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Google is expanding beta access to text guidelines for all advertisers globally in AI Max, giving brands more control over how AI-generated ad copy aligns with their standards. What’s happening. Text guidelines are now available worldwide across AI Max for Search and Performance Max campaigns, with full language and vertical support. The feature lets you shape AI-generated creative using natural-language instructions — such as excluding certain terms or avoiding specific phrases — to ensure messaging stays on-brand. Why we care. As AI-powered creative becomes central to your performance marketing, brand safety and tone control are top concerns. Text customization helps you match ads to user intent, and the new guidelines layer ensures they don’t drift from your brand positioning. You can guide AI with guardrails like “don’t imply our products are cheap” or “avoid language like ‘only for,’” helping you maintain consistency at scale. Early adopters like BYD have seen higher leads at lower costs, showing that combining AI speed with human-guided safeguards can directly improve your campaign results. Bottom line. Keeping AI-generated ads aligned with your brand voice is likely high on your task list, so Google’s expanded text guidelines meet that need, giving you practical, easy-to-use tools to stay in control while leveraging AI at scale. View the full article

Data shows sharp rise in Americans applying, but overall number of people granted British citizenship fell last yearView the full article

While originators are not the primary focus of the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act going into effect on March 5, the way they do business is going to change. View the full article

Communicating on group chats has quickly become a way of life, but what are the rules? We used to use email, the phone or talk in person. Now we use platforms like iMessage, WhatsApp or Slack to coordinate a night out with friends, a kids’ birthday party, a work project or even to discuss sensitive military information — as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did by sharing details of airstrikes in a Signal chat. But while group chats have exploded in popularity because of their informality, that also creates its own challenges: discussions can veer off topic, repetitive or basic questions can irritate group members, and that viral meme you think is funny could also offend. The principles of digital etiquette remain the same as other kinds of etiquette, but they are also “context specific and many of the rules are implicit rather than explicit,” said Rupert Wesson, a director at Debrett’s, the British etiquette guide, who outlined key tips for The Associated Press: Think before messaging Etiquette is always based on the idea of care and consideration for others, Wesson said. So it helps to think about how the recipients might be affected by your message. That means, for example, not wasting other members’ time by asking questions that could be easily answered by doing a Google search, or scrolling up or searching through the previous posts. The Trent Windsurfing Club near Nottingham, England, which communicates with members using both WhatsApp and email, spells out other considerations in a 15-point list on its website. “Don’t get angry if someone doesn’t respond to your messages in a group. No one is obliged to do so. Better send him/her a direct message,” the club says. Also, “Before sending a video, picture, meme or any content, analyze if such material will be in the interest of the majority of the members of the group.” And avoid sending videos or files that are very large, because “nobody likes to saturate the memory of their smartphone or waste their data/internet plan on nonsense,” its guidance says. The club did not respond to a request for comment. Remember the aim of the chat Always consider the chat group’s purpose. For those created with a specific and practical function in mind, just stick to the task and don’t post any more than you need to, Wesson said. On the other hand, “some groups are there for frivolity and here, more is more,” he added. It should be obvious, but don’t post personal stuff in a company or business-related chat, and refrain from posting work-related material in a group with friends or family. It doesn’t hurt to lurk first before weighing in, partly because on some chat platforms new members can’t see what was posted before they joined. “It is always best to err on the side of caution until you are very clear on the purpose and culture of the group,” Wesson said. Consider the size of the group Do you need to respond to every message? There’s often someone who feels the need to type out a reply to every post, even if it’s just to say “thanks.” But doing so in a big group might be somewhat akin to an email reply-all storm. Wesson advises considering how many people are in the chat. “If there are three of you in the group, a response, if only an emoji, is almost expected,” Wesson said. “In group of 50 or more it is practically a criminal offense.” Keep it clean and decent, especially at work This is an especially important point when it comes to work communications, with many white collar workers now using chat platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams rather than email to communicate. These platforms feel less formal than email but don’t forget to follow the same guidelines as you do with other company communications. “Assume anything messaged can be forwarded and be especially cautious of work chats (however informal they appear),” Wesson said. “As countless people have discovered at employment tribunals, any diversion into anything indecorous can be career limiting.” Less can be more in chats Chat messages should be short and sweet. One reason is that your words could come across differently depending on the person reading the message, so stick to using short sentences to avoid being misinterpreted. If it’s about work, and you want to discuss something in more length and detail, consider an in-person meeting, a phone call, or email instead. “No one wants to read a 7-inch-long unformatted message when an organized attachment would have worked better,” the experts at The Emily Post Institute — the American equivalent of Debrett’s — advised in a blog post on business communications. Message clarity and style matter It’s not a college essay, so the rules around grammar, punctuation or even emoji don’t need to be too strict. “You should not feel too constricted and nor should you judge others for playing fast and loose with the King’s English,” Wesson said. “Just let brevity and clarity be your guide.” Speaking of emoji, they’re fun and can convey your meaning as well as the most thoughtful turn of phrase, Wesson said. But don’t abuse them because they can be a “minefield.” There’s a world of difference between, for example, the crying emoji and the crying with laughter emoji, he said. It’s best to play it safe and avoid emoji when, for example, sending condolences, Wesson said. How to properly leave a chat group If you’re getting annoyed by the number of message notifications from a big chat group, or you feel uncomfortable because of some of the comments, just put it on mute. And don’t be afraid to leave the group if you don’t need to be in it. Before leaving, consider letting the chat administrator know. “The group administrator has a responsibility to ensure the chat serves its purpose and that things don’t get too out of hand,” Wesson says. What should admins do if certain people are causing problems? “If things are going awry, deleting a member is an option but perhaps a little drastic. A quiet DM or a brief muting should always be considered first,” Wesson says. If you do leave the chat, should you say farewell? Again, it depends on the context. If it’s for a one-off event with a lot of people you don’t know, there’s probably no need. But if, say, you’re part of a remote work project, it would be a good idea to notify everyone. “When leaving make it clear that you are removing yourself immediately so the chat does not fill up with people wishing you farewell,” Wesson said. Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip. —Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer View the full article

