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Duolingo, no matter how you feel about it, accomplishes one thing: It makes practicing a skill every day easy. The application focuses on language, but it also offers math, music, and even chess lessons if you dig around a bit. There are many other subjects worth learning, though, and many ways you can use gamification to learn new skills and generally improve your life. Here are five I found: Learn geography with Globo Credit: Justin Pot I love traveling and learning about the world, but I'll admit there are some regions I don't know well. Globo is an iOS and Android app that quizzes you on flags, capitals, and more, all while teaching you trivia along the way. There are courses for all the continents, if you want to focus on a specific region, or you can take the combined global course and work your way through the whole planet. I've been playing with this for about a week and enjoying it for the most part. I like the way questions I answered wrong show up in future quizzes. It does feel like I'm going to run out of content fairly quickly, which is disappointing, but given that the application is free with no in-app subscriptions, I think it's worth checking out. Learn art history with Learn Art Credit: Normand Martin Learn Art is a free iPhone and iPad application by developer Normand Martin. With it, you'll find a slideshow of classic art from European history. To learn the history of the piece, tap the screen. You can also take an interactive quiz on art history. I'm going to be honest: Art history is very much not my subject. In playing with this for a couple days, though, I find myself able to identify more artists than I did before, and if nothing else, it's nice to have access to high resolution scans of so many classic works of art right on my iPad. If you're at all curious about art history, I'd say give it a spin. The app is free but there is an in-game currency you can earn either by answering questions correctly or spending money. In my testing this wasn't too much of a burden. Learn instruments with Yousician Credit: Justin Pot I've been meaning to get back into playing guitar for a while, so I've been testing various apps. Yousician seems like a great starting point, assuming in-person instruction isn't an option. This application uses the microphone on your device so you can use a real instrument to learn actual songs. The guitar version, which I tried for a few days, combines video instruction with Guitar-Hero style practice sessions. There's even a backing track during the early lessons, which might help anyone who'd prefer to play along to an actual song. This makes the early stages of learning an instrument, which can be a drag, feel fun. There are also courses for piano, ukulele, bass, and singing. If you want to get a feel for it, there is a limited free version, but you might need to tap the "X" on the prompt to enter your credit card number if you don't want to pay. Plans start at $7.49 per month. Learn typing with TypingClub Credit: Justin Pot Wish your typing was faster, or more accurate? The free website TypingClub is perfect for this. It offers touch typing lessons starting from the very basics with tests to work your way up. Lessons unlock as you go. If the early lessons are too easy for you, you can always take a test to earn a higher placement. Memorize anything with Anki's flash cards Credit: Justin Pot I didn't grow up in the U.S., meaning I didn't learn the state capitols and locations as a kid. At one point I was tired of not knowing where anything is, so I downloaded Anki. This is an open source application for every platform that makes it easy to learn using flash cards. The system is all about self accountability: You report how easily you were able to come up with the right answer. The system is set up to keep exposing you to the things you find hard. You can design your own decks, if you want, or you can use any of the thousands of decks offered on the website. I, having mastered U.S. states, am moving on to learning the Mexican ones. I'm sure there's something you're interested in memorizing, too. View the full article

Google doesn’t build products with B2B marketers in mind. Its largest budgets and transaction volume come from DTC and B2C brands, so that’s where product development naturally starts. That’s why new Google products rarely work for B2B out of the gate. Over my 15+ years in advertising, I’ve seen this pattern repeat: initial release, poor B2B fit, then gradual improvement after about two years. We saw it with responsive search ads, broad match (yes, I thought it was the end of times, too), and dynamic search ads. Performance Max follows the same trajectory. Three years ago, I would have said “absolutely not” for B2B organizations. In 2026, that answer looks very different. Does Performance Max work for every B2B advertiser? No, and it shouldn’t. This article focuses on who is a good fit and who should still stay away. Because if you’re not testing new tactics, you aren’t meaningfully changing the results you’re getting today. PMax 101 for B2Bs If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming one of three things: Performance Max isn’t working for you. You haven’t dared to try it yet. Or you’re simply curious about what you could improve. Let’s start with a quick refresher. Performance Max is a goal-based campaign type that allows advertisers to access all Google Ads inventory from a single campaign. Today, that inventory includes YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. We’re also starting to see ads in AI Overviews powered by Performance Max. If AI Overviews are already showing up in your industry, this alone should put Performance Max on your radar. Dig deeper: Top Performance Max optimization tips for 2026 Seeing ads run across all Google networks can feel intimidating, especially for lead generation organizations without a shopping feed. That’s fine – you don’t need one. One of the biggest benefits we’ve seen is the ability to reach people within the buying group who wouldn’t normally engage through traditional search alone. Performance Max expands visibility beyond the small set of high-intent users who actively raise their hand. It has also proven effective for nurturing prospects across long, complex sales cycles. For B2B advertisers, where decisions can take months and involve multiple stakeholders, that sustained presence can make a meaningful difference. What needs to be in place before testing Performance Max There are a few requirements you can’t avoid. With Performance Max, you’re not targeting keywords. You’re targeting signals. That distinction matters. These are the signals I need to see before even starting a conversation about Performance Max readiness. First, you need to import your source of truth by connecting to Salesforce or your CRM of choice. Optimization should be tied to a meaningful online event, such as a qualified lead submission or an appointment booked. If the conversion action isn’t meaningful, Performance Max won’t be either. Your bid strategy must be set to maximize conversions or target CPA. Performance Max is built to learn and optimize around outcomes, not traffic. You should also import a customer list of existing customers so the system can identify and model similar characteristics. While website remarketing audiences can be used, they don’t deliver the same level of performance as first-party customer data. As noted earlier, what makes Performance Max work is its ability to nurture leads over time. Providing truly down-funnel signals is the foundation of a successful test – and ultimately, a successful campaign. Dig deeper: Why B2B brands are shifting from keywords to Performance Max Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. When PMax is not the right fit Performance Max is not a universal solution, and that’s important to say out loud. If your B2B motion relies on a small, highly controlled target list, this is likely not the right tool. Account-based marketing with a few hundred named accounts still performs better with more manual control. Market fit matters. You need a reasonably sized total addressable market. If you’re only targeting private equity firms, for example, Performance Max is unlikely to be effective. The same applies when the audience is extremely restricted. In those cases, Performance Max simply doesn’t have enough room to learn and scale. The same is true if your conversion actions are too high level or disconnected from revenue. If the only signal you can provide is a form fill with no qualification behind it, Performance Max will struggle to understand what success actually looks like. Lastly, Performance Max can be frustrating if your organization isn’t ready to let automation run without constant intervention. It rewards patience and clean inputs. If every fluctuation triggers a reset or rebuild, results will never stabilize. Dig deeper: How to optimize B2B PPC spend when budgets and confidence are low What Performance Max can and can’t do for B2B Performance Max is not a silver bullet for B2B advertising, and it never was. But it’s also no longer the immediate no it once was for many B2B organizations. When the fundamentals are in place – meaningful conversion signals, a sufficiently large addressable market, and the patience to let automation do its job – Performance Max can play a valuable role in supporting long, complex buying journeys, especially when the goal isn’t just capturing demand, but helping create and nurture it. The key is honesty. Be honest about your data, your audience, and your internal tolerance for automation. If those pieces aren’t ready, Performance Max will likely disappoint. If they are, it can become a strong complement to existing search and demand generation efforts. As with most things in B2B advertising, success doesn’t come from chasing the newest feature. It comes from testing intentionally, measuring what actually matters, and knowing when a tool fits your business and when it doesn’t. View the full article

Leaders of law enforcement organizations expressed alarm Sunday over the latest deadly shooting by federal officers in Minneapolis while use-of-force experts criticized the The President administration’s justification of the killing, saying bystander footage contradicted its narrative of what prompted it. The federal government also faced criticism over the lack of a civil rights inquiry by the U.S. Justice Department and its efforts to block Minnesota authorities from conducting their own review of the killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti. In a bid to ease tensions, the International Association of Chiefs of Police called on the White House to convene discussions “as soon as practicable” among federal, state and local law enforcement. “Every police chief in the country is watching Minneapolis very carefully,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a police research and policy organization. “If a police chief had three officer-involved shootings in three weeks, they would be stepping back and asking, ‘What does our training look like? What does our policy look like?'” Pretti’s death came on the heels of the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good and another incident a week later in Minneapolis when a federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle while attempting to arrest a Venezuelan who was in the country illegally. “We’re dealing with a federal agency here,” Wexler said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security, “but its actions can have a ripple effect across the entire country.” Experts say video of shooting undermines federal claims While questions remained about the latest confrontation, use-of-force experts told The Associated Press that bystander video undermined federal authorities’ claim that Pretti “approached” a group of lawmen with a firearm and that a Border Patrol officer opened fire “defensively.” There has been no evidence made public, they said, that supports a claim by Border Patrol senior official Greg Bovino that Pretti, who had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, intended to “massacre law enforcement.” “It’s very baked into the culture of American policing to not criticize other law enforcement agencies,” said Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and use-of-force expert who testified for prosecutors in the trial of the Minneapolis officer convicted of murdering George Floyd. “But behind the scenes, there is nothing but professional scorn for the way that DHS is handling the aftermath of these incidents,” Stoughton said. Several government officials had essentially convicted Pretti on social media before the crime scene had been processed. Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller generated outrage by describing Pretti as “a would-be assassin” in a post, while a top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, drew the ire of the National Rifle Association for posting that “if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” “In a country that has more guns than people, the mere possession of a weapon does not establish an imminent threat to officers — and neither does having a weapon and approaching officers,” Stoughton said. “I don’t think there’s any evidence to confirm the official narrative at all. It’s not unlawful for someone to carry a weapon in Minnesota.” Minnesota official says state investigators blocked from shooting scene In the hours after Pretti’s shooting, Minnesota authorities obtained a search warrant granting them access to the shooting scene. Drew Evans, superintendent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said his team was blocked from the scene. Minnesota authorities also received an emergency court order from a federal judge barring officials “from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers.” Bovino sounded a less strident tone at a Sunday news conference, calling Pretti’s shooting a “tragedy that was preventable” even as he urged people not to “interfere, obstruct, delay or assault law enforcement.” He refused to comment on what he called the “freeze-frame concept,” referring to videos circulating on social media that raise doubts about the dangers Pretti posed to officers. “That, folks, is why we have something called an investigation,” Bovino said. “I wasn’t there wrestling him myself. So I’m not going to speculate. I’m going to wait for that investigation.” Policing experts said the irregularities in the federal response went beyond the government’s immediate defense. Before Pretti’s parents had even been notified of his death, DHS posted a photograph on X of a 9mm Sig Sauer semiautomatic handgun seized during the scuffle, portraying the weapon as justification for the killing. “The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID,” the post said. “This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage.” However, the photo showed only one loaded magazine lying next to the pistol, which had apparently been emptied and displayed on the seat of a vehicle. Minnesota state officials said that, by removing the weapon from the scene, Border Patrol officers likely mishandled key evidence. Videos show Pretti holding a cellphone None of the half-dozen bystander videos shows Pretti brandishing his gun. Rather, the videos showed Pretti’s hands were only holding his mobile phone as a masked Border Patrol officer opened fire. In videos of the scuffle, “gun, gun” is heard, and an officer appears to pull a handgun from Pretti’s waist area and begins moving away. As that happens, a first shot is fired by a Border Patrol officer. There’s a slight pause, and then the same officer fires several more times into Pretti’s back. Several use-of-force experts said that unenhanced video clips alone would neither exonerate nor support prosecution of the officers, underscoring the need for a thorough investigation. A key piece of evidence will likely be the video from the phone Pretti was holding when he was killed. Federal officials have not yet released that footage or shared it with state investigators. “The evaluation of the reasonableness of this shooting will entirely depend on when the pistol became visible and how, if at all, it was being displayed or used,” said Charles “Joe” Key, a former police lieutenant and longtime use-of-force expert. Ian Adams, an assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, described the federal government’s response as “amateur hour.” “Jumping to the end result of this investigation, or what’s supposed to be an investigation, is somewhat embarrassing for policing professionals nationwide,” Adams said. “It’s clear that professionals in policing are observing what’s going on and not liking what they’re seeing.” __ Associated Press reporter Hannah Fingerhut contributed reporting Des Moines, Iowa. —JIm Mustian and Michael Biesecker, Associated Press View the full article

