6 Best Tips for Chinese Website Localization

China has emerged as the region with the greatest rate of Internet commerce growth; by the end of 2020, it has surpassed $1 trillion. China undoubtedly provides a wealth of commercial potential, but carrying out your Chinese website localization might encounter significant difficulties.

A successful online sales platform can provide access to new and profitable markets, so in this blog post, GTE Localize will point out six helpful recommendations for your Chinese website localization.

1. Baidu Optimization for Chinese Website Localization

While Google is the most used search engine in the US and Europe, Baidu, accounting for more than 70% of all Internet searches, is the dominant one in China (according to Statista, June 2022). Therefore, Baidu should be your primary SEO target rather than Google.

It’s vital to remember that Google’s algorithms and Baidu’s algorithms differ in a few key ways. Firstly, Baidu would index only Chinese characters, so to be found in China, your website must have a Chinese version.

Other primary factors that affect how pages rank on Baidu are content quality, user-friendly interface (UX/UI),  meeting user needs, and website security.

Additionally, it is critical to create a standard .cn domain since Baidu doesn’t support sub-domains or multiple domains, and foreign websites would need to pass the Great Firewall, which would negatively affect its performance or result in resource bans.

2. Take Advantage of Social Media

When adapting your Chinese website localization, you should include your social media access, such as the links or QR code, to effortlessly reach Chinese consumers and develop your brand.

WeChat, which offers services like email and instant messaging, is China’s most widely used social networking platform. This platform essentially unifies Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn into one.

You may form a WeChat Official Account and create a WeChat app or WeChat mini program, two of the many options the huge social media WeChat offers to help you advertise your goods and services.

Additionally, you should participate in specialized forums and groups that disseminate material related to your sector. Here are some examples:

• Kimiss.com for cosmetics & beauty;
• Tuniu.com for international travel;
• Meilishuo.com for fashion and clothing.

In this area, you may differentiate yourself from your rivals, increase brand recognition, and establish a solid presence in the Chinese market.

Extra Tip: The Chinese adore QR codes and use them for everything, including URL scanning, money transfers, paying their bills on time, and even logging into accounts. Because of this, QR codes have developed into a potent marketing strategy for the Chinese website localization project.

For instance, including a QR code in your product’s advertising campaign is standard practice. Once the code has been scanned, the consumer may be sent to the product’s page or an official social media account.

3. Mobile Optimization is The Key

In 2020, more than 963 million people in China can access the Internet through smartphones. Using a mobile phone with an Internet connection is the norm in this country.

Therefore, to have a successful Chinese website localization, every investor should develop a first-mobile strategy, making sure that the website is optimized for Chinese mobile consumers before releasing a desktop version. And it’s interesting to note that some Chinese websites don’t even have a desktop version.

You must verify that each component of your website is appropriate for mobile users to make sure everything functions properly.

4. Intellectual Property Registration in China

Make sure to meet all the intellectual property requests in China before you localize your website. To be more specific, as you want to sell the items on your upcoming channels, Chinese e-commerce platforms must have a merchant’s trademark registration certificate and a letter of authorization.

Violation of intellectual property rights on eCommerce platforms is detected frequently in China. That is why you should register your intellectual property properly. A trademark may only be registered and protected when the application procedure is finished, which can take up to 18 months.

5. Suitable Design for Chinese Website Localization

All-in-One Page and Menus

Chinese websites typically include a single homepage that is completely jam-packed with content, the exact opposite of Western websites that frequently adopt a minimalist style. There are several product photos, various colors, extensive menus, and a wealth of noises, animations, and visuals.

Moreover, you should also pay attention to the Chinese dialects and written forms. Take a look at this article to find out the suitable dialect for your Chinese website localization.

Specific Colors

Colors may signify various things in the West and China, respectively. Here are three popular colors in china and their meaning:

• White: In China, the color white is frequently linked to passing or grief, although in the West, the color black is frequently used instead.
• Red: Red is a joyful hue that is used to mark special occasions like the Chinese New Year, weddings, and public holidays. Additionally, it serves as the Chinese flag’s defining hue.
• Yellow: In China, yellow is an imperial hue, denoting affluence and nobility, whereas, in the West, yellow is a cheery cherry color, signifying warmth and contentment.

6. Page Speed Is Also Important

Customers in China place a high value on quick page loads. Here are two strategies to assist you to improve the functionality of your website:

• Your website’s load time would be significantly increased by removing any extraneous components, such as Google fonts and tags, CDN, Amazon S3, and any other resources that are restricted by the Great Firewall.
• Since there are so many Chinese characters (20,000), utilizing multiple fonts might make your pages load more slowly. A possible solution would be to use images for static elements or use specific fonts that perform well with Chinese characters.

To get more insightful information when localizing in China, download our 56-page White Paper Insightful Tips For Localization Into Asian Languages. 

Final Thoughts

It is challenging to enter the Chinese market as a new foreign business since your efforts must go beyond simply creating a website in Chinese and registering a local domain. That is why you should work with a trustworthy translation partner who can enthusiastically support your Chinese website localization.

GTE Localize, having an in-depth understanding of the Chinese language, culture, and market, can provide you with the best-localized website in the Chinese market. Our team of native Chinese linguists and website localizers understands the pitfalls and difficulties of Chinese website localization projects and knows how to successfully overcome them.

Schedule a free 1:1 consultation with experts right now to get your project started!