A China website project can begin with a short brief: why the change is needed, which problems matter most, and which decisions require headquarters’ involvement.
The following five groups of questions help China marketing teams prepare for that discussion.
Define what the website needs to accomplish
“The website needs an update” leaves too much open. Is the project supporting a rebrand, improving publishing, changing how products are presented, or making it easier to submit an inquiry?
Identify the visitor journeys that matter. A visitor might need to find a product, download a document, and contact the China team. That journey helps stakeholders decide which pages and functions belong in the initial scope.
Document the primary audience, priority tasks, and how you will verify that those tasks work after launch.
Separate global requirements from local decisions
Ask headquarters which requirements are mandatory and where local proposals are welcome. This may cover brand assets, page templates, domains, the CMS, hosting, and technical reviews.
Organize the answers under three labels: must retain, can adapt, and needs confirmation.
Specific questions are easier to resolve. For example:
Can the China team update product pages directly? Must the site use the global CMS? Which approvals are required before local publication?
Assign an owner to unresolved decisions. Record the expected confirmation date where possible, and treat open decisions as project dependencies.
Agree on content sources and approvals
List the global materials already available, the content requiring translation or adaptation, and the information the China team must supply. Identify who confirms product names, specifications, customer references, and brand claims.
Give each review a clear purpose. Language reviewers check expression, brand reviewers check consistency, and product owners confirm facts. A designated person should consolidate feedback into an actionable review.
Include content readiness in the project plan. Where materials are missing, decide whether they affect the initial launch or can follow later.
Identify the systems the website depends on
Forms, downloads, video, search, and product information may involve other systems. Ask the technical team to help document:
| Area | Questions to resolve |
|---|---|
| CMS | Who can edit, preview, and publish? |
| Inquiry forms | Where is information stored, and who follows up? |
| Product or document systems | Where does content come from, and who updates it? |
| Third-party functionality | What must remain, and who controls the accounts? |
| Domains and hosting | Who holds access and approves changes? |
Marketing can clarify the purpose of each function, while technical teams determine the implementation. Both the intended use and ongoing ownership should be explicit.
Define acceptance and post-launch responsibilities
Use specific pages and tasks in the acceptance checklist. Are product details complete? Can a mobile visitor submit an inquiry? Does the submission reach its intended destination?
Agree on the conditions for experience testing, including locations, devices, networks, and selected pages.
Finally, confirm who approves launch, handles issues afterward, and owns routine content updates and technical maintenance. Unresolved items should retain an owner and a next step.
Bring the decisions into a one-page brief
The first version can cover objectives, audiences, initial pages, important journeys, global requirements, content ownership, dependencies, acceptance, and post-launch responsibilities.
The brief will evolve. Its value is giving the China team, headquarters, and implementation partner a shared record of what has been decided and what still needs attention.