China Web Guide
What You Need to Know
About the Web in China
Practical, no-fluff articles covering the realities of running a website behind the Great Firewall.
Baidu SEO: Ranking on China's #1 Search Engine
Most foreign companies optimise for Google. In China, that's like advertising on a billboard nobody drives past.
Baidu dominates Chinese search with 724 million monthly users. Learn ranking factors, on-page optimisation, ecosystem strategy and mistakes foreign companies make.
Baidu Keyword Research Tools and Methodology
You can't rank on Baidu by translating your Google keyword list into Chinese. Here's how keyword research actually works for China's search engine.
Keyword research on Baidu requires different tools and methods than Google. This guide covers Baidu Index, Keyword Planner, 5118, and Chinese search behaviour.
China's Search Engine Landscape Beyond Baidu
Baidu gets all the attention. But four other search engines control a combined 25-30% of China's market, and each one is wired into a different corner of the Chinese internet.
Baidu controls 60% of China's search, but Sogou, 360 Search, Shenma and Toutiao Search each serve different audiences worth knowing about.
ICP Licence and ICP Filing: What Foreign Companies Need to Know
If you want to host a website in mainland China, you need an ICP. No exceptions. But there are two types, and confusing them can cost you months.
Every China-hosted website needs an ICP. The Bei'an filing is simple. The Commercial Licence has ownership restrictions that block most foreign companies.
Website Hosting in China: Where You Host Decides Whether You Load
For Chinese users, the difference between a site hosted in Shanghai and one hosted in Frankfurt isn't milliseconds. It's whether your page loads at all.
Where you host your China website affects speed, Baidu rankings and compliance. Compare mainland, Hong Kong and overseas hosting plus top cloud providers.
The Great Firewall: What It Blocks and How to Work Around It
If your website loads Google Fonts, fires a Google Analytics tag, or embeds a YouTube video, it's already broken for 900 million Chinese internet users.
China's Great Firewall blocks Google, Facebook, Slack and dozens more. Learn how it works technically and how foreign businesses can build around it.
Website Localisation for China: It's Not Translation. It's Rebuilding.
Translating your website into Chinese is about 10% of what localisation actually means. The other 90% is payments, trust signals, cultural cues, and customer service expectations that most Western companies haven't thought about.
China website localisation covers Simplified Chinese, Alipay and WeChat Pay integration, trust signals, cultural adaptation, content tone and customer service standards.
Mobile-First Design for China: Actually, Make That Mobile-Only
In China, 'mobile-first' is already outdated. Over 95% of internet users access the web from their phones. If your site isn't built for mobile, it doesn't exist.
China's internet is mobile-only. This guide covers design principles, WeChat browser compatibility, the super-app ecosystem and mini-program strategy for foreign brands.
Content Marketing Strategy for China: Planting Grass Before You Sell
In China, effective content marketing isn't about selling. It's about 种草 - planting seeds of desire long before anyone is ready to buy.
China's content marketing revolves around 种草 (zhongcao): planting desire before purchase. This guide covers platforms, formats, and key shopping events for foreign brands.
China Data Privacy Laws: PIPL, DSL, and the Cybersecurity Law
If your website collects any personal information from Chinese users, three separate laws apply to you. Even if your company is based in New York, London, or Berlin.
China's data privacy framework includes PIPL, DSL and the Cybersecurity Law. PIPL applies globally to any company processing Chinese residents' personal data.
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