Where to start with marketing in China?
China’s digital sphere is very different from the West with different search engines, online trends, blocked content and more…
However, one simple and effective way to boost traffic is through SEO.
To help your brand get the attention it deserves, we have put together our top 10 SEO tips for marketing in China (you can download this in the presentation format below.)
- Use a locally-hosted domain: Chinese search engines prefer ‘.cn’ over other domains, like ‘.com’ and ‘.net’ and a locally-hosted domain will also significantly increase website speed.
- Use the local language NOT English: most Chinese people don’t understand English and Baidu will not understand your website because its algorithms are in Chinese.
- Create high-quality and relevant content: content should be relevant to the topic as well as the audience.
- Use Baidu keyword tools: Baidu requires 8-12% higher keyword density than Google. There are multiple tools that help you to include relevant keywords BUT avoid stuffing content with keywords.
- Optimise backlinks: Backlinks bring more exposure so examine which pages backlink to your competitors’ sites on related topics and reach out to them to get your links displayed.
- Pay attention to meta keyword tags: Baidu pays attention to meta keyword tags so make sure to include 3-5 keyword phrases on each page.
- Include image ALT tags: Unlike Google, most Chinese websites don’t have keywords within the URLs. Therefore, alt tags and meta tags are crucial to page ranking.
- Increase exposure with Baidu’s services: Make use of Baidu’s services, such as Baidu Baike (Chinese version of Wikipedia), and create a company page to help gain exposure.
- Watch out for JavaScript and Flash: Baidu does not respond well to JavaScript and Flash files so avoid them when marketing in China or make an HTML alternative on your site.
- Don’t include censored words or phrases: Baidu will de-index your page if it contains words or phases blacklisted by the Chinese government.
