ResidentialBusiness

If your paid social campaigns aren’t converting, you may be undervaluing their impact. Your brand’s exposure on social media can influence other parts of your marketing that platform metrics don’t capture. Here’s how to design and measure a test to understand how paid social influences your other marketing channels, including PPC. Step 1: Determine your hypothesis Start with what you want to learn, then define a hypothesis you can realistically evaluate with your data. For example, this is a common hypothesis for measuring paid search lift from social traffic: Search lift hypothesis: Increasing spend on social media will increase brand search volume and overall PPC CTRs. Logic: Social ads build brand awareness. As more people become familiar with our brand, they will search for it more often when making research and purchase decisions. As more people are exposed to our brand, they will increasingly click on our PPC ads regardless of their search term (i.e., increasing non-brand and brand CTRs). People exposed multiple times to our brand will have a higher trust factor in our products, and therefore, our conversion rates will increase. Measurement: Impression and click volume for our branded terms. CTR changes for brand and non-brand terms. Conversion rate changes for brand and non-brand terms. Your hypothesis could have a different scope, such as measuring paid and organic lift from social spend or an increase in direct traffic. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Step 2: The test The next step is to set up the test parameters. Generally, measuring before and after a change is a mistake, as seasonality or other factors can affect your test results. The most common test setup is a geographic split. In this test, we’ll increase social spend for only a set of geographies. Then we’ll examine the PPC data for the geographies where we ran the test and compare them with areas where we did not. As you choose geographies, you’ll want to control for other variables that may affect your test. Here are some common issues that companies have run into and need to control for in their tests and measurements: You sponsor a sports team, and they’re playing during your test. If the game is regionally televised, this can dramatically affect your test results. You’re running TV commercials in only certain regions. You choose experimental geographies with many out-of-region commuters, such as New York City, and include New Jersey and Connecticut in your control group. In these instances, grouping a region and its surrounding commuter areas together, and placing other cities with similar characteristics, such as Chicago and Philadelphia, in a different group, can help balance these tests. (Note: in this example, we’re splitting New Jersey in half.) Seasonal or local events. Large conferences, festivals, or major weather events can affect your data. Your control and experimental groups should be statistically similar across factors such as income levels, and urban versus rural regions. As you set up and measure your test, consider your budget. If you increase social spend and expect higher clicks and conversions for your PPC campaigns, ensure you have the budget to capture the increased demand. Examine your impression share and impression share lost to budget before and after the test to ensure budget limits won’t severely impact your results. Dig deeper: Why PPC tests in 2026 call for nuance, not winners Step 3: The measurement Measurement can go from very simple to extremely complex. At a simple level, you can compare platform data to see how your data changed. In this case, a Google Ads report shows how pausing social spending and influencer campaigns across all social platforms (TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) affects performance. For this test, pausing social spending yielded mixed results for conversion rates. As brand searches decreased, conversion rates in some regions increased, while in others they fell. However, what was consistent was a dramatic drop in conversions. You can get more sophisticated in your testing. Depending on your analytics setup, some companies want to measure touchpoint differences for their conversions. Others will want to measure overlap rates between social and paid search visitors, or examine attribution touchpoints and models. Before you set up your test, ensure you have the measurement capabilities needed to understand and interpret the results. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Step 4: Evaluation beyond the test criteria As you run various tests, you want to measure the results against your hypothesis. However, it’s useful to list other variables worth evaluating beyond your test criteria. This is where search consoles, analytics tools, CRM, internal data, and even the paid and organic report can come into play. In one example, a company was running a test to see whether pausing several advertising channels, from social media to TV ads, would dramatically change its brand search volume. They hypothesized that their brand was so well known in the marketplace that they could cut back on several forms of brand advertising and reallocate that budget to other channels and non-brand advertising. While the simple paid and organic report in Google Ads won’t tell you the full story about in-store revenue and direct traffic changes, it can serve as a signal to form an overall picture of a very complex test. They had recently launched a new product line, and that line continued to see a large increase in traffic during the test. However, their most common brand terms saw significant declines from the test. This was a year-over-year comparison across a set of geographies, rather than a period-to-period comparison, to help correct for the increase in holiday traffic that would have occurred during the previous period. The results were by far the most dramatic I’ve ever seen in this type of test, to the point it was clear other variables had to be in play that could affect the test. This takes you to the sniff test. Rely on your experience with data to make common sense adjustments. If you look at the data and it just doesn’t seem right, ask yourself whether this makes sense, if it’s a math quirk (common with low data), or if other unforeseen variables are in play. In this example, no one believed the results should be this dramatic. The company stopped running the test and began an internal evaluation of its organic presence, including Google’s recent updates, changes to AI Overviews, AI engagement, and other factors affecting its web presence beyond its usual marketing channels. Dig deeper: Are your PPC ads still authentic in the age of AI creative? See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with What to do with your social impact tests The test setup is simple: Determine your hypothesis. Decide how you will test. The easiest setup is a geographic split. Make sure you can measure the results. Launch the tests. Evaluate the metrics for your hypothesis. Examine other metrics for insight or additional testing ideas. For some companies, Facebook and other social channels are their top conversion channels, and these tests won’t be applicable. For others, social media advertising results often look poor when evaluated in isolation. In these examples, the companies were already running many social media campaigns, so the test was to reduce social media spend. If you don’t run much social media, your test will be to increase your social media spend to see how it affects your data. I’ve seen a lot of these tests, and the results are highly inconsistent across companies. Many companies will increase their social media spend and see little change in their data. Others will increase their spend and see a nice lift in overall performance. These are tests you need to run yourself, as your results will vary by company. Running geographic split tests in your social media campaigns and then measuring the results on paid or organic search traffic can give you insights into how to leverage social media campaigns for other marketing channels. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are down to $399 (originally $449), which is the lowest price they’ve hit so far, according to price trackers. That drop makes them easier to consider, even with stronger competition this year from models like Sony’s WH-1000XM6. Bose has not changed the formula much in this second generation—you still get an over-ear design with plush padding and a firm but comfortable clamp for a secure fit. The only noticeable tweak is that the frame now uses a glossy metal finish instead of a matte one, which gives it a slightly more premium feel without changing how it wears. Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) Wireless over-ear headphones $399.00 at Amazon $449.00 Save $50.00 Get Deal Get Deal $399.00 at Amazon $449.00 Save $50.00 The feature set is broad and mostly well-executed—these headphones support Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint pairing, so you can stay connected to a laptop and phone at the same time without juggling settings. There is also a USB-C connection for wired listening, which unlocks lossless audio, something many competitors still skip. Plus, they power on automatically when you put them on and slip into a low-power mode when left flat, which is a small quality-of-life upgrade you notice quickly in daily use. Battery life is rated at 30 hours with active noise cancellation turned on, which is in line with most premium options. Bose also lets you charge and listen through USB-C at the same time, a practical addition for long work sessions. Performance-wise, noise cancellation holds up well across different environments, taking the edge off airplane rumble, muting bus engines, and pushing most café chatter into the background, so you don’t have to keep adjusting volume just to stay immersed, notes this PCMag review. As for the sound, these headphones deliver a rich, bass-forward profile while keeping vocals and detail intact. Tracks with heavy low-end, like electronic or hip-hop, come through with depth and punch without overwhelming the mix, and vocals sound full, though the slightly recessed midrange means guitars and some instruments don’t cut through as sharply. Also, while you do get presets and noise control modes in the companion app, its simple three-band EQ does not give you much room to fine-tune the sound. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $148.99 (List Price $179.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $319.97 (List Price $349.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Fitbit Versa 4 Fitness Smartwatch (Black) — $149.95 (List Price $199.95) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Google announced they are testing a new “conversational search experience to complement how you already search on YouTube.” It is called “Ask YouTube” and it lets you “dive deeper into the topics you’re curious about in a more interactive way,” Dave from YouTube wrote. What it looks like. Here is a GIF of it in action: How can I try it. If you want to try it out, you can go to youtube.com/new and try to opt into it. This experiment is currently available for YouTube Premium members 18+ in the US who opt-in. Google is working on expanding the experiment to non-Premium users in the future. What it does. Dave from YouTube posted this example: “If you’re in the experiment, you can try it out by selecting “Ask YouTube” in the search bar. For example, you can ask for help planning a 3-day road trip from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, and you’ll get a structured, step-by-step itinerary instead of a list of videos. The response will bring together a new mix of long-form videos, Shorts, and informative text featuring local tips and must-see stops. You can ask follow-up questions like, “where can I find good coffee?” to explore local spots along your route. We’ll surface videos and relevant video segments, accompanied by their titles and channel details, to make it easy to discover new creators and jump into the most helpful content from your search.” Why we care. AI search is creeping into every search interface across Google’s properties. YouTube is no exception. Expect more and more AI search experiences in more Google surfaces and expect them to change and adapt over time. You can find more coverage of this across Techmeme. View the full article

Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NYSE: BBBY) are surging this morning, a day after the company reported its Q1 2026 results. Despite the company reporting a loss for the quarter, BBBY stock is significantly higher, as many investors see evidence that the once-iconic home goods retailer’s turnaround efforts are finally showing results. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? Yesterday, Bed Bath & Beyond reported first-quarter results for its fiscal year 2026. While many will recognize the company due to its “Bed Bath & Beyond” name, the firm actually owns several businesses under its corporate umbrella, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, buybuy BABY, Kirkland’s, and Kirkland’s Home. It is also in the process of merging with The Container Store. In the early 2000s, Bed Bath & Beyond was a suburban staple, but in the decades that followed, the company struggled with declining foot traffic as customers shifted their buying habits online. The chain ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and its IP was bought by Overstock.com shortly after. In early August 2025, the retail partner of Overstock owner Beyond Inc announced that it was reopening the Bed Bath & Beyond chain with a store in Nashville. Shortly after, Beyond Inc changed its name to Bed Bath & Beyond Inc, going all-in on the brand as it worked to turn around its fortunes. Now, it seems that the company’s initiative may be working. In its Q1 earnings report, Bed Bath & Beyond announced that it had achieved its first “significant revenue growth in 19 quarters.” The revenue growth signaled “strong brand awareness among customers,” according to the company. But it also appears to have motivated investors, who have poured money into the company’s shares this morning. Bed Bath & Beyond still didn’t make a profit Announcing the company’s surprising Q1 revenue growth, which totaled $248 million, up 6.9% year-over-year, CEO Marcus Lemonis said that its results “show that the work we’ve been doing to stabilize and rebuild the business is taking hold.” “We delivered real year-over-year revenue growth, something we haven’t seen meaningfully in several years, while continuing to take costs out of the business and operate more efficiently,” Lemonis continued. “That combination matters.” However, while the company is right to call out its revenue growth—and investors are clearly buoyed by the results—it’s important to note that Bed Bath & Beyond still racked up losses for the quarter. The company achieved a net revenue of $248 million, but it had a net loss of $16 million for the quarter. That equated to a loss per share of 24 cents. At the same time, losses marked a $24 million improvement over the same period a year ago. More stores and a larger retail footprint Despite the better-than-expected Q1 earnings, investors will now likely shift their focus to Bed Bath & Beyond’s immediate future, which is expected to usher in a growing retail footprint for the company’s goods. First up, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc is expected to close its merger with The Container Store this summer. Once that happens, 30% of retail space in Container Store locations will be dedicated to selling Bed Bath & Beyond’s wares, expanding the reach and awareness of the once-beloved, Millennial-nostalgic chain. Additionally, the company will open a dozen combined Container Store and Bed Bath & Beyond locations in California, further expanding its retail footprint, and in a state where the brand once had one of its most loyal customer bases. Whether these moves will have a material impact on Bed Bath & Beyond’s future earnings remains to be seen. But as for today, the company’s stock price is surging, thanks to its Q1 results. As of this writing, BBBY stock is currently up nearly 24% to $6.63 in premarket trading. That is a high the company stock price has not seen since January. As of yesterday’s close at $5.34 per share, BBBY stock had declined by about 2.2% since the year began. But with its nearly 24% jump this morning, the company’s stock price is now significantly in the green for 2026. Over the past 12 months, as of yesterday’s close, BBBY shares had risen 30%. View the full article

Fragmentation, local engines, and bundled AI tools are redefining competition in APAC, making multi-system visibility the new benchmark for search success. The post APAC Search Strategy Goes Beyond Google & Baidu appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Understanding the ins and outs of paid media can seem like an overwhelming process when you’re first entering the field. As AI has rapidly changed ad platforms in recent years, keeping up can feel challenging. Thankfully, you’re not alone. You’re part of a supportive industry with a wealth of content and knowledge to share. Here are seven tips to help you learn and become a more confident PPC manager. 1. Be curious Curiosity is foundational to growth in PPC. You’ll learn best by taking initiative to understand ad platforms, how campaigns are structured, and what options are available on the backend. Of course, be careful about tweaking settings you’re not familiar with, but don’t be afraid to dig in on your own. If you’re part of a team, ask your colleagues why they use a particular setup. If you’re not familiar with a platform and have a team member who frequently uses it, ask if they can walk you through it. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with 2. Absorb content and find community There are countless industry professionals producing content to teach PPC. Whether you learn best from reading, listening to podcasts, or watching videos, you’ll find options that fit your style. Looking up the authors of articles on this site is a great starting point to build a list to follow. Block out time in your schedule for education. Even setting aside a couple of hours a week helps you gain perspective from others in the industry and keep up with constant platform updates. The PPC industry has long been known for its welcoming, supportive community. Seek out individuals and organizations who are actively sharing, and don’t be afraid to engage with them on social media. Conferences are also a great way to network with other PPC professionals and sometimes discuss their approaches in a more informal setting. A brief word of caution: Vet recommendations you see from others against your own experience in ad accounts. Just because a “best practice” worked for one account doesn’t mean it’ll work for every account. Depending on the tactic, you may want to test it as an experiment to measure impact, or compare results before and after. Dig deeper: What 10 years of PPC testing reveals about breaking best practices 3. Take industry certifications with a grain of salt While ad platform certifications can serve as a starting point for demonstrating basic functionality, be cautious about relying on them as the end-all proof of PPC expertise. Certifications often lean heavily on platform-recommended best practices, which may conflict with tactics that align with a brand’s goals. Academic knowledge can’t match the insight gained from practical, hands-on experience in accounts. 4. Don’t chase what’s new and shiny While I’d encourage staying aware of ad platform updates and current tactics, I’d discourage implementing a new campaign type or expanding into a new platform just because it’s new. Make sure you have sufficient budget and a clear reason to test. Additionally, avoid making adjustments without a rationale. If campaigns are performing and driving qualified leads or sales, keeping the status quo may be best. Basic marketing principles still apply, such as knowing your target audience, addressing their problem with a solution, and presenting a clear call to action. Focus on aligning your channel choices with these goals, and the rest will follow. Dig deeper: 10 keys to a successful PPC career in the AI age Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 5. Translate jargon for stakeholders As you become more embedded in PPC, you may naturally use industry terms and acronyms such as CTR, CPC, ROAS, and CPA. However, these metrics are often meaningless to stakeholders who aren’t immersed in your world. One of the most vital skills for a paid media professional is translating abstract metrics into language that connects with what stakeholders care about. For instance, I often default to “conversions,” even though the term can be ambiguous in reports. Referencing the actual action being tracked (such as account open, form fill, or purchase) is more concrete and ties directly to what stakeholders are tasked with driving. 6. Use AI, but don’t neglect the human touch AI is an inevitable part of a future-forward career, and ignoring it will be detrimental to career development. However, don’t lose the human oversight that sets a seasoned PPC practitioner apart. When writing ad copy, LLMs can offer a strong starting point and help refine wording. But don’t rely on AI to produce all your copy, as it may pull irrelevant content from your site (or elsewhere), and may not reflect your brand’s voice and perspective. Also, learn where AI can save time on “busy work” tasks, such as reviewing search terms and placements for exclusions, while still reviewing the output for accuracy. While most ad platforms default to automated campaign setups and encourage a hands-off approach, a standout PPC manager understands the levers they can pull to maintain control when needed. Examples include: Setting target bids or cost caps. Excluding irrelevant keywords, placements, and audiences. Pinning headlines and descriptions in responsive search ads. Restricting geographic targeting to avoid unwanted locations. Tailoring creative to specific demographics. Dig deeper: The new PPC playbook: From media buyer to profit engineer 7. Don’t change things for the sake of showing activity One common temptation for both new and seasoned paid media practitioners is to make changes just to appear busy. The motivation may be valid, as you want to prove to your client or boss that you’re attentive to PPC account management. However, particularly with campaigns that rely heavily on data to drive automated bidding, too many changes in a short period are often detrimental. Be sure to allow for data significance and enough time before pausing ads and keywords or tweaking bid targets. If you can show positive performance trends and provide readouts on which campaigns and channels are driving those results, you can validate your decisions to take or not take action when presenting to stakeholders. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with Keep learning, start sharing Becoming a confident PPC manager requires mastering a blend of technical, interpersonal, and marketing skills. As you build your knowledge, look for opportunities to share what you’re learning with peers. It’s one of the fastest ways to reinforce what you know and keep improving. Dig deeper: 7 power moves to accelerate your PPC career View the full article

Otter wants to turn your work meetings into institutional knowledge. The company is known for its audio transcription tool, which has evolved over the years to be able to join and transcribe online meetings in real time and answer questions about them via an AI chat tool. It’s now adding additional AI features to make it easier to integrate knowledge from those recorded meetings with other information, including integrations with other software like Google Drive, Jira, Salesforce, and Notion. Those will let Otter’s AI access live data from those apps, so it can pull data from an email or customer database as needed to best answer a follow-up question from a recorded meeting. Otter has also now added server functionality that lets other AI tools, including ChatGPT and Claude, connect to it via the popular model context protocol (MCP), so other AI agents can also access data from Otter with permission. Additionally, enhancements to the AI chat feature itself will make it easier for users to specify when to pull insight from particular meetings, from multiple meetings, and from other data sources to which they have access. The aim is to help unlock knowledge that’s primarily or exclusively shared in meetings and make it available to both human workers and AI agents, says Otter cofounder and CEO Sam Liang. One challenge for corporate knowledge bases, he says, is that information stored in written documents can lag behind reality. “People create documents, but documents become obsolete really fast,” he says, with the latest updates presented via meetings. But even when that’s known to be the case, and even as research repeatedly shows white-collar workers spend a big portion of their time attending meetings, information from those meetings often isn’t easy to access in a systematic way. Even AI-generated transcripts can end up stored in the accounts of individual users rather than broadly available. Otter has already developed what it calls channels—essentially groups of users who have shared access to meeting recordings and transcripts—and the company suggests its AI agents will be able to surface new insights from collections of meetings, like aggregating trends from multiple sales calls or departmental meetings. An improved Otter desktop client for Mac and Windows will also make it easier to record more meetings from a computer, Liang says, though he says many companies do prefer Otter’s AI agent which can conspicuously join calls on platforms like Zoom, giving everyone clear notice the meeting is being recorded. In general, broader recording of meetings and harnessing AI notes may raise privacy and legal concerns at some organizations. But Liang emphasizes that Otter’s channels allow companies to control who has access to meetings internally and that it gives organizations control over how long both audio and transcripts are retained. “We provide a data retention mechanism so that enterprises can decide how long they want to keep the audio recording,” he says, and users can also pause recording—and even eject Otter’s AI notetaker entirely—if they want some of a meeting to be off the record. The new Otter features come as a growing number of companies vie to become an organization’s central AI hub, with AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, workplace productivity businesses from Slack to Asana, and office software makers like Google and Microsoft all offering tools to command AI agents and regulate their access to corporate data. Otter also faces no shortage of competition in the meeting transcription market, with comedy website Clickhole noting earlier this month that “all the random AI programs on your computer are desperately fighting for permission to summarize your meeting” and even pasta sauce maker Prego looking to record household dinner table conversations. But Liang says Otter still has features that competitors don’t, like the ability for AI to cleanly separate opinions of different speakers in a meeting, and the option to set up custom templates for how meetings are summarized. Additionally, Liang says, Otter’s AI is optimized to be able to reliably answer questions using information from hundreds of meetings, letting users quickly analyze what took place in sales calls they didn’t personally conduct or get up to speed on what’s already been discussed about a particular project. “You get intelligence from hundreds or thousands [of] meetings, even though you didn’t attend them,” he says. View the full article

