Just 10 minutes before I published this article, I was honored to receive the email that Baidu Union had approved my application — this is Baidu’s Christmas gift to me, haha. Why do I say that? When this article was published, the domain www.neilren.com was only 1 month and 19 days old — still a new domain. No one can say for sure how Baidu Union reviews, we can only guess. Let me first describe my site’s situation when applying: Site nature: personal non-profit blog Site filing: ICP filing obtained Domain age: 1 month and 19 days Domain renewal: 9 years Update frequency: one post a day Baidu indexed: 195 Daily organic traffic: 20 IP, 30 PV Other Baidu products used: Baidu Jiasule, Baidu Tongji (Analytics), Baidu Recommend button, Baidu Webmaster Platform And yet it was approved. So I infer that to pass Baidu Union’s review, the domain must either be an old domain or have a long renewal, proving the site will operate long-term rather than for just a couple of days. For update frequency, it’s best to have something new every day, so the Baidu reviewer knows the site is managed daily. For traffic, absolutely do not cheat, otherwise you’ll definitely fail — even if your traffic is really low. My site is new and has almost no traffic. For other aspects, I think it’s best to use Baidu’s services rather than a competitor’s, so it looks like you’re on Baidu’s side rather than the rival’s. When I applied, Baidu was promoting Baidu Jiasule, so I used it, and had a Baidu Jiasule link on the homepage, showing I recommend Jiasule or that I use it. Baidu Recommend and Baidu Tongji are both on the homepage. Regarding filing, it seems filing is required, because Chinese law explicitly states that websites within the country must obtain ICP filing from the local authority, otherwise they’re illegal websites — this can’t be avoided, nothing to say there. When applying, fill in the information as detailed as possible; don’t skip the address, phone, etc. just because you’re afraid of leaking your privacy. Illegal websites write as little as possible, and you’d end up looking just like them. Finally, I wish everyone smooth approval and the ability to monetize your traffic. 
