Since February 2024, the Digital Services Act (DSA) applies to all online actors in Europe. Advertising transparency obligations, a ban on targeting based on sensitive data, restrictions aimed at minors: the regulatory framework within which digital agencies operate has fundamentally changed. For a company looking to gain visibility on the web, these constraints redefine possible digital marketing strategies and the skills to require from a provider.
DSA and advertising targeting: what European regulation imposes on digital campaigns
The DSA introduces concrete obligations that directly affect the design of campaigns. Platforms must make transparent the targeting parameters used for each advertisement. Advertisers can no longer exploit sensitive data (political opinions, health status, sexual orientation, religion) to refine their audiences.
Meta has stopped displaying ads to those under 18 in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland since November 2023. This restriction does not only concern social networks: it alters the very logic of visibility strategy for any business with a portion of its clientele being young.
A digital agency that does not take these limits into account from the design phase exposes its clients to ineffective campaigns, or even sanctions. Alternative approaches are gaining ground: contextual targeting, organic content, and editorial partnerships are gradually replacing traditional behavioral targeting. Companies working with an agency like intereactive.net can rely on updated expertise in light of these regulatory changes.
SEO strategy and organic visibility: the levers that withstand advertising restrictions
When advertising targeting becomes restricted, natural referencing regains value. SEO does not depend on users’ personal data and is not affected by the DSA’s bans on sensitive targeting.
Editorial content and lexical field
Content creation remains the foundation of sustainable visibility on Google. A site that publishes structured pages, rich in industry vocabulary and answering specific queries, accumulates authority that paid campaigns alone do not provide.
Digital agencies that stand out invest in editorial depth rather than volume. A well-positioned in-depth article generates traffic for months, whereas a SEA campaign stops as soon as the budget is cut.
GEO and visibility in AI responses
A newer lever is emerging: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Search engines now integrate responses generated by artificial intelligence. Being cited by an LLM becomes a visibility issue distinct from traditional SEO. The available data does not yet allow for precise measurement of GEO’s impact on traffic, but several agencies (Influactive, NOIISE) have begun to structure dedicated offers.
For a company, the question to ask its digital agency is straightforward: what portion of the communication strategy integrates generative responses, and with what tracking indicators?
Digital agency and algorithmic transparency: an underestimated selection criterion
The DSA requires very large platforms to explain how their recommendation algorithms work. This obligation creates a cascading effect on web agencies: they have more information about dissemination mechanisms but must also constantly adapt their methods.
Field feedback diverges on this point. Some agencies believe that algorithmic transparency facilitates campaign optimization. Others feel that the information provided by platforms remains too general to be usable in a fine web marketing strategy.
What is confirmed, however, is that an agency that documents its targeting choices and results better protects its clients. The traceability of marketing decisions is no longer a luxury; it is an implicit obligation of the European framework.
- Require a report detailing the targeting criteria used for each campaign, in compliance with the DSA
- Check that the agency distinguishes the performances of SEO, SEA, and organic content in its assessments
- Ensure that the digital strategy incorporates the targeting restrictions for minors on the relevant platforms
Custom web development and compliance: two linked requirements
The visibility of a company on the internet is not limited to marketing. The website itself must meet growing technical and regulatory requirements. A slow, poorly structured, or non-compliant site with cookie rules loses positions in search results and risks complaints.
The technical compliance of the site directly conditions the effectiveness of campaigns. A regular technical audit (loading times, markup, consent management) is part of the services to expect from a digital agency, not just content creation or ad space purchasing.
Cookies and consent: a permanent challenge
The European Union has recently called for the elimination of cookie banners in favor of solutions that are more respectful of user experience. Agencies that anticipate this evolution are already offering site architectures that reduce reliance on third-party cookies.
For companies, the choice of an agency also hinges on this ground: the ability to maintain web visibility without relying on tracking mechanisms that are becoming obsolete.
- Favor audience measurement solutions that respect GDPR and are compatible with future cookie restrictions
- Integrate user consent as a parameter of the digital strategy, not as an added constraint afterward
- Ask the agency for a migration plan if third-party cookies are definitively restricted
The European regulatory framework will not stabilize in the short term. The AI regulation, which includes measures on the transparency of generated content, will add an additional layer. A digital agency that merely optimizes Google Ads campaigns without integrating these regulatory dimensions offers an incomplete service. A company’s visibility now depends as much on compliance as on creativity.
