In the era of trade globalization and network digitization, the importance of the Chinese market is self-evident, attracting global companies to compete. Before entering the Chinese market, it is critical for foreign companies to understand and adapt to its unique online environment and regulatory requirements. This article will explore website hosting services for the Chinese market, and discuss in depth the particularities of the Chinese market, firewalls, ICP requirements, the importance of website access speed to SEO, website speed testing in China and introduction to hosting service providers.

The particularity of China’s Internet market

China is one of the largest Internet markets in the world. However, its online environment is significantly different from other countries.

1. Internet censorship and firewalls

China’s online censorship mechanism, often referred to as the “Great Firewall,” is a tool used by the Chinese government to regulate Internet content. According to Freedom House’s Internet Freedom Report (2021), China is rated as one of the countries with the most stringent Internet censorship in the world. This review system covers broad regulation of website content and Internet communications.

According to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), as of the end of 2021, China’s Internet users reached 970 million, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total number of global Internet users. However, China’s online censorship mechanism has resulted in many global Internet giants being restricted or even blocked in the Chinese market. This has a significant impact on a business’s online visibility and information dissemination.

2. Internet user behavior and preferences

The behavior and preferences of Chinese users on the Internet are also different from those in other countries. According to Statista, as of 2021, China is the world’s largest mobile Internet market, with 820 million mobile Internet users. This means mobile apps and mobile-friendly websites are crucial.

Additionally, China’s social media ecosystem is different from other countries. For example, WeChat is one of the largest social media platforms in China, with over 1 billion monthly active users. This is crucial for businesses to establish an online social media presence in the Chinese market.

In general, the particularity of China’s Internet market lies in its powerful Internet censorship mechanism and user behavior and preferences that are different from other countries. Understanding and adapting to these peculiarities is critical to success in the Chinese market, especially when customizing your website hosting services.

ICP Requirements and Compliance

1. What is ICP filing?

When operating a website in China, ICP filing (Internet Content Provider filing) is a regulatory requirement and is crucial for all individuals and organizations providing website services in China. ICP filing aims to ensure the compliance and traceability of Internet content. According to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), websites without ICP registration will not be able to legally provide services in China, which means they may be blocked or banned.

The main purposes of ICP filing include:

• Moderate Internet content to prevent the spread of illegal, immoral or sensitive content.
• Protect the rights and interests of Internet users, including personal information and privacy.
• Helping the Chinese government track and manage online information.

2. ICP filing process

ICP filing is a complex process that needs to be completed in accordance with strict steps and requirements. The following are the main steps of the ICP filing process:

• Preparation materials: Before starting the filing, website operators need to prepare a series of necessary documents, including business license, legal representative identity certificate, domain name registration certificate, server hosting contract, etc.
• Select the filing entity: The website operator needs to determine the filing entity, which can be a company, individual business owner or individual.
• Application for registration number: Submit the application in MIIT’s registration management system, fill in the relevant information, and upload the required documents.
• Filing review: MIIT will review the application and check whether the submitted documents are complete and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Issuance of registration number: After passing the review, MIIT will issue a registration number, allowing the website to operate legally in China.
• Update and maintenance: Website operators need to regularly update the filing information to ensure its compliance.

3. ICP filing and hosting services

Choosing a compliant hosting provider is one of the key steps to ensure successful ICP filing. Compliant hosting providers typically have the experience to help customers understand filing requirements, assist in preparing documents required for filing, and provide a stable server environment. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), compliant hosting service providers are usually more likely to obtain government approval during the registration process, ensuring that websites can operate stably in China.

ICP filing is crucial for operating a website in China. It helps ensure the website’s compliance, traceability and legality. Understanding the ICP filing process and choosing a compliant hosting provider are one of the key factors to ensure the successful operation of a website in the Chinese market. Compliance with filing requirements also helps safeguard the rights and interests of Internet users and information security.

The importance of website access speed to SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of strategies and techniques used to improve a website’s ranking and visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO is designed to make a website more discoverable when users perform relevant searches, thereby increasing organic traffic, increasing brand awareness, and increasing the number of potential customers.