This week, you’ll find seven impressive store deals that you shouldn’t overlook. For instance, the Asperex Laptop Battery Bank is available at 46% off, making it a great travel companion with its compact design and multiple ports. Furthermore, LED Under Cabinet Lights are priced at just $17 for two, featuring energy-efficient motion sensors. You’ll likewise discover crucial clothing items for only $5 each. These deals are time-sensitive, so let’s explore what else is available this week. Key Takeaways The Asperex Laptop Battery Bank is on sale for $69.97, offering 20,000 mAh capacity and 165 watts output at 46% off. Grab the Inton Desk Clamp for $28, featuring multiple ports and a space-saving design perfect for clutter-free workstations. Affordable LED Under Cabinet Lights are available at $17 for two, with motion sensors and easy USB-C charging for home enhancement. All clothing items, including t-shirts and jackets, are discounted to $5 each, making it a great time to refresh your wardrobe. Explore home essentials priced at $5 each, ensuring you stock up on necessary kitchen tools and other items at a reduced rate. Power Solutions Regarding energy solutions, having reliable and efficient options can greatly improve your productivity. The Asperex Laptop Battery Bank, now 46% off at $69.97, offers a robust 20,000 mAh capacity and a strong 165 watts output. With both USB-C and USB-A ports, it’s designed for your on-the-go lifestyle, making it flight-approved for travel. Its built-in retractable charging cord features a magnetic closure, guaranteeing compact storage and easy access. Another excellent option is the Inton Desk Clamp, priced at $28. It provides six 120V ports, two USB-A, and one USB-C port, making it ideal for workstations that need more energy. This clamp design allows flexible placement, enhancing workspace efficiency without the clutter of multiple extension cords. Investing in these energy solutions guarantees you stay charged, so don’t forget to check the best grocery deals this week as you’re at it, maximizing your savings. Lighting Solutions After guaranteeing your devices stay energized with reliable solutions, it’s time to focus on lighting that improves your environment. One of the best grocery store deals this week features LED Under Cabinet Lights, which consist of 10-inch LED light strips equipped with motion sensors. These lights are perfect for illuminating dark cabinets and storage spaces. Battery-powered, they offer easy USB-C charging for added convenience. Installation is hassle-free, thanks to their magnetic attachment system and optional metal stickers. Priced at just $17 for a set of two, each light only costs $8.50, making it an economical choice for enhancing your home’s lighting. The motion sensor functionality guarantees the lights activate automatically, improving user convenience as well as conserving energy. These LED lights not only brighten your space but furthermore provide a smart solution for any area that needs extra illumination. Don’t miss out on this practical lighting option! Tools and Accessories Tools and accessories play a crucial role in ensuring that your DIY projects and repairs are executed efficiently and effectively. This week, you can score some fantastic deals. The Electric Precision Screwdriver Set, originally priced at $80, is available for $70 with a 10% off coupon, making it a reliable choice for repairs. It features a rechargeable screwdriver with a built-in ring light and a magnetic parts mat for organization. For versatile cutting needs, consider the Liu 55-piece oscillating multi-tool blade set, perfect for general use. Furthermore, the R tool, designed for fine and coarse cuts, is on sale for $18, down from $26, ideal for pruning tasks. If you’re looking to streamline packaging tasks, check out the Zeit Box Cutter, which features two blades and a USB charger for $44.99. Don’t miss out on these best grocery deals that improve your toolkit! Specialty Tools Specialty tools are designed to tackle specific tasks that standard tools mightn’t handle effectively, making them invaluable for both DIY enthusiasts and professionals. For instance, the Zeit Box Cutter, priced at $44.99, surpasses at efficiently opening boxes and breaking down cardboard. It comes with two blades and a USB charger, available in colors like “mocha mouse,” emphasizing speed and ease for packaging tasks. Another excellent option is the Tai talk mini chainsaw, currently on sale for $66.46, down from $90. This 6-inch chainsaw is perfect for pruning and trimming, includes two batteries, and features a built-in oil tank for convenience. If you’re looking for advanced diagnostics, consider the Launchpro X431 OBD2 scanner, priced at $850 but comes with a $70 coupon. It offers 38+ resets and two years of free updates, making it a smart investment for automotive enthusiasts. Don’t forget to check for the best grocery shopping deals as you’re at it! Home Essentials This week, you’ll find a great selection of affordable home items that can improve your living space. From crucial kitchen tools to cozy bedding options, these products offer both functionality and comfort. With deals like these, it’s a perfect time to stock up on everything you need for a well-equipped home. Affordable Home Items When you’re looking to improve your living space without overspending, affordable home necessities can make a significant difference. This Saturday, you can find a variety of crucial items priced at just $5, down from the usual $6. If you need to brighten up dark areas, consider the LED under cabinet lights available for $17 per set of two, a budget-friendly choice. For those small repairs around the house, the electric precision screwdriver set is priced at $70 after coupon discounts. The store encourages bulk purchasing, so you can stock up on these vital home goods without breaking the bank. Don’t miss out on these deals; they could be among the best grocery store deals this week. Essential Kitchen Tools Even though you may not think of your kitchen as a place requiring specialized tools, having the right vital kitchen tools can greatly improve your cooking experience and efficiency. Check out the electric precision screwdriver set, perfect for electronic repairs, available for $70 after applying a 10% off coupon. For those dark cabinets, the LED Under Cabinet Lights, featuring motion sensors, are only $17 for a set of two. Another important item is the R tool, a double-sided hand tool for pruning, now priced at $18 with an additional $360 off coupon. Don’t forget the versatile Liu 55-piece oscillating multi-tool blade set for general use and the Zeit Box Cutter for efficient box opening, priced at $44.99. Look for the best coupons this week to maximize your savings. Cozy Bedding Options As the colder months approach, finding cozy bedding options becomes vital for maintaining comfort in your home. This Saturday, take advantage of incredible home deals with bedding items available at a flat price of just $5 each. You can explore a variety of materials and styles, ensuring you find the perfect match for your bedroom décor and personal taste. The store’s selection includes comforters, sheets, and pillowcases, catering to all your sleeping needs. This low pricing encourages you to purchase in bulk, allowing for a mix-and-match experience that can transform your bedroom. Revitalizing your home necessities with these cozy bedding options is now easier than ever, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your comfort this winter. Electronics Deals This week, you’ll find some impressive deals on vital electronics that can improve your daily life. For instance, the Asperex Laptop Battery Bank, with its 20,000 mAh capacity and 46% discount, is a great option for keeping your devices charged on the go. Furthermore, you can snag handy tools like the Electric Precision Screwdriver Set and innovative lighting solutions such as motion-sensor LED Under Cabinet Lights, all at discounted prices. Power Bank Highlights When you’re on the go, having a reliable energy bank can make all the difference, and the Asperex Laptop Energy Bank stands out as an excellent choice. Priced at just $69.97, it’s currently available at a remarkable 46% discount. With a robust capacity of 20,000 mAh and an output of 165 watts, this energy bank can charge multiple devices simultaneously. It features both USB-C and USB-A ports, allowing for versatile charging options. Furthermore, the built-in retractable energy cord with a magnetic closure improves portability, making it easy to use during travel. This flight-approved energy bank is perfect for frequent travelers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Don’t forget to shop deals on home and garden for other useful accessories! Essential Tool Discounts Having the right tools at your disposal can greatly impact your efficiency and success in various projects. This week’s in-store deals feature crucial tool discounts that you shouldn’t overlook. The Electric Precision Screwdriver Set is now $70, down from $80, and includes a magnetic parts mat and a rechargeable screwdriver with a built-in ring light for easy electronic repairs. The Liu 55-piece oscillating multi-tool blade set offers versatility for general use. For packaging tasks, the Zeit Box Cutter is available for $44.99 and includes two blades and a USB charger. Furthermore, the Tai Talk mini chainsaw is on sale for $66.46, and the Launchpro X431 OBD2 scanner is priced at $850, with a $70 coupon available for advanced automotive diagnostics. Innovative Lighting Solutions As you explore innovative lighting solutions, consider the practical benefits of LED Under Cabinet Lights, intended to improve visibility in various spaces. These 10-inch strips, priced at just $17 for a set of two, feature motion sensors that automatically activate when you enter a dimly lit area. Battery-powered and easily rechargeable via USB-C, they offer great convenience and portability. The magnetic attachments and optional metal stickers allow for effortless installation on different cabinet types, making them versatile for kitchens, closets, or any dark space. During this week’s sale, don’t miss out on electronic discounts that make upgrading your home lighting both affordable and efficient. Augment your environment with these smart lighting solutions today. Clothing Offers This week, shoppers can take advantage of an incredible clothing offer, with all items priced at just $5 each, down from the regular price of $6. With such a low price point, it’s a perfect time to stock up on necessities or try something new. The store features a variety of clothing options, ensuring there’s something for everyone, whether you need casual wear or formal attire. Here’s a quick look at some options available: Category Item Price Casual Wear T-shirts $5 Formal Attire Dress Shirts $5 Outerwear Jackets $5 Activewear Sweatpants $5 Accessories Hats $5 Don’t miss these offers near me today, and remember to check back regularly for updated promotions! Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Cheapest Place to Buy Stuff? The cheapest place to buy stuff often depends on local options and specific needs. Discount stores, outlet malls, and online retailers frequently offer significant savings. Look for flat pricing models, like those that charge a set amount for all items, simplifying your shopping experience. Furthermore, take advantage of sales and promotions, which can further reduce costs. Always compare prices across different platforms to guarantee you’re getting the best deal available. What Is the Best Daily Deal Site? The best daily deal sites vary based on your needs, but popular options include Groupon, Rakuten, and Slickdeals. These platforms offer significant discounts on diverse products, often featuring flash sales and exclusive promotions. They simplify shopping with flat pricing models, making it easier to compare deals. Engaging with the community by liking and sharing deals can improve your shopping experience, increasing the visibility of attractive offers as you save money effectively. What Are Crazy Hot Deals? Crazy Hot Deals is an outlet store located in Houston, TX, offering a variety of home items, electronics, and clothing at a flat price. This Saturday, all items will be available for just $5, down from the usual $6. The store encourages bulk purchasing to maximize savings, making it appealing for budget-conscious shoppers. You can additionally stay updated on promotions through their website and social media channels for the latest offers. Who Are the Biggest Off-Price Retailers? The biggest off-price retailers include T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross Stores. These companies specialize in selling branded merchandise at reduced prices, often 20-60% lower than traditional stores. They purchase excess inventory and discontinued items from manufacturers, allowing for significant savings. Significantly, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls generate over $30 billion in annual sales. Their business model emphasizes quick turnover and a constantly changing inventory, encouraging frequent shopping for unique finds at discounted prices. Conclusion In conclusion, this week offers a range of attractive deals across various categories, from energy solutions like the Asperex Laptop Battery Bank to practical home necessities such as LED Under Cabinet Lights. You can additionally find affordable clothing items, all priced at just $5 each. These discounts present valuable opportunities to improve your home and wardrobe as you save money. Be sure to take advantage of these limited-time offers before they expire, ensuring you get the best for your budget. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Don’t Miss These 7 Store Deals This Week" was first published on Small Business Trends 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. Foldable phones still carry a price premium, so a drop like this changes the math. Right now, the 2024 Motorola Razr+ (unlocked, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage) is discounted to $417.09 on Woot for the next five days or until inventory lasts. Amazon lists it at $549.95, and price trackers show its previous low was $499.99, so it’s a sizable drop for a current-generation foldable. That said, this is an open-box unit, meaning it may have been a photo sample or simply had damaged packaging, but it functions like new. Prime members get free standard shipping, while others pay $6. The phone ships unlocked and includes a one-year Motorola limited warranty. 2024 Motorola Razr+ $417.09 at Woot $549.95 Save $132.86 Get Deal Get Deal $417.09 at Woot $549.95 Save $132.86 The aluminum frame of the Razr+ 2024 has rounded edges that feel better in hand, and its vegan leather back adds grip and resists fingerprints. Folded, it takes up less space than most slab phones and fits easily into smaller pockets. The hinge feels firm and stable when opening and closing, and the phone carries an IPX8 rating, so it can survive submersion in water rather than just splashes. The crease is visible when the screen is off and can catch light at certain angles, but it reportedly fades during normal use. The main camera performs well in daylight with detailed shots and balanced color, though low-light images fall short of what you get from top-tier Samsung or Google phones. The four-inch outer OLED display is large enough to run full apps. You can reply to messages, check directions, or scroll social feeds without flipping it open. Inside, the 6.9-inch OLED panel is sharp and responsive, with a high refresh rate that keeps animations smooth. Performance is powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor with 12GB of RAM. In daily use, apps open quickly, and multitasking feels fluid. The 256GB of storage gives most users plenty of room, but with no microSD slot, storage is fixed and cannot be expanded. Battery life is around 14.5 hours, edging out some competing flip phones, including Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5, notes this PCMag review. Charging tops out at 45W, but you have to supply your own charger. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $139.99 (List Price $179.00) Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 6.9" 512GB Privacy Display Smartphone + $200 Gift Card — $1,299.99 (List Price $1,699.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $329.00 (List Price $349.00) Google Pixel 10a 128GB 6.3" Unlocked Smartphone + $100 Gift Card — $499.00 (List Price $599.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE 128GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Gray) — $379.99 (List Price $499.99) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Researchers compared two ways to improve rankings in LLMs: Shadow Model and Query-based solutions. The post How Researchers Reverse-Engineered LLMs For A Ranking Experiment appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The stock prices of the so-called Quantum Four are back on the rise today, after already accruing significant gains yesterday as well. The upward trend is a reversal for IonQ, D-Wave, Rigetti, and Quantum Computing Inc., which have all seen their shares decline since the beginning of the year. Why are they on the rise again? Here’s what you need to know: What’s happened? Yesterday, the stock prices of America’s four largest publicly traded quantum computing companies all rose significantly. As of yesterday’s close, here’s where the quantum computing companies’ stock prices stood: IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ): up 6.23% to $33.59 D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS): up 5.31% to $19.65 Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI): up 6.98% to $17.63 Quantum Computing Inc. (Nasdaq: QUBT): up 7.03% to $8.68 But the upward momentum hasn’t stopped there. Currently in premarket trading, the stock prices of all four quantum companies are surging again. According to Yahoo Finance data, as of the time of this writing in premarket trading, the four companies’ stock prices are up the following amounts: IONQ: up around 15% QBTS: up around 7% RGTI: up around 5.5% QUBT: up around 5.5% The last two trading days have marked (so far) a dramatic reversal for the stock prices of these four companies. Since the beginning of the year, shares of all four companies had tumbled between 15% and 25% as of yesterday’s close. From a great 2025 to a rough 2026 No doubt about it, most quantum computing stocks had a great run in 2025. During the year, most saw their prices surge. IonQ rose from around $32 in the beginning of the year to over $73 per share by September. D-Wave saw its price jump from around $6 per share in early 2025 to over $46 by October. Rigetti saw its stock go from around $9 per share in early 2025 to as high as $58 in October. Even Quantum Computing Inc., which started the year down significantly from its 2024 highs, at around $9 in January 2025, saw its price surge to more than $25 by late September. But by late 2025, the mood surrounding quantum stocks had shifted. Yes, individual investors began feeling more apprehensive about the prospect of massive returns, particularly after the stock performed so well throughout most of 2025, because quantum computing is still a nascent technology with few real-world use cases yet—meaning massive profits for these small companies are still years away. But quantum stocks also took a hit due to factors beyond the companies’ control, particularly thanks to general fears of a worsening economy, an increasingly likely AI bubble, and uncertainty around inflation, interest rates, and geopolitics. These factors cause many investors to pull money from highly volatile assets—including AI stocks, cryptocurrencies, and, yes, quantum stocks—and park it in safe-haven assets like gold and bonds to protect gains they had made in those volatile assets until that point. This quantum selloff continued into 2026. Even with yesterday’s stock price rises, the Quantum Four have declined significantly year to date. Why are quantum stocks back on the rise? The recent share price rise indicates that investor appetite for quantum computing stocks is also on the rise again. The question is why? The most likely answer seems to point to one quantum computing company in particular: IonQ. Yesterday, the Maryland-based company announced its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results. And those results equated to a blowout quarter. For Q4 2025, IonQ announced revenue growth of 429% year over year. In Q4 2024, IonQ brought in $11.7 million in revenue, and in Q4 2025, that revenue leaped to $61.9 million. The company also reported a 202% rise in full-year fiscal revenue. For its fiscal 2025, IonQ brought in $130 million in revenue, up from $43.1 million in 2024. Of course, those revenue numbers are still small change compared to what the legacy tech and AI giants bring in every quarter—but they do show that there is growing demand for the quantum technologies that IonQ is developing. As for why the three other Quantum Four companies are seeing their stock prices rise too, it’s likely a case of “a rising tide lifts all boats.” Historically, when one of the Quantum Four announces good news (such as revenue increases), the stock prices of the other companies tend to rise. The investor logic behind this is that if there is increasing demand for quantum technology solutions, that demand will likely benefit all companies operating in the space. Of course, it’s worth noting that quantum stocks are still highly volatile, so while they are up significantly over the past 24 hours, there’s no guarantee that the bumpy ride for Quantum Four stocks is over. View the full article