Cancer has a way of touching lives without warning. Nearly everyone in our community has a story—someone they love, someone they’ve lost, or someone still fighting. At MG2, that shared reality is why Swing for the Cure to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center has become so deeply meaningful to us. It isn’t just a charity event. It’s a collective response to something that has affected so many of us personally. Swing for the Cure began as a golf tournament, but it quickly became much more. Driven by the loss of his first wife, Patricia, our former CEO Jerry Lee believed that no one should lose a friend, family member, or loved one to breast cancer. That conviction helped our firm shape the heart of the event from the very beginning. Jerry and his wife Charlene, herself a breast cancer survivor for more than 25 years, continue to inspire us through their resilience, optimism, and unwavering commitment to this mission. What makes Swing for the Cure special is the common bond it creates. People come together not as job titles or companies, but as individuals with shared experiences and deeply personal reasons for being there. Some are survivors. Some are caregivers. Some are honoring those they’ve lost. That sense of connection transforms a day on the golf course into something far more powerful: a community united around a clear goal, which is to support research and move closer to a cure. A SENSE OF PURPOSE MATTERS Over the years, MG2 has intentionally worked to make Swing for the Cure bigger, deeper, and broader. What started as a standalone experience has grown into a purposeful annual gathering that reflects our values. We challenged ourselves to think beyond a traditional fundraiser and create something hopeful—an experience where people feel connected, motivated, and part of something meaningful. Clients, partners, and colleagues come together not out of obligation, but because they believe in what the event represents. That sense of purpose matters. When people gather with intention and when they know why they’re there and what they’re working toward, then good things happen. Energy builds. Conversations deepen. Commitment follows. Swing for the Cure demonstrates that goodwill is not abstract; it’s something that grows when people are aligned around a shared cause. And goodwill, when cultivated thoughtfully, benefits everyone. IMPACT FROM SHOWING UP CONSISTENTLY For MG2, this commitment mirrors how we approach our work. Just as strong design is rooted in care, collaboration, and long-term thinking, meaningful community engagement requires the same. Swing for the Cure, going strong for almost a quarter century, has raised more than $2 million to date, and it reminds us that real impact comes from showing up consistently, staying focused on the goal, and inviting others to take part. Last year was by far our biggest year. Our 2025 Swing for the Cure raised $250,000. Thanks to our close ties with Fred Hutch, we can choose the specific research we want to fund. That adds a personal touch to the entire experience. This year we awarded the total amount raised to one radiation oncologist, whose upcoming trial will work to improve how physicians deliver concurrent radiation and chemotherapy and enhance outcomes for high-risk patients. Grants like this are important for the larger health community, and it’s an emotional moment for researchers—and for us—to push for cures. When we come together with purpose, we can honor those we’ve lost, support those still fighting, and move closer to a future where fewer families face this journey alone. Mitch Smith AIA, LEED AP, is the CEO and chairman of MG2, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering & Design. View the full article

When Malibu launched its “Get Ready With Malibu Pink” campaign this spring, the rum brand had all the necessary ingredients for a modern influencer campaign. Creator partnerships with Sabrina Brier and other influencers, on-trend “get ready with me” style videos, all centered on the debut of a new flavored rum with guava, coconut, and pineapple. But there was also one element that was surprisingly new terrain for Malibu’s parent company Pernod Ricard: its first major campaign designed specifically for TikTok. A platform once off-limits Until very recently, alcohol brands like Malibu were completely absent from TikTok. But over the past two years, TikTok’s stronger age-gating protocols, which help guarantee to marketers like Malibu that the content they publish is only seen by legal-age users, have opened the platform for greater experimentation. The growing, cross-generational popularity of TikTok, with four in ten U.S. adults active on the platform and 80% over the age of 21, was also heralded as a key factor. “It’s important for us to connect with Zillennials,” Caroline Begley, Pernod Ricard’s vice president of marketing, tells Fast Company of the importance of the microgeneration of younger millennials and older Gen Z. “Malibu has been around for decades, but it’s always important to introduce new consumers to the brand.” The rush to catch up Boozy TikTok campaigns have proliferated, including Grey Goose vodka’s “Devil Wears Prada 2” content starring supermodel Heidi Klum, Espolòn Tequila’s “Shot Kings Week” celebration with actor and comedian Ken Jeong, St-Germain liqueur’s spritz-making session with actress Sophie Turner, and a behind-the-scenes look at a commercial for the ready-to-drink brand -196 with content creator Pooja Tripathi. Heidi KlumKen Jeong They are now playing catch-up to connect with the highly coveted Gen Z crowd that dominates the cultural conversation and trends on an app that’s already almost a decade old and generates more than $14 billion in U.S. advertising spending annually, according to data from market researcher eMarketer. How the rules changed Pernod Ricard and Bacardi were early adopters, launching limited pilots beginning in 2024. At the same time, TikTok was in active discussions with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the liquor trade advocacy group responsible for setting the protocols for advertising across television, print media, out-of-home advertising, and social platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Liquor brands were allowed to create their own TikTok branded accounts in July 2024, when paid ads were also authorized to target users above 25. Organic brand pages and content were fully “age gated” beginning in July 2025, according to DISCUS, and influencer-related alcohol content began to flow by early 2026. There are still a few restrictions, including most notably that TikTok Shop doesn’t permit the sale of alcohol. “Social media companies have gotten really good at also identifying when somebody is misreporting their age using signal data,” says Courtney J. Armour, chief legal officer of DISCUS, in an interview with Fast Company. TikTok’s advertising policies for alcohol include never featuring people below the age of 25, avoiding the portrayal of excess drinking or intoxication, stating the alcoholic content level, and carrying a responsible drinking disclaimer. One sticking point that was recently resolved involved user comments left on a brand’s TikTok page. DISCUS wanted more guardrails to ensure age verification before allowing brands to turn that feature on. Learning TikTok’s language While most liquor brands still have minuscule TikTok follower counts, they’re actively setting up pages and developing unique strategies for the platform that they say cannot mirror what works on Instagram. “It’s more raw, it’s imperfect, and I think that’s what people gravitate to,” Ned Duggan, global CMO and president of Bacardi Global Brands, tells Fast Company. He adds that TikTok users are more motivated to discover new products and be entertained, while Instagram is more curated and polished. “TikTok is more like behind the scenes, whereas Instagram and other platforms are more front-of-stage,” he adds. TikTok says that 42% of users have discovered a new alcohol brand on the platform. Users over the age of 21 are 1.6 times more likely to buy alcohol or try a new cocktail recipe versus those not using TikTok, the company says. Speed, volume, and experimentation Italian liquor maker Campari Group debuted on TikTok in June 2025 and has since rolled out several campaigns for brands including Espolòn Tequila, Wild Turkey bourbon, and the aperitif Aperol. “When we jumped into TikTok, we quickly learned that it plays by a totally different set of rules than other platforms,” Brian Chang, Campari’s head of consumer marketing and ecommerce, tells Fast Company. Karrueche Tran Liquor marketing executives have quickly learned the need for speed when it comes to effective TikTok storytelling. “We wanted to make a point where the zoom-in mouth effect will be the first few seconds that people would see on TikTok, so that they’re not consistently doomscrolling past the content,” says Chang, of the “Bring Your Own Courvoisier” content that began with a close-up of actress Karrueche Tran’s mouth. Last year, Suntory piloted content centered on -196 with STEM-focused videos that explained how the company uses whole fruits that are frozen in liquid nitrogen, then crushed and infused into vodka. “The category as a whole lends itself, I think, to TikTok as a channel, given the Gen Z connectivity with RTDs,” Davin Nugent, president of global RTD at Suntory Global Spirits, tells Fast Company. Turning views into sales The benchmarks that Suntory is monitoring include ad recall, a marketing metric that measures how many consumers remember seeing an ad, as well as awareness, favorability, and, of course, sales. “If we have great campaigns, but we aren’t getting new purchase intent, then we’re just creating new work and making people smile,” says Nugent. “It has to result in an uptick in consumer purchases.” The ecommerce platform ReserveBar is one of the key players that helps enable brands like Bacardi and Campari to link campaigns to direct sales, as liquor manufacturers aren’t allowed to directly sell to consumers due to the three-tier system in the U.S. that mandates that alcohol flows from producers, to distributors and then retailers before reaching consumers. ReserveBar’s links are now allowed on TikTok and the brand set up its own organic handle a couple of months ago. “There’s not a playbook, because everyone in the industry, we’re starting from scratch,” ReserveBar Chief Marketing Officer Kate Zaman tells Fast Company. But she says the industry can take some cues from lessons learned from non-alcoholic consumer product brands that have had more time to cultivate their TikTok strategies. Success on TikTok isn’t just about speed and cultural tie-ins; there’s also a thirst for volume. “The pure amount of content that you really need to be successful on TikTok is much more than I think what you need on Meta,” says Zaman. View the full article

Krishna Madhavan from Microsoft Bing demo'ed some new AI reporting features that should launch within Bing Webmaster Tools soon. They include citation share, grounding query intent, semantic topic label, and GEO-focused recommendations. View the full article

As you know, Google announced a new search spam penalty for back button hijacking. Site owners have until June 15, 2026 to remove any such functionality from its site or it will be subject to a manual action and/or automated algorithmic adjustment. Now, Google is sending email notifications through Search Console as reminders.View the full article

Google is now showing the number of reviews that were deleted on a specific Google Business Profile due to defamation complaints. This seems to be live in Germany and not other countries right now.View the full article