This week, young people are looking at the recent past through rose-colored glasses, living their best lives by filming harmless classroom pranks, and, hopefully, protecting their futures by not swallowing too many chia seeds or roasting themselves with heating pads. What does 2016 nostalgia mean?A few weeks ago, I posted about the online trend of millennial optimism which was focused on the years around 2010, but things have gone further: Young people are nostalgic specifically for 2016. This probably sounds bizarre to you. 2016 saw the deaths of Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, and Prince, and levels of political and social upheaval many of us had never experienced, leading many to regard 2016 as the worst year ever (little did we know). So why are younger people nostalgic for it? First, because if you were a young person, the edges of societal breakdown weren't really on your radar. 2016 was the year of Pokemon Go, Snapchat, and the bottle-flipping trend. You were watching this awesome new show called Stranger Things and hanging out with your friends, on an internet that didn’t feel like an algorithm-driven hellscape. Nostalgia is a personal thing; if you're a young adult in 2026, 2016 is your childhood, and things went so far south afterwards with the pandemic and the continued erosion of "normal" civic life that 2016 would understandably feel like the last normal year. Coming of age during a collapse is not a picnic, and I don't begrudge anyone a little nostalgia; look at the world we left them. But don't take my word for it. Check out some of the 2.2 million nostalgia videos on TikTok's #2016 to draw your own conclusions. Viral videos of the week: absurdist classroom pranksI don't think there's a name for the kind of viral videos I'm featuring this week, so I'm calling them "absurdist classroom pranks." They're videos where kids/teens in a school do something absurd but harmless, while trying to keep themselves from cracking up. These documents of good-hearted acts of stealth rebellion are both hilarious and youth-affirming. Like this Instagram reel from @avamonpere with five million views of a couple dudes meticulously arranging a charcuterie board in the middle of a lecture: Or the ongoing series "bringing random items to school," in which Instagram's @eli6666k and his boys do just what the title says: pull the weirdest things they can from their backpacks, while trying to keep from laughing. I wasn't even able to do it while watching. Here's a couple: But check out the source. The series is ongoing so there's more to come. Dangers from the internetIn part 4,034 of my 36,321 part series, we have a trio of things that people online are doing that no one should actually do in real life, ever. The fire challenge: A Chicago-area mom offers a warning on behalf of her badly burned daughter: Do not participate in a "a viral social media trend" called "The Fire Challenge"; that is, covering your hands with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer and setting them on fire. This is a tragic story, but like most media reports of injuries from online challenges, I can't actually find any evidence of any videos like this on social media, so People calling it a "viral social media trend" seems inaccurate. Maybe those videos are out there, but they're hardly viral or a trend. There's a "tiktokfirechallenge" hashtag, with 34 videos, none of which depict anything dangerous. While #firechallenge contains some videos warning against the fire challenge, but none that show it actually happening. Do not eat too many chia seeds: Chia seeds are a whole thing with young people. They make "chia water," mix 'em up with apples and make "pudding," and make super gross AI videos about the supposed health benefits of just raw-dogging a handful of seeds. That last one is a problem. Chia seeds are a good source of fiber, but according to nutritionists, you shouldn't eat them without soaking them in liquid first. They absorb fluids, and eating raw seeds could result in intestinal blockage and choking. Toasted skin syndrome: This one unlocked a phobia I never knew I had: If you routinely use a heating pad on its highest setting, you can literally slow roast your own flesh. It's called toasted skin syndrome or "erythema ab igne" in medical parlance, and it's caused by long-term exposure to personal heat sources like heating pads, electric blankets, space heaters, or even a laptop on your thighs. TikTok user @teezubal raised awareness by posting a video of her friend's alarmingly mottled back flesh that has been viewed over 50 million times in a week. Her friend insists, "it's fine, I promise" but it's not fine. Milder cases can take months to resolve, and if you keep it up, the discolored flesh can supposedly stay like that forever. The solution: If you use a heating pad, keep it set to "low." View the full article

Dmitrii Ovsiannikov was jailed last year for money laundering and breaching UK sanctionsView the full article

A new year often starts with a simple question: How can we do better? For businesses, it’s a question that applies to almost everything, from product innovation to climate impact—an area of increasing urgency for many. The goal of achieving net-zero is now a staple of most businesses’ annual plans, however the journey there is often challenging. It can be fraught with hidden trade-offs, making it difficult for ESG leaders to know whether they are truly backing the right solutions in pursuit of their climate goals. Take aviation, for example. As one of the world’s most difficult sectors to decarbonize, its 2.5% share of global CO2 emissions represents a major challenge for nearly every corporate climate plan. To solve this, the industry developed a solution called Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Unlike traditional jet fuel made from crude oil, SAF is produced from renewable sources like used cooking oil, agricultural waste, and other plant-based materials. Crucially, it’s designed to work with existing aircraft engines, allowing airlines to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint without having to build new planes. While promising a dramatic reduction in air travel’s carbon footprint, the well-intentioned race to scale this “green” fuel has created a dangerous paradox, leading companies down a path that risks undermining the goals they are trying to achieve. THE HIDDEN FLAW IN GREEN JET FUEL SAF has quickly become the poster child for sustainable flight, as it cuts an aircraft’s lifecycle emissions by up to 80%. However, the way we scale SAF matters just as much as the volumes we achieve. Many of today’s biofuels rely on crops grown on arable land, creating direct competition with food production and increasing the risk of deforestation and biodiversity loss. This is the hidden flaw in the first wave of green jet fuel. When the same land that could grow food or support forests is converted for use in jet fuel, claims of sustainability become less convincing. This approach risks incentivizing solutions that reduce carbon emissions on spreadsheets while increasing the social and environmental risks in reality. At the same time, no one should underestimate the scale of aviation’s challenge. Industry roadmaps state that to align with net-zero targets by 2050, the sector will need hundreds of millions of tons of SAF per year, compared to only a few million tons produced per year today. We must choose the right path to close that gap over the next quarter-century. The world generates an enormous amount of waste every year, from used cooking oil and animal fats to agricultural residues such as corn cobs, straw, and empty fruit bunches. Much of this material is mismanaged, leading to open burning, water contamination, and methane emissions as organic waste decomposes. Turning this waste into fuel tackles two problems at once: it avoids methane and pollution from unmanaged waste, and it displaces fossil fuels in sectors like aviation. FROM PILOT TO SCALE: PROOF IN THE REAL WORLD The key question for any sustainability solution is simple: Can it scale? For waste-based SAF, the answer is increasingly yes. At EcoCeres, our first large-scale renewable fuels plant in Jiangsu, China—which launched in 2021—demonstrated that industrial-scale production of SAF from 100% waste oils is commercially viable, with a capacity of around 350,000 tons per year. Now, that model is scaling. In January 2026, we officially opened our new production facility in Johor, Malaysia. With 420,000 tons of annual renewable fuel capacity, it’s one of the country’s first dedicated SAF facilities and it effectively doubles EcoCeres’ SAF production capability. The plant utilizes 100% waste-based feedstocks, supported by a strategy that secures used cooking oil and other residues across Asia. Its circular model is demonstrated by facilities certified under leading industry bodies like ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) and CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation). It has moved beyond pilots and is now delivering at industrial scale, proving the viability of truly circular SAF. SAF AS A GATEWAY TO CREDIBLE NET-ZERO FOR BUSINESS For many global companies, business travel and air freight form a substantial share of their carbon emissions. Without a scalable, credible source of SAF, corporate net-zero pledges risk becoming aspirational rather than actionable. It’s clear that a more sophisticated standard for green fuel is needed. Three simple criteria can guide better decisions: Feedstock integrity: Does the fuel rely on 100% waste and residue-based feedstocks that do not compete with food or high-value ecosystems? Verified lifecycle impact: Does it achieve high lifecycle emissions reductions validated by robust, third-party certification schemes aligned with global standards? Circular and local co-benefits: Does the solution tangibly reduce local pollution and create sustainable economic opportunities in the regions where waste is collected? Applying these tests can differentiate between models that simply shift problems elsewhere and circular solutions that create compounded benefits. CLOSE THE LOOP ON GLOBAL MOBILITY The concept of a circular economy has successfully reshaped countless industries. For years, however, global aviation has remained a critical open loop. A truly circular, waste-based SAF model can help us finally close the loop on global mobility. This is not a distant dream. As we’ve demonstrated, the technology is already proven and operating at scale. Global studies confirm that underutilized waste streams can support the production of hundreds of millions of tons of sustainable fuel, more than enough to bridge the current supply gap. As more of the world’s waste is brought into productive use, the idea of flying on circular fuel moves from promising pilot to practical reality. For the business leaders and ESG teams asking, “How can we do better?” this presents a clear and actionable path. By championing a higher standard for the fuels they endorse, they can help transform one of the world’s most difficult climate challenges into a story of innovation and opportunity. If we can turn the world’s waste into the world’s jet fuel, then every business trip, shipment, and journey can be part of the solution, not the problem. Matti Lievonen is CEO of EcoCeres. View the full article

