7 Best Practices on Chinese Website Localization

Reaching out to a Chinese audience requires Chinese website localization. This is essential for any company that aims to generate traffic from the website and convert those leads to clicks and sales. Your website serves as your virtual storefront, whether you offer products or services. So, make sure you take note of these best practices.

Aim for Peak Performance on Page Speed

Nobody wants to hang around on a slow website. If your Chinese website is hosted on a shared hosting provider outside of Mainland, you should consider getting a local host and CDN set up for website performance.

Chinese website localization: Create a Mobile-Friendly Website

Chinese internet users spend about 6.1 hours per day surfing the internet on their mobile devices. If your website doesn’t support responsive design, it’s time to work with a team that can tweak the design and responsiveness that match your audience’s preferences and browsing habits.

Translate the Website Content According to Region

If most of your visitors are from Mainland, ask the translation team to work on Simplified Chinese translations. Don’t overlook these details as language differences matter to readers. Go for Traditional Chinese if your audiences are based in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The characters from these written forms are quite different, so keep this in mind.

Optimize Your Website for Chinese Search Engines like Baidu

This is the backend work where SEO specialists take charge of keyword research, optimization, and even set up PPC campaigns if necessary to get your website on the search results, whether in an organic or paid approach. This will also include SEO-friendly articles and content on pages that Chinese writers will consider and craft together.

Integrate Local Social Media Channels with QR Codes

Facebook and Twitter are not available in China, but most users are active on WeChat, Douyin, Weibo, to name a few to get updates from brands, influencers, and more. Generate QR codes for your accounts or just choose one that’s effective in reaching out and engaging with customers.

Adapt Your UX/UI According to Chinese Visitors Browsing Habits

Chinese websites are busy — filled with colors, ads, pop-ups, and other call-to-action buttons — that are in stark contrast to most western brands. Typing characters can be cumbersome, so webmasters will rather put all the information needed on a single page for the reader. Do the same with your website in Chinese. Put all the information that readers need for them to have the best user experience.

Add Videos to Engage With Viewers

Videos are powerful tools to engage with viewers. You can add this to your homepage, whether it’s an educational video, promotional video, or just a spiel about your brand. Translate your videos in Chinese by adding subtitles and captions or if add Mandarin voice-over if you are targeting Mandarin speakers.

Bonus: Work With a Local Digital Marketing Agency to Maximize Results

Look for a team or an agency that is familiar with the market and has more experience in digital marketing, market research, and business development for Asian markets such as China. Consider the background of the team and their credentials and achievements. Working with an agency that specializes in website localization will save you more time and help you focus on other aspects of your business.