All Activity

When you start crafting, having the right supplies makes a significant difference in your projects. Crucial tools like high-quality scissors and a glue gun can improve your efficiency and precision. Furthermore, versatile items such as craft mats and acrylic paints allow for a wide range of creative possibilities. Comprehending what supplies work best for your needs can streamline your crafting experience. Let’s explore the must-have items that can raise your projects and simplify your crafting expedition. Key Takeaways Invest in essential tools like mini sanders and rotary cutters for precision and smooth finishes on various crafting projects. Stock up on versatile adhesives such as Mod Podge and a cordless glue gun for quick and effective bonding. Use durable crafting surfaces like craft mats and quality canvases to protect your workspace and enhance project outcomes. Incorporate various paint supplies, including acrylic and chalk paints, to add color and character to your creations. Explore online resources and tutorials for fresh crafting inspiration and skill development to enhance your crafting journey. Essential Tools for Every Crafter When you commence your crafting expedition, having the right tools at your disposal can greatly improve your experience and results. A mini sander is crucial for achieving smooth finishes on your projects, whereas a rotary cutter guarantees precision when cutting through multiple fabric layers. For intricate designs, Exacto or crafting knives are fundamental, as they allow for detailed cutting. Don’t overlook high-quality scissors, especially those from Fiskars, known for their sharpness and durability across various materials. Finally, needle nose pliers are indispensable for grasping and manipulating small items in your creations. You can find these crucial tools, alongside card making supplies wholesale and paper craft supplies online, making it easy to stock up on everything you need for your crafting expedition. Versatile Adhesives and Fasteners Finding the right adhesives and fasteners can make a significant difference in the success of your crafting projects. Here are some crucial options to contemplate: Mod Podge: This versatile adhesive is perfect for various applications, especially the MATTE version, which provides a non-glossy finish ideal for crafts. Sure Bonder Glue Gun: Its cordless design allows for quick bonding, making it a favorite for fast-paced projects. Double-sided tape: This adhesive offers a clean way to adhere paper and lightweight materials without leaving visible marks. For additional stability, think about using zip ties, which are especially effective in securing pieces together. If you’re working with wholesale ribbon and mesh, having these adhesives and fasteners on hand will guarantee your projects are both neat and durable. Must-Have Craft Mats and Surfaces A reliable craft mat or surface is a crucial component of any crafting toolkit, helping to safeguard your work area from damage during providing a suitable foundation for various projects. These mats are durable, easy to clean, and vital for maintaining a tidy workspace. Whereas craft paper can be a budget-friendly alternative, it’s less durable and may require frequent replacement. Furthermore, consider using wood cut-outs for embellishing your projects or creating unique designs. For painting and mixed media, quality canvases from retailers like Hobby Lobby and Blick Materials are recommended. Craft Surface Key Features Craft Mats Durable, easy to clean Craft Paper Budget-friendly, less durable Quality Canvases Ideal for painting Top Paint Supplies for Creative Projects Regarding paint supplies for your creative projects, choosing the right types of paint and brushes is essential for achieving the desired outcome. Acrylic paints from brands like DecoArt and Apple Barrel offer versatility for various artistic endeavors, whereas chip brushes in 1-inch and 2-inch sizes, along with specialized art brushes, help you achieve different techniques and details. Essential Paint Types Comprehending the various types of paint available can greatly improve your crafting experience, as each type serves distinct purposes and techniques. Here are three crucial paint types you should consider: Acrylic Paint: This versatile option is favored for its quick-drying properties and a wide range of colors, making it ideal for various crafting projects. Chalk Paint: Popular for creating a matte finish, chalk paint is commonly used in furniture upcycling and home décor projects, providing a rustic touch. Watercolor Paint: Perfect for delicate art techniques, watercolor paint allows for soft washes and blending effects, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Recommended Brush Options Choosing the right brushes can greatly improve your painting projects, as different brush types cater to various techniques and effects. For versatile crafting, consider chip paint brushes in 1-inch and 2-inch sizes; they’re perfect for applying paint quickly and efficiently. If you need precision, art brush packs come in various shapes and sizes, ideal for intricate detailing. Sponge brushes are an affordable choice for creating unique effects, though they may not suit every project. When using chalk paint, popular brands like Waverly and Folk Art provide a matte finish that works well on multiple surfaces. Moreover, acrylic paints from brands such as DecoArt, Apple Barrel, and Craftsmart deliver lively, durable artwork, making them crucial tools for your creative endeavors. Fabrics and Textiles for DIY Enthusiasts Exploring the domain of fabrics and textiles can greatly improve your DIY projects, as each type serves unique purposes and styles. Here are some key fabrics to evaluate: Cotton: Ideal for various projects, cotton is versatile, easy to work with, and available in numerous patterns, including seasonal designs. Burlap: This sturdy fabric adds texture and rustic charm to home décor, making it perfect for wreaths or table runners. Felt: Great for beginners, felt is available in lively colors and is excellent for creating ornaments, appliqués, and soft toys. Moreover, repurposing old fabrics like t-shirts or sheets not only saves money but promotes sustainability. With access to diverse fabric types, you can truly evoke your creativity in your crafting endeavors. Organization Tools to Keep You Sorted When you’re crafting, having the right organization tools can make all the difference in maintaining an efficient workspace. Storage bins are crucial for organizing your craft supplies and tools, ensuring your area remains tidy and improving productivity. Using labels can expedite the identification of various supplies, making it easier to find exactly what you need during projects. A tool caddy is a practical solution for keeping frequently used tools within reach, so you minimize time spent searching. Designating a crafting station elevates your experience, providing an organized area for your projects. Furthermore, drawer organizers help keep small supplies sorted and accessible, preventing clutter and ensuring everything is easy to find when you need it. Cleaning Supplies for Easy Maintenance Maintaining a clean and organized workspace is crucial for any crafter, as it not only enhances productivity but also prolongs the life of your tools and materials. To keep your crafting area tidy, consider these must-have cleaning supplies: Wet Wipes/Baby Wipes: Versatile for quick clean-ups, they’re perfect for handling spills and sticky surfaces during crafting sessions. Rubbing Alcohol: Ideal for removing adhesive residue from tools, it helps maintain their pristine condition for future projects. Paintbrush Cleaner: A dedicated cleaner prevents paint build-up, guaranteeing your brushes last longer and apply smoothly. With these supplies, you’ll guarantee a clean workspace, making your crafting experience more enjoyable and efficient. Beads and Embellishments to Enhance Your Crafts Incorporating beads and embellishments into your crafts can greatly improve the visual appeal and uniqueness of your projects. Wood beads are an affordable option available in bulk from online retailers like Amazon, making them perfect for various crafting ideas. Sequins can add a sparkling touch, available in a wide range of colors and sizes to suit your creative needs. Buttons, offered in diverse styles and materials, allow you to personalize and uplift handmade items or garments. Ribbons from sources like DecoExchange and Dollar Tree provide decorative finishes that can complement your designs beautifully. Finally, charms come in numerous designs, enabling you to create unique gifts or keepsakes that reflect your personal style. Seasonal Supplies for Festive Creations As you prepare for various celebrations throughout the year, seasonal supplies play a crucial role in crafting festive creations. These materials not only assist you in creating stunning decorations but also simplify the crafting process. Here are three key seasonal supplies to take into account: Holiday Decorations: Items like ornaments or garlands can instantly enhance your festive projects. Themed Fabrics: Fabrics featuring seasonal patterns allow you to create unique table runners or festive attire. Specialty Paints: Use paints in seasonal colors to add personalized touches to your crafts. Project Inspiration to Spark Your Imagination To ignite your creativity, exploring various project inspirations can lead you to new crafting adventures. Start by plunging into online tutorials and craft blogs that provide step-by-step guidance, making it easy to follow along. Social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are furthermore invaluable resources, filled with visuals that showcase innovative techniques and projects. Joining online crafting communities allows you to share your work and receive feedback during discovering inspiration from fellow crafters. Consider investing in seasonal craft kits available online; these kits come with all necessary materials and instructions for themed projects, simplifying your crafting process. In addition, browse project books that compile various techniques and ideas, catering to both beginners and experienced crafters alike. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Hottest Selling Craft Item? The hottest selling craft item right now is the 8.25 Spell Book with Eyeballs, which is USB energized and priced at $8.60, down from $10.75. This unique item captures attention with its whimsical design and functionality, making it a popular choice among crafters. Seasonal supplies, like holiday decorations, likewise trend during festive times, but the Spell Book stands out for its creativity and appeal, driving significant sales. What Supplies Do I Need for Crafting? To start crafting, you’ll need fundamental supplies like a mini sander for smoothing edges, a rotary cutter for precise cuts, and high-quality scissors for detailed work. Adhesives such as Mod Podge and a cordless glue gun are vital for sticking materials together. A craft mat protects your surface, as acrylic paints and brushes allow for lively designs. Finally, organization tools like storage bins and labels help keep your workspace tidy and efficient. What Is the Most Profitable Craft to Make and Sell? The most profitable craft to make and sell often includes handmade jewelry or home decor items. Personalized jewelry, like bracelets, can yield high margins, selling for two to three times the material cost. Similarly, custom home decor, such as unique wreaths, attracts premium prices. Seasonal crafts likewise generate significant profits because of their limited availability. Furthermore, DIY kits combine convenience with creativity, appealing to customers and providing substantial profit potential when marketed effectively. Is Michaels or Hobby Lobby Better for Crafts? When deciding between Michaels and Hobby Lobby for crafts, consider your specific needs. Michaels offers a broader selection of seasonal supplies and convenient online shopping options, including same-day delivery. On the other hand, Hobby Lobby is known for competitive pricing and frequent sales, making it ideal for bulk purchases. If you’re additionally interested in home décor, Hobby Lobby’s extensive range might appeal to you. In the end, your choice depends on what supplies or services matter most to you. Conclusion In conclusion, equipping yourself with these ten crucial crafting supplies can greatly improve your creative projects. By investing in tools like high-quality scissors, a versatile glue gun, and crafting mats, you’ll streamline your crafting process and achieve better results. Furthermore, having proper storage bins and a selection of paints and embellishments will keep your workspace organized and inspire new ideas. With these supplies on hand, you’ll be well-prepared to tackle a variety of crafting endeavors effectively. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Must-Have Crafting Supplies You Can Buy Online" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A reader writes: I oversee a medium-sized department who are all required to be on-site, although we were remote for quite a while following the pandemic. My staff is pushing very hard for hybrid working, and while I am open to it, I have concerns. In the past, when that the majority of our team worked from home, some of the staff really excelled at it, while others were frankly awful. Literally, the staff who were excellent outperformed the worst by a factor of ten to one. Unfortunately, the lower performers didn’t always recognize that they were not being productive. The culture in my organization is very much one of equity, and I am trying to balance that with the knowledge that some staff just did not excel at working from home. If Andrew and Beth worked effectively from home, but Charles and Deanna did not, how can I be fair? I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here. Other questions I’m answering there today include: I wish my team had more diversity of ages I don’t want to talk to coworkers while they’re driving The post my team wants to work from home, but some of them are terrible at it appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

As OpenAI and Anthropic move closer to their planned initial public offerings, more details about the finances of both artificial intelligence giants are starting to emerge. It was no secret these companies were bleeding cash, but seeing the actual numbers is still striking. Neither company has made its filings official. Both are in the process of recruiting investors and have recently closed funding rounds, which meant opening their books. The Wall Street Journal got a peek. According to internal estimates, OpenAI will not turn a profit until 2030, while Anthropic expects slight positive results this year, followed by another year of losses before staying in the green in 2028 and 2029. Spending on AI training will be staggering. In 2028, OpenAI projects spending $121 billion on computing power for its AI research. The estimate for 2029 is slightly higher, before AI model training costs dip back below $100 million in 2030. (This year, for perspective, the company expects to spend just over $25 billion on AI model training.) Anthropic’s totals are smaller but still climb steadily, surpassing $30 billion in 2029. These losses come despite an expected surge in revenue at both companies. OpenAI’s revenue is projected to nearly double annually, reaching roughly $275 billion in 2030. Anthropic expects to approach $150 billion in 2029. Anthropic’s projections include sales through cloud partners, something OpenAI does not emphasize to the same extent. As a result, Anthropic expects most of its income to come from enterprise customers. That channel is also key for OpenAI, but the company is betting heavily on consumer usage. It is still unclear how that revenue will break down between paid memberships, advertising, or other streams. (OpenAI projects roughly $150 billion in consumer revenue in 2030.) For now, OpenAI is effectively subsidizing free users as it pushes adoption. While not stated explicitly, the strategy is clear: build habit now, convert later. Loyal users are easier to turn into paying customers over time. Usage trends suggest the approach is gaining traction. Data from SimilarWeb shows AI platform visits rose 28.6% between January 2025 and January 2026. Users are also spending more time on these platforms, while referral traffic to external sites, which supply much of the underlying data, has plateaued. OpenAI’s lead remains significant. As of September 2025, ChatGPT accounted for roughly 79% of global generative AI web traffic, according to SimilarWeb. Google’s Gemini grew 157% between April and September 2025, reaching 1.1 billion monthly visits. Perplexity reached 170 million monthly visits, while Anthropic’s Claude saw 157 million. Corporate demand is rising alongside consumer usage. A December study from advisory firm Teneo found that 68% of CEOs plan to increase AI spending in 2026. So far, however, fewer than half of corporate AI projects have generated returns that exceed their costs. The race for users is driving the current arms race in AI, and the rapid cash burn that comes with it. It also helps explain why companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing exchanges to adjust their rules. Nasdaq, it seems, is on board, saying it would allow newly listed companies (like OpenAI and SpaceX) to join its Nasdaq 100 index, which would make it easier for them to sell shares. View the full article

Hungary’s illiberal champion has benefited from the misjudgments and complacency of other leadersView the full article

