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Effective leaders create connection, recognizing that human-centered leadership is critical. MOVE Like This With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk For CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk. View the full article

Effective leaders create connection, recognizing that human-centered leadership is critical. MOVE Like This With Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk For CPA Trendlines Research Go PRO for members-only access to more Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk. View the full article

There’s a phrase PPC experts reach for whenever they get a tough question. At conferences, online, and on client calls. Two words, a smug smile, and absolutely zero useful information: “It depends.” This has been bugging me for as long as I can remember. Turns out it’s not just a PPC thing, either. Aleyda Solis gave an excellent presentation calling out the exact same pattern in SEO. So we’re dealing with an industry-wide epidemic here. Two disciplines, same cop-out. Not every question is equally hard to answer. “What’s the maximum number of RSAs per ad group?” Just look it up. “Why did my CPA spike last week?” That takes data plus interpretation. “What will my ROAS look like if I increase budget by 30%?” Now you need context, too. “What bid strategy should I use?” That requires data, interpretation, context, and an understanding of someone’s priorities. It makes sense that “It depends” clusters around the hardest questions. More variables, more context needed, more ways to be wrong. I get it. But since when is “This is hard” a reason to give up on being useful? So I built a framework for giving useful answers instead. I call it PACT, which stands for Process, Anchors, Conditions, and Trade-offs. The PACT framework assumes a broader audience context where you don’t have the asker’s data in front of you. If you do, great — crunching the numbers and statistical models become additional answer options. Not all questions are created equal If we borrow from the world of analytics, questions come in four flavors, each progressively harder to answer. Descriptive questions: Asking what happened or how something works “What’s my impression share?” or “How does broad match work?” These are answered with data and facts. You know them or look them up. Nobody says “It depends” here because nobody needs to. I’ll ignore this category for the rest of this article. Diagnostic questions: Asking why something happened “Why did my conversion rate drop?” These need data plus your interpretation of that data. “It depends” already starts creeping in here because something clearly changed, and pinpointing the cause is rarely straightforward. Predictive questions: Asking what will happen or what good looks like “What if I decrease my target ROAS by 30%?” or “What’s a good CTR for my industry?” These are harder. You need interpretation, but you also need context about the specific business and market. This is where “It depends” starts to feel earned. Prescriptive questions: Asking ‘What should I do?’ or ‘What’s the best solution?’ “What bid strategy should I use?” or “Should I consolidate my campaigns?” These need everything: data, interpretation, context, and an understanding of someone’s priorities. If “It depends” has a permanent home, it’s here. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with The PACT framework There are many useful answers you could offer your audience instead of “It depends,” such as explaining how it depends, outlining the trade-offs, or sharing benchmarks and flowcharts. I tried to categorize the answers into four concrete response types. (Whether the category names were chosen for clarity or reverse-engineered from a four-letter word is between me and my thesaurus.) The diagram below shows which response types fit which question types. (There’s overlap, and that’s fine.) Process: Give a structured path For many diagnostic questions and for some prescriptive questions, a process is the best answer. Show your audience which steps to take, in which order, to reach their answer (and, increasingly, steps you can hand to an AI agent with a skill). If you work at an agency, you need good processes anyway. As David Rodnitzky would say: “An agency without process is just a bunch of people running around doing things.” Suggested formats Flow charts: The first time I fell in love with a flow chart was in 2012, when the Rimm-Kaufman Group (now Merkle) shared a performance troubleshooting flowchart in their Dossier 3.2. It’s an excellent example of a helpful answer to the question, “Why did my CPA increase (or ROAS decrease)?” Decision trees: Prescriptive “Should I?” questions can also be helped with a decision tree. They can be simple, funny-but-true ones like this one from Tom Orbach: Or more professional ones, like Aleyda Solis’ SEO Flowcharts for SEO Decision Making. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Anchors: Ground it with data and examples Anchors are the “quick and easy” evidence-based answers that are still better than “It depends.” Suggested formats Benchmarks: Everybody loves a good benchmark. If you have enough data from comparable businesses, you can use it to answer “What does good look like?” questions. When someone asks, “What’s the average ecommerce conversion rate?” don’t say “It depends.” Say: “For health and beauty, it’s 3.3%. For electronics, it’s 1.9%.” The more specific the benchmark, the better. Usual suspects: Think of the usual suspects as a “light version” of a process for diagnostic questions using the 80/20 Pareto principle: 80% of outcomes result from 20% of causes. Instead of a 25-step flowchart, you can share a ranked list of the most likely causes ordered by frequency. Basically saying: “Check these five things first, because 80% of the time it’s one of them.” Case study: When someone asks, “What will happen if I do X?”, telling them what actually happened when a similar account did X is worth more than any theoretical answer. “We consolidated 12 campaigns into four for an ecommerce account spending $50,000/month. CPA improved 20% after the learning period, but we lost visibility into product category performance.” The key is specificity: industry, budget range, what changed, and the trade-off. Vague case studies (“We saw great results”) are just “It depends” wearing a suit. Conditions: Name the hidden variables This is the most direct replacement for “It depends,” as you’ll say, “It depends on these specific things” instead. Suggested formats Checklist: For diagnostic questions, this could be a segmentation drill-down. Slice the data by device, geo, time of day, campaign, match type, audience, etc., until the anomaly isolates to one segment. This expands “Why did it happen?” to “Where did it happen?” which can be just as useful. If [x] then [y]: For example, “What will happen if I double my budget?” Then you follow up with questions like: “What’s your current impression share?” “Are you budget-constrained or bid-constrained?” “How steep is the diminishing returns curve in your auction?” If you’re at 60% impression share and purely budget-limited, doubling your budget could get you close to 80% more conversions. If you’re already at 95% impression share, that extra budget is going to buy you mostly junk. Reversibility test: For a quick filter on prescriptive “Should I?” questions, use one condition: reversibility. Categorize decisions by how easy they are to undo. Low-stakes reversible decisions (e.g., testing a new ad copy) get a “Just try it” answer. High-stakes irreversible decisions (such as restructuring your entire account) get the full trade-off analysis (and move to the next category). This helps your audience judge how much thought a decision actually deserves. Jeff Bezos famously calls these irreversible Type 1 (one-way door) and reversible Type 2 (two-way door) decisions. He also warns us not to treat Type 2 decisions as Type 1 decisions. Trade-offs: Surface the choices Some questions don’t have a right answer. Instead, they involve choosing between competing priorities. When someone asks “What’s the best approach?”, they often don’t realize they’re asking “Which trade-off am I most comfortable with?” The fix is to make the trade-offs visible. Suggested formats Trade-off explanation: Replace “What’s the right answer?” with “Here’s what each option gains and sacrifices.” For example, “Should I consolidate my campaigns into fewer, bigger ones?” Instead of “It depends on your goals,” surface the actual trade-off: “Consolidation gives you more data per campaign, which helps Smart Bidding learn faster. But it reduces your control over budget allocation and makes it harder to optimize for different segments.” “So the real question is: Do you value algorithmic learning speed more than granular control right now? That depends on whether your current structure is data-starved or if you’re already getting strong results and just want more precision.” Now the person isn’t stuck. They have a choice to make, and they understand what’s at stake on both sides. Calculators: If the calculator presents the trade-off as an input field, it can yield a useful answer. One of my all-time favorites is the Build vs. Buy calculator from Baremetrics, which helps you decide whether to buy a tool or build it internally. Closer to the daily life of a PPC practitioner, we created two free calculators to determine your target CPA or target ROAS. When you enter “% of margin willing to invest in acquisition,” you’re resolving the subjective part of the trade-off yourself. The calculator just runs the math on your decision. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with The ‘it depends’ cheat sheet Next time your gut says, “It depends,” check which type of question you’re dealing with and pick the format that fits. I’m not naive enough to think we’ll eradicate “It depends” overnight. But I do think we can hold ourselves to a higher standard. If you’re speaking at a conference, writing a blog post, or answering a client question, try replacing your next “It depends” with one of these four response types. And if you find a question that genuinely can’t be answered with a process, anchor, condition, or trade-off, I’d love to hear it. I haven’t found one yet. But I’m probably not done looking. View the full article

