A Swiss B2B manufacturer in China faced exactly this:

• Traffic ↓ 20%
• CPC ↑ 15%
• Leads ↓ 32%

More budget didn’t help. SEO wasn’t recovering.

So we did something different.

The Shift

Instead of chasing traffic, we focused on:

→ Creating search demand

How?

• Publishing branded content across high-authority platforms
• Building visibility beyond owned channels
• Optimizing for AI answer citations (GEO)

The Result (in ~3 months)

• Brand search volume ↑ 32%
• Brand traffic ↑ 35%
• Leads recovered to previous levels (~20/month)

The Insight

Search behavior is changing.

It’s not just about ranking anymore.

If your brand shows up in answers, people will search for you.

If it doesn’t—you won’t even enter consideration.

For B2B companies in China:

• PPC is getting more expensive
• SEO is less predictable
• AI-driven discovery is rising

👉 The real question is:

Are you visible where decisions are being shaped?