My kids have been really into sea shanties lately (my family has eclectic musical tastes.) There are a surprisingly large number of modern shanties on YouTube and TikTok. But one historic song, The Wellermen, really spoke to me. Going down a rabbit hole of the song’s history, I learned that it was written in 1966 by a New Zealander. But the whaling classic was inspired by a much older song from 1820. Eventually, I found the lyrics to the original. But there was a problem–the words were cryptic and the melody was lost to the sands of time, making it impossible to sing. So, I decided to leverage today’s most powerful music-generating AI to bring it back. The result is a modern shanty that draws word for word on the 19th century original. Spoiler alert: it’s a banger. Here’s how I made it–and what I learned about the future of AI music. The rise of ShantyTok During the pandemic, sea shanties had an odd cultural moment. The trend was known as ShantyTok. Modern creators discovered centuries-old shanties, and started adapting them for young, streaming audiences. Shanties work surprisingly well on social media. They’re often simple, repetitive songs, designed to be sung communally. They’re dramatic. And they’re highly story-driven, which encourages listeners to stick around and listen to the whole thing, rather than swiping away. TikTok and Youtube’s algorithms love that kind of engagement. With their messages of struggle and resilience, shanties were also perfect for the Covid-addled moment. The result is that Shantytok yielded really fantastic modern renditions of ancient classics. Wellerman is a perfect example. Collected and put to music by the folk musician Neil Colquhoun in 1966, it was adapted by modern musician Nathan Evans and went viral on social media in 2021. The song tells the story of a ship’s captain and his crew, locked in a mortal, never-ending battle with an elusive and powerful whale. If that sounds a lot like the story of Moby Dick, that’s no coincidence. The website New Zealand Folk Song has an excellent history of Wellermen. Colquhoun apparently based his modern version on a historical 1820 whaling shanty that his schoolteacher wife found in an old book. That shanty, titled Mocha Dick, is way darker than Wellermen–the entire crew dies in this one, instead of simply pursuing a whale for all eternity. Mocha Dick is based on a real whale that reportedly drowned 100 men off the coast of Chile while evading capture, and the Smithsonian says that real-life whale inspired Melville’s iconic novel. When I finally found the lyrics to Mocha Dick on New Zealand Folk Song’s site, I was initially excited, and then disappointed. In its current form, the song is basically unsingable. The melody has been lost to history and the lyrics are tough to interpret–dark, lacking a discernible rhyme scheme, and filled with 19th century colloquialisms like “bully boys” and loads of references to very specific parts of whaling ships. I wanted to bring it back to life and sing it with my kids. So, I turned to AI to see if I could revive the song–and make it as much of an earworm as Wellerman. AI pirates To bring the shanty back from the dead, I turned to Suno, the most powerful music-generating AI on the market, plunking down $10 for a month of Pro access. I sing in a choir and can hold my own with a ukulele. But you can use Suno even if you have zero musical skill. Suno’s system adapts to whatever inputs you provide. You can give it something as simple as a written concept (“death metal lullaby” or “acapella Python-themed polka”) and it will spit out a fully-produced song, complete with vocals, instrumentation and cover art. But if you know more about music–or have source material to start from–the system is also happy to play Elton John to your Bernie Taupin, crafting music to match your lyrics or even remixing your original song. In my case, I pasted the exact, 1820 lyrics of Mocha Dick into Suno’s interface. I then specified that I wanted a “rousing sea shanty.” In less than a minute, it had produced four different song variants. Two were vocal-forward, Irish-inflected tunes that sounded fine, but not like anything special. I immediately fell in love with the third one, though. After a lilting start with a single, gravely voice, the song launches into a lively ballad, complete with multi-part vocal harmonies–all imagined by Suno’s generative AI. My kids think it sounds like a choir of pirates. I named it William of Tyre after the doomed ship in the original song, spun up a graphic with Google’s Nano Banana, and uploaded it to YouTube. Automated bangers There’s a lot to like, musically, about Suno’s creation. After its quiet and subdued start, the song slowly swells in intensity–with the pirate choir providing subtle vocal backing–until the doomed crew confront the white whale. At that climactic moment, the tempo suddenly quickens, echoing the speed and drama of the chase, before slowing and adopting a mournful tone as the fictional William of Tyre is ultimately sunk. There’s an odd lyrical section at the end of the original shanty in which the whale begins speaking directly to the crew. Suno does a terrific job making musical sense of this, bringing in multiple voices singing in a lower register with an almost monastic tone to suggest the voice of a massive, seafaring leviathan. Likewise–because the original shanty lacks the kind of catchy, repeating chorus you’d find in a modern song–Suno turns its single repeating line (“Blow my bully boys, blow”) into a powerful refrain that caps off each verse. The original lyrics also lack a clear ending–the song just kind of stops, and there isn’t even a final “Blow my bully boys!” to see us off. Again, Suno handles this musical ambiguity surprisingly well, finishing the piece with a series of shouted “OY OYs!” and a climactic drum solo. To be sure, there are problems. For no reason at all, Suno’s imagined singer pauses in the middle of the first “Bully boys” line. My best guess is that Suno saw a comma in the original lyrics, and interpreted it as a spot to randomly pause. The AI also makes mistakes that a human would probably catch. There’s a line about the “bow” of the ship. Anyone with rudimentary nautical knowledge would know how to pronounce that word in a ship-y context. But Suno makes it sound like the “bow” in “bow and arrow”. It’s a subtle mistake, but one that’s very telling of the song’s AI origins. The future of music? Despite its flaws, though, there’s a strange appeal to the song. I find myself listening to it again and again. So, is this good for the world of music, or not? Suno is already notorious in the music industry for flooding streaming platforms like Spotify with millions of songs that established musicians describe as “slop.” A coalition of these musicians have already launched a Say No to Suno campaign. And the RIAA has reportedly filed suit against the company over copyright allegations. I’m sure a real historical musicologist would listen to my AI-generated shanty and conclude that there’s nothing whatsoever authentic about it. But after listening to the song a lot, I’d be leery of dismissing it too quickly. Sure, the original shanty probably sounded a lot different when it was sung in the 1820s. There was likely no choir of pirates with electric instruments providing dramatic musical backing. Still, there’s something powerful about hearing the song’s original, historic lyrics set to music–even if that music is imagined by AI. Many lines in Mocha Dick made no sense to me when I simply read the lyrics. Hearing them performed gives them an emotional power and resonance I never thought I’d find in the two-century-old original. A line that reads “Come raise your hand/My bully boys/And swear you’ll not flinch or fear/While there’s a spar to keep afloat” doesn’t hit very hard when you first read it. But when it’s sung in a pleading yet resolute tone by overlapping, harmonizing voices (even imagined ones) you suddenly realize that the fictional crew knows the grim fate that awaits them as they confront the whale, yet chooses to proceed anyway. It completely changes the song. That’s the real power of platforms like Suno. Creating AI-powered bangers is nice. But the ability to breathe new life into a long-forgotten set of lyrics–and to create an emotional bridge across centuries of time–is an impactful one. Perhaps William of Tyre isn’t historically accurate or authentic to the original. But all music has a unique and magical ability to stir the soul, lending resonance and power to our frail, human words and struggles. As I learned from my experiment, that applies even if it’s written by a computer. View the full article

In this case study, we went deep instead of broad. We focused on one question: why wasn’t a brand present in a single ChatGPT prompt across ~70 iterations? We chose one prompt: “What are the best hotels in New York City?” We analyzed mentions, citations, fanouts, and SERPs in Google and Bing. We also planned to analyze GPT memory, but it made no discernible difference to mentions, citations, or fanouts. What we did and what we found We chose NYC hotels because it’s a crowded, mature market with juggernauts and up-and-comers. We also have no connection to the NYC luxury hotel space — we intentionally picked an area where we could stay objective and learn from scratch. After running the prompt “what are the best hotels in New York City” 68 times, we identified which hotels appeared most consistently and which were nearly invisible. We chose the Baccarat Hotel as our “client” because it appeared only once (1.5% of the time), despite strong reviews and clear alignment with the prompt’s intent. We wanted to know why — and whether it could change that. Key findings: You can dominate query fanouts on Google SERPs and still underperform in ChatGPT brand mentions. Bing matters most. Ranking in Bing articles for fanouts aligns more directly with ChatGPT mentions — not just citations. In verticals dominated by third-party content, you face complex digital PR paths to increase visibility. Note: A full methodology breakdown appears in the appendix. Mentions of the Baccarat vs. the Fifth Avenue Hotel show just how wide the disparity in ChatGPT visibility can be The Baccarat Hotel appeared once in 68 trials (1.5%). Top performers were large luxury hotels like the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown. ChatGPT also identified boutique hotels as a subcategory, generating a secondary list in its answers. Boutique hotels like the Baccarat are typically smaller and not part of large chains. Within this boutique subcategory, the Baccarat still underperformed. The Fifth Avenue Hotel, the top-performing boutique property, appeared 13 times, cited 20% of the time, versus the Baccarat’s 1.5%. Reputation can’t explain visibility disparities We first checked whether anything in the hotel’s history or reputation could explain the gap. As the chart below shows, nothing significant did: The Baccarat The Fifth AvenueYear Founded20152023Current Price$930$563Number of Google Reviews1.3k213Google Reviews Rating4.64.6Number of Expedia Reviews531201Expedia Reviews Rating9.49.6 Overall, the Baccarat has been around longer and has more reviews. On quality, the Fifth Avenue Hotel has no edge in Google reviews and only a slight edge in Expedia reviews. The only area where the Baccarat lags is price — but that’s unlikely the issue when The Ritz-Carlton, a consistent non-boutique winner, is listed at $1,100. Further reinforcing the Fifth Avenue’s underdog status: one of its most prominent Google results (rank 2) was a Wikipedia page for a different Fifth Avenue Hotel that closed in 1908, creating potential entity confusion similar to the two Danny Goodwins. If the Fifth Avenue Hotel had been the one missing, it would suggest a less established brand with entity confusion. But the opposite happened — it prevailed in ChatGPT. So what was the problem for the Baccarat Hotel? Winning Google SERPs for query fanouts doesn’t help, but winning Bing SERPs does When ChatGPT performs a web search, it sends a series of queries you can extract via Chrome DevTools. In this case study, examples included: [Best hotels in new york city] [Top rated luxury hotels in new york city recommendations] [Best hotels in nyc top luxury and boutique hotels new york] [Best luxury and boutique hotels in new york city recommendations reviews] [Best hotels in new york city nyc top hotels] [Top hotels in nyc luxury boutique best places to stay new york city] In total, we extracted 25 unique query fanouts. What we saw in the Google SERPs If we only looked at the articles dominating fanout SERPs in Google, we’d expect the Baccarat to narrowly outperform the Fifth Avenue in ChatGPT. That didn’t happen. In the table below, the Baccarat “wins” three of the top 10 most frequently appearing pages, while the Fifth Avenue Hotel “wins” two. The other five feature neither. A “win” means one of the following: Appearing when the other does not. Appearing higher on the page. Having more positive sentiment. The data: URLWho Wins?Noteshttps://www.forbestravelguide.com/destinations/new-york-city-new-yorkThe BaccaratThe Baccarat Hotel is #4 on the list, the Fifth Avenue Hotel is #13 and sits far below the foldhttps://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/new-york-state/new-york/hotelsNeitherNeither Hotel appears on this listhttps://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/travel/the-best-hotels-in-new-york-all-the-michelin-key-hotels-in-the-cityThe Fifth AvenueThe Baccarat is listed as a “one key” hotel, placing it at the bottom of the list. The Fifth Avenue Hotel is listed as a “two key” hotel, placing it in the middle of the list.https://youshouldgohere.com/2025/01/best-boutique-hotels-new-york-city/NeitherNeither Hotel appears on this listhttps://travel.usnews.com/hotels/new_york_ny/The BaccaratThe Baccarat #11 on the list, the Fifth Avenue Hotel #16https://luxlifelondon.com/best-hotels-manhattan-new-york-city/NeitherNeither appears on this listhttps://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60763-New_York_City_New_York-Hotels.htmlNeitherNeither Hotel appears on this listhttps://www.lartisien.com/hotels/united-states/new-yorkThe BaccaratThe Baccarat is #5, the Fifth Avenue is #15https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/readers-choice-awards-new-york-city-hotelsNeitherNeither Hotel appears on this listhttps://www.reddit.com/r/chubbytravel/comments/1n7jro1/which_luxe_hotels_are_people_loving_in_new_york/The Fifth AvenueBoth mentioned, but the Fifth Avenue much more positively What we saw in the Bing SERPs By contrast, looking only at the articles dominating fanout SERPs in Bing, we’d expect the Fifth Avenue to outperform the Baccarat in ChatGPT — and it did. In the table below, the Fifth Avenue “wins” five of the eight most frequently appearing URLs. Note: The table includes two fewer URLs because Bing SERPs were slightly less diverse for these fanouts. The data: URLWho Wins?Noteshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-hotels-in-new-york-city/NeitherNeither appears on this listhttps://www.timeout.com/newyork/hotels/best-luxury-hotels-in-nycThe Fifth AvenueThe Fifth Avenue is #1, The Baccarat is #16https://robbreport.com/travel/hotels/lists/best-luxury-hotels-new-york-city-1237348563/The Fifth AvenueThe Fifth Avenue is #5 (but also wins the hero image/caption), the Baccarat is #11https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-boutique-hotels-nycThe Fifth AvenueThe Fifth Avenue appears, the Baccarat does nothttps://www.travelandleisure.com/best-hotels-in-new-york-city-8612778The BaccaratThe Baccarat appears, the Fifth Avenue does nothttps://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60763-zff12-New_York_City_New_York-Hotels.htmlThe Fifth AvenueThe Fifth Avenue appears, the Baccarat does nothttps://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-hotels-in-new-york-cityThe Fifth AvenueBoth are listed, but the Fifth Avenue is listed under “Our Top Picks”https://travel.usnews.com/hotels/new_york_ny/The BaccaratThe Baccarat is #11 on the list, the Fifth Avenue is #16 The connection between Bing visibility and brand mentions Bing rank strongly predicts ChatGPT citations — 87% align with Bing’s top results, Seer Interactive found. Our case study supports this and extends it. We examined the relationship between fanouts (Seer focused on prompts) and brand mentions. Example mention: “For a luxury boutique feel: listings like The Fifth Avenue Hotel or Crosby Street Hotel consistently make ‘top NYC’ lists from travel editors.” Mentions are often more valuable than citations. Most people won’t follow citations but will remember the top recommendation. There’s ongoing debate about whether fanouts shape ChatGPT’s answers and mentions, or simply support answers generated from training data. For example, Leigh McKenzie argued on LinkedIn: “The citations you see at the bottom? Those are surfaced after the answer is generated, not before. It’s post-hoc rationalization. The model didn’t choose your brand because it found your URL. It generated an answer based on what it already knows, then pointed to sources that support it.” By contrast, our data aligns with Beehiiv’s research, which suggests citations do shape mentions. Training data doesn’t appear to be the issue for the Baccarat. Compared to the Fifth Avenue, it’s older, has more reviews, and holds similarly high ratings across major platforms. What it lacks is strong presence in Bing results for fanouts and citations, which appears to lead to fewer mentions. A simple flow might look like this: Brand ranks in Bing → ChatGPT fanouts pull in Bing pages → ChatGPT synthesizes training and Bing data to generate mentions Coda: A tale of two Forbes articles, or why the details matter In this vertical, third parties like Forbes and Condé Nast control the space. Visibility depends on who mentions you, so you need a strong outreach strategy — not just updates to your own content. Our data shows that “targeting Forbes” isn’t specific enough. The top result surfaced in both Bing and ChatGPT was the same Forbes article. In Google, the most frequent fanout result was also a Forbes article — but a different one. Google’s article: https://www.forbestravelguide.com/destinations/new-york-city-new-york ChatGPT/Bing’s article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-hotels-in-new-york-city As we’ve seen, getting into Google’s Forbes article likely wouldn’t provide a meaningful boost. The Baccarat “won” in that piece. Getting into Bing’s Forbes article, where the Baccarat wasn’t mentioned, could make all the difference. This requires a highly surgical approach grounded in Bing data. Generalities won’t work; detail reigns supreme. Appendix: Methodology Model: We prompted GPT-5.2 Instant and manually extracted results. We didn’t use APIs within ChatGPT. Number of iterations: We ran the same prompt 68 times. Prompt: “What are the best hotels in New York City?” Settings: We tested three memory states: Saved memories off Saved memories on, using unrelated real user memories Saved memories on, with one memory about needing gluten-free travel accommodations For all trials, we turned off “reference chat history” to avoid interference across iterations. We expected differences based on memory settings but found none, so we treated all trials as a single dataset. What we extracted: All query fanouts. Full ChatGPT text output. Citations. Google SERPs for all fanouts. Bing SERPs for all fanouts. View the full article