See why the infinite tail demands narrower focus, stronger entity signals, and deeper topical coverage. The post From Visibility Engineering To Preference Engineering: The Rise Of The Infinite Tail appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Remember when it was easy to rank partial-match domains and headings to commercially intended search queries? When paired with the right methodologies and conversion-optimized widgets, you could silently earn tens of thousands of dollars in affiliate revenue per month with minimal maintenance. It was possible to get by with just updating articles for relevancy and freshness signals, for example. Pressure-testing Google’s spam update Before the experiment, I had spent several months scaling an affiliate initiative in a much more above-board way for a longstanding website in a YMYL category. We had success with hiring subject matter experts (SMEs) to write helpful, educational content that actually informed readers. While the new content primarily targeted commercially intended keywords, that wasn’t the website’s sole purpose for existing. There were also thousands of pages of user-generated content (UGC) that inspired the new content, and visitors would navigate from them to convert, as well. We had brand trust, original research, expert insights, and everything else you’d expect from a reputable publisher. It was a perfect mix: verticalized legacy UGC with thousands of earned backlinks and a commercial lever that served a preexisting demand while adhering to industry best practices. It was a truly helpful experience. The experiment: Scaling AI without trust If the first model was built on trust and earned authority, this one would remove those signals entirely. During that time, influencers on LinkedIn were doing the same thing. Except they were using AI to generate thousands of pages by scraping and rewriting content, or by programmatically aggregating public data. That’s when I searched in my couch pillows for a few dollars and bought three domains that partially matched the following queries: “best welding schools,” “best plumbing schools,” and “best electrical schools.” The goal? Intentionally test a set of low-trust, high-scale tactics that are commonly promoted online and see how long they would persist. I then used AI to make the websites pretty, fetched public data with a vibe-coded Python API call, and used ChatGPT to template all of the subheadings and paragraph text you would typically see ranking across the web. Within a few hours, with the help of liquid content, I published thousands of bottom-funnel pages across three websites. I was able to inject public data, target superlatives by program type and state, and include a directory with individual, templated pages per school. I even leveraged aggressive internal linking practices that prioritized crawl coverage over user intent. The setup violated almost every long-term trust signal — which made it a useful test of how the system would react. All three sites shared the same traits: Zero brand signals. Programmatic AI-generated content. Public data aggregation. Aggressive internal linking. No original research or authorship signals. Dig deeper: What 4 AI search experiments reveal about attribution and buying decisions 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 Confirmed: The data shows Google’s spam updates work The websites worked briefly. Indexation was fast, pages surfaced for long-tail queries, and impressions climbed faster than expected. Within their first couple of months, all three websites were generating about 200 in-market clicks each. But as you can see, they flatlined hard during the first December spam update since their inception. In fact, clicks dropped to 0. I tried turnkey data updates and adding a few performance-boosting plugins, but they never recovered. In isolation, I’m not certain that any single one of these tactics caused the failure more than another. In combination, these tactics produced a site whose only defensible value was ranking in and of itself. Once that signal stopped being useful, nothing remained The insight isn’t that the websites failed — it’s that Google tolerated them just long enough to learn from them. Does affiliate content marketing still work? Yes, affiliate content marketing still works as a monetization layer, but not as a growth engine. There are plenty of websites that provide a helpful user experience while adhering to best practices and generating affiliate revenue. As to how, refer to Google’s documentation on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content, where you can learn more about evaluating whether your website is publishing “content that’s created primarily for people, and not to manipulate search engine rankings.” “If the ‘why’ is that you’re primarily making content to attract search engine visits, that’s not aligned with what our systems seek to reward. If you use automation, including AI-generation, to produce content for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings, that’s a violation of our spam policies.” However, even when following best practices, the rise of AIO, the great decoupling, and dozens of other factors have made affiliate marketing less successful than it once was. Fortunately, there’s an alternative. Dig deeper: Inside Google’s secret search systems: 1,200 experiments, AI agents, and entities Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Where is content heading in 2026? The real takeaway isn’t that Google cracked down on spam, or that affiliate content marketing stopped working. It’s that businesses built on a single, cheaply replicable distribution channel are exposed the moment that channel changes. The next era of content will increasingly disadvantage businesses that treat search as their sole distribution channel. Instead of focusing on easily replicable topics, many industry practitioners are shifting toward verticalized research and benchmarks that spark real conversations within communities. Content is no longer a series of pages intended to rank. Rather, it’s a combination of discovery, discourse, and thought leadership that spans many channels. Discovery, discourse, and thought leadership Hypothetical: You’re a SaaS business in the financial technology space that provides businesses with enhanced financial forecasting. Instead of publishing landing pages that target “best financial forecasting software” or “most affordable financial forecasting software” (the SaaS equivalent of bottom-funnel ranking pages), consider doing deep dives with industry leaders who have something valuable to add to the conversation. Rely on their insights to identify the largest gaps in financial forecasting in 2026 and validate: Does my product truly solve this? If it does, you may have found a perfect wedge into the community. If not, there’s your roadmap. Use these problem-and-solution insights to develop landing pages with interactive assessments paired with benchmarking reports informed by industry-leading organizations. The “why” is that the content exists to help organizations contextualize both where they are and where they want to be. While these assessments or studies may not rank in the first position in Google for high-volume search queries, you can instead leverage owned channels, partner distribution, paid media, and more to put them in front of your ideal clients. These insights serve as a launching pad for communicating learnings from real conversations that aren’t easily replicated. By doing so across many different channels, you effectively enhance your ability to be everywhere. If you execute well and provide true value, not only do you contribute to a community, but you may unlock the growth you’ve been after all along. Companies like Stripe and its “Developer Coefficient” and HubSpot and its “State of Marketing” are doing this exact thing. Dig deeper: 3 GEO experiments you should try this year 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 Content in 2026: Fewer pages, deeper moats This model looks very different from scaling thousands of programmatic pages. It also comes with tradeoffs: Slower feedback loops. Less attributable ROI. Fewer “quick wins.” More dependence on distribution and partnerships. In 2026, content is about fewer pages, deeper insight, a stronger point of view, and assets that are harder to replicate. The spam update didn’t kill my niche websites for Christmas, but it exposed how thin the margin is for anything built without trust. Search marketing isn’t about avoiding content penalties — it’s about building things that can’t be easily copied with AI. View the full article

