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Propy, a real estate technology company, tapped the private credit market for the first time, securing $100 million to support the startup's acquisition strategy. View the full article

Marketers are spoiled for choice when it comes to great sources of content. We now have more tools (hello, ChatGPT!) and job boards than ever, making it even easier to find writers and create content. But abundance comes with a downside: a race to the bottom, where speed and cost often take priority over quality. If you’re aiming for great (not just “good”) content, some sources are better than others. This guide breaks down where to find top-tier writers and how to build a content process that doesn’t sacrifice quality for speed. Struggle 1: What qualifies as a ‘great’ content writer? Qualifying a good writer can feel a lot like qualifying a new love interest. They look good on paper and make a good first impression, but how do you really know they’re “the one”? The hard truth is that, just like with a love interest, you’ll have to spend time getting to know your writer before you really get an answer. But that doesn’t mean you have to go in blind. Follow the non-negotiables below to increase your odds of finding a good fit without wasting time Evaluate the fundamentals Does this writer understand basic grammar, spelling, clarity, and structure? You don’t need a formal test to spot this – just take a look at their portfolio and content examples. Also, a few email exchanges during the hiring process can be enough to gauge how confidently they communicate and how well they handle the written word. Make sure they know how to write for people, not bots Strong content writers understand a key truth. Search engines reward content written for people, not formulas. If you’re looking for SEO expertise, review writers’ samples with this in mind. Be cautious of pieces overloaded with keywords or awkward phrasing that hurts readability. As you read, ask yourself, “If I were the target audience, would this feel useful, engaging, and easy to consume?” If the answer is no, chances are search engines won’t love it, either. Choose effective copywriters If you want to doubly ensure that you’re going to get a great return on your investment, prioritize writers who understand SEO copywriting, not just SEO tactics. Driving traffic is only half the equation. Writers with copywriting skills know how to guide readers toward action, whether that’s signing up, clicking through, or making a purchase. Assess how easily understandable their work is Checking their content for readability is crucial. Run the writer’s work samples through a readability scoring app like HemingwayApp.com. Sometimes an article will look great on the surface, but you’ll find that it carries a low readability score. This means the way it’s written lacks clarity and is difficult to consume. Find writers that adapt to the audience Your writer must understand the intersection between your audience and your niche. It isn’t enough to know the product or the demographic in isolation. Great writers grasp how your audience thinks, what frustrates them, what holds them back, and what ultimately motivates them to act. The simplest way to uncover this? Ask for relevant, niche-specific samples and pay close attention to how they demonstrate that understanding. Dig deeper: How SEO can collaborate with content teams Struggle 2: Where can I find great content writers? Speaking objectively, you can find “good” writers anywhere. But there’s definitely a difference between shopping around on Fiverr versus other higher-quality avenues that offer you better screening opportunities. Blogging sites One of the best ways to vet an SEO content writer is to find them on blogging sites where they post long-form content. Platforms like Medium, Substack, and even LinkedIn (look at the posted articles) let you see how writers think, write, and communicate in real time, not just in polished portfolio pieces. Google and other search engines Another often-overlooked place to find high-quality writers is Google itself. Writers who invest in their own websites are effectively practicing what they preach. Ranking their own content, maintaining a consistent publishing schedule, and building a personal brand all demonstrate a working understanding of SEO and content marketing. LinkedIn and Facebook groups Great writers can also be found in groups on LinkedIn or Facebook. Find writer or freelancer groups and spend time observing the conversations. You’ll notice writers posting in quality groups to share their thoughts and examples of their work. You can also see how they interact with other users and prospective clients. Peer recommendations Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations in the writer groups you come across. Strong writers are often well known within their communities, and peers are usually quick to point you toward people who consistently deliver real value. Consider asking other business owners for recommendations as well. Tapping into your peer group can surface writers who have proven themselves in real-world projects. High-quality writers tend to earn repeat business, making referrals one of the most reliable vetting tools available. Dig deeper: How to build an effective content strategy for 2026 Struggle 3: Do I need an ‘SOP’ for my writers? Yes, you’re probably going to pick an experienced writer who’s also catering to multiple clients while simultaneously working with you. Each client they work with has different preferences and concerns, from the style of writing, how the work should be submitted, and so on. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) help minimize the guesswork for your writer and potential headaches for you. The truth is, most business owners aren’t struggling to find quality writers – they’re struggling to keep them. Without clear direction, writers have to guess how you want things done, and that generally causes confusion and room for error. With more direction and outlines like an SOP, everyone stays happy. Writing SOPs may seem like a time-intensive step, but the good news is that once they’re done, they save you hundreds of hours on the backend. If you want to take it off your plate, consult an operations specialist who can assist. It’ll increase your return on investment (ROI), help eliminate stress, and keep good writers happy and in your employ. Dig deeper: How to document your content strategy Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Struggle 4: How much should I pay for content? Low-cost content can be tempting, especially when turnaround times are fast and promises are big. But the real question isn’t the hourly rate, it’s how much time and effort you’ll spend fixing, revising, or rewriting the work afterward. Do you have editors available to help, or are you setting yourself up to spend just as much time editing a piece as you would have spent writing it yourself? The allure of inexpensive writers is high, but unless you have the time and patience to train them, it’s probably not a smart investment. In 2026, expect to spend at least $0.20 per word for great content. That said, prices can vary widely based on a writer’s experience and accolades. Some of the best writers in the world charge thousands of dollars for a single web page – it just depends on their skills (and the ROI you’re aiming for). Paying more for experienced writers buys you clarity, expertise, and content that requires far less oversight. The goal isn’t just to “spend more,” but to spend wisely on writing that actually converts. Dig deeper: Mastering content quality: The ultimate guide Struggle 5: Should I use freelance writers or build a team? The decision between freelance writers and an in-house team depends on your goals, budget, and stage of growth. Freelance writers offer flexibility. They’re ideal if you want to scale content production up or down, or don’t yet have the resources to support full-time hires. Experienced freelancers can plug into your existing workflow, making them a strong option for lean or growing brands. An in-house team provides consistency, reliability, and deep brand knowledge. Full-time writers have the time to learn your brand voice, products, and audience in great detail. This can be valuable for businesses that produce a lot of content or work in complex niches. The tradeoff, of course, is higher overhead, longer hiring timelines, and more responsibility. For many businesses, the best solution is a hybrid model: a small internal team that owns editorial standards, supported by freelance writers who help scale production. Ultimately, it’s all about building a content system that aligns with your resources and fits your business’s stage. Dig deeper: 5 SEO content pitfalls that could be hurting your traffic Struggle 6: Is ‘great content’ worth the investment? Optimized content is like anything else – you get out of it what you put into it. If you hire top-quality writers, you’re going to get top-quality content, which in turn will help drive traffic and better rankings for your site. So yes, it’s worth the investment in high-quality content because the benefits compound over time. A well-researched, well-written piece can attract qualified visitors for months (or even years) after it’s published. It can also build trust with your audience, leading to even more sales over time. Great content also supports the entire customer journey. It answers questions, addresses objections, and positions your brand as credible long before a prospect actually decides to buy. A great writer helps you bring in the right traffic. And that’s worth every penny. Great writers come from clear standards, not lucky hires Finding great content writers is less about discovering a hidden talent pool and more about setting clear standards. When you know what quality looks like, where to look and how to support writers once they’re hired, the process becomes far more predictable – and far less frustrating. The most successful content programs treat writing as a long-term investment, not a one-off transaction. By pairing strong writers with clear expectations, fair compensation and repeatable processes, brands can build content engines that consistently deliver value over time. View the full article