Make sure that business development is part of your firm DNA. By Domenick J. Esposito 8 Steps to Great Go PRO for members-only access to more Dom Esposito. View the full article

Make sure that business development is part of your firm DNA. By Domenick J. Esposito 8 Steps to Great Go PRO for members-only access to more Dom Esposito. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you've been eyeing a Whoop fitness tracker but unsure about the membership cost, your Chase Sapphire card might be about to make that decision a whole lot easier. Through May 12, 2026, Chase is offering cash back on Whoop memberships for both Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred cardholders—and for Reserve members, the deal effectively covers the entire cost of a year's membership. WHOOP 5.0/MG Activity Tracker $239.00 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $239.00 at Amazon What is Whoop?Whoop is a health and fitness company that makes a wearable tracker and companion app focused on recovery, sleep, and strain. You've probably seen one of these screenless wristbands out in the wild, since Whoop has been one of the best fitness trackers out there for years now. Unlike other fitness wearables, Whoop operates on a membership model, where you pay for access to the platform and the hardware comes included. What's the Chase Sapphire promotion?Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can receive a one-time $359 statement credit for a Whoop Life membership (which covers the total cost of an annual membership) when they use their card to purchase a Life membership on Whoop. Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders can receive a one-time $100 statement credit toward the cost of any Whoop annual membership when they use their card to purchase any Whoop membership on the site, too. Simply put: If you have the Sapphire Reserve, you can get a full year of Whoop Life at no out-of-pocket cost. If you have the Sapphire Preferred, you'll get $100 knocked off whichever annual plan you choose. How to activate the offerYou can't just make the purchase and expect the credit to apply automatically: You must activate the offer through the Chase Offers portal by May 12, 2026, before making a membership purchase. First, log in to your Chase account online or through the Chase mobile app. Navigate to the Chase Offers section, which you can typically find under your card's benefits or in the "Explore" tab of the app. Search for the Whoop offer and click "Add to Card" to activate it. Once the offer is added to your card, head to Whoop and purchase the appropriate annual membership. Make sure you use the Chase Sapphire card you activated the offer on at checkout. Your statement credit will then be applied after the qualifying purchase posts to your account. Remember: Don't skip activation. If you buy the membership before activating, you won't receive the credit. The bottom lineIf you were already planning to try Whoop, this is a great opportunity, especially for those Sapphire Reserve holders getting the membership for free. Even for Preferred cardholders, $100 off is a solid discount on what is otherwise a recurring annual expense. The main thing to keep in mind is the deadline. The offer must be activated through the Chase Offers portal by May 12, 2026, and the purchase must be made using the card the offer was activated on, at Whoop.com. Do both of those things in the right order, and you're all set. View the full article

JPMorgan Chase released its 2025 annual report today, including letters to shareholders from senior executives. In his letter, chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI) and the company’s plans to embrace it. Dimon argued that the pace of the adoption of AI is unlike that of other technologies that came before, like electricity and the internet. While the technology is “transformational,” he cautioned that no one can predict how exactly AI will unfold. “People will live longer and safer” His overall outlook is optimistic. Dimon says he believes that AI will improve many areas of daily life and business. “AI will affect virtually every function, application and process in the company. And in the long run, it will have a huge positive impact on productivity,” he wrote. “I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that AI will cure some cancers, create new composites and reduce accidental deaths, among other positive outcomes,” he continued. “It will eventually reduce the workweek in the developed world. And people will live longer and safer.” He also acknowledged that AI will eliminate some jobs. According to Dimon, JPMorgan is committed to having a plan to support and redeploy affected workers. Will we really get shorter workweeks? Dimon’s commentary echoes beliefs he has shared before. In a March 31 CBS News interview, Dimon noted that he predicts AI will make the world more productive and safer. He further shared his belief that 30 years from now, most people will be working 3.5 days a week, and they’ll live healthier, longer lives as a result of AI-driven productivity. In the same interview, Dimon acknowledged the risks of rapid AI adoption. He noted that it’s important for the government and businesses to come up with solutions for potential risks. Predictions like this are nothing new. Decades of technological advances have come with the promise of more leisure time, although that promise has not always been realized. In recent history, prominent business leaders have made similar predictions. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan have both argued that AI will shorten the typical workweek by making employees significantly more productive. Leaders like Mark Cuban have argued that reduced hours shouldn’t lead to reduced pay. In a March 22 tweet, Cuban said, “Smart, bigger companies will enable their employees to create and use agents (within security guardrails), improve their productively but MOST IMPORTANTLY, they will reduce their work day by an hour to start. Same pay.” Work has a way of piling on As many company leaders rush to adopt AI while championing its benefits, a recent Harvard Business Review study found that AI didn’t reduce work; it only intensified it. The eight-month study identified several ways the technology is putting more pressure on employees. Workers using AI are now handling more tasks throughout the day, and many are spending additional time reviewing and correcting AI-generated work. The study also found that the boundaries between work and non-work time are becoming more blurred. Many workers reported squeezing in extra prompts during breaks and lunch or queuing up tasks before stepping away so AI could work in their absence. AI results in more multitasking, too. But the ability to juggle more tasks simultaneously raised expectations for speed and output, leaving many employees feeling more pressure, not less. View the full article

BONUS: A checklist to use for additional client services. By Ed Mendlowitz Tax Season Opportunity Guide Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

BONUS: A checklist to use for additional client services. By Ed Mendlowitz Tax Season Opportunity Guide Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

