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GoDaddy's Agency Program offers a high-intent source of leads for freelancers and web agencies The post GoDaddy Is Offering Leads To Freelancers And Agencies appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Delivery group declines to update its outlook for the year owing to macroeconomic ‘uncertainty’View the full article

There was once a time when LG was among the major smartphone manufacturers. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for a while now: LG gave up on the phone business in April 2021, reducing the choices Android customers have—especially in the United States. It was a shame, since LG made some cool phones back in the day. The V20, for example, included a thin secondary display along the top of the device, while the LG Wing sported a full-size second display that swiveled out—a design that is still unique in the smartphone market (if not particularly practical). The company produced a number of smartphones in its time—some good, some great, some forgettable—but over the last four years, we've been deprived any new LG smartphones. That being said, the company didn't leave its customers out to dry: LG guaranteed eligible smartphones three years of updates. That guarantee seems to have worked out, since we're now four years past LG's retirement from the smartphone market. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, as is the case with LG's software support. RIP LG updatesAs reported by Android Authority, LG is planning to shut down the servers it uses to issue software updates. Once that happens, you won't be able to open your LG smartphone's settings app and install the latest update your device supports. It's not just the update servers, either. LG will also be closing down LG Bridge, software that helps you back your phone up to your PC, as well as install updates. This all goes down on Monday, June 30—just about two months from the time of this article. If you have any LG devices that have outstanding updates, you should consider updating them as soon as possible. Of course, LG phones from 2021 aren't getting updates for Android 15, or the upcoming Android 16. LG was issuing updates for versions of Android 12 and Android 13, depending on the phone in question. Still, these updates are important, since they contain the latest security patches for your particular smartphone. If you're still using these devices, make sure to install these updates to keep your phone protected—and be aware that no future security updates are coming to protect you from future vulnerabilities. To that last point, it might be time to start thinking about a new phone if you haven't done so already. While this last update should protect you for some time, the longer you use a smartphone with no future updates on the way, the greater the chances you'll expose yourself to those future vulnerabilities. If you're in need of an upgrade, take a look at PCMag's list of the best Android smartphones for 2025—all of which will continue to receive the latest feature and security updates. How to update your LG phoneTo update your LG phone, open Settings > System > System updates > Update LG software, then tap Check now for update. If an update is available, tap Install. View the full article

The portfolio of offerings includes a buy-before-you-sell product as well as loans geared toward small-business owners, gig workers and real estate investors. View the full article

Considering how much work goes into buying a home, it’s surprising how many people view it as a temporary situation. The concept of the “property ladder”—buying a small, affordable “starter” house just to build equity and trade up to a larger home, and then doing it again until you’re living in some kind of mansion—makes people think of their homes as investments in their future instead of a place to live their lives. It’s true that buying a house can be a complex decision, and buyer’s remorse is a real situation that almost anyone can find themselves experiencing—and sometimes selling your home is the best decision you can make. But there are plenty of bad reasons to sell, especially if you’re comfortable and happy in the property, or you’ve put a lot of work and money into making it your own. If you’ve got the itch to call up Realtors and list your house, ask yourself if you’re doing it for one of these reasons—and then maybe don’t make that call. You’re exhaustedYou bought a house and learned the dark secret of owning a property: You have to maintain it. Home maintenance can be a lot—in fact, about 28% of people who report buyer’s remorse about their house cite the time and cost of home maintenance as the primary reason. Anyone who’s owned a home knows that the problems seem endless. You fix the roof, and the water heater goes. You replace the water heater, and your air conditioner dies. Selling the house might feel like a weight lifting off your shoulders. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that any property you buy after selling this house will also require maintenance—maintenance you’ll either be doing yourself, or paying someone else to do through HOA or condo fees. Selling your current home won’t remove the need for maintenance and repairs. Even going from an older home to a newer one doesn’t guarantee you won’t have a lot of maintenance to do—in a survey conducted by insurance company Hippo, 60% of new construction homeowners spent more on maintenance than they expected. If you’re happy with your current home except for the maintenance work, spacing out and planning the work can help make it more manageable. And paying for a home warranty service (or just hiring a handyman) can give you a break from the constant effort, at least. Timing the marketWhen you buy a house, the expectation is that it will increase in value over time—while you’re simultaneously increasing your equity in it. Normally this is a long-term situation, but sometimes the real estate market in your area heats up rapidly, and you hatch a plan: You’ll sell at the high, rent for a year, then buy a house again when the market dips. That’s called "timing the market," and it’s usually a bad reason to sell a house you otherwise love. “I worked with a couple that had bought themselves a very beautiful house in a quiet neighborhood just outside the city,” says real estate expert and owner of Fast Home Buyer California YK Kuliev. “They had spent years waiting for it to get just right for them—custom kitchen, landscaped yard, the whole deal. They saw headline after headline about record-breaking sale prices, and thought to themselves: ‘Let's cash out now while prices are at the top.’ They did it and made really good money, but they did not have a new home lined up. They figured they would rent for a year, wait for the market to cool down, then buy again. Jump to 18 months later, and they are priced out of the very neighborhoods they used to call home. They scoured for a much smaller house in a much less desirable location and none of those personal touches built up over years in their prior home. That attempt to time the market cost them their dream home.” Not only does timing the market risk a home you’re comfortable in, the profits are often illusory because you wind up paying rent—and often more of it, and for a longer period, than anticipated. “They think they’re going to cash out at the perfect moment,” notes Jessica Robinson, co-owner of Family Nest North Central Florida. “But forget they still have to live somewhere after they sell.” The one that got awayOne of the most frustrating aspects of buying a house is the competition—the other buyers who swoop in with all-cash offers, or offers way over list price. Bidding wars can quickly put your dream home out of your financial reach. And sometimes you see a house you’d love to buy, but it isn’t on the market when you’re ready to dive in. But if the dream home you were denied suddenly becomes available, selling your current home to jump at it can be a huge mistake for a variety of reasons: Sweat equity. If you’ve put time, effort, and money into renovating your current home, you might not get a return on those investments. Financial loss. If you haven’t lived in your current home for at least two years, prepared to get smacked with some gnarly capital gains taxes. Your mortgage lender might have a penalty for paying off the loan too soon. And you’ll be paying all the fees and closing costs, eroding any small gain you might have made in the home’s equity. Disappointment. Dream homes don’t always work out the way you expect. A house that looks superficially ideal might turn out to have hidden problems, or you might not use the amenities as often as you think you will—or at all. If the only reason you want to sell your house is a form of FOMO, it’s probably going to be a mistake. You’re boredBuying and moving into a new house is an exciting experience. There’s the thrill of finding the right house, the joy of starting a new chapter in your life, and then the buzz of activity as you decorate, renovate, and get to know your neighborhood. But eventually you settle in, finish the projects, and fall into a routine. For some people, that leads to a sense of boredom with the house—and a regrettable decision to sell just because the excitement has faded. Robinson has seen this firsthand. “I’ll never forget a couple I worked with who sold their home because they were ‘just incredibly bored’ with their house,” she says. “It was a beautiful house, great neighborhood—but after a few years, they just felt restless.” It was a predictably terrible idea. “They rushed to list without a solid plan and ended up in a smaller, more expensive home that needed a mountain of repairs,” she explains. “Within six months, they admitted they missed their old place and regretted the whole thing.” Kuliev also recalls one client who simply wanted ‘a change of scenery.’ “She thought a move to a trendier area would be ‘fun,’” he recalls. “She listed her condo, sold it quickly, and bought a loft in a newer development. Six months later, her commute was longer, the community felt more impersonal, and those HOA fees were much heftier. She confessed that she missed the coziness and character of her old place. That boredom cost tens of thousands in closing costs, fees, and an emotional toll none had expected.” View the full article

The real estate industry is at the forefront of a lobbying blitz to sway Congress to preserve the carried interest tax break that President Donald The President wants to abolish in a giant tax bill pending in Congress. View the full article

Google's John Mueller answers a question about diluting the impact of anchor text by using it sitewide. The post Google On Diluting SEO Impact Through Anchor Text Overuse appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The subsidiary of Amerant Bank trimmed 58 of its mortgage-related employees, leaving just 20 workers to focus exclusively on Florida-based customers. View the full article

More Android users will be able to use their phones to verify their identities instead of their drivers licenses or passports, as Google Wallet is expanding its digital ID features to more U.S. states and the UK. In an April 29 blog post, Google announced that residents in Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia will soon be able to add their government-issued IDs—drivers licenses and state identification cards—to Google Wallet. This feature has already rolled out for those who live in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico. ID pass, Google Wallet's digital passport feature, will also be expanded to UK residents. What you can do with Google Wallet's digital IDsDigital IDs (in Google Wallet or state-specific apps) can already be used to get through TSA checkpoints at supported airports as long as they are REAL ID complaint. Google Wallet recently added an ID pass feature for U.S. passports, which are also accepted by TSA and can be used in lieu of a REAL ID. With the latest update, residents of Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico will be able to to use digital IDs stored in Google Wallet at the DMV. Google is also expanding options for using your digital ID online, such as for recovering your Amazon account, accessing online health services through CVS and MyChart, and verifying profiles on digital platforms like Uber. Some apps already permit digital IDs for identity verification, and Google plans to integrate Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) age verification across devices and services that access digital IDs via Google Wallet. For users in the UK, digital IDs in Google Wallet can be used to verify Railcard eligibility. Google Wallet will soon be available in 50 additional countries for storing digital passes (like tickets), though Google has not yet indicated where. How to add a digital ID to Google WalletTo add your state-issued ID to Google Wallet, open the app on your Android device and tap the + icon > ID > Driver's license or state ID. You can also add your passport to ID pass via the + icon > ID > ID pass. Hit Get Started and follow the in-app prompts to scan your passport and face for approval. Finally, while a digital ID is convenient, it isn't a full replacement for your physical ID card or passport. You may still need to present these when traveling or using certain services, so you should still carry them with you. View the full article

No, this article was not written with AI. You know how you can tell? Because it’s got a bit of personality (mine), and even though it’s about artificial intelligence (arguably one of the most boring topics on the planet, in my opinion), this doesn’t read like a computer generated it. (Just me, standing at my very-expensive standing desk, writing away on my laptop!) Which gets us to the reason for this article: a new study on AI. Researchers from Cornell University looked at how Western-centric AI models provide writing suggestions to users from different cultural backgrounds. The study, titled “AI Suggestions Homogenize Writing Toward Western Styles and Diminish Cultural Nuances,” included 118 participants from India and the United States. And it found that when Indians and Americans used AI writing assistance, it often came at the expense of the Indians in the group. Why, you ask? Even though the tools helped both groups write faster, the Indian writers had to keep correcting the AI’s suggestions, resulting in a smaller productivity boost. One reason for that is because AI tools like ChatGPT are primarily developed by American tech companies, which are powered by large language models that don’t contain all the linguistic nuances of 85% of the world’s population, who live in the Global South and are using AI-writing tools. (The Global South is defined as those countries primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, often considered developing or less developed than their northern counterparts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.) Study researchers had the two groups write about cultural topics like food and holidays. Half used an AI-writing assistant that gave autocomplete suggestions. The writing samples showed that the Indian participants kept 25% of the suggestions while Americans kept only 19%, but also found the Indian writers made significantly more modifications to those suggestions, rendering them less helpful. For example, when some of the Indians wrote about food, a common suggestion included pizza. Or when they wrote about holidays, the AI tool suggested Christmas. In short, this study shows AI isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and benefits some users more than others. “This is one of the first studies, if not the first, to show that the use of AI in writing could lead to cultural stereotyping and language homogenization,” according one of the study’s authors, Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor of information science. “People start writing similarly to others, and that’s not what we want. One of the beautiful things about the world is the diversity that we have.” The study’s main author, Dhruv Agarwal, a doctoral student in the field of information science, said that although the technology brings a lot of value into people’s lives, “for that value to be equitable and for these products to do well in these markets, tech companies need to focus on cultural aspects, rather than just language aspects.” View the full article