Shares of Facebook owner Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) are surging in premarket trading this morning after the company announced its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings yesterday afternoon. The earnings not only exceeded investor expectations, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg also laid out his vision for how artificial intelligence is set to transform the company—and personal computing—in the years ahead. Here’s what you need to know. Meta reports strong Q4 2025 earnings Expectations for Meta’s Q4 2025 were relatively high, but when the company announced its latest quarterly earnings after the bell last night, they exceeded what most investors had hoped for. Here are the key financials Meta reported: Quarterly revenue: $59.89 billion Earnings per share (EPS): $8.88 Quarterly revenue was a 24% increase from the same period a year earlier. As noted by CNBC, it also blew past LSEG analyst expectations of $58.59 billion. In other words, Meta brought in around $1.3 billion more than most people thought it would. Thanks in part to its strong revenue, Meta also beat earnings per share (EPS) estimates. Most LSEG analysts had been expecting an EPS of $8.23. Meta beat that by 60 cents per share. The company also revealed some other interesting metrics, most notably about its user base. For the quarter, Meta reported a family daily active people (DAP) metric of 3.58 billion. “Family daily active people” is the term Meta uses to encapsulate how many individuals use its family of products on a daily basis. Meta’s family of products includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta’s family DAP for the fourth quarter grew 7% year over year. Looking ahead at the company’s financials, Meta said it expects its current first-quarter 2026 revenue to come in at between $53.5 billion and $56.5 billion. That’s significantly ahead of the $51.41 billion most analysts were expecting. Zuckerberg tries to predict the future—again Meta didn’t just reveal its financial metrics. Zuckerberg also spoke about the future of technology and the way artificial intelligence will both boost Meta’s business and change personal computing more broadly. To the latter point, the chief executive said he believes AI-powered smart glasses will represent a paradigm shift in personal computing, likening the specs to the smartphone’s impact on computing, and saying glasses will be “the ultimate incarnation” of the device we use most efficiently to consume AI content. “They’re going to be able to see what you see, hear what you hear, talk to you and help you as you go about your day, and even show you information or generate custom UI right there in your vision,” Zuckerberg stated in comments posted to Facebook. “I think we’re at a moment similar to when smartphones arrived, and it was clearly only a matter of time until all those flip phones became smartphones,” he added. “It’s hard to imagine a world in several years where most glasses aren’t AI glasses.” His statement here isn’t much of a surprise, however, considering how Meta has long worked on devices aimed at dethroning the smartphone as people’s personal computer of choice. Meta first tried to do this with its virtual reality headsets and virtual “metaverse” world. These initiative were run by the company’s Reality Labs division. But early this month, Meta initiated massive layoffs at Reality Labs—and admitted that its VR product never caught on with the general public. AI as an advertising booster Any hardware that Meta makes still represents a minuscule part of Facebook’s revenues. The company is, after all, primarily an advertising company, not a hardware technology one. Around 97% of its revenues are made from selling ads across its platforms. Not surprisingly, Zuckerberg touched on how artificial intelligence would be a boost to its current ad business. The Meta CEO said that it was currently working on merging its LLMs with its ads system and said that its current “world class recommendation systems,” which its ads rely on, were still “primitive compared to what will be possible soon.” As an example, Zuckerberg pointed out that Meta’s existing ad systems help businesses find the right, specific users who are likely to purchase their goods. But thanks to AI, “New agentic shopping tools will allow people to find just the right very specific set of products from the businesses in our catalogue.” It’s not the only way that Meta’s ad business stands to benefit from the artificial intelligence boom. Meta, like many tech giants, is rushing to build out its personal data center capacity to run artificial intelligence tools on. By owning the data center directly, Meta and these other companies will be able to cut down on costs, which are currently paid to third-party data center owners. As analyst firm MoffettNathanson pointed out in a research note on Thursday, Meta’s buildup of its own data centers could benefit its business. “[Given] the AI capacity constraint facing the industry, Meta has been forced to use third-party cloud offering as their own data centers are not ready to move online yet,” the research firm noted. “Longer-term, these workloads should shift from 3rd party contracts to Meta’s own facilities which, we think, should produce margin leverage.” Meta’s stock price jumps Given Meta’s robust Q4 2025 results and a Q1 2026 forecast that beat what most analysts were expecting, it’s little surprise that the company’s stock price is surging in premarket trading this month. As of this writing, shares of Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) are up around 8.8% to $668.73 per share. In its Thursday note, MoffettNathanson maintained its “buy” rating for Meta’s stock and increased its price target to $810. As of yesterday’s close, META shares had only increased about 1.3% year-to-date, according to Yahoo Finance data. If the company’s premarket stock price gain holds when markets open, that will mean Meta’s stock has already surged 10% in the first month of 2026. Today’s premarket gain also means that Meta’s stock price is now out of the red for the past year. As of yesterday’s market close, Meta’s stock was down about eight-tenths of a percent over the past year. That contrasts with the Nasdaq Composite’s broader gain of around 21% over the same period. View the full article

