Haosou Ads: A Complete Guide to Advertising on 360 Search

Learn how Haosou Ads works, what audience it reaches, and why it remains one of the most reliable secondary search engines in China. This guide explains setup, costs, targeting and how to integrate Haosou into a broader China advertising strategy.

CHINASEAHOW TOPPCHAOSOU ADS

Kenneth Ngai

11/24/20258 min read

Overview

If you are expanding into China and only thinking about Baidu or Google alternatives, you are leaving traffic on the table. Haosou, also known as 360 Search, still holds a meaningful share of search volume, especially among desktop users and office workers.

In this guide you will learn:

What Haosou is and how it fits into China’s search landscape
Why Haosou Ads can be a strong alternative or complement to Microsoft Ads in China
How the Haosou advertising platform works in practice
What types of businesses benefit most from Haosou
How to structure your campaigns, keywords, ad copy and landing pages
How to combine Haosou with Baidu and other engines as part of a diversification strategy

Along the way, this article will point to relevant deep dives on your site, such as:

What is Haosou (360 Search)?

Haosou is the search engine developed by Qihoo 360, one of China’s leading cybersecurity and software companies. Qihoo built its user base through:

The 360 browser
Antivirus and security tools
Utility software that came preinstalled on many PCs

When users installed 360 software, Haosou often became the default search engine in their browser. That simple default choice created a large and sticky audience that still exists today.

Haosou’s core strengths

Haosou is not the biggest engine in China, but it has several strengths that matter to advertisers:

A long established brand and security reputation through Qihoo 360
Deep integration into the 360 browser and desktop tools
A strong footprint among office workers, schools and institutions
A desktop heavy audience that still uses search for serious research and procurement

In practice, Haosou tends to attract:

White collar workers in companies that use 360 software
Government and institutional users
Students and staff in schools and universities
Older users who keep their original default browser
Users in smaller cities where 360 products were widely deployed

This is why Haosou is particularly attractive for B2B, industrial, education and international service campaigns.

If readers want a more general overview of the wider China search environment first, you can point them to your guide on Baidu search advertising in China.

How big is Haosou compared to Baidu and Bing?

Baidu is still the largest search engine in China by a wide margin. Haosou does not compete with Baidu on sheer volume. Instead, it competes on efficiency and incremental reach.

Very roughly:

Baidu captures the largest share of overall searches
Haosou usually appears in the top three engines domestically
Bing (behind Microsoft Ads) has a comparatively small footprint in mainland China

This has a direct implication for strategy: if your goal is domestic reach inside mainland China, Haosou has more relevance than Bing. Microsoft Ads is still valuable at a global level, but if you want Chinese users who sit inside the firewall and use Chinese browsers, you need Baidu, Haosou and friends.

For readers who want to understand where Microsoft Ads fits into China and APAC more broadly, recommend:

Why Haosou Ads is still relevant in 2025

Many marketers outside China have never heard of Haosou, or assume it is too small to matter. That would be a mistake. Haosou remains relevant for several reasons.

Desktop heavy, research driven audience

In many B2B and high ticket categories, serious research still happens on desktop. Purchasing managers, operations teams, finance and executives often sit at a desk, open their default browser and research suppliers. If that browser is 360, Haosou becomes their gateway to information.

This behaviour is ideal for:

SaaS and enterprise software
Industrial and manufacturing equipment
Cross border logistics and freight
Professional services such as tax, legal, consulting
International real estate and investment migration
Overseas education and training

For an example of how Chinese users search for cross border opportunities, our article on how to find Chinese buyers in Dubai real estate can be referenced as a deeper read.

Lower competition and CPCs

Because Haosou gets less international attention, it usually has less competition from foreign advertisers. Local competition can still be intense in some niches, but overall CPCs are often lower than on Baidu.

This matters if you:

Are just starting to test the China market
Want to control risk and budget
Need to prove performance before scaling to Baidu

Stable behaviour and conversion patterns

Haosou users often behave in a predictable way on landing pages: they read, scroll and convert if the value proposition is clear and the form is not overly complicated. This can produce strong lead quality if the targeting and messaging are right.

To convert that behaviour into actual deals, a strong landing page experience is key. Linking to high converting landing pages in China gives readers a dedicated resource on getting that part right.

How Haosou Ads works in practice

On a practical level, Haosou Ads feels similar to Baidu Ads. If you are used to running search campaigns, you will recognise the core components.

Account structure

You typically work with:

Campaigns
Ad groups
Keywords
Ads
Extensions

The exact naming convention may differ slightly in the interface, but the mental model is the same as Baidu or Google.

Keyword targeting

Haosou supports:

Exact match
Phrase match
Broad match

Broad match on Chinese search engines can be very wide, so most advertisers start with exact and phrase, then gradually expand.

Almost all the real volume comes from simplified Chinese keywords. English queries do exist but are niche and often not representative of mainstream Chinese demand.

For people who are unsure how to build an initial keyword list for China, you can direct them to keyword research for Baidu Ads. The principles and tools discussed there apply very well to Haosou.

Ad formats

Core ad formats include:

Text search ads
Variations with sitelinks or extra information
Sometimes special modules for specific industries

The look and feel is close to Baidu. Users see a set of sponsored links above the organic results, clearly marked but still highly visible.

Bidding and pricing

Haosou operates on a real time auction model. You bid on keywords and pay per click. In many industries, first page bids are noticeably lower than on Baidu, particularly for foreign brands that are not yet household names.

