Based on Google's and OpenAI's official documentation and Clickto's own testing (October 2026). Chinese AI search platforms have not published how they choose sources; those sections are observations and recommendations, not official rules.
1. What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?
Generative engine optimization (GEO) aims to make AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, 豆包 and DeepSeek recognise your company, mention it and cite it. SEO competes for rankings; GEO competes for a place in the answer.
They are not alternatives. Google states that appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode needs no additional special optimization, no special structured data and no new "AI text files"; a page must simply be indexed and eligible to show in Google Search with a snippet1. GEO still rests on SEO.
2. Three different GEO outcomes
"Being recommended by AI" is really three outcomes, and each should be measured separately:
| Outcome | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Brand recognition | AI correctly says who you are | Asked "what company is X?", it gets your business, location and website right |
| Brand mention | AI names you in relevant answers | Asked "recommend B2B marketing agencies", your name appears |
| Website citation | AI links to your site as a source | The answer's source links point to your website |
Recognition comes first: if AI gets you wrong, mentions and citations can spread wrong information.
3. Why AI can get your company wrong: one test
We once asked ChatGPT (with web search): "What kind of company is [a Chinese export brand], and is it reliable?" In that test it merged the brand with two unrelated companies with similar names, credited their customer numbers and awards to the brand, and did not cite the brand's website.
This was a single test, not a general finding about every AI or every brand. When we checked, there was no reliable source clearly linking the brand's Chinese name, English name and website, which may have been one contributing factor. For most exporters, the first GEO step is not more articles but clear, consistent identity information.
4. Step one: make your company easier to recognise
- Use the same Chinese name, English name, registered entity and website everywhere
- Publish a company facts page: what you do, who you serve, where you are, and which names refer to the same company
- Add Organization structured data (name, alternateName, legalName) that matches the visible text1. Structured data helps search engines understand your identity, but it does not guarantee that AI will recognise or cite you
- Use the same description on LinkedIn, WeChat, Zhihu and industry platforms
5. Step two: let AI crawlers in
- ChatGPT. OpenAI uses OAI-SearchBot to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features and recommends allowing it in robots.txt2. Allowing crawling is a precondition, not a guarantee of appearing in ChatGPT search results. GPTBot is used for model training; you can decide on it separately2.
- Google. Allow crawling in robots.txt, and make sure your CDN or hosting does not block it1.
- A common trap. CDN settings that block "AI bots", such as Cloudflare's, can also block search crawlers. After any change, test with different crawler user agents.
6. Step three: write content AI is willing to cite
- Use questions as headings and answer in the first paragraph
- Give concrete facts: specifications, certifications, lead times, MOQs, applications
- Use tables for comparisons, with sources and an update date
- State only what you can prove; avoid unverifiable claims like "industry leader"
7. What about Chinese AI search (豆包, DeepSeek, 元宝, Kimi)?
None of these platforms has published how it selects sources.
What we observed: for the commercial keywords we tested, Baidu's top results were mostly content platforms (百家号, 知乎, 搜狐, 网易) and 百度百科, with few company websites. That describes Baidu search rankings only; it is not evidence of how 豆包, DeepSeek, Kimi or 元宝 choose their sources.
Our recommendation is to publish consistently branded content on platforms such as 知乎, WeChat Official Accounts and 百家号 alongside your website, as a visibility strategy. It increases the chances of being seen, but it does not guarantee any effect on AI recommendations.
8. How to measure GEO
- Build a fixed question set for each outcome: recognition ("what company is X?"), mentions ("recommend suppliers of Y") and citations (check the source links)
- Ask each AI platform several times a month and record separately: recognised correctly, mentioned, website cited
- AI answers vary between runs; one appearance is not stable visibility
- Track indexing in Search Console and inquiries that arrive from AI search
9. GEO checklist for exporters
- Names, registered entity and website consistent everywhere
- Company facts page, with structured data matching the visible text
- robots.txt and CDN not blocking OAI-SearchBot, Googlebot or Baiduspider
- Key pages indexed by Google and Baidu
- Question-led content with concrete facts and sources
- Monthly fixed-question tests, recording recognition, mentions and citations separately
Check the technical basics with Clickto's free AI search readiness check. Clickto's GEO service is described under AI search visibility.
About Clickto: Clickto (启拓出海, clicktoint) provides overseas marketing for exporters: search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM / Google Ads), answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO), so overseas buyers find you in Google and AI search.