A digital strategy is not just about posting on social media or launching Google Ads campaigns. The technical context has shifted: AI Overviews are capturing an increasing share of clicks, zero-click searches are on the rise, and the European directive on consumer empowerment imposes new transparency obligations starting September 2026. Building a successful online presence now requires rethinking the entire chain, from the technical foundation to the management of indicators.
AI Overviews and zero-click searches: adapting SEO to the SERP of 2026
The French launch of Google AI Overviews has changed the relationship between visibility and traffic. A page can appear in the SERP without generating a click: the AI overview provides the answer directly. Analyses published by Ahrefs and Seer Interactive in 2025 confirm that the click-through rate significantly decreases when an AI overview is displayed, even if the page retains its position.
We observe that referral traffic from Google for publishers has been in structural decline since 2024-2025. The share of zero-click searches continues to grow. This erosion particularly affects short informational queries, those that classic content marketing historically targeted.
The technical response lies in what is now called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): structuring content to be cited in AI responses, not just indexed. This requires rigorous semantic markup (structured data, FAQ schema), direct answers at the beginning of paragraphs, and an internal linking structure that facilitates extraction by models. Agencies like been-online.net integrate this GEO layer into their SEO audits to anticipate the loss of organic traffic related to AI overviews.
Technical foundation of the website: speed, crawl, and structured data
No content strategy can compensate for a slow or poorly crawled site. Core Web Vitals remains the entry filter. An excessive loading time on mobile eliminates the page even before Google evaluates its relevance.
Three technical levers deserve specific attention:
- The crawl budget: on sites exceeding a few hundred pages, orphan URLs, redirect chains, and unmanaged URL parameters waste the crawler’s passage. A poorly configured robots.txt file is enough to render an entire section of the catalog invisible.
- Structured data: beyond the FAQ schema, Article, LocalBusiness, or Product markup conditions the display of rich snippets and selection by AI Overviews. We recommend validating each type of schema via Google Search Console’s rich results test.
- Thematic internal linking: grouping pages by semantic cluster with contextual links enhances topical understanding by search engines. A well-constructed semantic cocoon distributes authority to conversion pages.
Content strategy aligned with the customer journey
Producing content without mapping the customer journey is akin to publishing blindly. Each stage (discovery, evaluation, decision) calls for a different format and channel. A blog post addresses informational intent. A comparison page or a case study addresses transactional intent. A nurturing email supports the decision phase.
The common trap is to focus production on the discovery phase, the easiest to feed, while leaving conversion pages without up-to-date content. A quarterly content audit helps identify low-traffic pages that cannibalize queries or no longer meet search intent.
Social media: choosing channels by data, not habit
Afnic surveys included in the 2026 barometer from Groupe Arsène reveal that French SMEs have decreased their digital presence in 2025, both in terms of websites and social media presence. This decline often reflects exhaustion in the face of the proliferation of platforms.
The solution is not to be everywhere, but to select two or three channels where the target audience is genuinely active, then measure the cost of acquisition by channel. A dashboard crossing organic reach, engagement rates, and attributed conversions is sufficient to arbitrate between LinkedIn, Instagram, or a newsletter.
Regulatory compliance: AI Act and consumer empowerment directive
The legal framework has tightened between 2024 and 2026. Two texts are significantly changing practices:
- The European AI Act, applicable since August 2026, imposes transparency obligations when content is generated or assisted by artificial intelligence. Chatbots, automated product descriptions, and certain programmatic advertising campaigns fall within its scope.
- The directive on consumer empowerment, with full implementation expected in September 2026, strengthens sanctions against misleading online business practices, including fake reviews and dark patterns.
Ignoring these texts exposes one to sanctions, but also to a loss of trust. Integrating compliance from the design of the digital strategy avoids costly redesigns a few months later.
Managing KPIs: going beyond raw traffic
Organic traffic alone no longer reflects the performance of a digital strategy. With the rise of zero-click searches, a site can lose visits while gaining brand awareness through AI citations.
We recommend following a dashboard structured around three levels: visibility (Search Console impressions, mentions in AI Overviews), engagement (click-through rate, time spent, scroll depth), and conversion (leads, sales, cost per acquisition). Cross-referencing these three levels reveals the real friction points in the user journey.
Monthly reporting is no longer sufficient. Algorithms evolve in waves, and a traffic drop detected at 30 days can mask a technical issue that appeared in the first week. Weekly monitoring of positions and crawl allows for intervention before the impact spreads to conversion pages.
Online presence in 2026 is built on three inseparable pillars: an impeccable technical foundation, content calibrated to the customer journey, and active regulatory monitoring. Companies that address these three axes in parallel, rather than sequentially, are those that maintain their share of voice despite the upheavals in the SERP.