This pricing profile makes Haosou an efficient test bed: you can validate your translations, positioning and landing pages at a lower average cost before pushing more volume via Baidu.

Landing pages for Haosou: what you must get right

No search engine can save a weak landing page. In China, landing page quality and infrastructure are even more critical because of latency issues and local expectations.

Key points:

Hosting: sites hosted outside mainland China often load slowly due to network filtering
Mobile: even though Haosou is strong on desktop, pages must still be fully mobile responsive
Clarity: Chinese users tend to prefer clear, direct explanations of what you offer
Proof: local social proof, examples and data points help build trust

Our detailed guide on high converting landing pages in China goes deep into layout, messaging and UX patterns that work for Chinese audiences.

Technical performance and hosting are covered in how to generate leads in China without using Google or Meta Ads, which explains why foreign hosted sites struggle and what options exist to fix that.

Which businesses should use Haosou Ads?

Haosou is not necessary for every single business, but there are clear cases where it is a strong fit.

Good fits

B2B lead generation in China
Industrial and manufacturing companies
Global logistics and freight forwarding
International education and training
Overseas real estate and investment migration
Niche SaaS with China facing buyers
Professional services targeting Chinese corporates

Our blog post on how to find Chinese buyers in Dubai real estate is a good example of using search to attract cross border, high value buyers.

Less ideal fits

Purely entertainment or viral consumer apps relying mostly on social
Brands that only care about awareness among very young, mobile only users

For those, other platforms like short video and social networks may be more important than Haosou.

Setting up a Haosou Ads strategy step by step

Here is a practical way to approach Haosou if you are new to China.

Step 1: Research your market and engines

Start from a high level view. Which engines make sense for your industry and markets?

Articles like Google Ads in China and why Google Ads do not work in China explain why you need Chinese engines in the first place.

Facebook Ads in China and can you run Meta ads in China broaden the picture on paid social limitations.

Step 2: Build a Chinese keyword list

Base it on:

Your value proposition
Customer problems and use cases
Competitor terms and common solution phrases

Our guide on keyword research for Baidu Ads walks through how to do this systematically.

Step 3: Localise your landing pages

Landing pages should be:

Written in clear, natural Chinese
Hosted or optimised for fast load in China
Designed according to Chinese UX expectations

High converting landing pages in China covers examples and patterns that work.

Step 4: Create localised ad copy

Haosou rewards clear and concise ad copy with strong benefit statements and trust signals. Our article ad copy in China, 2025 is the link for readers who want help writing ads that resonate with Chinese users.

Step 5: Launch a test phase

Start relatively small. Focus on:

Exact and phrase match
Core high intent keywords
Clean, simple landing pages

Monitor:

CTR by keyword
Bounce rate and time on page
Cost per lead and lead quality

Step 6: Scale and diversify

Once you have a working set of keywords and messages on Haosou, you can:

Expand the same proven structure to Baidu for more volume
Test on Sogou for incremental reach
Adjust bids and budgets to reach your target CPL

Your blog overview acts as a hub for all these related topics, including Baidu, Sogou, Microsoft Ads, Naver and Yahoo Japan.

Frequently asked questions about Haosou Ads

Is Haosou worth using if I already run Baidu Ads?

In many cases, yes. Haosou provides incremental reach and can reduce overall average CPC. It gives you another source of qualified clicks, especially for desktop heavy B2B segments.

Can foreign companies advertise on Haosou?

Yes. Many companies outside China run campaigns on Haosou. Some do this directly, others through agencies or partners. For a broader look at how to structure your presence, see advertise in China without a local entity.

How does Haosou compare to Microsoft Ads in China?

Haosou has more direct domestic reach inside mainland China than Bing. Microsoft Ads still has value in global campaigns, but if you want Chinese users behind the firewall, you need engines like Baidu and Haosou. Microsoft Ads in China explains where Microsoft fits into the mix.

Are Haosou CPCs really lower than Baidu?

In many industries they are, especially for international brands just entering the market. Exact numbers vary by keyword, but Haosou is widely used by advertisers as a more affordable testing platform.

Do I need a .cn domain to advertise on Haosou?

Not strictly, but performance is usually better when:

The site loads quickly for users in China
The site appears clearly tailored to Chinese users

Our article on how to generate leads in China without Google or Meta Ads goes into hosting and speed in detail.

Should I start with Haosou or Baidu first?

Most companies still start with Baidu because of its scale. Haosou is often added as a second engine to capture additional demand and lower blended costs. Some cautious advertisers flip the order and test messaging on Haosou first because of the cheaper CPCs, then scale winners to Baidu.

Conclusion: Where Haosou fits in your China playbook

Haosou Ads is not a silver bullet, and it will not replace Baidu. What it does offer is something very practical:

A stable, security conscious, desktop heavy audience
Lower competition for many B2B and service categories
A cost efficient testing environment for new China entrants
Incremental reach that complements Baidu and other engines

For international brands that are serious about China, Haosou should be treated like an important piece in a larger puzzle. Combined with Baidu, Sogou and the right landing page and hosting strategy, it helps you move from “trying to reach China with Western tools” to “operating inside the Chinese search ecosystem on its own terms”.

Our broader content library, from Baidu Ads service to why Google Ads do not work in China and best Google search ads alternatives for 2025, lets readers go as deep as they want on each engine.

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