How to optimize your website in the Chinese market ?
These last years, China has become the Worldwide economy’s main driver. Consequently, the Mainland represents a huge challenge for companies overseas who whant to get into the Chinese market especially because brands have to be totally tailored to consumers which have regularly shifting expectations regarding websites.
Also, companies must take account of several features before creating its own Chinese online platform:
1) A site written in Chinese
You have to know that only 5% of the Chinese population is familiar with the English language. That’s why, your website content is crucial in order to attract these particular users. Indeed, they have not the same standards compared to the Western users especially regarding to the writting. The main feature is to use the Chinese language in your content. Be careful, Chinese users are really sensitive to the way you write in Chinese. You cannot only translate from English to Mandarin just thanks to an online translator or because you have learnt Chinese language at school. That’s why, you need to employ a native in order to have an effective and quality website’s content.
2) Develop visual communication strategies
It is never easy to show a cutural specificity through a website’s pages. That’s why, it is recommended to use a simple and modernist design. Stay informed about the way to use in order to put forward the cohesion between Chinese and English website’s parts. Don’t hesitate to browse on others bilingual websites.
3) Adopt the Renminbi option
With over 750 million cardholders, China Union Pay is the only country’s bank card association. Thus, establishing e-commerce platforms accepting Union pay these cards, ensure you to get over than 750 million of potentiel consumers when you will open a store in China. Moreover, for luxury brands, hotels, travel websites or healthcare, Union pay cards is the most used way of payment for online transactions.
4) Use the most effective way to display information
Chinese users like getting the most information ever when they are browsing on their favourite websites. Indeed, they want to read a lot of details before purchasing goods or services. Then, they need to be ensure what they purchase has a good reputation and prefer asking to their community. Thus, be careful when you are describing your products by giving the most information about it.
5) Choose the color scheme carefully
Your websites’ colors is a really effective way to attract your target regarding their market average. Added to the colors, designers must integrate cultural symbols, calligraphic elements and events wherever they may be applicable.
Note : In Chinese culture, red is the color of joy and celebration, while the white color of death. Thus, web developers need to take care of the use of red. Therefore, they should avoid the white in order not to offend viewers.
6) PayPal counterpart in the East ?
Obviously payment services such as Alipay and Tenpay keep going on dominating the Chinese market. This new idea is a really effective tool in order to reach users. Moreover, Alipay currently has over 500 million users, and is the trusted online shopping partner for many Chinese consumers. It is a versatile payment service which has a strong presence in social media.
7) Choose the right Chinese hosting service
In oder to optimize your website on the Chinese market, it needs to be hosted on a Chinese server. Indeed, using a hosting service out of China affects your website’s uploading’s speed and it can be blocked by the Great Firewall of China.
Note : Although some search engines don’t care particularly about where your platform is hosted, Baidu wants your website to be hosted in China.
8) Website’s optimization on Baidu
Baidu is the largest search engine on the Chinese market. That’s why, having your website optimized on the first Baidu’ page is the best way to be successul and attract Chinese users.
Then, you have to :
- Find a Chinese host and get a .cn or .com.cn website
- Translate the website in Chinese with the native speaker’s help and choose the Pinyin phonetic system
- Place the key content to the top of the web page and include keywords in the URL
- Optimize content with the proper use of keywords
- Also avoid the use of robots and website elements that can not be recognized by Baidu robots.
9) Social Media Marketing
Chinese users are totally connected since these last years. Indeed, social media have become their lifestyle’s drivers and they expect from further innovation. Since 2011, Wechat has been born and it doesn’t stop growing. Indeed, the app regurlarly offers new features attracting more and more users especially since the Wechat payment function’s setting up while it is basically a one-to-one messaging app. Morever, Wechat has reached over than 700 millions of active users monthly in 2016 and this rate is still rising up. In addition, Chinese users spend a lot of time on Weibo which is a mix between Facebook and Twitter, the famous Western social media. Also, these both Chinese platforms allow companies to promote its brands thanks to the launching of compaigns in order to increase e-reputation and visibility online. Thus, Chinese users can comment and share posts which is really important for brands in order to measure its success in China. To sum up, Chinese social media are the most important tools for brands to use in China and are crucial to be successful in the Mainland.
10) Build websites enabling one-click, click and click again !
Chinese cybernauts like clicking ! As said above, your website’s content is very important especially because you can add links and use keywords in order to have a good positionning on the Baidu’s first page.Websites featuring displays optimized text links or images are most suitable for the Chinese public. More click you get, best positionning you have!