SEO, UGC, and AI: New Rules of the Game for Online Visibility

Rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasing importance of user-generated content (UGC) are redefining the landscape of digital marketing. This is what the speakers at the latest RealTalk by Skeepers shed light on. Angelica Reyes (CMO of Skeepers) hosted the event, accompanied by a panel of speakers listed below:

Stéphane Levy – President of Labelium 

Alexandre Vatus – Head of Agencies at Google France 

Thierry Lecourtier – Business Activation Manager SDA Food at Groupe SEB 

Marc Bonnamour – CEO of Skeepers 

The discussions were insightful and open up new perspectives for brands. Here a summary with key information to better understand the challenges and take your digital strategy in the right direction. 

Generative AI is Transforming Google and Search 

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how consumers search for information and how search engines display it. This is the first observation shared by experts during the RealTalk. 

For Stéphane Levy, director of the Labelium agency, the advent of AI in online search is actually part of a fundamental evolution. Since time immemorial, internet users have been looking for free, authoritative answers provided instantly. This is the triple promise that Google has been pursuing since its inception. 

AI is actually in line with this promise. But, as Stéphane Levy points out, “with AI, we no longer have multiple answers to choose from but a single unique answer, a synthesis of the best answers.” 

Google has been actively preparing for this shift for several years now. “AI has been at the heart of Google’s strategy since 2016, when we became an AI-first company,” explains Alexandre Vatus, Head of Agencies at Google France. This initially resulted in the introduction of enriched results and innovative products like Google Lens, capable of searching from images. 

But the recent deployment of generative AI in the Google search experience constitutes a major new step. Announced in May 2024 at the Google I/O conference, the “AI overviews” feature is currently being rolled out in the United States. 

“AI Overviews assembles a response based on the Search to provide a direct answer to the user’s query,” explains Alexandre Vatus. The search engine thus becomes a true engine of answers and conversation. 

In concrete terms, the response provided by Google takes the form of a “quotation,” a synthesis generated by AI from the best results. The user can then converse with the artificial intelligence to refine their search before being redirected to the most relevant web page. 

“Google continues to play its role as a crossroads for audiences by redirecting traffic to third-party sites,” reassures Alexandre Vatus, thus dispelling the concerns that arose a year ago when Google SGE was announced, now renamed AI Overviews. 

The conclusion is clear: AI is on the verge of radically transforming our way of interacting with search engines. By providing a direct, comprehensive, and reliable answer without the need for multiple searches, it actually reinvents the user experience. This is not without consequences for brands that must adapt their SEO and SEA strategies. 

What is evolving for SEO and digital advertising? 

The advent of generative AI and its integration into search engines is shaking up the fields of SEO and SEA. This is the analysis provided by Stéphane Levy: 

“Previously, the work of advertising agencies essentially consisted of searching for the right keywords. Today, we no longer search for keywords, Google does it for us. Our role is now to observe on which keywords we are positioned and which ones we are not.” 

For this, it becomes essential to develop a solid “semantic repository” and adapt one’s site accordingly. “We need to evolve our site so that Google finds relevant pages based on user queries,” continues Stéphane Levy. In short, the SEA profession is becoming increasingly similar to that of SEO. 

But SEO itself is also set to evolve under the influence of generative AI. By analyzing the results provided by artificial intelligences like ChatGPT, we see that customer reviews play a central role in shaping responses. “SEO is therefore also becoming a CRM and PRM profession,” says Stéphane Levy. Consequently, “It is important to ensure satisfied customers and encourage them to share their experiences, whether directly on the brand’s website, on retailer sites, or even in physical stores.” 

This transformation of Search professions also concerns Google itself. “We now prefer to talk about performance rather than SEA,” explains Alexandre Vatus. “We are no longer purely in a media and marketing logic, but in a value creation logic for the advertiser.” 

This is a true paradigm shift. With products like Performance Max, the American giant is aiming to pivot towards business objectives. “We should no longer think only in terms of Search, everything is becoming platform-based in the service of performance,” emphasizes Alexandre Vatus. 

Generative AI thus forces Search actors to thoroughly rethink their approach. SEO and SEA converge to become two sides of the same coin: a comprehensive digital visibility strategy focused on business performance.  

Dealing with the European regulatory framework: GDPR, DMA, and DSA 

While generative AI opens up new perspectives for Search Marketing actors, its deployment in Europe will have to contend with a particularly strict regulatory framework. This was emphasized by Alexandre Vatus, Head of Agencies Google France, during the RealTalk. 

