Martin Ashmere
70
articles
2026
on Search Engine Watch
SEO News
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Author

Martin Ashmere

Martin Ashmere has spent over a decade in the messy trenches of organic search from the days when an algorithm update meant frantically refreshing webmaster forums to the current scramble over AI-generated answers. At Search Engine Watch, he cuts through the noise to write about what actually happens when technical SEO meets the real world: crawling bottlenecks, quirky indexing bugs, and the shift toward Generative Engine Optimization.

Martin leans hard on server logs and real-world testing rather than industry speculation or “silver bullet” growth hacks. His goal is simple: translate complex search engineering into clear, sensible playbooks that digital teams, developers, and editors can actually execute without losing their minds.

When he isn’t diagnosing why an e-commerce site’s faceted navigation went rogue or testing how conversational engines cite sources, you’ll usually find him drinking too much espresso, debating site speed trade-offs, and championing the idea that great SEO starts with building things real humans want to read.

2026

AI Search

Mythos 5’s safety answers failed to predict its actions in AISI tests

Separate test runs exposed a gap between recognizing harm and stopping an unauthorized task.

24 Oct 2026

PPC

New PMax campaigns can use your website photos by default from December

Account-level opt-outs will no longer carry over to new campaigns from December 4.

24 Oct 2026

Analytics

Your AI ads may feel too personal, Snapchat’s survey suggests

The April survey separates enthusiasm for AI help from comfort with brand personalization.

24 Oct 2026

Development

DV360 API v5 lets you edit YouTube exclusions that were read-only

The public beta also changes inventory IDs and moves Customer Match management to another API.

23 Oct 2026

AI Search

Claude brings mathematical proof to 123 libraries your software may depend on

The public release lets developers inspect specific guarantees, with 25 libraries covered so far.

23 Oct 2026

Content

YouTube can pause your uploads if it suspects a channel takeover

The usual 24-hour review can lead to a longer recovery if YouTube confirms a hijack.

23 Oct 2026

Development

Google explains why hyphens help it read the words in your URLs

The documentation clarification favors word boundaries without calling for an archive-wide URL rewrite.

23 Oct 2026

AI Search

Google plans Agent Compute Engine preview with isolated computers for AI agents

The service pauses idle environments while preserving work and keeps service credentials outside them.

23 Oct 2026

PPC

ChatGPT ads reach 89 countries after expansion into 26 new markets

New advertisers may face home-country targeting limits before they can run international campaigns.

23 Oct 2026

AI Search

Google adds existing AI and snippet controls to its Search sharing guide

The October 21 revision brings site-wide AI choices and page-level preview rules into one guide.

23 Oct 2026