How to Make Your Website Work for Chinese Users: Tips for 2025

Recently updated on November 19th, 2025 at 06:24 pm

Looking to break into the Chinese market? You’re not alone. With China’s economy second only to the U.S., many international businesses are eyeing this massive opportunity. But here’s the thing: just translating your website won’t cut it.

Success in China means speaking to local audiences in a way that actually resonates with them, while keeping your brand’s core identity intact. It’s a delicate balance, but get it right, and the payoff can be huge.

What’s Website Localization?

Website localization goes way beyond just translating English into another language. It’s about tailoring your entire site to feel native to a specific audience, people who speak a different language and see the world through a different cultural lens.

Think of it as giving your website a complete makeover for each market. We’re talking about everything: the visual design, how users navigate the site, which currency shows up at checkout, how dates and addresses are formatted, even how names are displayed. You’ll want to connect to the social platforms people actually use in that region, and optimize your keywords based on what local search engines prioritize.

Translation vs. Localization: What’s the Difference?

People mix these up all the time, but they’re not the same thing.

Translation? Simple. You’re converting text from one language to another. English to Chinese, same message, different words.

Localization goes way deeper. You’re reshaping your entire site for the Chinese market, the cultural references, the design, the technical setup. Everything.

Think of it this way: translation handles the words. Localization makes your whole site feel like it was built for China from day one.

Here’s a perfect example of what localization actually looks like in action.

💡Nike’s US site? Classic Western minimalism, clean and simple. But check out their Chinese site? Totally different vibe. Bright colors everywhere, dynamic images that pop, and they’ve got the “11.11” Singles Day sale front and center in the header. It’s a smart move. They know what works for Chinese shoppers.

Website Localization for the Chinese Market

Localizing for the Chinese market isn’t just about translation. Not even close.

You need people who understand both languages, Chinese culture, how locals shop online, which social platforms actually matter, and the regulatory landscape. Plus the technical stuff, hosting, Baidu SEO, all of it.

Everything on your site needs to feel right to Chinese users. If it doesn’t, they’ll know.

Here, I’ve pulled together the key points that I’ve found really matter when localizing a website for the Chinese market.

# Chinese Hosting

So you’re ready to localize for China. First things first, where are you going to host your site?

This is one of the first decisions you’ll need to make, and honestly, it trips up a lot of foreign businesses. Host inside China or outside? There’s no shortage of conflicting advice out there, especially if your main audience is in China.

It’s a real dilemma, and the answer isn’t always straightforward.

Hosting Your Website in China vs. Hosting Your Website outside China

	Website Hosted outside China	Website Hosted in China
Pros	# Easier and cost-efficient. # More freedom in information and data flow.	# Fast loading speed. # Minimize the risk of being blocked by the Great Fire Wall. # Trust from Chinese audience with .cn domain. # Easy to rank on Baidu.
Cons	# Possibility of being blocked by China’s Great Fire Wall. # Slow loading speed (on average 10 seconds slower). # Poor ranking or no index on Baidu. # Not eligible to advertise on Chinese digital platforms.	# Hassles of obtaining ICP license. # Complicated and lengthy setup process. # Strict regulations and laws.

Onshore Hosting

Here’re the 4 popular cloud hosting companies in China:

• Alibaba Cloud
• Huawei Cloud
• TenCent Cloud
• Baidu Cloud

ICP License

An ICP (Internet Content Provider) license is basically China’s permission slip for putting your website on servers inside the country. If you plan to host your site in Mainland China, whether on your own hardware or through a hosting provider, you’ll need one.

Two Types of ICP License

	ICP license for commercial websites	ICP filing for non-commercial websites
Usage	For commercial websites that offer goods or service.	For non-commercial content based websites.
ICP No. Format	京ICP证123456号 (“京” represents Beijing, “证” means license, and “号” means “No.”).	京ICP备12345678号 or 京ICP备2021123456号 (“京” represents Beijing, “备” means “record” and “号” means “No.”).

Who Can Apply for a Content-based Non-commercial ICP Filling?

• Chinese citizens with state-issued passports
• Foreign individuals who are currently residing in China
• Partially or wholly owned Chinese businesses

Who Can Apply for a Commercial ICP License?