For most of modern business history, accounting has been something leaders looked at periodically. Numbers were reviewed and reports arrived on a schedule (often monthly, quarterly, or at tax time). Accounting happened when there was time, not necessarily when insight was needed. Across industries, a new model is taking shape: always-on accounting. These are systems that capture financial activity continuously, organize it automatically, and surface insights in real time. While this shift is relevant everywhere, it’s especially visible in the rental housing market where millions of small, independently run businesses (often managed by individuals or families who balance day jobs) are adopting operating standards once associated only with large enterprises. I’ve experienced this evolution from multiple sides. I’ve been a renter, an investor, and the cofounder and CEO of a property management software company, and over the past decade I’ve worked closely with thousands of small rental business owners. Across all of those perspectives, I’ve been at the forefront of a major shift reshaping how these businesses operate: Accounting is no longer something that’s checked on periodically; it’s something that runs continuously. FROM PERIODIC REVIEW TO CONTINUOUS AWARENESS Traditional accounting systems relied heavily on manual processes. Financial data lived across spreadsheets, folders, and disconnected tools. Capturing expenses, categorizing transactions, and reconciling accounts took hours of focused work, which meant most businesses reviewed their numbers periodically due to time constraints. As accounting technology has matured, many of the tasks that once demanded human attention now happen automatically. Transactions flow in without manual entry. Expenses are captured at the moment they occur. Data is categorized consistently in the background. The systems themselves maintain continuity. That technological shift enables a behavioral one. Instead of treating accounting as something to revisit at set intervals, business owners can operate with continuous awareness. Financial insight doesn’t need to be reconstructed; it’s already there. Patterns surface naturally over time. Trends become clearer, not because leaders are checking more often, but because the information is always current. We’ve seen similar transitions before. Cloud infrastructure replaced periodic system checks with real-time monitoring. Analytics platforms turned marketing into an ongoing feedback loop. Finance is now following the same path, moving from static snapshots to living systems. WHY RENTAL HOUSING IS LEADING THE WAY Small rental businesses are a revealing example of this shift. They operate at the intersection of entrepreneurship and long-term asset ownership, often run by people balancing full-time careers, families, and other responsibilities. Efficiency matters. Clarity matters even more. For years, accounting was the last major workflow to modernize. Rent collection became digital. Communication went mobile. But financial tracking often remained manual, fragmented, or delayed. Modern property management software systems now pull in transactions automatically, extract data from receipts, categorize expenses by property, and generate up-to-date profit-and-loss views with minimal effort. What once required hours of administrative work now happens effortlessly in real time. The result is more than cleaner records; it’s confidence. When financial insight is always current, owners engage with their businesses differently. They spend less time wondering if something was missed and more time understanding what the numbers are telling them. ACCOUNTING AS INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT PAPERWORK One of the most meaningful mindset shifts I’ve observed is how accounting is now viewed: not as paperwork, but as infrastructure. Always-on accounting supports operations the way reliable connectivity or modern logistics do. It reduces friction, minimizes human error, and creates a single source of truth that decisions can build on. In rental housing, this has implications beyond individual businesses. Small operators collectively provide homes for millions of people. When they run with better financial visibility, they’re better positioned to maintain properties proactively, manage cash flow sustainably, and navigate economic shifts with steadiness. What looks like operational efficiency at the business level often translates into stability at the community level. A BROADER LESSON FOR SMALL BUSINESSES EVERYWHERE What’s happening in rental housing reflects a broader trend across the economy. Small businesses are increasingly adopting systems that assume continuity rather than reminders, thanks to automation technology that works without constant prompting. The best tools today don’t ask owners to remember tasks or reconcile gaps later. They capture activity automatically and organize it intelligently. This shift reduces cognitive load, which is one of the most underappreciated constraints on entrepreneurship. When leaders aren’t mentally tracking loose ends, they have more capacity for strategy, creativity, and long-term thinking. Always-on accounting frees attention. And attention is one of the most valuable resources any business has. BETTER SYSTEMS CHANGE BEHAVIOR, NOT JUST WORKFLOWS The most interesting impact of always-on accounting isn’t speed. It’s behavior. When people trust their numbers, conversations change. Instead of asking whether the data is complete, they focus on what it reveals. Better-informed decisions can be made earlier with greater confidence. In rental businesses, this often means treating properties less like side projects and more like durable enterprises. In other industries, the takeaway is similar: Clarity reshapes leadership. Accounting becomes something owners engage with at a higher level—reviewing trends, comparing periods, and planning next moves—rather than something they have to reconstruct under pressure. THE FUTURE OF SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING IS ALWAYS-ON The future of accounting won’t be defined by louder dashboards or more complex reports. It will be defined by systems that are always on, working continuously in the background. In rental housing, that means books that are always current and decisions that are always informed. In the broader business landscape, it signals a shift toward tools that support momentum instead of interrupting it. Always-on accounting represents a larger evolution in how small businesses operate: fewer fire drills, more foresight; less reconstruction, more understanding. Confidence doesn’t come from having more data; it comes from knowing the data is already there when you need it. And as more businesses adopt systems built for continuity, that confidence is becoming the new standard. Ryan Barone is cofounder and CEO of RentRedi. View the full article

