Guide · Chinese Websites

The Chinese Website Guide: Hosting, ICP Licence, Speed and Baidu

What a website for Chinese users really needs — and what it doesn't. Why sites hosted outside Mainland China can rank very well on Baidu, how to solve the speed problem, and how to get language, technology and indexing right.

Published: 2026-09-28
Updated: 2026-09-28

By the Jademond Digital team. Jademond Digital builds SEO and GEO for Chinese websites of international companies, so we see these questions in almost every project. This guide is not legal advice; for licensing questions in regulated industries, consult a lawyer familiar with Chinese internet law.

The Short Answer

You do not need Mainland hosting or an ICP licence to rank on Baidu. Websites hosted outside Mainland China — and therefore without an ICP licence — can rank very well on Baidu.
Mainland hosting is mainly a speed topic. Sites hosted abroad can load slowly or incompletely for users in China, which hurts users, conversions and rankings.
Speed can be solved without moving to the Mainland. Hosting close to China, such as in Hong Kong, removing blocked resources and using services like Chinafy solve most of the problem.
Language and technology matter more than location. Native Simplified Chinese content, clean technical SEO and a verified Baidu Webmaster Tools account decide most rankings.
Your website is the first digital touchpoint. Chinese users who hear about you on social media, in ads or in AI answers check your website — make sure it loads and convinces.

Myth: No ICP Licence, No Baidu Rankings

The most expensive misunderstanding in Chinese web projects is that a website must be hosted in Mainland China, with an ICP licence, to appear on Baidu. It is not true. Baidu indexes and ranks websites hosted anywhere, and many sites hosted in Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe or the United States rank on page one for competitive Chinese keywords.

Our own ranking factor research supports this: in Jademond Digital's 2023/2024 Baidu ranking factors study, fewer than 50% of top-ranking pages displayed an ICP number in their footer.

Baidu's rules can change, and we watch them closely — in a case we documented in 2024, a site without ICP filing was shown with a warning label in Baidu results. We have not seen this applied systematically, and it does not change the core point: hosting and licensing are a speed and compliance decision, not a ranking requirement. More background: ICP licence and hosting myths.

What the ICP Is — and When You Need One

ICP Basics

ICP filing: A registration with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Every website hosted on a server in Mainland China needs one before it goes live.
ICP commercial licence: An additional licence for certain commercial online services, such as some e-commerce and paid online services. Most corporate and product websites need a filing, not a commercial licence.
Who can apply: Filings are made by Chinese entities (and individuals with Chinese ID for private sites), usually through the hosting provider. Foreign companies generally need a Chinese entity or partner.
How long it takes: From a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on the province, provider and documents.
When you need it: Only if you host in Mainland China. Sites hosted outside the Mainland do not need, and cannot get, an ICP filing.

Hosting Options Compared

Where to Host a Chinese Website

There is no single right answer. It depends on your budget, your legal setup in China and how important speed is for your business model.

Mainland China: Fastest for users in China. Requires ICP filing, a Chinese entity or partner, and local hosting contracts; content must follow Chinese regulations.
Hong Kong: The most common choice without ICP. Close to the Mainland with good connectivity; usually fast enough, especially combined with speed optimisation.
Elsewhere in Asia: Singapore, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan can also work well. Test the actual speed from Mainland China before deciding.
Europe or North America: Possible, and it can rank. Without optimisation, loading is often slow or incomplete in China; an acceleration service is strongly recommended.
Acceleration services: Services such as Chinafy optimise global and China-hosted websites for China, including blocked third-party resources that normal hosting and CDNs cannot fix. Chinafy works without an ICP licence or Mainland hosting.

The Real Problem: Speed and Blocked Resources

A website can be online and still broken in China. Many sites load resources from services that are blocked or slow behind the Great Firewall. The page may wait for them for many seconds, or show without fonts, forms or maps. Chinese users leave, and Baidu sees a slow site.

Common Culprits

More detail in our article on optimising your website for Mainland China.

Google Fonts: Host fonts on your own server, or use a system Chinese font stack. Our Chinese font stack generator helps.
Google reCAPTCHA: Blocked in China — forms protected by it cannot be submitted. Use an alternative that works in China.
Google Maps and YouTube embeds: Replace with images, links or Chinese alternatives such as Baidu Maps, Amap or Chinese video platforms.
External scripts and CDNs: Chat widgets, social plugins, tag scripts and CDN domains may be blocked or slow. Load what you can from your own server and remove what you do not need.
Heavy pages: Large images and scripts hurt more on slow cross-border connections. General speed optimisation pays off twice in China.

