Baidu.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU)
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Baidu.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) operates as a Chinese language Internet search provider. The company offers a Chinese language search platform, which consists of Web sites and certain online application software, as well as Baidu Union, which is the company's network of third-party websites and software applications. The company primarily provides Chinese language Internet search services to enable users to find relevant information online, including web pages, news, images and multimedia files, through links provided on its websites.
Products and Services for Users (57 in Total - See Table Below)
| Product / Service | Description | Starting Date |
| Web | General website search by inputting keywords | August 2001 |
| MP3 | Enables users to search for favorite songs and listen online | November 2002 |
| General | Categorized into different frequent search categories like weather forecast, stock price, etc. | February 2003 |
| Top of the Charts | Categorize the top ranked search keywords in different categories | June 2003 |
| Web Search | Categorize different frequently visited websites for users like news, music, games,…etc | August 2003 |
| Image | Image search function | July 2003 |
| News | Enables users to search for specific news information | July 2003 |
| Regional Search | Search within certain regions | December 2003 |
| Post Bar | Allows users to post specifc topics for discussion | December 2003 |
| Download Bar | Enable users to download movies online | April 2004 |
| Dictionary | Online dictionary | May 2004 |
| WAP Post Bar | Allows users to post speicifc topics for discussion online | June 2004 |
| Hao123 | Provides users with a list of useful websites to enhance user experience | August 2004 |
| Sobar | Baidu toolbar with bundled functions like most popular search keywords, customized search, Baidu space …etc | August 2004 |
| File Search | Allows users to narrow the search for certain typles of files (doc, pdf, xls..etc) | September 2004 |
| Mobile Search | Allows users to search using WAP platform and using PDA phones | November 2004 |
| RSS News Feed | Enable users to receive information via mobile phones | December 2004 |
| Desktop Search | Allows users to search for files in their personal computers | February 2005 |
| Movie | Movie search and allows free download | April 2005 |
| Map | General map search faciliating users to find the desired location | May 2005 |
| Yellow Pages | Online directory services | May 2005 |
| Baidu Knows | Forum for users asking questions online | June 2005 |
| Baidu Greetings | Enable users to send wireless information to others | August 2005 |
| Mobile Entertainment | Allows users to search for favorite songs and download ring tones | October 2005 |
| Music Master | Ranked the most popular songs listend by users | December 2005 |
| Ancient Literature | Allows users to narrow the search within Chinese literature and historical information | January 2006 |
| Postal Codes | Allows users to search for postal codes of specific areas | March 2006 |
| Government | Allows users to narrow the search within government information | March 2006 |
| Baidu Encyclopedia | Users can type in specific topic for detailed information | April 2006 |
| Youth Search | Filters unsuitable websites search for youth | May 2006 |
| Education | Allows users to narrow the search within education | May 2006 |
| University | Narrows the search within specific university websites | May 2006 |
| Baidu Space | Personal blog space for users | July 2006 |
| Search Index | Registration based service that monitors changes in keywords | July 2006 |
| Legal | Allows users to search for the details of laws, court cases …etc. | August 2006 |
| WAP Knows | Allows users to post specific questions online | September 2006 |
| Baidu Favorite | Allows users to store their favorite websites links | November 2006 |
| Anti-Virus Platform | Allows users to download anti-virus software free of charge or purchase online | November 2006 |
| Blog Search | Allows users to search for their favorite personal blgos | December 2006 |
| Music Box | Online platform for users storing their favorite songs onlnine | December 2006 |
| Video Search | Allows users to narrow the search within online TV channels | February 2007 |
| Baidu Hot Discussion | Discussion of hot topics with opinion leaders | February 2007 |
| Industry Report | Analysis of different industry sectors based on data gathered by Baidu | March 2007 |
| Baidu Japan | Japanese search engine for Janpan users | March 2007 |
| Book Search | Enables users to find the content and online purchase of books | April 2007 |
| Blind Search | Ease people with visual problems to more effectively searching news information. | April 2007 |
| Culture Search | Allows users to search for specific cultural information | August 2007 |
| Olympic Channel | Provides the latest Olympic news information | September 2007 |
| Game Channel | Online game discussion platform | September 2007 |
| Baidu TV | Distribution of rich media ads to Baidu Union members | September 2007 |
| Baidu Finance | Comprehensive updated finance news channels including market news, stock prices …etc | November 2007 |
| Front Page Person | Interview with celebrities and opinion leaders | November 2007 |
| Statistics Search | Provides users with countries statistical information to users | November 2007 |
| Patent Search | Enables users to search for comprehensive information relating to intellectual rights of products | December 2007 |
| Entertainment Channel | Entertainment news and information emphasizing user-generated content | January 2008 |
| Baidu Hi | Instant messaging software | February 2008 |
| Voice Search | Allows users to search verbally by dialing a hotline | March 2008 |
Source: Baidu.com
Baidu Web Search: Baidu’s web search allows users to locate information, products and services using Chinese language search terms. Through its search software, the company builds and continuously refines a major database of Chinese synonyms and closely associated phrases, which is essential for accurate and efficient execution of Chinese language searches. The Baidu.com home page prominently features a search box.