The 2026 tax filing season—for 2025 returns—begins on Jan. 26, which means scammers are ramping up efforts to steal taxpayers' information and money. These are a few of the tax-related schemes to watch out for this year. 'Tax resolution' scamsThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is alerting consumers to a phone scam currently circulating in which callers claim to be from the “Tax Resolution Oversight Department," “Tax Mediation and Resolution Agency,” or some similar official-sounding (but fake) government organization. They will claim that you owe back taxes and say they will help you apply for an “IRS liability reduction program” (also fake). The scammers' aim here is to collect your Social Security number (SSN) and possibly an upfront payment for their services. They will likely pressure you and create a sense of urgency with lines like “this may be our only attempt to reach you." Don't fall for it. If you do actually owe back taxes, the IRS will send you a notice via mail, and you'll have options to settle that debt directly with the agency. Tax-related phishing scamsA common type of tax scam is the fraudulent text or email that appears to be from the IRS but is actually a phishing campaign. The FTC's most recent alert reminds consumers that any message that asks you to verify your identity in order to receive your refund is a scam. You may get a text or email "from" the IRS or your state tax authority notifying you that they've processed your refund, and all you have to do is provide some information via the link provided in order to claim it. As with any phishing scam, doing so hands your information directly to bad actors. Neither the IRS nor your state tax office will contact you via text, email, or social media message, and you should never click links in unsolicited communication. IRS impersonation scamsNext, there's the general category of IRS impersonation scams. Both of the above could be included here, but there's also the fake IRS letter that—with great urgency—demands sensitive personal information or payment for taxes owed. Sometimes, these letters request said payment via gift card, which is always a red flag. Letters may also say something about an unclaimed refund and request photos of your identification. Scammers have also been known to call people about their tax bill or refund while claiming to represent the IRS or another agency that provides government benefits. They may also claim that your information is being used in some type of crime. If a caller threatens you or demands payment, hang up immediately. Tax prep scamsIf you're hiring a tax professional to help you with your return, you should vet them before handing over your information. At best, a tax preparer may lack the proper credentials and experience—at worst, they may falsify your return or pocket your refund. A "ghost" tax professional will scam you by not signing your return after they've prepared it. You are legally responsible for your taxes, so do your due diligence and review your return carefully before signing your own name. Don't pay for services in cash, and always get a receipt. Tax identity theft scamsThis scam typically involves a scammer filing a tax return using your name and SSN and pocketing the refund—and you may not realize that you're a victim until after you've filed your real return and received a notice from the IRS about the duplicate. To prevent this, set up an identity protection PIN with the IRS. This six-digit number changes every calendar year, and no one can file a return under your SSN or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) without it. Note that the IRS will never ask for your IP PIN, so any communication requesting it is (also) a scam. IRS support scamsFinally, scammers may contact you and offer paid services for something you can do for free. For example, you can easily create an IRS account online and do not need to pay someone to do it for you or hand over your personal information to a third party in the process. Anyone who offers unsolicited help to set up your account, negotiate your tax debt, or otherwise manage your return or refund (especially for a fee) is a scammer. How to protect yourself from tax scamsAs we've mentioned, stay vigilant to common scam tactics, such as unsolicited communication, a sense of urgency, and a demand for money or information. The IRS has specific ways of contacting taxpayers, and you should know how to verify that mailed notices and other forms of communication are real. You can always call the IRS directly to confirm if what you're being told is legitimate. Don't click links in texts, emails, or social media messages—instead, go directly to the IRS.gov website and access your account there. When it comes to your return, if you're not taking the DIY route, choose a qualified tax professional, and request an IP PIN to protect your SSN against fraudulent filing. Consider filing early and electronically, which will also get your refund processed sooner. View the full article

Throughout 2025, SEO professionals reported the same story to leadership: organic traffic was down, clicks were declining, and attribution no longer made sense. AI-driven search experiences, zero-click results, and platform-level answers widened the gap between discovery and measurable visits, making it harder than ever to accurately report on organic performance. For many organizations, this showed up as double-digit, year-over-year declines in reported organic traffic and leads. The C-suite asked the obvious questions: Why are clicks down? Why does organic traffic look 25% lower than last year? Is SEO actually hurting the business? The problem wasn’t that organic search stopped working. It was that the way most organizations measure it no longer reflects how discovery happens today. Why last-touch attribution is the wrong model for 2026 We have not been accurately measuring organic search. Many organizations still rely on last-touch attribution, which measures the end of the customer journey – not the start. Our attribution models are linear – Search → Click → Convert – but user behavior is not. Most traditional attribution models assume discovery leads to a measurable click. Today, AI-driven SERPs are challenging that assumption and widening the gap between influence and revenue credit. Last-touch attribution rewards the finish line – not the start of the race. Which is to say, last-touch attribution collapses in an AI-first, zero-click world, especially for organic search. AI-driven search is accelerating attribution blind spots. Our measurement is not broken. It’s outdated and doesn’t tell us the holistic story. As an industry, we need to rethink our KPIs and how to measure success. We need to tell the full data story throughout the entire customer journey, from the very top and down to the click and conversion. Dig deeper: Marketing attribution guide: Models, tools, & best practices So why is last touch a problem? Last-touch attribution only measures the end of the customer journey. Because of that, it misses all interactions that occur before the conversion, across channels like Google, Reddit, YouTube, AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Instagram, email, paid SERP listings, and more. Most users of Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics rely on last-touch attribution when setting up their analytics. This works as a baseline, but to tell the full story, you also need to understand where your first touches are coming from. This is especially true as traditional organic traffic – click-throughs from the SERPs – continues to decline with the rise of AI Overviews and AI Mode. Do you have the data you need for first-touch attribution? Many organizations have data that is messy, siloed, and replete with quality and integrity issues. Take a look at yours and ask yourself whether you can easily find the answer to these questions: How are my customers entering the marketing funnel through organic? Should it be paid, direct, referral, or AI that gets the conversion attribution? Do I have a sense of AI referrals? Have we set up a different channel in our analytics platform to capture AI referrals specifically? Can we tell the difference in conversion rates based on which channel is the first touchpoint? For example, how is the paid conversion rate different when organic is the first touch point? Or when it’s not? If users aren’t searching more and clicking through to your site, it doesn’t mean organic is necessarily down or that your SEO program is not working well and is not worth it. It’s likely that you’re either not measuring SEO accurately or appropriately. So what’s the answer here? Clean up your data, invest time in analyzing every channel that’s driving traffic to your website, and really dig into how organic search is still impacting your overall SEO efforts. Dig deeper: Measuring zero-click search: Visibility-first SEO for AI results Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Why first-touch analytics will prove organic results still matter When a user searches and your brand is mentioned – but not linked – in an AI response, discovery has still happened. If that same user visits your site the next day through social or direct, or shows up at a brick-and-mortar store, does that mean SEO didn’t work? Of course not! Organic results brought the user into the funnel just by being referenced, cited, visible – top of mind. But how do you measure that when the last-touch was a direct, or social, or referral click and/or conversion? Organic search was the entry point – even without a click – and arguably extremely important to other channels. Without knowing and measuring first-touch and last-touch attribution, marketers can’t answer this question. Organic search often introduces the category, frames the problem, and establishes credibility and perception about your brand before a buyer ever visits a website, watches a video, or visits a forum. Dig deeper: 7 must-know marketing attribution definitions to avoid getting gamed Visibility is the key SEO phrase of 2026 The new SEO currency in 2026 isn’t keywords, impressions, or clicks – it’s visibility through mentions and citations. If AI systems select which brands to cite, organic visibility becomes a prerequisite for consideration, not just traffic. Remember what “organic” means today: a user searches and discovers your brand on their own, without paid promotion. Ten or 15 years ago, that usually meant Google. Today, however, a potential customer can search, discover, and research brands everywhere: YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, ChatGPT, and, yes, still “Google it.” They can also get answers and information summarized through Web Guide, AI Overviews, and AI Mode without a visit to the company’s website. As marketers, we need to get clever about what visibility means today and how we will expand it. Dig deeper: How to build search visibility before demand exists 2026 is the year to grow SEO, not shrink it As search becomes more fragmented and AI-driven experiences reduce clicks, SEO’s role in discovery has not diminished – it has moved earlier in the journey. The problem isn’t that organic search stopped working. It’s that post-click measurement no longer captures where influence actually begins. Last-touch attribution undervalues early discovery and systematically under-credits SEO, especially in an AI-first, zero-click environment. First-touch analysis helps correct that by connecting organic visibility to downstream influence, conversions, and revenue. AI Overviews, AI Mode, and platforms like ChatGPT are accelerating these measurement gaps, and best practices are still emerging. But this isn’t a new challenge for the industry. We’ve navigated data silos and attribution blind spots before. In 2026, the teams that collaborate across analytics, SEO, and other channels – and invest in first-touch measurement – will be best positioned to prove organic’s impact and make better, more complete decisions. Those who modernize how SEO is measured will be the ones who continue to justify and grow investment, even as clicks decline. Dig deeper: MTA vs. MMM: Which marketing attribution model is right for you? View the full article

Google is rolling out a new billing report within Google Ads. The new billing report gives you line-by-line view of your Google Ads invoices. View the full article

Five Google Analytics reports PPC marketers should use to improve targeting, justify spend, and understand how paid traffic supports conversions across the customer journey. The post 5 Google Analytics Reports PPC Marketers Should Actually Use appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

On March 23, 2026, Google will update its Google Ads Gambling and games policy to say that your overall account must demonstrate good policy health to be eligible for gambling and games certification. Meaning, you need to have a good account history and have a number of violations on your account.View the full article

Google is testing adding price labels on top of the product images within AI Mode results. I tried to replicate this but I was not able to, so it seems like a test. View the full article

Trilateral peace talks seem promising, but territory remains a major obstacleView the full article