When considering franchising a business, it’s essential to understand the costs involved, which can range from $48,500 to $160,000 in the first year. This figure varies based on your industry and the level of support you receive. You’ll encounter initial franchise fees, ongoing royalty fees, and several other expenses, including legal documentation and marketing costs. As you explore these financial elements, you’ll want to guarantee you’re fully prepared for the investment ahead. Key Takeaways Initial setup costs to franchise a business range from $26,000 to $84,500, depending on various factors. Total estimated first-year investment typically falls between $48,500 and $160,000. Initial franchise fees generally range from $20,000 to $50,000. Ongoing royalty fees usually comprise 3% to 9% of gross sales. Additional legal and documentation costs can range from $15,000 to $45,000 for FDD preparation. Estimated Cost to Franchise Your Business When you’re considering franchising your business, it’s vital to understand the estimated costs involved in the process. Typically, how much does it cost to franchise your business? Initial setup expenses commonly range from $26,000 to $84,500. These costs cover the shift from business owner to franchisor. Moreover, first-year franchise sales costs can add another $22,500 to $75,500. This brings your total estimated first-year investment to about $48,500 to $160,000. Specific costs can vary based on factors like your franchise team, industry, and the level of support you offer to franchisees. It’s important to budget accurately to guarantee a smooth franchising process and set realistic expectations for potential franchisees. Legal Costs: Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Development When you’re franchising your business, developing a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is vital, as it lays out fundamental details like fees and obligations for both you and your franchisees. You’ll need an experienced franchise lawyer to guarantee the FDD meets all federal and state regulations, which can cost between $15,000 and $45,000. This document not just complies with legal requirements but additionally guides potential franchisees in comprehending your franchise opportunity. FDD Importance for Franchising The Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) plays a pivotal role in the franchising process, as it lays out the vital terms and conditions governing the franchise relationship. It’s legally required to be provided to potential franchisees at least 14 days before signing any agreement. Here’s why the FDD is so important: It provides detailed information about the franchisor’s business background, fees, and obligations. Item 19 particularly offers insights into expected financial performance, helping franchisees make informed decisions. A well-prepared FDD, developed by an experienced franchise lawyer, protects the franchisor from potential legal disputes. Investing in a thorough FDD is fundamental for establishing a solid legal foundation for your franchise system and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations. Legal Expertise Requirements Comprehension of the legal expertise requirements for developing a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is critical, as it directly impacts the success and compliance of your franchise system. The FDD typically costs between $15,000 and $45,000 and must be prepared by an experienced franchise lawyer to guarantee adherence to legal regulations. This document provides significant information for potential franchisees, including fees, obligations, and financial performance representations. Item 19, which covers financial performance, requires legal guidance to maintain accuracy and transparency. Furthermore, trademark registration is part of the FDD development process, necessitating further legal expertise and associated costs. Investing in qualified legal support is fundamental to create a compliant and effective FDD that meets all franchise requirements. Costs Associated With FDD Comprehending the costs associated with developing a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is imperative for anyone looking to shift from a business owner to a franchisor. The estimated cost to create an FDD ranges from $15,000 to $45,000, depending on complexity and the franchise lawyer’s experience. An experienced lawyer is critical to guarantee compliance with legal standards, as the FDD serves as the legal backbone of your franchise system. Key components of the FDD include: Financial performance representations (Item 19) Trademark registration Operational guidelines Getting the FDD right is fundamental, as it outlines the franchisor-franchisee relationship and sets the foundation for your franchise’s success. Investing in legal expertise now can save you from costly issues later. Operations Manual Development When developing an Operations Manual for your franchise, understanding the associated costs is vital, as expenses can range from $0 to $30,000. This manual, provided after signing the franchise agreement, serves as a thorough guide for effectively running your franchise. Although it’s not included in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), it outlines critical operational procedures, training, and best practices. The cost varies greatly based on whether you choose a DIY approach or hire professional consultants. A well-crafted Operations Manual can improve franchisee performance by offering clear instructions and standards for daily operations. Preparation Method Estimated Cost Range Benefits In-House $0 – $5,000 Familiarity with brand Freelance Consultant $5,000 – $15,000 Expertise and experience Professional Firm $15,000 – $30,000 Thorough coverage Financial Statement Preparation Financial statement preparation is a vital step in establishing your franchise, with costs typically ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. You’ll need a licensed CPA to audit and certify these statements, ensuring compliance with legal standards. These financial statements play a key role in your Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which you provide to potential franchisees. Accurate financial statements not only maintain transparency but likewise establish credibility within your franchise system. Remember, they help potential franchisees understand the financial performance and viability of your franchise. Vital for Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Audited by a licensed CPA for legal compliance Improves credibility and transparency in your franchise system State Filing and Registration Fees Grasping state filing and registration fees is vital for anyone looking to franchise a business. These fees typically range from $1,000 to $4,500, depending on your state and its specific requirements. Incorporation fees average around $300, whereas trademark filings with the USPTO cost about $250 per class. Furthermore, the registration fees for your Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) can vary from $250 to $750 per state. Remember, costs associated with state filings can fluctuate based on how many registrations and filings you need for compliance. Comprehending these fees is important for accurately estimating the total initial investment required to franchise your business, ensuring you’re fully prepared for the financial commitments ahead. Costs for First Year of Franchise Sales Grasping the costs associated with the first year of franchise sales is crucial for prospective franchisors. Your total investment can range from about $48,500 to $160,000, influenced by your industry and the level of support you provide. Key expenses include: Initial setup costs, typically between $26,000 and $84,500 Additional costs for the first year, ranging from $22,500 to $75,500 Legal fees for creating a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), which can add $15,000 to $45,000 Don’t forget state filing and registration fees, which can cost around $1,000 to $4,500. Comprehending these figures helps you plan better and guarantee your franchise’s successful launch in the competitive market. The Myth of Million-Dollar Franchise Costs Many people think franchising costs millions, but that’s not the case. In reality, low-cost franchise opportunities can start as low as $15,000, with average initial investments ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, excluding real estate. This variability means you can find accessible options without needing a million-dollar budget, allowing more aspiring entrepreneurs to enter the market. Understanding Franchise Investment Variability Even though it’s easy to assume that franchising a business requires a hefty investment of a million dollars or more, the reality is much more nuanced. Franchise startup costs can vary considerably, with options starting as low as $15,000, whereas major brands might demand $250,000 or more. Key factors influencing investment include: Initial franchise fees, typically ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. The type of franchise, such as home-based franchises like Dream Vacations, which can reduce costs by eliminating real estate expenses. Ongoing royalty fees, usually between 3% to 9% of gross sales, plus additional expenses like marketing and insurance. Understanding these variables helps clarify the overall financial commitment involved in franchising a business. Low-Cost Franchise Opportunities Available Franchising doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank; in fact, low-cost franchise opportunities are abundant and accessible for aspiring entrepreneurs. You can find franchises that start at under $15,000, such as Dream Vacations and Image One, which offer significant revenue potential. For instance, Image One franchisees might earn up to $1 million by year-end. During the average franchise investment hovers around $250,000, low-cost options provide high ROI and often feature lower royalty fees. Other popular choices include Complete Weddings + Events, Showhomes Home Staging, and TSS Photography, all with startup costs below $15,000. The myth that franchising requires million-dollar investments is misleading; many successful franchises thrive on modest budgets, appealing to a diverse range of entrepreneurs. Typical Franchise Startup Costs Starting a franchise can require a significant financial commitment, with typical startup costs for a single unit franchise ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, not including real estate expenses. The initial franchise fee typically falls between $20,000 and $50,000, which gives you rights to the franchise name and business model. Real estate costs can further inflate your budget, especially for physical locations. Moreover, you’ll need to take into account ongoing expenses. Key startup costs include: Inventory necessary for operations Professional fees for legal and accounting services Marketing expenses and insurance coverage Remember that franchise royalty fees, usually 5% to 9% of gross sales, should likewise be factored into your long-term budget. How to Finance the Cost of Starting a Franchise When you’re looking to finance the cost of starting a franchise, it’s crucial to explore various options. Traditional bank loans are a common choice, but you’ll need a strong business plan and good credit to secure one. Furthermore, the Small Business Administration (SBA) offers loans with favorable terms, whereas alternative financing options can provide more flexibility, though they may come with higher interest rates. Traditional Bank Loans Securing financing is a crucial step in launching a franchise, and traditional bank loans are a common avenue for aspiring franchisees. These loans typically cover 50% to 80% of your total startup costs, which can range from $10,000 to $5 million, depending on the franchise. To obtain a loan, you’ll need a solid business plan and a good credit score. Here are some key points to reflect on: Interest rates usually fall between 5% and 10%, depending on market conditions. Your financial history plays a significant role in the lender’s assessment. Franchisors may have established relationships with JPMorgan Chase, which can streamline your loan application process. Understanding these factors can help you secure the necessary funds for your franchise. SBA Loan Programs Steering through the financial terrain of franchise ownership often leads aspiring entrepreneurs to evaluate SBA loan programs, which offer a range of benefits customized to help you start your business. These loans provide favorable terms, including lower interest rates because of partial repayment guarantees. The SBA 7(a) loan program is especially popular, allowing you to access up to $5 million for various startup costs, such as real estate and equipment. To qualify, you’ll typically need a good credit score, a solid business plan, and adequate collateral. Importantly, if your chosen franchise is listed in the SBA’s Franchise Directory, the loan application process is streamlined. SBA loans can cover significant portions of initial fees, inventory, equipment, and working capital, making them attractive for franchisees. Alternative Financing Options Exploring alternative financing options can be crucial for aspiring franchise owners looking to cover startup costs. Here are some viable avenues to examine: Franchisor Financing: Some franchisors partner with lenders to provide customized financing programs, easing your funding process. Commercial Bank Loans: These typically require a solid business plan and good credit history, with terms varying based on your financial profile. Crowdfunding and Personal Loans: Tapping into personal networks through crowdfunding or loans from family and friends can offer initial capital. The Small Business Administration (SBA) furthermore provides favorable loan terms, enhancing your chances of securing funding. Whereas alternative lenders can offer quick access to cash, be cautious of their higher interest rates compared to traditional options. Other Common Opening Franchise Fees When considering the costs associated with franchising a business, it’s vital to understand that the initial franchise fee is just one part of the overall investment. You’ll also need to factor in real estate acquisition costs, which include renting or purchasing a location and any renovations required to meet franchise standards. Initial inventory costs can vary greatly, depending on your franchise type; for example, deli franchises need specific food items, whereas janitorial services require cleaning supplies. Furthermore, don’t overlook expenses for general office supplies, industry-specific equipment, and signage. Finally, marketing expenses are important, as they often involve contributions to an advertising fund and local initiatives, typically calculated as a percentage of your gross sales. Ongoing Costs Associated With Operating a Franchise After addressing the various initial investments needed to launch a franchise, it’s important to shift focus to the ongoing costs that come with operating one. These costs can greatly affect your profitability and include: Royalty fees, usually between 5% to 9% of your gross sales, which you’ll pay to the franchisor. Recurring operating expenses, such as employee salaries, utilities, and maintenance, that need careful management. Marketing contributions, often a percentage of your sales, for national or regional advertising, plus local marketing costs for your franchise. Additionally, having adequate working capital is crucial to cover unexpected expenses and to guarantee smooth operations, especially during your early days in business. Comprehending these costs will help you plan for long-term success. Knowledge & Support Offered by Franchises Franchises consistently offer a wealth of knowledge and support that can be invaluable for new business owners. They provide a proven business model, reducing risks associated with starting from scratch. Ongoing support often includes thorough training in operational procedures, marketing strategies, and customer service practices. As a franchisee, you gain access to established marketing strategies and brand recognition, attracting customers more effectively. Furthermore, many franchises maintain a support network for ongoing coaching, improving your performance over time. Here’s a quick look at the support offered: Type of Support Description Benefit Training Programs Detailed training on operations and marketing Reduces startup risks Marketing Strategies Access to established marketing techniques Attracts customers faster Coaching Network Ongoing support and performance improvement Improves operational success Industry Insights Shared resources and knowledge Achieves operational efficiency Frequently Asked Questions How Much Does It Cost to Franchise a Small Business? Franchising a small business can cost between $26,000 and $84,500 for initial setup, with additional first-year sales costs ranging from $22,500 to $75,500. This means your total first-year investment could be around $48,500 to $160,000. Key expenses include developing a Franchise Disclosure Document, which may cost $15,000 to $45,000, and creating operating manuals, which can range from free to $30,000, plus state fees of $1,000 to $4,500. Why Is It Only $10,000 to Open a Chick-Fil-A? You’ll find that Chick-fil-A’s initial franchise fee is only $10,000 since the company covers most startup costs, like real estate and equipment. This support allows you to concentrate on managing operations rather than financial burdens. Furthermore, Chick-fil-A emphasizes community involvement and customer satisfaction, which can lead to higher profits. The franchisee selection process is rigorous, ensuring that you align with the company’s values, setting you up for success in the business. How Much Money Should I Have to Start a Franchise? To start a franchise, you should have a minimum of $10,000 to $50,000 in liquid cash. Initial investment costs typically range from $10,000 to $300,000, depending on the franchise brand. The franchise fee usually falls between $20,000 and $50,000, allowing you to use the franchise name and model. Don’t forget to evaluate additional first-year costs, which can add $22,500 to $75,500 to your total investment. Review the Franchise Disclosure Document for detailed financial insights. What Is the Cheapest Franchise to Own? The cheapest franchises typically have startup costs of $15,000 or less. For example, Dream Vacations requires just $9,800, whereas Image One costs $15,000 and can generate up to $1 million in revenue. Complete Weddings + Events and TSS Photography both start around $10,000, offering diverse opportunities. These low-cost options allow you to enter various industries, making them ideal if you’re looking to start a business or supplement your income effectively. Conclusion In conclusion, franchising a business involves a range of costs that can greatly impact your initial investment. From franchise fees to legal documentation and ongoing royalties, it’s essential to budget accurately. Comprehending these expenses, alongside potential financing options, will help you make informed decisions. Furthermore, consider the support and resources provided by franchisors, as they can heavily influence your success. Being well-prepared can lead to a more favorable franchising experience. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "How Much Does It Cost to Franchise a Business?" 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. The JBL PartyBox 720 is down to $799.95 on Woot, a drop from its $1,099.95 list price and below its current $899.95 listing on Amazon. That almost lines up with the lowest price recorded so far, which was $798, according to price-trackers. Also, shipping is free for Amazon Prime members, while everyone else pays a $6 fee. This deal is set to run for about five days, though it could end sooner if stock runs out. JBL PartyBox 720 IPX4-Rated Portable Party Speaker $799.95 at Woot $1,099.95 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $799.95 at Woot $1,099.95 Save $300.00 This is the larger and more powerful sibling to the JBL PartyBox Stage 320, which Lifehacker writer Daniel Oropeza covered in detail in this review. In use, the difference shows up in how much sound it can push. The 720 gets loud enough for outdoor setups or crowded rooms without sounding thin. Bass hits hard, mids stay clear, and highs don’t get lost even as you turn it up. There is some compression at the top end, especially in the low frequencies, but it still holds together better than smaller models. You can tweak the sound through the EQ in the app or use the Bass Boost when you want more punch. The speaker runs on dual detachable batteries with a claimed 15 hours of playback, and it supports Auracast if you want to link multiple compatible speakers. It also leans into the “party” angle with built-in RGB lighting and karaoke inputs, so you can plug in a mic and use it without extra gear. The downsides come from its size and design. This is a large and heavy speaker, so even though it has wheels, you are not going to move it around as casually as a smaller speaker. It also throws sound forward (having a front-facing design), so where you place it in a room will shape how evenly the music reaches everyone. And while it can handle a few splashes with its IPX4 rating, it is not built for heavy exposure to water or rough conditions. As for its battery life, it holds up for a night, but it does not stretch as far as the JBL PartyBox Stage 320, which can last well over 20 hours. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $224.00 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.99 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 128GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Gray) — $209.99 (List Price $249.99) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $329.00 (List Price $399.00) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Lean In, the feminist organization founded by Sheryl Sandberg, has a new focus: fighting the gender gap in AI adoption. The nonprofit has put out new research that digs into how women use AI in the workplace relative to their male counterparts, which captures an adoption gap that has surfaced in previous surveys. In a survey of over 1,000 adults, Lean In found that 78% of men had used AI in the workplace, when compared to 73% of women. Men also reported using AI more regularly: About a third of men used AI daily, while only 27% of women did the same. This might not seem like a major difference at the moment. But Sandberg argues that this gap is likely to grow over time if it goes unaddressed. “These differences—which are not that small, but are smallish now—will compound over time, which is why we think it’s so important for people to understand them and acknowledge them,” she told Fast Company. Part of the reason for this gap, according to Lean In’s findings, is that many women are more cautious about the ethical implications of using AI at work. Women were 32% more likely to feel concerned that they would be perceived as cheating by using AI—and they also tended to steer clear of AI over concerns about accuracy and ethics. Some of them were also worried about the disproportionate impact that AI-related layoffs could have on women. “Don’t get us wrong. It is great that women have ethical concerns and care about cheating,” says Bridget Griswold, Lean In’s recently appointed CEO. “But we really worry that’s going to inadvertently cause women to use AI less.” Lean In’s research suggests that this is already happening—in part because the very gender biases that have impacted career progression for many women are now influencing how AI is being adopted in the workplace. “We also found that women feel differently about AI because they are treated differently in regards to AI, and [are] spoken to differently,” Griswold says. Women are encouraged to use AI less than their male colleagues, for example: Only 30% of women surveyed by Lean In said that their managers urged them to use AI, as compared to 37% of men. And when women do use AI at work, they are not nearly as likely to be recognized for it or get credit for doing so; men were 27% more likely to be praised for using AI on the job. “The biases exist, and then they will get internalized,” Sandberg says. “I bet a lot of the people doing this—and it’s got to be both male and female managers—don’t even know they’re doing it, which is why we think research like this is so critically important.” Previous research has signaled a broader gender gap in AI adoption. A recent analysis conducted by researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley, drew on 18 studies that surveyed over 140,000 people globally and found that women were 20% less likely overall to use generative AI. In the workplace, however, women face particular challenges as it relates to AI. While women tend to be more skeptical of AI on the whole, the slower rate of adoption in the workplace seems driven more by gender dynamics. Women are also both overrepresented in some of the industries most vulnerable to AI disruption—clerical work, for example—while also being underrepresented in some of the roles across engineering that are being augmented by AI. While there are signs that the AI adoption gap is narrowing, Lean In’s research indicates that it’s not happening fast enough—and that employers have a crucial role to play in bridging that gap. “I think we’re in a place where we’ve got new technology [and] old patterns, and they are old patterns that we at Lean In are committed to overcoming,” Sandberg says. “We are worried—and we should be worried—that in a world of the revolution of AI, women shouldn’t get left behind.” View the full article