• A Chinese-owned business with a Chinese business license
• A foreign business, where a Chinese business holds at least 51% ownership

💡 After getting your ICP permit, keep in mind that your ICP number must be displayed at the footer of your website, as shown below on Sina China website.

# Chinese Website Design

For Western businesses trying to localize for the Chinese market, it’s important to understand just how different Chinese website design can be. The two worlds don’t just look different—they feel different.

When it comes to designing for China, the gap between Eastern and Western styles is huge. And honestly, it’s hard to fully grasp unless you understand the cultural context and how Chinese users interact with the internet day to day.

For example, if you’ve ever browsed a Chinese eCommerce site, you’ll notice the landing pages are packed with promotions, Flash Sales, Deals of the Day, Group Buys, and more. Multiple windows and pop-ups often appear at once, creating a lively, almost chaotic shopping vibe, kind of like wandering through a bustling mall.

From my experience, these design quirks aren’t just for show, they’re exactly what Chinese shoppers expect, so it’s something you really need to keep in mind when localizing your site.

Another key part of localizing a website for China is color choice. While Western sites often stick to minimalist palettes—white, silver, purple, Chinese websites go bold with bright, lively colors like red and yellow. There’s a reason for it: gold or yellow was the emperor’s color in imperial times, symbolizing prestige, while red stands for good luck and happiness.

From what I’ve seen, getting the colors right can make a huge difference in how local users perceive your brand.

Color Code for Chinese Red

Color Code for Yellow/Gold

I’ve highlighted a few key differences between Western and Chinese websites to help make your localization process for the Chinese market faster and smoother.

Western Website Design vs Chinese Website Design

	Western Website Design	Chinese Website Design
Aesthetic	# Landing page design: Simplicity, minimalist, more white space. # Navigation: Organize sub menus vertically at sidebars. # Page length: Longer.	# Landing page design: Busy, usually utilized space fully for content, more vibrant colors, dynamic pictures, videos, more promotions like Deals of the Day, Flash Sales, Group Buy, customer loyalty programs. # Navigation: Organize sub menus into horizontal rows at the top of the page. # Page length: Shorter.
Technical Functions	# Integration of social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. # Online payment: PayPal, credit card, etc. # Search engine: Google. # Open link in the same window.	# QR code. # Live chat. # Integration of Chinese social media: WeChat, Weibo, etc. # Online payment: Alipay, WeChat pay. # Search engine: Baidu. # Open link in a new window. # Mobile first.

# Format (Date, Name, Address)

Localizing a website for China takes a lot of work, and small formatting mistakes can hurt your brand’s professional image. Dates, names, and addresses are written very differently in Chinese compared to Western formats.

💡 If you’re aiming at a Chinese audience, always make sure your content follows the local format.

	Western	Chinese
Date	UK: dd-mm-yyyy (20th October 2021, 2021/10/20) US: mm-dd-yyyy (October 20, 2021, 2021/10/20)	yyyy-mm-dd (2021-10-20, 2021年10月20日, 年 means year, 月 means month, 日 means day)
Name	Given name – family name (Susan Smith)	Family name – given name (Cui Weihai)
Address	Name of Recipient Street name City, Postal code Country Weihai Cui 11-232, East Main Building Tsinghua University Beijing, 100871 P. R. China	Country Province City Street name Name of Recipient (Postal code is not necessary in China unless shipped by post office) 北京市清华大学东主楼11区232室 崔伟海

Beyond names, dates, and addresses, there are also big differences in numbers, punctuation, and typesetting.

# Currency

As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s currency is becoming increasingly important in global transactions. But when it comes to its name, there’s often a lot of confusion.

💡 China’s currency is usually called CNY (short for Chinese Yuan) or RMB (short for Renminbi), and its symbol is ￥. Both terms are used interchangeably, but CNY is more formal and generally preferred.

What’s the Difference Between Chinese Currency and Japanese Currency?

A common mix-up is confusing Chinese currency with Japanese Yen. “Yuan” and “Yen” sound similar, and both use the ￥symbol, which can be tricky.

💡 Chinese currency is usually written as CNY￥while Japanese currency is written as JPY￥ or JP￥.

