ChinaNet to Launch New Search Engine Optimization Tool

BEIJING, Oct. 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) (the "Company"), a leading B2B (business to business) Internet technology company focusing on providing online-to-offline ("O2O") sales channel expansion services for small and medium-sized enterprises ("SMEs") and entrepreneurial management and networking services for entrepreneurs in the People's Republic of China, today announced that its subsidiary, 28.com (www.28.com), will launch a new value-added service - Clever Cloud Optimizer — on Monday, October 29^th, 2012 and extend this service to the Company's other portal clients in the future.

Clever Cloud Optimizer is an automated price adjustment platform developed internally by ChinaNet's technical team that allows users to optimize their online search advertising campaigns. Based on Google's AdWords and Baidu's search promotion application programming interface (API), Clever Cloud Optimizer helps users manage large, complex online search accounts and campaigns more efficiently. In addition, businesses can use this value-added tool to analyze customer's search history in order to run more targeted sales promotions.

Mr. George Chu, Chief Operating Officer of ChinaNet stated, "In 2010, our technical staff conducted a detailed analysis of the online search behaviors of users across ChinaNet and third party websites. Through this analysis, we identified a need for a more flexible and efficient search engine optimization platform for enterprise customers, which led us to develop our proprietary Clever Cloud Optimizer. We expect our 28.com clients to use this tool to gain more insight into consumer's preferences and increase their sales conversion."

About ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc.

The Company, a parent company of ChinaNet Online Media Group Ltd., incorporated in the BVI ("ChinaNet"), is a leading B2B (business to business) Internet technology company focusing on providing O2O (online to offline) sales channel expansion service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurial management and networking service for entrepreneurs in China. The Company, through certain contractual arrangements with operating companies in the PRC, provides Internet advertising and other services for Chinese SMEs via its portal websites, 28.com, Liansuo.com and Chuangye.com, TV commercials and program production via China-Net TV, and in-house LCD advertising on banking kiosks targeting Chinese banking patrons. Website: http://www.chinanet-online.com.

Safe Harbor

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc., which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including business uncertainties relating to government regulation of our industry, market demand, reliance on key personnel, future capital requirements, competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on ChinaNet's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting ChinaNet will be those anticipated by ChinaNet. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. ChinaNet undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

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