Chinese search engine Baidu has said that it will launch an ad-supported, Hulu-like video streaming service, which experts say will apply further pressure to Google as the two search giants fight for the bigger share of the Chinese market.

Analysts say that search engine optimization (SEO) is likely to be just one of the industries affected by this clash of the online titans, as China’s leading search engine expands into a new market already packed with tough competitors. The new Baidu site will offer content licensed from media companies, as opposed to user-generated content, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

China is one of few countries in which Google is not the dominant search engine, and it is hamstrung in its efforts to grow in the video market thanks to a government ban on YouTube, its massive video sharing service, experts say.

The Wall Street Journal reports that other video sites, like Youku and Tudou, will provide competition for Baidu’s new service, and that those established video sites have begun to focus more heavily on licensed content themselves.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.