Consumers are only just starting to feel pain from The President’s Liberation Day tariff spree. Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos, however, may be starting to feel something else from the tariffs: regret. When a report emerged overnight claiming that Amazon would start displaying tariff costs on its main page, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded by torching Amazon in a Tuesday morning press briefing. (According to CNN, The President had already personally chewed Bezos out by then.) Despite everything that Bezos has done to support The President in his second term, the administration just made it crystal-clear that presidential support under The President only flows in one direction. Evidently, no amount of fealty was ever going to save Amazon from The President’s wrath if throwing Bezos under the bus ever proved advantageous in the slightest. Although Amazon strongly disputes the initial report about displaying tariff costs (“This was never approved and is not going to happen.”), such a move would not be unheard of. Other businesses, including Fabletics and Temu, have been introducing “tariff surcharges,” alerting customers in letters, and adding tariff prices to websites and bills. Meanwhile, Amazon has reportedly been hurting more than most under The President’s 145% tariffs on China. Leavitt did not seem to think Amazon was justified in potentially joining those other companies, though. Speaking on behalf of The President, she described it as “a hostile and political act by Amazon.” REPORTER: Amazon will soon display a number next to the price of each product that shows how much the The President tariffs are adding. Isn't that a perfect demonstration that it's the American consumer who is paying for these policies? LEAVITT: This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. [image or embed] — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 29, 2025 at 9:03 AM “It’s not a surprise,” Leavitt continued, “because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon is partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.” She held up a printout of the article, about an Amazon project known as China Books, to prove it was real—though “recent” is a bit of a stretch, considering the article came out in 2021. This broadside seems designed to provide a handy talking point about why Amazon is, in this administration’s apparent view, in cahoots with China against The President. Surely, Amazon’s reported stab at pricing transparency is an act of political hostility and sabotage, Leavitt’s comments suggest, not an accurate temperature-read of a climate in which consumer confidence has already plunged to its lowest levels since peak pandemic 2020. It’s obvious why the administration would want to paint Amazon as the villain in this situation. An April survey of 400 U.S. company leaders by the research firm Zilliant found 44% of businesses plan to pass tariff costs onto consumers. A company of Amazon’s size and stature leading the charge would give any companies who remain on the fence permission to go for it. If Amazon is displaying tariff costs, showing customers who to blame, it becomes standard procedure. What is far less obvious, though, is why Bezos ever worked so hard to get on The President’s good side in the first place. During The President’s first term, Bezos had a contentious relationship with the president. The President would frequently affix “Amazon” to the title of the newspaper Bezos owns, The Washington Post, when speaking about the paper after he received unfavorable coverage. The implication was that the paper was little more than a lobbying arm for Bezos’s personal business interests. Bezos even argued in a 2019 court case that The President’s bias against Amazon had cost it a chance to win a $10 billion Pentagon contract. In The President’s second term, though, past has not been prologue. Bezos’s sharp pivot toward MAGA began last October with his out-of-nowhere announcement that the Post would not be endorsing a candidate in the November election. Though he cited the move as a way to avoid “a perception of bias at a time when many Americans don’t believe the media,” the last-minute announcement only fostered a perception of bias—at the Post, specifically. The non-endorsement reportedly cost the paper over 250,000 subscribers. At the time, Bezos could have plausibly still maintained a sheen of neutrality. He has only since further positioned himself firmly in The President’s corner, though. In the past few months, he’s drastically scaled back DEI policies at Amazon, donated a million dollars to The President’s inauguration fund (and prominently attended it), dined at Mar-a-Lago, and overhauled the Post’s op-ed section in support of two The President-friendly pillars: personal liberties and free markets—a move that reportedly cost the paper another 75,000 subscribers. In Bezos’s most sycophantic-seeming gesture of all, Amazon even shelled out $40 million for a documentary on Melania The President. The ostensible reason for this red carpet rollout is that Bezos is a businessman, first and foremost. In a December interview at The New York Times‘s DealBook Summit, he explained why he was more optimistic about The President’s second term: “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help do that, I’m going to help him.” But if an interest in deregulation was all that animated Bezos’s enthusiasm, he probably wouldn’t have been so ostentatious in his support of the president and his policies. What’s more likely is that he made a cold calculation that an if-you-can’t-beat-‘em-join-‘em ethos and some financial support could neutralize the threat of The President’s antagonism. If so, it was a critical miscalculation. Even if it weren’t obvious from The President’s entire political life that loyalty is a one-way street, it should have been clear that he’d only view with contempt those who have suddenly decided to butter him up (“Everybody wants to be my friend,” The President crowed in December, as business leaders including Bezos began to kiss the ring.) What is the hypothetical difference between where Bezos finds himself today—with the administration smearing Amazon as Chinese propagandists over a story that the company thoroughly denies—had he either opposed The President or maintained an air of neutrality? There’s no way of knowing. Whatever it is, though, it’s probably a better position than The President continuing to antagonize him while the anti-The President crowd occasionally boycotts his company. Best of luck with the Melania doc, though. View the full article

Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that live in your webpage’s <head> section. Your website’s visitors won’t see them. But search engines, browsers, and social media platforms can see and use them. You can think of meta tags as a way to tell Google and other search engines about what your page contains and how they should display it in search results. Some meta tags are more important than others. In fact, there are really only a couple of meta tags you need to worry about. I’ll explain exactly what these are below and how you can optimize yours. The Components of a Meta Tag Here’s what a basic meta tag looks like: <meta name="description" content="This is a description of my webpage that should appear in search results."> Let’s break down this structure: meta tells browsers and search engines that this is a meta tag name is an attribute that defines what type of information you’re providing “description” tells us it’s the description meta tag content contains the actual information Some meta tags use different attributes. For example, the charset meta tag looks like this: <meta charset="UTF-8"> And the viewport meta tag uses the following structure: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> You don’t need to memorize these formats. Most content management systems (like WordPress, Shopify, and Wix) handle the technical implementation for you. What matters is understanding which meta tags are important for SEO and how to optimize them for better visibility online. Important note: I’m going to discuss a few elements that are not strictly speaking “meta tags.” Tags like <title> are HTML elements in their own right, not meta tags by definition. But they do provide search engines with useful information. Plus, they’re often referred to in the same way as other meta tags. So I’ve covered them here anyway. But for the sake of accuracy, if it’s not within theHTML element, it’s not a true meta tag. Why Should You Care About Meta Tags? Let me make it clear early on: Your meta tags are not the most important aspect of your site’s SEO. They matter, but there are usually other areas you can likely optimize for greater impact. But optimizing them won’t hurt your SEO. And in some cases it can actually make a big difference. They Can Increase Your Click-Through Rates Your title tag and meta description are the primary elements people see in search results before they even visit your site. Think of them as your website’s elevator pitch. You have just a few seconds to convince someone to click through. A compelling title and description can be the difference between a click on your result or your competitor’s. By writing meta descriptions that address user intent and include a clear call to action, you can increase your click-through rates (CTRs). This means more traffic without necessarily needing higher rankings. But: Google often chooses its own titles to display, and even more commonly chooses its own descriptions. That’s because it puts a focus on displaying a description relevant to the search query. For example, here’s a result that displays our chosen meta description for a post about backlinks: And here’s the description Google displays for that same post but for a different query: So while you can improve your CTRs by optimizing some meta tags, it’s not always going to have measurable results. They Give Instructions to Search Engines Want to prevent a page from appearing in search results? There’s a meta tag for that. Need to tell Google which version of a page is the original? There’s a meta tag for that too. These technical meta tags help avoid common SEO issues like duplicate content, indexing of private pages, or incorrect international targeting. They Improve the User Experience Meta tags like viewport and charset ensure your website displays correctly across different devices and browsers. While these may not directly impact your search rankings, they certainly impact user experience. This ultimately affects how long people stay on your site and whether they convert. They Control Social Sharing When someone shares your page on Facebook, X/Twitter, or LinkedIn, specialized meta tags determine how your content appears. These are called Open Graph or Twitter Card tags. Without these tags, social platforms might pull random text or images from your page. This can lead to unappealing or confusing social snippets. They’re One of the Easiest SEO Elements to Optimize Unlike many areas of your site that require significant time and resources to optimize, you can update your meta tags relatively quickly. For most websites, you can improve your meta tags in minutes through your CMS or with simple plugins. For example, Rank Math has an entire section dedicated to “SEO Titles & Meta”: However: As I’ll discuss later, not all platforms make it easy to change your meta tags. Some (like Squarespace) don’t give you much control at all. Which Meta Tags Actually Matter for SEO? Not all meta tags are created equal when it comes to SEO impact. Some directly influence your rankings and visibility. Others play supporting roles or have become obsolete over the years (like the keywords meta tag). So to keep things simple (and prioritize your efforts and resources), let’s focus on the meta tags that actually matter for your website. Meta Tag Impact Summary Tag SEO Impact Supported By Google Title Tag High Yes Robots High Yes Canonical High Yes Hreflang High (for international sites) Yes Meta Description Low Yes Viewport Low Yes Charset Low Yes Now let’s break down each important tag in detail. Title Tag The title tag isn’t technically a meta tag (it’s an HTML element in its own right). But it’s one of the most important tags in your page’s header from an SEO perspective, so I’ll cover it here. <title>Backlinko: SEO, Content Marketing, & Link Building Strategies</title> Your title tag appears in three key places: Browser tabs Search engine results Social sharing (when you don’t specify an OG title — more on that soon) How to Optimize Your Title Tags Keep title tags under 60 characters (or about 600 pixels) to avoid truncation in search results Put your primary keyword near the beginning (but don’t keyword stuff) Use a unique title tag for every page on your site Make it clickworthy to boost CTRs (numbers can help here) Include the year if recency is key (but make sure it’s up to date) As an example, compare these two title tags. They both contain a number, which may help boost CTR (depending on the query). But the date in the TeamUpdraft title tag is from last year, making it seem outdated. Meanwhile, the WP Rocket title also tells me their list contains free and paid options. This helps cater to a wider audience with different budgets. It also adds something unique that could boost engagement by helping it stand out on the search engine results page (SERP). Robots Meta Tag The robots meta tag controls how search engines interact with your pages. It looks like this: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> The default value is “all” which you can think of as “index, follow” (even though Google’s documentation doesn’t list these as accepted values). You can still include “index, follow” without any negative impact, but it’s not necessary. If you don’t add a meta robots tag to your page (which Google’s John Mueller says is perfectly fine), Google assumes there are no restrictions. If you do want to restrict indexing/following of links, you can use: noindex: Tells Google not to show this page in search results nofollow: Tells Google not to follow the links on this page none: Equivalent to noindex, nofollow indexifembedded: This lets Google index the content of the page if it’s embedded elsewhere through the likes of iframes (only has an effect if there’s also a noindex rule) You can also use the robots meta tag to control how your site appears in search results via the snippet rules. These include: nosnippet: Tells Google not to show a text snippet or video preview in search results max-snippet: [number]: Tells Google to use a maximum number of characters as the text snippet in search results (a value of 0 shows no snippet, and -1 lets Google decide the snippet length) max-image-preview: [setting]: This tells Google the maximum size of the image preview for this page in search results (values include none, standard, and large) max-video-preview [number]: Tells Google to use a maximum number of seconds as a video snippet (a value of 0 means Google will at most show a static image, while -1 means there is no limit) notranslate: Tells Google to not offer a translation of this page in search results noimageindex: Tells Google not to index images on this page unavailable_after: [date/time]: Tells Google not to show the page in search results after the specific date/time If you don’t add any of the above rules, Google will just apply its defaults. In other words, if you don’t have any preferences, you don’t need to worry about these meta tags. How to Optimize Your Robots Meta Tag Most pages should use “all” or not specify any meta robots tags. This applies to any pages you want Google to index and follow the links on. But you may want to use “noindex” for: Thank you pages Login pages Duplicate content Private content You can even target specific search engines: <meta name="googlebot" content="noindex, nofollow"> Canonical Tag The canonical tag technically isn’t a meta tag (it goes within the <link> element). But it is something you add to your <head> section that the user won’t see. It helps prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the “primary” version of a page. <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.yourwebsite.com/primary-page/"> You can learn more about these in our full guide to using canonical tags. How to Optimize Your Canonical Tags Always use full URLs, including the https:// portion Ensure your canonical tags match your preferred URL versions (with or without www, trailing slashes, etc.) The primary version of the page should also have a canonical tag pointing to itself (we call this self-referencing) For pages with URL parameters, you typically want to canonicalize to the version without parameters Hreflang Tags For multi-language websites, hreflang tags help search engines show the right version to the right audience. They’re not meta tags by definition. But like canonical tags, they are important for SEO and your user won’t see them. They look like this: <link rel="alternate" hreflang="es" href="https://es.example.com/page.html"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="it" href="https://it.example.com/page.html"> <link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://en.example.com/page.html"> How to Optimize Your Hreflang Tags If you don’t run a multilingual site, you don’t need to worry about these tags. But if you do, here’s how to optimize your hreflang tags: Be careful with the codes you use, ensuring you use the language tag followed by the country value (if needed), like en-us, not us-en Each language version should reference all other versions Each page should have an hreflang tag pointing to itself It’s easy to make mistakes here, so I recommend checking out our full guide to hreflang tags for more information. Meta Description The description meta tag looks like this: <meta name="description" content="Your compelling ~120-character description that includes your target keyword and encourages clicks."> While not a direct ranking factor, your meta description can impact click-through rates. But: You shouldn’t assign too much value to these, for two reasons: Not everyone reads the meta description, so influence over CTR is limited Google often chooses its own description to show, depending on the query (further limiting the impact) So while you can and (I cautiously say) “should” optimize your meta descriptions, there are likely more important things you can do if you’re limited on time or resources. With that out of the way, here are a few best practices: How to Optimize Your Meta Descriptions You can optimize your meta descriptions by: Aiming for 100-120 characters to avoid Google truncating your meta description on mobile devices Adding a call to action like “Learn how,” “Discover why,” or “Get your free guide” to encourage clicks (but don’t use clickbait) Making sure your description aligns with what users are actually looking for (the search intent) Writing a unique description for each page Here’s an example of an optimized meta description: It captures the main benefits of the product, making it clear to a searcher why it’s the right one for them (and why they should click). Viewport Meta Tag This meta tag ensures your site displays properly on mobile devices. It looks like this: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> This simple tag helps improve your site’s mobile friendliness. While not a direct ranking factor itself as a tag, Google does prioritize sites that provide a great experience on all devices. So it’s a good idea to make sure you implement this one correctly. Further reading: Mobile SEO: The Definitive Guide How to Optimize Your Viewport Meta Tag Most content management systems (like WordPress) will set this tag for you. And you’re unlikely to want or need to change it. You can tweak values like the width and height, but for most cases, you won’t need to. Just make sure you have one, and ideally use the following values: width=device-width to match the user’s device width initial-scale=1 controls the default zoom level Charset Meta Tag The charset meta tag defines the character encoding for your page. It looks like this: <meta charset="UTF-8"> If you use the wrong character encoding or implement it incorrectly, you might see some character display issues in your browser: How to Optimize Your Charset Tag Like the viewport meta tag, you’re unlikely to want or need to make any changes to this. Your CMS will likely add this automatically for you. But if you’re adding it manually, Google recommends you stick with Unicode/UTF-8. Open Graph and Twitter Card Tags Open Graph is a separate type of meta tag that isn’t going to impact your SEO. But these tags can affect how your content appears when you or others share it on social media. Here’s what Open Graph meta tags look like: <meta property="og:title" content="Your Compelling Social Title"> <meta property="og:description" content="Your engaging social description"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page"> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> Here’s an example of a blog post with Open Graph meta tags: And here’s how that post looks when it’s shared on X/Twitter: How to Optimize Your Social Meta Tags Here are some tips to optimize your Open Graph meta tags: Keep titles and descriptions concise Your social titles can be different from your SEO titles, so optimize them for shares Use images with dimensions of 1200 x 630 pixels Always ensure your og:url matches your canonical URL Other Meta Tags Before I move on, it’s worth noting a few other meta tags that you may come across. Here are the main ones and what you can use them for: http-equiv: You might use this to refresh the page or for meta refresh redirects, but this is rarely the best method to use (you might also use it to define content security policies, but you’re unlikely to need to do this) robots: You can specify meta tags for certain search engine bots, but most of the time you won’t need to nopagereadaloud: Tells search engines not to read the page aloud with text-to-speech services google-site-verification: You may use this when verifying that you own a site for Google Search Console rating: Use this only for labeling adult content to signal that SafeSearch results should filter it Here are a few meta tags that Google doesn’t support (and so you probably shouldn’t use): keywords: A long time ago, you could use this to specify keywords to search engines, but it has no impact on rankings now (don’t use it) lang: Google doesn’t rely on meta tags to determine the language of a page next/prev rel attributes: Google doesn’t use these and they won’t affect indexing nositelinkssearchbox: Google no longer supports this, as the sitelinks search box no longer exists How to Add or Change Your Meta Tags How you add or make changes to your meta tags depends on how your site is set up. If you built your site from scratch or have a custom setup, speak with your developer about adding or changing your meta tags. If you’re doing it yourself, you can add or change them in the <head> section of your page’s code. If your site runs on a content management system (CMS), how much control you have over your meta tags is going to vary depending on the platform you use. WordPress Meta Tags WordPress takes care of a lot of meta tags for you. To verify this, I just added a fresh install of WordPress to a domain I own. I deleted all the default plugins my host added, and I only have the 2025 default WordPress theme on the site. Here are the meta tags it added: The platform will: Automatically choose the recommended charset value (UTF-8) Add the default meta viewport tag Add an image-preview meta tag Not add any special indexing meta tags (so the site is set to indexable by default — a good thing) Add a title tag to the page What it didn’t do: Set a meta description Apply a canonical tag Add hreflang tags (not a problem in this case) Add Open Graph tags Note that it might vary depending on whether you run a WordPress.com-hosted domain or are self-hosting and using the WordPress.org software. It might also depend on the theme you use. You can edit your theme files to adjust your meta tags. But it’s just as easy (or easier) to use plugins. You might even already use a plugin that can do a lot of this for you. For example, Yoast will take care of your page title tags and meta descriptions. It’ll also let you adjust your Open Graph tags: You can find out more about using this plugin to boost your SEO in our Yoast guide. As I mentioned earlier, Rank Math is another option that lets you control a lot of your site’s meta tags. These include site-level and page-level controls over Open Graph tags: Shopify Meta Tags You can edit your Shopify store’s main title and meta description for the homepage by going to the Preferences menu in the left-hand sidebar menu: You can also change your social sharing image here (for Open Graph). For other pages like products, access the product page and scroll down to “Search engine listing” and click “Edit”: Wix Meta Tags Wix lets you add meta tags through the “Advanced SEO” menu: Wix takes care of a lot of meta tags for you by default, including: Title tag (based on the page name) Meta description (it’s blank by default) Robots (all pages are indexable by default) Open Graph title and description (your current title tag and meta description) Canonical tag (will always use the page URL unless you change it) Squarespace Meta Tags Squarespace doesn’t give much control over your meta tags. In fact, you can only really change your title tag and meta description. Do this via the SEO settings in your post or page and editing the “SEO Title” and “SEO Description” fields: How to Find Issues with Your Meta Tags Having issues with your meta tags can drastically harm your site’s SEO. Let’s look at how you can find some of the most common problems. Using Semrush’s Site Audit Semrush offers one of the most comprehensive tools for finding meta tag issues with Site Audit. Just set up an audit for your site and let it run. Then, head to the “Issues” tab and search for “tag.” This will highlight issues related to your meta tags. Site Audit will flag issues like: Pages with missing/duplicate title tags Pages with missing/duplicate meta descriptions Title tags that are too long Pages with missing meta viewport width values Pages with missing canonical tags Note: A free Semrush account lets you audit up to 100 URLs. Or you can use this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription. The Detailed Chrome Extension You can use the Detailed Chrome extension for quick on-page meta tag checks. It’ll show you that page’s title tag, meta description, canonical tag, robots tag, and more. This makes it very handy for validating quick changes to specific pages. Manual Checks with Dev Tools You can also just check your page’s meta tags manually by right clicking and selecting “Inspect”: Then, search for “meta” to quickly identify your page’s meta tags: This isn’t all that scalable, but it’s handy for checking specific pages. Optimize Your Meta Tags as Part of Your Technical SEO Strategy Meta tags clearly play a role in your site’s overall SEO. But making changes to them usually won’t have a huge impact on performance unless you already have major issues. There are lots of other aspects of SEO and technical SEO in particular that can actually move the needle. To find out more about these changes and how to make them to boost your site’s performance, check out our guide to technical SEO. The post Meta Tags: What They Are & How to Use Them to Boost Your SEO appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Google Workspace has announced a series of new AI-powered updates designed to enhance productivity across its suite of tools, including Gemini, Gmail, Google Slides, and Google Chat. The updates, part of its April Workspace feature drop, focus on offering practical assistance through advanced AI integrations rather than hype, according to the company. Gemini App Enhancements In the Gemini app, Google introduced “Canvas,” an interactive space where users can create drafts of documents and collaborate with Gemini to refine them. Users can request feedback, update sections, or adjust tone and formatting with quick tools. Additionally, Canvas supports code generation and previewing, benefiting both novice and experienced developers. Work created within Canvas can be easily exported and shared via Google Docs. Another significant addition is “Audio Overviews,” a feature allowing users to generate podcast-style audio summaries of documents or Deep Research reports created with Gemini. Users can listen to these summaries on the go, making it easier to absorb information without reading lengthy reports. Google also noted that users can now access Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) and upload files directly from mobile devices for enhanced productivity. New Features in Gmail Gmail users will now benefit from “Contextual Smart Replies,” powered by Gemini. This feature generates detailed and relevant replies based on the context of email threads, streamlining the response process. Users can hover over suggested replies, preview them, and select or edit responses as needed. This feature is available for Workspace Business and Enterprise users. Additionally, Gmail has introduced a new “Add to Calendar” button that appears when Gemini detects event details in an email. With a simple tap, users can instantly create a Google Calendar event from their inbox. Updates to Google Slides Google Slides has introduced a consolidated design sidebar to simplify the process of creating visually compelling presentations. This sidebar offers quick access to new templates, pre-formatted building blocks such as agendas and quotes, an expanded stock photo and GIF library, and AI-generated images. By centralizing these tools, Google aims to boost creativity and save users time without leaving the Slides interface. New Features in Google Chat In Google Chat, the new “board tab” serves as a central hub for teams to organize critical information. Users can pin messages, files, and links for easy access, ensuring that important resources are readily available and not buried within chat threads. Intelligent file suggestions further streamline the organization of team assets. Furthermore, the new HubSpot app for Google Chat enables real-time lead, deal, and ticket updates from HubSpot’s Smart CRM platform directly into Chat spaces. This integration allows sales, support, and marketing teams to collaborate more efficiently and stay updated on customer interactions without leaving Google Chat. Looking Ahead Google states that these updates are aimed at empowering users to perform their best work by leveraging practical AI innovations. The company encourages users to stay tuned for additional features in future Workspace Drops, further enhancing collaboration and productivity with AI-driven tools. Image: Google This article, "Google Workspace Introduces New AI Features Across Gemini, Chat, Gmail, and Slides" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google Workspace has announced a series of new AI-powered updates designed to enhance productivity across its suite of tools, including Gemini, Gmail, Google Slides, and Google Chat. The updates, part of its April Workspace feature drop, focus on offering practical assistance through advanced AI integrations rather than hype, according to the company. Gemini App Enhancements In the Gemini app, Google introduced “Canvas,” an interactive space where users can create drafts of documents and collaborate with Gemini to refine them. Users can request feedback, update sections, or adjust tone and formatting with quick tools. Additionally, Canvas supports code generation and previewing, benefiting both novice and experienced developers. Work created within Canvas can be easily exported and shared via Google Docs. Another significant addition is “Audio Overviews,” a feature allowing users to generate podcast-style audio summaries of documents or Deep Research reports created with Gemini. Users can listen to these summaries on the go, making it easier to absorb information without reading lengthy reports. Google also noted that users can now access Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) and upload files directly from mobile devices for enhanced productivity. New Features in Gmail Gmail users will now benefit from “Contextual Smart Replies,” powered by Gemini. This feature generates detailed and relevant replies based on the context of email threads, streamlining the response process. Users can hover over suggested replies, preview them, and select or edit responses as needed. This feature is available for Workspace Business and Enterprise users. Additionally, Gmail has introduced a new “Add to Calendar” button that appears when Gemini detects event details in an email. With a simple tap, users can instantly create a Google Calendar event from their inbox. Updates to Google Slides Google Slides has introduced a consolidated design sidebar to simplify the process of creating visually compelling presentations. This sidebar offers quick access to new templates, pre-formatted building blocks such as agendas and quotes, an expanded stock photo and GIF library, and AI-generated images. By centralizing these tools, Google aims to boost creativity and save users time without leaving the Slides interface. New Features in Google Chat In Google Chat, the new “board tab” serves as a central hub for teams to organize critical information. Users can pin messages, files, and links for easy access, ensuring that important resources are readily available and not buried within chat threads. Intelligent file suggestions further streamline the organization of team assets. Furthermore, the new HubSpot app for Google Chat enables real-time lead, deal, and ticket updates from HubSpot’s Smart CRM platform directly into Chat spaces. This integration allows sales, support, and marketing teams to collaborate more efficiently and stay updated on customer interactions without leaving Google Chat. Looking Ahead Google states that these updates are aimed at empowering users to perform their best work by leveraging practical AI innovations. The company encourages users to stay tuned for additional features in future Workspace Drops, further enhancing collaboration and productivity with AI-driven tools. Image: Google This article, "Google Workspace Introduces New AI Features Across Gemini, Chat, Gmail, and Slides" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Strategic ecommerce keyword research can help you reach the right audience and directly impact your bottom line. Just look at Cosmetify’s success. This beauty retailer was struggling with an all-too-common challenge: no traffic on its revenue-generating pages. The team identified and mapped transactional keywords to these money pages. Dorothy Edgar, SEO Manager at Cosmetify, shares more about her strategy: “We also created new money pages to fit customer needs and gaps in our current website hierarchy. For example, we segmented the fragrance category page into ‘women’s perfume discounts.’ Then, we added optimized content to all these pages.” The result? A 12.6-position average keyword boost and a 250% jump in organic revenue in 2024. That’s just one example of the impact you can create with strategic keyword research. Want these results for your business? Use this 6-step framework to find revenue-driving keywords — without wasting time or budget. Get started with our free Keyword Research Planner Template for ecommerce brands. Why Ecommerce Brands Need Keyword Research Keyword research reveals how your customers search, think, and make buying decisions online. These rich audience insights can benefit your ecommerce business in many ways. Understand the Buyer Journey Keyword research helps you meet buyers where they are. You get an insider’s view of your buyers’ psyche and willingness to purchase. For instance, when people search for “benefits of running,” they want to learn more about this topic. When they search for “best running shoes for flat feet,” they’re comparing different products. In short: Choose keywords to target potential customers across the buyer journey and drive conversions. Discover Micro-Seasonal Trends The peak shopping season around holidays and festivals is ultra-competitive. But ecommerce keyword research reveals micro-seasonal trends that your competitors might overlook. These less-competitive opportunities can drive more revenue with less effort. Keep in mind that micro-seasonal trends differ across geographies and occasions. For example, “back to school” is a trending topic in the United States from July to August. If you run an online stationery store, target relevant keywords to tap into this demand. Validate Product Opportunities You can also use this research to gauge your buyers’ interest in a new product idea. A surging search volume for certain terms signals emerging consumer preferences. For example, more people searching for “plastic-free activewear” could show growing interest in this product. Analyze your keywords to find an untapped market for a new product category or niche. Types of Keywords You Should Focus On for Ecommerce Before I break down our 6-step framework for ecommerce keyword research, let’s cover the basics. Ecommerce brands can target several types of keywords. But, three stand out for driving customers through the buying funnel: informational, commercial, and transactional keywords. Informational Informational terms drive top-of-funnel traffic to your website. These keywords make your brand more discoverable, especially when shoppers are looking to solve specific problems. Target these search terms to provide helpful context about your products and put your brand on potential customers’ radar. Informational keyword examples: How to choose running shoes Best skincare routine for oily skin Budget-friendly styling tips for small living room Pro tip: Don’t just go after “best” and “how to” keywords. Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find hidden gems in your niche. Commercial Commercial keywords bridge the gap between research and purchase. Shoppers use these keywords to compare different products’ features that match their needs. Commercial keyword examples: Best laptops for gamers Top-rated eco-friendly winter jackets Rothy’s vs. Allbirds everyday shoes Transactional Transactional keywords lead searchers to purchase and drive revenue. These terms show a clear buying intent because shoppers use terms like “buy” and “book” or other strong purchase signals like pricing. Transactional keyword examples: Running shoes under $100 Buy a memory foam mattress Buy noise-canceling headphones Here’s how these three keyword types map to the ecommerce funnel: While these three keyword types map directly to the ecommerce funnel, they’re not the only ones worth targeting. Navigational Navigational keywords help searchers find a specific ecommerce brand, product, or page. These queries also include category-specific navigation patterns people use to find specific products. For example, “Under Armour men’s joggers” shows clear intent to find a specific brand and product. Navigational keyword examples: Peloton treadmill Zara winter collection sale Lululemon Align leggings size chart Long-Tail Keywords Long-tail keywords are longer phrases searchers use for a highly specific need or niche topics. Take the keyword “best running shoes for women with flat feet” as an example. It’s longer than usual and searches for a hyperspecific product. That level of detail can still bring in meaningful traffic — especially if it aligns with strong purchase intent. Long-tail keyword examples: Top-rated camping tents for families with kids Affordable stainless steel cookware sets for small kitchens Best organic baby food brands for sensitive stomachs How to Conduct Effective Ecommerce Keyword Research Buy a keyword tool → Find high-volume search queries → Add to landing pages. That’s the outdated approach to finding keywords for ecommerce brands. It’s a recipe for draining your time and money. Let me break down a 6-step ecommerce keyword research process to drive sales and rewrite your growth trajectory. Step 1: Identify Your Core Terms and Customer Language Before you sign up for a keyword research tool, build some groundwork for your strategy. Your first step? Listen to your customers. The way people search for your products can be very different from how you describe them. This misalignment could mean missed opportunities. But when you speak your customers’ language, your content hits home. Let’s look at the difference: A skincare brand markets one of its products as a “10% niacinamide serum with zinc PCA.” On the flip side, its target buyers search for “best serum for large pores” or “how to reduce facial oiliness.” Same product. Completely different language. Here are some more before (brands’ language) and after (customers’ language) examples: Here’s how to fix this language gap: Check product reviews: Notice how customers share their experience with your products. Find patterns in their language. Read support tickets: Note down questions or concerns customers frequently ask. Check your support center and email to find these questions. Monitor social media: Track comments on your social posts, especially questions. Learn how customers talk about your products. Analyze on-site search: See the terms a prospective buyer searches for on your ecommerce site. These direct queries show exactly what they’re looking for. Let’s understand this with an example from Made In, a cookware brand. Made In describes its Carbon Steel Wok with this product description. It talks about the wok’s weight, bottom, seasoning time, and more. But customer reviews echo praise for one unique feature: the wok’s heat distribution. Now, re-read the description. You’ll realize it misses the one value proposition that most customers are raving about. Step 2: Generate a Broad List of Seed Keywords Once you’ve ticked off Step #1, it’s time to expand your keyword universe. Most ecommerce sites limit themselves to product-related keywords — like a coffee maker brand targeting “single-serve coffee maker” or “burr grinder with timer.” The result? Missing out on valuable traffic opportunities. Customers search for your products in dozens of different ways based on: Their awareness level Their unique pain points Their budget preferences The features they care about Go beyond your product-specific terms and find seed keywords that match your customers’ search habits. One way to do this is by listing your products, alternative names, categories, and use cases. For a product like “coffee maker,” you can start with seed terms like: Coffee maker Coffee brewer French press Here’s a more detailed matrix for this brand: Core product Alternative names Product categories Use cases Coffee maker Coffee machine Drip coffee maker Brewing coffee Espresso machine Coffee brewer Single-serve coffee maker Morning routine French press Coffee pot Pour over coffee Office coffee Cold brew Percolator Coffee grinder Entertaining guests Moka pot Coffee system Coffee accessories Specialty drinks When this exercise is complete, add all the keywords to your planner. As we go through the next steps, gather more details about each keyword and add insights in different columns. Step 3: Categorize Keywords by Buyer Journey Not all keywords are created equal. A person searching for “how to set up a camping tent” is in a completely different mindset than those searching for “buy a lightweight camping stove.” The first searcher needs educational content. Show them a product page, and they’ll bounce. The second one is ready to buy. Send them a how-to guide, and you’ll lose the sale. Take a quick look at the search results and you’ll see this in action: For the “how to” query, Google serves up helpful blogs and videos. For those looking to buy, the search results are filled with different product options. Knowing these differences allows you to target people across the entire buyer journey. Follow this process to map keywords to varying search intents. Awareness Stage Keyword type: Informational In the awareness stage, your buyers are simply discovering their needs. They want to better understand their problems and find solutions. They’re not ready to buy yet. Take Andy, for example. He struggles with a small, messy closet. So, he searches for “how to organize a small closet” and “closet organization ideas.” Andy can discover your furniture brand if you have educational content on this topic. Consideration Stage Keyword type: Commercial In the consideration stage, people want to do their research before buying something. They evaluate many products and weigh their options for making an informed decision. At this point, Andy searches for “IKEA vs Target closet” and “best closets for small apartments.” Decision Stage Keyword type: Navigational and transactional In the decision stage, your prospects are ready to buy. They’ll search for high-intent keywords that shorten the path to purchase. So, Andy will search for “buy PAX closet” to access the IKEA product page directly. Map Your Keywords to Website Pages Once you’ve identified a broad set of terms, map them to relevant pages on your site. Use our planner template to define the content format for each keyword. Keyword mapping gives each page a clear purpose and aligns keywords to these pages. Nicola Hughes, Head of SEO at TAL Agency, shares how this benefits ecommerce brands. Her team worked with a premium food and beverage brand to revamp its organic SEO performance and drive more sales. “We listed all the collection and product pages on the site to define a purpose for every page. From there, we conducted in-depth keyword research to learn what our audience was searching for. We mapped 1-3 high-intent keywords per page to align content with search queries across every stage of the funnel.” This tactic, along with a few more, improved the brand’s click-through rate from 17.1% to 22.1%. It also led to 620% quarter-over-quarter growth. Step 4: Research Your Competitors’ Keywords Competitor keyword research tells you what’s working in the market — without blowing your budget on trial and error. Look at direct and indirect competitors to find high-potential keyword opportunities. An ecommerce keyword research tool like Semrush makes it easy to perform a keyword gap analysis. Go to the Keyword Gap tool and add your competitors to discover the terms they’re ranking for. I added three skincare brands and hit “Compare.” In the analysis, I could see how many search terms each brand targets. This Venn diagram shows that Koba has the smallest share of keywords out of the three. The tool also curates a set of missing and weak terms that Koba should target. Keyword Gap analysis presents a list of 14.1K untapped keywords for Koba. Other competitors are already targeting and ranking for these search terms. I can select relevant phrases from this data and add them to a new list of competitor-specific terms. But only finding competitor keywords isn’t enough. You have to analyze how competing brands target these terms. Hover over any term in a competitor’s column. You’ll see the page where they use this specific phrase. Further reading: Free Competitor Analysis Tool (Analyze SEO & PPC) Step 5: Prioritize Keywords Based on Data Now, you’re looking at this long list of target keywords and wondering, “Where do I even start?” If your first instinct is to go for high-volume queries, pause and hit reset. A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches might look tempting. But it’s probably difficult to rank for. For example, we have two queries: “Wireless headphones” with 50,000 monthly searches “Best noise canceling headphones for airplanes” with 1,200 monthly searches The second keyword is much more attainable since it targets a specific need. That’s why our planner has space to note the search volume and ranking difficulty for each phrase and choose the right terms. You can use Semrush to prioritize the right keywords. Go to the Keyword Overview tool and add your seed keyword. I added “exercise bike for home gym” and hit “Search.” Keyword Overview’s comprehensive analysis tells me that this keyword: Has a low search volume in the United States and globally Is fairly competitive with a commercial search intent Has a low cost-per-click (CPC) value, which indicates the average price advertisers pay for this keyword So, searchers use this keyword to explore different brands and products. Pro tip: Look for keywords with a high CPC, which signals a strong commercial intent. If advertisers are willing to pay top dollar for a keyword, it probably converts well. Keyword Overview also gives me a handy list of pages ranking in the search results. I can analyze metrics like backlinks, traffic, and more to see what I’m competing against. Once you’ve captured this data, go to Keyword Magic Tool to expand your list of target keywords. Filter related terms by volume, difficulty, intent, and other metrics to shortlist the most relevant terms. When you have a set of shortlisted keywords, do an effort-impact analysis. For each keyword, assess the effort required to create content and rank well. Then, determine its overall impact on your marketing strategy. This analysis will clarify the order of priority: Low Effort, High Impact: Your quick wins High Effort, High Impact: Long-term investments Low Effort, Low Impact: Fill-in opportunities High Effort, Low Impact: Avoid these Let’s see this in action with the example of a fitness equipment retailer. High Effort Low Effort High Impact best home gym equipment High search volume High competition Valuable for brand authority workout bench reviews Good search intent Relatively easy to create comparison content commercial gym equipment Valuable B2B opportunity Requires extensive content home gym setup ideas Popular topic Easily create inspiring content Low Impact vintage exercise equipment Niche audience Requires specific expertise gym equipment maintenance tips Useful for supporting content Good to build credibility olympic weightlifting equipment Very specific audience Highly technical content needed how to clean resistance bands Simple instructional content Supports post-purchase experience, not revenue growth As a result, the retailer should prioritize phrases like “workout bench reviews” and “home gym setup ideas” to get quick wins. The brand should also invest effort into terms like “best home gym equipment” and “commercial gym equipment.” Step 6: Build a Keyword-Focused Content Strategy In the final step, you’re all set to build a content strategy around your keywords. Each keyword serves a specific purpose — to educate, convince, or convert buyers. When building your content strategy, match keywords to a specific phase of the buying process. Then, align each keyword cluster with the right content format, like: Blog posts for information searches Product pages for transactional intent Videos or landing pages for commercial terms Use the “Content Format” column in the planner. This lets you organize keywords well for each term in your strategy. Finally, consolidate your strategy for various keyword opportunities in a content calendar. Focus on quick wins, seasonal trends, and more. Let’s see how this would work for a dog food and clothing brand. Buyer Journey Stage Keyword Goal Content Format Awareness “best dog food for puppies” Educate buyers on options Blog post, guide “how to measure a dog for a coat” Educate buyers on sizing Blog post with visuals or infographic Consideration “wet dog food pros and cons” Help buyers compare options Blog post, comparison video “best dog raincoats” Help buyers decide Video or blog comparing products Decision/Conversion “buy organic dog food online” Drive conversions Product landing page “dog jacket sale” Drive conversions Promotional landing page or email 2 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Ecommerce Keyword Research Even with good keyword research, you can still make costly mistakes. Your SEO growth can fall flat if you’re stuffing keywords, targeting very broad terms, ignoring search intent, or overlooking long-tail queries. Watch out for these bigger missteps that can hurt your SEO and sales performance. Poor Keyword Mapping Many ecommerce sites target similar keywords across multiple pages, leading to keyword cannibalization. This internal competition prevents search engines from ranking any page. Plus, it confuses shoppers by showing them irrelevant pages from your site. Prevent this by mapping these terms to varying search intent and your product hierarchy. For instance, a camping equipment retailer can follow this map: “Camping tents” is mapped to a category page with a commercial intent “Foldable 8-person cabin tent” is mapped to a product page with a transactional intent “How to choose the right camping tent” is mapped to a blog page with an informational intent Here’s what correct and incorrect keyword mapping looks like: Each page on your website serves a different purpose in the conversion funnel. Keyword mapping reflects this hierarchy. Prepare better: Use our free Keyword Mapping Template to prevent any costly mistakes. Focusing Solely on One Keyword Type Many ecommerce brands make the rookie mistake of using only transactional keywords. Sure, “buy board games for children under 10” sounds like a great keyword. But you’re leaving money on the table if you don’t target other search terms across the buyer journey. Optimize your website to take buyers from discovery to purchase. This would include: Informational queries like “what are the top strategy board games” Commercial phrases like “best cooperative games” Turn Ecommerce Keyword Research into Long-Term Growth Keyword research helps you understand exactly what buyers want and meet them where they are. The result? More qualified traffic, easier conversions, and, ultimately, higher revenue for your ecommerce store. Use our free Keyword Research Planner Template to follow this guide effortlessly and create a strong strategy. And when you’re ready to level up your SEO strategy, check out our in-depth guide on ecommerce SEO to make your store search-ready. The post 6 Proven Steps to Master Ecommerce Keyword Research appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Interior designer and stylist Jonny Carmack has a “fruit room” in his Danbury, Connecticut, home. Colorful faux produce bedecks every inch, from the cherry-shaped ceiling fixture to a strawberry side table and a bunch of other juicy gems in decorative forms. He’s part of a trend: Love for fresh fruits and vegetables is showing up not just in the kitchen but in imagery throughout the home. Carmack sees it as fun escapism, and “a cause for conversation and celebration.” Design experts say it also reflects a cultural embrace of sustainability and an upbeat connection to nature. “There’s a certain romance to the farmstand — it speaks to the pastoral lifestyle everyone’s craving these days,” says Rachel Hardage Barrett, Country Living magazine’s editor-in-chief. “This gravitation toward produce motifs intersects with spikes in interest around gardening, wellness and antiques.” Barrett sees the trend in everything from home decor to apparel. She notes the recent viral trend Tomato Girl Summer; along with the color red, and various iterations of tomatoes, the vibe was one of Mediterranean cafes, beach walks and lazy summer days. “Tomato Girl Summer obviously had a good run, but now there’s a whole bumper crop of produce to choose from, from cabbage and radishes to strawberries and peaches,” Barrett says. Nostalgia is in play, too Barrett sees a revival in interest around items with cabbages and lettuce, which were common motifs in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cabbageware and lettuce ware enjoyed a revival with the Palm Beach crowd in the ‘60s, with fans like Jacqueline Kennedy, Bunny Mellon and Frank Sinatra. Now, they’ve found a new audience. “It ties into the ‘grandmillennial’ design movement that champions beloved heirlooms,” Barrett says. “Target recently introduced a cabbageware-inspired collection that garnered more than 15 million TikTok posts.” Social media has helped drive the fruity décor trend. In 2023, TikTokers went wild over a lemon-shaped ceramic stool at HomeGoods. The piece sold out, but the popularity of tables shaped like citrus wedges continued to grow. This winter’s interior design, décor and lifestyles shows in Paris and Frankfurt, Germany, sometimes felt more like vibrant produce markets than trade fairs. Booths at Maison et Objet and Ambiente were full of planters festooned with 3D grapes and watermelons; mirrors encircled in peapods or pineapples; tomato-covered cups, glasses and tableware. Lamp shades and tablecloths wore artful imagery of berry baskets and carrot bunches. Cushions burst with juicy prints. Vases were peppered with — well, peppers, in clay or papier-mache. Los Angeles-based design editor and author Courtney Porter was at February’s Ambiente fair in Frankfurt and enjoyed seeing the playful directions that designers were taking the trend. “Colors were supersaturated, shapes were exaggerated and cartoonish,” she said. And she liked the obvious tie-in to healthy living. “There’s an emphasis on sustainable materials and youthfulness with this trend, as well. People are nostalgic for natural abundance,” she said. Designers just wanna have fun Carmack, whose social media accounts include @vintageshowpony, says the Fruit Room has been his most popular design project, “and it’s because of the cartoon references like Dr. Seuss and Animal Crossing. It just makes people happy.” A fantastical fruit called the truffula shows up in “The Lorax.” And fruits in the Animal Crossing video games serve as trade tokens, village builders and currency. Carmack imparts a little personality to his favorite fruits. “Cherries are flirty and fun. Strawberries are like their younger sisters, cutesier and sweeter in nature,” he says. Cookbook author and food columnist Alyse Whitney has embraced what’s sometimes referred to on social media as the “Grocery Girl” vibe. Her apartment’s got a wreath made out of metal mushrooms and a ceramic stool that looks like a cut lemon. Then there’s all the banana-themed stuff: a platter, salt and pepper shakers, napkin rings. Whitney says she’s been drawn to food décor her whole life, collecting fun pieces from discount retailers and thrift stores. But when she moved from New York to Los Angeles, she went to an estate sale. “There, I got my first Murano-style glass produce — a bell pepper, a peach and a pear. And a small ceramic soup tureen shaped like a head of cauliflower, complete with 3D leaves and a matching plate that looked like its root and greens.” Those pieces got her on a full-fledged food collectible mission. It’s a trend that spans decorating aesthetics, says Barrett. “If your style is more retro or youthful, you can embrace a little kitsch. For a more sophisticated look, opt for fruit motifs in the form of wallcovering or fabric,” she says. So, eat it or decorate with it; there are lots of ways to show your love for a favorite veg or fruit. “Dressing your home with this aesthetic is an experiment in self-expression that so many people are connecting to,” says Carmack, “and I love to see it. —Kim Cook, Associated Press View the full article

