Jademond Digital has uncovered new insights suggesting that the ICP (Internet Content Provider) license could be becoming a critical factor for ranking on Baidu.
The agency’s research was prompted by a sudden and dramatic decline in search performance for one of its clients, whose brand term experienced a significant drop in rankings and impressions on the Baidu platform.
What Is an ICP License?
An ICP license is a requirement for websites operating in China. It is necessary for any website hosted on a mainland Chinese server or cloud solution to have this license in place.
While the license has been mandatory for businesses aiming to host sites in China, it has not been a strict requirement for ranking on Baidu—until now.
Jademond Digital’s research points out that websites hosted within China tend to load faster, which is an official Baidu SEO ranking factor. The firm suggests that Baidu may be increasingly prioritizing ICP compliance, which could explain the drop in rankings for non-compliant websites.
Red Flags in Baidu Rankings
Jademond Digital investigated the ranking drop for their client and found that, despite still appearing for brand-related search terms, the site displayed a red warning message beneath its listing on Baidu:
“百度网址安全中心提醒您：该页面可能存在违法信息！”
Translation: “Baidu URL Security Center reminds you: This page may contain illegal information!”
Users were given the option to proceed to the site, but the warning was a clear indication that Baidu flagged the site for a compliance issue.
Upon further investigation, Jademond Digital discovered that Baidu had not identified any illegal content, fraud, or malware. The issue? The site lacked an ICP registration.
Impact of the ICP License on SEO
According to Jademond Digital’s findings, this lack of ICP registration could be directly affecting the site’s rankings. Their latest research into Baidu SEO ranking factors revealed a noticeable shift.
Less than 50% of top-ranking pages displayed their ICP license in the footer, a standard practice for those with a license. This represents a sharp decline from two years ago when around 70% of top-ranking pages showed their ICP compliance.
Interestingly, the percentage of top 10 websites displaying an ICP license was even lower than those ranked 11-20, suggesting that while an ICP license may not have been a top priority in the past, Baidu could be tightening its compliance requirements.
Potential Consequences for Non-ICP Websites
The process of obtaining an ICP license requires a website to be hosted in mainland China and to have a registered company as a local representation.
As Jademond Digital notes, if Baidu continues to enforce stricter compliance, more non-ICP websites could face significant challenges in maintaining their rankings.
While it is too early to confirm whether this is an emerging trend or an isolated case, Jademond Digital advises companies targeting Chinese audiences to ensure compliance with local regulations to safeguard their search performance on Baidu. The agency will continue to monitor the situation closely as it unfolds.
Jademond Digital’s findings point to a potential shift in Baidu’s SEO ranking factors, with the ICP license increasingly important.
Brands and companies aiming to maintain their visibility on China’s largest search engine may need to prioritize obtaining this license moving forward.