A corporation is a distinct legal entity, separate from its owners, which offers limited liability protection to shareholders. It can enter contracts, own assets, and engage in legal actions under its own name. With features like perpetual existence and management by a board of directors, comprehending the intricacies of corporations is essential. There’s more to explore regarding their types, formation process, and operational dynamics that could greatly impact business decisions. Key Takeaways A corporation is a distinct legal entity that operates independently from its owners and can own assets, enter contracts, and sue. Corporations provide limited liability protection to shareholders, safeguarding personal assets from business debts. They can be classified into types such as C Corporations, S Corporations, and Non-Profit Corporations, each with unique tax implications. Corporations are governed by a board of directors responsible for major decisions and must adhere to regulatory compliance and formalities. The formation process involves filing articles of incorporation, creating bylaws, and obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for operations. Definition of a Corporation A corporation is a distinct legal entity formed by individuals or groups, which allows it to operate independently from its owners. In economics, a corporation’s definition encompasses its ability to enter contracts, sue, and own assets in its own name. This structure offers limited liability protection to shareholders, meaning their personal assets typically aren’t at risk for the corporation’s debts. Corporations can be classified into types like C Corporations, taxed separately, and S Corporations, where profits pass through to shareholders’ personal tax returns. To form a corporation, you usually need to file articles of incorporation with the state and create corporate bylaws. Furthermore, corporations have perpetual existence, allowing them to operate indefinitely, regardless of ownership changes. Characteristics of Corporations Grasping the characteristics of corporations helps clarify how they operate within the legal and economic environment. A corporation, as per the corporation def, is a legal entity that acts independently from its owners, allowing it to own property and enter contracts. One key feature is limited liability protection, which guarantees shareholders aren’t personally liable for corporate debts beyond their investment. Corporations can be stock or non-stock entities, with stock corporations representing ownership through shares. They likewise possess perpetual succession, allowing them to continue existing in spite of changes in ownership or management. Management typically falls to a board of directors, responsible for major decisions and duty-bound to act in the shareholders’ best interests, which improves stability and governance. Types of Corporations When exploring the various types of corporations, it’s important to understand how each category operates and the implications for shareholders and management. C Corporations face corporate income taxes and can have unlimited shareholders, whereas S Corporations pass profits and losses through to shareholders’ personal tax returns, limited to 100 shareholders. B Corporations focus on balancing profit with social goals, adhering to higher accountability standards. Non-Profit Corporations prioritize charitable missions, operating without profit intentions and often enjoying tax exemptions. Stock Corporations issue shares to the public, whereas Non-Stock Corporations are owned by members with voting rights. Finally, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) combine aspects of both corporations and partnerships, offering limited liability and pass-through taxation, reflecting the diverse corporation definition in U.S. history. Formation Process Forming a corporation involves several crucial steps that must be followed to guarantee compliance with state laws and regulations. First, you’ll need to choose a unique name that often includes identifiers like “Inc.” or “Ltd.” Next, file the articles of incorporation, detailing the corporation’s name, purpose, and registered agent. Then, create corporate bylaws outlining operational rules and governance structures. After this, hold the inaugural board meeting to appoint officers and approve bylaws. Finally, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, critical for hiring and banking. Here’s a summary of these steps: Step Description Importance Choose a Name Unique name with required identifiers Guarantees legal identity File Articles Submit required documents to the state Legally establishes the corporation Create Bylaws Outline operational rules and governance Guides internal management First Board Meeting Appoint officers and approve bylaws Formalizes corporate governance Obtain EIN Apply for Employer Identification Number Essential for operations and banking Ownership and Control Ownership and control in a corporation revolve around stock shares, which represent the ownership stakes held by individuals or institutional investors. When you own shares, you become a shareholder, but you typically won’t manage day-to-day operations. Instead, you elect a board of directors to oversee management and make significant decisions. Your control correlates with the number of shares you own; majority shareholders wield substantial influence. In some countries, workers can even have voting rights for board representation, granting them a voice in corporate governance. Corporations can be classified as stock corporations, where ownership is divided among shareholders, or non-stock corporations, where members retain control and ownership rights without holding stock. Comprehending these dynamics helps clarify what’s a corporation. Advantages of Incorporating Incorporating a business offers several significant advantages that can improve its potential for success. One major benefit is limited liability protection, meaning you’re only liable for your investment, safeguarding your personal assets from corporate debts. Furthermore, corporations can raise capital more easily by issuing stocks, which boosts growth opportunities. Incorporation likewise boosts your credibility with customers, suppliers, and investors because of its formal structure and legal compliance. In addition, corporations enjoy perpetual existence, allowing them to operate independently of ownership changes or the death of owners, which guarantees stability. Finally, certain corporations, like S Corporations, provide tax advantages by allowing profits and losses to pass through to shareholders, potentially avoiding double taxation under the corporation tax in the USA. Disadvantages of Incorporating Incorporating a business comes with several disadvantages that you should consider. The formation process can be time-consuming, requiring you to complete extensive paperwork and comply with various regulations. Moreover, you might face double taxation on corporate income, along with the burden of maintaining strict compliance and formalities that can complicate operations. Time-Consuming Formation Process Creating a corporation can be a challenging task, especially owing to the time-consuming formation process involved. To define a corporation in economics, you must consider the extensive paperwork and detailed steps required. This can lead to a lengthy application process that often takes several weeks. Key aspects include: Filing articles of incorporation Creating corporate bylaws Obtaining necessary approvals from state authorities Holding initial meetings to appoint directors and officers Each task demands careful attention to detail to avoid delays or rejections. Furthermore, the complexity of the incorporation process often necessitates legal and professional assistance, adding to the administrative burden. Consequently, be prepared for a significant time investment when starting your corporation. Double Taxation Concerns Although many entrepreneurs see the benefits of forming a corporation, it’s essential to contemplate the drawbacks, particularly the issue of double taxation. C Corporations face a unique challenge where their profits are taxed at the corporate level, resulting in a corporate income tax rate of 21% as of 2023. When dividends are distributed to shareholders, these individuals must report this income on their personal tax returns, leading to taxation at the individual level as well. As a result, the same income is effectively taxed twice. This double taxation can create a higher overall tax burden when compared to pass-through entities like S Corporations or LLCs, where income is only taxed at the individual level. Comprehending this concern is significant for making informed decisions about corporate structure. Regulatory Compliance Burden Forming a corporation comes with significant advantages, but it likewise introduces a regulatory compliance burden that entrepreneurs must consider. This burden can be substantial, as you’ll need to navigate various requirements, including: Maintaining extensive documentation like annual reports and tax returns. Complying with state and federal regulations, which involve regular filings and corporate governance standards. Holding board and shareholder meetings, along with keeping detailed minutes. Adhering to specific industry regulations and licensing requirements, which vary by state and sector. These obligations not only require time but also increase the complexity of your operations. Furthermore, failure to meet compliance can lead to penalties, fines, or even dissolution, highlighting the importance of diligent oversight beyond merely corporate tax and income tax concerns. Legal Framework and Requirements When you’re looking to form a corporation, you need to understand the legal framework and requirements involved in the process. This includes filing articles of incorporation with the state, creating corporate bylaws, and obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Moreover, compliance with annual meeting regulations and ongoing state and federal obligations is vital to maintain your corporation’s legal standing. Formation Process Overview To establish a corporation, you’ll need to navigate a structured legal framework and meet specific requirements set by state law. Here’s an overview of the formation process: File articles of incorporation with the state, including the corporation’s name, purpose, and registered agent’s address. Establish corporate bylaws that detail the governance structure, including the roles and responsibilities of directors and officers. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes, vital for hiring employees or opening a bank account. Secure necessary business permits and licenses specific to your industry to guarantee compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. Understanding the corporate income tax definition is also important, as it impacts your financial obligations going forward. Regulatory Compliance Requirements Once you’ve established your corporation, grasping the regulatory compliance requirements is critical for its ongoing success. To legally exist, you must file articles of incorporation with your state and adhere to its specific regulations. You’ll need to submit annual reports and tax returns, as C Corporations are subject to corporate profits tax, facing double taxation on both corporate income and dividends. Many states likewise require maintaining corporate bylaws, which detail your governance structure and operational procedures. Furthermore, your corporation must comply with both state laws and federal regulations, particularly those enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if you’re publicly traded. Don’t forget to secure any local, state, and federal licenses and permits necessary for legal operation. Operating a Corporation Operating a corporation involves maneuvering a structured governance framework that guarantees effective management and accountability. You’ll find that the board of directors, elected by shareholders, plays an essential role in executing the business plan. Here are some key aspects of running a corporation: Shareholders have voting rights, with each share equating to one vote. Annual meetings provide a venue to discuss corporate affairs and elect directors. Corporations must adhere to state laws, including maintaining corporate bylaws and filing annual reports. Taxation of companies requires corporations to file tax returns separately, whereas profits may be distributed as dividends to shareholders. Frequently Asked Questions What Is a Corporation in Simple Terms? A corporation’s a legal entity that’s distinct from its owners, offering limited liability for debts. It can raise money by issuing stock, which attracts investors. To form a corporation, you’ll need to file articles of incorporation and create bylaws. A board of directors, elected by shareholders, manages the corporation and makes major decisions. Corporations can enter contracts, own assets, and face taxation, making them a key player in the business environment. What Is a Corporation Vs LLC? A corporation and an LLC serve different purposes in business structure. A corporation is a separate legal entity offering limited liability to its shareholders but faces double taxation. Conversely, an LLC combines limited liability with pass-through taxation, where profits are taxed only at the owner’s level. Corporations require more formalities, such as annual meetings, whereas LLCs have fewer compliance demands, making them easier to manage and maintain flexibility in ownership and management structures. What Qualifies You as a Corporation? To qualify as a corporation, you’ll need to complete a legal process called incorporation. This involves filing articles of incorporation with your state and selecting a unique name that complies with regulations, often including “Inc.” or “Corp.” You must define your business purpose, structure, and appoint directors to manage operations. Furthermore, you’ll create bylaws detailing governance and procedures, ensuring that you establish limited liability protection for shareholders against corporate debts. What Is a Corporation Vs Company? A corporation is a specific type of company, characterized by its legal separation from its owners, known as shareholders. Although all corporations are companies, not all companies are corporations; other types include sole proprietorships and partnerships. Corporations have a structured management system, often featuring a board of directors, and enjoy limited liability, meaning personal assets are protected. Tax implications likewise differ, as corporations may face double taxation, whereas other companies might not. Conclusion In conclusion, a corporation serves as a distinct legal entity that provides limited liability protection and enables various business activities. Comprehending its characteristics, types, and formation process is crucial for anyone considering this structure. Although incorporating offers advantages such as perpetual existence and easier capital raising, it additionally comes with disadvantages like regulatory intricacies and potential double taxation. By grasping these fundamentals, you can make informed decisions about whether forming a corporation aligns with your business goals. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Corporation?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald The President’s surge of immigration enforcement. As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.” “The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said. There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September. Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate. That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents. Democrats lay out their demands There’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday. “Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.” Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants. Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies. The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement. Many obstacles to a deal As the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want The President’s aggressive crackdown to end. The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation. The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline. Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to The President on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE. “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter. Republican opposition Several Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation. “You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.” Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.” Democrats say they won’t back down. “It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.” Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report. —Mary Clare Jalonick, Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press View the full article

Dan Taylor explains how compounding search visibility turns repeated exposure into familiarity, preference, and long-term resilience. The post How Visibility Compounds In Brand-Led SEO appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

It’s been a dramatic week in foreign exchange markets as a six-word comment on Tuesday by President Donald The President intensified a selloff for the U.S. dollar, sending it to its lowest level in four years. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to do some damage control. It doesn’t appear to be working yet. Understanding what’s happening with the dollar now traces back to early 2025, when the greenback hit a multi-year high relative to other currencies just days before The President’s return to the White House. The dollar has tumbled 10% since, a victim of the “Sell America” trade that first came into vogue after The President announced sweeping tariff plans last April. The dollar was already under pressure this month as The President’s rhetoric about acquiring Greenland and his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland reignited that “Sell America” trade. Last week brought another blow to the greenback when Reuters reported that the New York Federal Reserve had conducted rate checks on the dollar/yen pair, putting traders on alert of a potential coordinated currency intervention by U.S. and ‌Japanese authorities. And yet, it was a brief comment by The President on Tuesday that saw the dollar suffer its worst one-day decline since April on Wednesday as currency traders ditched the dollar in favor of safe-haven assets like gold and the Swiss franc. When asked by a reporter if the dollar had declined too much, The President brushed off any concerns, saying, “No, I think it’s great.” BESSENT SPARKS BRIEF RALLY Not everyone agrees with that sentiment, to put things mildly. The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed on Wednesday, noting that there are good reasons why a strong dollar policy is favored in Washington and that while The President likes to be an economic iconoclast, “he breaks this particular tradition at his—and America’s—peril.” Meanwhile, in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Bessent sought to reassure traders that the U.S. still has a strong dollar policy and said the U.S. is “absolutely not” intervening in the currency market right now. Bessent’s comments did spark a brief rally for the greenback that faded by early Thursday—an indication that the The President administration may need to do more to reassure investors. DOLLAR AND THE ECONOMY On Wednesday, Federal Reserve policymakers left a benchmark interest rate unchanged, at a range of 3.50% to 3.75%. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell declined to weigh in on the currency’s recent decline, telling a reporter, “We don’t comment about the dollar.” That said, a weaker dollar undeniably has ramifications for the broader economy. A weaker dollar can boost U.S. exports by making American goods cheaper for foreign buyers, but it hurts consumers and businesses as the cost of imports becomes more expensive and risks inflation. Meanwhile, Americans pay more while traveling abroad, while it’s cheaper for foreign tourists to visit the U.S. DOLLAR BEAR MARKET The dollar is still strong by historic standards—and particularly compared to a roughly 12-year period between 2003 and 2015—but some investors caution that the worst of its recent declines aren’t over. In fact, the term “bear market” is increasingly being bandied about. A bear market is defined as a decline of at least 20% from a recent peak. A longer-term dollar bear market is likely and could be worsened by an investing dynamic in recent years, as Cole Smead, CEO and portfolio manager at Smead Capital Management, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Wednesday. That’s because a huge amount of money has poured into the U.S. over the past decade, and traders will eventually seek out better returns elsewhere. “We’re going to see the dollar struggle because of that capital account movement abroad,” Smead said. More immediately, international traders once again have reason to hedge their bets on the U.S. given The President’s remarks. Stephen Jen, chief executive of London-based asset manager Eurizon SLJ Capital, told The Wall Street Journal that he expects a further 20% decline for the currency. “The world is not ready.” View the full article

