The Chinese (almost-)monopoly search engine Baidu is famed for its innovative approach to low-quality search results and extensive ads. While Google limits itself to a mere four ads per query, Baidu sometimes offers up to seven for hot keywords like “cosmetic surgery”—an industry apparently central to the human condition. To add a dash of intrigue, Baidu ensures its “sponsored” tags are so understated they’re easily neglected, while relegating organic results to a cramped corner of mediocrity.
But here’s the pièce de résistance: you can enjoy ad-free, high-quality search results on Baidu simply by invoking the safeword “李彦宏”—the illustrious name of Baidu’s CEO. It has been loudly whispered that, Baidu employees have an unwritten rule to shield their leader’s eminent visage from association with anything negative. For example, search “Intense Pulse Light” (a cosmetic surgery) on Baidu with and without the safeword, and behold two parallel universes:
Theorem 1: Baidu’s CEO and Ads Won’t Coexist.
Btw, this phenomenon doesn’t extend to Google—Sundar Pichai’s name wouldn’t magically part the Red Sea of sponsored links, yet. Perhaps it’s because Google hasn’t yet grasped that the ultimate key to search purity isn’t better algorithms—but better [what?].