New season, new interviews.
To kick off this series, Julien Berard graciously answered my call!
A big thank you to him for playing along, even with my tougher questions. 😉
Lucie: You’re known for your bold opinions on Twitter, and we even have you to thank for the red nose invasion on the platform. But we’d love to know more about you beyond that—can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Julien: Well, I hope being known for my bold opinions doesn’t give people the wrong idea about me 😅.
I’m much more laid-back and moderate in real life—almost shy, even. Those in the community who’ve met me or who I talk to regularly can vouch for that. The “boldness” was initially a way to make my blog stand out in the crowded field of SEO blogs back when I started. I wanted something different, with a unique tone. And it stuck. Honestly, sometimes it’s nice to say out loud what others are thinking, even if it’s divisive. It has its pros and cons—I have my fans and my critics.
What else? I’m 45, and I started in SEO back in 2004 in France. I spent the first half of my career in agencies: 1ère Position in France, then moved on to London, the US (Texas), and finally Canada (Vancouver). It was in Vancouver that I transitioned to in-house roles. First, I worked for the world leader in online optics, and now I’ve been a Senior SEO Strategist at Electronic Arts (EA) for almost seven years—a role I hope to carry through to the end of my career.
Lucie: You’ve moved around a lot! Was it your career that dictated these travels, or was it the desire to explore that led you to take those jobs?
Julien: At first, I’d say neither. My wife took me along for the ride! In 2006, she was a French as a Foreign Language (FLE) teacher, and, naturally, there are more foreigners abroad. So we moved to London. Later, she got a job at the French consulate in Houston, so we relocated there. Canada, however, was more of a mutual decision; neither of us wanted to go back to France when her diplomatic visa ended.
Living abroad has been both a huge career boost and a significant challenge at times.
On the one hand, I don’t think I could have built the same career if I’d stayed in France.
On the other, leaving London meant stepping back professionally. I was Head of Search for NetBooster UK, managing a team of eight (SEO and SEA) and handling major clients. The English market back then was massive, with tons of agencies, clients, and a strong currency. Moving to Texas forced me back into a small agency, working with local SMBs. Similarly, in Vancouver, I had to take a quick job, often at a pay cut.
That said, I have no regrets. Moving abroad was the best decision I ever made—it gave me and my family opportunities we could never have had in France. For instance, I now have dual French-Canadian citizenship, which opens up many doors. One of my sons even holds three passports.
Lucie: All those choices led to your current role as an SEO Strategist at EA in Vancouver. Can you tell us more about what you do there?
Julien: Wow, that’s a broad question! Let’s break it down so this interview doesn’t turn into a novel. My work can be summarized into three main areas:
- Portfolio management:
I’m responsible for the SEO of all our games, studios, and corporate sites. This involves identifying topics players might be searching for, like game ratings, tips, controls, features (weapons, maps, vehicles, characters), etc. It’s all about balancing the information players need without spoiling the game.I also ensure our game sales pages perform well compared to competitors like Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Walmart, and Gamestop. Additionally, I train internal teams, such as content managers and copywriters, to optimize their work. - Strategic planning:
When I joined EA, a major decision was made to consolidate all game websites under ea.com instead of having separate sites for each game. This move was primarily to simplify site maintenance, as the old sites used different technologies and hosting platforms.We standardized everything, migrated massive amounts of content, and revamped ea.com to handle all the franchises under one roof. For instance, we moved all Battlefield content from battlefield.com to ea.com/games/battlefield.Last year, we migrated Origin.com to ea.com—a massive, complex project. And, of course, losing traffic or visibility wasn’t an option. - Future projects:
I can’t share much here, but I’ll say that the groundwork we’ve laid in recent years enabled major migrations like Origin. Planning future iterations of the site is the most exciting part of the job, even if some ideas never come to fruition.
Lucie: Is the perspective on SEO in Vancouver different from the French SEO approach?
Julien: Yes and no.
From a technical standpoint, the processes and strategies are quite similar. SEO is SEO—the optimizations and recommendations are consistent. However, there are cultural and market-specific differences.
For instance, link building is approached differently here. There aren’t as many link marketplaces as in France, so it’s done more discreetly.
Another significant difference is the bilingual nature of Canada. If you want to target the entire country, you must address both English and French speakers.
Also, being next to the US means competing with American giants is common. When I worked at Clearly, for example, competing with Specsavers or Warby Parker was tough. Many businesses here face similar challenges with companies like Walmart, Target, and Sleep Country. But despite that, some Canadian companies carve out impressive niches.
Lucie: Speaking of challenges, let’s talk about your latest blog post and the reactions it stirred. What’s your take on that?
Julien: Haha, sure. My post was a rant about two recurring issues I’ve noticed in the SEO Twitter sphere, particularly in France.
First, there’s the rise of certain site publishers who promote shallow advice through flashy threads, labeling themselves as SEO experts while trashing the community. Many lack technical skills—take away WordPress, and they’re lost. Their business model often seems to revolve around selling the same training they took or link-building schemes.
Second, the clickbait communication style of some young SEOs bothers me. Titles like “5 SEO secrets they don’t want you to know” only to rehash basic tips like using Yoast or optimizing titles—it’s neither revolutionary nor secret.
The reactions were…interesting:
- Those who felt targeted and lashed out.
- Supporters from the community who agreed with me.
- Peacekeepers who agreed but didn’t like the tone.
- People who completely misunderstood the post and accused me of being “anti-youth.”
In the end, it boosted my blog traffic and gained me some followers, so I can’t complain.
Lucie: Since we’re on generational issues, here’s my favorite closing question: If you could talk to your younger self, what advice would you give?
Julien: Oof, that’s a tough one.
I’d probably tell him to stretch before and after workouts—his knees will thank him later 😅. Work harder in school (I wasn’t a bad student, but I could’ve pushed myself more), especially in math. Practice the guitar more. Choose a career path early.
I’d also tell him to work on his shyness and introversion. And, most importantly, cherish family and friends. Once you move abroad, you only see your closest people during major life events—or every few years. That’s the one downside of living far from home.