Dearest gentle reader, Netflix humble requests your presence on your couch this today Thursday, January 29, 2026 to binge part one of the fourth season of its hit series Bridgerton. It is up to you whether or not to don your finest gowns, tiaras, and petticoats — or simply leave that to the actors gracing your screens. While Lady Whistledown’s identity is now common knowledge, society still has its eyes and judgement on you. So here are some facts you should know going into this next chapter so you are not the laughing stock of the season. Don’t say we didn’t try to help. What is the basic premise of Bridgerton? Netflix’s Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn. There are eight novels in the main series, each focusing on a Bridgerton sibling and a classic romance trope such as enemies to lovers. Additionally, since the popularity of the series epilogues, novellas, and one prequel book has expanded the literary world of the franchise. The plot centers on the individual Bridgerton family member’s quest for love in Regency Era London. The young adults and children are guided by their loving mother Violet who does her best despite missing her late husband who was killed by a bee sting before his children were of marrying age. Who is the creative force behind Bridgerton? Shonda Rhimes It is wild to think that Bridgerton came about because in 2017 creator Shonda Rhimes was sick on vacation. While she wasn’t feeling well, she ran out of things to read and picked up Quinn’s first novel in the series, The Duke and I, which by chance was left in her room. After devouring it, she went out — fever and all — to the local bookstore to buy the rest of the books in the series. A seed for an idea was planted. That same year, Rhimes left ABC, her previous creative home, and signed a very lucrative four year overall deal with Netflix. Industry insiders estimated this deal was worth around$100 million dollars. With her newfound creative freedom outside the world of traditional network television, Rhimes teamed up with Netflix to tackle a genre that was looked down upon, romance. Why was Bridgerton such a surprise hit? Bridgerton was a gamble for both Rhimes and Netflix. Historically, traditional cable channels tended to stay in their land and do one genre well. For example HBO and Showtime focused on dark, gritty offerings that wouldn’t make it past the censors of network televisions. Netflix has offerings for all, including women. Rhimes unabashedly embraced the Regency era and the pursuit of love and marriage. She also put her own unique fingerprints on it by creating an ethnically diverse world. One way she accomplished this was through the character of Queen Charlotte who did not appear in the original book series but was a real historical figure. While historians will continue to debate her ethnicity, in the show she is a Black woman. Her character’s popularity inspired Quinn to pair up with Rhimes to write the prequel novel. This representation in a genre that doesn’t typically see diversity helped create even more fans. Golda RosheuvelAdjoa Andoh Bridgerton’s first season debuted on Christmas day 2020. Eighty-two million homes tuned in (including partial viewers) so clearly men got into the action as well. This massive number was even bigger than Netflix projected and made Bridgerton Netflix’s biggest series at the time. While the global pandemic certainly helped initially, the momentum for this series did not die down. Season 3’s numbers continued to impress. This installment achieved 45.1M views opening weekend alone. Season 4 is primed to build on this momentum. Who does Bridgerton season 4 focus on? Season 4 is a Bridgerton twist on the Cinderella story. This time it is Benedict Bridgerton’s turn to find love. (Actor Luke Thompson is up to the challenge.) Benedict is the second oldest son which means he has a little more freedom than his older brother Anthony. He has used this freedom to pursue the arts and explore his sexuality, briefly considering a throuple in season 3. While his personality is bohemian, Violet fears he is a bit lost and needs to settle down. It is believed his sister Eloise (played by Claudia Jessie) will also be heavily featured in the season both because of their close relationship and the need to set up her future season. Last season also saw his sister Francesca married to John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. Readers know some plot points also need to happen here for her season to be able to unfold. What new actors are joining the cast in season 4? Since Bridgerton is about a family, the core cast stays mainly the same with the focus shifting to whomever’s love story is front and center for the season. Although sometimes this means fan favorites such as Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma) are not seen on screen. She is just one of the actors not listed on Netflix’s official Season 4 cast announcement. Others not present are Jessica Madsen (Cressida Cowper), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), James Phoon (Harry Dankworth) or Harriet Cains (Philippa Featherington). Never fear the supporting cast does have additions to make up for these absences. Yerin Ha will don a mask for her turn as Benedict’s love interest Sophie Baek. The couple first meet at a masquerade ball that was teased in season 3. Michelle MaoKatie LeungIsabella Wei The role of Lady Araminta Gun, aka the wicked stepmother, will be tackled by Katie Leung. Audiences might remember her from her role as Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies. Rounding out the supporting cast are the stepsisters Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li and Isabella Wei as Posy Li. Fans can also expect to see familiar faces such as Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, and Luke Newton. What are the release dates for season 4? Netflix is following a similar release schedule to season 3. The first four episodes will drop on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 3 a.m. ET. The concluding four episodes of the season will debut on February 26, 2026. View the full article

