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Spotlight falls on Bing’s PPC policies after report on online drug paid adsby Andrew Redfern @ 6th August 2009 11:05 am Baidu
Interesting report on SearchEngineLand today. They quote a report by LegitScript and KnujO that reveals that the overwhelming majority of pay per click ads featured on Bing for online pharmacies lead to what official guidelines would term “Rogue” sites. This controversy has echos of the furore in November 2008 when Baidu was found to be carrying, and in fact favouring, links to bogus hospitals in China. The report claims that of the online pharmacy ads featured on Bing’s adCenter Pay-per-click advertisting system almost 90% were for drug suppliers that fall into the categories of:
This study was carried out in the last two months and shows how disreputable companies can simply side-step all the excellent work carried out by the search engine’s alogrythms in weeding out sites like this from the natural organic listings. Interesting this report comes out on the same day that Facebook announced it was tightening up it’s advertising guidelines. A few weeks ago Hit Search were asked to contribute to an ongoing BBC investigation into how the Google adWords listings were being used be bogus ticket agencies. It show the a PPC budget is, in some cases, the perfect shortcut. Whilst it is extremely difficult for disreputable sites to climb to the top of the natural listings without resorting to an expensive, time-consuming black-hat link building campaigns. Google has always steered clear of allowing sectors such as online pharmaceuticals and adult website to use it’s paid search system, Google adWords. Until recently it would not allow any advertising to do with alcohol and gambling however it relaxed these rules in certain geographic areas last year. Baidu ad revenues slump in the wake of the recent medical practices scandalby Andrew Redfern @ 28th November 2008 5:53 pm Baidu
Baidu has quickly dropped the ads of four clients after finding out their medical licenses were fake. This has resulted in a huge loss of revenue for the company but is seen as vital in maintaining it’s reputation. According to a report in The Guardian Baidu’s ad revenue has dropped by as much as 10% as a result. The company has also sacked some of the staff who were implicated in the ensuring these fake medical practices get top ranking in Baidu. Robin Li, Baidu’s chief executive, told the Chinese state news agency Xinhua today that the firm had sacked staff and more could follow. He stated :
Earlier this month a Chinese television station ran a report revealing that the Baidu search results had steered searchers suffering from illness to expensive bogus hospitals. One interviewee told he’s spent alonst a thousand pound at on of these clinics but was only cured of his abdominal pain when he subsequently visitied a public hospital. The unlicensed clinic was paying Baidu around £1.60 per click to get top rankings whilst hospitals who were not paying were purposefully ommitted from the search results. Would you like to know more about this subject? If so, contact Hit Search, SEO and Google adWords qualified PPC specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible. Baidu.com Responds to CCTV Medical and Pharmaceutical claimsby Andrew Redfern @ 19th November 2008 2:30 pm Baidu
Baidu.com. (Nasdaq: BIDU), the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today issued this press release in response to recent CCTV reports. The Chinese search engine has been providing customers with targeted marketing solutions via Baidu’s pay-for-performance (”P4P”) paid search platform which enables its customers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. Customers may use Baidu’s automated online tools to create text-based descriptions of their web pages and bid on keywords that trigger the display of their links and web page information. China Central Television (”CCTV”), the largest state-owned television network in China, reported in its program “News in 30 Minutes” on November 15 and 16 that Baidu had been including websites of medical companies that do not hold proper licenses in its paid search listings for some popular medical terms, while excluding certain websites which did not buy keywords. Shortly after the CCTV program was broadcast, Baidu initiated dialogue with CCTV regarding this matter. At the same time, Baidu removed paid search listings of certain customers, particularly medical and pharmaceutical customers without licenses on file with Baidu. Baidu will allow these customers to resume access to Baidu’s P4P paid search platform once their relevant licenses are provided to and reviewed by Baidu. These customers account for approximately 10-15% of Baidu’s total revenues. Baidu believes this immediate measure is the most prudent way to protect the interests of Baidu’s users. Currently, it is difficult to estimate how many removed customers will provide relevant licenses to Baidu and when they will do so. Baidu will work closely with customers to ensure those customers with proper licenses will be able to access Baidu’s services again quickly. While Baidu is currently uncertain about the near term financial impact of this prudent measure, Baidu does not believe it would have significant impact on Baidu’s results in the long term. On November 17, 2008, Baidu issued a public statement in China, acknowledging that there could be cases where certain companies take advantage of Baidu’s paid search platform for questionable purposes. Baidu is committed to social responsibility and will continue to improve its sales and operational systems commensurate with its status as the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. Separately, Baidu would like to affirm that Baidu has never excluded websites of any customers because they did not pay for keywords, and Baidu does not tolerate such practices. Baidu is committed to playing a leading role in shaping the standards for China’s Internet industry. Baidu strives to further strengthen its operational systems and infrastructure. With a more mature operation, Baidu will grow even better able to serve increasing numbers of small and medium- sized enterprises (”SMEs”), the backbone of the Chinese economy. Would you like to know about Internet Marketing? If so, contact Hit Search, Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click & Social Space Marketing specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible. Baidu Announces Share Repurchase Planby Andrew Redfern @ 3rd November 2008 9:25 pm Baidu
Baidu.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU), the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced that its board of directors has approved a share repurchase plan, subject to shareholder approval. Baidu has been authorized, but is not obligated, to repurchase up to US$200 million worth of its own American Depositary Shares (”ADSs”) by the end of 2009.
