China websites: should Baidu Tongji replace GA, and how to speed up a site hosted abroad
Install both Baidu Tongji and GA on a China website: Baidu integrates Baidu ads data, while GA analyses better but is often disrupted in mainland China. No tool fixes slowness from overseas hosting; move servers, add a CDN and optimise the site.
Should a China website replace GA with Baidu Tongji?
There's no one-size-fits-all answer, so here are the pros and cons to help you decide. Baidu Tongji is Baidu's free web analytics tool.
Strengths of Baidu Tongji
- Baidu search ads (SEM) data sits in the same platform, so it is easy to check and analyse;
- it shows organic search data, including some search terms other tools don't reveal;
- it offers visit-level detail for individual visitors and heatmaps;
- its servers are in China, so data collection is usually stable.
Weaknesses of Baidu Tongji
- the interface is Chinese only, which doesn't suit colleagues at headquarters;
- compared with GA, the data is less granular and cross-analysis is weaker;
- some important conversion analysis features are in paid editions; check the official site for current prices.
Our advice: install both, and know GA's blind spot
Overall, we recommend installing both GA and Baidu Tongji; together they support much deeper analysis.
Be aware that GA data collection is often disrupted in mainland China. A GreatFire test in July 2026 found GA's collection endpoint fully blocked there. Data on mainland visitors in GA is therefore likely to be undercounted, so don't draw conclusions from GA alone. To check and fix your tracking, see our GA4 tracking case study.
Our website is hosted in Europe. Can a tool make it faster in China?
Unfortunately the slowness is physical, caused by distance and network routes, so no tool can fully fix it. There are three main ways to speed up the site for visitors in China:
- move the China website's server to mainland China;
- buy a CDN acceleration service;
- optimise the China website's code, for example compressing images and cutting external resources.
Note that hosting in mainland China or using CDN nodes there requires an ICP filing first, so plan time for it. Also, Google Fonts, maps and scripts that many overseas sites load are slow or unavailable in China and drag down the whole page; replace them as part of the optimisation.
Speed matters. Don't pour money into marketing while the website itself lets you down.
Key Data & Sources
| Data | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility of google-analytics.com/collect in mainland China (tested 7 July 2026) | fully blocked | GreatFire.org |
FAQ
Should a China website use Baidu Tongji or Google Analytics?
Both. Baidu Tongji integrates Baidu ads data and collects reliably in China; GA analyses better but is often disrupted in mainland China, so mainland visitor data may be undercounted.
What are Baidu Tongji's weaknesses?
A Chinese-only interface, less granular data and weaker cross-analysis than GA, and some key conversion features only in paid editions.
How can a site hosted abroad load faster in China?
Move the server to mainland China, use a CDN and optimise the site. Hosting or using CDN nodes in mainland China requires an ICP filing first.