The U.S. market for buying and selling small businesses entered 2025 with plenty of uncertainty and ended the year on more stable footing, even as buyers became more selective and dealmaking grew more complex. New data from BizBuySell’s latest Insight Report shows a market that has found its balance after years of disruption, with steady pricing, a broader buyer pool, and clearer signals about what makes a business attractive in 2026. For small business owners, whether they are considering an exit, evaluating acquisition opportunities, or simply trying to understand where valuations are heading, the findings offer a detailed snapshot of how inflation, artificial intelligence, private equity, and policy uncertainty are reshaping the landscape. The full report is available directly from BizBuySell and it provides one of the most comprehensive looks at Main Street transactions in the U.S. Overall, the market stabilized in 2025. Total enterprise value of businesses sold reached $7.95 billion, up 3% from 2024, while transaction volume remained essentially flat. Sale prices increased modestly, with the median sale price rising 2% year over year to $350,000. Median cash flow and median revenue also grew, climbing 3% to $158,950 and $703,000, respectively. These figures suggest that, despite economic headwinds, many businesses continued to perform well enough to support stable or slightly higher valuations. That stability, however, masked significant volatility throughout the year. Transactions dipped 1% in the first quarter and fell another 4% in the second quarter as inflationary pressures intensified and buyers grew cautious. Activity rebounded sharply in the third quarter, with transactions jumping 8% as some owners decided to sell sooner rather than risk future valuation declines. The momentum slowed again in the fourth quarter, when a government shutdown disrupted lending activity, particularly for SBA-backed acquisitions. “The government shut down hampered closing deals in 2025, and they rolled to 2026,” said Edward Bell of Sunbelt Business Brokers in Florida. For small business owners watching the market from the sidelines, this pattern underscores how external events can influence timing even when underlying demand remains intact. It also highlights why preparation and flexibility matter more than trying to predict the “perfect” moment to sell or buy. Cost pressures emerged as one of the clearest dividing lines in the market. Rising labor, rent, and supply costs squeezed margins across many sectors, but not all businesses were affected equally. Companies that could pass costs on to customers or operate with differentiated offerings tended to maintain stronger valuations, while others struggled. “Higher costs for labor, rent, and supplies have squeezed margins, which can often reduce valuations when those increases aren’t well managed. However, businesses that can pass on those costs to customers to maintain reasonable margins are still seeing strong valuations,” said Dave McGill of Murphy Business Sales- Utah. This divergence has created what many brokers describe as a more balanced but selective market. About 34% of brokers say conditions favor buyers, another 34% say they favor sellers, and 27% view the market as balanced. That split reflects a reality where high-quality businesses still attract strong interest, while weaker or poorly documented operations face more scrutiny. “Buyers remain active, but they are more cautious and deliberate due to factors such as inflation, tariffs, and immigration related concerns. This has led to more thorough diligence, increased scrutiny of forward-looking assumptions, and a stronger emphasis on risk allocation in deal structure,” according to Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors. For sellers, this means that solid fundamentals alone may no longer be enough. Buyers are digging deeper into financials, operations, and future risks, and deals are taking longer to close. At the same time, brokers caution against assuming that caution equals inactivity. Well-run businesses with clean records continue to draw immediate interest and, in some cases, multiple offers. One of the most notable shifts in 2025 was the continued expansion of the buyer pool. Private equity firms, search funds, and a growing group of so-called “corporate refugees” are all competing for Main Street businesses, particularly those with strong cash flow and growth potential. Nearly half of brokers surveyed, 44%, reported an increase in private equity activity. Much of that interest comes through direct acquisitions or roll-up strategies, where firms acquire multiple small businesses within the same industry. While private equity brings capital and professionalized processes, it also introduces complexity. Almost half of brokers, 49%, said private equity buyers tend to be more demanding or introduce more complicated deal structures, and only 12% said these buyers move faster than individuals. “The PE firms are slow in their valuation and quite deliberate with the information and how they control the process. My experiences with direct buyers have been much more positive and even flowing through the deal process,” said David Strejeck of Sumtis Business Advisors in Pennsylvania. Business owners themselves are divided on private equity. While interest is strong, with 20% of owners reporting being approached about selling and nearly 46% receiving multiple inquiries per year, enthusiasm is limited. Only 14% of owners say they would definitely sell to a private equity firm. Thirty-eight percent are unlikely or unwilling, and 32% view private equity ownership as negative for the small business market, often citing concerns about culture, debt, and long-term stability. “With the way private equity operates currently, it would be unethical to sell my business to a PE firm for them to strip it for parts and sell the pieces,” said Chaz Forster, owner of Metronaut Studios in Texas. Alongside private equity, search funds are playing a growing role. These buyers, often MBA graduates pursuing Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition, are increasingly active. Forty-three percent of brokers reported increased activity from these business-school-trained buyers. Brokers generally describe them as analytical and well-capitalized, though sometimes lacking hands-on operating experience. “Many of our buy side clients are ETA searchers. We love working with these buyers generally, however, it takes more handholding. And it’s not meant for everyone who starts down the road,” said Max Friar of Calder Capital in Michigan. Adding even more competition is a surge of corporate refugees, mid-career professionals leaving traditional employment to buy small businesses. According to the report, 44% of buyers now identify as corporate refugees, with another 15% reporting recent unemployment. This influx has intensified competition for the same high-quality listings sought by private equity firms and search funds, further driving up expectations around diligence and deal readiness. Artificial intelligence is another force reshaping buyer behavior and valuation discussions. For some aspiring owners, AI has become a push factor. Twenty-eight percent of corporate refugees said concerns about AI replacing jobs influenced their decision to pursue business ownership, with 6% calling it a major factor. “Companies are integrating AI quickly, sometimes recklessly, and I believe many roles, even senior leadership, will be replaced. I want income streams that don’t have a direct line of sight to being automated,” said one buyer. At the same time, AI adoption is increasingly viewed as a value enhancer. One-third of buyers, 33%, said they see businesses that have adopted AI as more valuable, associating technology-enabled operations with scalability and resilience. “If the business hasn’t started implementing ANY AI enhancements, I would be concerned about any existing staff being able to implement and/or adapt to AI,” another buyer shared. Interestingly, some buyers view the absence of AI as an opportunity rather than a weakness. “Financials are what they are. I’d prefer to see financials work where I see an opportunity for AI not currently being used. This is immediate growth potential that can improve margins or increase revenue on a tight deal,” another buyer said. Among existing owners, AI adoption is already widespread. Sixty-five percent report using AI in their operations, most commonly in marketing, analytics, search, and customer service. Eighty-three percent say AI has improved performance, and 10% report reducing employee roles since adopting it. For small business owners considering a sale, these figures suggest that AI strategy is becoming a standard part of how buyers assess future potential, not just a nice-to-have feature. Sector performance in 2025 reflected a broader K-shaped economy, where some industries continued to thrive while others struggled. Service businesses stood out as the strongest performers. Transaction volume in the service sector rose 4%, and the median sale price increased 5% to $340,000. Average cash flow multiples also increased, even as margins tightened due to rising costs. Several service subsectors posted particularly strong gains. Financial services transactions jumped 38%, with median sale prices up 40% and median cash flow up 15%. Technology services saw a 12% increase in transactions and solid gains in pricing and cash flow. Architectural and engineering firms also performed well, with transaction volume up 17% and significant increases in sale prices and cash flow. “Businesses that can pass along costs to customers to maintain reasonable margins are still seeing strong valuations. As a result, companies with unique products or services are often less impacted by price increases and, therefore, by inflation and can still command premium pricing.” Said Dave McGill of Murphy Business Sales- Utah. Retail presented a more mixed picture. Overall transactions were flat, and median sale prices fell 2% to $250,000. Cash flow declined slightly, and revenue remained flat, reflecting ongoing pressure from higher costs and shifting consumer behavior. Yet within retail, niche and community-oriented businesses continued to attract buyers. Cafes and coffee retailers saw transaction volume increase 5%, with strong gains in pricing and cash flow. Bike shops experienced fewer transactions but much higher sale prices and cash flow, suggesting that well-positioned niche retailers can still command premiums. Restaurants faced another challenging year. Rising food costs, labor issues, and changes in consumer spending squeezed margins, leading buyers to be more selective. Transaction volume declined 5%, though median prices held steady and revenue increased, indicating that buyers focused on operations with strong sales and loyal customers. “I focus exclusively on restaurant transactions. The restaurant sector was hit particularly hard in 2025 due to inflation and reduced consumer disposable income. As a result, business sales declined, and sellers were forced to adjust their asking prices,” said Andrea Dangio of Restaurant Realty in California. Manufacturing lagged behind other sectors, with transactions down 11%. Tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty weighed heavily on valuations. Median sale prices fell 7%, and both cash flow and revenue declined. Still, brokers emphasized that performance varied widely within the sector. “It’s a mixed bag. We’ve seen a lot of manufacturing distress in the Midwest. Tariffs, the EV market, etc. have caused some chaos. However, there are many very strong companies,” said Max Friar of Calder Capital. Inflation, tariffs, and federal policy remain central concerns for owners planning for 2026. Seventy-eight percent of owners reported rising expenses, driven by higher costs for goods, insurance, marketing, and energy. More than half have raised prices to offset these pressures, though many worry about customer resistance. Labor challenges compound the issue, with 45% reporting difficulty hiring or retaining employees. “The cost of literally everything has gone up in 2025. Fortunately, we’ve been able to keep our profit margins in check with price increases that so far have not negatively impacted our top-line sales volume,” said Derick Holmes, owner of Lumos Architectural Lighting in Colorado. Tariffs and trade policies have prompted some owners to delay purchases or seek domestic suppliers, while others have found competitive advantages. “The tariffs have re introduced many customers to U.S. made products. The BABAA (Build America, Buy America Act) policies put in place with The President have helped us because we already manufacture domestically. We design, fabricate, and assemble all of our products in Denver, sourcing every component in the U.S. Tariffs have leveled the playing field for us against much of our competition,” said Holmes. Sentiment toward the The President administration’s policies is divided. Forty-nine percent of owners feel more optimistic about the business environment, while 33% feel less optimistic. Views on whether campaign promises to small businesses are being delivered are evenly split, underscoring the uncertainty shaping planning decisions. Looking ahead, brokers are largely optimistic about 2026. Sixty-one percent expect stronger buyer demand, and 72% anticipate more sellers entering the market, driven in part by Baby Boomer retirements. Nearly half report that Boomers already make up the majority of their listings, and 80% forecast higher deal volume in the coming months. “We expect deal volume to increase meaningfully as more owners consider exiting earlier due to the growing impact of AI, and as buyer demand accelerates with entrepreneurship-through-acquisition continuing to scale across business schools, media, and social channels,” said Jason Ward of TruView Business Advisors. For small business owners, the message is consistent across the data and commentary. Strong businesses continue to find buyers, but preparation, adaptability, and clarity around costs, technology, and operations are increasingly critical. As competition intensifies and diligence deepens, those who invest early in readiness are better positioned to navigate whatever the market delivers next. This article, "Business Sales Steady as AI, Rising Costs Reshape 2026 Deal Market" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Explore what the latest web almanac reveals about bots and the unexpected trends shaping SEO with host Shelley Walsh and expert guest Chris Green. The post What The Latest Web Almanac Report Reveals About Bots, CMS Influence & llms.txt appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Working as an office manager in my early 20s, I read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Many of its principles still hold true today, and they guided me through multiple career transitions. Success in most careers comes from our interactions with people – whether clients or coworkers. For years, those principles of human connection, combined with technical knowledge and expertise, helped digital marketers succeed. Agencies made sense of the machines for clients, and strong relationship-building allowed them to retain those clients over time. That model is now being challenged. As AI has become fully embedded in PPC platforms, the question has become unavoidable: what prevents clients from relying on an entirely AI-built approach? What agencies have that AI can’t duplicate is their relational side – the ability to connect with others and understand, strategically, what business owners are actually after. 1. Ask questions The key to discovering who people are and what makes them tick is to ask. Sounds simple, really, but so much of communication gets lost in translation or is left up to assumption. When I go into a sales call, I bring a list of questions. How much can we find out about this potential client in this half-hour window? Likewise, when I conduct a strategy call, I have a list of questions: some for me and some for them. What is this potential client looking to accomplish? What about their current strategy is or is not working? How can we improve upon this strategy? AI can’t do this yet. Our interactions with it are primarily one-sided (at least at the time of this writing). We may be able to have a conversation with it, but AI is never the initiator. We go to AI asking it what it can do for us using ideas we already have. AI is not interested in who we are as people or in sussing out our specific pain points. We can never discover a new pain point without asking, and we also can never find it out if we don’t listen, which brings me to the next point. Dig deeper: 6 tips to build PPC client relationships 2. Talk less, listen more How often do we find ourselves in conversations with others, only waiting for the silence so we can interject with our own thoughts? I’m guilty of this. I’ve also found that clients and client prospects really just want to be heard. So, let them explain themselves, then ask them more clarifying questions, and let them talk more. Continue to listen. It’s amazing what you can find out about a person if you go into a call with absolutely no agenda beyond learning about the other person. Let them continue to talk, do not interject, and see what you are able to find out. Try not to fill the silence unless it becomes uncomfortable and you, yourself, have agenda items to cover based on what you’ve learned. I find this type of approach is usually easier to do in sales calls. Typically, we go into these thinking we need to prove ourselves and our abilities, but if it is the first call, we ideally want to find out what they are seeking and spend as much time as possible getting them to discuss that goal. Using this approach with an existing client, I find it most beneficial to hear their nuances, strategy pushes, and ideas. These assist with collaboration and generate ideas more quickly than anything I can say on the call. This approach also builds agreement with the client, which is another important foundational building block of relationships. Dig deeper: 8 questions to ask your new PPC clients Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. Find common ground If I can, I always like to find commonalities between myself and anyone new I meet. Building on these commonalities creates rapport and supports personal and professional relationships. And, regardless of whether the person you are communicating with is a friend or colleague, be personal and specific in your conversations. I’ve always enjoyed remembering things about people and following up on those things in our conversations together. People like to be remembered, and they enjoy it when someone values what they have to say. Memory is a facet that AI is just starting to develop. However, finding commonalities and shared experiences with another person will never (hopefully) be rendered obsolete by artificial intelligence. Dig deeper: When and how to fire PPC clients 4. Smile, be less serious (when it’s appropriate) In the ever-changing world of marketing, it’s easy to fall into an all-serious, never-ending analytical cycle of data observation and testing. However, we also have to remember not to take ourselves too seriously. After all, this career is still relatively new, and who knows what it will look like in the next five years. Consider why you got into this occupation in the first place. I think we all have an innate desire to help people and connect with them – at least I hope so. So, let’s connect with others by allowing ourselves to be less serious when we can be and throw in the awkward joke when applicable. We are humans, too, and it’s important for the people we work for to see this. It’s important in any relationship. Dig deeper: How to set and manage PPC expectations for teams and stakeholders What differentiates a partner from an algorithm In a world increasingly dominated by AI, the balance between technical expertise and human connection is shifting. While AI excels at data, analysis, and optimization – and can offer advice at all hours of the day – knowledge and specialization alone are no longer enough. What AI cannot replicate is empathy, shared experience, or genuine rapport. Over time, those principles of human connection, paired with technical knowledge, helped agencies translate machines for clients and build long-term relationships. By returning to the basics – asking thoughtful questions, practicing active listening, finding common ground, and connecting on a human level – agencies can secure their value. These relational skills are what differentiate a partner from an algorithm, ensuring that agency work remains not just important, but indispensable. View the full article

