Ordinary collection (普通收录) is Baidu’s standard submission route, and it offers four methods with materially different characteristics. Choosing the right combination is a real decision rather than a formality.
The four methods
- API push (主动推送) — the fastest method. Baidu’s own recommendation: push the day’s new links immediately so they are collected promptly. Requires development work.
- Sitemap — place links in a sitemap file periodically and submit it. Baidu fetches and processes it cyclically, slower than API push. No development needed.
- Manual submission — paste URLs by hand. For sites without development capacity, and for one-off cases.
- Automatic push (自动推送) — a lightweight JavaScript component placed on every page; when a page is viewed, its URL is pushed to Baidu automatically. Helps new pages be discovered faster, at the cost of a script on every page.
How they combine
The methods do not conflict — Baidu’s comparison table makes that explicit. A sensible arrangement uses API push for new content at publication, a sitemap for structural coverage, and automatic push as a safety net for pages the other two miss.
Historical URLs
The comparison distinguishes which methods are suitable for submitting historical links: sitemaps are the appropriate place for the site’s existing body of pages, while API push is for what is new today. Pushing an archive through the fast channel spends a quota on pages Baidu already has.
Why this matters more than in Google
Submission here is active and quota-limited. Being indexed first also has a commercial consequence: Baidu’s own guidance on index-volume loss warns that syndicated copies can be indexed while the original is rejected, and recommends API push at publication as the remedy. Speed of submission is a content-protection measure, not just an efficiency.
The recommended setup
API push wired into the publishing pipeline, a sitemap regenerated on a schedule, and manual submission reserved for genuinely important individual pages. Automatic push is worth adding only where the first cannot be built.
How we apply this
We wire API push into the publishing pipeline for any client producing content regularly, because Baidu itself names it as the defence against a syndicated copy being indexed ahead of the original. The sitemap covers the back catalogue; the fast channel is for today. Mixing those up wastes the quota that actually matters.
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