Latest softening follows lobbying by industry concerned that US trade war will raise its costsView the full article

The key to starting a project that will be delivered on time, on budget and meeting quality standards is simple: writing a project plan. How to write a project plan is not as simple. It involves smaller plans that all add up to a means of completing the project successfully. After defining what a project is, we’ll explain what should be included and the steps to writing a project plan. We’ll also include a free project plan template and a few others related to the planning process. What Is a Project Plan? A project plan is a structured document that outlines the objectives, scope, timeline, resources, risks and responsibilities needed to complete a project. It serves as a roadmap, guiding the project team through each phase while ensuring alignment with stakeholders. A project plan typically includes details such as deliverables, milestones, communication strategies and budget allocations to keep the project on track and within scope. By clearly defining these elements, a project plan helps mitigate risks, allocate resources efficiently and ensure timely execution. It also provides a reference for monitoring progress, managing changes and ensuring accountability throughout the project lifecycle. After writing a project plan, project managers will have the fundamental details to structure a timeline, tasks, dependencies and milestones. It also outlines the scope, objectives, key deliverables and estimated timeframes, all of which can be translated into a Gantt chart to create a clear, sequential workflow. To get the most out of the project schedule, most will execute this process on project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts that schedule tasks, resources and costs, but also link all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns, filters for the critical path and sets a baseline to track variance in real time. Plus, plans are shared on kanban boards and task lists for teams to execute their tasks and calendar views for stakeholders to stay updated on progress. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Gantt-CTA-2025.jpgLearn more What Should Be Included in a Project Plan? A project plan is a comprehensive document made up of several subsidiary plans that detail various aspects of project management. These subsidiary plans provide structure and guidance on key project elements, ensuring smooth execution and alignment with goals. Below are the essential components of a project plan. Scope Management Plan: Defines the project’s scope, including deliverables, boundaries and how scope changes will be managed to prevent scope creep Schedule Management Plan: Outlines how the project schedule will be developed, monitored and controlled to ensure timely completion Resource Management Plan: Identifies the personnel, materials and tools needed for the project, along with strategies for resource allocation and management Cost Management Plan: Details the project budget, cost estimates, funding sources and financial controls to keep expenditures within approved limits Stakeholder Management Plan: Defines how stakeholders will be identified, engaged and managed to ensure their expectations are met throughout the project Risk Management Plan: Identifies potential risks, their impact and mitigation strategies to minimize disruptions to project progress Communications Management Plan: Establishes protocols for information sharing, including reporting frequency, communication channels and stakeholder updates Procurement Management Plan: Outlines how external vendors and suppliers will be selected, contracted and managed for project needs Quality Management Plan: Specifies quality standards, testing procedures and assurance measures to ensure deliverables meet requirements Change Management Plan: Defines how changes to the project scope, schedule, or budget will be evaluated, approved and implemented By incorporating these subsidiary plans, a project plan provides a structured framework for managing all critical aspects of a project, ensuring efficiency, accountability and successful completion. How to Write a Project Plan A project plan is a structured document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored and controlled. It’s made of various subsidiary plans that guide different aspects of project management, ensuring smooth execution and stakeholder alignment. Below are the key steps to writing a comprehensive project plan. 1. Define the Project Scope How to write a project plan starts with the project scope, which establishes the project’s boundaries and details deliverables, tasks and exclusions. Make a Work Breakdown Structure: Break down the project into smaller, manageable tasks to clarify the scope and assign responsibilities effectively Set a Scope Baseline: Establish a reference point for the approved scope, ensuring any changes are formally evaluated Write a Scope Management Plan: Document how the scope will be defined, controlled and monitored to prevent scope creep 2. Create a Project Schedule The next step in how to write a project plan is a well-defined schedule. It ensures timely project completion and efficient resource allocation. Use Project Scheduling Methods Like CPM and PERT: Apply techniques such as the critical path method (CPM) and program evaluation review technique (PERT) to optimize scheduling Set a Schedule Baseline: Define a fixed project schedule against which progress can be measured Write a Schedule Management Plan: Outline how the schedule will be maintained, updated and adjusted as needed /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Project-Plan-Template-Word-image.png Get your free Project Plan Template Use this free Project Plan Template to manage your projects better. Get the Template 3. Identify What Resources Will Be Needed Proper resource planning is also part of how to write a project plan. It ensures the project has the necessary manpower, materials and tools. Make a Resource Breakdown Structure: Categorize resources by type and availability to facilitate allocation Make a Resource Schedule: Plan the timing and usage of resources to prevent conflicts or shortages Write a Resource Management Plan: Document strategies for resource acquisition, allocation and optimization 4. Estimate Costs and Make a Budget Effective cost management ensures financial feasibility and control over expenditures, which makes it financially one of the most important aspects of how to write a project plan. Set a Cost Baseline: Establish the approved project budget to track actual versus planned costs Write a Cost Management Plan: Define methods for estimating, monitoring and controlling costs throughout the project 5. Identify Stakeholders and Create a Plan to Engage Them Stakeholder engagement is crucial for project success and alignment with expectations, which is why it’s part of how to write a project plan. List Stakeholders with a Stakeholder Register: Identify individuals, groups and organizations impacted by the project Analyze Stakeholders with a Stakeholder Map: Assess stakeholder influence, interest and engagement needs Write a Stakeholder Management Plan: Define communication strategies and engagement techniques to address stakeholder concerns 6. Identify Potential Project Risks and Make a Plan to Manage Them The next stage in how to write a project plan is risk management, which minimizes uncertainties and enhances project resilience. Log Potential Risks in a Risk Register: Document potential risks, their impact and likelihood Use a Risk Analysis Matrix to Prioritize Risks: Assess and categorize risks to focus on the most critical threats Write a Risk Management Plan: Outline risk response strategies, mitigation measures and contingency plans 7. Create a Plan to Manage the Communication Efforts of the Project Team How to write a project plan continues with emphasizing the need for clear communication, which ensures project transparency and stakeholder alignment. Define What Project Reports Will Be Used Throughout the Project: Specify reporting formats, frequency and key metrics Establish Channels of Communication and Reporting Frequency: Define how and when project updates will be shared among stakeholders Write a Communications Management Plan: Document communication protocols, responsibilities and escalation procedures 8. Define Guidelines for the Procurement of Project Resources Procurement planning ensures the timely and cost-effective acquisition of necessary materials and services and is the next step in how to write a project plan. Identify Potential Vendors: List possible suppliers based on quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness Create a Vendor Eligibility Criteria: Define requirements that vendors must meet for selection Write a Procurement Management Plan: Detail procurement processes, contract management and vendor evaluation strategies 9. Establish Quality Assurance and Quality Control Procedures Next in how to write a project plan comes quality management, which ensures the project meets predefined standards and expectations. Define Quality Assurance and Quality Control Quality Assurance (QA): Focuses on preventing defects through planned processes Quality Control (QC): Involves inspecting deliverables to detect and correct defects Write a Quality Management Plan: Document the standards, testing procedures and quality review methods to use. 10. Establish a Procedure for Managing Changes to the Project Plan The last step of how to write a project plan involves change management. This part ensures that modifications are assessed and approved systematically. Assemble a Change Control Board: Designate a team responsible for reviewing and approving change requests Create Change Order Request and Approval Forms: Standardize the process of requesting and documenting project changes Write a Change Management Plan: Define the procedures for handling scope, schedule and cost changes to maintain project stability By following these structured steps, a project plan becomes a comprehensive roadmap, ensuring clarity, efficiency and successful project execution. Project Plan Template A project plan template provides a structured framework for developing a detailed project plan. Download this free project plan template for Word that lets project managers organize key elements such as scope, schedule, budget and risk management. The template ensures consistency, improves efficiency and helps teams align with project goals. /wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Project-Plan-Screenshot.jpg The free template includes defining the purpose, goals and success criteria of the project as well as its governance. There are sections on team and stakeholder management, scope management, project schedule, resource management, procurement, budget and cost management, as well as changes and risk. More Free Project Management Templates A project plan template, like a project plan, is made up of smaller plans. To help create those plans, below are three related free project management templates from the over 100 that can be downloaded from our site. Get these templates and then look over the others, which touch on every aspect of managing a project across multiple industries. Project Budget Template Download this free project budget template for Excel to help estimate, allocate and track costs throughout the project lifecycle. It ensures financial control, prevents overspending and aligns the budget with project objectives. Project Charter Template Use this free project charter template for Word to authorize a project, define its objectives and provide a high-level overview of its scope, stakeholders and key elements. It serves as a foundation for project planning and execution by outlining responsibilities and aligning expectations. Project Dashboard Template Once the project plan has moved to the execution, monitoring and controlling stages, a project dashboard template is a visual tool that provides an overview of project performance, key metrics and progress toward objectives. This free project dashboard template for Excel helps project managers and stakeholders track important data, enabling better decision-making and efficiency. How to Manage a Project Plan With ProjectManager While it can be helpful to write a project plan with templates, it can get frustrating quickly. All that work is now isolated on static documents that have no way to connect with project management tools. Worse, as the project changes, someone will have to manually import that new data into the templates. Who has time for that? Rather than try to plan, manage and track projects with templates, use project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views that allow managers to schedule on Gantt charts, teams to execute their tasks on kanban boards and task lists, while stakeholders stay updated on the calendar view. There are also resource management and tracking tools. Keep to the Project Plan by Managing Resources Human and nonhuman resources are scheduled on Gantt charts. Then, teams will be assigned tasks to complete by the deadline. To ensure the right resources are assigned to the right tasks at the right time, set team availability when teams are onboarded. Project managers can view resource allocation on one or multiple projects by viewing the workload chart, which is color-coded to make it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized. The team’s workload can be balanced without leaving the chart. This keeps everyone working at capacity without worrying about burnout. A team page provides a daily or weekly summary of their activities, which can be filtered by progress or priority and tasks can be updated from that page. /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Team-Light-2554x1372-1.png Monitor Projects with Real-Time Dashboards and Reports To make sure the project is progressing as planned requires constant monitoring is required. Our software does that for you without having to take time away from the project to set up real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They collect live data and display it on easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more. For a deeper understanding of status, variance, workload, timesheets and more, use our customizable reports. They can be filtered to focus on key data points or summarize progress and be shared with stakeholders to keep them updated. Even our secure timesheets help by monitoring labor costs and helping projects get delivered on budget. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Portfolio-Summary-Dashboard-Home-Screen-Light-Mode.png Related Project Management Content How to write a project plan is just the beginning of the larger story of project management. For those who want to read more about the big picture, below are some recently published articles from our blog covering the project life cycle, documentation and much more. What Is the Project Life Cycle? Project Phases Explained Project Documentation: 15 Essential Documents How to Write Effective Project Objectives & Goals Every Time Project Management Tools & Techniques Project Management Basics: Definitions, Methods and Tools ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, out in the field or anywhere in between. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post How to Write a Project Plan: Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. While there was no question we'd be getting another Prime Day in 2025, now it's official: In a press release, Amazon has confirmed the return of what is sure to be biggest online sales event of the year. Here is everything we know so far about this year's sale. What is Prime Day?While Amazon holds several sales throughout the year (including its recent Big Spring Sale and last year's October Prime Big Deal Days),the summer sale is typically Amazon's biggest, most-hyped annual event. It's typically a two-day affair, with deals in virtually every category you can think of. Prime Day is usually when you can expect to see some products drop to record low prices, though not all deals are as great as they seem (I always vet deals with price tracking tools to make sure they're legit). When is Prime Day 2025?While Amazon has announced the event will happen in July, they haven't specified the dates yet. Last year, the 48-hour sale ran from Tuesday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17. If I were a betting man, I'd wager the sale will be on July 15 and July 16 this year, but that's just speculation. I'll update this post once we know anything official. Do you need to be a Prime Member to shop during Prime Day?You will need to be a Prime Member to shop all of Amazon's Prime Day deals and get free shipping. Prime membership starts at $14.99 per month ($139 per year). It's easy to figure out if yearly Prime membership is worth it for you, but remember you can always cancel your Prime membership once the sale is over—Amazon offers free 30-day trials, so you can shop both days of the event and still have time to cancel before you get charged. (Here's how to sign up for a Prime account.) What sales can you expect during Prime Day?Since Prime Day happens in the summer, you can find deals on outdoorsy stuff, like gardening equipment, but the best discounts are usually on tech and Amazon devices. Amazon has already announced some categories that will be on sale, including electronics, kitchen, beauty, and apparel. Prime Day is a good time to shop other retailers' sales tooYou can always expect major retailers to have their own competitive sales, the big ones being Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. I will be updating this post with details on those offerings as soon as they've been announced. Some tips for shopping during Prime DayIf this will be your first Prime Day, you need to know some basic things about Amazon sales: You can share your Prime membership with family members even if they don't live with you You can set price alerts for products you want and your Alexa devices can notify you when they go on sale There are usually some "Invite-Only" deals that you can sign up for; there are tools you can use to see if the deal you're looking at is good or not. But if you only take one bit of advice for shopping on Prime Day, let it be this: Don't buy anything you weren't going to buy anyway. A good way to make sure you do this is by making a list of the products you do want beforehand, and only shopping from that list during the sale. View the full article

