yahoo!, which has
purchased the other main paid search company, Overture.
Yahoo! has been consolidating its position, and although
it currently partners with Google for search, has unveiled
its own search service which will replace Google's service
soon.
In China, Yahoo! has taken a different tack from Google,
choosing to acquire Chinese companies instead of setting
up its own paid search service. Yahoo! has
acquired 3721 in order to strengthen its presence
in China. Recently, it has also chosen to partner with
Sina.com
, one of China's three leading Internet portals, to challenge
eBay's wholly-owned online auction subsidiary Eachnet
.
In China, Google provides search for Sina.com.
Before you go, did you like this article?
If so, you can receive a free email newsletter version
each weekday. Sign up using the China Business Express
form on this page.