For decades, digital transformation raised hopes of simpler work. And while many companies found complexity instead of clarity, the story isn’t over. AI brings a new wave of hope and energy, and with that, a new kind of tension. Whenever I connect with business leaders, I can feel their deep optimism and sincere sense of responsibility to deliver on AI transformation. Leaders want to boost productivity and stand by their people. They’re guiding teams through uncertainty while inspiring them to embrace change. That’s why AI transformation is a people challenge as much as a tech challenge. Org charts are shifting. Roles are evolving. And the new priority for leaders is equipping people with the skills and wisdom to adopt AI and power this transformation with confidence. Leaders can do this with a three-step playbook: 1. BUILD THE HR ORGANIZATION FOR THE FUTURE. If HR operating models don’t evolve, leaders are asking their people to build the future on quicksand. AI demands new ways of working, which is why HR leaders are stepping into hybrid positions that mirror the real world of work, where talent and technology are intrinsically linked. That starts by making HR and IT true partners so they can co-create AI experiences that solve real business problems. Fifty-five percent of organizations have launched 100+ AI use cases, but only 19% are tracking how those use cases impact business goals. Siloed efforts can’t scale. That’s why we’ve built what we call an “AI Factory,” a model to collect, evaluate, and prioritize use cases quickly and ethically, at scale, across the business. Employees have submitted thousands of AI use case ideas. About 100 of them have gotten past our prioritization framework—meaning we believe they can deliver ROI, safely and at scale—and we’ve prioritized about a quarter that demonstrate the most value. As technology evolves, so must the roles around it. Leaders need to imagine new roles that move HR from an administrative function to a strategic hub. Think AI orchestration designers, or AI ethics officers. These roles are tailored to the company’s business needs and critical to a people-centric AI transformation. 2. ENABLE AI ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION AND RESKILL WITH URGENCY. AI is already increasing what employees can do and changing their daily tasks. To lead through change, we need to understand not just what people need to learn, but how they learn best. It starts with the concept of an “AI heatmap” to identify which tasks can be automated or augmented and quantify potential gains. That insight helps leaders rethink how they grow and support their teams. By using AI and data, we can map current skills, surface gaps, and design targeted, real-time development paths. Then, we need to do the hard work: Train people to know, work with, build, and lead with AI. We’ve built an AI-native learning model through ServiceNow University to do just that. Our goal is to train 3 million learners by 2027. And this isn’t just a nice-to-have. The skills gap is real. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report, 63% of employers see it as a major barrier to transformation. If we don’t close this gap now, we’ll never realize AI’s full potential. 3. TRANSFORM THE WORKFORCE LIKE IT’S YOUR FULL-TIME JOB (IT IS!). Leaders are steering through massive change. Some employees will fear the unknown. Organizations that invest in an agile, resilient workforce, one person at a time, will win the AI race. That’s why leaders need to take an “X-ray” of their organization—not just charts and systems, but a deep look at the workforce structure, skills, and capacity to grow. Then, they can start closing gaps and ensuring AI is adopted in a way that’s human at the core while fueling business growth. Old org charts need a rebrand. Work is more dynamic and cross-functional. And now, we have AI working alongside people. Because of this, we need to move beyond traditional, linear models of change management toward continuous, adaptive, and decentralized change readiness. This agentic AI workforce will require thoughtful planning, human wisdom, a focus on well-being, and a strong culture at the core. That’s why collaboration and orchestration are critical. If leaders get this right, they can unlock new business models and real growth. THE RESULT? VALUE Leaders who follow these steps can supercharge business results while avoiding the pitfalls that slow AI adoption. At ServiceNow, we track adoption and ROI through our AI Control Tower, a real-time measurement that creates a flywheel of value: unlock time, reinvest it, and grow faster. The opportunity is clear: Embrace AI, lead with confidence, and bring people along the journey. The organizations that thrive will help people and AI technology co-create, not just coexist. Jacqui Canney is chief people and AI enablement officer of ServiceNow. View the full article

