Baidu doesn’t have an official “sandbox” like Google.
Google’s sandbox is known for delaying the ranking of new websites to evaluate them. While Baidu doesn’t follow this exact model, new websites often experience a slower ranking process due to several factors.
Evaluating Website Quality
When a new website is launched, Baidu takes time to evaluate its content. The search engine focuses on high-quality and original content that aligns with its guidelines.
Websites that lack authority or relevant content may experience a delay in ranking. Baidu strongly emphasizes quality, originality, and overall trustworthiness before pushing sites higher in search results.
Trust Building Through Links
New websites need to build trust on Baidu by gaining inbound links from established Chinese websites.
Proper content localization, including the use of the Chinese language and adherence to Baidu’s SEO guidelines, is also key to speeding up the process. Sites that don’t make an effort to localize or follow these practices may find themselves ranking lower or not at all.
Optimization for Baidu Crawling
Proper optimization for Baidu’s crawler, known as Baidu Spider, is another essential step for new sites. Fast hosting on local servers is highly recommended, as is following Baidu’s guidelines for meta tags and ensuring that content is in the Chinese language. Sites optimized for Baidu’s crawler tend to experience faster indexing.
Impact of Regulations and Restrictions
Baidu’s ranking system is also influenced by China’s internet regulations and content restrictions. If a site’s content does not comply with these regulations, it may struggle with indexing or receive lower rankings.
While Baidu doesn’t have a formal sandbox, many new websites face slower ranking times due to these factors. Consistently following Baidu’s SEO best practices, localizing content, and adhering to Chinese regulations can help improve ranking speed.