Natural referencing remains the main traffic acquisition channel for the majority of French-speaking websites. However, the context has changed: Google’s generative results, rolled out since 2024, display AI-written answers above organic links.
This evolution reduces the visibility of well-positioned pages on certain informational queries. At the same time, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) impose more transparency on Google’s ranking systems. SEO is not disappearing, but the rules of the game are shifting.
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Google Generative Search: What Changes for Organic Visibility
Since the deployment of AI Overviews (formerly SGE), Google generates a synthetic text block at the top of the page for an increasing number of queries. This block captures a share of the clicks that previously went to the top natural results.
The most affected queries are those of a short informational type: definitions, lists of criteria, simple comparisons. On these search intents, classic organic visibility is declining even for pages in the first position. Transactional or highly localized queries resist better, as Google less frequently displays a generative summary for them.
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For sites that depend on SEO, this means that it is no longer enough to aim for the first page. It is also necessary to produce content that is sufficiently structured and specific for Google to cite it as a source in its generative answers. Those who wish to learn more about PEPSeo will find useful resources on adapting to the new forms of search results.
The available data does not yet allow for precise measurement of click loss by sector. Field feedback varies according to themes and deployment countries. What is documented is the trend: the click-through rate on organic results decreases when a generative block appears.
DMA and DSA: European Regulation Changes the Rules of Referencing
The implementation of the Digital Markets Act (EU Regulation 2022/1925) and the Digital Services Act (EU Regulation 2022/2065) has direct consequences on how Google organizes its results pages. The DMA limits self-preferencing practices: Google can no longer systematically favor its own services (Shopping, Maps, Flights) to the detriment of competitors.
In practice, some enriched blocks have been modified or removed in the European Economic Area. Price comparison sites and review sites, for example, benefit from fairer display. This redistribution opens up places in the results for sites that were previously relegated.
For a natural referencing strategy, this implies monitoring display changes specific to the European area. A site that did not appear in a Shopping block dominated by Google can now access it. However, these changes remain unstable: Google regularly adjusts its interfaces to comply with regulatory requirements, and each adjustment redistributes the cards.
SEO Content in 2025: Beyond Keywords, Thematic Depth
Google’s algorithm updates since 2023 emphasize what the official documentation calls “helpful content.” The principle is simple: content that better meets search intent than its competitors will be favored. Keyword density, once the main lever, weighs less than the comprehensive coverage of a topic.
A well-ranked article in 2025 is distinguished by three measurable characteristics:
- A clear semantic structure, with Hn tags that reflect the actual hierarchy of the content and allow search engines to understand the sub-themes addressed
- Structured data (schema.org) that facilitates information extraction by Google for its enriched results and generative answers
- Optimized loading time and compliant accessibility, two user experience signals that Google incorporates into its ranking criteria
Keyword research remains a necessary step, but it now serves to map a thematic field rather than target isolated expressions. A site that covers a topic in depth, with several interconnected pages, achieves better results than a site that publishes scattered pages optimized each for a single keyword.
User Experience and Technical Signals
Google emphasizes in its recent documentation the importance of overall user experience. Technical performance (Core Web Vitals), accessibility, and mobile compatibility are no longer bonuses: they are prerequisites for maintaining visibility in search results.
A slow or difficult-to-navigate site on mobile loses positions, regardless of the quality of its written content. Tools like Google Search Console allow for diagnosing these issues, but fixing them often requires technical intervention on the code or hosting.
SEO Analysis and Monitoring: What Tools Really Measure
Google Search Console and Google Analytics remain the two reference tools for tracking a site’s visibility. Search Console indicates the queries that generate impressions and clicks, indexed pages, and crawl errors. Analytics measures visitor behavior once on the site.
These free tools have limitations that must be understood:
- Search Console only reports a sample of queries, not the total. The data is aggregated and delayed by a few days
- Analytics, in its GA4 version, uses an event-based attribution model, complicating comparison with historical data from the previous version
- None of these tools directly show the impact of generative results on your traffic. It is necessary to cross-reference multiple sources to estimate this loss
SEO monitoring requires a critical reading of data, not just a simple monitoring of curves. A drop in clicks on a page may come from a position drop, but also from the appearance of a generative block that captures attention before the first organic link.
Natural referencing in 2025 operates in an environment where Google is modifying its own display rules under regulatory and technological pressure. Adapting your SEO strategy requires understanding these mechanisms, not just applying technical recipes. Sites that document their decisions, measure their results, and adjust their content based on observed changes maintain an edge over those that merely publish.