Tips for a Successful SEO campaign in China

While most countries in Europe and USA are still reeling from the economy crash, China is continuing its steady climb towards becoming the biggest economy in the world. Other countries are now just starting to recover their economies to their former glory. China, on the other hand, is showing a double digit increase in its economy each year, showing no signs of slowing down.

This near ridiculous rise in their economy has brought many international businesses, big and small, towards Chinese shores. These international business owners are trying to be a part of the Chinese growth. But first they have to attract the attention of the Chinese population through marketing and advertising.

SEO in China

One of the most popular online marketing techniques is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Businesses of all kinds use SEO to popularize their brands online. In China, for a successful SEO campaign, you have to make use of the dominant local search engine instead of good ol’ Google, Baidu. For a successful SEO in China, you have to keep Baidu and the following tips in mind:

Translate the Content

You have to understand a simple thing about the Chinese market; people in China prefer content that is in their native language. So, you have to find the best translation agency to take care of all your translation needs.

Strict Censors

China has strict censorship controls in place, Baidu is no exception. If your content has any explicit words or any negative thought about the Chinese government, it will be blocked. So take extra care when producing the content.

Exclusive Content

This fact stands true for SEO in every part of the world; you have to create unique content for a successful SEO campaign.

Chinese Website

You have to have a dedicated website just to cater to the Chinese population. You can have your website translated to Chinese from a translation service.

Meta and Tags

Use simplified Chinese when writing Meta descriptions and tags for your website. Baidu takes into account both of these things when considering your page.

Two key things that you always have to keep in mind, which are mentioned above as well, translations are absolute necessary and Chinese censorship laws are absolutely brutal. So create content that can pass the censorship and upload it only after it is translated.

Effective use of Baidu

When a business first enters the Chinese market, their prime focus is marketing their brand to the potential buyers. An important thing to remember is that the usual marketing platforms and techniques don’t work that well in China. You have to create or adopt a new strategy to market your products and services in China.

For example, for online marketing, you can’t use Google; in China, Google holds little to no sway, being one of the least popular search engines. You have to base your marketing on Baidu. It has the biggest market share of search engines and it provides a variety of services, to accommodate any marketing needs that you may have. To utilize these services in the best way possible and popularize your brand, you have to remember the following points:

Localization

Chinese consumers are accustomed to receiving advertisements and marketing material in their local language. So, to make an impact, you will have to invest in a good localization or translation agency. All marketing content you produce should be translated into the local language. Be sure that the content is not translated literally before you upload it. Literal translations are often awkward and can mean something entirely different then your original message.

Using Baidu’s Tools

Baidu offers many marketing tools and opportunities to businesses, to reach the millions of Baidu users. The most popular marketing tool is Baidu PPC services. It is very similar to Google’s Adwords service, but it is not as easy to setup. You will require the services of a Chinese PPC service agency, which knows the procedures and the requirements and can guide you effectively.

Real-time Support

Chinese people are used to interacting with company representatives about their products and services. To provide the best customer service and to get a good turnaround from the traffic you are receiving via Baidu, it is recommended that you add a feature that allows potential clients to speak to your customer service personnel.

Be the Foreigner

Chinese people prefer international brands to local ones. If you overtly display your foreignness in your advertising and marketing campaign, it will help you attract more clients towards your brand.
More than half a billion internet users are waiting to hear your message, use the tips above and you can deliver a message which will be relevant to them and will popularize your brand as well.

Company Introduction

Limpid Language and Internet services, is a Shanghai-based company. They provide professional Chinese language and customized Internet marketing solutions for new businesses and existing enterprises worldwide. The company has on staff translators, project managers, web designers, SEO specialists, online marketing experts and native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. The company’s expert employees also understand the local market and consumers.