In an era where Chinese tourists are traveling the world again, Thai restaurants and tourism businesses must seriously adopt SEO and Dianping marketing strategies for Chinese tourism. Relying solely on Google or Facebook is no longer sufficient, as most Chinese consumers use their own platforms. Dianping (...)大众点评SEO is the most influential review and search platform in China, covering everything from restaurants, cafes, hotels, spas, to tourist attractions. Businesses that optimize their pages and information for Dianping have a higher chance of appearing at the top of search results and significantly increase their Chinese customer base.
This article will introduce you to the SEO and Dianping techniques that will help increase your restaurant's visibility to Chinese tourists, along with practical tips on how to implement SEO using Dianping for Thai restaurants.
1. Understand the Dianping ranking system.
The Dianping algorithm is not significantly different from Google, but it focuses primarily on user experience, using three key factors to rank stores through SEO and Dianping:
- The number and quality of reviews: Shops with many reviews and consistently new reviews are considered "active".“
- The completeness of the restaurant information—name, menu, photos, address, and opening/closing times—will result in a high credibility score from the system.
- Stores that respond to reviews, update menus, or post promotions will receive higher engagement scores.
Information from Hicom Asia It was stated that stores with an average of 4 stars or higher in reviews receive 601 more page views than % and have a higher chance of being selected than stores with no reviews at all. This means that "consistent page maintenance" is truly the key to achieving SEO on Dianping.
2. Complete your shop profile using Chinese keywords that customers use to search.
Many shops in Thailand miss this point because they fill in all the information in English, which makes them difficult to find by Chinese users.
- According to Chinese tourism marketing principles, the Chinese name of a shop must include keywords such as "“It's a beautiful scenery厅”(Thai restaurants in Bangkok)
- Write a clear and easy-to-understand description of the restaurant, including features like the menu, approximate prices, and nearby landmarks, such as: “近"BTS Asok" or "”靠近Terminal 21”
- Add tags related to popular search terms, such as: 必吃 (Must eat)
- Uploading high-quality images of food, atmosphere, and the actual storefront is a strategy to increase reviews and attract Chinese tourists, as Chinese users tend to judge based on overall appearance rather than descriptions. (Dianping)
Tip: Use Chinese keywords that directly match what people are actually searching for, such as: 泰餐, 打卡, 好吃To help the system understand the relevance of the restaurant to the search term, including these keywords not only makes SEO and Dianping more effective, but also aligns with the Chinese tourism marketing approach, which aims to provide clear, reliable, and user-friendly information about restaurants or cafes abroad.
3. Engage in reviews strategically.
Reviews are the fuel for SEO and Dianping because the system ranks candidates based on the number of recent reviews and response frequency.
- Friendly review request: After Chinese customers dine or use our services, they can scan a QR code to leave a review in exchange for a small discount or a souvenir such as a keychain or small doll. This is a natural way to improve the store's profile and get it to rank higher on the Dianping first page.
- Respond to reviews every time: Whether it's a positive or negative review from a Chinese customer, responding politely creates a good image, and the system will see that the store is "engaged."“
- Do not use fake reviews: Dianping has an AI system that monitors review behavior. If anomalies are detected, such as duplicate reviews from the same account, the store may have its rating permanently reduced.
Stores with over 100 reviews, and new reviews added every month, demonstrate significant engagement on Chinese platforms and have a much higher chance of ranking on the first page of similar store categories.
4. Update the page regularly to increase the active signal.
SEO and Dianping prioritize stores with continuous activity.
- Upload new menus, seasonal promotions, or updated photos of the atmosphere every 2–3 weeks.
- Use Chinese festivals (such as Chinese New Year or Golden Week holidays) to hold events or promotions to increase visibility.
- Link your Dianping account with the WeChat Official Account or Weibo Page to share posts and special deals to other Chinese social media platforms.
Stores that are frequently updated are perceived as still being open, which automatically improves their ranking and credibility.
5. Use search terms that match the store searching behavior of Chinese consumers.
Chinese tourists in Thailand often search using keywords that combine "city + type + highlight," such as:
- 曼谷 泰国菜 必吃 It means Thai food in Bangkok that you must try.
- 普吉 海鲜 推荐 This means recommended seafood restaurants in Phuket.
Incorporating these words into your store name, description, and tags within the system will increase your chances of appearing in local search results for Chinese users, based on the SEO and Dianping principles.
The SEO ranking on Dianping is extremely important for Thai restaurants, as over 70% Chinese tourists use the Dianping platform to search for restaurants before traveling. Restaurants ranked at the top of Dianping therefore have a significantly higher chance of receiving more views and bookings compared to restaurants with no reviews or incomplete information.
6. Create experiential review content.
On Dianping, users aren't just looking for delicious restaurants, but for shareable experiences.
- Record a short video of a signature dish or the restaurant's atmosphere, and post it to both Dianping and Xiaohongshu.
- Encourage Chinese customers to post reviews with real photos and descriptions, such as: 服务热情 (Good service)
- If you have a marketing budget for Chinese tourism, you should use KOL (a Chinese platform) or travel bloggers to review your business on Dianping and share it on Weibo or Douyin. This will help increase visibility and credibility for your business.
If you would like to learn more about restaurant reviews on Dianping, you can read more here. From food reviews to lifestyle: Dianping, a hub for modern marketing in China.
7. Utilize the O2O (Online to Offline) system to its full potential.
One of the key techniques for SEO and Dianping that many stores often overlook is making full use of the O2O (Online to Offline) system of Chinese review platforms like Dianping.
Dianping is part of the Meituan system, which supports table reservations, advance ordering, and in-app payment. Restaurants that enable this function have a higher chance of being recommended as popular restaurants in China because the system rates restaurants with higher actual transaction volumes. For example, a restaurant in Bangkok that offers exclusive discount coupons for Chinese customers would see an increase of 20–30% traffic on Dianping during peak tourist season. To increase SEO and Dianping traffic,
8. Monitor results and adjust strategies to attract Chinese customers.
Implementing SEO on Dianping isn't a one-time process; you should review the statistics monthly. For example:
- The search terms that bring the most users to the store.
- Number of new reviews and responses.
- Ranking of stores in the category
- The volume of clicks on deals or table reservations.
Next, use the data to refine your Chinese tourism marketing strategy, such as adding keywords that customers actually use in descriptions or adjusting tags to align with new trends. If you want to implement SEO on... Dianping, as a professional, can utilize the services of a professional Chinese agency. Chinese marketing services
summarize
The SEO and Dianping strategies combine complete and consistent data sharing. Stores that continuously update content, respond to reviews professionally, use relevant Chinese keywords that match customer behavior, and connect with other Chinese social media platforms will have a good chance of ranking highly.
Remember that over 70% Chinese tourists use Dianping before deciding on restaurants or hotels abroad. Investing a little time in implementing SEO and Dianping correctly can transform your restaurant into a top choice for Chinese tourists in a short time, according to Chinese tourism marketing principles.
If you own a restaurant, cafe, or tourism business and want to understand Chinese customer behavior and professionally implement SEO or Dianping strategies to rank highly in search results and truly reach Chinese tourists, you can contact the team at Hello Ads Co., Ltd. (HelloAds), experts in Dianping platforms and Chinese tourism marketing. Find them at Facebook Page: HelloAds or Website: https://helloads.net/contact-us/
