Not necessarily, and asking once yourself in Chinese won't tell you. Overseas buyers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini in English or Japanese, for example for an aluminum enclosure OEM in Taiwan that accepts small orders; the language of the question and the market answering it can change which factories AI lists. To know whether you show up, pick the buyer's market, use the buyer's language, ask the questions buyers really ask, and check several AI platforms at once. Then look at three things: whether you're mentioned, which suppliers AI recommends, and which sites AI based its answer on.
1. Why asking in Chinese yourself is misleading
Many owners open ChatGPT, ask in Chinese which Taiwanese factories make aluminum enclosures, see their own name and relax. But that isn't how your buyers ask. A purchasing manager in the US asks in English, one in Japan asks in Japanese, and they usually add conditions: material, quantity, certification, lead time. Being in a Chinese answer doesn't mean you're in the English one. If your English website is a single company-profile page, AI has nothing to quote in English. And AI answers can change each time, so one answer isn't a conclusion.
2. List the questions buyers ask
Sit down with your sales team and think: how would a buyer looking for a factory like yours ask? The questions usually fall into four types. Write three or four for each, and you have a fixed question set to measure with.
| Question type | English example | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Looking for a supplier | OEM manufacturer of aluminum enclosures in Taiwan with low MOQ | Whether you're on the list |
| With spec conditions | Taiwan CNC machining supplier for stainless steel parts with tight tolerances | Whether AI mentions your processes and materials |
| With a certification or industry | Taiwan PCBA manufacturer with IATF 16949 for automotive | Only include certifications you actually hold; don't ask about ones you don't |
| Comparing suppliers | Which Taiwan injection molding suppliers are good for small batches | Which factories AI puts you alongside |
If Japan is your main market, ask the same set again in Japanese, for example asking which Taiwanese aluminum enclosure OEMs accept small lots. Don't just translate your Chinese questions into English and call it done; have salespeople who know the buyers check them and rewrite them the way buyers actually talk.
3. Choose the right market and language
The full check in GEO by TriloAI offers 6 markets: Taiwan, the US, Japan, Korea, China and Global. Reports come in 5 languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Exporters can choose by where their main buyers are:
| Main buyers in | Market to choose | Suggested report language |
|---|---|---|
| US, Canada | US | English |
| Europe or several countries | Global (there is no separate Europe market) | English |
| Japan | Japan | Japanese |
| Korea | Korea | Korean |
| China | China (queries DeepSeek, Kimi and Tongyi Qianwen instead) | Simplified Chinese |
If your buyers are spread out, start with the market that brings the largest share of revenue and add others later. Each check runs up to 15 questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Claude at once.
4. Four things to read in the report
- How often you're mentioned: in how many of the 15 questions AI mentions you, and on which platforms
- Who you lose to: which suppliers AI recommends, and what their websites say that yours doesn't
- Which sites AI relies on: B2B platforms, industry directories, trade-show exhibitor pages and industry articles, whether you're on them and whether your details are out of date
- The three things to do first this month: the report sets priorities, so you don't have to do everything at once
Which sites AI relies on is easy to overlook. Some factories focus only on their website and never notice that AI is quoting a B2B platform or directory where their company profile is years out of date.
5. A first check you can do yourself
For a rough first look, use the free quick scan in GEO by TriloAI: enter your website URL, no sign-up, about 1–2 minutes. It checks ChatGPT only and shows whether AI can read your site. You can also ask a few questions in English yourself, but remember three things: ask the same question again a few days later to see whether the answer holds; don't mention your company name in the question, or AI is just answering from the clue you gave it; and ask while logged out or in a private window so your own chat history doesn't sway the answer.
The short version
To know whether you show up when overseas buyers ask AI, check with the buyers' market, language and questions, not with one question in Chinese.
Frequently asked questions
- We don't have an English website yet. Is a check still worth it?
- Yes. One check shows which suppliers AI recommends now and which sites it relies on, which tells you what your English website should say first. Once the English pages are up, re-test with the same questions and compare.
- What's the difference between the free quick scan and the full check?
- The free quick scan checks ChatGPT only, with no sign-up, in about 1–2 minutes, to see whether AI can read your site. The full check lets you choose the market and report language, runs up to 15 questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Claude, and shows whether you're mentioned, who you lose to and which sites AI relied on.
- If AI mentions us, will buyers send RFQs?
- Not necessarily. Being mentioned gives buyers a chance to see you in the answer, but whether they send an RFQ also depends on how clear your website is and how easy you are to contact. We measure separately whether AI mentions you and whether RFQs from your website and inbox go up.
- How often should we re-check?
- After you update your website or platform listings, re-test with the same questions, usually a few weeks later. Each platform updates at its own pace, and no change gets recorded as no change.