Twenty years ago, as the top digital and innovation executive for Citi’s credit card business, I led the team that spent months building what looked like a brilliant partnership. We’d found a startup with a disruptive payments platform—one that became the forerunner of what has become a new payment type used by millions of consumers today. The deal: strategic investment in exchange for access to the startup’s codebase as a sandbox for innovation pilots. No more waiting in the legacy systems queue. Just rapid prototyping with leading-edge developers. We built the entire partnership in a silo of supporters, treating resistance as something to avoid until absolutely necessary. Then came final deal approval day. The senior executives heading risk management, compliance, legal, finance, regulatory affairs, and profit and loss (P&L) weighed in: “The regulators won’t like this.” “Have we gotten corporate approvals?” “What’s the ROI?” “We’ve never done this kind of deal.” Deal torpedoed. Within a few years, that startup was acquired for close to $1 billion. The loss wasn’t just financial. It was a failure to recognize that resistance contains intelligence about reality that plans built-in echo chambers inevitably miss. Colleagues felt blindsided—asked to bless a final deal rather than shape an evolving strategy. The resistance wasn’t about the idea. It was about being excluded from the journey. I’ve spent the two decades since distinguishing the signal from the noise—and teaching leaders how to avoid the expensive mistakes we made. Why We Keep Making the Same Mistake Leaders faced with pushback default to a familiar playbook: build innovation in a protected silo, surround yourself with enthusiasts, keep resistors at arm’s length. The logic seems sound—protect the new thing from the “antibodies” of legacy thinking. But here’s what we discovered the hard way: unfamiliarity, fear of the unknown, turf protection—these weren’t just emotional reactions. They were signals. Risk and compliance leaders felt threatened because no one had involved them early enough to anticipate possible regulatory concerns. P&L managers pushed back because the project diverted resources from their quarterly targets. The resistance contained intelligence about implementation realities that an enthusiast-only team couldn’t see. When 70% of change initiatives fail despite massive investment, the problem isn’t that people don’t understand the plan. It’s that the plan doesn’t account for what people understand about reality. Learning to Translate Resistance Into Intelligence The shift starts with listening differently. When someone says, “We tried this before and it didn’t work,” leaders typically hear obstruction and respond: “This time is different—we have better technology.” But what if you asked instead: “What specifically failed last time, and how does this approach account for those lessons?” Suddenly you’re mining history for intelligence about why elegant pilots don’t scale. When a stakeholder says, “Our customers won’t understand this,” the dismissive response is “Of course they will—we have market research showing they favor this concept.” The intelligence-gathering response: “That’s an important observation. Where do you see the greatest failure points that we should account for?” Or consider: “This conflicts with our other priorities.” Many leaders hear bureaucratic gatekeeping and respond by promising to “make the case” at prioritization meetings. But that’s still trying to convince. The intelligence approach: “We have a full load of urgent priorities, you’re right. Where do you see the biggest stress points this project might create?” These aren’t just nicer ways of saying the same thing. They’re diagnostic questions that surface constraints the plan hasn’t addressed. When you ask, “Where do you see the biggest stress points?” instead of selling your solution, something shifts. You’re signaling genuine understanding, not persuasion. That act of listening—what former hostage negotiator Chris Voss calls “tactical empathy”—builds the trust that determines whether your initiative scales or stalls. Why This Matters More Now AI experimentation is amplifying every dysfunction in how organizations handle resistance. Consider a common pattern: A team builds an AI assistant for customer service reps. The tech enthusiasts love it at pilot stage—impressive accuracy, clean demo, excited exec sponsors. But they never involved actual service reps. So, they didn’t discover until scale that the assistant couldn’t handle the 20% of calls requiring human judgment, created more work documenting exceptions than it saved, and made reps feel surveilled rather than supported. Adoption stalled. The pilot became another “AI experiment that didn’t work.” The same dynamic plays out with creative teams resisting generative AI. The pattern sounds familiar: Our brand spends millions to sound like itself. The moment we start prompting a model trained on every competitor’s campaign, we’re paying to erase what makes us different. Beneath the pushback is stewardship of hard-won brand equity, not necessarily technophobia. The intelligence-gathering response: “What if we approach AI as rough-draft only? How might we develop explicit guardrails for tone and references to preserve what makes us distinctive?” From Stakeholder Management to Coalition Building Traditional stakeholder management maps who supports and who resists, then tries to convert resistors through better communication. Coalition building does something different: it engages across the spectrum from the start to build trust—the foundation that determines whether change scales. I’ve seen this work. When innovation leaders don’t own a P&L, they face scrutiny from business unit managers who question whether “the innovation people” truly care about quarterly targets. One way through: explicitly align early experiments to P&L managers’ top priorities—not to convince them your idea is right, but to demonstrate you’re invested in making them successful. Shared values become the bridge when you disagree on tactics. The Questions That Change the Conversation In my workshops with senior leaders across financial services and other sectors, I consistently hear the same story. As one CTO told me: “We built our gen AI strategy with only the innovation team. Now we’re stuck because compliance wasn’t engaged early.” Here’s where to start: “What do you see that we might be missing?” Assumes intelligence in the perspective, not obstruction. “What would need to be true for this to work in your world?” Surfaces constraints before they become deal-killers. “What shared outcomes matter most to both of us?” Finds the values bridge when tactics diverge. The fundamental shift: from “How do I overcome resistance?” to “What intelligence am I missing if I don’t engage this perspective early?” Twenty years later, companies are still building partnerships, AI pilots, and transformation initiatives in silos of supporters—the same mistake my Citi team made. Still treating resistance as friction to manage rather than intelligence to integrate: The billion-dollar missed opportunities keep piling up. What changes when you treat resistance as the intelligence it actually contains? You build coalitions instead of echo chambers. You gain insights that improve your plan and trust that enables scale. And you stop repeating the expensive mistakes we learned from the hard way. View the full article

Former Conservative home secretary announces move at rally for military veteransView the full article

Google Ads has a new help document named Campaign Mix Experiments (Beta). This describes how advertisers can test multiple campaign types, budgets, and settings across campaigns in a single experiment. View the full article

Google Ads lets you see how your product ads are performing across all your campaigns in a single view. Some advertisers are saying this is a new report, so I figured I'd share what they're noticing. View the full article

Stop measuring AI by hours saved and start measuring the expansion, quality gains, and capabilities that move the business. The post Why CFOs Are Cutting AI Budgets (And The 3 Metrics That Save Them) appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos brings together an incongruous mix of celebrities (this year included Matt Damon, David Beckham, and Katy Perry, who was accompanying ex-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), world leaders (President Donald The President), and nonprofit leaders. The event also reliably assembles an unrivaled group of global CEOs who offer a window into where business is heading. Some CEOs see sunny skies ahead This year, though, I found the window very foggy—and I wasn’t alone. According to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey, released at the start of the meeting, only about a third of CEOs (30%) say they are confident about revenue growth in the next 12 months, down from 38% in 2025 and 56% in 2022. Yet Paul Griggs, CEO of PwC U.S., says the American CEOs he spoke with in Davos are feeling much more optimistic than the survey would suggest. While they acknowledge that they’re dealing with high levels of uncertainty, they’re also more prepared to deal with complexity through new workflows and processes to keep them agile. “I met with 10 CEOs today, and it was a day of optimism,” Griggs says. Sharon Marcil, who leads Boston Consulting Group in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is also seeing bright spots. A new report, BCG AI Radar 2026, finds that four out of five CEOs say they are more optimistic about the returns on their AI investments than they were a year ago. “I do think 2026 is going to be a growth year,” she says. Who’s feeling blue? Most consultants I spoke with say European and U.K. CEOs are less confident than their U.S.- and Asia-based counterparts. AI’s impact beyond the hype The impact of AI on jobs was also hotly debated at Davos. While most CEOs and executives continue to insist that AI will make work better by reducing mundane tasks, a few CEOs have started to talk—publicly and privately—about the roles AI will eliminate and the need to prepare workers for changes. “We’re focused on being completely honest with our workforce,” says Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen Technologies, a digital network services provider. Johnson says the company is committed to training employees for new roles in the organization but adds, “We have to reimagine what the world will look like in the future, and [employees] need to imagine a world where their current job may not exist.” Conversations about AI have also shifted away from applications (think OpenAI’s ChatGPT) and agents (software that can make decisions and complete tasks) to infrastructure. Throughout the week, executives shared insights on the energy and networking capacity needed as data centers built specifically to support AI crop up. “The big question now has gone from the potential to operational reality,” says Aamir Paul, president of North America Operations at energy technology company Schneider Electric. (Fast Company partnered with Schneider Electric on a series of videos in Davos.) “How do we make it happen . . . getting data centers built, getting energy access, getting it in a way that it doesn’t affect retail costs and consumers don’t have to take the burden, and doing it in a way where we’re still meeting our sustainability goals?” These are daunting challenges that will require investment and inventiveness to solve. Luckily, one of BCG’s recent business surveys saw a 14% uptick in mentions of innovation versus a year ago. Perhaps that’s another reason for optimism in 2026. Your views on 2026 How are you feeling about the year ahead? Do you agree with the prevailing sentiment at Davos, or are you less optimistic about what’s coming? I’d like to hear your thoughts and why you feel that way. Please send them to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I may use your comments in a future newsletter. Read and watch more: Fast Company’s Brendan Vaughan offers his take on Davos CEO insularity threatens dialogue goal at Davos CEOs at Davos are buying the agentic AI hype​ View the full article