Since her birth 10 years ago, Mackenzie Holmes has rarely called one place home for long. There was the house in Houston owned by her grandmother, Crystal Holmes. Then, after Holmes lost her Southwest Airlines job and the house, there was the trio of apartments in the suburbs — and three evictions. Then another rental, and another eviction. Then motels and her uncle’s one-bedroom apartment, where Mackenzie and her grandmother slept on an inflatable mattress. Finally, Crystal Holmes secured a spot in a women’s shelter, so the two would no longer have to sleep on the floor. With nearly every move came a new school, a new set of classmates, and new lessons to catch up on. Mackenzie only has one friend she’s known longer than a year, and she didn’t receive testing or a diagnosis for dyslexia until this year. She would often miss long stretches of class in between schools. Schoolchildren threatened with eviction are more likely to end up in another district or transfer to another school, often one with less funding, more poverty and lower test scores. They’re more likely to miss school, and those who end up transferring are suspended more often. That’s according to an analysis from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, published in Sociology of Education, a peer-reviewed journal, and shared exclusively with The Associated Press’ Education Reporting Network. Pairing court filings and student records from the Houston Independent School District, where Mackenzie started kindergarten, researchers identified more than 18,000 times between 2002 and 2016 when students lived in homes threatened with eviction filings. They found students facing eviction were absent more often. Even when they didn’t have to change schools, students threatened with eviction missed four more days in the following school year than their peers. In all, researchers counted 13,197 children between 2002 and 2016 whose parents faced an eviction filing. A quarter of those children faced repeated evictions. As eviction rates in Houston continue to worsen, there might be more children like Mackenzie. Falling behind on rent — and finding a way to finish the school year Neveah Barahona, a 17-year-old big sister to seven siblings, started kindergarten in Houston, but has moved schools half a dozen times. Her mother, Roxanne Abarca, knew moving can be disruptive. So whenever she fell behind on rent and the family was forced to move, she tried to let them finish the school year – even if it meant driving them great distances. Neveah, a strong student who hopes to join the military, said the moves took a toll. “It is kind of draining, meeting new people, meeting new teachers, getting on track with … what they want to teach you and what you used to know,” Neveah said. Then there’s finding her way with new classmates. A spate of bullying this year left her despondent until she got counseling. Households with children are about twice as likely to face eviction than those without children, Eviction Lab research has shown. That’s 1.5 million children getting evicted every year — and one in 20 children under 5 living in a rental home. Still, much of the discourse focuses on adults — the landlords and grown-up tenants — rather than the kids caught in the middle, said Peter Hepburn, the study’s lead author. “It’s … worth reminding people that 40% of the people at risk of losing their homes through the eviction process are kids,” said Hepburn, a sociology professor at Rutgers University-Newark and associate director at the Eviction Lab. Households often become more vulnerable to eviction because they fall behind when they have children. Only 5% of low-wage earners, who are especially vulnerable to housing instability, have access to paid parental leave. Under a federal law that protects homeless students, districts are supposed to try to keep children in the same school if they lose their housing midyear, providing daily transportation. But children who are evicted don’t always qualify for those services. Even those who do often fall through the cracks, because schools don’t know why children are leaving or where they’re headed. Evicted families navigate invisible school boundaries In the sprawl of Houston, it can be especially challenging for transient students to stay on track. The metropolis bleeds seamlessly from the city limits to unincorporated parts of Harris County, which is divided into 24 other districts. It’s easy to leave Houston’s school district without realizing it. And despite the best efforts of parents and caretakers, kids can miss a lot of school in transition. That’s what happened in January, when Mackenzie’s grandmother, then staying in her son’s one-bedroom apartment with her granddaughter, got desperate. Fearful her son would get evicted for having family stay with him, Crystal Holmes — who had no home, no car and no cell phone service — walked miles to a women’s shelter. The shelter, where she and Mackenzie now share a room, is in another district’s enrollment zone. She worried about Mackenzie being forced to move schools again — the fifth grader had already missed the first three weeks of the school year, when her grandmother struggled to get her enrolled. Thankfully, the federal law kicked in, and Mackenzie’s school, Thornwood Elementary, now sends a car to fetch her and other students from the shelter. Houston Independent School District did not respond to interview requests. Millicent Brown lives in a public housing project in Houston, alongside an elevated highway so noisy she had to buy a louder doorbell. She and her daughter, Nova, 5, were forced to move last year when Nova’s father threatened to hurt Brown. Nova had attended a charter school. But when she moved, the school said it could only bus Nova from her new home if she waited on a street that Brown said was too dangerous. Instead, Nova missed a month of school before enrolling in a nearby public school. Brown grew up bouncing between schools and wants better for Nova. But she may have to move again: The state has plans to widen the highway. It would wipe out her housing project — and Nova’s new school. Nearly three years ago, Neveah and her family settled into a ranch-style home down a country road in Aldine. It’s brightly lit, with four bedrooms and a renovated kitchen. Neaveah adopted a neighborhood cat named she named Bella. Her sister Aaliyah painted a portrait of the home that’s displayed in the living room. “When we were little, we always kept moving,” Aaliyah said. “I don’t want to move. I already got comfortable here.” Then, last year, her mother once again began to fall behind on rent. Ultimately, Abarca received an eviction notice. The mother was lucky. At the courthouse, she met an employee tasked with helping families stay in their homes. The employee connected her with a nonprofit that agreed to pay six months of her rent while Abarca got back on her feet. And she did, working from home as a call operator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the siblings’ dream of a “forever home” may still come to an end. Abarca learned this month the home’s owner hopes to sell to an investor, displacing them once again. ____ The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. —Moriah Balingit, AP education writer View the full article

