China creates a great opportunity for foreign businesses, but it’s not an easy market. Everything is different when it comes to digital China, people have their own social media platforms, e-commerce sites and even websites are not the same. Having a website working in China is not as easy as most people think.
The first problem is the slow loading time on international websites. An exceedingly large percentage of sites take more than five seconds to open when accessed from within the country. This is an unacceptable rate by modern standards as visitors expect pages to be loaded in no more than two seconds.
Two primary factors contribute to this issue: Limited Peering capacity and The Great Firewall of China.
Limited Peering Capacity
The Chinese internet landscape is distinct from the rest of the world, with four leading providers dominating almost all online activity. Their presence and influence are pervasive, making them key players in this digital space.
Despite the low cost of internet exchange in China, it is often congested. Unfortunately, the leading providers have been reticent to open to other providers. This leaves only a few internet exchange points available as possible solutions for settling down this problem.
Furthermore, connecting with these providers outside of China is quite costly, particularly in Asia. By directly peering with them, businesses are more likely to have to pay a premium price.
The infamous Great Firewall of China
The Great Firewall of China holds the power to instantly block any content that fails to comply with Chinese regulations. Thus, even if your website is based in China, it could be either slow or completely non-functional if marked by the Great Firewall.
To guarantee your business visibility within this market, optimizing for the China sector is crucial. However, most of the time these attempts are futile. That said, regular monitoring and performance testing of your online presence are fundamental when operating in China.
The Great Firewall of China also prevents access to many essential digital libraries and applications that engineers rely on, as well as Western social media giants Google, Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter.
The reasons why your website is blocked in China
The Chinese government has maintained an authoritative hold over cultural change and information, shielding its citizens from foreign ideas. This includes exposure to sensitive state secrets that could defame the government, stirring division or insurrection within China’s borders, championing intolerance of ethnic groups, and promoting violence, obscenity, or resistance to authority. Spreading rumors is also prohibited by law.
How to check if your website is blocked by China’s Great Firewall
If you’re looking to determine if a website is available in China, you can use an online service like chinafirewalltest.com. Through these services, you can find out quickly.
Your website is working but it’s too slow
Beyond limited peering capacity and the Great Wall of China, there are a few other contributing factors that can affect your website loading time;
The size of your web – If your site or the mobile page has too much content, it will significantly increase the time required to load all components.
The component of your page – Similar to size, if you use multiple social media platforms within one page, it could lead to errors in resolution or appear incomplete when viewed from Chinese networks.
DNS Issues – Resolving DNS issues in China can be a challenge since the system must search for your particular record on the international web which slows down processing speed.
Loading time has a massive negative impact on your online business
Are you aware that customers now expect websites to load in a mere three seconds or less? More than half of users will immediately leave the site if it takes more than three seconds for loading, and even one second of delay can cause a significant drop in conversions.
To become successful in China, your website must be quick. If your website loads in just a few seconds then on average, chances are, you will lose half of your visitors permanently; moreover, it reflects badly on your brand’s reputation there.
How to improve your website’s performance in China?
Host Your Website in China
Accelerate your website’s loading speed and performance by hosting in China. The first step is applying for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) License, which will enable you to collaborate with a local Chinese web hosting service provider. With the ICP license secured, you’ll be on your way to increasing site traffic in this dynamic market.
A valid Internet Content Provider license, issued by the Chinese government, is absolutely essential to host your website from a China server. Hosting providers are firm in their obligation of enforcing this law; therefore, you won’t be able to get your domain and hosting established without it. Your site can never go online if you don’t hold one of these licenses!
To make sure your website is loading quickly and optimally, you will need to display your ICP license number in the footer of your site. While it won’t enhance performance directly, having an ICP license is necessary for obtaining hosting from a local provider that can deliver content lightning-fast.
Use a China CDN
To maximize the speed of your website, you should consider employing a Chinese Content Delivery Network (CDN). This technology caches your site content and promptly loads it according to its viewer’s geographical location. Utilizing a China CDN further assists in breaking down entry barriers into this market while still guaranteeing top-notch performance.
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We are China’s top-rated marketing agency, and we provide the solutions that will make your business dreams a reality. We specialize in providing tailored solutions to businesses wishing to enter the Chinese market and can ensure that your website will be optimized for blazing-fast speeds.
Our team of experts is well-versed in understanding the intricacies of China’s unique infrastructure, allowing them to engineer a custom solution for your business.
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