As an operative researcher for luxury retail companies, I spent my career grabbing onto one corporate contract after the next, like a tree-swinging retainer monkey. But in a tariff-distressed industry, those contract “branches” grew further and further apart until I was left hanging. Then a colleague experiencing a similar work gap said, “Well, I guess we’re retired.” I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but nothing prepared me for the word “retired.” I’m a freelancer, so no one is coming to my house with a gold watch as a reward for loyal service; I have no desire to move south; and I don’t play golf. My equally self-employed friend Roland had a suggestion: Why not consider myself “situationally” retired—that is, retired until the phone rings. It’s funny how one word can make or break your spirit. I was crushed by “retired” because the concept is foreign and frightening. But adding “situational” made it comfortingly familiar. After all, for us freelancers every corporate contract is situational; you might even say that situational is my superpower. A friend who’s spent decades in a grueling C-suite position still can’t bring himself to retire, despite vested stock and a strong financial footing. Happy or not, he remains in the grip of his job, unable to let go of a role he believes defines (and so ultimately confines) him. I’ve been an outside observer of corporate America long enough to understand his struggle, although it is not my own. Redirecting your energy As an independent contractor working for different companies, each with its own ecosystem, I constantly adapted my work persona to fit each unique corporate culture. Fluidity is what stabilized my career and so the loss of a fixed identity was not my retirement problem. My issue was displaced energy. Whether writing a history of plaid for a fashion CEO or helping the VP of design at a boutique hotel chain find just the right urban neighborhoods for expansion, every project required a tremendous amount of advance work. From sleuthing out relevant reference resources to searching for subject-specific experts, my research work was as fascinating as it was fun. I rarely left my desk yet built a national network of specialists and accumulated wide-ranging knowledge that often dovetailed, making every project a little easier. When the work slowed—and then stopped—my detective skills had nowhere to go. I can’t remember how long I was in that uncomfortable standstill until Roland’s use of the word “situational” got me moving. To kick off “Project Retirement,” I went on my usual research prowl. Every day, about 11,400 Americans turn 65—the traditional retirement milestone—fueling a busy and lucrative media market spanning content, publishing, and podcasts. But the most valuable operative research is not about finding the most information. It requires you to find the right information—information that is directional, that you can build upon, that can help steer your project to a successful conclusion. Redefining retirement For me, the initial guiding principles came from the YouTube channel Small Retired Life and Raina Vitanov’s practical yet inspirational attitude. Her conversation about being rebellious enough to redefine and rebrand retirement broadened my understanding and freed me to choose my own norms and values. But the most significant contribution was her observation that in retirement, “Productivity is not the conversation.” Using the Roland method, I added a word and had a revelation: Transactional productivity is no longer my conversation. The time between contracts used to feel borrowed; now I own it. And all that research joie de vivre that I enjoyed over my corporate years is mine to use as I like. Sit next to me if you want to talk about the architecture of Shaker communities, art in ’80s New York, or the difference between Ivy style and preppy fashion. I also started a side gig in a small boutique where I once shopped whenever I needed to outfit myself for a rare visit into corporate America. Because I’ve never had a structured straight job, I find the work to be fresh and interesting. It’s also rewarding because I get to use decades of style research on real live women, many playing out their own life-shifting issues through the lens of their wardrobes. Although I’m not sure I can pull off being an introvert cosplaying as an extrovert for more than my customary two workdays a week, I might give it a shot. Because now that I’ve got the hang of it, situational retirement can be whatever I want it to be. View the full article

I’m always amazed at how easily we give our time to others without thinking, and then are mad later when it was wasted. What exactly did we think was going to happen? That everyone was going to be prepared, productive, and appreciative? Time has become the ultimate luxury—we never have enough of it, and are jealous of those that have it. For too many of us, endless meetings, back-to-back emails, and constant interruptions leave little room for focused, meaningful work. Additionally, in our effort to be nice or generous, we offer our time even when we’re running on empty. But what if I told you that much of this time theft could be prevented with a little more mindfulness, intent, and discipline? Warren Buffett is a great example: He once shared his calendar with Bill Gates, and it was practically empty, which Gates found shocking. But Buffett was making a point—that one of the key reasons for his success is that he fiercely guards his time, knowing that “people will take your time if you let them.” Time is a nonrenewable resource, and we should be stingier with it. You can lose money and get it back, but you can never get it back lost time. Yet every day, unnecessary meetings and unproductive engagements hijack our calendars, diminishing both our productivity and morale. So why do we let it happen? It’s time to rethink how we treat time: not just our own, but the time of our teams and colleagues. Time as a Strategic Resource Let me introduce you to the concept of “time crime” that is emerging in workplaces today. Time is now considered an asset, and too many people are wasting it. It’s misused through poorly planned meetings, rambling conversations, and vague scheduling. This has an impact not just on productivity but missed opportunity, and as a result orgs have made bold moves to create strict policies on things like meetings. They’ve made it part of their culture change to treat time with respect, with scheduling a meeting becoming a last resort. The idea is about mutually respecting time—yours, and others. In 2023, Shopify ruthlessly cut all recurring meetings with more than two people, resulting in 322,000 fewer hours spent in meetings in one year. Can you imagine that impact? What would you do with all that found time? For Shopify, it meant more focus and more time for deep work. Alan Rankin, chief procurement officer at Moderna, shared an aha moment he had around time management, and it changed how he operates: “I was invited to a monthly operations meeting where many senior leaders in the company attended. I was really struggling to make a meaningful contribution to the meeting. I started to put myself under pressure to contribute more and say intelligent things. Then I had the lightbulb moment: Is this what is best for the company or is this all about me? I decided to stop attending and see if anything in my universe changed. And guess what? Nothing did. And now I have more time.” Revelations like this are impactful—and essential. While there are many ways time gets stolen, meetings are usually the biggest culprit. NBCUniversal, for example, has learned that fewer participants in meetings often lead to more productive discussions. For many business units, meetings include only the minimum number of people necessary to achieve the objectives, resulting in faster decisions and more meaningful input from all attendees. The Power of Less: Fewer People = More Productivity The power of “less” applies to emails, reports, committees, and most certainly, to meetings. I’ve never heard an organization tell me they wished their teams had more of any of these. Have you? Less equals focus, especially during meetings. When too many people are involved, important voices get drowned out. By keeping meetings lean and mean, you create an environment where only people that can contribute meaningfully attend, resulting in less distractions and more deep work. Atlassian lets employees question the necessity of every meeting. To decrease meetings, they use tools like Slack to handle simple status updates, letting teams focus more on high-value work. The message is to use your time with intention, and to only hold meetings when absolutely necessary. Stealing time is unacceptable. When meetings are held less often, they become a valuable commodity, where teams become more focused and disciplined with people’s time. Even Google has developed guidelines to make meetings productive and purposeful. Because innovation depends on it. Their meetings are short, focused, and to-the-point, with strict rules about minimizing unnecessary participants. The goal is to protect employees’ time by stopping lengthy, irrelevant discussions that take away from deep work. These guidelines help teams be mindful of how they spend their time, as well as how they use the time of others. Respecting Time Equals Respecting People Employees who feel their time is valued are more likely to be committed to their work. Time is, after all, one of the most tangible forms of respect you can show someone. At my own company, FutureThink, we regularly “uninvite” people to meetings, emphasizing that they don’t need to attend the meeting and can use their time for more urgent work. People love being uninvited because it feels like a gift—and our culture emphasizes that you need to use your time wisely; if you waste it on the unnecessary—that’s on you. The goal is for people to understand that time is something worth protecting. Guard Time Like It’s Your Most Valuable Asset Stop letting your calendar be overrun with things you do need to really do, and start using your time with intent. The next time someone asks for your time, ask yourself: Is this meeting truly necessary? Is this the best use of my time, and their time? Doing this will not only protect your own productivity but also foster a culture where everyone’s time is treated as the invaluable resource it truly is. View the full article

