AMA with Marc Choquette of Boston Globe Media
I sat with Marc Choquette, Director of SEO at Boston Globe Media, to unpack one of the most urgent challenges facing publishers today: the impact of AI on search behavior and discoverability.
While some fear an extinction-level event for media traffic, Marc offers a more nuanced—and provocative—point of view. Drawing on real data, case studies, and deep experience, he lays out how AI is reshaping content strategy, measurement, and the role of brand in ways media leaders can’t afford to ignore.
Reconsider the future of SEO with the video and 5 key takeaways below. Join the conversation in the LinkedIn Group here.
1. The Sky Isn’t Falling, But the Landscape Is Shifting
“I’m not a doomer... but this is changing in a way I’ve never seen in my career.”
Marc opens with a powerful framing: AI may not spell doom for SEO, but it’s triggering the most significant transformation since Penguin and Panda. He stresses that while panic is premature, the shift in user behavior and the structure of search, especially toward AI-powered answer engines, is very real and already underway.
2. Evergreen Content is Dying, Freshness is the New Moat
“There's a much higher risk in evergreen content getting eaten by AI platforms than there is with local or breaking news.”
Marc explains that evergreen content is being cannibalized by AI, while real-time and hyperlocal news retains value. He views breaking news and regional specificity as a defensible moat, one that generative AI can’t replicate yet. This reframes the survival strategy for media: don’t chase generality, double down on what’s unique and immediate.
3. Stop Chasing Traffic, Start Building Trust
“My message to our leaders has been: lower our reliance on Google as much as possible.”
Rather than chasing rankings alone, Marc urges media leaders to reinvest in brand building and own direct relationships with readers. He highlights newsletters, distinct positioning, and brand recall as strategic imperatives, especially since AI search obscures source attribution. It’s a counterintuitive stance from the head of SEO: escape the algorithm, don’t lean on it.
4. Traffic is a Vanity Metric, Value is in Subscriptions
“Traffic is a lagging indicator... I’d take 100 clicks and 20 subs over 500,000 clicks and five subs any day.”
Using a case study from the Karen Read verdict coverage, Marc reveals that massive traffic from Google Discover doesn’t equal impact. His pivot is clear: optimize for subscriptions, conversion rates, and LTV, not pageviews. He calls this a shift from chasing uncontrollable inputs (like algorithm changes) to doubling down on what media can actually influence.
5. Adapt or Fade, AI is SEO’s Second Big Reckoning
“We can’t be nostalgic about how things used to be... we just have to try to keep up and innovate.”
Marc’s closing notes tie everything together: AI is forcing publishers to let go of nostalgia, adopt product-led thinking, and get comfortable with constant reinvention. He draws a sharp line between those hoping for stability and those embracing change, positioning himself, and the Boston Globe, as squarely in the latter camp.