Early project decisions shape everything that follows, yet teams often struggle to align quickly. A project canvas offers a structured way to capture ideas, clarify direction and get everyone on the same page before detailed planning begins. What Is a Project Canvas? A project canvas is a visual project initiation framework that organizes key project elements into a single-page layout, split in sections such as objectives, scope, stakeholders and risks. A project canvas is often created through collaborative brainstorming, which results in a clear, shared understanding of a project’s direction. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that gives teams across industries the tools they need to ensure projects are completed on time, within budget and within scope. It allows project managers to create detailed project schedules, estimate costs, allocate resources, set budgets, track progress and compare estimated versus actual project outcomes using real-time dashboards and reports to identify delays or cost overruns quickly. Get started with ProjectManager for free today. /wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpgLearn more What Is the Purpose of a Project Canvas? The main purpose of a project canvas is to provide a structured format to capture the most important details of a project. Organizing information visually helps individuals, project managers and PMOs to get an idea of the project’s potential and feasibility, which sets a strong foundation for future project planning. When to Use a Project Canvas Before schedules, budgets or resource plans are developed, teams must first define what the project is about. The project canvas is most effective during the project initiation stage, when ideas are still being shaped and validated. It should be used by individuals, project managers and PMOs at the beginning of project ideation to explore feasibility and alignment. Once direction is clear, more detailed tools can take over during the project planning phase. Benefits of the Project Canvas Model Using a project canvas offers several advantages during the early stages of a project. It helps teams quickly organize ideas, align stakeholders and evaluate feasibility without overcomplicating the process. This clarity allows for faster decision-making and creates a strong foundation that supports more detailed planning and execution later on. Early feasibility insight: Quickly determine whether a project idea is viable before committing time, budget or resources Clear project direction: Transform rough ideas into defined objectives, scope and expected outcomes Stronger stakeholder alignment: Ensure everyone involved understands priorities, roles and expectations from the start Faster decision-making: Give leaders a concise overview to evaluate, approve or reject project ideas efficiently Smoother transition to planning: Establish a solid foundation that makes detailed scheduling, budgeting and execution easier Disadvantages of the Project Canvas Model Despite its usefulness, a project canvas also has limitations that teams should consider. Because it focuses on high-level information, it may overlook critical details needed for execution. Relying too heavily on it can lead to gaps in planning, especially when complex projects require deeper analysis and more structured documentation. Lacks detailed depth: Provides only a high-level view, which can leave important technical, financial or operational details undefined Risk of oversimplification: Complex projects may be reduced too much, leading to misunderstandings or overlooked dependencies Not suitable for execution: Cannot replace detailed project plans, schedules or resource management tools needed later Depends on input quality: Unclear or incomplete information during brainstorming can result in a weak or misleading foundation May create false alignment: Stakeholders might agree at a high level, but still interpret details differently when planning begins /wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PM-101-eBook-banner-ad.jpg What Should Be Included In a Project Canvas? Every project canvas is built around a set of core elements that capture the most important aspects of a project at a glance. These components help structure early thinking, making it easier to define direction, align stakeholders and prepare for more detailed project planning activities. 1. Project Purpose The purpose of a project is the underlying reason why a project exists, defining the problem it aims to solve or the opportunity it seeks to capture. It should explain the intended outcome at a high level, often driven by business needs, market demands or operational gaps, and result in a clear justification for initiating the project. Without a defined purpose, early discussions can drift and lead to misaligned expectations. Including this section in a project canvas ensures everyone understands why the project matters, helping teams stay focused on meaningful outcomes and avoid pursuing initiatives that lack clear value or strategic relevance. 2. Project Objectives Project objectives are specific, measurable targets that define what the project must achieve to be considered successful. They translate the broader purpose into actionable goals, characterized by clear metrics and timelines, often shaped by stakeholder expectations and resulting in a structured path to guide project execution and performance evaluation. Capturing objectives within a project canvas helps transform abstract ideas into concrete goals. This section provides direction for decision-making and prioritization, ensuring that all efforts contribute to defined outcomes while making it easier to assess whether the project is progressing as intended from the very beginning. 3. Project Scope The scope of a project is the defined boundary of what is included and excluded in a project, outlining the work required to achieve its objectives. It specifies tasks, features or outputs, characterized by clear limits, often shaped by resource constraints and stakeholder agreements, and resulting in controlled execution and reduced ambiguity. Adding scope to a project canvas prevents confusion about what the project will and won’t cover. This clarity helps teams avoid scope creep early on, supports realistic expectations and ensures that initial ideas remain manageable before transitioning into more detailed planning and scheduling activities. 4. Project Deliverables Project deliverables are the tangible or intangible outputs that a project produces upon completion of its activities. These can include products, services or documents, characterized by defined quality standards, often driven by project objectives, and resulting in measurable outcomes that demonstrate the project’s success and completion. Listing deliverables in a project canvas helps teams visualize what the project will actually produce. This section connects objectives to real outputs, making it easier to communicate expectations, track progress and ensure that all stakeholders agree on what constitutes a completed and successful project. 5. Project Stakeholders Project stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest in or are affected by a project’s outcomes. They include internal teams, clients or external partners, characterized by varying levels of influence and expectations, often identified through stakeholder analysis and resulting in defined communication and engagement strategies throughout the project lifecycle. Identifying stakeholders in a project canvas ensures that key voices are recognized from the start. This section helps anticipate expectations, manage influence and reduce conflicts, allowing teams to align communication early and avoid surprises that could disrupt progress once the project moves into planning and execution phases. Related: 18 Free Stakeholder Management Templates for Excel & Word 6. Project Team Defining the team within a project canvas provides early clarity on who will do the work. This helps assess whether the right skills and resources are available, supports realistic planning and ensures accountability is considered before detailed schedules and resource allocation plans are developed. 7. Project Timeline In a project canvas, the timeline is intentionally simple. Instead of detailed schedules or exact dates, it usually takes the form of a basic set of milestones that show how the project will progress from start to finish. These milestones represent key phases or checkpoints, giving teams a clear sense of flow without getting into scheduling details too early. This approach fits the purpose of a project canvas, which is to keep things high-level and easy to understand. By focusing only on major milestones, teams can align on the overall direction and sequence of work while leaving detailed timelines, dependencies and dates for the project planning phase. 8. Project Resources Project resources are the assets required to execute project activities, including people, equipment, materials and budget. They are characterized by availability and constraints, often determined by project scope and objectives, and result in the allocation decisions that enable tasks to be completed efficiently and within planned limits. Outlining resources in a project canvas helps teams assess feasibility early. This section highlights whether sufficient capacity exists to support the project, allowing stakeholders to identify gaps, adjust expectations or reallocate resources before committing to detailed planning and execution. 9. Project Risks Project risks are uncertain events or conditions that may impact project objectives if they occur. They are characterized by probability and potential impact, often identified through early analysis, and result in the need for mitigation or contingency strategies to reduce negative effects on scope, timeline or cost. Capturing risks in a project canvas encourages proactive thinking from the start. This section helps teams anticipate challenges, prepare responses and avoid reactive decision-making later, improving the project’s chances of success before detailed risk management plans are developed. /wp-content/uploads/2024/01/risk-image-lightmode-600x331.pngLearn more 10. Project Benefits Project benefits are the positive outcomes or value a project is expected to deliver upon completion. They are characterized by measurable improvements such as revenue growth, cost savings or efficiency gains, often aligned with strategic goals, and result in justification for the project’s initiation and continued investment. Including benefits in a project canvas ensures the project’s value remains visible. This section connects effort to outcomes, helping stakeholders understand why the project matters and supporting decision-making by reinforcing alignment with business objectives from the very beginning. Project Canvas Template This project canvas template for Excel provides a structured, single-page layout to define purpose, objectives, scope, deliverables, stakeholders, team, milestones, resources, risks and benefits. It serves both as a working example and a reusable template to help teams quickly organize ideas and evaluate project feasibility. /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Project-Canvas-Template-for-Excel-blank.png Project Canvas Example Imagine a real estate development firm evaluating a new opportunity in a growing suburban area where housing demand has started to outpace supply. The team gathers to outline a mid-sized residential apartment project that must balance profitability, construction timelines and regulatory requirements. Instead of jumping straight into detailed planning, they use a project canvas to quickly structure the idea and align stakeholders. At a glance, the canvas lays out the project’s intent, objectives and scope, giving decision-makers a clear picture of what the project aims to achieve and what work is involved. The inclusion of deliverables alongside scope helps connect activities to tangible outcomes, while the stakeholders and team sections clarify who is involved both from a governance and execution perspective. /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Project-canvas-example-purpose-objectives-scope-deliverables-stakeholders-and-team.png Lower sections of the canvas shift focus toward feasibility and execution readiness. A simple milestone-based timeline shows how the project progresses through key construction phases without getting into scheduling details. Resources and risks provide a realistic view of constraints and uncertainties, while expected benefits reinforce the business case, helping stakeholders quickly assess whether the project is worth pursuing. /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Project-canvas-example-timeline-resources-and-risks.png What Other Project Management Templates Can Help with Project Planning? We’ve created over 100 free project management templates for Excel, Word and Google Sheets. Here are other free templates that can be used in conjunction with a project canvas during the project initiation phase. Gantt Chart Template This Gantt chart template organizes project tasks along a visual timeline, showing how activities are sequenced and how long they take. It helps teams plan schedules, understand task dependencies and monitor progress, making it easier to spot delays and keep the project on track. RASCI Matrix Template This RASCI matrix template defines who is responsible, accountable, supporting, consulted and informed for each task. By clearly assigning roles, it helps teams avoid confusion, improve collaboration and ensure that every activity has clear ownership throughout the project. ProjectManager Is Award-Winning Project Management Software ProjectManager provides a complete set of planning, scheduling and tracking tools, including Gantt charts, kanban boards, task lists and project and portfolio roadmaps. Teams can build detailed schedules, assign resources and monitor progress, costs, workload and timelines through real-time dashboards, timesheets, workload charts and performance reports. Built as a cloud-based platform, ProjectManager allows teams to update schedules, manage tasks and generate reports in real time from any location. It also delivers AI-powered project insights to support better decision-making and connects with over 100 tools like Jira, Power BI and Azure DevOps. With its open API and wide range of integrations, organizations can seamlessly link ProjectManager to their existing systems. Watch the video below to learn more! ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post Project Canvas: 101 Guide (Example & Free Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

US president insists Justice Department will not drop criminal probe into central bank chairView the full article