If you’re managing a trading business, choosing the right accounting software can greatly affect your efficiency and financial management. Wave Accounting offers a free starter plan with unlimited invoicing, making it a great choice for budget-conscious traders. Conversely, Xero provides robust inventory management features, which can streamline your stock handling. Comprehending these options and their unique benefits is essential, as it can help you make an informed decision customized to your specific needs. Key Takeaways Wave Accounting: Offers a free starter plan with unlimited invoicing, making it cost-effective for small trading businesses. Xero: Provides excellent inventory management features and integrates with over 1,000 apps for seamless operations. QuickBooks Online: Ideal for complex financial needs, it supports multi-user access and robust financial management tools. Zoho Books: Scalable solution with a free plan, suitable for managing inventory and multiple bank accounts efficiently. FreshBooks: Excellent for invoicing and expense tracking, designed specifically for service-based trading businesses. Top Accounting Software Options for Trading Businesses Regarding managing finances in trading businesses, selecting the right accounting software is crucial. You’ll find several top accounting software options that cater to your specific needs. QuickBooks Online, highly rated for its extensive capabilities, is perfect if you require robust financial management tools and multi-user access. Xero, starting at $15 per month, shines in inventory management and integrates seamlessly with over 1,000 apps, providing real-time data management and multi-currency support. Sage 50 Accounting stands out for its strong desktop capabilities, ideal for businesses needing thorough reporting and advanced inventory tracking. If your trading business is service-oriented, FreshBooks, starting at $19, offers excellent invoicing and expense tracking. Finally, for very small businesses, Wave Accounting provides a free starter plan, allowing unlimited invoicing and access to a mobile app. These accounting packages in India represent some of the best accounting software for trading businesses. Key Features to Consider in Accounting Software When selecting accounting software for your trading business, it’s essential to focus on features that align with your operational needs. Look for multi-currency support, as trading often involves transactions across different countries, requiring effective management of various currencies. Robust inventory management features are critical to track stock levels, orders, and supplier information, which directly impact your trading activities. Automated invoicing and receipt management can greatly improve efficiency by minimizing manual data entry and speeding up billing processes. Furthermore, consider integration capabilities with other tools like CRM systems and e-commerce platforms to guarantee seamless operations and consistent data management. Finally, thorough reporting features are indispensable; they provide insights into sales, expenses, and cash flow, empowering you to make informed decisions. To conclude, these key features will help your trading business thrive when using a trading ERP solution. Pricing and Subscription Models Pricing for accounting software can vary widely, making it crucial to comprehend the options available to find what fits your trading business best. Here’s a quick overview of some popular choices: Software Starting Price QuickBooks Online $35/month FreshBooks $19/month Xero $15/month (50% off for first 3 months) Wave Accounting Free Starter plan, $16/month for Pro plan Zoho Books Free for micro businesses, paid plans start at $0/month Subscription models often offer tiered pricing based on features, user access, and the number of invoices handled. This flexibility allows you to choose a plan that meets your specific accounting needs. Whether you’re a small trader or managing larger transactions, comprehending these options will help you make a more informed decision for your business. User Experience and Customer Support User experience and customer support are critical factors to evaluate when choosing accounting software for your trading business. QuickBooks Online stands out with its live support and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for complex accounting needs. If you run a service-based trading company, FreshBooks may be a better fit, as it emphasizes customer service and offers an intuitive dashboard for easier navigation. Xero also shines with its user-friendly design and context-sensitive settings, which simplify financial management while providing extensive reporting features. For small trading businesses, Wave Accounting offers a free, straightforward mobile app and reporting dashboard, ensuring accessibility without financial strain. Finally, Zoho Books caters to diverse trading enterprises with exceptional customer support and multi-lingual invoicing, allowing for thorough accounting solutions customized to your business’s specific needs. Evaluating these aspects will help you choose the right software for your trading operation. Recommendations for Different Business Needs If invoicing and expense tracking are your priorities, FreshBooks offers an excellent user experience starting at $19 per month. On the other hand, Zoho Books provides a scalable solution with a free plan, perfect for managing inventory and multiple bank accounts. Finally, for small trading businesses on a tight budget, Wave Accounting is an ideal option, offering unlimited invoicing and estimates for free. Each software serves unique needs, so assess your business requirements carefully. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Accounting Software for a Small Business? When considering the best accounting software for your small business, QuickBooks Online stands out because of its extensive features, including inventory management and multi-user access. FreshBooks is excellent for service-oriented businesses, offering easy invoicing and expense tracking. Xero provides strong multi-user support and real-time data management. If you’re looking for a cost-effective solution, Wave Accounting offers free invoicing, whereas Zoho Books delivers robust tools at competitive prices. Evaluate these options based on your specific needs. What Is the Best Accounting Software for Sole Traders? When choosing accounting software as a sole trader, consider options like Wave for free unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping, or FreshBooks, which starts at $19 per month and offers time tracking. Xero is another option, allowing 20 invoices monthly for $15. QuickBooks Online provides robust tools from $35, and Zoho Books offers a free plan for those earning less than $50,000, allowing up to 1,000 invoices annually. Each has unique features customized to your needs. Is Quickbooks Good for Sole Traders? Yes, QuickBooks is good for sole traders. It offers customizable features like invoicing, expense tracking, and tax assistance, starting at $35 per month. The platform supports multiple sales channels and provides live support, simplifying financial management. With integration options for over 750 apps, including PayPal and Square, you can improve functionality. Its user-friendly interface and mobile app access allow you to manage accounting efficiently, ensuring you stay organized and up-to-date. Is Xero or Quickbooks Better for Small Business? When deciding between Xero and QuickBooks for your small business, consider your specific needs. Xero starts at $15 per month and outshines in user-friendliness and integrations, whereas QuickBooks, starting at $35, offers robust features like tax assistance and extensive user support. If you need multi-user access and advanced functionalities, QuickBooks may serve you better. For straightforward accounting and lower costs, Xero could be the right choice. Evaluate both based on your business requirements. Conclusion In summary, selecting the right accounting software is essential for trading businesses to streamline financial management. Wave Accounting offers a cost-effective solution with its free starter plan, whereas Xero stands out with its advanced inventory management capabilities. By considering key features, pricing models, and user experience, you can find software that best suits your needs. In the end, investing in the right tools can help you manage your finances more effectively and support your business growth in a competitive market. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Best Accounting Software for Trading Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’re managing a trading business, choosing the right accounting software can greatly affect your efficiency and financial management. Wave Accounting offers a free starter plan with unlimited invoicing, making it a great choice for budget-conscious traders. Conversely, Xero provides robust inventory management features, which can streamline your stock handling. Comprehending these options and their unique benefits is essential, as it can help you make an informed decision customized to your specific needs. Key Takeaways Wave Accounting: Offers a free starter plan with unlimited invoicing, making it cost-effective for small trading businesses. Xero: Provides excellent inventory management features and integrates with over 1,000 apps for seamless operations. QuickBooks Online: Ideal for complex financial needs, it supports multi-user access and robust financial management tools. Zoho Books: Scalable solution with a free plan, suitable for managing inventory and multiple bank accounts efficiently. FreshBooks: Excellent for invoicing and expense tracking, designed specifically for service-based trading businesses. Top Accounting Software Options for Trading Businesses Regarding managing finances in trading businesses, selecting the right accounting software is crucial. You’ll find several top accounting software options that cater to your specific needs. QuickBooks Online, highly rated for its extensive capabilities, is perfect if you require robust financial management tools and multi-user access. Xero, starting at $15 per month, shines in inventory management and integrates seamlessly with over 1,000 apps, providing real-time data management and multi-currency support. Sage 50 Accounting stands out for its strong desktop capabilities, ideal for businesses needing thorough reporting and advanced inventory tracking. If your trading business is service-oriented, FreshBooks, starting at $19, offers excellent invoicing and expense tracking. Finally, for very small businesses, Wave Accounting provides a free starter plan, allowing unlimited invoicing and access to a mobile app. These accounting packages in India represent some of the best accounting software for trading businesses. Key Features to Consider in Accounting Software When selecting accounting software for your trading business, it’s essential to focus on features that align with your operational needs. Look for multi-currency support, as trading often involves transactions across different countries, requiring effective management of various currencies. Robust inventory management features are critical to track stock levels, orders, and supplier information, which directly impact your trading activities. Automated invoicing and receipt management can greatly improve efficiency by minimizing manual data entry and speeding up billing processes. Furthermore, consider integration capabilities with other tools like CRM systems and e-commerce platforms to guarantee seamless operations and consistent data management. Finally, thorough reporting features are indispensable; they provide insights into sales, expenses, and cash flow, empowering you to make informed decisions. To conclude, these key features will help your trading business thrive when using a trading ERP solution. Pricing and Subscription Models Pricing for accounting software can vary widely, making it crucial to comprehend the options available to find what fits your trading business best. Here’s a quick overview of some popular choices: Software Starting Price QuickBooks Online $35/month FreshBooks $19/month Xero $15/month (50% off for first 3 months) Wave Accounting Free Starter plan, $16/month for Pro plan Zoho Books Free for micro businesses, paid plans start at $0/month Subscription models often offer tiered pricing based on features, user access, and the number of invoices handled. This flexibility allows you to choose a plan that meets your specific accounting needs. Whether you’re a small trader or managing larger transactions, comprehending these options will help you make a more informed decision for your business. User Experience and Customer Support User experience and customer support are critical factors to evaluate when choosing accounting software for your trading business. QuickBooks Online stands out with its live support and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for complex accounting needs. If you run a service-based trading company, FreshBooks may be a better fit, as it emphasizes customer service and offers an intuitive dashboard for easier navigation. Xero also shines with its user-friendly design and context-sensitive settings, which simplify financial management while providing extensive reporting features. For small trading businesses, Wave Accounting offers a free, straightforward mobile app and reporting dashboard, ensuring accessibility without financial strain. Finally, Zoho Books caters to diverse trading enterprises with exceptional customer support and multi-lingual invoicing, allowing for thorough accounting solutions customized to your business’s specific needs. Evaluating these aspects will help you choose the right software for your trading operation. Recommendations for Different Business Needs If invoicing and expense tracking are your priorities, FreshBooks offers an excellent user experience starting at $19 per month. On the other hand, Zoho Books provides a scalable solution with a free plan, perfect for managing inventory and multiple bank accounts. Finally, for small trading businesses on a tight budget, Wave Accounting is an ideal option, offering unlimited invoicing and estimates for free. Each software serves unique needs, so assess your business requirements carefully. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Best Accounting Software for a Small Business? When considering the best accounting software for your small business, QuickBooks Online stands out because of its extensive features, including inventory management and multi-user access. FreshBooks is excellent for service-oriented businesses, offering easy invoicing and expense tracking. Xero provides strong multi-user support and real-time data management. If you’re looking for a cost-effective solution, Wave Accounting offers free invoicing, whereas Zoho Books delivers robust tools at competitive prices. Evaluate these options based on your specific needs. What Is the Best Accounting Software for Sole Traders? When choosing accounting software as a sole trader, consider options like Wave for free unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping, or FreshBooks, which starts at $19 per month and offers time tracking. Xero is another option, allowing 20 invoices monthly for $15. QuickBooks Online provides robust tools from $35, and Zoho Books offers a free plan for those earning less than $50,000, allowing up to 1,000 invoices annually. Each has unique features customized to your needs. Is Quickbooks Good for Sole Traders? Yes, QuickBooks is good for sole traders. It offers customizable features like invoicing, expense tracking, and tax assistance, starting at $35 per month. The platform supports multiple sales channels and provides live support, simplifying financial management. With integration options for over 750 apps, including PayPal and Square, you can improve functionality. Its user-friendly interface and mobile app access allow you to manage accounting efficiently, ensuring you stay organized and up-to-date. Is Xero or Quickbooks Better for Small Business? When deciding between Xero and QuickBooks for your small business, consider your specific needs. Xero starts at $15 per month and outshines in user-friendliness and integrations, whereas QuickBooks, starting at $35, offers robust features like tax assistance and extensive user support. If you need multi-user access and advanced functionalities, QuickBooks may serve you better. For straightforward accounting and lower costs, Xero could be the right choice. Evaluate both based on your business requirements. Conclusion In summary, selecting the right accounting software is essential for trading businesses to streamline financial management. Wave Accounting offers a cost-effective solution with its free starter plan, whereas Xero stands out with its advanced inventory management capabilities. By considering key features, pricing models, and user experience, you can find software that best suits your needs. In the end, investing in the right tools can help you manage your finances more effectively and support your business growth in a competitive market. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Best Accounting Software for Trading Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

