How Different Are Web Design Patterns In China?

Have you ever looked at a Chinese website before? If not, search on Google for Chinese websites and you will see a number of differences that are quite clear.

The first thing that will come to your mind is that the website is too cluttered or confusing. It might come off as too busy with excessive use of Flash all around. These are just some of the general criticisms used to describe Chinese websites, but there are supporting reasons. But, things are changing.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most important web design patterns in Chinese websites so that you know where to begin with your online Chinese translator service.

Social Media Websites

Facebook is blocked in China, however, social media presence is still quite popular with websites like www.renren.com. The sign up page for Renren is almost similar to Facebook, with the same layout and color. This is a perfect example of the imitation game that started off with the rising digital industry in the country. However, the website is now changing.

The login page is filled with ads from some of the most popular online games and other ads that are specifically used to target the massive young population in China.

Ecommerce Websites

Just like eBay is popular in its target markets, Taobao is the most used ecommerce website in China. At first glance, the website might come off as too complicated. The homepage is cluttered; there is a lot of Flash heavy content, with obvious navigation tabs at top.

The top bar is used for banner ads and the page is loaded with animations. When compared to eBay, the website has prominent differences. eBay is much simpler and based around minimal colors that make it easy to quickly scan the page. In comparison, Taobao is more colorful and loaded with text hyperlinks.

You might see this with most Chinese websites that they are loaded with a lot of text content. This is largely because typing with a Chinese keyboard is not really a piece of cake, especially for older people. Websites try to hyperlink all the options they can so that users have to type less.

Video Sharing Websites

It is well known that certain websites like Facebook and YouTube are blocked in China. This is the reason why there are a number of direct copies of the content and web design.

Just as Renren tries to fill in for Facebook, Chinese websites like Youku are competing to fill the void of YouTube. While the web design is practically the same, the Chinese competitor lacks the Flash banner on the top. But generally, there is more advertising on Youku and a whole lot of pop-ups.

Similarly, other micro-blogging, finance, and travel websites are completely different in content and design elements. Generally, they are more colorful, cluttered, and have practically hundreds of hyperlinks to make navigation easier.

Your website can also compete among all these players just by doing something as simple as translating it. We have some of the best Chinese language translators on our team who can become your partners with business expansion, website translation and a lot more! Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you out!