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In terms of effective customer service training, there are seven vital topics you need to cover. These include your company’s core values, product training, active listening, empathy, effective communication, problem-solving skills, and social media support. Each of these topics plays an important role in enhancing your team’s ability to serve customers well. Comprehending how they interconnect can greatly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. So, what’s the best way to implement these strategies effectively? Key Takeaways Core Values and Company Culture: Emphasize the importance of aligning customer service interactions with the company’s core values to enhance brand loyalty. Product Knowledge and Problem-Solving Skills: Train staff on product features and troubleshooting techniques to boost confidence and efficiency in resolving customer issues. Active Listening Techniques: Develop active listening skills to significantly improve customer satisfaction and ensure customers feel valued and understood. Effective Communication Strategies: Focus on clear messaging and positive language to enhance customer interactions and simplify complex information for better understanding. Empathy in Customer Service: Incorporate empathy training to help staff recognize customer emotions, leading to customized solutions and increased customer loyalty. Company’s Core Values Comprehending a company’s core values is fundamental for effective customer service. These values guide your interactions and decisions, ensuring you align with the brand’s mission and vision. Incorporating core values into customer service training topics improves accountability among staff, reinforcing a consistent approach to customer interactions. For instance, customer service training programs that emphasize these values can boost employee engagement, leading to better performance and higher customer satisfaction scores. Training examples might include role-playing scenarios that focus on real-life situations reflecting core values. By addressing customer care training topics that highlight the importance of trust and loyalty, you’ll learn that 70% of consumers prefer brands with strong values. This focus is significant since a staggering 78% of customers discontinue business because of poor service experiences. In the end, developing customer service skills training around core values promotes a customer-focused culture, crucial for long-term success in customer relationships. Product Training Product training is crucial for equipping you with a solid comprehension of key features and benefits of the products you support. By mastering troubleshooting techniques, you’ll be better prepared to address common customer issues effectively. Regular updates and assessments will help you stay informed and sharp, ensuring you provide accurate and helpful information to improve customer satisfaction. Key Features Overview Grasping key features of your product is essential for delivering exceptional customer service, as it enables you to assist customers with confidence and accuracy. Effective product training improves your comprehension of features and common issues, preparing you for real-world inquiries. Incorporate hands-on training, including simulations and role-playing, into your customer service training programs for employees to boost confidence. Feature Importance Training Method Product Knowledge Accurate assistance Customer service exercises Common Issues Quick response times Role-playing scenarios Customer Profiles Personalized service Case studies Utilizing customer care training ideas and continuous updates keeps your skills sharp, ensuring you provide excellent customer handling skills training. Troubleshooting Techniques Training Effective troubleshooting techniques training is crucial for customer service representatives, as it equips them with systematic methods to identify and resolve customer issues efficiently. This training helps decrease resolution time by up to 30%, enhancing the overall customer experience. Key aspects of this training include: Comprehending common product issues and FAQs Practicing real-time problem diagnosis through role-playing scenarios Utilizing various troubleshooting tools and resources Staying updated on the latest product features and potential issues Active Listening Active listening is a crucial skill in customer service that goes beyond simply hearing words; it involves fully engaging with the speaker to grasp their message and respond appropriately. In your customer service training activities, you’ll learn that effective active listening can greatly improve customer satisfaction. Research shows that it can lead to a 50% increase in satisfaction scores, as customers feel valued and understood. Techniques like summarizing concerns, reflecting emotions, and asking clarifying questions are fundamental components of active listening. Incorporating these into your customer service soft skills training will enhance problem resolution efficiency by up to 30%. This means you’ll diagnose issues more accurately, leading to quicker resolutions. Furthermore, studies indicate that 70% of customers feel more connected to a brand when they believe their concerns are genuinely heard. These insights are important for any customer care training program and should be integral to your customer service discussion topics. Empathy Grasping customers’ feelings and perspectives is vital in customer service, as it cultivates stronger connections and loyalty. Empathy in customer service can considerably boost satisfaction rates and encourage lasting relationships. By incorporating empathy into your training, you can improve your team’s effectiveness. Consider these key points: Empathetic interactions can increase customer satisfaction by up to 70%. Recognizing customer emotions aids in customized problem-solving. Active listening and compassionate responses defuse tense situations. Training exercises, like role-playing, reinforce empathetic responses. These elements are fundamental components of an all-encompassing customer service representative training program. Through interactive customer service training and dedicated customer care skills training, your team can develop the empathy needed to create memorable experiences. In the end, nurturing empathy in customer service not only improves individual interactions but also drives repeat business and boosts overall customer loyalty. Effective Communication Effective communication is crucial in customer service, as it shapes how customers perceive your brand. By mastering clear messaging techniques, employing active listening strategies, and adapting your tone and language, you can greatly improve interactions. Let’s explore these components to make sure you’re equipped to communicate effectively and boost customer satisfaction. Clear Messaging Techniques Clear messaging techniques are vital for effective communication in customer service, as they help you simplify complex concepts, ensuring customers easily grasp the information you provide. By incorporating these techniques into your customer service education, you improve overall interactions and cultivate trust. Here are some key components: Use positive language to shift focus toward solutions Identify customer concerns accurately, showing you value their input Maintain proper grammar and a professional tone in written communication Regularly train to improve your customer service skills Engaging in customer service training courses that emphasize clear messaging techniques will lead to measurable improvements in customer satisfaction. Following a customer care training manual can further guide you in developing these fundamental skills. Active Listening Strategies Even though many aspects of customer service rely on effective communication, active listening stands out as a fundamental skill that can greatly improve the quality of interactions. By fully concentrating on the speaker, you can improve customer satisfaction by up to 40%. Reflecting back what customers say helps clarify misunderstandings and builds trust. It’s vital to avoid interrupting customers, as this can decrease perceived service quality by 70%. Use open-ended questions to encourage them to share more, allowing you to provide customized solutions. At the end of the conversation, summarizing their concerns confirms you’ve accurately understood their issues, showing that their concerns are valued. Incorporating these active listening strategies into your customer service training will greatly improve your client service training efforts. Tone and Language Adaptation Adapting your tone and language to match different customer personalities is crucial for improving communication effectiveness in customer service. Effective tone and language adaptation can greatly improve customer satisfaction and engagement. Consider these key points during your customer care interactions: Use positive language to promote a welcoming atmosphere. Rephrase negative statements to maintain a constructive dialogue. Pay attention to non-verbal cues for better rapport-building. Simplify complex information to avoid customer confusion. Incorporating these strategies in your customer service training modules, customer care training courses, and customer relations training can lead to improved service quality. In the end, mastering tone and language adaptation is a vital component of the best customer service training, resulting in higher first-contact resolution rates and overall customer satisfaction. Problem-Solving Skills Problem-solving skills are vital for customer service representatives, as they directly influence the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. When you effectively utilize these skills, you can reduce the time-to-resolution of help desk tickets by an estimated 20–30%. Engaging in customer service training ideas focused on creative problem-solving techniques will equip you to address complex situations swiftly, enhancing overall customer satisfaction. This is fundamental, as 86% of customers indicate they stop doing business because of poor service experiences. Participating in customer service workshops can help you anticipate customer needs and provide preemptive advice, which encourages loyalty. In addition, continuous development of problem-solving skills leads to higher agent productivity and job satisfaction. Social Media Support In today’s digital environment, nearly 70% of consumers turn to social media for customer service, making it a crucial component of modern support strategies. With social media support, you can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Quick response times are fundamental; 53% of users expect a reply within an hour. Engaging with customers on these platforms cultivates community and brand loyalty, as 78% feel valued when brands respond to their messages. Consider incorporating the following customer service training ideas into your client service training programs: Develop customer skills training focused on social media engagement. Implement customer service activities that simulate real-life social media interactions. Train staff to respond swiftly and professionally to inquiries. Use positive online reviews to boost team morale and reinforce best practices. Excelling in social media customer service can positively impact your brand’s reputation and strengthen customer relationships. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 7 Essentials to Excellent Customer Service? To achieve excellent customer service, focus on seven fundamentals: personalized interactions that cater to customer preferences, strong product knowledge for effective problem resolution, diverse communication channels for convenience, proactive updates about service issues, empathy to build rapport, active listening to understand customer needs, and a commitment to follow-up to guarantee satisfaction. What Are the 5 R’s of Customer Service? The 5 R’s of customer service are Respect, Reliability, Responsiveness, Resourcefulness, and Resolution. Respect means treating customers with dignity as you value their concerns. Reliability guarantees you provide consistent service and accurate information. Responsiveness emphasizes timely replies to inquiries, which improves satisfaction. Resourcefulness encourages you to think creatively to solve problems effectively. Finally, Resolution focuses on addressing customer issues successfully, leading to satisfactory outcomes and enhanced customer relationships. What Are the 7 R’s of Customer Service? The 7 R’s of customer service are crucial for creating a positive customer experience. They include the Right product, which meets customer needs, and the Right price, guaranteeing value. The Right place improves convenience, whereas the Right time addresses timely access. Providing the Right quantity makes certain customers get what they want, and delivering the Right information helps them make informed decisions. Finally, the Right service guarantees consistent and empathetic support, nurturing loyalty. What Are the 4 P’s of Customer Service? The 4 P’s of customer service are Personalization, Competency, Proactivity, and Convenience. Personalization means tailoring interactions to fit individual needs, which boosts customer loyalty. Competency involves having the skills and knowledge to effectively solve customer issues, enhancing efficiency. Proactivity focuses on anticipating customer needs and addressing potential problems before they happen, creating a better relationship. Ultimately, Convenience provides multiple accessible communication channels, ensuring a seamless service process that improves customer retention. Conclusion In conclusion, focusing on these seven crucial topics for customer service training can greatly improve your team’s effectiveness. By instilling core values, ensuring thorough product knowledge, and honing skills in communication, empathy, and problem-solving, you create a strong foundation for exceptional service. Furthermore, incorporating social media support strategies and committing to continuous training keeps your staff adaptable and responsive. Prioritizing these areas not just improves customer satisfaction but likewise promotes a positive company culture that benefits everyone involved. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Essential Topics for Customer Service Training" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