I am seeing new signs of the Google search ranking volatility heating up. When I reported on it last week, the tools began to show volatility trend upwards. But now, while some of the tools are calm, the chatter within the forums has spiked over the past 24 hours or so.View the full article

Tehran has a strong incentive to keep the conflict goingView the full article

Let me tell you my trick for remembering the names of people I meet: I don’t. It’s not for lack of caring. It’s just that my stupid brain seems to only excel at remembering trivial things, like my family’s exact food orders at a random restaurant we went to in 2023. That same brain is largely worthless at matching names to faces, especially when it’s been a while. So a couple years ago, I swallowed my pride and started maintaining a “People” note on my phone, which is basically just a list of folks I’ve met with some basic descriptions to help me remember them. It’s not fancy, but it’s already spared me from potential embarrassment on several occasions. This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up for free here. Here’s how it works: In Obsidian (my note taking app of choice) I have a note called “People.” The note has a series of headings for various social contexts, like “Neighborhood” and “School Parents.” Each heading has a list of people that I’ve met in those contexts, along with enough basic details to help me identify them in the future. I’ll try to glance over the list before heading into certain social scenarios, and will take a minute afterwards to add more people if needed, while the information is still fresh in my mind. I’m not building entire dossiers here. Most of my notes are one-liners like “Steve: Tall dude, likes baseball,” which along with how I met this is usually enough to remember who’s who. Occasionally I’ll fill in some extra details to help with future conversations, but not so many that I can’t easily scan through the notes later. You don’t have to use Obsidian for this purpose. Apple Notes, Google Keep, or any other note taking app will work. The important thing is being able to access your People note quickly and easily, even on your phone. You shouldn’t have to open a laptop to log your notes or dig through numerous menu layers to reference them. It’s worth noting that an entire class of apps exist for the purpose of remembering details about people, such as Clay, Dex, and Monica. These “Personal CRM” apps, named after the Customer Relationship Management software that business use to keep track of clients, have extra features such as contact reminders, relationship mapping, and activity logging. But these apps have always struck me as being overly heavy for the task. They might work for some folks, but I just wanted a fast and easy way to write down basic details, not an entire system for managing my social life. Besides, the important birthdays are already in my calendar, while the phone numbers and emails are in my contacts app. Sometimes, instead of another app, all you really need is a note, plus a clear sense of what it’s for. If your brain is as bad at remember folks as mine is, maybe it’s time for a People note of your own. This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up for free here. View the full article

Google is testing using a superscript font for the cents portion of the pricing in the Shopping Ads. So when you see a price for a product and it is listed for $99.99, the 99 cents is in superscript.View the full article

