The rise of large language models has fundamentally disrupted traditional search paradigms, reaching into commercial strategies. According to the latest report from Qbit AI Think Tank, AI-powered intelligent assistants are transforming search, causing a significant reshaping of conventional SEO practices.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, has long been a cornerstone of internet commercial strategy, aiming to boost website rankings in search engines and thereby increase traffic. However, as users increasingly shift from “searching” via keywords to asking questions directly to AI assistants, the SEO landscape must adapt to optimize for AI-generated content (AIGC).
The Qbit AI Think Tank’s research involved extensive experiments analyzing AI assistants’ sources for answers across social hot topics and specialized knowledge domains. The study tested multiple AI assistants, including DeepSeek, Kimi, Tencent Yuanbao, and others, collecting over 600 data points.
Results indicate that nearly half of AI assistant answers are sourced from content communities rather than traditional portals. Particularly in professional knowledge queries, content communities are referenced twice as frequently as in general social topics. Zhihu emerged as the most cited content community in Chinese-language AI answers, far surpassing others like Bilibili.
This shift highlights the increasing importance of specialized content communities, which accumulate high-quality, structured discussions that AI assistants rely on for deep, accurate responses. Consequently, SEO strategies must evolve toward SPO—Search engine Professional community Optimization—focusing on optimizing content within expert communities.
The report concludes that low-quality portal sites will see declining influence, while professional content communities will gain prominence. This change signals the end of SEO strategies based on keyword stuffing or shallow content. Instead, lasting influence will depend on continuous creation of valuable, structured knowledge, with communities like Zhihu playing a pivotal role.
For companies developing AI models, leveraging and extracting high-quality content from these professional communities remains a key challenge and opportunity for future advancements.
The full Qbit AI Think Tank report on AI assistant SEO strategy transformation is available for download.
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