As Italy prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a crucial part of the prep is the manufacturing of artificial snow; the Olympics organizing committee plans to make 2.4 million cubic meters of the stuff. The practice has become more and more common as climate change leads to warmer temperatures and less reliable snow packs. But as climate change worsens, artificial snow won’t even be enough to help certain countries host the Winter Games. By mid-century, the number of countries that could potentially host the Winter Olympic Games could be cut nearly in half, according to a recent study from the University of Waterloo. Currently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says there are 93 potential host locations that have the winter sports infrastructure needed to host the games. That includes arenas for events like hockey and ice skating and areas for snow sports outside of a big city. If countries continue with their current climate policies, though, that number drops to 52 locations that would remain “climate-reliable” for the Winter Olympics by 2050, according to the study, which was published in the journal Current Issues in Tourism. For the Paralympics, which occur in March after the Olympics in February, the situation is even more dire: By 2050, there are only 22 potential host locations. The Olympics need snowmaking Those remaining locations would still require artificial snowmaking, a process that needs cold and dry air. In some places, it’s becoming too warm to even make snow or to maintain that snowpack. “Those are the [locations] that drop off our list of climate-reliable,” says Daniel Scott, the study’s lead author and a professor in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. This happened during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: An El Nino brought record high temperatures along with rain to the area before the games, which meant officials couldn’t make snow. Instead, they had to bring in snow via trucks and helicopters from higher elevations. If the snow, real or artificial, melts and turns into slush, that becomes a safety issue for athletes—and generally hinders their athletic performance. Without snowmaking, the study found, the number of potential hosts for the Winter Olympics plummets to just four by the 2050s. Those are Niseko, Japan; Terskol, Russia; and Val d’Isère and Courchevel in France. Is snowmaking sustainable? “To not use snowmaking makes about as much sense as moving hockey and figure skating back outside, the way it was in the 1930s,” Scott says. The question, then, is how to make snowmaking as sustainable as possible, just like how officials work to make their refrigerated arenas as sustainable as possible. Snowmaking can require a lot of both energy and water—but just how environmentally harmful it is depends on the specific location. The power grid in France, for example, is nearly completely free of fossil fuels, so a higher electricity demand for snowmaking there wouldn’t directly lead to more emissions. In Utah, though, under 20% of electricity comes from renewable energy. That means making snow in Salt Lake City would come with a carbon footprint. Making the Winter Olympics earlier Along with looking at climate-reliable locations, the Waterloo study explored some adaptation strategies to make the Winter Games more resilient against rising temperatures. Combining the Olympics and Paralympics so both occur in February, when colder temperatures are more likely, would be too difficult because of the size and complexity. But the researchers found that if the games each shifted to be a few weeks earlier, the number of climate-reliable host locations for the Paralympics increases to 38. That would mean the Paralympics begin in the last week of February. Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Italian Alps town that will host certain events for the upcoming 2026 Olympics, has already seen the effects of climate change. February temperatures there are 6.4 degrees F warmer than in 1956, the first year Cortina hosted the Winter Games. The IOC plans locations years in advance, meaning it relies on this kind of modeling data to make hosting decisions. The committee is already planning who will host the 2038 games, and after that are the 2040 Olympics, already close to that mid-century mark that eliminates a bunch of possible locales. It’s only going to become increasingly important for the IOC to pay attention to climate science. The past three years have been the hottest on record, and 2024 was the first year to surpass 1.5 degrees of human-caused warming. “If that kind of acceleration were to continue, it would be more and more important for [the IOC] to take note of,” Scott says. View the full article

I ran a poll yesterday on X asking Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode. About 33% of the over 350 responses said they would block Google from using and showing their content in the AI search experiences. 42% said they would not block Google and 25% are not sure yet.View the full article

Google seems to be testing showing up to 10 sitelinks on some of the search result snippets. Normally, Google will show about 4 sitelinks, but here Google is showing 6 more.View the full article

Google is moving the Google Ads verification page to a new section within the Google Ads console. It is moving to the Admin, then Policy and Account section.View the full article