Maximizing your tax return this year requires a strategic approach. Start by evaluating your filing status, as it can greatly impact your return. Don’t overlook deductions that you might qualify for, such as state and local taxes, or out-of-pocket charitable contributions. Moreover, tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit can improve your refund. There are several other strategies that can further optimize your tax situation, so it’s worth exploring all available options. Key Takeaways Review your filing status to maximize deductions; consider Head of Household if applicable for additional tax benefits. Claim all eligible deductions, including medical expenses and charitable contributions, to reduce taxable income significantly. Take advantage of tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for substantial refunds. Maximize contributions to retirement accounts and Health Savings Accounts to lower taxable income and enhance savings. Consult a tax professional for personalized strategies and to ensure you’re not missing any potential deductions or credits. Evaluate Your Filing Status When you evaluate your filing status, it’s vital to understand how it can affect your tax rate and the standard deduction amount. You have several options: Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household, and Qualifying Surviving Spouse. For instance, if you’re married, filing jointly often results in lower taxes, whereas filing separately can help if one spouse has considerable medical expenses. The standard deduction for 2025 is $14,600 for Married Filing Jointly and $13,850 for Head of Household, which can greatly impact your tax liability. If you’re single and provide more than half the support for a qualifying dependent, consider Head of Household status for a better deduction. Moreover, knowing the earned income tax credit income limit can help you maximize your benefits. A tax credit example is vital as it directly reduces your tax liability, helping you learn how to get more on your tax return. Take Advantage of Deductions In terms of maximizing your tax return, taking advantage of commonly overlooked deductions can make a significant difference. You mightn’t realize that expenses like state and local sales taxes, medical costs above a certain threshold, or contributions to retirement accounts can all help reduce your taxable income. Furthermore, don’t forget about educational expenses and charitable contributions, as these can likewise reveal valuable tax credits and further improve your return. Commonly Overlooked Deductions Have you ever wondered if you’re maximizing your tax deductions? Many overlook deductions that could greatly impact your return. For instance, if you live in a no-income-tax state, you can deduct state and local sales taxes instead. Furthermore, out-of-pocket expenses for charitable work, like supplies or mileage, can too be claimed. If your unreimbursed medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your AGI, you should consider deducting those as well. Educators can claim up to $300 in classroom expenses, and if you bake goods for charity, the ingredient costs may likewise qualify for a deduction. Comprehending the tax break meaning and knowing how to get more back on taxes can make a difference in your overall tax situation. What’s a tax rebate, after all, if you’re not maximizing your deductions? Maximize Tax Credits How can you guarantee you’re taking full advantage of available tax credits? Start by claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which can refund up to $8,046 for qualifying low-to-moderate income families. Many eligible individuals miss out on this benefit. Next, utilize the Child Tax Credit, which can provide up to $2,200 per qualifying child under 17; use a child tax credit calculator to determine your eligibility. Don’t forget about education credits, like the American Opportunity Credit, offering up to $2,500 per student for college, or the Lifetime Learning Credit for up to $2,000 in education-related expenses. These credits can notably increase your tax refund, making them crucial for maximizing your return. Explore Tax Credits In relation to maximizing your tax return, exploring available tax credits is crucial. These credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, can greatly reduce your tax liability or even increase your refund. Comprehending the eligibility requirements and application guidelines for these credits can help you make the most of your tax situation. Key Tax Credits Available During the process of maneuvering through the intricacies of tax season, comprehending the key tax credits available can greatly improve your tax return. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for 2025 offers substantial benefits, potentially reaching up to $8,046 based on your income and the number of qualifying children. Moreover, the 2025 Child Tax Credit amount per child can provide up to $2,200 for each child under 17, which may boost your tax refund considerably, even though you owe no tax. Don’t overlook the American Opportunity Credit, which allows up to $2,500 for eligible students, or the Lifetime Learning Credit of $2,000 for education expenses. Finally, the Child and Dependent Care Credit can help offset childcare costs, further reducing your tax liability. Eligibility and Application Guidelines Grasping the eligibility requirements and application guidelines for tax credits is vital for maximizing your tax return. To qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), you must meet specific income thresholds and have qualifying children. If you’re wondering how to calculate earned income credit, bear in mind that your filing status and the number of dependents play a significant role. For instance, if you qualify as low income federal with 3 kids, you could receive up to $8,046 for the 2025 tax year. Keep in mind that accurate records and documentation are necessary for claiming these credits. Furthermore, familiarize yourself with other credits, like the Child Tax Credit and education credits, to further improve your tax refund potential. Maximize Retirement Contributions Maximizing your retirement contributions is an vital strategy for enhancing your financial future and reducing your taxable income. By contributing to a traditional IRA, you can lower your taxable income, with a contribution limit of $7,000 for 2025, plus a $1,000 catch-up option if you’re 50 or older. For 401(k) plans, the limit is $23,500, and catch-up contributions can raise that total to $34,750 for those aged 50 and up. Grasping the earned income definition is important here, as contributions must come from earned income. Although Roth IRAs don’t offer immediate tax deductions, they allow funds to grow tax-free, making them a valuable long-term option. Furthermore, maximizing contributions to employer-sponsored plans, especially those with matching contributions, can greatly boost your retirement savings. This approach aids in maximizing your max tax return and provides various tax benefits, enhancing your overall financial strategy. Contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA) Building on the importance of maximizing your retirement contributions, another effective way to improve your tax return is by contributing to a Health Savings Account (HSA). To qualify for an HSA, you need to be enrolled in a high deductible health plan (HDHP). For 2025, the contribution limit is $4,300 for individuals and $8,550 for families, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution available for those aged 55 and older. Your HSA contributions are tax-deductible, reducing your taxable income, and the account’s earnings grow tax-free. Withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are likewise tax-free. Unused funds roll over annually, allowing for long-term savings. If you’re 65 or older, you can use HSA funds for non-medical expenses without penalties, but those withdrawals will be taxed as regular income. This strategy can complement your earned income tax credit and improve your overall tax position. Adjust Your Tax Withholding Adjusting your tax withholding can play a crucial role in managing your finances throughout the year, especially regarding your tax return. By fine-tuning your withholding, you can guarantee you’re not overpaying taxes, which may increase your refund when you file. Here are some tips to reflect on: Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to determine the right allowances based on your expected income and deductions. Increase your withholding to potentially receive a larger refund by having more tax deducted from your paychecks. Decrease your withholding for higher take-home pay, but monitor your tax payments to avoid underpayment penalties. Revisit your W-4 after life changes like marriage or having children to align with your current financial situation. These adjustments help you understand how does a tax credit work and can be guided by the earned income table for accuracy. Seek Professional Tax Advice When managing the intricacies of tax season, seeking professional tax advice can be a smart move, especially if you’re unsure about the deductions and credits available to you. Tax professionals, like certified public accountants (CPAs), have a deep comprehension of the latest tax laws, which can help you navigate complex situations effectively. They can offer personalized strategies to maximize your refund, including potentially qualifying for valuable credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Grasping what’s a tax break can additionally be clarified through their expertise. Many tax professionals provide free consultations, allowing you to gauge their services without any upfront cost. If you’re self-employed, keep in mind you can deduct the fees for tax preparation as a business expense, making professional advice more accessible. In the end, investing in a tax professional can lead to significant savings and a better comprehension of your tax situation. Frequently Asked Questions How Do I Get the Biggest Refund on My Taxes? To get the biggest refund on your taxes, start by selecting the right filing status, as it can affect your tax liability. Utilize tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which can boost your refund. Claim all deductions, including retirement contributions, to reduce taxable income. Moreover, time your income and expenses wisely, and regularly adjust your tax withholding to align with your expected liabilities, maximizing your potential refund. What Is the $75 Rule in the IRS? The $75 rule, additionally known as the de minimis safe harbor, lets you deduct business-related gift expenses up to $75 per recipient without extensive record-keeping. This rule applies to tangible gifts like merchandise or gift cards, not meals or entertainment. For gifts over $75, you’ll need to document the recipient’s name, gift date, and business purpose. Although it streamlines reporting, remember the IRS limits the actual deduction to $25 per person. How Do People Get $10,000 Tax Refunds? You can receive a $10,000 tax refund by maximizing tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Child Tax Credit (CTC). If you have qualifying children, these credits can greatly increase your refund. Furthermore, contributing to retirement accounts reduces taxable income, potentially leading to a larger refund. Timing your income and deductible expenses strategically can likewise improve your refund, making it essential to plan effectively throughout the year. What Is the $600 Rule in the IRS? The $600 rule requires businesses to issue Form 1099-NEC for any independent contractor or freelancer paid $600 or more in a calendar year for services. If you’re a contractor, this form reports your income to the IRS, ensuring you’re compliant. During payments under $600 don’t necessitate a 1099, it’s wise to keep thorough records. Missing the deadline or failing to issue this form can lead to penalties for the business involved. Conclusion By following these seven tips, you can effectively maximize your tax return this year. Start with evaluating your filing status and exploring all available deductions and credits. Make certain to contribute to retirement and Health Savings Accounts, and adjust your tax withholding as needed. Seeking professional tax advice can further improve your savings potential. Staying informed and proactive about your tax situation not just helps you retain more of your earnings but also guarantees compliance with tax regulations. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Tips to Maximize Your Max Tax Return This Year" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In a significant shift towards modernized citizen support, Salesforce has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to enhance the National Contact Center (DOL NCC). Using Agentforce, a new suite of autonomous AI agents, the DOL aims to deliver personalized and efficient services to U.S. citizens. This alliance holds notable implications for small businesses, particularly those navigating the complexities of workforce management and employee support. At its core, the DOL NCC’s upgrade represents a commitment to streamline operations while improving service delivery. The introduction of DOLA (Department of Labor Agent) promises to automate various inquiries, enhance communication, and connect users with essential resources at any hour. Small business owners can glean valuable insights from this approach, particularly on how to improve their own customer service capabilities. DOLA excels in automating mission execution, adeptly collecting case details and responding to citizen queries autonomously. For small businesses, implementing similar AI-driven solutions could lead to reduced administrative tasks, freeing up human resources for more complex and value-driven endeavors. As Dave Rey, President of Global Public Sector at Salesforce, highlighted, this transition marks a movement from reactive service models to proactive support structures. For small business owners looking to improve client relations, DOLA’s ability to triage inquiries effectively can inspire the adoption of automated systems that provide quick, relevant responses. This efficiency not only enhances customer satisfaction but can also facilitate businesses in managing inquiries more effectively, ultimately reducing response times and increasing overall productivity. The capabilities of DOLA include 24/7 support for a broad range of services—from Employment Insurance to job placement programs. Such functionalities enable faster access to critical resources for job seekers. Small businesses, which often juggle multiple responsibilities, can benefit from similar automation technologies to facilitate employee onboarding, training programs, and ongoing employee support. However, while the benefits are significant, there are challenges small business owners should carefully consider before implementing similar AI systems. Integrating AI into an existing business framework may require up-front investment in technology and training. Companies must also guard against potential over-reliance on automated systems, which might alienate clients who prefer human interaction. DOL’s strategy cleverly incorporates a built-in escalation path; if DOLA cannot handle a query, it seamlessly transfers it to a human representative. This approach could be a best practice for small businesses aiming to balance automation with a personal touch. The technological backbone of the DOL is powered by Salesforce’s robust data management tools, which harmonize information across various channels to deliver consistent and accurate responses. This level of data integration is critical for ensuring that small business owners maintain a holistic view of their client interactions, potentially enhancing their service offerings. The scalability provided by Agentforce allows the DOL to manage 2.8 million citizen support cases and over 9.7 million multichannel interactions. For small businesses, this underscores the importance of adopting scalable solutions that can grow in tandem with their operations. The current digital landscape demands the ability to engage customers across multiple platforms, and small businesses must prioritize technologies that facilitate this seamless engagement. However, the transition to AI-led processes may not be entirely smooth. Smaller enterprises might face challenges relating to their technical infrastructure or the skill levels of their current staff. Investing in AI training programs or collaborating with technology providers could mitigate such challenges. Sale’s partnership with the DOL serves as a template for how small businesses can approach the integration of AI technologies. By drawing inspiration from the strategies employed by the DOL, small business owners can envision their own pathways to enhanced operational efficiency and improved customer experiences. As the service sector continues to evolve, being proactive rather than reactive will become increasingly crucial. The DOL’s modernization approach represents a forward-thinking mindset towards citizen engagement and operational excellence. Its success story highlights the potential for AI to drastically improve service delivery—not just for government agencies but for small businesses seeking sustainable growth in today’s fast-paced environment. For further details on this initiative, you can read the original press release here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Department of Labor Unveils AI-Powered Contact Center to Boost Citizen Support" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Is it possible to get an accurate view of the current state of SEO? There have been multiple attempts to reach consensus on what works, predict what might be coming, and identify the factors that may play a role in “good” (or “bad”) SEO. As useful and productive as some of this may be, none of it offers the same grounded data as the Web Almanac, a project I was honored to be a part of. With the publication of the 2025 SEO chapter, we can now review the data and spot the emerging trends from 2025 and what that could mean for SEO in 2026. SEO standards on the rise 2025 has been another year of increasingly higher SEO standards — which can only be a good thing: Near-universal adoption of HTTPS (now up to 91%+). Increased use of title tags at nearly 99% adoption, and even viewport meta tags at over 93% adoption. Canonical adoption rose from 65% in 2024 to 67%+ in 2025. HTML validity is slowly improving. For example, invalid <head> elements dropped to 10.1% on desktop and 10.3% on mobile from 10.6% and 10.9%, respectively, in the previous year. Robots.txt error rates fell404s declined to 13% from 14% the previous year, and 5xx responses fell to ~0.1%. Meta robots usage has crept up to 46.2% in 2025 from 45.5% the prior year. Not all of these statistics represent rapid change, but they do show steady and consistent change, at the very least. The 2025 Web Almanac data presents the web as a more secure and easier-to-crawl place, which is certainly a positive. So, can SEOs take a victory lap right now? No, as there is more to do in 2026, even if the basics do feel like they’re stable or steadily improving. 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 cementing of SEO ‘defaults’ Content management systems (CMSs) and SEO plugins play a huge role in developing SEO best practices and cementing the “default” or de facto standards. As the CMS chapter in the 2025 Web Almanac shows, more and more websites are now powered by a CMS: Of these, the top five most popular systems over the last four years likely aren’t surprising. Frequently underpinning many SEO defaults are SEO tools typically utilized by WordPress sites: That’s not to say that using these platforms or tools ensures a perfect website setup. That said, key elements or functions of these tools can become industry standard due to their ubiquity: Robots.txt. Sitemap.xml. Canonical tags. Semantic HTML. Structured data. Not all of these are on by default. Sometimes they require inputting basic details or simple implementation. Regardless, their ease of access increases the likelihood that they will become an SEO best practice. This is happening, and it’s proving effective. What this means for 2026 and beyond is that: Working with or lobbying major platform and tool makers is one of the key ways to shape SEO’s future direction. SEO tools and platforms will continue to enforce best practices on the front end, but they could also benefit from AI and assistive features behind the scenes. While it may be less visible in the data itself, these tools offer the opportunity to move quickly and gain deeper insight. Structured data usage was previously driven by what Google rewarded in the search engine results pages (SERPs). SEOs and plugin developers alike could be inspired to move beyond what’s beneficial for the SERPs and onto what contributes to a more predictable, structured, and retrievable data set. Deprecated, but not forgotten Defaults and best practices help, but they don’t finish the job. While attention often shifts to new features, old or forgotten standards still see widespread use. There have been many different cases where deprecated settings or standards have prominently appeared in the data. For example, in meta robots bot declarations, “msnbot” is still in the top 5, even though it was replaced over 16 years ago. AMP use has plummeted over the years, but it’s still found on over 38,000 homepages. While technically not deprecated, amp.dev has seen no recent activity for nearly four years now. The most common meta robots attributes are “index” and “follow,” which are implicit and largely ignored. Web changes — no matter how small — are often neither quick nor easy to get done, and we’ll likely see traces of deprecated features and settings in the data for years to come. More work is needed The improvement in SEO standards doesn’t apply to all features and sites. There are some that aren’t moving in the same direction: The mobile performance gap stubbornly lingers — even as it continues to improve. Duplicate content management is still lagging, with nearly 33% of pages missing canonical implementation. Advanced configurations have barely moved from the previous year — nearly 67% of images don’t have loading attributes set, and over 91% of iframes don’t have set loading attributes. Many deprecated standards refuse to go away. While CMS default settings or configurations can take credit for some of the larger changes, they also bear some of the responsibility for the issues above. For example, median Lighthouse scores for some of the major CMS platforms are still lagging, especially on mobile (while seeing increases over last year). The long tail of the web is still messy, and this will probably always be the case. The Web Almanac dataset doesn’t exclude websites that are no longer relevant or abandoned. Site metrics that meet the “top” standards from an SEO best practices point of view can likely be achieved with an out-of-the-box site built on any major CMS with a modern theme and 30 mins of carefully considered configuration. This is one of the most significant opportunities in technical SEO. In 2026, we’ll likely: Continue to see performance gaps converge between desktop and mobile experiences — but slowly. Still be able to see echoes of past markup and decisions. Even if the collective focus is pulled to the “new world” of AI search, many SEOs won’t abandon proven tactics and approaches from past years. This dataset develops slowly. Observe something that’s mostly “business as usual.” Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Charting the impacts of AI One of the more eagerly awaited elements of the Web Almanac data was whether we can chart the increasing presence and impact of AI search and crawlers in the decisions of SEOs and developers. Within the data, we observed two major developments: Robots.txt is increasingly used more as a policy document rather than crawler control. Creation and adoption of llms.txt is one of the few signs of LLM-first decision-making. Commenting on the state of SEO is challenging because the definition isn’t fixed. What’s good or bad practice is often hotly debated, and in the world of AI search, another (painful) metamorphosis is now taking place. In the HTTP Archive data we can observe the influences working on SEO from a “nuts and bolts” point of view, report on what we see, and enable people to make up their own minds. Specifically, one of the elements we added this year was the analysis of the llms.txt file. This is a highly controversial text file, but our inclusion was not an endorsement. It’s a recognition that changing trends may (or may not) shape the web. Whether it’s effective or accepted, its adoption says something, and we felt it was important to review that. Robots.txt as a bouncer It’s clear that robots.txt has a more important job now than ever. Until relatively recently, it was largely used for targeted control of crawlers, particularly Googlebot and Bingbot. For most SEOs, however, robots.txt was mostly an exercise in both ensuring we weren’t blocking anything by accident and resolving problem areas with Disallow rules. This has changed: Gptbot: 4.5% on desktop and 4.2% on mobile in 2025 is up from 2.9% on desktop and 2.7% on mobile in 2024, representing a ~55% increase. Ccbot: 3.5% on desktop and 3.2% on mobile in 2025 is up from 2.7% on desktop and 2.4% on mobile in 2024. Petalbot: 4.0% on desktop and 4.4% on mobile in 2025 (not separately tracked in 2024). Claudebot: 3.6% on desktop and 3.4% on mobile in 2025 is up from 1.9% on desktop and 1.6% on mobile in 2024, nearly doubling. Robots.txt isn’t the only way to manage bots — and arguably isn’t the best — but it introduces a new decision that must be made: How should websites handle LLM crawlbots? This will be one of the biggest areas we’ll see change in on the technical side of 2026: Businesses with existing bot strategies will need to evolve them. Businesses that don’t meaningfully manage crawlers will start feeling the pressure to do so. Robots.txt will still be the clearest and easiest way to handle crawlers. We will almost certainly see more good and bad bots alike. In 2026, SEOs will be drawn into bot management conversations spanning marketing, technology, and security. “Which bots should we allow?” is a question with downstream effects on budgets, revenue, and users, and we’ll need to closely monitor what develops. LLMs.txt LLMs.txt is an aspiring web standard that aims to guide LLM crawlbot behavior and make it easier for them to retrieve content before generating an answer. It’s a highly controversial .txt file, and there’s a vigorous debate on whether it actually benefits LLMs, will gain widespread use, and is a possible vector for manipulation. The rationale or efficacy of this file isn’t something we need to cover here. For this article, the true point of interest with llms.txt is the adoption of this file as a statement of intent. At the start of 2025, I crawled the Majestic Million, a regularly updated list of the top 1 million websites ranked by backlink authority, in search of llms.txt and found that adoption was extremely low (0.015% of sites, or just 15). While searching one million sites versus 16 million presents some logistical differences, I was expecting a very low level of adoption based on prior experience. I was surprised at how wrong I was. According to the 2025 data, just over 2% of sites had a valid llms.txt file, and: 39.6% of llms.txt files are related to All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 3.6% of llms.txt files are related to Yoast SEO This number is still relatively low, but it’s much higher than I thought it would be and potentially represents a huge acceleration. The primary reason fueling adoption of llms.txt’s SEO plugins that make this easier to enable. We can see that llms.txt adoption has continued to rise ever since we started collecting data from across the web: If, however, the implementation of this file is actually a default feature in some scenarios, it could be easy to overvalue its significance. LLMs.txt will still be a barometer of AI search decision-making in 2026: More tools and plugins will offer this functionality if they don’t already. Yoast and Rank Math (which don’t default llms.txt to “on”) represent more growth opportunities for this file. Many SEOs may decide to switch it on even if there isn’t strong evidence of its efficacy. The rate of adoption will continue to climb, but whether it’ll reach a point where it becomes an accepted best practice is harder to forecast. FAQ growth Another interesting trend worth discussing is the increase in the use of the FAQPage schema. While this isn’t as explicit a trend as robots.txt or llms.txt usage, the increased adoption of this schema type is particularly interesting. Since Google said it was limiting the appearance of FAQ snippets in search results, you’d be forgiven for thinking the implementation of this schema type might plateau — or even fall. However, you can see from the last three publications of the Web Almanac that this isn’t the case: The use of FAQPage schema is now an emerging trend as AI search heavily cites FAQ content in its outputs. This could be correlation rather than causation, but the steady increase in FAQPage schema is a strong sign of AI search strategies changing the shape of the web. To echo another conclusion from earlier, 2026 may well see continued growth of structured data types even if they don’t result in an obvious improvement. While the growth is unlikely to be explosive, making a case for their implementation is easier when we don’t just optimize for Google. 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 Not a rewrite: A new layer on top of SEO Will AI search reshape the web in 2026? Unlikely. Will we continue to see signs of its importance? Almost certainly, but let’s not get carried away. SEO has a reputation for changing quickly. Sometimes that’s true. More often, it’s the conversation that moves quickly, while the web itself changes at a steadier pace. The 2025 Web Almanac data clearly reflects that tension. Core SEO hygiene continues to improve year over year, but largely through default features and settings, tools, and platform behavior rather than deliberate optimization. At the same time, long-deprecated standards linger, advanced configurations remain uneven, and the long tail of the web remains untidy. Progress is real, but it’s incremental — and sometimes accidental. What has shifted meaningfully is intent. Robots.txt is no longer just crawl housekeeping. It’s becoming a policy surface. LLMs.txt, regardless of whether it proves useful, represents a new class of decision-making entirely. FAQ patterns are on the rise again, and not because of SERP features, but because structured, extractable answers have immense value elsewhere. 2026 will not be remembered as the year SEO ended or was reborn. It may, however, be considered the year the AI search layer became more defined. A new patch applied — not a fundamental rewriting. For a deeper dive into the data behind these trends, explore the 2025 Web Almanac SEO chapter. View the full article