New examples show how AI search tools confidently cite fabricated SEO updates, exposing a growing risk in relying on LLM-generated information. The post The AI Slop Loop appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The Artemis II moon mission was a full success. Its crew of four astronauts splashed down safely on earth last week after traveling further into outer space than any humans before them. Like most Americans, I followed the mission with a sense of wonder and pride that felt out-of-place in 2026–this was actual history being made, and even my blackened heart swelled. But not everyone was excited; some people are not buying this whole "orbiting the moon" thing and are convinced that the mission never happened. Everyone is lying, the images and videos we've seen are bogus, and spaceflight doesn't even make sense. I've spent a lot of time digging into the many conspiracy theories online surrounding Artemis II, and there are two rough categories. The first is people who nitpick video feeds for "evidence" that the mission wasn't genuine. I'll address some of those theories later, but first, I want to talk about the more interesting kind of space-skepticism—the kind that comes from a failure of imagination. Science-based Artemis II conspiracy theoriesScience-based skepticism questions specifics of this mission and space travel itself with a sense of "it couldn't possibly be real." And I get it. The idea that people, just like you and me, strapped themselves onto a rocket and blasted past the damn moon, then returned safely to earth is so awe-inspiring, it can be seem unbelievable. So I got in touch with Joel Meyers, a theoretical cosmologist and professor at Southern Methodist University, to get some science-based, down-to-earth answers about how space flight really works. But let's get this out of the way first: Stephen Johnson: Was the Artemis mission fake? Joel Meyers: Absolutely not. SJ: ...That's the official line. But off the record, just between you and me, it was fake, right? JM: Still no. It was not faked. SJ: Okay, then. "The rocket's trajectory would lead back to Earth."Many online conspiracy theorists have taken issue with Artemis' trajectory. The rocket did not shoot straight into the sky toward the moon. Instead, it looked like it was heading back to earth to land in the Bermuda Triangle: According to Meyers, that's by design. "The biggest challenges are getting out of the atmosphere, and then getting out of the gravitational well of the Earth," he said. "But it doesn't go vertically upward, but rather on a trajectory that puts it marginally in orbit around the Earth." To put Orion in Earth orbit, NASA chose a trajectory where the curve of its fall matches the curve of the Earth, so the craft is essentially always falling towards the planet but missing the ground. To get to the moon, you first orbit Earth, then widen your orbit until the moon is in your way. "Going straight up, on a straight line trajectory from the Earth to the moon, would be extremely challenging. It would use much more energy, and there's no reason to do it." Meyers said. "How could they see anything on the 'dark side' of the moon?" Credit: NASA Many online took issue with the astronauts' stunning photos of the "dark side" of the moon. "If it's dark, how can they take photographs of it?" people asked. This is mainly a problem with the phrase "dark side of the moon," and I blame Pink Floyd for this (and many other things.) "The same side of the moon always faces the Earth, and we refer to the opposite side of the moon as, more technically, the far side of the moon," Meyers said. "When the side of the moon that's facing the Earth is dark, when it's a new moon, that means the other side of the moon, the far side of the moon, is illuminated. From the perspective of where that picture was taken, the sun was just behind the photographer, so it was illuminating the far side of the moon." "That somebody was up there to take a picture, with the far side of the moon illuminated, actually gives stronger evidence that indeed this was not fake," he added. "How could the speed of the ship be slowed down by just a couple of parachutes?"The Artemis' Orion Crew Module returned to Earth at a speed of around 25,000 miles per hour. Then it slowed down to around 20 mph for splashdown with just three dinky parachutes. How is this even possible? According to Meyers, most of the slowing-down doesn't come from the parachutes. "The drag, or passing through the atmosphere, does a significant amount to slow down the vessel," Meyers said, "They passed through miles of atmosphere that burned off much of the speed by the time the parachutes are deployed ... the parachutes are deployed only at a later stage to slow the descent to a degree that's comfortable for humans to land and splash down." Video evidence of Artemis conspiracy theoriesWith the science out of the way, let's take a look at the video footage conspiracies. There are many videos online that pick apart specific details in the footage sent back from the Artemis mission to indicate it didn't happen. But all of them do more to prove the mission was real than to reveal it as fake. "The food bag floats through the astronaut's ear." In the above video, you can see what looks like a food bag "phasing through" an astronaut's ear. "Don't tell me this is a glitch or an artifact," TikToker @knightfallenangel says in the video. I'm sorry, but I am telling him that it is a video artifact: It's compression noise caused by high-definition video being made small enough to be transmitted from space to Earth and then sent to your iPhone. Crystal-clear video would be a better indication of fakery, because it wouldn't have to travel so far under such unusual circumstances. "The green screen is glitching out." The above video supposedly shows the green screen "glitching out" in footage from the mission. The debunk is contained right in the footage here too. First, this is from a single station's broadcast, not the feed from NASA itself. The same interview on other stations contains no glitch. Best explanation for what's happening here: The local station uses some kind of green screen to display its online graphics. Ride, the mission's plushy mascot, wears a hat that is various shades of green and blue. When the footage contains just the right shade of green/blue, the local feed replaces it with the station's graphics. If the source footage was "shot on green screen," you'd see the background in parts of Ride's hat every time the green/blue parts of the toy appeared on the stream. (My own conspiracy theory is that NASA chose Ride's hat color as subtle proof that it's not freakin' green screen.) "Why isn't the iPad floating?" The iPad in this shot really isn't floating, but I'd guess it's kept in place with Velcro, which was specifically designed to keep things from floating away during space missions. It could be magnets too. Also: The photo that often accompanies this footage that seems to show astronauts on wires in a green screen studio is AI-generated. Credit: @soycastro - TikTok You can tell by the extra fingers, plus those black wires would be prominent on any green screen footage shot in this studio. "Christina Cook's hair proves the mission is fake." Some people have noted that astronaut Christina Cook wears her hair loose during the mission. I'm not sure how this is evidence that the videos are faked, but her hair actually proves the footage is genuine. First, there's the way it fans out from her head, because gravity isn't acting on it. Secondly, green screen does not deal well with translucent things like hair, especially with light coming from behind it. What you'd see is "spill," a green fringe around her head. Overall, Cook's hair would be a special effects person's nightmare. The amount of precision CGI it would take to perfectly animate "weightless hair" while also correcting for the spill might be possible to pull off for a few moments (if you had a large team working on it and several million dollars), but there are hours of this footage. If it was green screened, someone would have just told Cook to pull her hair back or wear a hat. "This launch video shows the astronauts exiting the craft on a zipline."NASA chose to launch the Artemis II mission on April 1. Scientists say the date was chosen based on orbital mechanics, mission requirements, and weather and lighting conditions, but what if it was a subtle signal that the whole mission is a big joke? Joke or not, check out this detail from NASA's launch footage: Credit: NASA At issue are those pods. Right before the rocket lifts off, the pods shoot in the other direction, as you can see here: "See? That's the astronauts not going on the rocket ride," some concluded. But if the mission was faked, why would they bring the astronauts into the Orion in the first place? And why would they make their "exit" so obvious? What you're seeing is actually the Artemis Emergency Egress System, an emergency escape mechanism in case of launch pad problems. Science belongs to everyone The AEES is just one aspect of a mission that was exhaustively documented. NASA lays out every detail. There aren't a lot of secrets here, which makes the spread of these weird theories so perplexing. "There's a bit of an in-group mentality to conspiracy theorists. They see themselves as questioning authority and not taking what's fed to them by the 'mainstream media,'" Meyers says. "But I find it a bit confusing as a scientist, because, unlike a lot of other topics for which conspiracy theories develop, there is no sense of authority in the process of science. It's for everyone. The discoveries we make as a human species belong to the whole species." "Hopefully, seeing some of the science, seeing some of the experiments that astronauts can carry out, will help them understand that this really is an amazing human achievement, and we can all take part in that. It's not a matter of us versus them." View the full article

