Unique Research · Interview · October 25, 2024 · Guest: Zhou Haipeng, founder & CEO, QuickCreator
Traditional search use is down ~11% in two years while AI tools such as ChatGPT are up ~37%. For outbound Chinese firms that lived on SEO, that shift forces a new AI SEO playbook. Zhou Haipeng walks through product origin, Google’s stance, content funnels, budget/org, and multi-language market probing.
Origin: from table tool to AI SEO
QuickCreator is now a global AI SEO marketing product. An earlier table tool for data professionals stalled offline GTM during 2022 COVID lockdowns; the team used SEO for overseas growth and discovered SEO’s low-cost market-learning power. Domestic SEO agencies burn headcount with fuzzy ROI; outbound firms lack tools, org, and SOP. Pivot: AI SEO for China ToB and outbound SaaS. Google still ~90% of global search traffic — SEO remains core acquisition and brand building for ToB and scaled SaaS, whether framed as “AI” or classic.
Three SEO workstreams
- Site build — brand/product facade; ~90% of Chinese outbound sites still under-built; depth beyond news and awards long neglected.
- Content — continuous product, insight, and customer feedback. AI removes language, culture, and writing-efficiency barriers (founders could previously ship only 1–2 English posts/week; quality posts often cost hundreds of USD). Pure-AI sameness risk → QuickCreator’s knowledge base mixes firm-specific product/service/feedback with web corpora for differentiated copy. For Chinese outbounders: lower tech threshold, raise writing efficiency, fix org friction, and let firms mine their own history without hiring armies of writers or domain experts.
- Backlinks — still mostly human effort.
Google’s acceptance of AI SEO
Google is platform-fair: it does not privilege human vs machine authorship — it privileges whether content serves readers or prospects. Gaming the algorithm alone does not solve the problem and is a global (not China-only) pathology. Since ~2010 Google has moved from link-weight primacy toward content quality; tests show uniqueness and novelty can outrank big-brand scale. Serve readers with high-quality, personalized, substance-rich content — that is the root fix.
AI search: challenges > opportunities
Two risks: (1) capital and product-layer over-hype; (2) information narrowing — search should include digests, judgment, and diversity of worldviews, but AI ranking can shrink what users see. Zhou uses AI search for stable general knowledge but not alone for deep research; combine with classic engines. Yes, produce for AI search — but never write only to please an engine. Content across text/image/video and many channels is permanent work because different entry points reach different buyers. Google: ~50% of global search intent still unmet — SEO is not finished.
Customer view and three content layers
True customer-centricity = standing in the customer’s shoes and living their search intent (learn, avoid traps, compare, then buy).
- Layer 1 — long-tail knowledge: honest pros/cons (e.g. mineral vs purified water) so first contact feels honest and professional.
- Layer 2 — conversion / comparison: your water vs theirs; price and detail.
- Layer 3 — industry insight: logistics client’s 2025 ocean/water freight forecast pulled cold leads who also need next-year rates.
AI helps efficiency on L1 and effect on L2–L3. Build the funnel from surface → conversion → insight to attract prospects and core customers.
Budget, org, workflow
Site = infrequent (1–2×/year then rarer); content = core; backlinks = mutual industry support (paid links fading). Content PDCA: first days of month review history + prep keywords/materials/frames; next 2–3 weeks write on schedule; then check Search Console for index/impression/CTR and adjust. Org: marketing ownership; larger firms want a few people to peer-review. KPI = volume + quality + performance curve. Shenzhen clients sometimes train sales to write — they know customers and training cost is low. AI simplifies SOP: headcount need does not rise while efficiency and effect do; later optimize historical posts (e.g. refresh price forecasts).
China outbound vs overseas AI SEO rivals
Advantages: hustle culture (esp. Shenzhen / Jiangsu-Zhejiang) vs lower overseas intensity; product quality/solutions not inferior — marketing expression is; AI flattens the starting line on product innovation and market response.
Risks: rushing into unfamiliar markets against top incumbents; UX and language/content quality still weak; SMEs should niche-expand while large firms improve product; brand/values storytelling and learning from strong overseas peers matter.
Multi-market tool use
Product is broadly applicable. Treat markets as tiers: EU/US (1) · Belt & Road (2) · Africa/smaller (3). Tier 2 currently performs best; EU/US content competition is fierce while smaller languages have headroom. Example: Spanish + Portuguese content unlocked Spanish market and closed hundred-million-RMB deals. LLMs remove language as a hard barrier — ship many languages at once. QuickCreator supports dozens of languages; Arabic planned after strong feedback. Strategy: push 10+ languages, watch CTR/conversion, then concentrate where ranking and interest show — a market-probe, not EU/US-only obsession.
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