Remember the letter last month from the person asking how their office could hire people who wouldn’t be uncomfortable with their culture and quickly leave? Among other things, they mentioned a cardboard cut-out coworker (Robert), a celebrity death betting pool where winners would get an extra day off, and a lunchtime discussion of whether aliens can have orgasms. The letter-writer provided more info after response, and agreed I could share it and respond here: Thank you for responding to my letter. After reading the response and comments, I realized that the alien orgasm example drew more attention than I expected, even though I had meant it as one particularly bad example rather than the main issue itself. I wanted to add a little more context and clarify a few points. The alien orgasm example was an outlier, and one of the worst examples I could remember, which is why I used it. The “alien anatomy” discussion was also less about sex itself than about whether extraterrestrials would experience pleasure or physical sensation the same way humans do, especially if they did not even have bodies like ours. I understand that it was still inappropriate, but some commenters seemed to come away with the impression that sex is a regular topic in the office, and that is not really the case. A more typical version of these conversations would be discussions about books, movies, and TV shows. We have had conversations like which horror movie character was so stupid that you actively rooted for their death. We have also had conversations like which politician you would “make disappear” if you could get away with it, but when someone pointed out that it was inappropriate, the conversation moved on without any fuss. In general, the conversations tend to get strange in a morbid way rather than in a sexualized one. That is still a problem, of course, just not quite the same one some people focused on. The office betting pool is less about hostility toward specific celebrities and more about the kind of morbid joking people make about public figures who seem as though they have been old forever. The attitude is usually more “I cannot believe this person is still alive” than “I want this person to die.” Similarly, the “scandals” people talk about are usually things like cheating, wearing something provocative, or being rude to a fan, rather than actual criminal behavior. I do not participate in the betting pool because I would feel too guilty winning a paid day off by correctly guessing someone’s death, but people do sometimes mention their picks during lunch. I mentioned lunch because that is usually when the conversations can get strange. Most of our work requires concentration, so there is not much chatting during the day, and many people wear headphones most of the time. Team lunches also really are optional. We are a small team inside a large company, so the whole team does not eat together every day, but there are usually six to eight people having lunch together, even if it is not always the same group. I described cardboard Robert as the strangest part because all the other things are occasional, and lunch itself is optional. Some people never have lunch with the team, and that is completely fine. But Robert is there every day, sitting at a desk and being greeted. It took me about two months to find out there was a death pool, and some time before I heard one of the more inappropriate lunch conversations, but I was introduced to Robert on my first day. My manager even told the team to act normal during my first week so they would not scare me off. The monthly “hunt” for Robert is optional and avoidable, but comments about him happen every day, and new employees are introduced to him as though he is simply part of the team. In your response, it seemed as though my letter came across as asking, “How can we change our culture so people don’t feel this is a sexualized environment?” I can understand why, given the example I used, but the help I was really hoping for was a little different. What I was trying to ask was something more like, “How can I help my manager hire someone who is likely to fit in here, while also giving candidates a fair sense of what the office is like, so neither side feels misled?” Someone suggested inviting candidates to join a typical team lunch, and that was much closer to the kind of suggestion I had been hoping for. I also appreciated your point that inappropriate conversations are inappropriate no matter when they happen. I do know that, and I think at least part of the team knows it too, given the ongoing joke that there is probably a reason our room is physically as far from HR as possible. But I am not a manager, and honestly I do not want to be one. My manager decided that because I was the most recent hire, I was the right person to help her think through this, even though I do not really have the authority or the tools to change how the team operates. I will pass these points along to her, but I do not think much would change without rebuilding the team almost from scratch. To be clear, I do understand why these things are a problem. I am not trying to defend them or suggest that people are wrong for not wanting to work here. I just wanted to provide more context so I could get advice that was more specific to the situation I was actually asking about. Some of the comments were genuinely helpful, and I was hoping that with a better explanation I might get more of that. But if the answer is still simply that the culture needs to change, I do understand that, and I appreciate your response anyway. Sincerely, The Person with the Cardboard Coworker I do get what you’re saying, and this adds helpful nuance, particularly that this is mostly happening at lunch, which makes a significant difference! But yes — my answer is still that the culture might be the problem. Your letter didn’t come across as if you were asking, “How can we change our culture so people don’t feel this is a sexualized environment?” It was clear that you were asking how to hire people more likely to fit in. It’s just that the culture is the thing your boss should be looking at. If your boss truly wants an inclusive culture, she’s got to take another look at things like giving people extra days off for winning celebrity death pools, sexualized conversations that extended over multiple days (and I take your point that the alien orgasm conversation was an outlier, but it’s a thing that happened and stuck in your mind enough to mention it), and what sounds in general like a sort of doubling down on silliness to the point that it permeates the office in a way that a lot of people would just find exhausting. And to be clear, companies do have their own unique cultures, and it often does make sense to screen for people who will be happy there. But when the last two hires both left after a few weeks and cited the culture as their reason, you do need to take another look at whether this is the culture you should be protecting and preserving, and whether it’s serving your organization’s goals (like hiring and retaining the people you want to hire and retain) or whether it would benefit some revisions. That does not mean “rebuilding the team from scratch” — it could be that some fairly minor tweaks could have a big impact (as a start, get rid of the extra days off for people who correctly predict when other humans will die — the fact that the death pool has official rewards for participating is a problem). Your boss also might talk to the people who don’t generally join the group at lunch to find out how they’re experiencing the culture, what their take on the office’s inclusivity is, and how comfortable they think the office might be to new hires who have a different sense of humor or different interests — not because it’s a problem not to join everyone at lunch (it’s definitely not) but to make sure she’s hearing the perspectives of people outside that core group. Maybe there’s not even a significant problem to fix. Maybe those two recent hires who noped right out were outliers! But this is the first stuff your boss should be looking at with a critical eye while she’s assessing what happened. If she comes away truly satisfied that changes aren’t needed there, then she could think about things like sending finalist candidates out to lunch with a group of would-be coworkers, letting finalists talk one-on-one with people who would be their peers, and talking explicitly in the interview process about things that make the office’s culture unique, so that people get a clearer picture of what life is like there and can self-select-out if it’s not for them (although none of that is foolproof, since not everyone is great about assessing this kind of thing while they’re interviewing, particularly when they need a job). But also, keep in mind: this is your boss’s to figure out, not yours! You don’t need to solve this just because you were the last person hired who didn’t immediately leave. The post the office with the cardboard coworker, part 2 appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause — all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging — are being bombarded with products. More open conversations about menopause and the period leading up to it — called perimenopause — are happening at the same time that marketing has been supercharged by social media. Women are being confronted by lotions and serums and light masks that promise to rejuvenate their faces and necks, dietary supplements claiming to do everything from boost moods to ease hot flashes and gadgets promising to help with symptoms. “The marketing has gotten very, very aggressive. It’s pervasive,” said Dr. Nanette Santoro, an OB-GYN professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz. Santoro and other physicians say that before spending lots of money on products that make big promises, it’s important for women to talk to their doctors about what has actually been proven to help — and what could be harmful. “It really pays to be very, very, very skeptical,” Santoro said. A flood of marketing As menstruation winds down, women’s levels of estrogen and progesterone drop. In some women, the symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, vaginal dryness and sleep problems. Dr. Angela Angel, an OB-GYN with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, said that in the past, doctors would ask women around the age of 50 during their yearly exam if they were noticing any symptoms. But now, she said, patients are making separate appointments and initiating the conversations. And at those appointments, she said, many patients tell her they’ve already tried something. “They’re coming to see me because it’s not effective or because it’s caused some other side effect,” Angel said. Her hospital has recently started a menopause support group led by doctors and, at the request of participants, an upcoming session will focus on helping women navigate through the marketing onslaught. Products aimed at women in that stage of life include everything from bracelets and rings claiming to help ease hot flashes to cooling blankets and bedding. Santoro said her advice to patients is to “balance what you’re going to spend over whether this might help you.” “If it’s a bracelet that’s going to cost you $20, it’s not a big expenditure. It might provide some improvement,” Santoro said. “Things that are not well tested might still work but if you want something that works — come back, I’m not going anywhere and I’ll give you evidence based treatment.” Santoro said dietary supplements have not been proven in multiple, well-done studies to alleviate hot flashes, but many are low cost with a low potential for harm. She said if a patient wants to try something they see online, it’s important to at least tell their doctor so they can be monitored while taking it — or warned off. Doctors note that most of the time over-the-counter products like dietary supplements, shampoos or skin care that are advertised for menopausal women aren’t different from regular products for that purpose ingredient-wise. And some products could have side effects. Advice from doctors Dr. Monica Christmas, director of the menopause program at the University of Chicago Medicine, said there’s not one symptom everyone gets. Some women get few or none, she said, while others are extremely impacted by a variety of symptoms. What’s most important, she said, is seeking medical help. Doctors say that hormone therapy prescribed by a doctor can help with symptoms, as can prescriptions for nonhormonal medication. Some women are advised to avoid hormone therapy because they have had certain medical issues. “Not everybody needs hormone therapy, not everyone is a candidate for hormone therapy, not everybody should be on hormone therapy,” Angel said. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help a lot, doctors say. That can help with weight loss, which is associated with reducing hot flashes and night sweats. And Santoro notes that avoiding alcohol is a good step for someone with hot flashes since it can make them worse. “Many of the symptoms actually get better over time, so sometimes it really is just a matter of lifestyle modifications and self-care and getting through this most tumultuous time frame,” Christmas said. For Brandi McGruder, a 49-year-old school librarian from Dallas, it clicked that she was in perimenopause last year when she went out to dinner for her birthday. When she and her friends entered the steakhouse, she was freezing cold. About 20 minutes later, she was burning up. She said she made an appointment with her doctor, who prescribed an estrogen patch, which helped. McGruder said she’s seen the advertisements for products aimed at women her age, but her first stop was her doctor. McGruder said that while she doesn’t like the way the symptoms have driven home that she’s getting older, she’s also embracing this time in her life. Her advice: “Laugh. It’s OK. Reach out to others experiencing what you are going through, don’t take it so serious.” Concerns about skin There are changes with skin that come both with time as one ages, and during menopause as skin gets less thick because of a loss of collagen and some of the hyaluronic acid that supports skin, said Dr. Melissa Mauskar, a dermatologist and associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Mauskar said using a prescribed retinoid or an over-the-counter retinol can help. Both assist with the production of collagen and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. She said good over-the-counter moisturizers can be found at drugstores. Her advice is to look for ones with ceramides, which help keep skin hydrated. “But you don’t want to have anything that has too many additive ingredients — just because it’s natural and a botanical does not mean it’s better,” Mauskar said. “A lot of those actually are contact allergens that can make people more sensitive.” Ingestible collagen is among the products being marketed to women, but she warns that studies are mixed and ingesting it “doesn’t mean that it’s going to make its way to your skin and plump up your face” — even though products claim it will. Light masks, she said, won’t hurt and some studies show they could help, but they won’t make a difference overnight. She said seeing any improvements from them would likely take daily use for many years. She said sun damage is one of the biggest reasons patients have more wrinkles, so consistent use of sunscreen is a must for all ages. “I think there’s a lot of new fancy things coming out and targeted to perimenopause, menopause patients,” Mauskar said, “but sometimes the tried and true things that we at least have the science for I think still are my kind of gold standard for my patients.” —Jamie Stengle, Associated Press View the full article

