Google Analytics vs Baidu Analytics

Google Analytics is a familiar tool to many web developers globally and many credit its reliability and efficiency in providing accurate data that can be used to streamline marketing campaigns and track traffic on web pages. For websites created and hosted outside of China, Google Analytics is the go-to tool bar none.

However, this all-encompassing attribute that Google Analytics offers is not sufficient for websites hosted within China, where many aspects of Google is not available. This is when Baidu Analytics (Tongji) comes in.

What can you do with Baidu Analytics (Tongji)?

Most marketers and web developers outside of China are familiar with Google Analytics and the functions it offers. What are some of the key features of its equally efficient Chinese counterpart?

Some key features of the analytical tool include:

1. Page traffic – with this function, you can find out which is your most popular webpage, session duration, total number of visitors, redirected sites (both outbound and inbound)
2. Audience demographic – location, age, device, education level, preferences
3. Top search keywords – what keywords did visitors use in their searches to redirect them to your website
4. E-commerce tracking – allows retailers to track their sales and inventory
5. Advertisement tracking

What are the differences between Google Analytics and Baidu Tongji?

• Language – The only language available in Baidu Tongji is Simplified Chinese. Google Analytics, on the other hand, is available in almost 50 languages, include both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
• Localised data — Data collected by Baidu Tongji is more localized and detailed. For example, its visitor demographic tracking tool is able to isolate more comprehensive IP addresses, which leads to more accurate geographical location of visitors to a page.
• Traffic segregation – Baidu Tongji keeps traffic stats from mobile and desktop separate.
• Missing features – Popular features available in Google Analytics, such as AdWords integration and site search, are not available in Baidu Tongji.
• Tracking number of page views — Baidu Tongji does not have any limits on the number of page views tracked, while the similar function on Google Analytics is capped at 5 million page views. Users will need to upgrade to the paid version of Google Analytics if they wish to track page views beyond the limit.
• Baidu’s integration and interface — When it comes to PPC in China, Baidu PPC is unlike any other, having developed rapidly in recent years and is currently the best in the country. The key to Baidu’s success is their focus on search engine keywords which makes their targeting much more effective and precise. Needless to say, Baidu PPC is an important marketing tool in China. An incentive to make use of this tool is the ease with which marketers can access detailed data related to their ad campaigns right on the Baidu Tongji interface. This is a perfect example of Baidu’s seamless integration of its functions on an easy-to-use interface.

What you can do:

Use both Google Analytics and Baidu Tongji simultaneously to monitor your website. Google Analytics will provide necessary data, while Baidu Tongji will add value by offering additional, more localised stats.

While Google Analytics may cause some issues for users within China, there should not be any problems for you to use it outside China while targeting sites hosted there.

The best way to safeguard your website is by taking it on a test run before launching or going live with it. Monitor its performance and take note of any concerns, such as latency and loss of data.