Pinterest is one of my most used social media sites. While I love the buzz of TikTok, the inspiration I find on Instagram, and the opportunities for learning on LinkedIn, I often need to take breaks from the major platforms. But never Pinterest. No matter where I'm at in my life, there's always something I need from the visual search engine. I’ll often hop onto the app or website with a specific query in mind — “living room decor,” “capsule wardrobe,” and “productivity tools” are some of my most recent searches. As you’ll have guessed from those examples, I usually open up the Pinterest app with one of three goals: Find inspirationFigure out how to do somethingBuy somethingAnd I’m not unique in this, either — according to data from Pinterest, more than 85% of users have made a purchase based on pins from brands. Pinterest boasts 619 million global active users, making it one of the most popular social networking platforms in the world. But it’s how those Pinterest lovers use the app that’s worth paying attention to. According to a 2024 report by DataReportal, 36.6% of active users are on the app to follow or research brands and products, making it the main reason they use Pinterest. So, if you’re a business or a creator looking to monetize, using Pinterest as part of your marketing efforts is well worth exploring. Convinced yet? Good — because learning to use Pinterest is straightforward, even if you've never opened the app. In short: to use Pinterest, you create an account, build themed boards, save the ideas you find (or make) as pins, and — if you're a creator or business — optimize those pins with keywords so they show up when people search. Below, I'll walk you through setting up your account, creating pins and boards, growing an audience, and measuring what's working. ⚡Now you can schedule your pins with Buffer whether you have a business or personal account. Find out how to use Buffer with Pinterest →Key takeaways Pinterest has 619 million active users, and 85% of them have made a purchase based on pins from brands.36.6% of active Pinterest users are there to research brands and products — more than YouTube, X, or LinkedIn.Business accounts unlock analytics, advertising, product catalogs, and the business/creator hub — switch from personal if you're marketing, selling, or creating.Pinterest is a long-game platform — a pin can keep getting attention and driving traffic for months or years after it's published.The ideal pin is vertical — 2:3 aspect ratio at 600 x 900 pixels — with a strong keyword in the title, a clear call to action in the description, and a link back to the source.Pinterest's best-performing niches include home decor, beauty, wellness, fashion, food, DIY and crafts, parenting, weddings, travel, and education.Focus Pinterest analytics on four metrics — impressions, pin clicks, saves, and outbound clicks. Plan for trends around early — Pinterest users come to the app well before the season, holiday, or event they're planning for. Jump to a section: What is Pinterest? Pinterest terms to know before you start The benefits of Pinterest for businesses and creators Who uses Pinterest? (And which niches perform best) Pinterest personal vs. business account: which one do you need? How to create a pin How to create a board How to use Pinterest for business and creators: 13 tactics that work How to use Pinterest Analytics to track your performance The long game of Pinterest FAQ about using Pinterest More Pinterest resources What is Pinterest?Pinterest is a visual discovery engine — a social media platform that works like a virtual pinboard, where users save and organize ideas as visual cards (pins) on collections (boards). Pinterest describes itself as "a visual discovery engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more." Source: PinterestBrands, creators, and private users can create pins by uploading an image or video from their devices. Each pin can have its own title and description and a website link (important for brands and creators looking to drive traffic elsewhere). Users can also save pins of images they find online with Pinterest's browser extension. All Pinterest users, whether they have a business or personal account, have a profile where others can see their Pinterest boards and pins (unless they choose to make a board private). Beyond the mechanics, I love this definition Pinterest marketing expert and agency owner Heather Farris shared with Buffer: “If Google Images and Instagram were to have a baby, you’d land on Pinterest.” Before we get into strategy, let’s cover a few key terms. Pinterest terms to know before you startBefore diving in, a quick glossary — you'll hear these terms across the rest of the guide: Pin — an image or video saved to Pinterest, usually with a title, description, and destination link.Board — a themed collection of pins (e.g., "Small kitchen inspo," "Q2 product launches").Pinboard — another word for a board; Pinterest uses it interchangeably.Rich pin — a pin that automatically pulls extra info from the linked website (used for recipes, products, and articles).Idea pin — a multi-page pin format designed for step-by-step content and stories.Save — when a user adds a pin to one of their boards.Repin — saving someone else's pin to your own board.Home feed — the personalized feed of pins Pinterest shows when you open the app.Pinterest Analytics — the native dashboard (business accounts only) with reach, engagement, and click data.Pinterest Trends — Pinterest's free tool for seeing what's gaining search momentum on the platform.The benefits of Pinterest for businesses and creatorsLike other social media platforms, Pinterest can be a powerful marketing tool for reaching new followers. It can help: Increase brand awarenessDrive website trafficIncrease sales and conversions Heather says Pinterest is like a search engine that drives new customers to businesses and creators. “It has allowed them to thrive,” she says. “Pinterest users are different from others because they have a higher intent to purchase and often spend more money per purchase.” “Pinners are also planners, so they are very meticulous about how they use this platform, carefully organizing their Pinterest pins into curated boards they can refer back to later,” she adds. Another point in Pinterest’s favor: because of how the algorithm (content ranking) on Pinterest works, users don’t have to follow you to discover your content, nor do your pins have to be very new for them to be recommended. “They can simply search for something, and if you’ve done your research and optimizations correctly, you have the chance to show up right when they search for you,” Heather says. Unlike other social media sites, older content, if well-optimized, isn’t immediately excluded — that’s not how Pinterest works. This means your pins could continue gaining traction months or even years after you first publish them. “Pinterest will send you traffic for the long run,” Heather says. “I have personally made pins for my brands that, five, six, or seven years later, are still bringing people to my website.” Who uses Pinterest? (And which niches perform best)Pinterest tends to perform best for businesses and creators in visual, aspirational, or how-to niches. Heather says Pinterest is a must if you work in one of the categories below. "I have worked with brands across all these categories, and they have all seen success in some form or another." Home decor/interior designBeautyWellnessFashion Children’s activitiesParentingDesign DIY and craftsFoodGardeningHealthMindsetWeddingTravelEducationPinterest personal vs. business account: which one do you need?Pinterest offers both personal and business (professional) accounts. There are some key differences between the two. “Personal and business accounts on Pinterest are similar, but business accounts include features that are helpful to business owners and marketers,” the platform says. Here's what each account type gives you: Feature Personal account Business account Save and organize pins Yes Yes Create boards Yes Yes Pinterest Analytics No Yes Advertising (idea ads, video ads, carousels, collection ads) No Yes Product catalogs No Yes Pinterest Business Hub / Creator Hub No Yes Best for Saving ideas for personal use Creators, businesses, marketers A personal Pinterest account is great if you’re just using it to save ideas for later. If you’re using Pinterest as a creator, business, or marketer, a Pinterest business account is your best bet. Good news if you’re just exploring the platform or already have a personal account: you can switch to a business account or connect a business account to your existing personal profile. How to create a Pinterest personal accountHere’s how to create a Pinterest personal account from scratch: Navigate to Pinterest.com.From the top-right of your screen, click Sign up.Enter your email and date of birth and create a password.Click Continue.Follow the prompts to enter your personal details.Click on the relevant tiles to choose your interests, then Continue to your feed.Start exploring pinning. The more you pin, the better the recommendations on your home feed will be. How to create a Pinterest business accountTo create a new business account not tied to a personal account: Navigate to Pinterest.com.From the top-right of your screen, click Sign up.At the bottom of the pop-up, click Create a business account.Enter your email, create a password, and enter your date of birth.Click Create account.Follow the prompts to fill out your profile.Choose what you’d like to do first (create a pin, create an ad, or build your profile), and click Next.How to create a pinThere are a few ways to create a pin — I'll walk you through all of them. (We'll cover boards in the next section; you can create pins first and organize them later, or build your boards first and pin into them. Totally up to you.) On your computerLog in to Pinterest.com.If you have a personal profile, choose Create on the top left of your screen. If you have a business account, click the hamburger menu (three lines) on the top left, then Create Pin.Drag and drop an image or video from your computer or click the arrow icon to open your folders. You can also choose the Save from URL button under the image upload icon to grab an image or video from a web page. Here, you can add information about your pin, like a title, description, related topics, the board you want to save it to, and a website link. Choose More options to turn comments and shopping recommendations on or off. When you’re ready, click Publish.On your mobile deviceOpen the Pinterest app.Click the + button at the bottom of the app.Choose Pin. Select a photo or a video from your gallery and hit Next.Add a title, description, and link (optional).Choose a board to post on, add relevant tags, choose when you want to post, and hit Create.Pinterest Save extensionOne of the easiest ways to pin content to your boards from around the web is to pin it with the Pinterest Save extension or browser button. Here’s how to install and use it: Go to Pinterest’s Save extension page here and choose where to use the button (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge).Navigate to the appropriate browser store and follow the prompts.Once installed, the Pinterest save icon will appear whenever you hover over an image on a website. Click on it to pin an image, then choose or create a board to save it to. Click View on the pop-up that appears to edit the image title, description, and more. Create a pin with BufferThe handy thing about scheduling a pin with Buffer is that you can cross-post it to other platforms in the same flow — so if you're already planning an Instagram post, you can send it to Pinterest, TikTok, or Facebook without reopening a new tab. You can schedule the pin to automatically publish at a specific time or share immediately. To start pinning with Buffer: Make sure you’re logged into the Pinterest account you want to connect.Sign up or log in to Buffer. Click the +New button on the top left and click on Connect a New Channel.Scroll down and click on Pinterest. Click Give access. Congrats, your Pinterest account is all set up.Click the + New Post button and choose Pinterest. Upload your image or video with a title and destination link (optional).Select the board/s you want to save your new pin to. Click Schedule Post button to set a specific publishing date and time, choose Next Available, or click the dropdown arrow for more options. If you want to cross-post this image or video to your other social media channels, click on the appropriate icons at the top of the window. ⚡Pro tip: if you want to automatically pull through an image on your destination website, enter the URL in the Destination link box first — Buffer will find the available images automaticallyHow to create a boardA well-organized Pinterest profile is one way to optimize your profile (more on this below) and make it more appealing to your target audience. Create a board on desktopLog in to Pinterest.com.If you have a personal profile, choose Create on the top left of your screen. If you have a business account, click the hamburger menu (three lines) on the top left, then Create Board.Choose a name for your board, add collaborators, and toggle Make this board secret on to create a private board.Create a board using the Pinterest mobile appClick the + button at the bottom of the app.Choose Board.Choose a name for your board, add collaborators, and toggle Make this board secret on to create a private board.Add suggested pins to your board (you can choose to add these later, too).Your board is created, but you're not done yet (don't miss this step if you're a small business or creator). Choose the three dots to the top right of your new board, then Edit board. Here, you can edit each board's individual settings, including name, description, board cover, and more. Tips for creating a Pinterest board Choose an eye-catching board cover imageAdd a description that features important keywords in your nicheFilling out these details for each board will help with SEO (search engine optimization) and provide users with additional context about your account content. 💡Only you (and anyone you invite) can see your secret Pins and boards. Secret Pins and boards won’t appear in the home feed, search, or anywhere else on Pinterest. Setting your boards to secret will allow you to fill them with great content before ever sharing them with the world.How to use Pinterest for business and creators: 13 tactics that workYou’ve created a new business account and started creating pins and boards, but there’s a whole lot more to using Pinterest for business. Be sure to include the tactics below in your social media marketing strategy for Pinterest to grow your following. Tactic Key action Optimize your profile Match business name, photo, username, and description to your brand across platforms Find your audience Focus on a narrow niche — the Pinterest algorithm favors it over broad targeting Use eye-catching, uncluttered images High-quality, bold, on-brand visuals — avoid pixelation or clutter Don't forget about video Design for mobile in square or portrait; short for discovery, long for tutorials Use a vertical aspect ratio Ideal pin is 2:3 (600 x 900px); square (600 x 600px) works too Consider adding a little copy Add short text overlays when the image alone doesn't land the message Provide helpful, detailed pin descriptions Use descriptions plus a CTA verb ("shop," "make," "find," "buy") to drive clicks Pinterest SEO: Use solid, well-researched keywords Keywords in pin and board titles and descriptions — but never keyword-stuff Add relevant hashtags — carefully Focus your effort on keyword-rich descriptions and treat hashtags as optional add-ons Always include links Every pin should link to the source, even if it's not your site Get ahead of trends Start pinning seasonal content well before the event Repurpose the right way Strip watermarks and copyrighted music before cross-posting to Pinterest Be patient, stick with it Pinterest content keeps growing for months or years, not 24–48 hours Optimize your profileCompleting your profile is a key step in ensuring that your account is discoverable and looks appealing to users on Pinterest. 💡Pro tip: Make sure that your business name, profile picture, username, and description all match your brand identity across other social media networks.Find your audienceLike many other social media networks, focusing on a niche group of highly engaged users will produce better results than targeting a broad, unspecified audience. If you focus on sharing consistent content within your niche, people will start to look to you as a continual source of inspiration and information. Focusing on a niche audience will also produce favorable results within the Pinterest algorithm. Use eye-catching, uncluttered imagesPinterest is a visual-first platform, so a good image can make all the difference in maximising results. I'll scroll right past a fuzzy stock photo — and so will your audience. Images that stand out, are colourful and unique, and say something specific about what you offer will give you a significant edge compared to other content on the platform. You'll also want to steer clear of cluttered images. Many Pinterest users will be viewing your pins on the app, so make sure the message is easy to digest (and that text is legible in the desktop feed and on smaller, mobile formats). Don’t forget about videoVideo content on Pinterest can be an incredible way to bring your ideas to life. They’ll also auto-play and stand out in users’ feeds. Our research showed that videos get more engagement on Pinterest than images, so consider testing a few video pins on your account. Pinterest video tips To use up as much screen space as possible, ensure your videos are designed for mobile and exported in either square or portrait format.Shorter videos work best when you want users to discover you (if your goal is awareness or storytelling). Go longer when you want people to do something with your idea — great for education or tutorials.Use a vertical aspect ratioPins in the home and search feed are organized into columns, so vertical images take up more space and stand out more in the feed. Recommended Pinterest image specs: Vertical pin (recommended): 2:3 ratio, 600 x 900 pixelsSquare pin: 1:1 ratio, 600 x 600 pixels✔️Scour for image sizes no longer. We've collated the sizes of every single image you'll need on all the major social networks.Consider adding a little copyIf your image doesn’t give enough context, add text to the image to help land your message. But try to keep the copy simple and not clutter the overall image. Provide helpful, detailed pin descriptionsPins with descriptions drive more clicks to your site than those without. If your objective is to drive clicks, use the description to hint that there's more to see on your website — don't give everything away on Pinterest, just enough to pique a user's curiosity. A strong call to action (CTA) — like "shop," "make," "find," or "buy" — will encourage people to take the next step. Pinterest SEO: Use well-researched keywordsLeaning on keywords is a vital part of any good Pinterest strategy. “You cannot overlook keywords on Pinterest if you want to create a sustainable long-term Pinterest presence,” Heather says. Consider users’ search intent when they are looking for Pinterest content like yours. What are they likely to be looking for? What words and phrases are they typing into the search bar? Pinterest's search function can help you find new keywords if you’re stuck. For example, if your pin is a roast chicken recipe, search for “roast chicken” on Pinterest. You’ll see suggested searches for “roast chicken whole” and “roast chicken oven,” and search guides like “simple” or “cast iron.” These free SEO tools can help, too. These keywords should be used in your pin title and description, as well as titles and descriptions for your boards. The more information you give the Pinterest algorithm about your content, the better. That said, don’t simply dump keywords into the various fields and hope for the best. Keyword stuffing looks spammy and can be off-putting for your audience. Add relevant hashtags — carefullyHashtags still exist on Pinterest — but they’re no longer a way to supercharge your reach. Pinterest functions more like a visual search engine, meaning keywords in your title, description, and boards matter far more than hashtags. That said, hashtags can still play a supporting role when used sparingly and strategically. Stick to 2–5 highly relevant hashtags max.Place them at the end of your description, not in the middle.Choose clear, searchable terms that align with your keywords.Avoid overloading — too many hashtags can look spammy and dilute performance.Most importantly, focus your effort on natural, keyword-rich descriptions first, and treat hashtags as optional add-ons. Always include linksMany people save pins as their visual, digital bookmarks to help guide them back to a site they want to see again. So when they click on a pin, they expect to be taken to a landing page to learn more about the idea or information you shared on Pinterest. That means making sure your Pinterest content includes a relevant link to the source every time — even if the link doesn't lead to your website. A few quick best practices for the links themselves: Use the full URL rather than a link shortener. Pinterest can flag shortened URLs as spammy, and some have been blocked outright in the past.Match the pin image to the page it leads to. If someone clicks a pin of a living room and lands on a generic homepage, they'll bounce — and Pinterest notices.Add UTM parameters so you can see Pinterest traffic clearly in Google Analytics or your analytics tool of choice.Get ahead of trendsPeople come to Pinterest well before the season, holiday, or event they’re planning for. Start saving pins about upcoming trends, seasonal events, or holidays in advance. Then keep adding more ideas daily and maintain a steady pace of content. Repurpose the right wayHeather calls this “repurposing with purpose.” Sharing content across social media platforms is a great way to make it work harder for you. However, this doesn’t just mean downloading your TikToks and Instagram Reels and popping them on Pinterest. Watermarks from other platforms and copyrighted music could harm your content performance, she says. Before pinning, remove those (or, better yet, create videos outside Instagram and TikTok). Be patient, stick with itUnlike many other social networks, where engagement and reach typically happen within the first 24 to 48 hours, content on Pinterest will continue to grow for days, weeks, months, and even years. How to use Pinterest Analytics to track your performance With a Pinterest business account, you have powerful analytics tools at your fingertips to help you understand if your content is resonating with your target audience. To find these metrics: Log in to your Pinterest business account.Click the hamburger icon (three lines) at the top-left of the page.Click Analytics overview.Here, you’ll find a host of helpful metrics, like engagement, engagement rate, impressions, save rate, pin clicks, video views, and more. Pinterest has a handy guide to understanding all the Pinterest analytics terms. All this data can be overwhelming initially, but Heather recommends focusing on a select few. “I’m going to say impressions, pin clicks, saves, and outbound clicks, in that order. The four Pinterest analytics metrics that matter most, in priority order: Impressions — the number of times your pin was viewedPin clicks — the total number of clicks on your pin or ad that open it in closeupSaves — the number of times people saved your pin to a boardOutbound clicks — the number of times people take an action that leads them off Pinterest“Without impressions or pin clicks, you’ll never get outbound clicks. Focus first on reach via impressions, then optimize for each phase of that customer journey to your website,” Heather says. I'd second this — when I first started looking at Pinterest Analytics, I got pulled in by save rate and engagement rate, but impressions are where the real diagnostics live. If your pins aren't getting impressions, no amount of optimisation downstream will fix it. The long game of PinterestRemember, you won’t get incredible results right out of the gate with Pinterest. Pinterest growth takes time. Perhaps more than any other social network, Pinterest is a marathon, not a sprint. However, for many marketers, small business owners, and creators, this is a welcome change of pace — unlike TikTok and Instagram, your Pinterest content will not disappear from feeds after a couple of hours or days. As I’ve mentioned, users could stumble upon your content, finding exactly what they’ve been searching for weeks, months, and years after posting. If you’ve set your pins up for success by following the guidance above, your Pinterest content will have the longevity that makes this possible. Happy pinning. FAQ about using PinterestHow do I use Pinterest as a beginner?Create a free Pinterest account (personal or business), set up a few themed boards, and start saving pins you love — either by uploading your own images and videos, or by saving pins you find on Pinterest and around the web. If you're using Pinterest for a business or creator brand, add keywords to your pin titles, descriptions, and board titles so your content shows up in search. How does Pinterest actually work?Pinterest works more like a search engine than a social feed. Users search for ideas ("small kitchen," "budget wedding," "productivity tools"), and Pinterest serves up the pins that best match — regardless of when those pins were published or whether the user follows the creator. What's the difference between a Pinterest personal and business account?Both account types can create pins and boards. Business accounts add Pinterest Analytics, advertising (idea ads, video ads, carousels, collection ads), product catalogs, and the Pinterest Business/Creator Hub. Personal accounts are suited for saving ideas for your own use. You can switch a personal account to business, or connect a business account to an existing personal profile. What's the ideal Pinterest pin size?The recommended aspect ratio for Pinterest pins is 2:3 (vertical), at 600 x 900 pixels. Square pins at 600 x 600 pixels also perform well. Vertical pins take up more space in Pinterest's column-based feed, which helps them stand out. How long does it take to grow on Pinterest?Pinterest rewards the slow build. Unlike Instagram or TikTok — where engagement usually happens within 24 to 48 hours — Pinterest content can keep gaining traction for months or even years. Can I schedule Pinterest pins?Yes. You can schedule pins natively in Pinterest from a business account, or use a social media scheduling tool like Buffer, which supports Pinterest for both personal and business accounts and lets you cross-post the same content to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other platforms at the same time. More Pinterest resourcesHow to Create Your Own Influencer Media Kit (+ Examples from Creators)How to Schedule Pinterest Posts (3 Easy Methods + 5 Quick Tips)Pinterest Marketing Strategy: A Step-By-Step Guide5 Ways to Make Money on Pinterest: An In-depth Guide for Creators and BusinessesView the full article