AI has become a race, but we’re mistaking velocity for progress. Companies are competing to deploy the latest model. Product teams are racing to ship new features. Nations are racing to claim technological dominance. Speed is the metric of the moment: Who can scale fastest? Who can automate more? Who can move first? In the short term, that logic makes sense. Yet speed is a fragile advantage. Eighty-four percent of enterprises plan to increase investment in AI agents this year. AI is moving from an assistive tool to autonomous systems. That shift changes everything. Model size and deployment velocity will not define the next era of AI. It will be defined by how deeply leaders engineer accountability into the architecture. Because once AI moves from generating outputs to executing decisions, the cost of getting it wrong compounds. AUTONOMY CHANGES THE STAKES The first phase of AI was assistive. Models drafted emails, summarized documents, and generated code. Humans reviewed the output. The system supported decisions, but it didn’t execute them. That boundary is gone. AI agents now trigger workflows, allocate resources, route decisions, and act across systems with limited human intervention. And when systems act, small modeling errors or embedded bias feed back into subsequent decisions, amplifying consequences at scale. Recent analysis estimates that AI hallucination-linked losses reached $67.4 billion in 2024, a preview of what happens when autonomy scales faster than accountability. A flawed assumption doesn’t create one bad output. It repeats. The more autonomy you deploy, the more architectural discipline must anchor the system behind it. At this stage, ethical AI moves from principle to engineering. Systems must be explainable, auditable, and resilient under real-world conditions, designed to detect drift, surface anomalies, and escalate decisions before risk compounds. You cannot retrofit governance after failure; you must build it in before deployment. RECURSIVE SYSTEMS DON’T FORGIVE AI learns from the world it shapes. When an autonomous system prioritizes cases, allocates funding, or routes engagement, it changes behavior. That behavior generates new data, which feeds back into the model. Over time, the system learns from the environment it helped create. Consider a funding allocation model that slightly overweights one type of applicant in its early training data. That skew influences which organizations receive resources. Those funding decisions influence future applicant behavior. That behavior feeds back into the system. What began as a minor weighting imbalance becomes embedded logic. In recursive systems, small design decisions accumulate. A misaligned optimization metric shifts the system’s trajectory. An unchecked bias embeds itself in future iterations, quietly influencing outcomes long after you made the original decision. Drift compounds quietly inside the system. By the time harm becomes visible, the logic behind it may already be woven through multiple cycles of retraining and deployment. Reactive governance fails in autonomous environments because by the time visible errors surface, the architecture has already internalized them. Ethical AI in recursive systems requires lifecycle discipline, from data selection and validation to continuous monitoring in production. Fairness must be measured continuously, drift must be detected early, and performance must be evaluated under real-world conditions, not just ideal training sets. Governed autonomy preserves control in systems that are constantly learning. Without it, leadership reacts to the system instead of directing it. ACCOUNTABILITY COMPOUNDS Engineering accountability into AI systems isn’t just about reducing risk. It creates a competitive advantage. When leaders can trace how they make decisions and defend them with confidence, adoption accelerates. Teams experiment more freely when oversight is structured rather than improvised. Debugging cycles shorten when systems are designed to surface anomalies early instead of hiding them. This is where ethical AI becomes a strategic lever. Discipline is foundational to building responsible systems that endure. Organizations that design for governed autonomy avoid costly resets. They spend less time defending decisions and more time improving performance. They attract talent that wants to build powerful systems without sacrificing principle. Markets respond to that maturity and capital flows toward durability. Ethical AI will not remain a differentiator for long. It will define who gets to compete. The leaders in this next phase won’t treat governance as a constraint. They’ll treat it as infrastructure. FROM RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXECUTION We have entered the era of agentic AI. Systems are no longer offering recommendations; they are executing decisions across workflows in real time. We are already seeing autonomous systems influence funding flows, community services, and stakeholder engagement at scale. Those actions carry real-world consequences. There is no margin for architectural error. You don’t layer on ethical AI after the fact. You engineer it into the foundation. Teams must embed accountability into how AI generates, reviews, and corrects decisions. Human control must remain intentional, not incidental. Lifecycle governance is not optional. Autonomy without architectural accountability creates fragility at scale. The next five years will not reward the fastest deployers. They will reward the most disciplined architects and the leaders who understand that sustainable innovation requires systems they are willing to stand behind. Autonomy scales fast. Accountability scales farther. Scott Brighton is the CEO of Bonterra. View the full article

The integration of Gemini in the navigation mode of Google Maps that was announced last November is now appearing more widely in the apps for Android and iOS, giving you access to the upgraded AI when you're on the road. It means that when you say "hey Google," Gemini will pop up rather than Google Assistant, and you're going to get a more advanced and conversational experience. Besides all the usual navigation and map search jobs, Gemini in Google Maps can answer questions, look up information, and do a lot of the same tasks that it can in its own dedicated app. As soon as I saw that my app had been updated, I took it out for a test drive using the Android app and Android Auto, to see if Gemini could be relied upon as a traveling companion. Gemini helps you get from A to B Gemini will look up map options for you. Credit: Lifehacker Gemini is generally helpful and reliable when it comes to getting from one place to another. Every request I gave the AI in terms of finding places and navigating there was carried out promptly and correctly, and it's possible to easily adjust destinations or add extra stops using your voice. Commands like "what time will I get there," "what's the traffic like on the route," and "what's my next turn" all work well. You can ask about the weather wherever you're heading, or get details of reviews and ratings for the place you're going to. Changing my mind and switching to a different destination was much more straightforward using voice commands than it would've been tapping at the Android Auto screen. The biggest issue I had was getting back to the main navigation view after searching for stop-off options along the route—Gemini didn't seem to understand "go back to the navigation view" (although it said that it did), and in the end I had to say "clear the search results off the screen" to get back to the turn-by-turn directions. I had to speak quite loudly and clearly to be properly understood, and Gemini occasionally made a couple of mistakes in interpreting the names of places I was looking up. However, it was smart enough to understand context: When I was heading to a church, for example, I only had to use its full name the first time, and then I could refer to it just as "the church" after that. The AI remains limited by the data it has—Gemini said it didn't have enough information available when I requested a more scenic route to my destination—but overall it's helpful and proactive. I often got asked if there was anything else I needed (similar to how the actual Gemini app works), and was regularly told to enjoy my drive. Gemini can help with more than just directions You'll still need a strong cell connection to access the web. Credit: Lifehacker You get the full Gemini experience in Google Maps and Android Auto, so you can ask it anything you want, really. The AI gave me relevant and accurate information about TV shows, music, and stories in the news, though it wasn't completely immune to the odd hallucination: It told me the Galaxy S26 was a "significant departure" from the Galaxy S25 that came before it (it isn't). I was able to ask about road regulations and road signs, and Gemini was able to feed the right information back, while regularly reminding me to concentrate on my driving. Google says the experience is like "having a knowledgeable friend in the passenger seat" and that's not far off—although sometimes the conversation can be a little stilted. Gemini can play music, as well—it can find songs, artists, and playlists inside apps like YouTube Music and Spotify. It mostly worked without a hitch, though on one occasion I had to ask twice for the music to stop, and the AI only got halfway there when I asked to switch to Pocket Casts (the app appeared, but the audio didn't play). Being able to tap into emails, calendar appointments, and incoming messages while on the move is another genuinely useful Gemini feature, and I was able to get the details of an incoming text and respond to it without taking my eyes of the road—really handy if you need to let people know where you are or when you'll be arriving. A handful of bugs and missteps aside, I was impressed with Gemini in Google Maps: It actually does seem to be as smart as Google says it is. It may have taken a while for the Google-Assistant-to-Gemini switchover to happen, but now that it's here, I found it to be a polished and useful experience. View the full article