# Measurement

International metric system for weights & measures is widely used in China, however, traditional measurement methods (Examples: Li 里, 1 Li = 0.5 km; Jin 斤, 1 Jin = 0.5 kg) are still use in some areas especially by the older generations but the impact is nearly negligible.

What Are the Differences Between the Chinese Metric System and Other Metric Systems?

To make things simple, we’ve outlined several key differences accumulated from our 15 years’ experience export from China.

	Metric System	Chinese System	Imperial System
Weight	1 kg	2 斤 (jin)	2.205 lb (pounds)
Capacity	1 l (liter)	1升(sheng)	0.22 gal (gallon)
Length	1 km 1 meter 1 meter	2 里 (li) 3 尺 (chi) 1 meter	0.62 miles 3.281 feet 1.0936 yards

# Connection to Chinese Social Media

Chinese social media users are incredibly tech-savvy, and these apps are a huge part of daily life. As of January 2023, there were 1.03 billion users in China, and Tencent alone rivals Facebook in revenue and active users. From what I’ve seen, understanding this massive, fast-growing market is key if you want your website to succeed in China.

Integrating Chinese platforms like WeChat, Weibo, Douyin, and Little Red Book into your website is essential. Chinese consumers often trust content shared online or recommended by KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) more than traditional ads. Also, if your marketing videos aren’t in Chinese, it’s worth hiring a professional subtitle translation agency to fully localize your content.

💡 If your WordPress theme isn’t China-friendly, it might include links to Facebook or Twitter, both blocked by the Great Firewall. These can slow your site and confuse users. Removing them and adding Chinese social media apps keeps your site fast and accessible.

# Remove Blocked Services

Most Western platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Google, are blocked in China by the Great Firewall. Even tools like Google reCAPTCHA or Google Fonts can prevent your site from loading properly. The easiest fix is to remove these blocked plugins and embeds so your website works smoothly for Chinese users.

# Baidu SEO

Want to rank in China?

If you want to be visible online in China, you need to play by Baidu’s rules, the country’s dominant search engine. Even if you’re a Google SEO pro, Baidu works quite differently, so learning its nuances is key to boosting your presence in China.

Here’s a list of Baidu optimization tips that can take your Chinese online presence to the next level.

Optimize for Baidu – Checklists

List	Purpose
cn.domain with Chinese hosting, ICP license	cn.domain ranks better on Baidu.
Baidu Webmaster Tools	Submit your website to Baidu, encourage crawl, monitor, and improve your website’s performance.
Baidu Keyword Planner	Find the best keywords to target in China.
Mobile-first optimization	98% of China’s netizens are mobile users.
Structured data snippets	Better, more eye-catching display of search results.
HTML	Baidu doesn’t proceed JavaScript content so make sure your site is html based.
Original content in simplified Chinese	It’s important to publish new content in simplified Chinese regularly. Don’t use traditional Chinese as you’re targeting at mainland China instead of HK or Taiwan.
Meta, alt tags	Helpful with ranking on Baidu.
URL	Don’t use Chinese characters in url slug. Use simple English translation or pinyin.
Baidu trust system	Get Baidu Trust Badge that gives more credibility.
Marketing on Baidu properties (Baidu News, Maps, Tieba, Wenku, Baike, Zhidao, Jingyan, Lvyou, Nuomi)	Baidu algorithm favors their own properties.

# Idioms and Expressions

Breaking into the Chinese market isn’t just about speaking Mandarin, it’s about understanding the culture and context behind the words.

From my experience, the brands that really stand out are the ones that sprinkle in trendy idioms and slang. These fun, relatable phrases make your content feel more lively and help your brand genuinely connect with Chinese-speaking audiences.

# Local Regulations and Laws

In recent years, China has tightened rules around data protection and compliance.

Foreign businesses must understand key laws like the Cybersecurity Act and Advertising Law, which affect eCommerce and online marketing. Personal data of Chinese citizens usually cannot leave the country, and marketing claims like “the best” or “Number 1” are restricted, ignoring these rules can lead to heavy penalties.

Final Thoughts

Understanding local laws, regulations, cultural norms, and online practices is crucial for doing business in China. Often, content that works in English can come across very differently in Chinese.

At Chinesecopywriter.com, we specialize in fine-tuning your online content so it’s compliant, engaging, and truly connects with your Chinese audience.