Online reputation refers to how others perceive you or your business based on your digital footprint, which includes online reviews, social media interactions, and overall visibility. It’s vital since a positive reputation can greatly influence consumer trust and purchasing decisions. With 93% of consumers relying on online reviews, comprehension and managing your online presence becomes fundamental. So, what strategies can you implement to guarantee your reputation aligns with your goals? Key Takeaways Online reputation is the perception of a brand based on its digital presence, including reviews and social media interactions. 90% of consumers read reviews before making purchases, highlighting the importance of a positive online reputation. A strong online reputation can increase consumer trust by 74% and differentiate a business from its competitors. Negative feedback can lead to significant revenue declines, emphasizing the need for proactive reputation management. Engaging with customers and managing reviews effectively can foster long-term loyalty and financial benefits. Understanding Online Reputation Grasping online reputation is fundamental in today’s digital environment, where perceptions can shift quickly due to a single post or review. Online reputation refers to how consumers perceive a brand or individual based on their digital footprint, including social media interactions, reviews, and search engine results. Your reputation score can considerably impact consumer decisions, as approximately 90% of shoppers read reviews before purchasing. A positive online reputation can boost consumer trust by 74%, making it critical for attracting and retaining customers. Conversely, negative incidents can spread swiftly, potentially harming your business reputation score and leading to lost revenue opportunities. Regular assessment and management of your online presence are imperative, especially since 70% of employers check social media profiles before hiring. The Significance of Online Reputation In today’s marketplace, where consumers often rely on digital feedback to make informed choices, the significance of online reputation cannot be overstated. Your online reputation affects not just consumer decisions but also your financial success and career opportunities. Here’s a brief overview of its significance: Impact Area Details Consumer Decisions 93% say online reviews influence purchases. Financial Implications A one-star increase on Yelp can boost revenue by 5-9%. Job Opportunities 70% of employers check social media profiles. Maintaining a positive online image contributes to a favorable reputation scorecard, which helps differentiate you from competitors. When you focus on your online reputation, you attract higher-quality clients and cultivate long-term loyalty, key elements for success in any field. How Online Reputation Influences Consumer Behavior Your online reputation plays an essential role in shaping trustworthiness among consumers. Since many people turn to social media for opinions and experiences, a positive reputation can greatly influence their purchasing decisions. Conversely, negative feedback can lead potential customers to hesitate, ultimately impacting a business’s success. Impact on Trustworthiness As consumers navigate their purchasing decisions, they increasingly rely on online reviews and ratings to gauge a business’s trustworthiness. A solid online reputation can greatly influence your potential customers’ choices. Consider these key points: 93% of consumers state online reviews greatly impact their purchasing decisions, emphasizing their importance. A one-star increase in a Yelp rating can boost revenue by 5-9%, showcasing the financial implications of reputation. 75% of people read reviews before buying, highlighting the need for a strong online presence. 88% of consumers prefer brands that engage with reviews, underlining the importance of interaction to build trust. Neglecting your online reputation can deter 70% of consumers, illustrating the critical need for effective reputation management. Social Media Influence How does social media shape consumer behavior in today’s digital environment? Online reputation plays an essential role in how you make purchasing decisions. Approximately 75% of consumers read online reviews before buying, indicating that your reputation greatly impacts their choices. Furthermore, 71% of social media users have bought products they discovered on these platforms, showing how important a strong online presence is. When positive reviews are present, consumer trust can increase by 74%, directly enhancing conversion rates. In addition, 82% of consumers trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations, emphasizing the influence of online reputation. All these factors illustrate that a positive online reputation not only builds trust but also drives sales in today’s social media-driven market. The Role of Online Reviews and Customer Feedback Online reviews and customer feedback play a vital role in shaping a business’s reputation and influencing consumer choices. When potential customers look for services or products, they often rely on the experiences of others. Here are some key points to reflect on: Trust Factor: 74% of consumers trust businesses with positive reviews, which can boost your credibility. Review Volume: Average consumers read about 10 reviews before trusting a business, making a robust collection of feedback important. Social Proof: 82% of consumers trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations, highlighting their impact on decision-making. Financial Impact: A one-star increase in your Yelp rating can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue, underlining the direct benefits of positive reviews. In today’s digital environment, managing your online reviews effectively can greatly influence consumer behavior and in the end drive your business success. Strategies for Managing Your Online Reputation Managing your online reputation is an ongoing process that requires active engagement and strategy. Start by regularly monitoring your online presence with tools like Google Alerts and Social Mention. This will help you stay informed about brand mentions and customer feedback, enabling timely responses. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, as 68% of consumers say they’d write a review if asked. Develop a strategy for responding to reviews; professional replies to negative feedback can improve trust, with 70% of consumers more likely to choose businesses that engage with reviews. Moreover, optimize positive content for search engines to guarantee it ranks higher than any negative information, as even a one-star increase in Yelp rating can boost revenue by 5-9%. Finally, engage with your audience across social media to build goodwill and transparency, since 88% of customers prefer brands that respond to all online reviews. Engaging With Customers to Enhance Reputation Engaging with customers is essential for enhancing your brand’s reputation, especially in today’s digital environment. To effectively connect with your audience, consider the following strategies: Respond to Reviews: Acknowledge all online reviews, as 88% of consumers prefer brands that do so, showing your commitment to customer satisfaction. Thank Customers: Express gratitude for feedback, which can boost consumer trust by 74%, making customers feel valued. Address Negative Feedback: Professionally responding to negative reviews can change 70% of consumers’ perceptions about your business, demonstrating your willingness to improve. Encourage Feedback: Actively seeking customer opinions can result in a 68% increase in satisfied customers leaving positive testimonials, further enhancing your online reputation. The Impact of Social Media on Online Reputation Social media plays a pivotal role in shaping your online reputation, as it directly influences how consumers perceive your brand. With the rapid spread of information, managing your reputation in real-time has never been more essential, especially considering that negative comments can quickly go viral. Comprehending these dynamics can help you engage effectively with your audience and protect your brand’s image in a digital environment where trust and authenticity matter. Social Media Influence Dynamics How does social media shape our perceptions of brands? It plays a vital role in influencing consumer behavior and shaping online reputation. Here are four key ways social media impacts your brand perception: Feedback Channel: 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Discovery: 71% of users purchase products they find on social media, demonstrating its influence. Negative Impact: 47% of consumers unfollow brands because of negative experiences, highlighting the need for vigilance. Research Tool: Approximately 93% of consumers use social media to research brands before buying. Engaging with customers on social media can boost loyalty by 20-40%, reinforcing the significance of maintaining a positive online presence. Real-Time Reputation Management The role of real-time reputation management has evolved markedly alongside the rise of social media, and it now stands as a fundamental aspect of maintaining a brand’s image. In the digital age, 90% of consumers read online reviews before making purchase decisions, often swayed by social media discussions. Customers expect brands to respond to 88% of online reviews, which directly influences satisfaction and loyalty. Swift responses to negative comments can prevent long-term damage, as issues can escalate swiftly. Engaging with customers improves credibility, with 82% of consumers trusting testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Viral Content Risks In today’s digital environment, where viral content can spread like wildfire, comprehending the risks associated with negative online perceptions is vital for businesses. A single negative incident can lead to significant consequences if not managed swiftly. Here are some important risks to take into account: Consumer Behavior: 90% of consumers read online reviews before purchasing, making reputation important. Hiring Impact: 70% of employers check social media profiles, so negative posts can hinder job prospects. Sales Decline: 93% of consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews, highlighting the weight of negative feedback. Revenue Loss: Businesses can face up to a 22% decline in revenue as a result of a poor online reputation. Understanding these risks can help you safeguard your brand’s image effectively. Seeking Professional Help for Reputation Management While managing your online reputation might seem straightforward, seeking professional help can greatly improve your efforts. With 93% of consumers stating that online reviews greatly impact their purchasing decisions, it’s essential to guarantee your online presence reflects a positive image. Professional online reputation management (ORM) services can monitor your digital footprint, enabling you to respond swiftly to negative feedback. This proactive approach not merely protects your brand but can likewise lead to substantial financial benefits; a mere one-star increase in Yelp ratings can result in a 5-9% revenue boost. Furthermore, with 70% of employers reviewing social media profiles before hiring, maintaining a strong online reputation can improve job prospects and attract top talent. Frequently Asked Questions What Is an Online Reputation and Why Is It Important? Your online reputation is how others perceive you based on your digital presence, including social media, reviews, and search results. It’s vital since it directly impacts consumer trust and purchasing decisions. Research shows that 93% of consumers consult reviews before buying, whereas 70% of employers check social media when hiring. A positive online reputation can improve your credibility and lead to increased sales, whereas a negative one can deter potential customers and job opportunities. What Is Your E-Reputation and Why Is It Important? Your e-reputation is the digital perception others have of you, shaped by your online activities, such as social media interactions and reviews. It’s important since it influences various aspects of your life, including job opportunities and personal relationships. Potential employers often check your online presence, affecting their hiring decisions. Moreover, a strong e-reputation can improve your credibility, whereas a poor one can lead to negative consequences, impacting trust and opportunities in both personal and professional settings. What Is Reputation and Why Is It Important? Reputation is the overall perception others have of you based on your actions, behavior, and interactions. It’s vital since it can impact personal and professional opportunities. A strong reputation builds trust, which is fundamental for relationships, whether in business or personal life. Conversely, a negative reputation can lead to mistrust and lost opportunities. Maintaining a positive reputation involves consistent, ethical behavior and effective communication, helping you navigate social and professional environments successfully. What Is an Example of Online Reputation? An example of online reputation is how businesses are rated on platforms like Yelp. When you see a company with a high average rating, it often leads to increased revenue, sometimes by 5-9% for each additional star. Additionally, customer reviews greatly influence purchasing decisions, with 93% of consumers stating they impact what they buy. Negative reviews can damage credibility, as 82% of people trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Conclusion In conclusion, online reputation is essential for both businesses and individuals, as it directly affects consumer trust and purchasing decisions. By comprehending its importance and actively managing your digital presence, you can cultivate positive interactions and improve customer loyalty. Engaging with feedback, utilizing social media effectively, and considering professional assistance can greatly enhance your online image. Ultimately, a strong online reputation not just differentiates you from competitors but likewise contributes to long-term success and revenue growth. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "What Is Online Reputation and Why Does It Matter?