Online business accounting is the use of cloud-based software to manage your financial transactions, allowing you to access and collaborate on your records from anywhere with internet access. This method streamlines bookkeeping, reduces errors, and provides real-time insights into your finances. By enhancing compliance and improving financial management, it plays a vital role in supporting your business’s growth. So, what are the specific benefits and features that make this approach fundamental for your operations? Key Takeaways Online business accounting utilizes cloud-based software for efficient financial transaction management and collaboration from any internet-connected device. It enhances cost efficiency by offering subscription models that scale with business growth and automate tasks like invoicing and expense tracking. Advanced security measures and compliance features protect sensitive data and minimize legal risks associated with financial management. Accurate financial reporting provides real-time insights, enabling informed decision-making and better cash flow management for businesses. Integrated tax compliance features streamline preparation and filing, reducing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties. Understanding Online Business Accounting As you explore online business accounting, you’ll find that it fundamentally transforms how financial transactions and records are managed. Online business accounting involves using cloud-based software to track your finances, allowing you to access records and collaborate from anywhere with an internet connection. A key component often associated with this concept is the QuickBooks definition; it refers to one of the most widely used accounting software solutions that automates crucial tasks like invoicing and expense tracking. This automation markedly reduces manual bookkeeping efforts and the likelihood of errors. 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Here’s a quick overview of these benefits: Benefit Description Impact on Business Real-Time Reports Instant access to financial data Quick decision-making Customizable Insights Customized reports for financial health Timely strategic adjustments Automated Processes Reduced manual bookkeeping More time for business growth Cash Flow Management Improved forecasting of cash flow needs Better planning and stability Enhanced Compliance and Security Maintaining compliance and security in financial management is crucial for any business, especially when sensitive data is involved. Online business accounting offers several features that improve your financial security and compliance with regulations. These benefits include: Advanced encryption methods that protect sensitive financial information from unauthorized access. Regular updates and maintenance protocols to safeguard against potential cybersecurity threats. Compliance with data protection regulations, which mitigates legal risks related to data breaches. User access controls that limit exposure to sensitive information, allowing you to manage who can view or edit financial data. With backup systems in place, you can guarantee financial records are preserved and recoverable in case of system failures or breaches, making online accounting a secure choice for your business. Cost-Effective Financial Management Solutions Cost-effective financial management solutions are crucial for small businesses looking to thrive in a competitive environment. Online accounting services, like eAccounts, eliminate the need for in-house accountants, greatly reducing overhead costs associated with traditional methods. These services often use subscription-based pricing models, allowing you to pay only for the features you actually need, providing flexibility as your business grows. Customized services cater particularly to your financial management needs, ensuring a personalized experience without the high costs of conventional accounting. By utilizing online accounting platforms, you can streamline your financial management processes, saving time and resources that can be redirected for growth. Furthermore, these solutions improve cash flow management and enhance compliance with tax laws, reducing the risk of penalties and ensuring accurate reporting. Embracing these cost-effective options can lead to better financial health and stability for your small business. Time-Saving Automation Features When you utilize online business accounting, you’re tapping into potent time-saving automation features that can transform how you manage your finances. These features streamline various tasks, allowing you to focus on growth rather than paperwork. Automated invoicing: Create and send invoices effortlessly, drastically cutting down your manual workload. Expense tracking: Automatically categorize expenses and sync receipts, saving hours of tedious bookkeeping. Bank reconciliation: Enjoy real-time accuracy with automatic syncing to your bank accounts, eliminating the need for manual entry. 24/7 access: Manage your finances anytime and anywhere from various devices, enhancing flexibility. Importance of Accurate Financial Reporting Accurate financial reporting is crucial for real-time financial monitoring, allowing you to see your business’s performance as it unfolds. With clear data, you can make informed decisions that steer your strategies in the right direction. This precision not only helps manage your cash flow but likewise builds trust with stakeholders by showcasing your financial stability. Real-Time Financial Monitoring In today’s fast-paced business environment, real-time financial monitoring plays a crucial role in ensuring that you have access to the most current financial data, which allows you to make informed decisions quickly. This capability helps you stay agile and responsive to your business needs. Key benefits of real-time financial monitoring include: Timely access to financial reports, enabling quick adjustments to strategies. Customizable reports, like profit and loss statements, for detailed insights into financial health. Identification of trends, allowing you to address potential issues proactively. Enhanced cash flow visibility, helping you predict future cash needs and optimize growth strategies. Informed Decision Making Having access to accurate financial reporting is essential for making informed decisions that drive your business forward. Real-time insights into your business’s performance allow you to rely on current data, avoiding outdated information. Customizable reports, like profit and loss statements and cash flow reports, help you track key financial indicators, enabling timely strategy adjustments to improve financial health. With detailed financial data, you can boost budgeting and forecasting, identifying growth trends and potential challenges. Accurate reporting also improves cash flow management, helping you anticipate shortages and plan for expenses. In addition, real-time insights simplify compliance with tax regulations, making it easier to prepare and file documents as well as reducing the risk of errors and penalties. Ensuring Compliance and Security in Online Accounting As businesses increasingly rely on online accounting services, ensuring compliance and security has become a top priority. To protect sensitive financial information, online accounting platforms implement several key measures: Data Protection Compliance: These services prioritize adherence to data protection regulations, using advanced encryption methods to secure information from unauthorized access. Regular Updates: Ongoing maintenance and updates keep systems secure against threats, safeguarding both business and customer data. User Access Controls: Access is limited to authorized users only, improving data security and compliance efforts. Automated Backups: Backup systems are in place to prevent data loss, ensuring financial records are preserved and recoverable in case of a breach. Additionally, online accounting software helps businesses stay updated with changing tax laws, providing resources to maintain compliance and minimize penalties. Frequently Asked Questions What Is Online Accounting? Online accounting is a cloud-based service that enables you to manage your financial tasks remotely. It automates crucial functions like invoicing and expense tracking, which saves you significant time compared to manual bookkeeping. You can access your financial data anytime, from any internet-connected device, enhancing flexibility. Many platforms operate on a subscription model, allowing you to choose features that suit your needs, ultimately optimizing your financial management and reducing costs over time. What Are the Benefits of Online Business? Online business offers numerous benefits that can greatly improve your operations. It reduces overhead costs, as you only pay for necessary features through subscription-based services. Automation streamlines tasks like invoicing and expense tracking, saving you time. Real-time financial reporting aids in informed decision-making, as improved cash flow management helps you monitor outstanding invoices. Furthermore, online accounting solutions provide scalability and integrate with other tools, adapting to your evolving business needs efficiently. What Is Accounting and Why Is It Important for Businesses? Accounting involves tracking and analyzing financial transactions, which gives you a clear picture of your business’s financial health. It’s important since it guarantees compliance with regulations, helping you avoid penalties. Accurate records allow you to make informed decisions, like identifying profitable areas or adjusting budgets. Furthermore, organized financial data supports effective resource management and promotes transparency, building trust with stakeholders, which is essential for long-term success. Comprehending accounting is critical for any business owner. What Are the 5 Main Reasons Why Accounting Is Important? Accounting is essential for several reasons. First, it provides real-time financial insights, allowing you to make informed decisions. Second, it guarantees compliance with tax regulations, reducing the risk of penalties. Third, effective bookkeeping helps identify profitable products, directing your efforts wisely. Fourth, organized records simplify audits and tax filings. Finally, automated solutions save you time on manual tasks, letting you focus on growth and strategic planning instead of getting lost in financial details. Conclusion In conclusion, online business accounting is an important tool for modern enterprises. It streamlines financial management, improves accuracy in reporting, and guarantees compliance with regulatory requirements. By leveraging cloud-based software, you gain real-time insights into your financial health, which supports informed decision-making. Furthermore, the cost-effective and time-saving features of these solutions can greatly contribute to your business’s growth and stability. Embracing online accounting is not just beneficial; it’s vital for traversing today’s dynamic market. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is Online Business Accounting and Why Is It Essential?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday began layoffs expected to lead to 1,000 job cuts across the company. Josh D’Amaro, who in February succeeded Bob Iger as chief executive, announced broader layoffs following a move in January to consolidate Disney’s marketing division. The cuts are expected to fall across the Burbank, California-based company’s traditional television businesses, including ESPN, as well as its movie studio. Employees in product and technology, and in certain corporate functions will also be affected. “Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” D’Amaro said in a memo to employees obtained by The Associated Press. “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.” Disney last went through a round of layoffs soon after Iger returned for a second spell as chief executive office in 2022. The company cut around 8,000 jobs then. As of late 2025, Disney had about 230,000 employees. D’Amaro, who previously oversaw Disney’s lucrative parks division, has been at the company since 1998. Contraction has recently been a widespread concern in Hollywood. Paramount Skydance has shed 2,000 jobs since the studio was taken over by David Ellison’s company, and Ellison has acknowledged layoffs would follow Paramount’s planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, if the deal wins approval from shareholders and government regulators. Last week, Sony Pictures Entertainment said it would eliminate hundreds of jobs. —Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer View the full article

Flipping the ‘BirdView the full article

Google replaces Dynamic Search Ads with AI Max. Learn what’s changing, when migrations begin, and what advertisers should do before September upgrades. The post Google Is Replacing Dynamic Search Ads With AI Max appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Robot vacuums have moved from basic helpers to something closer to hands-off cleaning, but the price usually climbs with that convenience. The Roborock Qrevo QV 35A brings a lot of those higher-end features down to $399.99 (originally $649.99), its lowest tracked price so far, according to price trackers. Roborock Qrevo QV 35A $399.99 at Amazon $649.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Get Deal $399.99 at Amazon $649.99 Save $250.00 The QV 35A is a vacuum-and-mop combo with a dock that handles most of the routine work for you. That includes emptying the dustbin, washing the mop pads, refilling water, and drying the pads after a run—you’ll still need to empty the dirty water tank and swap the dust bag every so often, but the day-to-day effort is low. That said, the dock uses cold water to wash pads and room-temperature air to dry them, which takes several hours and requires occasional cleaning to avoid buildup. The device cleans well for something in this range. The 8,000Pa suction picks up crumbs, dust, and pet hair from hard floors in one pass, and on low carpets, it handles surface debris without much trouble (though deeper cleaning usually needs a second run). Its rubber main brush and curved side brush help keep hair from wrapping around, reducing hair tangles (which is good news if you deal with shedding pets). On the mopping side, the dual pads spin at 200 RPM and press down enough to lift dried spills like coffee or sticky spots instead of pushing them around—and when it moves onto carpet, the pads lift by about 10mm, so it does not drag moisture onto rugs during a cleaning cycle. Navigation is handled by a LiDAR system that maps your home and cleans in a predictable pattern, usually starting along the edges and then moving in straight lines. You can split rooms, set no-go zones, and build routines in the app without much effort, and it supports multi-floor maps if you have more than one level. On the downside, there's no camera here, which keeps things simple and avoids image-based tracking, but it also means the robot is less precise with smaller or low-profile objects—it avoids larger items like shoes or toys without much trouble, but thin cables can still trip it up, so you will need to tidy those before a run. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Google is retiring legacy Search automation tools, including Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), in favor of AI Max, its broader AI-powered campaign suite. This will affect you if you use DSA, automatically created assets (ACA), or campaign-level broad match settings. Driving the news. AI Max for Search campaigns is exiting beta after adoption by “hundreds of thousands” of advertisers globally, Google said. Starting in September, eligible campaigns using DSA, ACA, or campaign-level broad match will be automatically migrated to AI Max. Google will stop allowing advertisers to create new DSA campaigns through Google Ads, Ads Editor, and the Ads API once automatic upgrades begin. The company expects all eligible migrations to be completed by the end of September. Why we care. These tools are being phased out, whether you act or not. Moving early to AI Max gives you more control over targeting, creative, and landing page settings before automatic upgrades begin. It also offers potential performance gains, with Google reporting an average 7% lift in conversions or conversion value at similar efficiency. What Google says. AI Max delivers “an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS for non-retail” when you use its full feature set — including search term matching, text customization, and final URL expansion — compared with search term matching alone. Catch up quick. DSA has long helped advertisers capture additional traffic beyond keyword-based campaigns by dynamically generating headlines and directing users to relevant landing pages. But Google says consumer search behavior is becoming more complex and less predictable. AI Max is designed to go beyond website landing page signals by using broader real-time intent data. How AI Max works: Uses advertiser inputs, such as website content and existing ads. Expands reach to additional relevant search queries. Dynamically customizes ad copy and landing page destinations. Adds more controls for advertisers, including brand, location, and text guidance settings. What you should do now. Google is urging advertisers to upgrade before September to keep more control over setup and avoid disruption. Phase 1: Voluntary upgrades (starting now) DSA users: Google is rolling out upgrade tools this week to help move campaign history, settings, and data into standard ad groups. ACA and broad match users: Advertisers will see in-platform prompts to switch to AI Max. Phase 2: Automatic upgrades (starting September) For advertisers who don’t switch manually: DSA campaigns will convert dynamic ad groups into standard ad groups, with legacy settings and URL controls preserved. ACA campaigns will move to AI Max with search term matching and text customization turned on by default. Broad match setting campaigns will move with search term matching enabled by default. Bottom line. Google is making AI Max the default path for Search automation, signaling a broader shift away from manual campaign management toward AI-led optimization. If you migrate early, you’ll have more time to test settings and fine-tune performance before the forced switch. View the full article