Branded search is often treated as predictable and easy to manage. In practice, it isn’t. PPC teams see rising CPC on brand terms. SEO teams see declining branded CTR, even when rankings hold. These issues are usually investigated separately, with different dashboards, hypotheses, and fixes. Both signals often stem from changes within a single SERP. What look like two separate problems are, in reality, one shared environment reacting to shifts in competition and visibility. The issue isn’t a lack of data. Most teams already have basic reports and brand monitoring tools, including PPC and SEO platforms. The problem is how the data is used. To understand what’s happening in branded search, teams must manually piece signals together. This takes time, doesn’t scale, and delays decisions. Here’s why that fragmentation is harmful and what to do about it. What’s actually happening in branded search Branded search is often described in terms of channels — paid and organic. For users, that distinction doesn’t exist. A single SERP brings together multiple layers: PPC ads Competitor ads or comparison pages Organic results, including brand-owned pages Affiliate listings promoting the same brand Review platforms and aggregators All of these elements appear at once, within the same decision-making space. From a SERP analysis perspective, this isn’t a set of isolated placements. It’s a dynamic environment where each element influences the others. A competitor ad above your organic result can reduce CTR. An affiliate listing can compete with your paid campaign. A review page can shift user intent before a click. In practice, this creates a mismatch. For users, branded search is a single page. Inside the company, it’s split across workflows and handled by different functions. PPC focuses on bids and efficiency. SEO focuses on rankings and organic traffic. Affiliate activity is often tracked separately, if at all. Competitor tracking may exist, but usually within a single channel. The result is a fragmented view of what is, in practice, a shared space. Understanding what’s happening in branded search often requires manual effort. The data is there, but building a complete, up-to-date view of the SERP on a regular basis is time-consuming and hard to scale. That makes it difficult to understand how these elements interact — and even harder to respond to changes as they happen. What PPC teams see (and often miss) From a PPC perspective, teams focus on these signals: Brand CPC starts to rise. More players appear in the auction. Branded campaigns become less efficient over time. At first glance, this suggests increased competition. The typical response is to adjust bids, defend impression share, or refine targeting. All of it makes sense within paid media. But this is where context changes everything. What PPC teams don’t always see is who’s driving that competition. Not every new entrant in the auction is a direct competitor. Often, it’s affiliate activity — partners bidding on branded terms outside agreed-upon rules. Without deeper competitor tracking, these cases can look identical while requiring different actions. There’s also the organic layer. Changes in SERP structure — more ads, different layouts, stronger third-party rankings — can directly affect paid performance. Even if the campaign setup stays the same, the environment shifts. Without ongoing SERP analysis, these changes are easy to miss. In many cases, brands aren’t just competing with others — they’re competing with themselves. Over 40% of advertised pages already rank #1 organically (Ahrefs, 2025). PPC teams rarely see the full page in context. They see auction data, metrics, and reports — but not always how their ads appear alongside organic results, affiliates, and other placements in real time. But beyond missing context, there’s a more practical limitation. Ad platform reporting rarely explains what changed. It shows performance shifts — but not how the SERP looked to users, who appeared alongside the ad, or how placements were arranged. This creates a gap. Competitor tracking without context doesn’t explain the situation — it only signals change. Without broader SERP-level brand monitoring, PPC teams often optimize on partial visibility, reacting to symptoms while the root cause must be reconstructed manually. What SEO teams see (and often miss) From the SEO side, branded search issues tend to surface differently. The most common signals look like this: Branded CTR starts to decline. Rankings remain stable, often still in top positions. SERP appearance shifts — new elements, richer features, or different page layouts. On the surface, it looks like an SEO problem. The natural response is to review snippets, adjust metadata, or check for technical or content issues. But in many cases, performance drops aren’t driven solely by SEO factors. SEO teams generally know that paid activity, competitors, and affiliates can influence branded search. The challenge isn’t awareness — it’s consistent visibility over time. To understand what changed, teams need to see how the SERP looked at a specific moment: Which ads appeared and where. Whether competitors or affiliates were present. How organic results were positioned in context. This isn’t what standard SEO workflows are built for. Teams often have to manually check results, compare snapshots across tools, or rely on incomplete data. Then there’s the SERP itself. Modern branded SERPs aren’t static. Layout changes, added modules, and mixed result types can significantly affect click behavior. Without consistent SERP analysis, it’s hard to isolate the cause. As a result, SEO teams may keep optimizing — and see no stable results. Why PPC and SEO issues are actually connected At a glance, PPC and SEO issues in branded search may look unrelated — different metrics, dashboards, and teams. But when you look at the SERP as a whole, the connection is hard to ignore. Studies show this overlap isn’t an edge case. Nearly 38% of websites advertise on keywords where they already rank in the top 10 organically (Ahrefs, 2025). In branded search, the overlap is even higher. That means both channels operate in the same environment — and compete for the same user attention. Changes within that environment rarely affect just one side: Increased ad presence can push organic listings lower or draw clicks away. Aggressive bidding (from competitors or affiliates) can raise CPC while also reducing organic search visibility. New entrants in the SERP can affect both paid efficiency and organic CTR simultaneously. In this context, it’s not unusual for PPC performance to decline while SEO metrics shift in parallel. These aren’t isolated issues — they’re different reflections of the same underlying change. Yet they’re rarely analyzed together. The real problem isn’t visibility — it’s fragmentation. Most teams already have access to data. Specialized tools make SERP analysis, competitor tracking, and brand monitoring possible. The limitation isn’t what can be seen, but how it’s used. PPC and SEO operate in separate systems — different platforms and reporting environments, KPIs, and workflows. To understand what changed in branded search, teams must align manually by comparing reports, checking SERPs, validating assumptions, and sharing findings across functions. As a result, insights are delayed, alignment lags behind SERP changes, and decisions are made with incomplete or outdated context. How to improve branded search performance Most teams don’t miss the signals — a spike in CPC, a drop in CTR, unexpected competitors in the auction. These changes rarely go unnoticed. The challenge comes next: confirming what happened and deciding how to respond. This is where branded search performance slows. Teams dig through separate reports, trying to reconstruct what the SERP looked like at a specific moment. By the time the picture is clear — if it ever is — the window to react has already passed. Improving performance here isn’t about adding more data. It’s about changing how it’s collected and used. With the right setup, SERP analysis becomes continuous instead of manual. Changes in branded search are captured automatically, including competitor and affiliate activity that might otherwise require manual checks, post-fact validation, or go unnoticed. Tools for branded search monitoring such as Bluepear provide: Unified look on SERP in a specific moment. Automated alerts when meaningful changes occur. Pre-collected, timestamped evidence that removes the need to manually gather screenshots or reconstruct past states. Instead of spending time collecting screenshots, comparing reports, and reconstructing what happened, the information is already structured. This shifts the process from reactive to operational. Instead of investigating issues after the fact, teams receive a clear signal or a complete case. This creates a reliable record of what actually happened: When a new player entered the SERP. How placements shifted over time. Where potential violations or conflicts appeared. Instead of scattered evidence and manual reconstruction, teams get structured, ready-to-use context. Reporting becomes simpler. Insights can be shared across PPC, SEO, and affiliate teams without rebuilding context each time, reducing internal alignment time. Most importantly, decisions can be made faster. With Bluepear, brand monitoring and competitor tracking become continuous. Teams receive structured signals instead of raw fragments and can act without rebuilding the situation from scratch. To see how Bluepear can improve your workflow, create an account and start your free trial. Final takeaways PPC and SEO teams don’t lack data — they interpret different signals from the same SERP. But these signals are connected. They’re shaped by the same changes in the search environment, even if they appear in different reports. When SERP analysis is fragmented, it’s harder to see the full picture — and even harder to act quickly. What makes the difference is not more data, but better coordination: Continuous brand monitoring instead of occasional checks. Shared visibility across PPC, SEO, and affiliate teams. A consistent view of the SERP, not separate channel reports. When branded search is managed holistically, teams don’t just react to performance changes — they understand what drives them and respond with clarity. To simplify how your team tracks and responds to branded search changes, start using Bluepear to automate monitoring, capture SERP changes, and centralize evidence in one place. View the full article