Most guidance on optimizing for AI still focuses on how content is written. But AI systems don’t read content the way humans do. These systems extract information, break it into parts, and reuse it in new contexts. What matters is whether your content can be pulled into an AI-sourced answer cleanly. Where traditional SEO has centered on ranking pages, AI systems prioritize retrievable units of meaning. That changes how content needs to be built: From pages → passages From narratives → modular blocks From keywords → structured intent The shift is structural: Content that performs well in this environment is designed to be extracted, recombined, and attributed. How AI systems actually use your content To design for AI usefulness and visibility, you need a basic model of how content is selected and used. Retrieval favors structure AI systems segment content into passages and retrieve those independently. That has a few implications: A single section can be selected without the rest of a page. Sections within the same article compete with each other. Clear boundaries (headings, sections) improve AI retrieval. When structure is unclear, the signal becomes less reliable, even when the topic is relevant. Generation favors clarity and completeness After retrieval, content is used to generate an answer. AI systems tend to favor passages that: Answer the query directly. Require minimal rewriting. Can stand on their own. This is where “low-edit distance” shows up in practice. Content that can be used as-is has an advantage. Attribution favors distinct, ownable framing AI systems also decide what to cite. Content is more likely to be attributed when it includes: Defined concepts. Clear frameworks. Language that isn’t interchangeable. If a section reads like a generic summary, it’s easier to replace with another source. 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 5 core principles of AI-preferred content design When content is retrieved in pieces, used in generated answers, and selectively attributed, structure becomes the lever. These principles show up consistently in content that gets surfaced by AI systems: 1. Modular by design Content is more useful when it’s built in discrete units. Each section should: Address a specific question or subtopic. Be understandable without relying on surrounding text. Long sections that depend on earlier context are harder to reuse in isolation. Modular structure also makes content easier to update, test, and repurpose across surfaces — without rewriting the entire page. 2. Hierarchically structured A clear hierarchy helps systems understand what each section contains and how it relates to the rest of the page. H2 → H3 → H4 structure should signal: Topic: What the section is about. Intent: What question it answers. Scope: How narrow or specific it is. Headings should make each section’s purpose immediately clear. When that signal is weak, it becomes harder to match the right section to the right query. 3. Explicit over implied AI systems rely on what’s stated directly. Make relationships and conclusions clear by: Defining terms when they’re introduced. Stating outcomes or takeaways directly. Clarify cause-and-effect or comparisons, rather than implying them. If something is important, it should be written plainly. Copy that requires inference is harder to interpret and more likely to be skipped in favor of clearer alternatives. 4. Answer-first formatting Place the direct answer to the section’s core question at the top, then expand. AI systems prioritize passages that resolve a query immediately. When the answer is delayed or embedded within a longer explanation, the relevance of that passage becomes less obvious. Answer-first formatting requires that the opening lines: Resolve the core question directly Use language that clearly maps to the query Avoid unnecessary setup or context The rest of the section can then add deeper nuance, examples, or other details that further understanding without changing the core response. 5. Designed for passage-level extraction Passages compete for selection, both within the same article and across the web. When multiple sections address the same question in similar ways, they dilute each other. Clear, specific, and well-scoped content “chunks” are more likely to be selected. You can audit a passage’s usefulness by asking: Is it understandable without additional context? Does it fully answer a single question? Can it be quoted as an answer without any editing? If the passage needs context or cleanup, it’s less competitive. Common content patterns that improve AI retrieval and use These patterns show how structured, answer-first content is applied in practice — making it easier for AI systems to match, extract, and use. The ‘definition + expansion’ block pattern Start with a clear definition. Then add detail. This works best for: Concepts. Terminology. Processes. The definition should establish what something is in a way that can be quoted independently. The expansion then adds context, nuance, or examples. This pattern helps position your content as a reference point for core concepts — especially when AI systems need a clean, authoritative definition. The ‘question → direct answer → context’ pattern AI systems are designed to respond to queries. This pattern aligns your content to that structure. Order your content as: Question. Immediate answer. Supporting detail. The answer should resolve the query in one to two sentences, using the same language or phrasing as the question where possible. Remaining content can add depth through nuance and edge cases that extend beyond the core answer. The ‘framed list’ pattern Lists work best when they’re introduced by a clear framing sentence that tells the reader — and the retrieval system — what the items represent. Follow a consistent structure (e.g., all actions, all criteria, all features) Stay at the same level of detail Clearly map back to the framing sentence This pattern works especially well for steps, criteria, features, and takeaways. Well-structured lists are easier for systems to parse and reuse, especially when each item is clearly defined within the context of the list. The ‘comparison’ pattern Structure content to make differences explicit. This works well for alternatives (“X vs Y”), tradeoffs, and decision-making criteria. You can use: Side-by-side comparisons. Clear evaluation criteria (price, features, use case, limitations). Direct statements of when to choose each option. Content that clearly outlines differences is easier for AI systems to extract and reuse in answers that involve evaluation or recommendations. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Top content design mistakes that limit AI visibility Most AI surfacing issues come back to content structure. When structure is weak, answers are harder to identify and extract. That tends to show up in the form of: Overly narrative, under-structured content Long paragraphs with key points buried inside make it harder to isolate a clear answer. Without strong subheadings to define what each section covers, systems have fewer signals to identify where that answer lives. Ask: Does this section answer a clear question, or just explore a topic? Is the main point easy to identify in the first few lines? Do the subheadings clearly signal what each section contains? Vague or non-descriptive headers Headers like “Overview,” “Introduction,” or “Key Takeaways” don’t provide enough signal about what the section actually contains. Headings help systems understand what a section covers and how it relates to a query. When they’re vague, the relationship between section and query becomes less explicit. Ask: Would this header make sense out of context? Does it clearly reflect the question or topic being answered? Could multiple sections on the page use the same header? Answers buried mid-paragraph When the answer appears halfway through a paragraph, it’s harder to isolate as a clean, reusable unit. AI systems look for segments that clearly resolve a query. When the answer is embedded within surrounding context, it becomes less distinct and more likely to be overlooked or reassembled. Ask: Is the answer clearly distinguishable from the neighboring text? Does contextual copy clarify or dilute the answer’s main point? Redundant or repetitive sections When sections overlap, they compete for the same query and weaken the overall signal. Instead of reinforcing the topic, similar sections can fragment it across multiple passages, making it less clear which one should be selected. Ask: Do multiple sections answer the same question in slightly different ways? Is each section clearly scoped to a distinct angle or subtopic? Clear separation improves both retrieval and selection. How to evolve existing content for AI without starting over Most teams don’t need to totally rebuild content from scratch. Updating existing content for today’s landscape just requires a few structural changes. Break content into logical units Identify where natural sections exist and what question each one answers. Split broad or mixed sections so each one resolves a single idea or query. If a section covers multiple points, separate them into distinct sections. Rewrite for answer-first clarity Move the clearest version of the answer to the top of each section. Remove lead-in language, qualifiers, or examples that appear before the answer. Ensure the opening lines can be understood without relying on the rest of the page. Strengthen structural signals Make headings specific enough to reflect both the topic and the question being answered. Use formatting (lists, short paragraphs, summaries) to make key points easier to scan and isolate. Check that each section’s purpose is immediately clear from its heading and first sentence. Introduce distinct framing Turn generic sections into clearly defined units, like: Frameworks. Named concepts. Defined models. Ensure each section covers a distinct angle and does not repeat or overlap with others. This helps consolidate signal and makes it easier for systems to select and attribute the right passage. 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 future of content design in AI-mediated search AI systems are already reshaping how content is surfaced, and that shift will continue as answers become more personalized and draw from multiple sources. As a result, page-level ranking matters less on its own. Content value is shifting toward contribution — how clearly a piece of content can inform, support, or shape an answer. The content that performs best will be: Structurally clear, with sections that are easy to identify and extract. Modular, so individual passages can be selected and reused independently. Distinct, with clearly defined ideas that don’t overlap or compete internally. Designed to be selected and used, not just indexed or ranked. Content that meets these criteria is more likely to be surfaced, reused, and attributed as AI-mediated search continues to evolve. View the full article

With the moon looming ever larger, the Artemis II astronauts raced to set a new distance record Monday from Earth on a lunar fly-around promising magnificent views of the far side never seen before by eye. The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the Apollo era with three Americans and one Canadian — a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south pole in just two years. A prize — and bragging rights — awaits Artemis II. Less than an hour before kicking off the fly-around and intense lunar observations, the four astronauts were set to become the most distant humans in history, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970. Mission Control expected Artemis II to surpass that record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers). Artemis II is using the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after its “Houston, we’ve had a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a moon landing. Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon’s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure-eight that will put the astronauts on course for home, once they emerge from behind the moon Monday evening. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to pass as close as 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) to the moon, as their Orion capsule whips past it, hangs a U-turn and then heads back toward Earth. It will take them four days to get back, with a splashdown in the Pacific concluding their test flight on Friday. Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, courtesy of the cosmos. Topping their science target list: Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which stretches nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across. Other sightseeing goals: the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites from 1969 and 1971, respectively, as well as fringes of the south polar region, the preferred locale for future touchdowns. Farther afield, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn — not to mention Earth — will be visible. Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of pictures. “People all over the world connect with the moon. This is something that every single person on this planet can understand and connect with,” she said on the eve of the flyby, wearing eclipse earrings. Artemis II is NASA’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year’s Artemis III, which will see another Orion crew practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating moon landing by two astronauts near the moon’s south pole will follow on Artemis IV in 2028. While Artemis II may be taking Apollo 13’s path, it’s most reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis. Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity’s Holy Week brought home for him “the beauty of creation.” Earth is an oasis amid “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe” where humanity exists as one, he observed over the weekend. “This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we’ve got to get through this together,” Glover said, clasping hands with his crewmates. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer View the full article

Creating an effective plan outline involves a structured approach that starts with defining your vision and objectives. You’ll need to assess your current position to understand where you stand and what gaps exist. Establishing measurable metrics is essential for tracking progress. Incorporating a continuous improvement process helps guarantee your plan remains relevant over time. Engaging your team in collaborative sessions nurtures creativity and adaptability. By following these steps, you’ll set a strong foundation for success. Nevertheless, knowing how to implement these strategies effectively can be challenging. Key Takeaways Define your vision and objectives using the SMART framework to ensure clarity and alignment with organizational goals. Assess your current position by gathering data, conducting SWOT analysis, and reviewing past performance metrics. Establish measurable metrics that reflect your objectives, ensuring they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Incorporate a continuous improvement process by regularly reviewing performance metrics and documenting lessons learned for future planning. Engage your team in collaborative sessions to foster creativity, gather diverse input, and enhance communication throughout the planning process. Define Your Vision and Objectives Defining your vision and objectives is crucial for effective planning, as it sets a clear direction for your team. Start by aligning your vision statement with your organization’s goals and values. This guarantees everyone understands the cohesive direction of the planning process. Involve your team in creating this vision to incorporate diverse perspectives and promote a sense of ownership. Next, apply the SMART framework to set objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This improves clarity and focus. Develop a preliminary plan document using a project outline format, which serves as a roadmap for future actions. A project outline format sample can help visualize roles and objectives, assuring every team member knows their contributions to the larger vision. Assess Your Current Position To effectively assess your organization’s current position, it’s vital to gather and analyze relevant data that provides insight into both internal and external factors. Conducting a SWOT analysis helps identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, offering a thorough view of your situation. Moreover, gathering feedback from employees through surveys or focus groups can reveal internal perceptions and highlight areas needing improvement. Analyzing market trends and competitor performance is fundamental for grasping external influences on your strategic direction. Reviewing past performance metrics, such as sales figures and customer satisfaction ratings, helps gauge where you currently stand. Finally, utilizing data analytics tools improves your comprehension of customer behavior, providing a clearer picture of your current market position. Establish Measurable Metrics Establishing measurable metrics plays a crucial role in tracking your organization’s progress and evaluating the success of your strategic plan. To effectively create these metrics, use the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This approach helps define what success looks like and how it’ll be measured. Your metrics should align closely with your objectives, ensuring each one reflects a particular aspect of your plan’s goals. Here’s a simple table to guide you: Metric Type Example Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Increase sales by 15% by Q4 Completion Rate 80% of projects on time Customer Satisfaction 90% satisfaction score Employee Engagement 75% participation in surveys Regularly review and adjust these metrics based on feedback to stay aligned with your evolving needs. Incorporate a Continuous Improvement Process Building on the establishment of measurable metrics, incorporating a continuous improvement process can greatly boost your strategic plan’s effectiveness. Regularly assess performance metrics to pinpoint areas needing improvement, ensuring your strategies align with organizational goals. Utilize feedback loops like agile retrospectives and quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to gather insights from stakeholders, which inform necessary adjustments. Establish clear milestones for evaluations—weekly or monthly—to monitor progress and adapt your plan as needed, cultivating a culture of responsiveness. Tools like Mural or Confluence can improve collaboration and transparency, allowing teams to track updates and share insights effectively. Finally, document lessons learned during retrospectives to create a structured approach for integrating improvements in future planning cycles, ensuring ongoing evolution of your strategic initiatives. Engage Your Team in Collaborative Sessions Engaging your team in collaborative sessions not just boosts creativity but furthermore cultivates a sense of ownership over the project. By adopting brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or round-robin discussions, you encourage diverse input, leading to innovative ideas. Regular sessions are vital for continuous feedback and adaptability, allowing your team to refine plans based on real-time insights. Implement collaborative tools like Mural or FigJam to visualize ideas, ensuring everyone contributes effectively, regardless of location. Open communication is fundamental; creating a safe environment nurtures team cohesion, enhancing overall project outcomes. Technique Benefits Tools Brainstorming Generates innovative ideas Mural, FigJam Regular Sessions Continuous feedback Google Meet Open Communication Nurtures team cohesion Slack Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 5 Steps to Writing an Outline? To write an outline, start by defining your purpose; knowing your goal will shape your content. Next, list your main ideas, brainstorming key concepts relevant to your topic. Organize these ideas logically, choosing an order that improves clarity. Then, develop supporting details for each main idea, providing evidence or examples. Finally, review and revise your outline, ensuring all ideas are connected and clearly presented before finalizing it. What Are the 5 Steps to Making a Plan? To make a plan, start by evaluating your current situation and gathering necessary information. Next, define clear goals using the SMART criteria to guarantee they’re achievable. Then, develop actionable strategies, outlining the steps needed to reach your goals as you consider resources and obstacles. After that, implement the plan by communicating it to stakeholders and assigning responsibilities. Finally, regularly evaluate and revise your plan based on feedback and performance metrics to keep it relevant. How Do You Write a 5 Step Plan? To write a 5-step plan, start by defining your goal clearly. Make sure it’s specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Next, break down the goal into five actionable steps, each building on the previous one. Assign tasks to individuals or teams, clarifying their responsibilities. Establish a timeline with deadlines for each step, allowing for some buffer time. Finally, regularly review and adjust your plan based on progress and feedback to stay aligned with your objective. What Are the 5 Steps of an Action Plan? To create an effective action plan, start by defining clear, SMART goals. Next, list and prioritize tasks needed to achieve these goals, breaking them into manageable steps. Allocate resources and assign team members responsible for each task. Set specific deadlines and milestones to track progress. Finally, monitor your progress through regular check-ins, evaluating the plan’s effectiveness and making necessary adjustments to guarantee you stay on track toward achieving your objectives. Conclusion Creating an effective plan outline requires careful attention to each step. By defining your vision and objectives, evaluating your current situation, establishing measurable metrics, incorporating a continuous improvement process, and engaging your team, you can develop a robust framework for success. Regular evaluations will help you adapt to changing circumstances and refine your approach. In the end, a structured planning process improves collaboration and drives your organization toward achieving its goals effectively and efficiently. Image via Google Gemini This article, "How to Create an Effective Plan Outline in 5 Steps" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article