Dec 16 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs upgraded Baidu.com Inc (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to "conviction buy" from "neutral" and said the top Chinese Internet search company was set to benefit from the growth in paid search in China.

Search spending is expected to climb at about 30 percent annually for several years and Baidu is expected to maintain query share with government help and consumer loyalty, the brokerage said in a note dated Dec. 15.

This will result in revenue and earnings per share growth of 30 percent per year for the company, it added.

Paid search will outgrow China's gross domestic product helped by current low penetration, rising query volumes on increasing broadband penetration and secular demand from consumer-facing companies, Goldman Sachs forecast.

The brokerage said it expected concerns that the Chinese government had targeted Baidu for punishment would diminish.

"We doubt the government seeks to disadvantage Baidu to the extent it loses substantial query share to foreign rivals," Goldman said.

The brokerage has a 6-month price target of $145 on Baidu stock. Baidu shares closed at $118.09 on Monday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Amiteshwar Singh in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)