Building A Web Presence In China
Most westerners today only think about China in the context of competition
, which is a shame. They hear about China's booming economy and rapidly expanding sphere of influence, and feel that America is threatened. As with all major global changes, however, the rise of China presents both challenges and opportunities. When the automobile replaced the horse, it was the people who focused on tires rather than horseshoes who grew and prospered.
The westerners who now focus on the Chinese consumer will grow and prosper from today's global realities. For the past two decades, the Sino-Western relationship has been defined by China making cheap products for the West. Besides the Chinese, only big western companies who could afford the big start-up costs of outsourcing to China profited.
But the rise of the search engine as the globe's primary marketing tool has changed this paradigm. Today, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs can profit from China's booming consumer base, simply by building a web presence in China. Every day, a few new Chinese millionaires are minted from mining profits, a hundred Chinese entrepreneurs move from lower to upper middle class. More excitingly, more than 280 million Chinese shop online. All are interested in foreign goods and services, either for brand allure, exotic appeal, or higher intrinsic value.
So how does one go about building a web presence in China? The process involves most if not all of the following steps: translation of your website's content into Chinese, China SEO (search engine optimization), and search engine marketing, the latter usually first and foremost a PPC (pay per click) campaign.
Now, if you don't yet have a website for your business, you are most likely either too localized to need one or too Luddite to consider building a web presence in China yet. If neither is the case, there are a number of western consultants in China who can help you design a site cheaply and effectively, one that will be optimized for Chinese search engines such as Google Hong Kong, and Baidu, the two biggest.
For the vast majority of western businesses, however, English to Chinese translation of some or all of their website's content will constitute the first step to building a web presence in China. Working with a good translator that specializes in
English to Chinese translation is essential. This need not be an expensive process. Again, finding a western specialist in China who is sensitive to what you are trying to achieve on the web, and who works with a good Chinese translating team, is your best and most cost-effective choice.
A good one should be able to implement the Chinese text on your site when the translation is finished.
With translation finished and implemented on your site, it's time for
China SEO. Make no mistake, just as with SEO in the West, the algorithms employed by Chinese search engines to rank content are always changing, and anyone who is going to do a good job helping you must be committed long-term to the ins and outs of China SEO. A company based in China is most likely to do the best job with the keyword research, keyword optimization, and content development that will move your site to the top of rankings most relevant to the Chinese online customers searching for them.
Such is also the case for China SEM (search engine marketing). There is a distinction between China SEO and China SEM, at least for the purposes of this article, in that the all-important
China PPC campaign runs on slightly different parameters than those for western search engines, particularly Baidu, which is the Chinese online shopper's number one choice for searching. Also, your most effective tool for delivering your product or service may be through an online Chinese store such as Taobao. You may even need some help localizing your offering through targeted Chinese marketing. Again, a China-based consultant, preferably with westerners who can communicate with you and understand your needs, is an optimal choice, and not necessarily an expensive one. The good news is that all the steps for building your web presence in China are exponentially cheaper and quicker than the old model of due diligence and heavy up-front investment for winning Chinese customers. Simply type "web presence in China" into your Google search bar for proof!
by: Ernie Diaz
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