Yesterday was World Quantum Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the physics that powers the quantum computers of tomorrow. But awareness of quantum technology wasn’t the only thing that was rising. So, too, were the stock prices of America’s four major quantum computing companies: D-Wave, IonQ, Rigetti, and Quantum Computing Inc. And today, the stock prices of those four companies are even higher. Here’s why. Quantum computing stocks soar If you’re an investor in any of the so-called Quantum Four quantum computing companies, yesterday was a good day. All four major American quantum computing companies saw double-digit gains yesterday, including: D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS): up 15.8% to $16.97 IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ): up 20.1% to $35.76 Quantum Computing Inc. (Nasdaq: QUBT): up 11.5% to $8.11 Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI): up 11.5% to $16.87 Those are significant one-day gains. But they haven’t stopped there. As of the time of this writing, in premarket trading today, all four quantum stocks are on the rise yet again. Currently, D-Wave is up another 8%, IonQ is up another 4.6%, Quantum Computing Inc. is up another 3.7%, and Rigetti is up another 5%. But the question is: Why? IonQ and D-Wave lift quantum computing stocks While it may be tempting to believe that interest in World Quantum Day had something to do with the surge in quantum computing stock prices, that likely wasn’t the main driver (though some retail investors may have gotten curious about quantum computing due to World Quantum Day and decided to buy in). Out of the Quantum Four, the two biggest gainers yesterday were IonQ, up over 20%, and D-Wave, up almost 16%. And both of these companies made significant announcements, spurring their stock prices higher. What did IonQ announce? Yesterday, IonQ announced it had made a “foundational technical milestone” for the industry. The company says that it photonically interconnected “two independent trapped-ion quantum systems”—in other words, it linked two remote quantum computers together. Right now, quantum computers, while powerful, operate independently. But if quantum technology is to usurp classical computers, quantum ones will ultimately need to be networkable, allowing them to interface with one another and share data across an interconnected grid. Additionally, IonQ also announced that it secured a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) based on its networking advancements, so it’s no wonder that it got investors excited. What did D-Wave announce? As for D-Wave, the company’s CEO spent World Quantum Day espousing the benefits of quantum computing, especially how it compares to the current AI wave taking over the tech industry, which Nvidia has mainly benefited from. As reported by Yahoo Finance, while speaking at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C., this week, D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz said, “If I was Nvidia, I’d be shaking in my boots,” regarding the capabilities of quantum computing. The reason Baratz says Nvidia should be shaking is that its GPUs, which power AI processes, require a lot of power to run on compared to quantum computers. And Nvidia’s GPUs are only capable of running classical computations, not quantum ones. Baratz pointed out that D-Wave’s “quantum computer takes about ten kilowatts of power to run,” which is about the same amount that five or ten AI GPUs currently require. But a quantum computer can also process tasks in minutes that it would take classical computers millions of years to do. In other words, if quantum computers will be able to carry out tasks in minutes using a minute fraction of the time it takes classical GPUs to do so, that will enable companies to drastically cut their energy consumption bills—which will serve as a massive incentive to switch from running their compute tasks on classical GPUs to quantum computers. The news around IonQ and D-Wave seems to have had a predictable effect on Quantum Four stocks. Often, good news from one company will cause investors to buy into all four, seeing the news as a signal that quantum technology is advancing, and so any company operating in the space is worth looking at again. Quantum computing stocks have had a rough 2026 Despite all four quantum stocks seeing massive gains yesterday, the Quantum Four have had a rough 2026. As of yesterday’s close, all four companies were still in the red for the year, with D-Wave down 35% year-to-date, IonQ down 20%, Rigetti down 23%, and Quantum Computing Inc. down almost 21%. As Fast Company previously reported, while 2025 was a great year for the stock prices of the Quantum Four, 2026 saw investors sour on the four companies. Part of this was due to fears that while quantum computing is a promising technology, real-world widespread use is still likely a decade or more away—which means significant profits are still years off. But the Quantum Four also saw their stock prices plummet due to factors outside their control—as did the stock prices of most other tech companies. These factors included fears that an AI bubble could drag the tech sector down, that inflationary pressures could further hurt consumer confidence, and that geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in Gaza could further send the world into turmoil (and this was before America’s war on Iran even happened). So while investors may be cheering quantum stocks again today, recent history shows that investor sentiment can quickly sour, and not even a quantum computer could confidently predict how quantum stocks will be performing when World Quantum Day rolls around next year. View the full article

Replace optional SEO guidelines with enforceable governance to ensure consistent signals and scalable visibility across the enterprise. The post The Modern SEO Center Of Excellence: Governance, Not Guidelines appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has been expensive since its launch in July 2025, but this current price drop makes it a more reasonable buy. Right now, the 512GB unlocked model in Blue Shadow and Silver Shadow is down to $1,719.99 (originally $2,119.99) on Amazon—a $400 discount, and the lowest price it’s ever been, according to price trackers. You could also go with the Jet Black model, which is another $30 off at $1,689.99. At these prices, the 512GB model is just $120 more than the 256GB variant, effectively doubling your storage for a relatively small bump. If you tend to hold onto your phone for a few years or store a lot of photos, videos, or apps, that extra space is easier to justify. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Unlocked Android smartphone (512GB, Blue Shadow) $1,719.99 at Amazon $2,119.99 Save $400.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,719.99 at Amazon $2,119.99 Save $400.00 What you’re paying for, beyond storage, is a device that feels distinct in a crowded smartphone market. Open it up, and the Z Fold 7 turns into a tablet-like screen that’s better suited for split-screen multitasking, reading, or watching videos without the letterboxing you’d see on a typical phone. Folded shut, it works like a large, conventional handset for quick tasks like replying to messages or navigating maps. Samsung has also refined the hinge this year, making it slimmer and more stable, which helps the phone feel less bulky and better balanced in everyday use. Camera performance holds up across lighting conditions, and video calls look crisp enough for work or casual use. If the book-style foldable doesn’t appeal to you, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is also discounted right now. The 512GB version is selling for $1,019—less than the original $1,099.99 launch price of the 256GB model—while the 256GB option is down to $899.99. The same logic applies here: When the higher storage tier is priced so close to the base model, it’s often the better long-term choice. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $299.00 (List Price $399.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $35.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $59.98 (List Price $79.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Google has posted that it may now use your search spam reports for manual actions and that the text used in those spam reports may be sent along “verbatim” to the site owner being reported. What Google said. Google wrote it has “Clarified that Google may use spam report submissions to take manual action against violations.” The new text says: “Ranking manipulation techniques that attempt to compromise the quality of Google’s search results violate our spam policies and can negatively impact a site’s ranking. Google may use your report to take manual action against violations. If we issue a manual action, we send whatever you write in the submission report verbatim to the site owner to help them understand the context of the manual action. We don’t include any other identifying information when we notify the site owner; as long as you avoid including personal information in the open text field, the report remains anonymous.” Spam reports used for manual actions. Google seemed to make it sound like this is just a clarification and that Google may use the spam reports for manual actions. This seems like a change to its previous communication that Google does not use spam reports for manual actions. So this seems like more than a clarification to me. Your spam report text sent along. Google also said it can and may likely sent the text you put in the spam report and pass it directly to the site owner. Google wrote, “send whatever you write in the submission report verbatim to the site owner to help them understand the context of the manual action. We don’t include any other identifying information when we notify the site owner; as long as you avoid including personal information in the open text field, the report remains anonymous.” Google warns you not to include any personal information or other infomration you do not want that site owner to know or have. Why we care. This does seem like a big change to how Google handles spam reports from previous years. If you do submit spam reports, you should be aware of these changes and adjust any reports as you see fit going forward. View the full article

Results from two remaining big investment banks cap earnings season marked by gains from Wall Street tradersView the full article