DÔEN and Gap are teaming up for a second time following the success of the brands’ collaboration last year, which went viral on TikTok and sold out within a matter of days. This year’s collection will focus on “California vintage-inspired classics,” according to a release, and include some custGet ready, Gap and Doen are releasing a second collectionomer favorites from 2024, as well as some new additions, including several menswear pieces. This marks Doen’s first foray into menswear. The 38-piece collection, launching at 12pm ET on May 2, ranges in price from $34 to $158. DÔEN’s dresses normally start closer to $250, so the opportunity to own one of their iconic styles at a more approachable pricepoint had customers running for the racks last year. The brands this year aren’t expecting anything different. “Our first collection with DÔEN set a new bar for how a collaboration can infuse a fresh perspective into Gap essentials, creating covetable pieces that left our customers wanting more,” said Mark Breitbard, President and CEO of Gap. California natives Katherine and Margaret Kleveland describe the collection as “rooted in DÔEN’s feminine interpretation of iconic Gap styles,” but it also expands into both menswear and baby this year, key cohorts of the Gap audience. The sisters’ collaboration with Gap builds on bestsellers from the collection drop last year, including eyelet maxi dresses in new iterations, with different colorways and mini dress options. The collection is nautical-inspired, with notes of red, white and navy blue running throughout, a difference from the 2024 collab. Gingham and collegiate prep are also making a return as strong features of the new collection via matching sets, sweatshirts featuring a hybrid logo along with DÔENs’s wordmark, and baseball caps. Another essential aspect of the collection is its denim staples: customers can opt for the oversized denim jacket, new denim trouser shorts, or a sailor mini dress. Alongside these items is the men’s Pleated Denim Trousers, one of several pieces designed with men in mind. In addition to the other masculine-inspired and gender-neutral pieces–like the baseball cap and sweatshirts featuring a combined DOEN and Gap logo–there are five menswear options. A first for DÔEN, the pieces include the Organic Cotton Poplin Big Shirt, the Eyelet Shirt, and the Pocket T-Shirt. The menswear was inspired by customer testimonials, as DÔEN buyers’ husbands, brothers, and boyfriends made DÔEN’s knitwear or jackets their own, Margaret Kleveland told Women’s Wear Daily. In the first collaboration with Gap, the sisters watched men adopt the collection’s popular crewnecks. “This year, we’re expanding the conversation, and continuing to drive brand relevance by reintroducing customer favorites,” said Breitbard of the Gap x Doen collection. “We also are giving DÔEN a platform to debut men’s styles at scale, delivering something fresh and unexpected for both brands’ communities.” The Gap X DÔEN collection was produced in factories that participate in RISE, or Reimagining Industry to Support Equality. Founded in 2023 by four members, including Gap, RISE’s mission is “to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practice and catalyze systems change.” Gap cardmembers will receive early access to the collection online on May 1. If you missed last year’s Gap x Doen collection, now’s your chance. View the full article