Google announced updates to Circle to Search where it now doesn't just look at the part you circles but apparently the whole image, so it can get more context. "New multi-object image search helps you find more items from one picture at the same time in Circle to Search," Google explained.View the full article

Google has released a minor version update to the Google Ads API, version 23.1. This update has changes to account management, campaigns, conversions, incentives, planning, reporting and more.View the full article

Microsoft has updated the design of the Bing Webmaster Guidelines section and changed some of the verbiage. I think overall these are smaller updates, but I have not gone through every single change to double-check as of yet.View the full article

Reuters has a headline that reads Exclusive: Google to test changes to search results, source says as EU fine looms. This confuses me because I thought Google had been testing this for a couple of years now. View the full article

In Reform, socially conservative Christianity has finally found a UK vehicle for its agenda on traditional families View the full article

Recently, Google rolled out the ability to schedule Google Posts. Supposedly, soon, Google will also roll out recurring scheduling for posts. So you can set a Google Post to repeat and post over and over again on a schedule.View the full article

Below, Tom Griffiths shares five key insights from his new book, The Laws of Thought: The Quest for a Mathematical Theory of the Mind. Griffiths is a professor of psychology and computer science at Princeton University and director of the Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence. What’s the big idea? How can we study something we can’t see or touch? Mathematics allows us to develop rigorous theories about how minds work. It also lets us use those theories to build artificial intelligence systems. Just as physicists seek to identify Laws of Nature, cognitive scientists hope to discover the Laws of Thought. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Griffiths himself—in the Next Big Idea app. 1. The story of AI goes back hundreds of years. For many people, AI seems to have come out of nowhere. In late 2022, it suddenly became possible for anyone to have a conversation with chatbots that could draw on more knowledge than any human. Dig a little deeper and you might discover that the approach behind those chatbots—building bigger and bigger artificial neural networks—had its first dramatic demonstration in 2012, when it was used to significantly improve how well computers identify images. But the story goes back much further than that. When Enlightenment thinkers, like René Descartes or Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, first began using mathematics to effectively describe the physical world around us, they also suggested that the same kind of approach might be used to describe the mental world inside us. Those early efforts led to the development of mathematical logic and digital computers, which in turn led to the creation of cognitive science by psychologists who used mathematical ideas to come up with new theories about the mind. Modern AI springs from that tradition: Key advances in the development of artificial neural networks came from psychologists seeking to understand how the human mind works. 2. No single piece of mathematics describes the mind. Cognitive scientists started using mathematical logic to describe thought, but after a couple of decades realized that wasn’t going to work. Concepts have fuzzy edges that logic just can’t capture. Artificial neural networks were developed in parallel and became much more powerful after a group of psychologists showed how they could be used to learn more complex relationships than anyone had thought possible. Continuing to scale up those neural networks takes us to modern AI. But understanding how neural networks learn—and how to create systems that learn more like people—requires a different approach, one that uses ideas from probability theory. These three mathematical traditions intertwine to give us a more complete picture of how the mind works. 3. Crucial discoveries come from pursuing unpopular ideas. The first neural networks that could learn were built by a computer scientist who abandoned the project after deciding that, in order for them to learn anything interesting, they would have to be much larger than he considered practical. But a psychologist worked out how to make them learn better, which caused a lot of excitement about the potential of that approach. However, that same computer scientist then showed that even those neural networks had fundamental limitations, and they decreased in popularity. A decade later, some psychologists became interested in neural networks as tools for understanding human cognition, cracked the problem of how to get them to learn more complex relationships, and neural networks became popular again. Then, machine learning researchers became interested in the statistical foundations of learning, and neural networks decreased in popularity. Soon, more powerful computers and larger datasets made it possible to use neural networks to solve even more challenging problems, bringing us to the present day. This back-and-forth between disciplines—where an unpopular idea in one discipline is picked up and improved upon by researchers in another discipline—is a nice illustration of how an interdisciplinary field like cognitive science can have a huge impact. 4. We are closer than ever to understanding the human mind. I used to tell my students that cognitive scientists have made a lot of progress in figuring out how to ask questions about the mind, but we’re still a long way from having answers. But now, the progress in AI over the last decade is beginning to suggest answers to some of our deepest questions about human intelligence. Mathematical frameworks like logic and probability theory are fundamental to describing the nature of thought and learning, but the abstract rules and inferences they identify need to be implemented in real human brains. Artificial neural networks give us important hints about how that might work. Putting these pieces together gets us remarkably close to fulfilling the vision that Descartes and Leibniz had centuries ago of having a mathematical framework for describing thought. 5. There are still big differences between human minds and AI. Despite all that progress, modern AI still has some important gaps. One of the biggest regards learning. If you read aloud all of the text that is used to train today’s chatbots, it would take tens of thousands of years. By contrast, a human child learns to be a fluent speaker of their native language in less than 10 years. That means that there’s something in human brains that is different from what is inside our AI algorithms. Figuring out what that might be is a problem that we study in my lab, and a preoccupation of many cognitive scientists. There are also interesting questions about what exactly it is that artificial neural networks are learning, and whether they represent the world in the same way as us. In some cases, they may be, but in others, we can show that they are quite different. Figuring out what AI systems know and when they are likely to succeed or fail at a task is a great opportunity to use the methods that cognitive scientists have honed by studying humans. For a long time, we have only had one species that demonstrated this kind of intelligent behavior, so having another one to study opens the door to not just understanding more about AI but understanding more about ourselves. Enjoy our full library of Book Bites—read by the authors!—in the Next Big Idea app. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. View the full article

There are a few odors from adolescence that are seared into the brains of most Americans who grew up after the 1980s: the aroma of freshly baked brick pizza in the school cafeteria, the acrid stink of a locker room, and the unmistakable scent of teen boys wearing an unforgivable amount of Axe body spray. The phenomenon of teens dousing themselves in Axe has become so ubiquitous since the brand’s founding in 1983 that over the past few years it’s inspired its own subgenre of memes (see this one and this one, for example). Now Axe has its sights set on a new generation of consumers with a redesigned spray mechanism for its signature product. To mark the occasion, on February 20 the brand announced its self-referential “History of Overdoing It” campaign. “Axe has always been part of the cultural conversation around guys doing too much,” and for years that “included how our body spray was used,” Dolores Assalini, head of Axe U.S., said in a press release. At last, Axe is offering a solution. According to the Unilever-owned brand, overspraying was always a design problem—and to fix it, the team has invented new “spray technology” to keep offensive odors at bay. The Axe bottle gets a facelift Brajin Vazquez, senior manager of DEO formats technology at Unilever—and one of the minds behind the Axe redesign—says the chronic overspraying of Axe’s old product was influenced by a few factors of the bottle’s design. The formulation of the spray, combined with the design of the bottle’s valve and nozzle, resulted in a thick, diffused cloud of fragrance, creating that classic overpowering smell. “For years, we’ve heard that while people liked the fragrances, Axe’s spray could feel too heavy or create too much of a cloud,” Vazquez says. “That feedback made us look closely at the delivery system itself. We realized that improving the user experience wasn’t just about messaging, it required updating the spray technology.” Vazquez’s team started by rethinking the product’s ingredients. They reduced the amount of propellant gas in the spray and added nitrogen to the mix, which, Vazquez explains, made room for a higher proportion of liquid formula and “created space in the formulation to increase odor-control actives and deliver more fragrance per spray.” Essentially, this means that users can spray less of the product and still get the same body-odor-masking effect. This new formulation is combined with a reengineered spraying system. The old design, Vazquez says, operated at a high pressure, which resulted in a “stronger, higher-velocity spray.” The new valve component mitigates the problem by keeping the spray’s flow light. The bottle also features a spray insert with a nozzle opening that’s 25% smaller than the old version, allowing users to apply the fragrance to more targeted areas without that dreaded “cloud” effect. Realistically, Axe’s retooled design probably won’t solve chronic overspraying altogether—but at least now there are some guardrails in place for a problem that’s plagued middle school hallways for decades. View the full article