In addition to providing access to billions of indexed Chinese language web pages, the company has integrated additional features into its web search that help users find information more easily.
Related Search: The company provides alternative search terms based on the original queries to help users find relevant web pages quickly.
Search in Results: The company enables users to conduct additional searches within the initial search results.
Search by Chinese Phonetics (Pinyin): The company enables users to conduct quick searches by entering Chinese phonetics with letters of the English alphabet instead of Chinese characters.
Advanced Search: The company enables users to create more focused queries by employing techniques such as narrowing results to specified words or phrases, document formats, geographic regions, time frames or websites.
Snapshots: The company provides snapshots of web pages taken when the pages were indexed, allowing users to view web pages that cannot be quickly or easily opened.
Translation: The company provides instant translations of words and phrases from English to Chinese or vice versa.
Spell Checker: The company suggests alternate search terms when a search appears to contain misspellings or typing errors.
Stock Quotes: The company provides links to stock information of companies listed on the stock exchanges in China.
News, Knows, Postbar, Maps, Video, and Blog Information displays results from other Baidu products including Baidu News, Baidu Knows, Baidu Postbar, Baidu Maps, Baidu Video Search and Baidu Blog Search.
Weather, Train and Flight Schedules and Other Local Information: The company enables users to check weather, domestic train and flight schedules as well as schedules of international flights departing from or arriving in China.
Baidu Post Bar: Baidu Post Bar provides users with a query-based searchable community to exchange views and share knowledge and experiences. In Baidu Post Bar, users can search, read and browse Internet message boards and post messages to other members of the community. Baidu Post Bar covers a range of topics and interest areas, such as society, technology, sports, entertainment and fashion. Users also can access Baidu Post Bar using wireless application protocol, or WAP, enabled mobile phones.
Baidu News: Baidu News provides links to a selection of local, national and international news and presents news stories in a searchable format, typically within minutes of their publication on the web. Baidu News uses an automated process to display links to related headlines, which enables people to see many different viewpoints on the same story. Baidu News is typically updated every three to six minutes throughout the day.
Baidu Knows: Baidu Knows provides users with a query-based searchable community to share knowledge and experience. Through Baidu Knows, registered members of Baidu Knows can post specific questions for other members to respond and also answer questions of other members.
Baidu MP3 Search: Baidu MP3 Search provides algorithm-generated links to songs and other multimedia files provided by Internet content providers. The user can also sort Baidu MP3 Search links by various categories, including lists of top songs and artists, which are updated automatically, generally every week, based on the number of clicks.
Baidu Image Search: Baidu Image Search enables users to search millions of images on the Internet. Baidu Image Search offers advanced features, such as search by image size and by image file type. Image listings are organized by various categories which are updated automatically through algorithms.
Baidu Space: Baidu Space allows registered users to create personalized homepages in a query-based searchable community. Registered users can post their Web logs, or blogs, photo album and certain personal information on their homepages and establish their own communities of friends who are also registered users.
Baidu Encyclopedia: Baidu Encyclopedia is an evolving encyclopedia compiled by registered Internet users. Registered users can share their knowledge by adding new terms and new content in Baidu Encyclopedia.
Other Search Products
Baidu Movie and TV Search: Baidu Movie and TV Search provides both subscription and non-subscription based services which allow users to search movies and television programs by keywords or by various categories and provide links to an extensive collection of movies and television programs hosted on the websites of certain well-known PRC media companies.
Baidu Search Ranking and Search Index: Baidu Search Ranking provides listings of top search terms based on daily search queries entered on Baidu.com.
Baidu Web Directory: Baidu Web Directory enables users to browse and search through websites that have been organized into categories. The company also operates Hao123.com, a Chinese web directory navigation site in China.
Baidu Map Search: Baidu Map Search enables users to search online maps of approximately 100 major cities in China.
Baidu Yellow Page Search: Baidu Yellow Page Search allows users to conduct online searches for local business information in specific localities in China. The information is derived from yellow page phone books published by China Telecom.
Baidu Ancient Chinese Literature Search: The company introduced Baidu Ancient Chinese Literature Search, which allows users to search and peruse ancient Chinese masterpieces covering literature, history, `religion, philosophy, arts and other essential components of the traditional Chinese culture within its online database.
Baidu Government Information Search: The company's Baidu Government Information Search allows users to search various regulations, rules, notices and other information announced by PRC government entities.
Baidu Postal Code Search: The company's Baidu Postal Code Search enables its users to search postal codes in 354 cities in China.
Baidu Educational Website Search and University Search: Baidu Educational Website Search allows users to limit their searches to the websites of educational institutions. Baidu University Search allows users to search information on the websites of specific universities in China.
Baidu Legal Search: Baidu Legal Search, which was jointly developed by Chinalawinfo.com and the company, enables users to search a database that contains national and local laws and regulations, cases, legal decisions and law dictionaries.
Baidu Frequently Used Information Search: Baidu Frequently Used Information Search enables users to quickly search certain frequently used information, e.g., weather, map, train and flight schedules, television schedules, stock prices, etc.