Key Takeaways Lack of Communication: A partner who consistently avoids communication or withholds important information can lead to misunderstandings and disrupt productivity.Differing Work Ethics: Misaligned work ethics, such as inconsistent commitment to deadlines, can create friction and negatively impact business growth.Financial Irregularities: Lack of transparency regarding finances can indicate deeper issues, jeopardizing the business’s cash flow and overall stability.Disrespectful Attitude: A partner who dismisses your ideas or undermines your authority fosters a toxic work environment and weakens collaboration.Inability to Accept Feedback: Resistance to constructive criticism can stifle innovation and hinder necessary discussions about business performance.Regular Evaluations: Conducting performance reviews and open feedback sessions can help identify red flags and reinforce a healthy partnership for long-term success. Choosing the right business partner can make or break your venture. While the excitement of starting something new can be intoxicating, it’s crucial to stay vigilant. Recognizing the signs of a bad business partner early on can save you from potential pitfalls and heartache down the road. You might find yourself overlooking red flags in the rush to launch. However, ignoring these warning signs can lead to conflicts, financial losses, and a toxic work environment. From lack of communication to differing values, understanding these indicators can help you make informed decisions about your partnerships. Let’s dive into the key signs that might indicate it’s time to reassess your business relationship. Understanding Business Partnerships Understanding the dynamics of business partnerships is crucial for small business success. Effective partnerships can enhance decision-making, streamline business operations, and foster growth. Conversely, a bad business partner can derail your efforts, create conflict, and lead to financial mismanagement. Evaluate your partner’s communication skills. Clear communication fosters collaboration and helps prevent misunderstandings, which are detrimental to your workflow. A partner who consistently avoids crucial conversations or withholds information disrupts project management and can hinder overall productivity. Consider management styles as well. If your partner’s approach to leadership clashes significantly with yours, conflicts may arise. Misaligned values regarding team management and employee development can create a toxic work environment. Assess decision-making processes as well. A partner who consistently disregards your input or imposes unilateral decisions can disrupt the balance necessary for business growth. Collaboration and shared authority remain vital for strategic planning and achieving business goals. Review the financial aspects of your partnership. Lack of transparency in budgeting and financial planning often indicates deeper issues. Ensure cash flow and financial strategies align. If your partner struggles with inventory management or sales management, it can jeopardize profitability. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your partnership. Conflict resolution strategies should be in place to address issues promptly. Utilizing performance reviews can help identify and rectify problems before they escalate, ensuring operational efficiency and a productive work atmosphere. By closely analyzing these crucial elements, you enhance your ability to identify signs of a bad business partner and take necessary actions to safeguard your small business. Common Red Flags Identifying signs of a bad business partner is crucial. Certain red flags can signal potential challenges that may disrupt your small business’s operations. Lack of Communication Unanswered emails and messages can indicate deeper issues. If your partner frequently ignores your communications, it disrupts workflow and can affect team management. Lack of regular meetings signals poor communication practices. Without these essential check-ins, staying aligned on business goals becomes difficult. Frequent misunderstandings or differing interpretations of agreements lead to confusion. This breakdown in communication undermines decision-making and overall productivity. Withholding important information, such as financial standings or key business decisions, fosters distrust and can hinder collaboration. Different Work Ethics Diverging work ethics can create significant friction in business partnerships. If your partner does not prioritize meeting deadlines or doesn’t adhere to agreed-upon work standards, it can impact project management. Inconsistent commitment levels lead to resentment and decreased employee morale. Even small differences in work style can escalate issues around delegation and accountability, adversely affecting business growth. Aligning on work ethics promotes a positive work atmosphere and enhances operational efficiency. Financial Irregularities Monitoring financial transactions ensures sound cash flow management. Your partner’s lack of transparency regarding budgeting or financial planning raises concerns. Inconsistencies in financial reporting can indicate deeper problems within business operations. If your partner avoids detailed financial discussions, it can hinder effective risk management and create uncertainty about business health. Regular performance reviews should include financial assessments to keep track of financial stability. Identifying these irregularities early can help you take necessary actions to protect your small business from potential financial distress. Behavioral Signs Identifying behavioral signs of a bad business partner is crucial for maintaining effective business operations. Certain actions and attitudes can signal serious issues that affect your small business’s productivity and growth. Disrespectful Attitude A disrespectful attitude can manifest in several ways, such as dismissing your ideas or ignoring your input during decision-making. If your partner frequently undermines your authority, it’s a clear indication of potential conflict. This behavior can create an unhealthy work environment, leading to diminished team morale and reduced collaboration. A respectful partnership encourages open communication and mutual support, which are essential for achieving business goals. Inability to Accept Feedback An inability to accept feedback can significantly hinder your business development. If your partner reacts defensively to constructive criticism or avoids necessary discussions about performance, it can stifle innovation and problem-solving. This resistance not only affects individual performance but also disrupts team management and project management efforts. Open and honest dialogue promotes continuous improvement and helps steer your small business toward success. Impact on Business A bad business partner can significantly disrupt business operations and hinder business growth. When partners lack transparency, it creates a ripple effect that impacts trust, leading to poor decision-making. For a small business, misalignment in financial planning can jeopardize cash flow and overall financial health. Mismanagement can arise from a partner’s failure to adhere to budgets, leading to unplanned expenses that strain resources. Poor communication can derail productivity. If a partner doesn’t respond to inquiries or fails to hold regular meetings, it affects workflow and leads to misunderstandings. This lack of interaction stalls progress, making it difficult to meet business goals. Without open lines of communication, important information on project management and team management may become lost, which can further hinder progress and employee morale. Unreliable partners contribute to a dysfunctional environment. If they miss deadlines or don’t follow through on commitments, it can disrupt project management processes and diminish trust among the team. This unreliability can negatively affect employee performance, turning focus away from productivity and onto damage control. Additionally, disrespectful behavior from a partner can poison the work atmosphere. Undermining team members or dismissing their ideas creates a culture of fear rather than one of collaboration. This stifles creativity and innovation, limiting any potential for effective business development and strategic planning. Recognizing these impacts early can help you address issues that threaten your small business. Implementing regular performance reviews and open feedback sessions ensures that any misalignment in leadership and management styles is addressed promptly. By fostering a healthy partnership, you contribute to improving operational efficiency and enhancing overall business processes. Conclusion Recognizing the signs of a bad business partner is crucial for your venture’s success. By staying vigilant and aware of red flags like poor communication and differing values, you can protect your business from potential pitfalls. Don’t let excitement cloud your judgment; it’s essential to evaluate your partnership regularly. Addressing issues early on can prevent conflicts and foster a healthier work environment. Ultimately, a strong partnership built on trust and mutual respect can drive your business forward. Prioritize open dialogue and financial transparency to ensure your collaboration thrives. Frequently Asked Questions What are the key signs of a bad business partner? A bad business partner may exhibit signs like poor communication, lack of transparency in financial matters, differing work ethics, and disrespectful behavior. These red flags can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and overall negative impacts on the business partnership. How can poor communication affect a business partnership? Poor communication can disrupt workflow and lead to misunderstandings that undermine productivity. Unanswered emails, infrequent meetings, and general disengagement can stall progress and hinder goal achievement. Why is transparency important in a business partnership? Transparency ensures that all partners are informed about financial planning and budgeting. A lack of transparency can erode trust, lead to financial mismanagement, and jeopardize the overall health of the business. What should I do if I notice red flags in my business partnership? If you observe red flags, it’s crucial to address them promptly. Initiate open discussions to express concerns, seek feedback, and consider implementing regular performance reviews to reassess the partnership’s effectiveness. How can regular evaluations improve a business partnership? Regular evaluations can help identify issues early, facilitate open feedback, and promote continuous improvement. They encourage accountability and help ensure that all partners remain aligned with the business goals. What impact can a disrespectful partner have on the team? A disrespectful partner can create a toxic work environment, deteriorate team morale, and stifle innovation. It can lead to fear among team members, which hinders collaboration and creativity. How can differing values affect a business partnership? Differing values can create fundamental disagreements regarding business direction and decision-making processes. This misalignment can result in conflicts, poor decision-making, and an unhealthy workplace culture. Image Via Envato This article, "Recognizing Signs of a Bad Business Partner Before It’s Too Late" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Lack of Communication: A partner who consistently avoids communication or withholds important information can lead to misunderstandings and disrupt productivity.Differing Work Ethics: Misaligned work ethics, such as inconsistent commitment to deadlines, can create friction and negatively impact business growth.Financial Irregularities: Lack of transparency regarding finances can indicate deeper issues, jeopardizing the business’s cash flow and overall stability.Disrespectful Attitude: A partner who dismisses your ideas or undermines your authority fosters a toxic work environment and weakens collaboration.Inability to Accept Feedback: Resistance to constructive criticism can stifle innovation and hinder necessary discussions about business performance.Regular Evaluations: Conducting performance reviews and open feedback sessions can help identify red flags and reinforce a healthy partnership for long-term success. Choosing the right business partner can make or break your venture. While the excitement of starting something new can be intoxicating, it’s crucial to stay vigilant. Recognizing the signs of a bad business partner early on can save you from potential pitfalls and heartache down the road. You might find yourself overlooking red flags in the rush to launch. However, ignoring these warning signs can lead to conflicts, financial losses, and a toxic work environment. From lack of communication to differing values, understanding these indicators can help you make informed decisions about your partnerships. Let’s dive into the key signs that might indicate it’s time to reassess your business relationship. Understanding Business Partnerships Understanding the dynamics of business partnerships is crucial for small business success. Effective partnerships can enhance decision-making, streamline business operations, and foster growth. Conversely, a bad business partner can derail your efforts, create conflict, and lead to financial mismanagement. Evaluate your partner’s communication skills. Clear communication fosters collaboration and helps prevent misunderstandings, which are detrimental to your workflow. A partner who consistently avoids crucial conversations or withholds information disrupts project management and can hinder overall productivity. Consider management styles as well. If your partner’s approach to leadership clashes significantly with yours, conflicts may arise. Misaligned values regarding team management and employee development can create a toxic work environment. Assess decision-making processes as well. A partner who consistently disregards your input or imposes unilateral decisions can disrupt the balance necessary for business growth. Collaboration and shared authority remain vital for strategic planning and achieving business goals. Review the financial aspects of your partnership. Lack of transparency in budgeting and financial planning often indicates deeper issues. Ensure cash flow and financial strategies align. If your partner struggles with inventory management or sales management, it can jeopardize profitability. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your partnership. Conflict resolution strategies should be in place to address issues promptly. Utilizing performance reviews can help identify and rectify problems before they escalate, ensuring operational efficiency and a productive work atmosphere. By closely analyzing these crucial elements, you enhance your ability to identify signs of a bad business partner and take necessary actions to safeguard your small business. Common Red Flags Identifying signs of a bad business partner is crucial. Certain red flags can signal potential challenges that may disrupt your small business’s operations. Lack of Communication Unanswered emails and messages can indicate deeper issues. If your partner frequently ignores your communications, it disrupts workflow and can affect team management. Lack of regular meetings signals poor communication practices. Without these essential check-ins, staying aligned on business goals becomes difficult. Frequent misunderstandings or differing interpretations of agreements lead to confusion. This breakdown in communication undermines decision-making and overall productivity. Withholding important information, such as financial standings or key business decisions, fosters distrust and can hinder collaboration. Different Work Ethics Diverging work ethics can create significant friction in business partnerships. If your partner does not prioritize meeting deadlines or doesn’t adhere to agreed-upon work standards, it can impact project management. Inconsistent commitment levels lead to resentment and decreased employee morale. Even small differences in work style can escalate issues around delegation and accountability, adversely affecting business growth. Aligning on work ethics promotes a positive work atmosphere and enhances operational efficiency. Financial Irregularities Monitoring financial transactions ensures sound cash flow management. Your partner’s lack of transparency regarding budgeting or financial planning raises concerns. Inconsistencies in financial reporting can indicate deeper problems within business operations. If your partner avoids detailed financial discussions, it can hinder effective risk management and create uncertainty about business health. Regular performance reviews should include financial assessments to keep track of financial stability. Identifying these irregularities early can help you take necessary actions to protect your small business from potential financial distress. Behavioral Signs Identifying behavioral signs of a bad business partner is crucial for maintaining effective business operations. Certain actions and attitudes can signal serious issues that affect your small business’s productivity and growth. Disrespectful Attitude A disrespectful attitude can manifest in several ways, such as dismissing your ideas or ignoring your input during decision-making. If your partner frequently undermines your authority, it’s a clear indication of potential conflict. This behavior can create an unhealthy work environment, leading to diminished team morale and reduced collaboration. A respectful partnership encourages open communication and mutual support, which are essential for achieving business goals. Inability to Accept Feedback An inability to accept feedback can significantly hinder your business development. If your partner reacts defensively to constructive criticism or avoids necessary discussions about performance, it can stifle innovation and problem-solving. This resistance not only affects individual performance but also disrupts team management and project management efforts. Open and honest dialogue promotes continuous improvement and helps steer your small business toward success. Impact on Business A bad business partner can significantly disrupt business operations and hinder business growth. When partners lack transparency, it creates a ripple effect that impacts trust, leading to poor decision-making. For a small business, misalignment in financial planning can jeopardize cash flow and overall financial health. Mismanagement can arise from a partner’s failure to adhere to budgets, leading to unplanned expenses that strain resources. Poor communication can derail productivity. If a partner doesn’t respond to inquiries or fails to hold regular meetings, it affects workflow and leads to misunderstandings. This lack of interaction stalls progress, making it difficult to meet business goals. Without open lines of communication, important information on project management and team management may become lost, which can further hinder progress and employee morale. Unreliable partners contribute to a dysfunctional environment. If they miss deadlines or don’t follow through on commitments, it can disrupt project management processes and diminish trust among the team. This unreliability can negatively affect employee performance, turning focus away from productivity and onto damage control. Additionally, disrespectful behavior from a partner can poison the work atmosphere. Undermining team members or dismissing their ideas creates a culture of fear rather than one of collaboration. This stifles creativity and innovation, limiting any potential for effective business development and strategic planning. Recognizing these impacts early can help you address issues that threaten your small business. Implementing regular performance reviews and open feedback sessions ensures that any misalignment in leadership and management styles is addressed promptly. By fostering a healthy partnership, you contribute to improving operational efficiency and enhancing overall business processes. Conclusion Recognizing the signs of a bad business partner is crucial for your venture’s success. By staying vigilant and aware of red flags like poor communication and differing values, you can protect your business from potential pitfalls. Don’t let excitement cloud your judgment; it’s essential to evaluate your partnership regularly. Addressing issues early on can prevent conflicts and foster a healthier work environment. Ultimately, a strong partnership built on trust and mutual respect can drive your business forward. Prioritize open dialogue and financial transparency to ensure your collaboration thrives. Frequently Asked Questions What are the key signs of a bad business partner? A bad business partner may exhibit signs like poor communication, lack of transparency in financial matters, differing work ethics, and disrespectful behavior. These red flags can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and overall negative impacts on the business partnership. How can poor communication affect a business partnership? Poor communication can disrupt workflow and lead to misunderstandings that undermine productivity. Unanswered emails, infrequent meetings, and general disengagement can stall progress and hinder goal achievement. Why is transparency important in a business partnership? Transparency ensures that all partners are informed about financial planning and budgeting. A lack of transparency can erode trust, lead to financial mismanagement, and jeopardize the overall health of the business. What should I do if I notice red flags in my business partnership? If you observe red flags, it’s crucial to address them promptly. Initiate open discussions to express concerns, seek feedback, and consider implementing regular performance reviews to reassess the partnership’s effectiveness. How can regular evaluations improve a business partnership? Regular evaluations can help identify issues early, facilitate open feedback, and promote continuous improvement. They encourage accountability and help ensure that all partners remain aligned with the business goals. What impact can a disrespectful partner have on the team? A disrespectful partner can create a toxic work environment, deteriorate team morale, and stifle innovation. It can lead to fear among team members, which hinders collaboration and creativity. How can differing values affect a business partnership? Differing values can create fundamental disagreements regarding business direction and decision-making processes. This misalignment can result in conflicts, poor decision-making, and an unhealthy workplace culture. Image Via Envato This article, "Recognizing Signs of a Bad Business Partner Before It’s Too Late" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you've received an innocent-sounding text from a number you don't recognize, it's not actually innocent. It's likely the start of a "wrong phone number" scam, which is increasingly being used to steal money and information from victims. I personally have been sent variations on this theme: "Hello! I hope you had a good day." "Are you able to work?" and just "Hello." Research from security firm McAfee reported by CNBC indicates that around 25% of Americans have received wrong number texts. But this isn't the only widespread text message scam currently circulating. The unpaid tolls and unpaid parking fee schemes are phishing attempts that may seem legitimate at first glance but ultimately lead you to hand your credit card information over to thieves. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost $470 million to text message scams in 2024, a five-fold increase over 2020. How the wrong number scam worksThe wrong number text scam starts with a random and seemingly harmless text from an unfamiliar number, the first objective of which is to prompt a response and confirm that your phone number is active. After that, scammers try to build a relationship (often romantic) and gain your trust over days and months by preying on loneliness and a desire for connection. This can turn into a so-called "pig butchering" scam, with fraudsters soliciting investments or convincing you to hand over retirement savings, a long con that potentially comes with a big payday. But even if victims don't end up sending money, any information they provide (even if innocuous) can be used or sold on the dark web. AI has enabled this scam in several ways: It can help tailor more believable texts by area code, as well as cull social media profiles to identify potential targets and locate their phone numbers, making it more efficient for scammers. It may also collect enough information for fraudsters to gain access to social media accounts, lock them down, and demand a ransom. What to do if you receive a random textIf you receive a text from a number you don't know, don't respond, as doing so validates your phone number. Even if you don't engage in this exchange any further, you may be targeted again in the future (and by different unfamiliar numbers). You also don't need to try to find out who they are or whether you know them—if someone actually needs to reach you, they are likely to follow up with multiple messages or calls beyond a single "Hey, how are you?" And as with any scam, be wary of communication that provokes an emotional response or a sense of urgency. You should mark wrong number messages as spam in your messaging app. In Messages on iOS, tap the Report Junk link that appears at the bottom of messages from unknown senders, then hit Delete > Report Junk. If you haven't opened the message yet, you can also swipe left and tap the Trash icon > Delete and Report Junk. (Note that you can't report a message if you've replied to it, which is another reason not to do so.) On Android, you can block and report conversations in Google Messages: tap and hold, then tap Block > Report spam > OK. If you've already opened the conversation, hit More options > Details > Block & report spam > OK. You can also forward spam messages to 7726, which helps wireless companies identify and block scams. View the full article

‘Ministerial direction’ raises questions over the price of saving country’s last two blast furnacesView the full article