Phasing out of electric vehicle subsidies has driven slump in domestic sales growth following years-long boom View the full article

There are plenty of different hacks, tools, and apps designed to break social media addiction or otherwise reduce your screen time. This is just the cutest one. Cat Gatekeeper is a new Chrome browser extension designed by the developer Zokuzoku, and it reminds you to stop scrolling by sitting a cat on your browser as a clock counts down until your break time is over. The browser extension is meant for anyone who keeps opening social media without thinking, and it’s inspired by the all too real experience of cats who want attention at the exact moment that it’s time to get to work. “We’ve recreated that classic cat-owner experience in your browser,” the developer wrote. After downloading the extension, users can set up their own personal time limits, but the default usage limit before triggering the cat is an hour, and the default break time is five minutes. Cat Gatekeeper only counts time when tabs are active on supported social networks, which now includes Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and X. When you hit your time limit, the cat walks on screen and a countdown clock appears. The cat then sits itself down in the middle of your browser and waits, breathing, blinking, and moving its ears and tail until the time is finally up. The cat then vanishes and you can go back to your regularly scheduled doomscrolling. Those looking to spend less time on social media are recommended to delete apps or use their phone’s native screen time controls to set limits. Some people swear by turning their smartphones to grayscale. Apps like Steppin, which locks you out from social media apps until you hit step goals, or Brick, a physical block that users have to tap to log into certain apps, serve an urgent need. There are plenty of tricks and tips to break your screen time habits, and touching more grass is within reach. At least on desktop, Cat Gatekeeper will remind you of the importance of taking time to log off in the most adorable way possible. View the full article

Ikea design manager Johan Ejdemo is looking years into the future. A towering Swede with a six-inch beard, Ejdemo is a trained cabinetmaker who has nearly 30 years of experience at Ikea. Since 2022 he’s been the company’s design head, leading a team of 20 in-house designers in Sweden and a roster of freelancers from around the world. Together they give shape to the 1,500 to 2,000 new products Ikea releases every year. Most have been brewing in the company’s design department for several years, if not more than a decade. I recently met with Ejdemo at Ikea’s headquarters in Älmhult, Sweden, the city a two-hour train ride from Copenhagen where the company was founded in the 1940s. Before leading me on an exclusive tour of the company’s prototyping shop—the first tour Ikea has ever granted to a journalist—we sat down to talk about what’s guiding the brand’s design approach in 2026. As he looks to shape what products Ikea stores will be selling years down the line, he says the focus isn’t so much on individual items or areas of the home, but rather on things like material choices and emotional responses. It’s all in service of what Ikea refers to as democratic design, or high quality products that have been so precisely optimized and scaled that they hit the lowest possible price point. Achieving that ideal, Ejdemo argues, is the real work of Ikea’s designers. “We are very nerdy,” he says. “We go very deep in the details.” This interview was edited and condensed for clarity. Fast Company: How is design changing for Ikea in 2026, and what are the things that are driving those changes? Ejdemo: One thing that we are considering a lot in design today is circularity. And it sits in the complete value-chain perspective. That is the thing that is dramatically new in the context of designing products. What types of products are you prioritizing? The desire for optimism, playfulness, and human interaction is very close to us today in designing and developing products. That’s very evident in some of the launches and collection drops that we have done recently, and they will be even more evident into the future. But it’s not only about silliness and playfulness and color. It could be in natural materials and warmth. There are many dimensions to this. Are there specific types of products or parts of the home that you find yourself focusing on today? No, but there’s always a challenge when there’s a desire for certain products that are big and bulky. Those are always challenging areas for us because things have to be transported and it costs a lot to transport them, and also they can consume a lot of material if you’re not thinking through them smartly. A lot is connected to the comfort of mattresses and sofas, but I think we are ahead of the game there. We’re very good in building premium comfort in our products in a very material-efficient way—reducing the use of foam and still achieving even better comfort than when these products were very foam-dependent. And on wardrobes, for example, we just recently launched a new kind of easy assembly so we aren’t putting it in the hands of the consumer to do all the work. It’s making it easy for the consumer and at the same time makes production more efficient. Those wardrobes are made out of particle board, but there’s more density in the areas where you drill holes for shelves, less density where you don’t it. So even there, we are very nerdy. We go very deep in the details of where we can save material. It’s like, here we need extra and we don’t have it where it doesn’t make sense. We’re distributing value and cost within the product. How, if at all, is AI changing how you work or influencing choices you make about what moves on from concept to product? We don’t use AI in design. There’s still a lot of implications [to the technology]. We are all regulated by the tools that we use, and they need to be approved to use. There might come some kind of AI support that could be helpful for designers, but we don’t have it today. There’s a legal aspect to it, too. If you use AI in the design process you can’t claim design rights, for example. We try to avoid getting into that ditch. But in the process, making a visualization of how a picture could look for material that could be used in communication later on, just to make a mock-up, there I’ve seen AI come in quite handy to enable people to see like, oh yeah, that’s the direction we’d like to go. It’s not designing the end product that they use. It just comes in like any other tool that has simplified something. Image making used to be painting and then you had photography and then it became digitalized and so on. And now you can add an AI layer to it as well that could be helpful. As you’re leading this team of designers both in-house and outside the organization, how do you encourage them to take creative risks when they’re developing new concepts? I really have to force them. I mean, if you’ve been designing for 20 years, plus or minus, you start to edit yourself too quickly because you know too much. But that’s also one of the more strategic reasons why I always have three to four interns on a team; they just add something else to the dialogue. They explore, they do things, and they are all mentored by in-house designers so you get that conversation and interaction going. It’s hard to tell someone you need to dare more. It’s like, how do you just get it into the culture of the design team? It’s also on an individual level. Someone will always stretch a lot, someone else will be more straight on the job, and for someone else maybe we could dare them a little bit more. So it’s also coaching on an individual level. They’re not one person. They think differently and do things differently and their creative processes look different as well. View the full article

Top mortgage originators ranked 175-101 share their client retention strategies, from face-to-face meetings to AI and CRM tools, as the industry eyes a 2026 purchase market shift. View the full article

A dv01 paper finds while no one single cause exists and elements like the lack of transportation infrastructure make a return to historic affordability unlikely. View the full article