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Online reputation refers to how others perceive you or your business based on your digital footprint, which includes online reviews, social media interactions, and overall visibility. It’s vital since a positive reputation can greatly influence consumer trust and purchasing decisions. With 93% of consumers relying on online reviews, comprehension and managing your online presence becomes fundamental. So, what strategies can you implement to guarantee your reputation aligns with your goals? Key Takeaways Online reputation is the perception of a brand based on its digital presence, including reviews and social media interactions. 90% of consumers read reviews before making purchases, highlighting the importance of a positive online reputation. A strong online reputation can increase consumer trust by 74% and differentiate a business from its competitors. Negative feedback can lead to significant revenue declines, emphasizing the need for proactive reputation management. Engaging with customers and managing reviews effectively can foster long-term loyalty and financial benefits. Understanding Online Reputation Grasping online reputation is fundamental in today’s digital environment, where perceptions can shift quickly due to a single post or review. Online reputation refers to how consumers perceive a brand or individual based on their digital footprint, including social media interactions, reviews, and search engine results. Your reputation score can considerably impact consumer decisions, as approximately 90% of shoppers read reviews before purchasing. A positive online reputation can boost consumer trust by 74%, making it critical for attracting and retaining customers. Conversely, negative incidents can spread swiftly, potentially harming your business reputation score and leading to lost revenue opportunities. Regular assessment and management of your online presence are imperative, especially since 70% of employers check social media profiles before hiring. The Significance of Online Reputation In today’s marketplace, where consumers often rely on digital feedback to make informed choices, the significance of online reputation cannot be overstated. Your online reputation affects not just consumer decisions but also your financial success and career opportunities. Here’s a brief overview of its significance: Impact Area Details Consumer Decisions 93% say online reviews influence purchases. Financial Implications A one-star increase on Yelp can boost revenue by 5-9%. Job Opportunities 70% of employers check social media profiles. Maintaining a positive online image contributes to a favorable reputation scorecard, which helps differentiate you from competitors. When you focus on your online reputation, you attract higher-quality clients and cultivate long-term loyalty, key elements for success in any field. How Online Reputation Influences Consumer Behavior Your online reputation plays an essential role in shaping trustworthiness among consumers. Since many people turn to social media for opinions and experiences, a positive reputation can greatly influence their purchasing decisions. Conversely, negative feedback can lead potential customers to hesitate, ultimately impacting a business’s success. Impact on Trustworthiness As consumers navigate their purchasing decisions, they increasingly rely on online reviews and ratings to gauge a business’s trustworthiness. A solid online reputation can greatly influence your potential customers’ choices. Consider these key points: 93% of consumers state online reviews greatly impact their purchasing decisions, emphasizing their importance. A one-star increase in a Yelp rating can boost revenue by 5-9%, showcasing the financial implications of reputation. 75% of people read reviews before buying, highlighting the need for a strong online presence. 88% of consumers prefer brands that engage with reviews, underlining the importance of interaction to build trust. Neglecting your online reputation can deter 70% of consumers, illustrating the critical need for effective reputation management. Social Media Influence How does social media shape consumer behavior in today’s digital environment? Online reputation plays an essential role in how you make purchasing decisions. Approximately 75% of consumers read online reviews before buying, indicating that your reputation greatly impacts their choices. Furthermore, 71% of social media users have bought products they discovered on these platforms, showing how important a strong online presence is. When positive reviews are present, consumer trust can increase by 74%, directly enhancing conversion rates. In addition, 82% of consumers trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations, emphasizing the influence of online reputation. All these factors illustrate that a positive online reputation not only builds trust but also drives sales in today’s social media-driven market. The Role of Online Reviews and Customer Feedback Online reviews and customer feedback play a vital role in shaping a business’s reputation and influencing consumer choices. When potential customers look for services or products, they often rely on the experiences of others. Here are some key points to reflect on: Trust Factor: 74% of consumers trust businesses with positive reviews, which can boost your credibility. Review Volume: Average consumers read about 10 reviews before trusting a business, making a robust collection of feedback important. Social Proof: 82% of consumers trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations, highlighting their impact on decision-making. Financial Impact: A one-star increase in your Yelp rating can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue, underlining the direct benefits of positive reviews. In today’s digital environment, managing your online reviews effectively can greatly influence consumer behavior and in the end drive your business success. Strategies for Managing Your Online Reputation Managing your online reputation is an ongoing process that requires active engagement and strategy. Start by regularly monitoring your online presence with tools like Google Alerts and Social Mention. This will help you stay informed about brand mentions and customer feedback, enabling timely responses. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, as 68% of consumers say they’d write a review if asked. Develop a strategy for responding to reviews; professional replies to negative feedback can improve trust, with 70% of consumers more likely to choose businesses that engage with reviews. Moreover, optimize positive content for search engines to guarantee it ranks higher than any negative information, as even a one-star increase in Yelp rating can boost revenue by 5-9%. Finally, engage with your audience across social media to build goodwill and transparency, since 88% of customers prefer brands that respond to all online reviews. Engaging With Customers to Enhance Reputation Engaging with customers is essential for enhancing your brand’s reputation, especially in today’s digital environment. To effectively connect with your audience, consider the following strategies: Respond to Reviews: Acknowledge all online reviews, as 88% of consumers prefer brands that do so, showing your commitment to customer satisfaction. Thank Customers: Express gratitude for feedback, which can boost consumer trust by 74%, making customers feel valued. Address Negative Feedback: Professionally responding to negative reviews can change 70% of consumers’ perceptions about your business, demonstrating your willingness to improve. Encourage Feedback: Actively seeking customer opinions can result in a 68% increase in satisfied customers leaving positive testimonials, further enhancing your online reputation. The Impact of Social Media on Online Reputation Social media plays a pivotal role in shaping your online reputation, as it directly influences how consumers perceive your brand. With the rapid spread of information, managing your reputation in real-time has never been more essential, especially considering that negative comments can quickly go viral. Comprehending these dynamics can help you engage effectively with your audience and protect your brand’s image in a digital environment where trust and authenticity matter. Social Media Influence Dynamics How does social media shape our perceptions of brands? It plays a vital role in influencing consumer behavior and shaping online reputation. Here are four key ways social media impacts your brand perception: Feedback Channel: 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Discovery: 71% of users purchase products they find on social media, demonstrating its influence. Negative Impact: 47% of consumers unfollow brands because of negative experiences, highlighting the need for vigilance. Research Tool: Approximately 93% of consumers use social media to research brands before buying. Engaging with customers on social media can boost loyalty by 20-40%, reinforcing the significance of maintaining a positive online presence. Real-Time Reputation Management The role of real-time reputation management has evolved markedly alongside the rise of social media, and it now stands as a fundamental aspect of maintaining a brand’s image. In the digital age, 90% of consumers read online reviews before making purchase decisions, often swayed by social media discussions. Customers expect brands to respond to 88% of online reviews, which directly influences satisfaction and loyalty. Swift responses to negative comments can prevent long-term damage, as issues can escalate swiftly. Engaging with customers improves credibility, with 82% of consumers trusting testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Viral Content Risks In today’s digital environment, where viral content can spread like wildfire, comprehending the risks associated with negative online perceptions is vital for businesses. A single negative incident can lead to significant consequences if not managed swiftly. Here are some important risks to take into account: Consumer Behavior: 90% of consumers read online reviews before purchasing, making reputation important. Hiring Impact: 70% of employers check social media profiles, so negative posts can hinder job prospects. Sales Decline: 93% of consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews, highlighting the weight of negative feedback. Revenue Loss: Businesses can face up to a 22% decline in revenue as a result of a poor online reputation. Understanding these risks can help you safeguard your brand’s image effectively. Seeking Professional Help for Reputation Management While managing your online reputation might seem straightforward, seeking professional help can greatly improve your efforts. With 93% of consumers stating that online reviews greatly impact their purchasing decisions, it’s essential to guarantee your online presence reflects a positive image. Professional online reputation management (ORM) services can monitor your digital footprint, enabling you to respond swiftly to negative feedback. This proactive approach not merely protects your brand but can likewise lead to substantial financial benefits; a mere one-star increase in Yelp ratings can result in a 5-9% revenue boost. Furthermore, with 70% of employers reviewing social media profiles before hiring, maintaining a strong online reputation can improve job prospects and attract top talent. Frequently Asked Questions What Is an Online Reputation and Why Is It Important? Your online reputation is how others perceive you based on your digital presence, including social media, reviews, and search results. It’s vital since it directly impacts consumer trust and purchasing decisions. Research shows that 93% of consumers consult reviews before buying, whereas 70% of employers check social media when hiring. A positive online reputation can improve your credibility and lead to increased sales, whereas a negative one can deter potential customers and job opportunities. What Is Your E-Reputation and Why Is It Important? Your e-reputation is the digital perception others have of you, shaped by your online activities, such as social media interactions and reviews. It’s important since it influences various aspects of your life, including job opportunities and personal relationships. Potential employers often check your online presence, affecting their hiring decisions. Moreover, a strong e-reputation can improve your credibility, whereas a poor one can lead to negative consequences, impacting trust and opportunities in both personal and professional settings. What Is Reputation and Why Is It Important? Reputation is the overall perception others have of you based on your actions, behavior, and interactions. It’s vital since it can impact personal and professional opportunities. A strong reputation builds trust, which is fundamental for relationships, whether in business or personal life. Conversely, a negative reputation can lead to mistrust and lost opportunities. Maintaining a positive reputation involves consistent, ethical behavior and effective communication, helping you navigate social and professional environments successfully. What Is an Example of Online Reputation? An example of online reputation is how businesses are rated on platforms like Yelp. When you see a company with a high average rating, it often leads to increased revenue, sometimes by 5-9% for each additional star. Additionally, customer reviews greatly influence purchasing decisions, with 93% of consumers stating they impact what they buy. Negative reviews can damage credibility, as 82% of people trust testimonials as much as personal recommendations. Conclusion In conclusion, online reputation is essential for both businesses and individuals, as it directly affects consumer trust and purchasing decisions. By comprehending its importance and actively managing your digital presence, you can cultivate positive interactions and improve customer loyalty. Engaging with feedback, utilizing social media effectively, and considering professional assistance can greatly enhance your online image. Ultimately, a strong online reputation not just differentiates you from competitors but likewise contributes to long-term success and revenue growth. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "What Is Online Reputation and Why Does It Matter?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

