Some useful but obvious prerequisites for succeeding online in China are as follows :

.CN domain name

The local Internet address is signifying a site is based in China, is the obvious starting point for any brand.  if you have not already done so, you should immediately register your .cn identity. Most businesses tend to use the recognized original Australian registrar (Melbourne IT) but unfortunately their pricing is far from 'competitive'. The deregulated domain registration industry now allows sites such as domainsve.com.au to pass on the wholesale savings available from the massive competition now in this space. In other words, a .cn domain name which would cost $270 per annum through Melbourne IT (as at Feb 2008), costs only $33 per annum through domainsave.com.au, to secure exactly the same service. 

Possessing a .CN address starts the process of online capability as it offers brand protection in China, and with the right supplementary activity will provide better rankings and growth in traffic to your site.

Domain name rules

the main issues to consider when registering a China domain name are :

• cannot begin or end with a hyphen
• must contain at least three characters
• uses only letters and numbers or hyphens 

Web Hosting

Unlike the simplicity of the normal decision in relation to where to host your business website (which normally involves whether to host onsite, elsewhere onshore within Australia, or offshore in one of the competent facilities with massive bandwidth offered in the United States) a focus on marketing within China requires a different approach.

Firstly, you are likely to be far more successful, and your site far more accessible, if you are hosted within China.  People tend to forget that Web content is subject to censorship in China. Unlike the freedom of speech we have come to take for granted in Australia, there is no guarantee of any such freedom if you choose to operate your business online in China. Failure to respect local customs and guidelines could result in severe ramifications for your business. Additionally, there is frequently a large amount of paperwork, quite possibly written only in Chinese, which requires completion before you gain a substantial presence on the web. If you do not host inside mainland China, you also run the risk of this site being very slow for visitors within China. , firstly you site hosted in China may well perform very poorly for people who access it from areas outside of China in other words, your business will more than likely have a specific Web presence is dedicated to, and solely targeting, potential customers who live in and browse the Web from China.

Chinese Language

To operate within the China market place online, it is essential you speak their language, and present your website in their language. To capitalise on the above-mentioned tactics, it is of the utmost importance to translate your content, and keep it up to date in, simplified Chinese text. This will ensure the value of the site to your visitors from China, and potentially increase its usefulness in markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, also using simplified Chinese text when using the web.

Site Structure

As always, the design, layout, accessibility, and uniqueness of your interesting content applies just as importantly when targeting the Chinese user as it does in the global English-speaking market.

Search engines
also somewhat difficult to comprehend to those of us are familiar with the online marketplace, is a Google is really a minnow in the Chinese market. With well under 20% of market share Google struggles against the Chinese incumbents such as :

• Baidu.com
• Sina.com

To illustrate the somewhat different world we are dealing with, the following is a TV and  advertisement for the Baidu search engine :

The ad was kindly translated by Silicon Valley's ValleyWag. Enough said !

Of course, will compete heavily again the incumbents search tools, and bring with it its usual range of leading-edge services and tools to coax users across. But as shown above, China is a very different market to what most of us are used to operating in, and it would be fair to expect even as the bohemoth that is Google to encounter some difficulty gaining massive market share.

Promotion

Promotion in the China market place relies more heavily than usual on pay placement. Sina and Baidu charge a fee for placement of your website in their directory, and there is a process of the monthly payment and to guarantee a top-10 ranking for your website based on the purchased keyword.

The usual Pay Per Click marketing options are also available in their "Chinese flavour".

Growth

The figures available on China Internet usage are truly staggering. Visit domainsave.com.au China Domain Registration for some details on the potential of this massive, awe-inspiring and challenging market - that is a potential gold mine for your tourism business if approached correctly.