Google’s AI Overviews have moved beyond the experimental phase and are now a permanent part of search. To assess their impact, Adthena analyzed data across six major industries from late December 2025 to January 2026, tracking performance metrics from hundreds of thousands of advertisers, including more than 5 million ads. While aggregate data suggests stability, a deeper look reveals a different picture. For advertisers, these automated summaries are no longer just a visibility concern; they directly threaten PPC revenue. What AI Overviews mean for paid search revenue Generative summaries fundamentally change the math of a successful campaign. When an AI Overview pushes paid ads below the fold, it triggers a chain reaction that impacts your profitability: Lower CTR = fewer clicks: Reduced visibility leads to fewer visits to your landing pages, shrinking your traffic pipeline. Fewer clicks = fewer conversions: A smaller traffic pool inevitably leads to a drop in total lead or sale volume. Higher CPC = reduced profitability: In sectors where AI summaries trigger on high-competition terms, the cost to stay relevant rises, squeezing margins and lowering your return on ad spend (ROAS). AI Overviews impact across six industries Adthena tracked AI Overview frequency, content themes, and CPC/CTR performance across desktop and mobile. The findings show a fragmented landscape: impact varies by industry, device, query type, and content intent. Content themes: The battle for mid-funnel intent Adthena’s analysis shows that Google is increasingly moving into comparison and instructional spaces, directly challenging high-converting paid search territory. The comparison conflict: In Telecom, Technology, and Retail, AI Overviews are dominated by comparison content. When Google provides a side-by-side analysis, it satisfies the research phase and may stop users from clicking your ad to learn more. The informational buffer: Conversely, Healthcare (74% News) and Financial Services (54% FAQ) see informational themes. These act as intent filters, potentially protecting ad spend by satisfying low-intent users before they reach a paid link. The opportunity gap: Problem solving content remains virtually untouched at 0-2%. This is a safe harbour for advertisers: troubleshooting queries are still largely free from AI interference. CPC trends: The premium for visibility Tracking CPC fluctuations identifies where advertisers are paying a visibility tax to stay competitive. Technology: Queries featuring an AI Overviews consistently show higher CPCs than those without, a clear signal that AI Overview presence is pushing up the cost of visibility. Automotive & Retail: Automotive and retail show nearly identical cost levels regardless of AI Overviews presence. Financial Services: CPC increases may look modest here, but in a sector where CPCs are already high, the hit to campaign profitability is harder than the numbers suggest. Device splits expose desktop saturation Segmenting by device reveals a striking divergence, but the picture is more nuanced than it first appears. Desktop dominance: Technology and Education queries on desktop are heavily saturated by AI Overviews, meaning ads in these sectors almost always compete with an Overview. Mobile opportunity: Mobile AI Overviews have a lower frequency across almost all industries. But the limited screen real estate on mobile means that when an Overview does appear, it displaces ads more aggressively than on desktop, where multiple ads often remain visible below the summary. CTR trends provide evidence of traffic erosion Analyzing CTRs over time exposes the persistent performance gaps between influenced and standard search results. Persistent gaps: Telecom and Technology show consistently lower CTRs when an AI Overview is present, representing a direct drain on your traffic pipeline. Consumer resilience: Financial services and retail show narrower gaps, suggesting users in these sectors still prioritize ads over AI Overviews. Late month volatility: Sudden spikes in healthcare illustrate how quickly performance shifts as Google iterates on its AI rollout. Distribution data reveals the zero click reality This final layer of data exposes the winner-takes-all scenario that average metrics often hide. The baseline gap: Without AI Overviews, CTR holds up well across industries – Retail in particular. Where AI Overviews are absent, CTR holds up well across industries. Where they’re frequent, it doesn’t always and the gap between the two tells the real story. High AI Overviews frequency, low CTR: When AI Overviews appear on nearly every query, CTR hits its floor across industries—including Technology. The higher the frequency, the less traffic ads reliably capture. Resilience in Automotive: Automotive shows a healthier spread across mid-range frequency buckets, suggesting users are more likely to bypass the summary to find verified brand information. Three immediate steps to adapt your paid search strategy To safeguard your margins, start here: Monitor Click Through Rates (CTR) and Cost Per Click (CPC) changes: While not the full picture, shifts in CTR or CPC can act as early indicators of AI Overviews impact. Segment performance by device: Break out desktop and mobile reporting to uncover device-specific trends that combined data can hide. Use Adthena’s free Market Share reports: Understand how often AI Overviews appear in your category and where visibility is most at risk. Gaining visibility with Adthena’s AI Overview solution Understanding AI Overview impact requires continuous, query-level intelligence. Adthena’s AI Overview solution indexes search results multiple times per hour, giving advertisers accurate visibility into: AI Overviews frequency patterns by query, industry, and device. Content themes and citation sources. Performance metrics including impact on CPC and CTR. Ad position vs AI Overviews. With these insights, you’ll know exactly where AI Overviews are disrupting your revenue and what to do about it before your performance is impacted. Coming soon: Adthena’s AI Overviews solution will also include visibility into ads appearing within AI Overviews themselves, so you’ll have a complete picture of how your spend is performing across the entire SERP. The SERP has changed: Adapt or fall behind Google’s AI Overviews aren’t going away, but their impact isn’t universal or inevitable. The advertisers who win won’t spend more; they’ll know exactly where AI Overviews appear, what content they surface, and how their audience responds. Precision wins. Assumptions don’t. Book a demo to see exactly how AI Overviews are impacting your campaigns. View the full article

Your colleagues decide in less than a minute whether your email is worth replying to. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index Report shows that the average employee receives 117 emails a day, and most are skimmed in under 60 seconds. In other words, if your email takes someone more than a minute to understand, there’s a strong chance you won’t be getting a timely response. Well-written emails don’t just make you sound smarter; studies show that they also reduce misunderstandings and speed up responses. Here are five simple ways to get faster email responses, while also helping your recipient preserve mental energy and time. BREAK UP WITH THE EMAIL BRICK Long blocks of text are the enemy of attention. Research shows that visually uncluttered text (with white space and intentional spacing) is easier for busy readers to scan and digest quickly. Simply formatting your email with bullet points, bold text for important questions or updates, and short paragraphs will significantly increase your chances of getting a prompt response. Structure is just as important as length. If the email is longer than this article, consider your reader overwhelmed. DON’T LEAD WITH SMALL TALK One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is burying the lead. Instead of opening with a short anecdote or unrelated small talk (“Hope your week is going well”), start with the purpose of your email, and ideally, the action you need. In military and executive communication, this is known as BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). BLUF requires you to put key information, like the request or decision needed, in the first sentence or two. After you have led with the key information, you can share further details that the recipient can read if they need background context. And yes, you can still ask your coworker if they have plans for the weekend or how their dog is doing. But for the sake of everyone’s sanity, leave this to the end. DON’T PLAY EMAIL TENNIS The back-and-forth dance of unanswered questions (“When works for you?”, “Morning works”, “What time?”) costs time and demands cognitive switching. One survey of modern workplace behavior found that knowledge workers spend roughly 28% of their workweek managing email, with a large portion of that time simply waiting on or chasing down replies. To reduce this, try to include all relevant details on the first send. One way to address this is, if you’re proposing a meeting, include your availability windows, the purpose of the call, and how long you expect it to take in a single message. If you want a call back, include your direct phone number rather than waiting for the other person to ask. Write a clear subject line In a crowded inbox, the subject line acts as a decision filter: Is this relevant? Is this urgent? Can this wait? Studies show that email subject lines critically influence whether a recipient opens, defers, or ignores an email (before they’ve read a single sentence of the message). Do your best to craft a subject lines that are specific, concise, and action-oriented. For example, “Budget Review Needed by 3 PM” is more effective than a generic phrase like “Quick Question.” BUILD EMAIL TRUST If you teach people over time that your emails are concise and to the point, you are building email trust. This means that recipients are more likely to respond positively and quickly when they see your name. Researchers in written communication emphasize that consistency in formatting and clarity doesn’t just improve readability, it builds an implicit reputation for professionalism. Getting faster email replies isn’t about sounding smarter. It’s about making decisions easier for the person on the other side of the screen. When your emails are clear, scannable, and consistent, you reduce mental load, build trust, and teach people to respond to you faster. View the full article

Probe into president’s ties to disgraced financier has disrupted succession planning at forumView the full article

Keyword search volume is the number of monthly searches for a keyword. Discover 5 tools for checking it. View the full article

Google is preparing to test search result changes in the EU that would show rival vertical search services alongside its own results The post Google To Test Search Changes In EU After DMA Charges, Per Report appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article