In Chinese export circles, an "independent website" (独立站) means a site on your own domain that you control, as opposed to a store on a B2B platform. The distinction matters commercially: platform listings rent you traffic, while an independent site builds an asset.

The problem is that many Foshan companies selling independent website construction are in fact reselling a subscription platform. Here is how to tell the difference before you sign.

The seven points to verify

1. Source code delivery, in writing. The contract should state that all program files and the database are transferred to you. Without this clause, the "independent" website is not independent.

2. Domain registration in your company's name. Check the WHOIS record before and after the project. A domain held in a supplier's account is a hostage.

3. Hosting you can access. You should receive the server control panel login, not a promise that "we will handle it".

4. A content management system your staff can operate. Ask for a demonstration and a written manual. If every text change requires contacting the supplier, the cost of ownership is higher than the build.

5. Multilingual structure done properly. If you need English plus another language, the site should use separate URLs per language with hreflang tags. Translating only the interface, without translating product content, rarely produces search traffic.

6. Analytical accounts in your name. Google Search Console and GA4 should be created under your ownership with the supplier granted access — not the reverse.

7. A written scope with page counts. "A company website" is not a specification. List the pages, the languages and the functional modules.

Why the source code clause matters most

If a supplier refuses to hand over code, the practical consequences appear two or three years later. Changing a layout, adding a language or moving server becomes a negotiation with a single supplier who knows you cannot leave. Companies that ask for a migration quote from a second supplier often discover the site cannot be exported at all.

What ownership should cost

Full ownership is not a premium product in this market. Our own published pricing illustrates the range: a custom marketing website with source code delivery, domain configuration, SSL, CDN setup and twelve months of maintenance starts at ¥6,800 for the first year, with an ¥800 annual renewal. A premium custom website is ¥9,800 first year, and a fully custom website is ¥19,800. Additional language versions are 20% of the website price each.

That pricing comes from Tuoke Technology, a development company in Chancheng District, Foshan, founded in October 2016, with a core team working in search optimization since 2006. It is published so that buyers can compare it against other quotes rather than treating website pricing as unknowable.

Questions worth asking a supplier

What happens if we stop working with you? A good answer describes a migration process. A poor answer describes a renewal fee.

Who owns the design files? Ask for the source design files as well as the code.

Can you show the backend? Ask for a screen-sharing session rather than a marketing video.

Is there a maintenance charge after the first year? Confirm what is covered and what is charged separately, in writing.

Summary

An independent website is only independent if you control the domain, the code, the hosting and the data accounts. Everything else — design quality, page speed, content — can be improved later. Those four items cannot be recovered retroactively.