European regulators begin investigation into creation and spread of sexualised images of women and children View the full article

Threads might look a bit like Twitter and feel like Instagram, but the fledgling social media platform is a bit of both — and neither. Threads has been positively flying since it first burst onto app stores in 2023. In just a few years, the Meta-owned app amassed 141.5 million daily active users, with many serious superfans in its ranks (several of the Buffer team among them!). And those superfans will be quick to tell you that social media strategies for Instagram and Twitter/X aren't plug-and-play for Threads. The Threads algorithm is all its own, and — if you're serious about building an audience on Threads — it's well worth getting familiar with how it works. Which is where this guide comes in. The Threads team shared some details on the Threads Feed AI system on the Meta transparency site, and it includes some helpful insights about how to grow your following on Threads right now. The team is adding new Threads features regularly, so the algorithm will likely evolve as the platform grows. We'll keep you updated as things change. Key takeawaysAI-driven discovery: Threads uses an AI ranking system for the For You feed, while the Following feed remains strictly chronological.Three-step ranking: The system gathers content inventory, analyzes engagement signals, and ranks posts based on predicted value to the user.Instagram link: Interactions on Instagram, such as viewing a profile, directly influence the content recommended on Threads.Interoperability: Threads has integrated with the fediverse, allowing users on other platforms like Mastodon to follow Threads accounts.Value over hacks: The algorithm prioritizes content that provides genuine value, such as education, problem-solving, or entertainment, over engagement-baiting.Here’s a round-up of everything we know about how the Threads algorithm works, along with a few predictions for the future. ⚡Schedule your Threads! With Buffer's Threads integration, you can cross-post to other platforms, analyze your content performance, store all your ideas in a single hub, and so much more. Buffer for Threads is available on all plans, including free → Jump to a section: 1. Threads’ feed is ranked by an AI system 2. Threads’ AI system only impacts the For You feed 3. Ranking happens in 3 steps 4. Instagram’s Community Guidelines apply 5. The signals that shape users’ feeds 6. Actions on Instagram affect Threads’ feeds 7. Users can customize their experience 8. Fediverse features are evolving 9. Providing value is the key to Threads’ success 10. Threads is leaning into timely, engaging content Bonus: Make the most of Threads' features Happy Threading FAQ about the Threads algorithm More Threads resources 1. Threads’ feed is ranked by an AI systemHere's something interesting: Threads' latest update on their ranking system doesn't mention the word ‘algorithm’ at all. Instead, they call it an artificial intelligence (AI) system. “The content that you see on your Threads feed is selected, ranked, and delivered to you by an artificial intelligence (AI) system,” the company says. “Within one AI system, multiple machine learning models work together to deliver your experience.” While this might feel new, it's actually similar to how most social networks work. Most social networks use this kind of reactive machine learning AI to shape their feeds (although Threads is the first to scrap the word algorithm in favor of AI — likely thanks to the fact that most users will better understand the term after the AI boom in 2023). 🧵Just getting started on Threads? Here's a guide to setting up your account and building a following. 2. Threads’ AI system only impacts the For You feedAfter launching with a simple For You feed — a curated feed of the content that the algorithm predicts a user will enjoy — early adopters clamored for a Following feed, where they would only see content from accounts they already follow. Threads added this feature shortly after. The setup is similar to TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) and Following feeds — you can switch between them with a tap at the top of the app. On the Threads app, users can switch between the two feeds by tapping the Threads logo at the top of the app or the home button at the bottom of the app, then the For You or Following tabs that appear just beneath it. On the web version of Threads, there’s a For You/Following toggle button on the bottom right. Interestingly, the Following feed isn’t dictated by the algorithm at all — it looks like the company has returned to a good old-fashioned chronological feed in this case. "Your Following feed shows you posts from profiles you follow, displayed in reverse chronological order. For you shows you posts from profiles you follow, plus others we think you’ll enjoy based on your likes, replies, and reposts,” the company says. So the information in this article focuses on the For You feed, which is where you'll want your content to appear if you're looking to grow your audience on Threads. 💡 Pro tip: You can set up a default feed (e.g., default to Following or a custom feed when opening the app) rather than always landing on For You. 3. Ranking happens in 3 stepsThere are three actions that happen at lightning speed before any content appears in users' feeds at all. Here’s how Threads breaks that process down: Gather inventory (content): The system gathers a portion of the public content available on Threads and all the content posted by accounts that you follow, which may include text posts, photos, and videos that follow our quality and integrity rules.Leverage signals (engagement): Next, the AI system considers a variety of input signals about the content. These signals might include how you've engaged with similar accounts, content, or your interests.Rank content: Finally, the system ranks content from the previous step. Content that the system predicts will provide more value for you is shown higher in your feed. This helps the system make content recommendations that more closely match your preferences.This behind-the-scenes process might seem beyond your control as a brand or content creator on Threads. But there are some helpful clues in this system about giving your content the best possible chance of success. First, it is crucial to ensure your posts are included in “the portion” of content the Threads algorithm gathers in step one. Second (and relatively standard practice for social media platforms) is the weight placed on engagement when it comes to ranking. The third — and perhaps most important — is the mention of value in the final step. I’ll unpack all of these below. 4. Instagram’s Community Guidelines applyFlouting the rules is the surest way to remain stagnant on Threads — and might even mean being banned. As you’ll notice in the process above, only “text posts, photos, and videos that follow our quality and integrity rules” are analyzed according to the various ranking signals (below). According to Threads’ Terms of Use, content on the platform must abide by the Instagram Community Guidelines, which they summarize as: “We want Instagram to continue to be an authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression. Help us foster this community. Post only your own photos and videos, and always follow the law. Respect everyone on Instagram; don't spam people or post nudity.” It’s also worth ensuring your content aligns with another set of rules: Instagram’s Recommendation Guidelines. While content that goes against these guidelines is still technically allowed in the platform, it’s excluded from Instagram-recommended feeds like the Explore Page or the Instagram Reels Feed. It’s very likely this impacts Threads’ For You Feed, too. That means avoiding anything that: depicts/discusses self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or violence is sexually explicit or suggestive promotes the use of certain regulated products, like tobacco5. The signals that shape users’ feedsIn their explainer, the social network breaks down several of the algorithm's predictions, along with the signals that influence each one. I love their way of framing this because it highlights that even the tiniest of actions on your content can have an impact beyond just likes, comments, and reposts. Whether or not a user will like a post This prediction is influenced by: How many posts they’ve seen on their feedsHow many posts they’ve clicked to likeHow many times they’ve clicked to like the author's posts in their feedHow many posts they’ve clicked to like from this author, of those that they’ve seenHow likely a user is to click to view replies on a postThis prediction is influenced by: How many times others have clicked to reply to the postHow many replies they’ve seenHow many times they’ve clicked to like the author's posts in their feedHow long it's been since they were active on ThreadsHow likely they are to follow the author of a postThis prediction is influenced by: How many posts they’ve seen in their feedHow long it's been since they were active on ThreadsWhich authors they’ve followed recentlyWhether or not the post was predicted to contain language that goes against the Instagram Community GuidelinesHow many times they’ve viewed the author's profile on InstagramHow likely a user is to click on the profile of a post's authorThis prediction is influenced by: How many times the author's profile has been clickedThe profile click rate on the author of the postWhether or not the post was predicted to contain language that goes against our Community GuidelinesHow many times they’ve viewed the author's profile on InstagramThe number of times that people have clicked on the author's profileHow likely a user is to scroll past a post rather than engage with itThis prediction is influenced by: The number of times that they’ve viewed a postHow many times they’ve clicked to like the author's postsHow many times others have viewed the postThreads hasn’t been explicit about what weight they give to each of these actions, but it’s likely that the more effort the action requires, the more it influences the predictions and, in turn, your content ranking. 🏆Looking for inspo from the brands getting it right? Here are 7 brands on Threads that are using the platform to engage their audiences. Bonus: Here are 7 creators on Threads to watch. 6. Actions on Instagram affect Threads’ feedsThreads is owned by Meta (which also owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) but is often touted as a companion app to Instagram. An Instagram profile is required to get set up on Threads, and it’s easy to share and switch between the two social networks. When you join the platform, your Instagram followers will also receive a nudge to follow you on Threads. So, it’s not surprising to see just how much actions taken on Instagram can impact the Threads algorithm. As you’ll see above, viewing an author’s Instagram profile is a signal that affects not one but two predictions. It’s a relatively high-friction action that involves heading over to the author’s Threads profile and tapping on the Instagram logo on their page to switch apps. With all that effort, checking out someone’s Instagram profile is a powerful indication of interest in the author’s content and will likely significantly impact ranking. This is a big hint that success on one platform will continue to be tied to the other as Threads grows — for now, at least. 7. Users can customize their experienceWhile Threads’ users’ feeds are all shaped by how they consume and engage with content on the platform, they do have a more explicit level of control over what they do and don’t see. Some of these options include: Unfollow: This one is pretty self-explanatory (though Threads doesn’t say whether an unfollow on Threads might impact Instagram feeds and vice versa).Share: This includes sending a post to a chat and sharing it on another platform or site.Mute: Via the three dots to the right of every post, users can mute Threads creators so their content no longer appears in the users' feeds without unfollowing.Hide: Also via the three-dot menu, users can hide a specific post so that they won't see that post again. “This action also helps to limit similar content from appearing in your feed,” Threads says. Report: Users can report content they think goes against Threads’ (read: Instagram’s) Community Guidelines and posts they believe are spam or false information. The system will try to show the user less content like the post they reported, whether Threads rules that the content violates their guidelines or not. See content only from accounts you follow: You can click the Threads logo on your home screen and then click Following to see content only from accounts you follow, in reverse chronological order. Again, Threads doesn’t say how much weight is given to each of these actions, but they likely have a more significant influence than easier or one-click actions, such as a ‘like.’ ☑️Check out some of the key features on Threads and learn how to use them to grow your following. 8. Fediverse features are evolvingMeta has begun rolling out deeper integrations with platforms built on the ActivityPub protocol, allowing Threads users who opt in to follow and view posts from fediverse accounts — even if those creators don’t have a Threads account themselves. You can now search for fediverse users by handle, follow them directly from Threads, and see their posts in a dedicated fediverse feed, which is displayed in reverse chronological order. It’s unclear how this may impact the Threads algorithm — and the algorithms of other platforms built on the ActivityPub protocol — right now, but it’s certainly one to keep in mind as you grow your following. If you’re serious about Threads, it’s worth setting up and getting to grips with a fediverse platform before this big shift comes into play. Check out our guide to all Bluesky’s features and how to use them or our beginner’s guide to Mastodon. 9. Providing value is the key to Threads’ successUnderstanding the inner workings of the Threads algorithm is definitely helpful, but there’s one small detail that stood out to me in their ranking explainer: “Content that the system predicts will provide more value for you is shown higher in your feed.” I love that framing because it showcases the ultimate goal Threads hopes to achieve with its powerful AI ranking system: posts that contain value for Threads users. So, rather than worrying about Threads engagement hacks or the best tags to use, focus on the quality of your content. What do you want your audience to walk away with after reading or watching your posts? There are so many ways to do that. It might involve: Teaching them something new from your unique areas of expertiseHelping solve a particular problem your target audience often facesKickstarting a conversation in an area they have knowledge of or want to learn more aboutJust making them laughOf course, that is easier said than done. Luckily, we have plenty of resources that might prove helpful as you grow your following on Threads. For example, take a look at these Threads content ideas for your next post. I’d suggest you start by following the steps to create your own social media strategy (this applies to creators, too). If you’re looking to build a personal brand, this guide provides a handy framework for doing exactly that. Finally, here’s a guide to tactics the Buffer Team and I have found success with on Threads. 💡Here's what happened when Buffer's own Tamilore Oladipo posted consistently to Threads for a month.10. Threads is leaning into timely, trending content posted directly on the platformThreads has refined how content is surfaced to help you tap into the most lively, meaningful conversations, right as they’re happening. Rather than simply recycling the posts you once saw, the ranking system now leans into timeliness, engagement, and topical relevance, surfacing content from people who are actively driving conversations in the moment — and less from accounts you originally followed via Instagram but no longer interact with much. Trending topics play a growing role in this shift. Recent posts and conversations that see sudden spikes in activity can get extra eyes, especially when they’re tied to what people are actively discussing across the platform. For creators, posting directly to Threads and engaging with trending topics early can translate into better reach and follower growth. These adjustments are designed to make it easier for you to find your people and keep building community. 🕰️When's the best time to post on Threads? Here's what Buffer's research found. Bonus: Make the most of Threads' featuresIt’s also worth noting that Threads has a host of features that make your content easier to find, engage with, and derive value from. While none of these features are explicitly mentioned in Threads’ algorithm update, tapping into all the options a social network offers is always a solid strategy for ensuring you offer as much value as possible. That means: Using tags (Threads’ version of hashtags) to start or join conversations in your nicheLeaning into polls, GIFs, memes, photos, and videos to stop the scrollJoining ongoing conversations in Threads rather than just trying to start your ownHappy ThreadingWhat’s your experience been on Threads? I’d love to hear more about what you’ve learned. Tag @buffer in a post on Threads, or leave a comment below. FAQ about the Threads algorithmHow does the Threads algorithm work?The Threads algorithm uses an AI ranking system to decide which posts appear in your For You feed. It gathers available content, analyzes engagement signals like likes, replies, and profile visits, and ranks posts based on how valuable they’re predicted to be for each user. Is the Threads feed chronological?The Threads Following feed is chronological, showing posts from accounts you follow in reverse order. The For You feed is not chronological and is instead ranked by Threads’ AI system, which recommends content based on your activity, interests, and past engagement. What signals does the Threads algorithm prioritize?The Threads algorithm prioritizes signals that show genuine interest, such as replies, profile visits, time spent engaging with a post, and repeat interactions with an author. Does Instagram activity affect Threads reach?Yes, Instagram activity can affect Threads reach. Because Threads is closely connected to Instagram, actions like viewing an author’s Instagram profile or interacting with their content can influence what posts are recommended to you on Threads, especially in the For You feed. Can users control what they see on Threads?Users can influence their Threads feed by muting accounts, hiding posts, unfollowing creators, or reporting content. These actions help the system understand content preferences over time. What type of content performs best on Threads?Content that provides clear value performs best on Threads. This includes educational posts, problem-solving content, timely commentary, and engaging conversations. Posts that spark replies and meaningful interaction are more likely to be shown to new audiences. Is Threads still worth using for growth?Threads is still worth using for growth, particularly for creators and brands with an existing Instagram presence. The platform favors timely, engaging content and ongoing conversations, making it a strong channel for building community as the network continues to evolve. More Threads resources 17 Threads Stats You Need to Know in 2026 (+ What They Mean for Your Strategy)Everything I’m Trying to Grow to 1,000 Followers on ThreadsThe Best Time to Post on Threads in 2026 — Data from 700K+ PostsWe Analyzed 1.7M Posts from X, Threads, and Bluesky: Here’s What WeHow to Get More Followers on Threads: 9 Tactics to Help You GrowI Posted to Threads Consistently for A Month — Here’s What Happened View the full article