Macy’s Inc is moving forward with additional store closures in 2026. According the retailer’s website, 14 stores are closing soon nationwide, with shoppers losing their local Macy’s in 12 states. The development is hardly surprising. In February 2024, Macy’s announced it would shutter 150 “underproductive locations” by the end of 2026, although it has since extended that timeline. The company announced the closures as part of “A Bold New Chapter” that will do three things: strengthen the Macy’s name plate, accelerate luxury growth, and simplify and modernize end-to-end operations. Macy’s also owns Bloomingdale’s, a higher-end department store than its namesake. At the time, Bloomingdale’s was outperforming Macy’s. “We are making the necessary moves to reinvigorate relationships with our customers through improved shopping experiences, relevant assortments and compelling value.” Macy’s CEO Tony Spring said at the time. In January 2025, Macy’s announced 66 stores set to close that year. Now, more locations are joining them. Which Macy’s stores are closing? Fourteen Macy’s stores nationwide are “closing soon” or have recently closed. The closures include two locations in both California and New Jersey, with the rest scattered across states like Georgia, Minnesota, and Texas. Four stores are already reported closed in California, Michigan, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. The timeline for additional closures was not immediately clear. Fast Company has reached out to Macy’s for comment and will update this post if we hear back. The stores closing are as follows: California Grossmont Center: 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942 (already closed) West Valley Mall: 3200 Naglee Rd, Tracy, CA 95304 Georgia Northlake Mall: 4880 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30345 Maryland Marley Station: 7900 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Michigan Rivertown Crossings: 3850 Rivertown Parkway SW, Grandville, MI 49418 (already closed) Minnesota Crossroads Center: 4101 West Division Street, St Cloud, MN 56301 New Hampshire Fox Run: 50 Fox Run Road, Newington, NH 03801 (already closed) New Jersey Livingston Mall: 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston, NJ 07039 Interstate Shopping Center: 225 Interstate Shopping Center, Ramsey, NJ 07446 (already closed) New York Boulevard Mall: 1255 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Amherst, NY 14226 North Carolina Triangle Town Center: 3801 Sumner Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27616 Pennsylvania Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills: 100 Pittsburgh Mills Cir, Tarentum, PA 15084 Texas La Palmera Mall: 5488 S Padre Island Dr Ste 5000. Corpus Christi, TX 78411 Washington Parkway Super Center: 17855 Southcenter Pkwy, Tukwila, WA 98188 View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For some reason, I have painted a lot of stairs in my time. Exterior, interior—I’ve painted more stairs than I ever imagined I would. But sometimes, painting stairs is the easiest way to transform them. When my wife and I moved into our house, the stairs were covered in this truly awful green carpet. We tore that up almost immediately, and I figured I’d just paint the stairs as a short-term solution. But we wound up actually liking the paint, and just left it there. It’s getting a little worn, though, so it’s time to refresh the paint job, and we thought it was a good idea to change things up by painting the risers a lighter color, for contrast (we’re fancy like that). This gave me the chance to use one of my favorite little painting hacks: A wall edging pad on stair risers. I forget who showed this to me, but it makes the whole process a lot faster. In the past, painting something like stairs with all those angles and corners would mean a metric ton of painter’s tape and a stiff wrist from using a cut brush. (I’m pretty good with a cut brush these days and skip a lot of taping, but stairs still present a challenge.) But using a wall edging pad means I can skip all the tape and save my wrist a lot of strain. Everything you need to paint stairs Shur-Line 2006649 7-Inch Premium Pad Painter $20.59 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $20.59 at Amazon Shur-Line 2006645 7-Inch Premium Pad Painter Refill $13.49 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $13.49 at Amazon DAP Alex Ultra Advanced Latex Sealant, White, 10.1 Oz (7079818200) $7.98 at Amazon $9.46 Save $1.48 Shop Now Shop Now $7.98 at Amazon $9.46 Save $1.48 FrogTape Advanced Painters Tape, 2 Inch Wide (1.88-Inch x 45-Yard) Multi-Surface Tape with PAINTBLOCK, Conforms Around Curves & Contours, Tear-Free Removability, 1 Roll, Green $10.98 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $10.98 at Amazon Purdy Clearcut Glide Paint Brush, 2-1/2 in. 144152125 $14.98 at Amazon $16.25 Save $1.27 Shop Now Shop Now $14.98 at Amazon $16.25 Save $1.27 RUST-OLEUM 1 qt Zinsser 271009 White Zinsser, B-I-N Advanced Synthetic Shellac Primer Pack of 1 $24.80 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $24.80 at Amazon Bates- 9 Inch Paint Tray, 3 Pack, Black Plastic Paint Roller Tray 9 Inch, Deep Capacity, Textured Ridge $15.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $15.99 at Amazon SEE 4 MORE You can see here what the stairs looked like before I began—obviously, they needed a little attention. Before. Credit: Jeff Somers I gathered my supplies: I bought this pad painter from Shur-Line. The 7-inch size is about right for stair risers, and it features a swivel pad holder that locks into the angle you need. I picked up a refill pad, too, just in case. A tube of painter’s caulk so I could fill in any gaps that have opened up over the years. Some painter’s tape, just to be safe—even the best painting trick sometimes runs into trouble. Some cut brushes for the same reason—these are old stairs that haven’t seen a 90° angle in years, so I anticipated some spots where a brush might be necessary. Primer and a paint tray—the actual paint color will match the walls. Equipped with everything, I got to work. How to paint your stair risers with an edging padI didn’t bother taping off the treads—I just filled the pan with primer and grabbed the pad. The black button in the middle locks the pad at whatever angle you need; it’s easy to press it with your thumb to adjust on the fly. You can slide the pad out (and a new one in) by pressing the lock tab in the middle. Then you dip the pad into the paint/primer and press it out a bit to get rid of excess paint: Loading up the paint pad. Credit: Jeff Somers When the pad isn’t dripping, and you’ve got it loaded with a manageable amount of paint that you can control, just place it against the stair riser and move it horizontally: Painting the riser with the paint pad. Credit: Jeff Somers Since the pad is rectangular, it produces a straight, sharp line without taping or cutting, and it doesn’t have as many lines as a brush. And since it’s flat and designed to be used as an edger (and painting stair risers is essentially just working all edges), you can get right to the edge, which you can’t do when using a roller. Sometimes it’s useful to slide the pad out of the holder and use it manually, because the pad is more flexible and bendy, so you can have a little more control in tight corners. It takes a bit of practice to get it right, but once you have the hang of it, you can breeze through those risers very quickly. If you want to cut down your prep and painting time on stairs, using an edger pad like this is the way. Here's my final product: After! Credit: Jeff Somers The stairs are old and don't have any straight lines left, but the risers turned out pretty neat—all without taping. I probably saved myself about an hour of work painting these stairs this way. View the full article

Padel has taken the sports world by storm. In a smaller but growing circle, it’s also become a way to date. Much of that runs through Playtomic, a booking app for racquet sports where players join “open matches” with strangers, chat through the app, and meet people they wouldn’t otherwise encounter. For some, those connections carry off the court. “People are meeting each other on the court . . . [and then] grabbing a beer or coffee from the grounds,” says Pro Padel League CEO Michael Dorfman. That kind of interaction is exactly what the app Playtomic is designed to facilitate, and increasingly, to scale. In 2017, co-founder Pablo Carro set out to solve a basic problem: booking a court. “ We didn’t find any user-friendly app[s] that was convenient for making a reservation for court bookings,” he says. “It all started with that very basic necessity because we were not able to find a court or someone to play with.” At the time, padel itself was still emerging globally, having originated in the late 1960s in Acapulco, Mexico, and later gaining traction in Spain. But that timing turned out to be an advantage. Instead of retrofitting old systems, Playtomic grew alongside a new sport. “ The thing is that padel is a new sport,” says Carro. “So it’s a new club, it’s a new business, and every single new business [is] considering the tech side.” Rather than digitizing a legacy ecosystem like tennis, the company positioned itself as infrastructure for a category being built in real time. It developed a two-sided marketplace connecting clubs and players, handling everything from bookings and payments to matchmaking. That last piece, matchmaking, is what sets it apart. “ Open matches are the perfect example of how socially adapted and how community driven we are,” says Carro. Users are assigned a “Playtomic rating,” starting with a questionnaire that places them between Level 0 and 7. That baseline evolves based on match performance, helping pair players of similar skill. Around that system, the app layers in social features: profiles, chat, match uploads, even photo sharing. The result is less a scheduling tool than a lightweight social network organized around play. It’s also one that reflects how people actually use the sport. Padel’s structure naturally lends itself to interaction. “Because of the dynamic of play . . . the velocity . . . there are four people in a kind of small place, [and] it’s easy to learn, the real driving force of the sport was the social aspect,” says Carro. And while Playtomic didn’t create that dynamic, the company did turn it into a product. Today, Playtomic operates across 66 countries, partnering with more than 6,700 clubs and serving 4 million registered users. Its 2025 Global Padel report found that 3,282 new clubs opened worldwide in 2024, averaging nearly nine per day. That growth has given Playtomic a front-row seat to how communities form around the sport. “ The most surprising thing is the fact that countries that we did not expect that social appetite were behaving extremely social like the UK,” says Carro. “If you think about [the] south of Europe, you will tend to think that people are friendly, social, [and] community driven. But if you think about the UK . . . We didn’t expect [that] level of social appetite.” (To his point: More than 20% of bookings in the UK are open matches.) User behavior also evolves over time. Early on, players tend to book classes or structured events. As they improve, they shift toward open matches, using the app less as a scheduler and more as a network. That progression helps explain why the platform has become central to how people experience padel, including off the court. Daniel Dios, padel director at WME, met his wife while playing in Sweden. “We started playing little by little,” he says. “Then, we got to know each other.” Even more infrequent players describe the same pull. “I don’t have much time to play. But, I like to play when I’m here in Miami or [on] vacation. I like to play a little bit with friends. It’s a fun game,” says Brazilian tennis star João Fonseca. As Playtomic expands, it is now trying to replicate those dynamics in newer markets, particularly the U.S. “The sport has been growing between 20% to 25% annually, which means that its numbers multiply by two every four or five years,” says Dios. “So we are seeing this evolution of the sport, especially now of course in the U.S. being adopted so quickly.” In 2025, more than 10,000 open matches were played in the U.S., according to the company. That growth is starting to attract brands as well. Through WME, companies are beginning to treat padel clubs as a new kind of consumer touchpoint. “ This is ultimately the place . . . where consumers connect and where brands want to be present,” Dios says. Carro has relocated to Miami to watch the shift up close. “It is close to becom[ing] the most important city in the world,” he says. “Every single headquarter is moving here. Every single tech entrepreneur is moving here. Miami is extremely vibrant these days . . . I started to see a clear trend, and every single club has more American people playing every day.” View the full article