Baidu Local Search: Baidu Local Search allows users to limit their searches to specific provinces in China.
Baidu Mobile Search: Baidu Mobile Search enables users to access the company's search services using WAP-enabled mobile phones and personal digital assistants.
Baidu Blog Search: The company Baidu Blog Search in December 2006, which allows users to confine their searches to Chinese language blogs on the Internet.
Baidu Search and Store: The company launched a trial version of Baidu Search and Store in November 2006. Baidu Search and Store is a free online bookmarking service that allows registered users to bookmark, store and organize website links in an online space and conduct searches within the bookmarked websites.
Baidu Video Search: Baidu Video Search enables users to search for and access through hyperlinks of online video clips that are hosted on third parties’ websites.
Baidu Love: Baidu Love is a query-based searchable community where registered users can write and post messages to loved ones.
Other Products: The company offers certain free, downloadable software tools, namely, Baidu Desktop Search, which enables users to search all files saved on their computer without launching a web browser, and Baidu Sobar, which, once installed, shows up on a computer’s tool bar and makes its search function available on every web page that a user browses. Through Baidu Anti-Virus, an online marketplace, the company collaborates with major Chinese and international anti-virus software companies to offer its users the latest anti-virus software products and computer virus-related news.
Products and Services for Advertisers
Online Marketing Services
P4P: The company's P4P platform enables its customers to reach users who search for information related to their products or services. The company's P4P platform features an automated online sign-up process that allows customers to activate their accounts at any time.
The company's P4P platform is an online marketplace that introduces Internet search users to customers who bid for priority placement in the search results. The company engages third-party distributors to sell some of its online marketing services to end customers and offer discounts to distributors as consideration for their services.
The company's P4P online marketing customers may choose to set a daily limit on the amount spent and may also choose to target only users accessing its website from specified regions in China. In addition, they can see the competing bids on the same keywords.
The company offers certain customers value-added consultative services that help to maximize their return on investment, or ROIs, including:
Keyword Suggestions: The company suggests synonyms and associated phrases to use as keywords or text in search listings.
Account Management: The company helps manage customers’ P4P accounts by, among other things, adjusting keywords from time to time at their request to help increase the click-through rate for their listings.
Performance Reporting: The company provides its customers online daily reports of the number of click-throughs, clicked keywords and the total costs incurred, as well as statistical reports organized by geographic region.
ProTheme: The company offers ProTheme services to some of its Baidu Union members. The company's services enable these Baidu Union members to display on their properties its customers’ promotional links that are relevant to the subject and content of such members’ properties.
Fixed Ranking: The company's fixed ranking services allow its customers to display query sensitive text links at a designated location on its search results pages.
Targetizement: The company's Targetizement services enable its customers to reach their targeted Internet users by displaying their advertisements only when their targeted Internet users browse Baidu’s certain web pages.
Other Forms of Online Advertising: The company's advertising contracts are generally short-term. Standard rates for online advertisements vary depending on various factors, including the term of the contract, channel and traffic reach and the size and position of the advertisement on its web pages.
Other Services
The company provided its search engine to selected Chinese Internet portals that offered search results to their own users without displaying its brand during the early stage of its development.
Baidu Union
The company's Baidu Union consists of a number of third-party websites and software applications. The company's Baidu Union members typically incorporate a Baidu search box or toolbar.
Customers
Online Marketing: The company has a customer base in terms of industries and geographical locations. The industries in which the company's customers operate include e-commerce, information technology services, consumer products, manufacturing, health care, entertainment, education, financial services, real estate and other industries.
The company manages its sales activities for its online marketing services around two key customer categories: P4P customers and tailored solutions customers.
P4P Customers: The company's P4P customers are those who primarily use its auction-based P4P services.
Tailored Solutions Customers: The company's tailored solutions customers generally seek solutions to meet certain pre-determined performance metrics, such as number of click-throughs, duration of placement, number of converted users and number of telephone calls.
Competition
The company’s competitors include the United States based Internet search providers, such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft; Chinese Internet portals such as Sina, Sohu, Netease, and Tencant. The company also faces competition from other Internet search service providers, such as Sougou, Yisou, Sousou, and Zhong Sou. In addition, the company competes with B2B service providers, such as Alibaba.
Strategic Relationships
In July 2006, the company entered into an agreement with HP, whereby all HP Pavilion and HP Presario series computers.
In November 2006, the company entered into an agreement with eBay Eachnet for improve cooperation in various areas. The company agreed to promote PayPal Beibao, PayPal’s service in China, as its preferred online payment service provider.
In December 2006, the company entered into a strategic alliance with Microsoft on paid search services. Under this alliance, Microsoft would display its paid search listings on the search result pages of certain Microsoft websites, including MSN, Windows Live and other related websites in China.
In December 2006, the company entered into an agreement with EMI Music to launch the advertising-supported online music streaming service in China. Under this agreement, the company makes EMI’s Chinese songs available for streaming at no charge to users in its music search channel.
History
Baidu.com, Inc. was founded in 2000.
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