A small business that has been investing in Google Ads campaigns for three years has noticed that its cost per click has significantly increased, without a corresponding rise in lead volume. The instinct would be to increase the budget. The answer lies instead in a change of method: adapting its digital marketing strategy to the channels and formats that truly capture attention today.
Generative Engine Optimization: SEO that Targets AI Responses
When a prospect asks a question to an AI assistant or Google SGE, the generated response draws from structured, sourced, and factual content. If your page is not formatted for this type of extraction, it simply does not appear in the displayed summary.
This is referred to as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a distinct aspect of traditional natural referencing. The goal is no longer just to position a page among the ten blue links, but to have its content cited in the synthetic responses of search engines.
Practices differ from traditional SEO. It involves structuring information with well-sourced data, adopting formats that language models can easily summarize (tables, numbered lists, clear definitions), and providing direct answers to frequently asked questions. Publications that cover marketing on The Business News regularly document these search-side developments.
In practice, one restructures an existing article by adding a factual summary paragraph at the top of the page, formulating subtitles as questions, and naming sources. This work can be done on already published content without starting from scratch.
Social Video and Retail Search: Where Digital Budgets Are Going in France
The 36th E-Pub Observatory (SRI, with Oliver Wyman and UDECAM) estimates the French digital market for the first half of 2026 at €6.689 billion, an increase of about 12% year-on-year. Two areas are driving this growth: social video is up over 30% and retail search exceeds a 20% increase.
These figures reflect a concrete shift in budget allocations. Advertisers are reallocating towards formats where attention is concentrated: TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. Short video content is no longer a supplement; it is the primary format on social networks for generating engagement and purchases.
Retail Search, an Underestimated Channel by SMEs
Retail search refers to advertising purchased directly on e-commerce platforms (Amazon Ads, Cdiscount Ads, Fnac/Darty, etc.). For a company selling physical products, retail search reaches the customer at the exact moment of purchase intent. It is a channel that converts better than traditional search for consumer goods because the user is already in transaction mode.
If your catalog is listed on a marketplace, testing a modest retail search budget on your top five products yields measurable results within a few weeks.
Influencer Marketing in France: Contracts Are Being Structured
The Reech 2026 study shows that the majority of French brands collaborate with content creators. The Kolsquare study on the future of influencer marketing in France (published in September 2026) supports this trend. The practice has become more professional.
On the ground, three concrete developments are observed:
- Brands prefer long-term partnerships with micro-influencers (fewer than 100,000 followers) rather than one-off placements with highly followed creators. The engagement rate is more stable.
- Contracts now include performance clauses (number of clicks, attributed sales) and not just visibility metrics like impressions.
- Influencer content is reused in paid advertising on social platforms, which monetizes production beyond organic publication.
Returns vary by sector: in beauty and food, results are documented. In B2B or highly technical markets, influence works differently and relies more on LinkedIn or specialized newsletters.
First-Party Data Strategy: Preparing for the End of Third-Party Cookies
The planned disappearance of third-party cookies forces every company to collect its own customer data. This is not a theoretical subject: browsers are already restricting tracking, and traditional retargeting campaigns are losing precision each quarter.
A first-party data strategy relies on three operational pillars:
- Collect email addresses and phone numbers through forms, loyalty programs, or event registrations. Every physical or digital touchpoint becomes an opportunity to capture consent.
- Centralize this data in a CRM or Customer Data Platform to segment audiences by actual purchasing behavior, not by algorithmic estimation.
- Activate these segments directly on advertising platforms (Facebook custom audiences, Google Customer Match) to achieve precise targeting without relying on cookies.
This undertaking takes time. A company that starts structured collection of its customer base now will be in a strong position when tracking restrictions tighten further.
Customer Experience and Personalization Without Invasive Tracking
Personalization of the customer experience does not disappear with cookies. It changes its source. Instead of tracking a user across the web, we use their purchase history, interactions with emails, and declared preferences. First-party personalization is often more relevant because it relies on data that the customer has voluntarily shared.
A follow-up email based on an abandoned cart with the right product and timing converts better than a display banner that follows the user for two weeks on unrelated sites.
Digital marketing in 2026 is not just about adding AI everywhere. The companies that are progressing are those that adjust their mix channel by channel: GEO for search, social video for awareness, retail search for product conversion, first-party data for sustainable targeting. Each of these projects can start on a small scale, with measurable results before committing a significant budget.
