Shalin Siriwardhana

Search, growth, and digital strategy notes.

Personal notes on SEO, AI search, content strategy, and durable organic growth.

A close-up shot of a professional's hand holding a printed one-page AI scorecard with a pen, resting on a wooden table next to a closed laptop.

Notes / SEO / Sep 29, 2026

MIT & Harvard Data Show How SEO and Paid Media Managers Become Directors

David Rotman's article in the MIT Technology Review analyzes the bet behind every AI tool in your marketing stack. Hyperscalers. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

6 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a smartphone displaying a Google Lens scan of a physical product on a wooden table.

Notes / SEO / Sep 28, 2026

Google Spam Update, Image Search Data in GSC, SEO Pulse

Google began rolling out the September 2026 spam update on Sept. 24, with a rollout window of up to two weeks. The update started. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

6 min read

A close-up of a person's hand holding a smartphone displaying a Chinese-language website, with a physical printed English document resting on a wooden table beside it.

Notes / SEO / Sep 28, 2026

AI Workflows Outscored Human Translators in 4 of 6 Content Types, China Benchmark Study

Professional human localization was tested against fourteen machine and hybrid workflows across six content types. It finished. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

8 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a highlighter over a printed spreadsheet of data, with a coffee cup sitting on the table beside the paper.

Notes / SEO / Sep 28, 2026

The Generative AI Report Sucks, Let’s Make It Brilliant

Google's Generative AI Report gives you visibility. That's it. But add commercial data and traffic dependency and you can. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

8 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a smartphone displaying a search results page, resting on a wooden cafe table next to a ceramic coffee cup.

Notes / SEO / Sep 28, 2026

A Working Framework for AI Search Myths, Debunked: What the Data Says About SEO

A practical view on A Working Framework for AI Search Myths, Debunked: What the Data Says About SEO, focused on the signal to inspect, the risk to avoid, and the decision it should change.

6 min read

Notes / SEO / Sep 28, 2026

A Working Framework for AI Search Myths, Debunked: What the Data Says About SEO

A practical view on A Working Framework for AI Search Myths, Debunked: What the Data Says About SEO, focused on the signal to inspect, the risk to avoid, and the decision it should change.

6 min read

A close up shot of a computer screen showing a plain text markdown file with a missing button, next to a smartphone displaying a fully rendered checkout page.

Notes / SEO / Sep 26, 2026

The Text Only Version of Your Website Strips Out the Wrong Layer

Heavy JavaScript is absolutely unnecessary for a website that is not some kind of web app, and the visual layer is not essential. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

7 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a smartphone displaying a text based article, with a physical notebook and a pen resting on a wooden table beside it.

Notes / SEO / Sep 25, 2026

Your AI Content Watermark Isn’t What Google Is Looking For

A practical view on Your AI Content Watermark Isn’t What Google Is Looking For, focused on the signal to inspect, the risk to avoid, and the decision it should change.

6 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a red pen, circling a factual error in a printed document on a wooden table.

Notes / SEO / Sep 25, 2026

A Working Framework for Ways Claude Can Derail Your SEO If You Don’t Check Its Work

A practical view on A Working Framework for Ways Claude Can Derail Your SEO If You Don’t Check Its Work, focused on the signal to inspect, the risk to avoid, and the decision it should change.

6 min read

A close up shot of a person's hand holding a smartphone displaying a search results page, with a single physical magnifying glass resting on the screen over a block of text.

Notes / SEO / Sep 25, 2026

Google Has Deployed a New AI Spam Detector Called SAFE

This is Google's second system identified in 2026 that is designed to catch AI generated spam. The previously identified system. The practical question is what this changes for SEO, content quality, and AI search visibility.

6 min read