Roll the clock back five, 10, or 15 years, and a PPC practitioner’s value was directly tied to tactical proficiency. Not anymore. Today, Google and Microsoft automate much of the tactical work. Machine learning and AI manage bids, test creatives, and find audiences faster and more efficiently than any human could. Unfortunately, this reality has left many veteran practitioners in a mid-career identity crisis. If algorithms pull the levers, what exactly are we getting paid to do? Where is our sustainable value to the business? Here’s what that evolution looks like in practice and how the hard skills in your playbook have changed. PPC shifted from tactical execution to designing systems I’ve been in the paid search trenches for 24 years — long enough to witness the wild west of early Overture, the rise of Google AdWords, the shift to mobile, and now, the total “algorizing” of the ad platforms. It used to be that if you could diligently research thousands of new keywords, methodically change bids, split-test ad copy until your eyes bled, and sculpt the perfect exact-match account structure, you were a lean, mean PPC advertising machine. If your toolbox is still mostly tactical execution, you’re positioning yourself as a backroom lever-puller, and your days in this industry are numbered. Today’s most valuable practitioners aren’t media buyers. They’ve made the leap to become true engineers of revenue and profit. An engineer doesn’t blindly pull levers. They design systems. Our sustainable value is in programming the coordinates and telling the machine where to go. If you want to be a revenue and profit engineer, you must: Be an expert at data analysis and signaling. Possess deep business acumen to understand how the company or your client makes money. Cultivate your executive presence to explain your strategy confidently to the C-suite. That intersection is your career golden ticket. The next four steps will help you achieve just that. Dig deeper: 10 keys to a successful PPC career in the AI age Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with 1. Map the account directly to the P&L If you sit in an interview, client pitch, or meeting with your boss and say, “I’m going to reexamine your metrics,” you sound like every other media buyer. They’ll politely nod and move on. But if you say, “I’m going to map your paid search program directly into your profit and loss statement so every dollar we spend is engineered for maximum margin,” you instantly become the most valuable person in the room. You’re no longer selling clicks. You’re selling an unfair business advantage. Most PPC accounts are structured around a website’s navigation — a campaign for shoes, a campaign for shirts, etc. While not inherently wrong, this approach reflects limited thinking. You build a more nuanced, precise account structure that aligns directly with what drives the P&L, moves inventory, or generates high-value leads. How to execute this While every business is unique, the process to get there follows a universal framework. The margin interrogation: Sit down with your client or your finance team and work to learn the profit margins on their core offerings. You will often find that the product driving the most volume has the tightest margin, while an obscure, niche service has massive profitability. The architecture shift: Restructure your campaigns by margin tier and business value, not just product category. You should have completely different target ROAS (tROAS) or target CPA (tCPA) goals based on what the business can afford to spend to acquire that specific customer type. If you treat a low-margin conversion the same as a high-margin conversion in your account architecture, you’re risking revenue and profit leak — no matter how pretty your in-platform metrics look. Separate the engine room from the boardroom Once mapped, you must segregate your metrics. In the “engine room” (your daily platform optimizations), you still look at click-through rates (CTR) and cost per click (CPC). They are vital leading indicators used to steer the ship. But in the “boardroom” (leadership reporting), you never lead with them. Your conversation is strictly about the engineered outcome: “We shifted budget into the high-margin tier and successfully protected our $150 CPA target, ensuring our overall profitability remained stable.” Dig deeper: Why PPC teams are becoming data teams 2. Master the art and science of signal engineering This is the most critical hard skill for the modern paid search profit engineer. Algorithms are hungry, but they inherently lack intelligence and the ability to reason. They only know what you tell them. In our brave new world of automated bidding, properly “feeding the machine” is what separates the experts from the obsolete. If you only feed Google Ads data about who filled out a form, the machine will go find you more people who like to fill out forms — even if those people are terrible leads who never actually convert. A massive part of your job today is understanding and analyzing first-party backend data and strategically feeding it back to the machine to get the best results. You’re no longer optimizing the bid. You’re optimizing the signal. How to execute this You have to move past basic pixel tracking. You must implement robust offline conversion tracking (OCT) or direct CRM integrations (like HubSpot or Salesforce into Google Ads). If you’re managing larger, more complex programs, leveraging enterprise tools like Search Ads 360 (SA360) or similar platforms is a massive advantage for signal engineering. These tools allow you to seamlessly ingest, weight, and share these critical business signals across multiple search engines from a single centralized hub. For lead generation Stop optimizing for a generic lead. Map your client’s sales stages directly into the ad platform. Assign specific monetary values to each stage based on historical close rates. For example, tell the algorithm a raw lead is worth $10, a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) is worth $50, and a closed/won deal is worth $500. Then switch your bidding strategy from Maximize Conversions to value-based bidding (Target ROAS). You’re programming the AI to pursue lead quality and pipeline revenue, not just form-fill volume. For ecommerce Ecommerce is a distinct beast with its own complexities. Tracking top-line revenue to hit a basic ROAS target is table stakes. To truly engineer profit, you must manipulate signals around inventory, margins, and lifetime value: Feed engineering: The modern ecommerce practitioner doesn’t just upload a product feed; they strategically engineer it. Use Custom Labels to segment products by business reality — such as inventory velocity (overstocked vs. low inventory) or historical return rates. If a specific apparel item has a 40% return rate, pushing it heavily destroys backend profitability, even if the in-platform ROAS looks incredible. Profit margin bidding: Don’t just track gross revenue. Use custom conversion variables (or cart data integration) to pass profit margin data back into the ad platform. When the algorithm understands the difference between a $100 sale with a 10% margin and a $100 sale with a 90% margin, it fundamentally changes how it bids in the auction. New customer acquisition (NCA): Algorithms gravitate toward the path of least resistance, which often means taking credit for returning brand loyalists. You must integrate your first party customer lists to differentiate a net-new buyer from a repeat buyer, allowing you to bid aggressively for market share on the former while protecting margins on the latter. Dig deeper: Why better signals drive paid search performance Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. Debug the post-click pipeline Because ad platforms are largely automated, your biggest performance bottlenecks rarely sit inside ad accounts. Your revenue and profit leaks happen after the click. True profit engineers don’t just throw traffic over the fence and hope for the best; they take responsibility for the entire user journey. If your campaigns drive highly qualified traffic but the backend system is suboptimal, the business still loses money. You have to debug the pipeline. How to execute this Make it a quarterly habit to mystery-shop your client’s business and tear down the post-click experience. Stress-test the sales handoff (lead gen): Submit a test lead through the website. How long does it take the sales team to call you back? If it takes 48 hours, it doesn’t matter how finely tuned your value-based bidding is — the sales team is letting those expensive leads go cold. You need the data to show the CEO that the leak isn’t the traffic; it’s the speed-to-lead. Audit the checkout flow (ecommerce): Go through the process of buying a product from your client’s site. Is checkout a clunky, five-step ordeal? Do unexpected shipping costs appear at the end? If your drop-off from add-to-cart to purchase is massive, your ROAS isn’t suffering from a bad keyword match type. It’s suffering from UX friction. Listen to the tape: Ask the client or the call center for call recordings of leads generated specifically by paid search. Are the leads complaining about pricing? Are they confused about the specific service offered? When you walk into a boardroom and say, “I listened to 15 sales calls this week, and your team is struggling to overcome pricing objections, so I’ve updated our ad copy to explicitly pre-qualify users on price,” you instantly elevate yourself from a disposable media buyer to an indispensable business partner. Dig deeper: How to diagnose and fix the biggest blocker to PPC growth 4. Cultivate executive presence You can be the most brilliant revenue engineer in the world, properly weighting every CRM signal into the algorithm, but if you can’t communicate that strategy like a true business partner, the rest doesn’t matter. You’re in a never-ending battle of misconceptions about what PPC is and what the expectations are. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard from clients or in-house bosses things like: “Why aren’t we in Position 1?” or “If we increase spend by X, then we’ll get Y more leads.” How you handle that battle dictates your career trajectory. How to execute this Executive presence means you don’t flinch when a CEO challenges your spend in a boardroom. You don’t get defensive, you don’t blame the algorithm, and you never dive into a nervous rant about impression share. You calmly control the room by anchoring your response in the business’s goals: “We deliberately pulled back spend on the low-margin product line to fund the enterprise push you mentioned in last month’s all-hands meeting. Top-line lead volume is down by 10%, but because we engineered our data signals to target MQLs, our projected pipeline revenue is actually up 14%.” Adopt the “So what?” reporting model. For every metric you present, ask yourself, “So what?” and answer it before they have to. Speak the language of the boardroom: pipeline velocity, profit margin, customer acquisition cost, and lifetime value. Dig deeper: How to deliver PPC results to executives: Get out of the weeds See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with Sweating the small stuff (the right way) Years ago, I wrote that you need to “sweat the small stuff” — meaning you need to know every detail of your account. That principle remains exactly the same today, but the definition of the small stuff has changed. Today, sweating the small stuff doesn’t mean manually adjusting a bid by three cents. It means: Obsessing over data hygiene. Understanding exactly how your client’s CRM tags a lead so your signal engineering doesn’t break. Having the guts to tell your boss bad news — like their backend sales process is broken, and no amount of algorithmic bidding will fix it until they do. The machines have taken many repetitive tasks off our plates. Good riddance. Today, you have the freedom — and the obligation — to step into the role of a revenue and profit engineer. Master your data signals, stop playing in the weeds, start engineering the P&L, and watch your career take off. Dig deeper: What 10 years of PPC testing reveals about breaking best practices View the full article

Google has posted a clarification that says it now "Google may use spam report submissions to take manual action against violations." The update was posted here and added to the report spam page.View the full article