The more qualified you are today, the harder it is to get hired. This is not a guess. It’s a documented, scientific reality. A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that when job candidates were perceived as “high-capability,” highly experienced, highly credentialed, or simply more advanced than what a role required, they were less likely to be hired than lower-capability applicants, even when all other factors were equal. The researchers behind this study discovered something most hiring managers would never admit: candidates who appear “too good” for a job are viewed with suspicion. Not because of any specific flaw, but because of what they might do. They might leave too soon. They might expect too much compensation. They might act superior. They might disrupt the hierarchy. Or, they might just get bored and leave. So, employers hedge. They take the path of least resistance. They pass on the most capable candidates, not because they doubt their skills, but because they fear the candidates’ motives. Increasingly, the overqualified label is used to avoid confronting deeper forms of bias against age, against education, or against those who they think may not fit into a company’s hierarchy. These concerns are more emotional than rational, rooted in fear, insecurity, and a desire for safety, calm, and steadiness. If you’ve been in the job market for a while and you have a long résumé, seniority, and lots of education behind you, you’ve felt this firsthand. You’ve applied to roles that match your background perfectly and heard nothing. It’s not in your head. The system is flagging you as a problem. Fortunately, this bias can be overcome. Rewriting the story The same study showed that high-capability candidates can get hired if they know how to rewrite the story that employers are telling themselves. The researchers found that when highly capable applicants took three specific actions, the hiring bias against them disappeared. Not reduced, eliminated. These specific actions include: 1) High commitment to the company and role, 2) Organizational alignment (culture and values), and 3) Hunger for the job at hand, not just any job. Overall, the biggest fear hiring managers have about high-capability candidates is that they’re secretly holding out for something better. Of course, many are. They apply broadly. They keep doors open. They mention that they’re entertaining other opportunities during interviews. And that’s exactly what sinks them. Like their search for the right culture fit, employers these days aren’t just hiring for skills, they’re hiring commitment. If they believe you’ll accept another offer or back out after an offer is extended, they won’t take the risk. Period. The study mentioned previously found that even the most qualified candidates were viewed more positively and were more likely to be hired when they showed high levels of commitment to both the company and the position. Not generic interest. Not professional courtesy. Real, observable, targeted commitment. What to do So how do you show that? You do it three ways: preparation, positioning, and language. All three work together to shift the employer’s perception of you from flight risk to first choice. Hiring managers can tell when a candidate has done their homework, and for experienced professionals, preparation matters even more. You can’t rely on your résumé to do the convincing. You have to show them that you didn’t just apply because the job matched a few keywords; you applied because you chose their company for a specific reason. Many overqualified candidates unintentionally undermine their own commitment by saying things like, “I already have a lot of experience in this area.” Or plainly, “I’ve done this before.” Or self-centeredly, “This is a good fit for my background.” None of those statements signals loyalty. They signal neutrality at best. They say, “I can do this job,” not “I want this job.” Lead with what’s next To keep from accidentally positioning yourself as someone who’s just applying to collect a paycheck, you need to stop leading with what you’ve done and start leading with what you want to do next. That next thing? Make it clear that it’s this role. They’re not asking to evaluate your ambitions. They’re asking to evaluate your loyalty. What they want to hear is simple: “I see myself here. Doing what the company needs. Evolving with the team. Staying, contributing, and growing.” They want language that says, “This is not a temporary stop. This is where I plan to stay.” Long-term commitment is what builds trust. It’s what gets you hired in a system that assumes people like you—someone experienced, overqualified, and resourceful—will walk away the minute something shinier comes along. The current hiring systems are built to minimize perceived risk. And right now, highly capable and credentialed job candidates look risky. Not because of what they’ve done, but because of what employers assume they’ll do next. If this sounds like you and you want to change it, you have to make new assumptions easier to believe. This isn’t about playing small. It’s about showing commitment, not ambivalence. Collaboration, not superiority. Focus, not distraction. Removing the risk label requires you to own your experience and your intentions, at the same time. View the full article

We covered the topic of Google's AI Frankenstein recipes and how bad it is for recipe bloggers and publishers. But when you have Google's Personal Intelligence serve up these Frankenstein chunks of content, it makes it so much worse.View the full article

Google has released version 23 of the Google Ads API, this is a major release with dozens of updates. Updates include Performance Max reporting data with Ad Network type breakdown, more incentives, reporting and conversion controls - plus much more.View the full article

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced his first snowstorm as mayor over the weekend wearing a trio of jackets that had his new job title embroidered on the chest and sleeve. One was custom with a message written on the inside collar and typography on the front pulled from New York’s past. Contrary to what you might assume, being elected mayor of New York doesn’t automatically get you access to a wardrobe of customized city agency jackets with “Mayor” embroidered on the outside hanging in the closet for you at Gracie Mansion. Those have to be given or made. Two of the jackets he wore were given to him: a green fleece from the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and a black windbreaker from the New York City Emergency Management Department (NYCEM). A third, black, custom Carhartt jacket was personalized at the Brooklyn embroidery shop Arena Embroidery. The custom jacket features “The City of New York” written out in long-limbed serifs originally found on old municipal stationery letterhead from the 1980s and ’90s. The wordmark appears in white on the front right chest. Written inside of the collar, hidden from view of the cameras, is the phrase “No Problem Too Big, No Task Too Small.” The typographic style of the “The City of New York” mark is vintage, but it’s also back in vogue. Noah Neary, a senior adviser to Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, designed the mark, and the style can be seen on items like “New York or Nowhere” brand totes, or even on an “Eric Adams Raised My Rent” shirt from Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. For elected officials, these officially embroidered jackets have become the unofficial uniform at public events when Mother Nature strikes. Surveying fire damage last year in California, for example, President Donald The President wore a windbreaker with the presidential seal on the front and California Gov. Gavin Newsom wore a quarter-zip with a bear, referencing the state flag. For Mamdani, his jackets signaled common cause with the city’s workers during a deadly storm. Political natural disaster wardrobe choices can easily veer into cosplay, like Republican lawmakers who dress like they’re going to a war zone when they’re just going to Texas. And simply wearing the right clothes to an event is not foolproof. What people remember about The President’s visit to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 wasn’t his jacket, but the image of him tossing paper towels and the delay of billions of dollars worth of aid. Dressing more casually, though, does serve as an important form of visual communication when storms, fires, earthquakes, or other threats arise. You don’t show up to a disaster zone in a suit and tie. For Mamdani, his jackets showed solidarity with a city, its workers, and its citizens during his first snowstorm in office with a custom nod to city history. View the full article

The smell of death is descending on a directionless governmentView the full article

Future of the company lies in equipping and running a global fleet of driverless taxis and in selling humanoid robotsView the full article

As governor of South Dakota, one of the least populated states in the U.S., Kristi Noem still made an outsize name for herself nationally using public service announcement campaigns designed to capture attention. The topics of her PSAs have changed dramatically since then. Before assuming her current Cabinet post as secretary of Homeland Security, the former state lawmaker and member of the U.S. House of Representatives served as South Dakota’s governor from 2019 to 2025. In her first year as governor, the state ran a widely mocked anti-drug campaign called “Meth. We’re On It,” followed by “Freedom Works Here,” a workforce recruitment campaign in which she was featured prominently. Once elevated to DHS secretary, Noem continued to utilize public funds for commercials promoting her particular brand of political communication, including a 2025 campaign in service of President The President and his border and immigration policies. The nearly $1.4 million “Meth. We’re On It.” campaign ran on TV, billboards, and online (via the now defunct website onmeth.com), and it caught plenty of grief for its ambiguous tagline. Noem defended it at the time, writing on social media, “Hey Twitter, the whole point of this ad campaign is to raise awareness. So I think that’s working.” “Meth. We’re On It.” was made to combat a real problem in the state, as South Dakota ninth graders tried meth at twice the national average, according to the creative brief for the campaign. Ultimately, it saw some success. By 2020, 1,072 people had clicked the “find treatment” link on the campaign’s website, 184 people called or texted the campaign’s help line, and 44 were referred to treatment. “Meth. We’re On It.” would become a finalist in the public health category for the Shorty Awards, a social media and digital advertising industry awards ceremony. In spots for “Freedom Works Here,” a South Dakota workforce recruitment campaign that aired nationally in 2023 and 2024, Noem dressed as a law enforcement officer, welder, and dentist as a play on the fact that there weren’t enough people to fill the state’s job openings, so she was doing them herself. As of July 2023, more than 3,500 people had applied to the program, Noem’s office said at the time. Yet the campaign was criticized as self-serving by some Republican state lawmakers. At DHS, Noem was the face of the biggest political ad of 2025. The agency spent upwards of $50 million of taxpayer funds to air the spot, in which Noem both thanked The President “for securing our border, deporting criminal illegal immigrants, and putting America first” and called directly for people in the U.S. illegally to leave. Though DHS denied it was a political ad, it sure looked and sounded like one, with B-roll pulled straight from the tropes of Republican attack ads about border security, like shots evoking crime, drugs, trafficking, and chaos at the border. Through her political career, Noem has appeared in PSAs for vaccines and storm preparedness, though they didn’t receive the same multimillion-dollar budgets as her more controversial ads. She also starred in a video during last year’s government shutdown intended to be shown at airport security checkpoints that blamed Democrats for related closures and service slowdowns (although many airports did not air it). There is growing bipartisan pressure for Noem to step down or be removed from her DHS post following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration and border protection officers. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have called for her to resign, and House Democrats have threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against her if The President doesn’t fire her. Noem built a national profile in part by using her public office as a platform, but from her time in Sioux City to her days in The President’s administration, that platform became less civic and more brazenly partisan. The anti-drug campaign Noem once defended caused eyerolls and snickers, but at least it was also the catalyst for more than a few calls to a hotline set up to help people facing addiction. Contrast that to 2025’s “The Law,” in which she made herself the face of an immigration and border enforcement agenda that’s growing increasingly unpopular with the American public. Noem’s recent PSA appearances indicate the value the The President administration places on government as showbiz, and that for Noem, public office is theater. View the full article

