SEO in China (2015) – Invest in Content and Backlinks

If your aim is to get indexed on search engines, an SEO-focused strategy on its own will not help you reach your objective. You need to combine different digital marketing tools if you want to make sure you appear in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), be it on Google or other search engines.

It is also the case in China: SEO alone is not enough to achieve a good ranking on Baidu. You must combine content marketing and link building.

We will dig into these three digital marketing tools to help you define your strategy on the Chinese web.

WHAT MATTERS TO BAIDU REGARDING ITS ALGORITHM?

Just like Google, Baidu’s algorithm has its own specifications and there are a number of elements you can leverage in order to be better ranked on the Chinese search engine.

Regarding domain, it is best if you base your website in China and your second best option is to go for a Hong Kong-based website. It should have short URLs and a simple structure, allowing Internet users to get to the searched information in just a few clicks. There are some programming languages you should avoid if you want Baidu crawlers to scan your website’s pages: instead of Flash or Javascript, use HTML. Titles and metadata are also of importance and you should make sure these are optimized.

Content is obviously closely linked to an SEO strategy and Baidu favors websites with consistent and fresh engaging content. You should therefore provide updated content with useful information. We will now delve deeper into marketing content.

GO FOR CONTENT MARKETING TO APPEAR ON CHINESE SEARCH ENGINE

Quality content is what will make your website more relevant to Baidu which will then rank your web pages better and make them visible by including them on its SERP. You should thus add high-impression keywords to your pages. A good way for you to choose these effective keywords is to get help from the online tools made available by the Chinese search engine: Baidu’s Feng Yun Bang, Index and Keyword Research Tool are effective solutions to understand how to optimize your content.

You should however avoid drowning your web pages in keywords or you might be penalized by Baidu. Limiting the density in keywords to about 1% is a good way to ensure appropriate quality content.

LINK BUILDING WILL HELP YOUR WEBSITE RANK ON BAIDU

 

Internal and external linking will help you in many ways.

First of all, internal links guide Internet users to the right information: a simple way to make navigation through your web pages easier and to improve user experience. Internal linking also boosts your ranking since it shows Baidu that your website has consistent content within its pages and that it is well-structured.

External linking, on the other hand, corresponds to the broadcasting of content to a larger audience. Indeed, that way you redirect Internet users to additional information you think will interest them. It is a sign you want to reach a qualified and targeted audience. In order to optimize this strategy, make sure the links you point to are of quality, authority websites.

Also – and this is even more effective regarding ranking on Baidu – you should also aim at being redirected from these websites. Being included in a high ranked site shows Baidu that your website provides trustworthy content, leading to a better ranking for your own website.

SET A PRECISE AND COHERENT STRATEGY

The first step of any marketing strategy is to know where you’re going. It works the same way when establishing your digital marketing strategy: you need to know what you are aiming at.

You must define and get insight on your target. If your objective is to reach several types of customer profiles, a differentiated strategy should be settled for each of them, just like you would in traditional marketing.

You should also know beforehand what your concrete objective is and establish how you are going to measure it. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as content sharing, call-to-action conversion rates, and links to content, or engagement are an efficient means to assess the results of your digital marketing actions.

You must understand that the different digital marketing strategy tools should not be seen as independent actions: they are used to reach common goals. A clear image of what you want to achieve and how to want to achieve it will simplify the whole process.

Further readings:

1. Mistakes to avoid when building SEO in China
2. Use social media to make business in China
3. SEO in China For Ecommerce