With almost 650 million Internet users, China is one of the first countries that businesses take into consideration when planning to sell products overseas. Obviously, there are pros and cons to localising a website for Chinese market. You have to consider logistics, customs duties, a certain level of scepticism about foreign products from Chinese customers, etc. In fact, as shown in a Techcrunch article, many companies give up on the Chinese venture.

When a client contacts us to localise a website or content for a Chinese audience, we always ask if they have verified how likely it is that their products will attract a Chinese audience. You might be surprised to know that many companies do not undertake simple market research to understand how their product can engage Chinese customers.

Before companies invest time and money translating their entire website into Chinese, we always suggest writing an “About Us” web page and another page presenting the main products being sold, and we translate these into Chinese, linking those pages to the company’s homepage and creating a Chinese subdomain (zh.yourwebsite.com). Once your Chinese pages receive a solid increase in traffic, you might think about the translation of your entire website and content into Chinese. This simple market research is very cost-effective and it will give you a clear idea of the interest that the Chinese market might have in your product.

If you decide to proceed with the translation of your website into Chinese, you might be interested in learning a few tips to save time and money, and obtain an effective result:

Choose the right content to translate into Chinese

You have to identify pages and content that might engage a Chinese audience and experience the most traffic. You can start by focusing on getting these parts of your website translated. Of course, these pages should help you convert new market leads into sales. There is nothing wrong with starting your business overseas small steps and enlarging it once it begins to flourish.

Optimise your website for a foreign search engine

The most popular Chinese search engine is Baidu. Baidu’s algorithm is less sophisticated than Google’s and has actually been compared to search engines as they were several years ago. However, the two search engines have one thing in common: they are placing more importance on high-quality content than ever before. Therefore, you would need to create a suitable amount of authentic content for the Chinese market. Our advice is to transcreate your English content and ask an opinion leader to promote your products in China.

Choose the right translation agency

In a previous post, we explained why choosing the cheapest translation agency you can find is not the best option if you want to increase your overseas sales and visibility. You should invest in a linguistic partner who works with native professional translators. You cannot expect to succeed in a foreign market if your website is not clear in the target language.

Your marketing content needs a Chinese touch

If you are translating marketing materials, choose a translation agency that offers transcreation services. Often, a simple translation is not enough to convey the core message of your brand. Your team of marketers might be using slogans and cultural references that cannot be translated into a foreign culture. A transcreation team can help you to succeed in a global market and to improve your ranking in local search engines.

Conclusion

China is not the easiest market in which to sell your products or services. There are many hurdles between your business and success in China. However, the translation of your website is a cost-effective solution to engage the attention of Chinese customers.

Have you already translated your website into Chinese? Have you ever used other techniques to leverage the potential of the Chinese market? Tell us more about your experience with the Chinese market!