“The European Union has put in place a very protective framework for users, especially regarding the protection of personal data. After the GDPR in 2018, the Digital Market Act (DMA) and the Digital Service Act (DSA) now impose new rules on major platforms like Google and our key products such as Gmail or Chrome.” 

As a reminder, the DMA aims to ensure a fair and open digital market by regulating the power of major platforms, while the DSA regulates online content moderation and the fight against illicit content. 

These regulations, decided at the European level, have concrete and visible consequences. Alexandre Vatus cites the example of the Google Flight flight comparator, which no longer appears at the top of search results for a given route. 

But the impact is also significant for advertisers and partners. “With the end of third-party cookies, it becomes more complicated to measure and analyze the performance of advertising campaigns. We are working on solutions based on modeling and AI to allow our clients to continue tracking the effectiveness of their investments on our platforms.” 

Regardless of the potential of generative AI, its application within the European Union will therefore have to pass through the filter of regulators. This is a specificity that digital marketing actors operating in the European market must take into account in their strategy. 

Digital visibility now relies on UGC 

What are UGCs? 

User Generated Content, or UGC, refers to all authentic content published by consumers following their experience with a product or service. 

“This includes reviews posted on e-commerce sites, spontaneous posts on social networks, demonstration videos and photos taken by users, but also feedback and customer testimonials shared directly with brands,” explains Marc Bonnamour, CEO of Skeepers. 

While the phenomenon is not new, it takes on unprecedented scale with the democratization of creation and sharing tools. Every day, millions of internet users use their smartphones to share their latest purchasing experiences or give their opinions on brands. 

Faced with this wave, it’s hard for brands to remain indifferent. Especially since user-generated content addresses major business challenges. 

• The first of these is online visibility. Search engines, led by Google, increasingly prioritize these contents in their algorithms, considering them more authentic and relevant. Integrating UGC on one’s site is therefore a key SEO lever to gain natural visibility for user queries. 

• UGC also plays a decisive role in online conversion rates. Indeed, most consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase on the internet. They have become indispensable influencers. By providing strong social proof of product quality, UGC removes barriers to conversion. And that’s the challenge for brands today: to capture these contents favored by consumers to build trust and boost sales. 

Focus on Groupe Seb’s UGC strategy 

Groupe SEB has clearly understood the potential of UGC. “For us, consumer-generated content has always been a major conversion driver,” says Thierry Lecourtier, Business Activation Manager SDA Food at the world leader in small household equipment. 

For several years, the company has been implementing a proactive strategy for collecting and activating UGC on its own brand sites. The approach revolves around four pillars: 

1. Systematic collection of post-purchase customer reviews, inviting customers to leave a review after a purchase. 

2. Collection of customer reviews upon the launch of new products to reassure consumers about the brand’s new products. 

3. Syndication of reviews, extending the publication of collected reviews from one site to all other brand sites. A review published in France, for example, will also be visible to visitors of German, Spanish, or Brazilian sites. 

4. Experimentation with new formats of UGC, particularly consumer photos and videos. 

The results live up to the efforts made. “On pages displaying UGC, time spent increases by 35% and conversion rates by 66% compared to pages without them,” rejoices Thierry Lecourtier. SEB Group now plans to expand its approach to partner retailers and generalize the syndication to include photo and video content. An inspiring example for all modern commerce actors! 

How to industrialize a UGC strategy? 

The potential of UGC is immense for brands. But how to capture this wealth of content on a large scale? According to Marc Bonnamour, it starts with a mindset change: “We must be willing to give the consumer a voice and accept a certain level of imperfection. UGC is not always perfectly controlled, but that’s precisely what gives them their authenticity and strength.” 

Once this priority is established, the key to success lies in organization and tools. “The challenge is to set up mechanisms and solutions to collect and activate UGC automatically, across all touchpoints,” emphasizes Marc Bonnamour. This industrialization must be accompanied by a strong focus on content quality. This involves moderation systems to filter out any offensive or inappropriate comments. 

But the number one criterion remains the authenticity of the collected UGC. In the era of fake reviews, it is important for brands to guarantee the reliability of the content they display. “This is the role of trusted partners like Avis Vérifiés, who certify the origin of UGC without filtering them,” explains Marc Bonnamour. 

Conclusion 

The moral of our latest RealTalk is simple: the changes currently shaking up digital marketing are profound and lasting. UGC is becoming the cornerstone of an effective digital visibility strategy. 

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