1. Website access speed and SEO

Website access speed plays a vital role in SEO and has a direct impact on search engine rankings. Here are some data and facts that highlight the importance of website speed to SEO:

• Search engine algorithm factors: As China’s largest search engine, Baidu has made it clear that site speed is a key factor in its ranking algorithm. According to Baidu’s official blog, slow sites may be penalized in search results, while fast-loading sites have a higher chance of ranking higher.
• User experience: A fast-loading website provides a better user experience. According to research by Akamai, 47% of consumers expect webpages to load in no more than 2 seconds, and slow loading may cause visitors to leave the website early, increasing the bounce rate.
• Mobile Optimization: Site speed on mobile devices is especially important for SEO because more and more users are searching on mobile devices. According to Google, if a website takes too long to load on a mobile device, users are likely to abandon the visit within 3 seconds.

2. Methods to optimize website speed

To optimize website speed for better SEO performance, here are some strategies and techniques that can be adopted depending on the situation:

• Content Delivery Network (CDN): Using a CDN, website content can be distributed to servers around the world, reducing the loading time for visitors. Akamai and Cloudflare are popular CDN providers.
• Compress images and files: Compressing images and files can reduce page load times. Tools like TinyPNG and Gzip can help achieve this.
• Browser cache: Enabling browser cache can make your website load faster when visitors return.
• Optimize code: Simplifying and optimizing your website code can reduce page load times.
• Choose the right hosting: Choose a fast and reliable hosting provider, consider server location to reduce access time.

Optimizing website speed not only helps improve search engine rankings, but also provides a better user experience, which is especially important in the Chinese market. By adopting appropriate strategies and techniques, webmasters can improve website speed and thus SEO performance.

Website speed testing method for Chinese users

When testing website speed, it is often more accurate to use speed testing tools based in China. There are some differences between China’s Internet infrastructure and other countries, so domestic speed testing tools can better simulate the real experience of Chinese users.

There were two famous speed test tools before, 360 website speed test and Baidu website speed test, both of which no longer provide services. The following are currently available online speed measurement tools.

• PingCN, https://ping.chinaz.com/
• 17CE, https://wx.17ce.com/index/index/speed

Introduction to website hosting services in China

Competition in the website hosting service market in mainland China is fierce. Well-known hosting service providers include Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud, Baidu Cloud, etc. These hosting service providers are industry leaders in terms of technical strength and business coverage.

• Alibaba Cloud: China’s largest cloud computing service provider. According to statistics from Mogujie, Alibaba Cloud’s China public cloud IaaS market share reached 37% in the third quarter of 2021, continuing to rank first in the industry (Mogujie, 2021). Alibaba Cloud is headquartered in Hangzhou, has powerful server clusters and global nodes, and provides domain name registration, cloud servers, object storage and other products.
• Tencent Cloud: It has developed rapidly in recent years and has become Alibaba Cloud’s strongest competitor in China’s public cloud market. In the third quarter of 2021, Tencent Cloud’s share was 18%, ranking second (Mogujie, 2021). Tencent Cloud is headquartered in Shenzhen and has a complete product matrix. Important products include cloud servers, databases and big data services.
• Huawei Cloud: The public cloud service launched by Huawei, a global leader in cloud technology and innovation, has rapidly increased its market share in China in recent years. In the third quarter of 2021, Huawei Cloud’s share reached 9%, ranking third (Mogujie, 2021). Huawei Cloud provides a wide range of product lines and powerful functions, including CDN, domain names, cloud databases, etc.
• Baidu Cloud: Founded in 2011, it has advantages in the high-end service field with its strong artificial intelligence technology strength. In the third quarter of 2021, China’s public cloud market share was 3% (Mogujie, 2021). Baidu Cloud is headquartered in Beijing, and its key businesses include AI cloud, big data processing and blockchain services.

Conclusion

In the face of the huge Chinese Internet market and 1.4 billion users, we emphasize that website hosting services need to consider the particularity, ICP filing compliance and the impact of website access speed on SEO. These factors are crucial to the success of digital marketing in China, and foreign enterprises should fully understand and meet these requirements to provide high-quality online experiences and satisfy more Chinese users’ quick access experience.