The repurchases will be made from time to time on the open market or in negotiated transactions in accordance with Rule 10b- 18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, subject to market conditions, the trading price of ADSs and other factors. Baidu’s management expects to implement the share repurchase plan in a manner consistent with the market conditions and the best interest of Baidu’s shareholders. Baidu.com, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best way for people to find information. In addition to serving individual Internet search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for businesses to reach potential customers. Baidu’s ADSs, each of which represents one Class A ordinary share, are currently trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU.” Would you like to know about Baidu and Chinese Search Engines? and Worldwide SEO? If so, contact Hit Search, Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible. Baidu Launches Online C2C Platformby Andrew Redfern @ 31st October 2008 6:31 pm Baidu
Baidu.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU), the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced the official launch of a beta version of its online C2C platform, called “Baidu Youa“.
Baidu Youa is an online shopping system through which merchants can sell their products and services at Baidu-registered stores. The customers, driven to these stores primarily through Baidu’s market leading search engine, will be able to use a Baidu-branded online payment system, BaiFuBao, to make purchases. BaiFuBao was created in-house by Baidu’s research and development team and is ready to be utilized on the C2C platform. “Baidu Youa continues Baidu’s tradition of providing the best possible online experience for our users,” said Mr. Jun Yu, Baidu’s vice president of products. “This new C2C platform provides user-friendly shopping with emphasis on customer service.” Mr. Yu continued, “Our expansion into China’s early- stage e-commerce market is a natural move for Baidu as Chinese netizens are becoming more comfortable shopping online. With our vast user community, technological expertise, mature product offering and deep understanding of Chinese Internet landscape, we believe that we have a competitive edge in China’s C2C arena and look forward to taking full advantage of the growth potential of this sector of the Internet.” In the invitation-only preliminary testing stage, 10,000 sellers were selected from over 100,000 applications to become the first merchants of Baidu Youa. Meanwhile, 50,000 users from Baidu’s online community platforms were selected to be Baidu Youa’s first customers. In the short test period, merchants uploaded more than 1 million items for sale. Would you like to know about Baidu and Chinese Search Engines? If so, contact Hit Search, Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible. Chinese Search Engine - Baidu Announces 3rd Quarter 2008 Resultsby Andrew Redfern @ 22nd October 2008 10:13 pm Baidu
Baidu.com (Nasdaq: BIDU), a Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008. “I’m pleased to announce solid results for the third quarter,” said Robin Li, Baidu’s chairman and chief executive officer. “As China’s leader in paid search, Baidu has a large and diverse customer base covering numerous industries and sectors. Such diversity gives us great stability and positions us to capture future growth. Companies throughout China are increasingly recognizing the value of Baidu’s paid search as an effective marketing tool and we remain confident in our long-term growth potential.” Jennifer Li, Baidu’s chief financial officer, said, “The impact of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on our business was in line with our projection for the quarter. We were also able to improve our operating margin again this quarter, highlighting the scalability of our business.” Baidu recently launched the beta version of an online C2C platform that enables merchants to sell their products and services online via a Baidu- registered store. The new platform complements Baidu’s search business, enabling transaction fulfillment among our users. E-commerce is an emerging industry in China and there are vast opportunities for future growth in the sector. Baidu will continue to focus on providing the best quality experience for Internet users. Baidu reported total revenues of RMB919.1 million (US$135.4 million) for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008, representing an 85.1% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Online marketing revenues for the third quarter were RMB918.2 million (US$135.2 million), representing an 85.1% increase from the third quarter of 2007. Growth was mainly driven by increases in both the number of active online marketing customers and revenue per customer. Baidu had more than 194,000 active online marketing customers in the third quarter of 2008, representing a sequential increase of 7.2% and an increase of 35.7% from the corresponding period in 2007. Revenue per active online marketing customer for the third quarter increased to approximately RMB4,700 (US$692), a sequential increase of 6.8% and an increase of 34.3% from the corresponding period in 2007. Traffic acquisition costs (TAC) as a component of cost of revenues were RMB108.8 million (US$16.0 million), representing 11.8% of total revenues, compared to 11.9% in the corresponding period in 2007. Bandwidth costs as a component of cost of revenues were RMB48.0 million (US$7.1 million), representing 5.2% of total revenues, compared to 6.4% in the corresponding period in 2007. Depreciation costs as a component of cost of revenues were RMB56.9 million (US$8.4 million), representing 6.2% of total revenues, compared to 8.2% in the corresponding period in 2007. Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB163.2 million (US$24.0 million), representing an increase of 48.0% from the corresponding period in 2007, primarily due to the expansion of the direct sales force and an increase in customer service staff. Research and development expenses were RMB78.2 million (US$11.5 million), representing a 109.0 % increase from the corresponding period in 2007, primarily due to an increase in research and development staff. Share-based compensation expenses, which were allocated to related operating cost and expense line items, increased in aggregate by 211.1% to RMB17.0 million (US$2.5 million) in the third quarter of 2008 from RMB5.5 million in the corresponding period in 2007. The increase in share-based compensation expenses primarily reflects an increase in the number of options granted to employees. Operating profit was RMB368.3 million (US$54.2 million), representing a 119.1% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Operating profit excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) was RMB385.3 million (US$56.8 million) for the third quarter of 2008, a 122.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP), which is defined in this announcement as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, other non-operating income and share-based compensation expenses, were RMB457.3 million (US$67.4 million) for the third quarter of 2008, representing a 104.7% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Income tax expense was RMB34.8 million (US$5.1 million), compared to an income tax expense of RMB2.6 million in the third quarter of 2007. The year- on-year increase in tax expenses was due to higher tax rates applicable to some of our PRC subsidiaries as their tax holidays either expired or partially elapsed. Net income was RMB347.9 million (US$51.2 million), representing a 91.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Basic and diluted EPS for the third quarter of 2008 amounted to RMB10.15 (US$1.50) and RMB10.00 (US$1.47), respectively. Net income excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) was RMB364.9 million (US$53.7 million), a 94.9% increase from the corresponding period in 2007. Basic and diluted EPS excluding share-based compensation expenses (non-GAAP) for the third quarter of 2008 were RMB10.65 (US$1.57) and RMB10.49 (US$1.54), respectively. As of September 30, 2008, Baidu’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments amounted to RMB2.3 billion (US$338.0 million). Net operating cash inflow and capital expenditures on a cash basis for the third quarter of 2008 were RMB482.2 million (US$71.0 million) and RMB85.1 million (US$12.5 million), respectively. A portion of our capital expenditure for the quarter was related to the construction of Baidu’s new campus facility. Would you like to know about Baidu? If so, contact Hit Search, Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible. New President of Chinese Search Engine Baiduby Andrew Redfern @ 1st September 2008 5:30 pm Baidu
Baidu.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU), the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, today announced the appointment of Toshikazu Inoue as President of Baidu, Inc., Baidu’s Japanese Subsidiary (”Baidu Japan”), effective August 1, 2008. “We are very pleased to have Toshikazu Inoue joining us as President of Baidu Japan,” said Robin Li, Baidu’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Mr. Inoue is recognized across Asia as a pioneer in the Japanese Internet search market. He joins Baidu with substantial international experience, an effective management style and a deep understanding of technology, products and end users in the Japanese Internet search market. Under Mr. Inoue’s leadership, we expect Baidu Japan will attract new talent, advance product and service development, and steadily improve local user experience.” Toshikazu Inoue joins Baidu from Yahoo! Japan, where he worked for almost four years. His last post there was vice president of search business, responsible for product research and development. In that role, he oversaw all product development at Yahoo! Japan. Mr. Inoue left Yahoo! Japan with an exceptional track record after helping the company achieve dominant market position in search in Japan. Prior to Yahoo! Japan, Mr. Inoue worked for the web portal Excite Japan as chief technology officer. Inoue holds a master’s degree in electronic engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan and a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Sophia University, also in Tokyo, Japan. Baidu.com, Inc. is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best way for people to find information. In addition to serving Internet search users, Baidu provides an effective platform for businesses to reach potential customers. Baidu’s ADSs, each of which represents one Class A ordinary share, currently trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU”. Other Related Stories That May Be Of Interest:
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