(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
Baidu’s mobile algorithm has evolved into a completely separate beast from desktop — ranking well on phones demands its own dedicated strategy. With over ten years of experience localizing overseas brands in China, we’ve distilled the most powerful mobile-first tactics that deliver immediate, measurable results. These are the exact methods powering our clients’ dominance in 2025.
- Core Web Vitals Mastery for Baidu Mobile
1.1 LCP Under 1.5 Seconds Optimize Largest Contentful Paint through image compression, CDN acceleration, and critical CSS inlining. Baidu now uses LCP as a direct mobile ranking signal. Brands achieving sub-1.5s LCP consistently outrank slower competitors.
1.2 Zero Cumulative Layout Shift Eliminate layout shifts by reserving space for ads, images, and fonts with proper aspect ratios and font-display: swap. CLS above 0.1 triggers mobile ranking penalties. Stable mobile experiences directly translate to higher positions. - Advanced Mobile Technical SEO
2.1 Separate Mobile Sitemaps Submit dedicated mobile sitemaps (including MIP URLs) through Baidu Webmaster Tools for faster crawling and indexing. Include lastmod dates and priority tags. This practice accelerates discovery of new mobile content by 3–5×.
2.2 Hreflang for Multilingual Mobile Implement hreflang tags specifically for zh-CN mobile users and alternate mobile URLs when using separate domains. Correct language targeting prevents cannibalization. Essential for overseas brands serving bilingual audiences in China. - Mobile Search Intent Optimization
3.1 Zero-Click Answer Optimization Structure content to answer queries directly in the first paragraph with concise, authoritative responses. Baidu increasingly shows direct answers on mobile without requiring clicks. Brands that own zero-click results build massive brand authority. 3.2 People-Also-Ask (PAA) Domination Target PAA questions with dedicated page sections and proper header hierarchy to appear in expandable mobile boxes. Monitor new PAA triggers weekly. Controlling these boxes can increase mobile impressions by 200 %+ overnight. - Dark Mode & Accessibility Optimization
4.1 Native Dark Mode Support Implement prefers-color-scheme media queries and dark-optimized images to match China’s widespread dark mode usage. Baidu factors user experience signals into mobile rankings. Brands with dark mode support see higher engagement metrics.
4.2 WCAG Compliance for Mobile Ensure sufficient color contrast (minimum 4.5:1), proper heading structure, and ARIA labels for accessibility. Baidu rewards inclusive mobile experiences. Accessibility is rapidly becoming a ranking factor in 2025. - Emerging Mobile Technologies
5.1 5G-Optimized Content Delivery Preload critical resources and use predictive prefetching for 5G users while maintaining fallback for slower connections. China’s 5G penetration now exceeds 60 %. Brands leveraging 5G speed see significant mobile ranking advantages.
5.2 WebAssembly & Lightweight Frameworks Adopt lightweight frameworks like Alpine.js or Preact for complex interactions without heavy JavaScript bundles. Reduced JavaScript payload directly improves mobile performance scores. Future-proof mobile experiences start with lean code.
Case Study: Canadian Outdoor Gear Brand
A Canadian outdoor equipment brand entered China with zero mobile visibility. We implemented full MIP coverage, Core Web Vitals optimization, and 5G-ready architecture across their catalog. Mobile rankings skyrocketed from page 4+ to top 3 for all core terms within 75 days, driving 680 % year-over-year mobile revenue growth and establishing them as the go-to brand for premium outdoor gear on Baidu.
Conclusion
Mobile-first SEO on Baidu in 2025 is a different discipline entirely — technical excellence, user-centric design, and forward-thinking technology separate winners from the rest. Overseas brands that master these strategies don’t just rank— they own the mobile search experience in China. The time to go all-in on mobile is now.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation! info@pltfrm.cn
