For many Western companies, China looks like just another large market—until they try to launch their digital strategy there.
Websites load slowly or not at all. Google Analytics shows no data. Social media campaigns can’t even be launched. SEO efforts bring zero traffic. Suddenly, proven strategies stop working.
This is not because your strategy is bad. It’s because China’s digital ecosystem is fundamentally different.
China Is Not a “Localised Version” of the West
Most Western digital strategies are built on assumptions:
- Google is the default search engine
- Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube drive awareness
- GA4 tracks user behaviour
- Cloud hosting works globally
In China, none of these assumptions holds.
Instead, users rely on:
- Baidu for search
- WeChat is the central digital hub
- Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) and Douyin for discovery
- Local hosting, CDNs, and analytics tools
Trying to reuse a Western digital setup in China almost always leads to failure. We maintain a comprehensive checklist of Western services and technologies that do not work in the Chinese market. Contact us to access the full list and start optimising your website for China.
The 5 Most Common Reasons Western Strategies Fail in China
1. Your Website Is Technically Unusable
Websites hosted outside mainland China often suffer from:
- Extremely slow load times
- Broken scripts and fonts
- Blocked third-party services
Speed is not just a UX issue in China—it determines whether users stay at all.
2. Your SEO Strategy Is Built for Google, Not Baidu
Baidu evaluates websites very differently:
- Metadata and on-page structure matter more
- Content freshness is critical
- Chinese-language depth outweighs backlinks
A Google-first SEO strategy rarely performs on Baidu without major adaptation.
3. Your Brand Lacks Local Trust Signals
Trust works very differently in China.
Western brands often assume that a strong global reputation automatically translates into local credibility. In reality, Chinese users look for local proof before engaging:
- Presence on trusted local platforms (WeChat, Baidu, RED)
- Chinese-language brand storytelling
- Local reviews, mentions, or media exposure
Without these trust signals, even well-designed websites feel distant or unreliable to local users.
4. Your Content Is Translated, Not Localised
Direct translation often results in:
- Awkward phrasing
- Incorrect tone
- Missing cultural context
Chinese users can instantly tell when content was written “for foreigners.”
5. You Are Missing the Platforms That Matter
In China:
- Websites are just one touchpoint
- Social platforms drive discovery and trust
- QR codes connect everything
Without WeChat, RED, or Douyin, your digital presence is incomplete.
How to Fix Your Digital Strategy for China
A successful China digital strategy requires rethinking—not tweaking—your approach:
- Build a China-ready website (hosting, CDN, performance)
- Replace Western analytics with compliant local solutions
- Refresh content with cultural intent, not literal translation
- Integrate WeChat and Chinese social platforms into the journey
- Implement local ****SEO
China is not “hard” because it is hostile to foreign brands. It is hard because it plays by different rules.
Companies that respect those rules—and adapt early—often outperform local competitors.
At gala digital, we help Western companies rebuild their digital foundations for China, not just translate them.
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