Study: Google Could Eclipse Chinese Search Engine BaiduStudy: Google Could Eclipse Chinese Search Engine Baidu

Google Inc.'s simpler homepage design and more relevant search results give it a chance of overtaking China's leading search engine Baidu, a Web metrics firm said.

In a study released this week of 1,200 online Chinese consumers, Keynote Systems found that once they were exposed to Google, the people had an "overwhelmingly positive" search experience, and generally preferred the site to competitors, including Baidu. The latter homegrown search engine currently attracts 48 percent of Internet users in China, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

Besides Baidu and Google, Keynote also studied Alibaba/Yahoo and Sohu/Sogou, and found that Google outperformed its competitors in 11 of the 13 business success drivers measured in the study. Alibaba/Yahoo and Baidu, however, were close competitors in more than half of the 13 categories.

Google, however, ranked highest in the all-important category of relevant search results. Fully 68 percent of consumers described the company as a "high quality" search site, compared with 61 percent for Baidu and Alibaba/Yahoo, Keynote said. As a result, consumers were more likely to make Google their primary search engine, return to the site and/or use its search toolbar.

Google's simpler homepage and overall Web design than rivals' was also an advantage, given that 37 percent of Chinese consumers expressed dissatisfaction with results on sites that were too cluttered, Keynote said. Fully, 35 percent were unhappy with ads or sponsored results distracting them from actual search results.

Despite Google's favorable ratings, Baidu is in a strong position to hold on to its market share, provided it matches the U.S. search engine's attractive features, Keynote said.