In December 2025, the Department of Transportation (DOT) put out a call for design concepts for new terminals and concourses at Washington Dulles International Airport. The DOT claimed Dulles had fallen into disrepair and was “no longer an airport suitable and grand enough for the capital of the United States of America.” The agency said it was looking for proposals to either replace the airport’s existing main terminal and satellite concourses or build upon them. It also noted The President’s executive order calling for classical architecture in federal building projects. A number of firms submitted proposals, including Ferrovial, Phoenix Infrastructure Group, and Alvarez & Marshal Infrastructure and Capital Projects. The submission from Bermello Ajamil & Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects included architectural renderings with a prominent feature that appears to be custom designed for a president who is fond of putting his name on things. The firms’ proposed terminal design would boast a “grand arch” made of a transparent facade and lettering that reads “Donald J. The President Terminal.” In some renderings, the name is written out in Trajan, a serif font used by the The President Organization. In one Reddit thread, commenters criticized the move as “shameless” and brought up Zaha Hadid’s work for authoritarian regimes. Renderings show the The President terminal superimposed over the airport’s iconic existing terminal, completed in 1962 with a swooping concave roof and large window sides designed by architect Eero Saarinen. A departures hall in the proposed new building builds on Saarinen’s use of openness and natural light with a continuous skylight over a long-span roof. Bermello Ajamil & Partners has designed terminals for airports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Past projects by Zaha Hadid Architects include Western Sydney International Airport in Australia, Bishoftu International Airport in Ethiopia, and Beijing Daxing International Airport in China. Zaha Hadid Architects did not respond to a request for comment. View the full article

Have you ever had the experience of rereading a sentence multiple times only to realize you still don’t understand it? As taught to scores of incoming college freshmen, when you realize you’re spinning your wheels, it’s time to change your approach. This process, becoming aware of something not working and then changing what you’re doing, is the essence of metacognition, or thinking about thinking. It’s your brain monitoring its own thinking, recognizing a problem, and controlling or adjusting your approach. In fact, metacognition is fundamental to human intelligence and, until recently, has been understudied in artificial intelligence systems. My colleagues Charles Courchaine, Hefei Qiu, Joshua Iacoboni, and I are working to change that. We’ve developed a mathematical framework designed to allow generative AI systems, specifically large language models like ChatGPT or Claude, to monitor and regulate their own internal “cognitive” processes. In some sense, you can think of it as giving generative AI an inner monologue, a way to assess its own confidence, detect confusion, and decide when to think harder about a problem. Why machines need self-awareness Today’s generative AI systems are remarkably capable but fundamentally unaware. They generate responses without genuinely knowing how confident or confused their response might be, whether it contains conflicting information, or whether a problem deserves extra attention. This limitation becomes critical when generative AI’s inability to recognize its own uncertainty can have serious consequences, particularly in high-stakes applications such as medical diagnosis, financial advice, and autonomous vehicle decision-making. For example, consider a medical generative AI system analyzing symptoms. It might confidently suggest a diagnosis without any mechanism to recognize situations where it might be more appropriate to pause and reflect, like “These symptoms contradict each other” or “This is unusual, I should think more carefully.” Developing such a capacity would require metacognition, which involves both the ability to monitor one’s own reasoning through self-awareness and to control the response through self-regulation. Inspired by neurobiology, our framework aims to give generative AI a semblance of these capabilities by using what we call a metacognitive state vector, which is essentially a quantified measure of the generative AI’s internal “cognitive” state across five dimensions. 5 dimensions of machine self-awareness One way to think about these five dimensions is to imagine giving a generative AI system five different sensors for its own thinking. Emotional awareness, to help it track emotionally charged content, which might be important for preventing harmful outputs. Correctness evaluation, which measures how confident the large language model is about the validity of its response. Experience matching, where it checks whether the situation resembles something it has previously encountered. Conflict detection, so it can identify contradictory information requiring resolution. Problem importance, to help it assess stakes and urgency to prioritize resources. We quantify each of these concepts within an overall mathematical framework to create the metacognitive state vector and use it to control ensembles of large language models. In essence, the metacognitive state vector converts a large language model’s qualitative self-assessments into quantitative signals that it can use to control its responses. For example, when a large language model’s confidence in a response drops below a certain threshold, or the conflicts in the response exceed some acceptable levels, it might shift from fast, intuitive processing to slow, deliberative reasoning. This is analogous to what psychologists call System 1 and System 2 thinking in humans Conducting an orchestra Imagine a large language model ensemble as an orchestra where each musician – an individual large language model – comes in at certain times based on the cues received from the conductor. The metacognitive state vector acts as the conductor’s awareness, constantly monitoring whether the orchestra is in harmony, whether someone is out of tune, or whether a particularly difficult passage requires extra attention. When performing a familiar, well-rehearsed piece, like a simple folk melody, the orchestra easily plays in quick, efficient unison with minimal coordination needed. This is the System 1 mode. Each musician knows their part, the harmonies are straightforward, and the ensemble operates almost automatically. But when the orchestra encounters a complex jazz composition with conflicting time signatures, dissonant harmonies, or sections requiring improvisation, the musicians need greater coordination. The conductor directs the musicians to shift roles: Some become section leaders, others provide rhythmic anchoring, and soloists emerge for specific passages. This is the kind of system we’re hoping to create in a computational context by implementing our framework, orchestrating ensembles of large language models. The metacognitive state vector informs a control system that acts as the conductor, telling it to switch modes to System 2. It can then tell each large language model to assume different roles—for example, critic or expert—and coordinate their complex interactions based on the metacognitive assessment of the situation. Impact and transparency The implications extend far beyond making generative AI slightly smarter. In health care, a metacognitive generative AI system could recognize when symptoms don’t match typical patterns and escalate the problem to human experts rather than risking misdiagnosis. In education, it could adapt teaching strategies when it detects student confusion. In content moderation, it could identify nuanced situations requiring human judgment rather than applying rigid rules. Perhaps most importantly, our framework makes generative AI decision-making more transparent. Instead of a black box that simply produces answers, we get systems that can explain their confidence levels, identify their uncertainties, and show why they chose particular reasoning strategies. This interpretability and explainability is crucial for building trust in AI systems, especially in regulated industries or safety-critical applications. The road ahead Our framework does not give machines consciousness or true self-awareness in the human sense. Instead, our hope is to provide a computational architecture for allocating resources and improving responses that also serves as a first step toward more sophisticated approaches for full artificial metacognition. The next phase in our work involves validating the framework with extensive testing, measuring how metacognitive monitoring improves performance across diverse tasks, and extending the framework to start reasoning about reasoning, or metareasoning. We’re particularly interested in scenarios where recognizing uncertainty is crucial, such as in medical diagnoses, legal reasoning, and generating scientific hypotheses. Our ultimate vision is generative AI systems that don’t just process information but understand their cognitive limitations and strengths. This means systems that know when to be confident and when to be cautious, when to think fast and when to slow down, and when they’re qualified to answer and when they should defer to others. Ricky J. Sethi is a professor of computer science at Fitchburg State University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

Shares fall 15% as Europe’s largest software company says cloud revenue growth will ‘slightly decelerate’View the full article