Test your site from inside Mainland China — with testing tools that offer Chinese locations, and ideally with real users on Chinese mobile networks. A test from your office abroad tells you nothing about the experience in China.

Domain and Language

Domain Choices

Separate Chinese domain: A .cn or .com.cn domain signals a Chinese site; .cn domains require real-name verification. See .com or .cn domain for Baidu SEO and our list of TLDs in China.
Subdomain or subfolder: A zh or cn section of your global site works for many companies, if it is fast in China and has its own complete Chinese content.
Consistency: Use the same brand name, Chinese brand name and facts across your site, Baidu, social accounts and marketplaces — AI assistants and users compare them.

Chinese Language Quality

Simplified Chinese: For Mainland China, use Simplified characters; Traditional Chinese is for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Our Chinese language detector checks what a text actually uses.
Native writing: Machine translation is easy to spot and weakens trust, conversions and citations. Every page should pass native Chinese QA.
Real Chinese in layouts: Design with real Chinese text or realistic Chinese filler text — Chinese needs different line heights, lengths and fonts than English.
Search terms: Research the terms Chinese users search for, on Baidu and on the platforms. Direct translations of your English keywords often miss.

Technical SEO for Baidu

Technical Checklist

Baidu Webmaster Tools: Verify your site and submit URLs. See Baidu Webmaster Tools setup.
Indexing: Baidu indexes more slowly and selectively than Google. Use active URL submission; see the standard indexing tool and alternatives to XML sitemaps.
Crawlability: Serve important content in the HTML rather than only through JavaScript; check robots.txt and Baidu's spiders.
Mobile: Most Chinese users are on mobile; see mobile adaptation.
Structured content: Clear headings, specific facts, tables and FAQs help Baidu and AI assistants understand and quote your pages.
Index drops: If pages disappear from Baidu, see common causes of index drops.

Conversion Details for Chinese Users

Contact options Chinese users expect: WeChat, a Chinese phone number or a simple Chinese form
Forms that work in China, without blocked captcha or scripts
Payment methods such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, if you sell online
Content that answers local questions: availability in China, service, certifications, Chinese references
Privacy information that reflects China's Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) when you collect personal data from users in China

How the Website Fits the Whole Picture

Chinese users meet brands on many platforms — Baidu, Douyin, Rednote, WeChat and AI assistants. Social platforms are touchpoints, but the website is where users check facts and where Baidu and AI assistants find detailed, quotable information. See our Chinese GEO guide for how AI assistants use websites, the step-by-step guide to Baidu SEO for rankings, and our China marketing costs guide for what to budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an ICP licence to rank on Baidu?: No. Websites hosted outside Mainland China, and therefore without an ICP licence, can rank very well on Baidu. In Jademond Digital's 2023/2024 ranking factors study, fewer than 50% of top-ranking pages displayed an ICP number.
Should I host my website in Mainland China?: Only if speed in China is critical and you have a Chinese entity or partner for the ICP filing. For most international companies, hosting close to China, such as in Hong Kong, combined with speed optimisation is enough.
Can a foreign company get an ICP licence?: Generally not directly. ICP filings are made by Chinese entities through the hosting provider, so foreign companies need a Chinese entity or partner.
Why is my website slow in China?: Usually because of distance and the Great Firewall, and because the site loads blocked resources such as Google Fonts, reCAPTCHA, Google Maps, YouTube or external scripts. Removing them and hosting closer to China solve most problems.
What does Chinafy do?: Chinafy is a service that optimises global and China-hosted websites so they load fast and completely in China, including blocked third-party resources. It works without an ICP licence or Mainland hosting.
Should I use a .cn domain?: It can help signal a Chinese site, but it is not required for Baidu rankings. A subfolder or subdomain of your global site can work if the Chinese content is complete and fast in China.
Can I use machine translation for my Chinese website?: Only as a draft. Native Chinese writing and quality assurance are needed for trust, conversions, Baidu rankings and AI citations.
Does Baidu use Google Analytics or Google Search Console data?: No. Set up Baidu Webmaster Tools to submit URLs and monitor indexing, and use analytics that work reliably in China.