Writing a useful brief for an English and Chinese GEO programme

Start with two audiences, not two language labels

An English-Chinese GEO brief should identify who needs to discover the organisation, where they are, which service or decision matters, and what they should be able to do next. Language alone is not a market. English may serve UK procurement teams and international students; Chinese may serve parents, partners or buyers in several countries with different information needs.

Write one audience-and-decision statement for each market-language profile. State whether the Chinese scope supports Chinese-speaking audiences seeking information about the UK or another international market. Delivery for mainland-China search or social platforms requires a separate feasibility and access review; it should not be implied by a generic Chinese-language brief.

• Priority audience
• Country or market
• Language and script
• Service or decision
• Required next step

Separate shared facts from local adaptation

Create one approved source-of-truth sheet for facts that must not drift: legal entity, brand names, service scope, locations, eligibility, fees where applicable, contact details, evidence links, owners and review dates. Mark facts that vary by market, such as currency, regulation, availability, admissions dates or purchasing process.

Then decide which pages need translation and which need adaptation. A direct translation should preserve the same claim and scope. An adaptation may change examples, terminology, order and calls to action for the audience, but it still needs a traceable approved source. Ask the supplier to flag any sentence that cannot be supported in both languages.

• Approved fact
• Authoritative source URL or document
• Markets where it applies
• Owner and reviewer
• Last verified date
• Translation or adaptation decision

Build question sets for each audience

Begin with the decisions people make, not a translated keyword list. Group questions by discovery, comparison, evidence, price or eligibility, and next steps. Retain a small common core where equivalent questions genuinely matter, then allow each language to include audience-specific questions and natural phrasing.

For every monitored question, record the market, language, intended user, search or AI surface, observation conditions and reason for inclusion. A bilingual reviewer should check meaning and tone; a subject owner should verify the answer facts. Keep translated variants linked so later comparisons do not mix different intents.

• Which supplier or institution fits the need?
• What exactly is included or available?
• What evidence makes the claim credible?
• What does it cost or require?
• How does the user contact or apply?

Specify the page and technical model

Google recommends separate URLs for each language version instead of changing page language only through cookies or browser settings. It also recommends making each page's visible language clear and avoiding side-by-side translations. The brief should name the intended URL pattern, navigation route, language switch and which pages form equivalent pairs.

For equivalent versions, require correct canonical treatment and reciprocal language alternates. Google says each `hreflang` set should include the page itself and the other language versions, using fully qualified URLs. Also include crawl access, internal links, sitemap coverage, metadata and structured data that match the visible page. These checks support discovery but do not guarantee indexing or AI visibility.

Assign delivery, approval and maintenance

List who supplies source material, drafts each language, reviews subject accuracy, reviews Chinese language and market fit, makes website changes and approves publication. Set a realistic approval time and escalation route. If the client team cannot fill one of these roles, ask whether the supplier's scope includes it rather than assuming it is covered by monitoring.

Add a change process for facts that can expire. When a fee, date, service or contact route changes, define which paired pages, metadata, structured data, downloadable documents and monitored questions must be reviewed. Record the actual publication date and only change a modified date after a material update.

• Source owner
• English editor
• Chinese language and market reviewer
• Subject-matter approver
• Technical implementer
• Publication approver
• Ongoing fact owner

Copy this procurement brief

Objective: help [audience] in [market] discover and accurately understand [service or decision] in [English/Chinese]. Priority questions: [list]. Approved facts and sources: [links and owners]. Required pages and assets: [list]. Translation versus adaptation rules: [state]. Technical delivery: [URLs, language alternates, internal links, sitemap and structured data]. Evidence: [baseline, observation fields and reporting rhythm]. Client inputs, approvals, exclusions, delivery dates and handover: [state].

SALIENS provides GEO audits, AI visibility monitoring, content and technical improvements, and ongoing GEO delivery for UK and international organisations with English and Chinese requirements. Email info@oxfordintelligence.co.uk with your website, audience, markets, languages and available internal reviewers. SALIENS will confirm platform feasibility and scope before delivery. Rankings, indexing, citations, visits and enquiries are not guaranteed.

• What decision should the programme support?
• Which facts are approved for each market?
• Which questions are shared and which are local?
• Who reviews language, meaning and factual accuracy?
• Which pages and technical changes will be delivered?
• What evidence and handover records will remain?