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A Iran ceasefire sparked a $20 oil drop and Treasury rally, narrowing the rate-cut window from 18 to 15 months, but key technical resistance levels and a potentially ugly Friday CPI report could still reshape the outlook, according to the head of correspondent business development at AD Mortgage. View the full article

Ask most ecommerce brands who owns their product feed, and the answer is almost always the same: the paid media team. Maybe a feed management tool sits under PPC. Maybe the shopping team built the feed years ago, and nobody’s touched the titles since. Either way, SEO rarely has a seat at the table, and it’s often forgotten as part of the broader feed management strategy. Whether you’re worried about AI search or traditional clicks, you’re missing out on opportunities by excluding SEO from your feed management strategy. AI shopping results are grounded in Google Shopping data Up to 83% of ChatGPT carousel products match Google Shopping’s organic results, according to a recent Peec AI study analyzing more than 43,000 listings. And 60% of those matches came from Shopping positions 1-10. Data shows how ChatGPT’s product carousel matches Google Shopping’s organic results, with Google dominating over Bing. On Google’s side, the Shopping Graph now contains more than 50 billion product listings and feeds directly into AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini. AI Overviews appear in roughly 14% of shopping queries, up from about 2% in late 2024. Like many other things we’ve discovered about AI search, the generative results are informed by traditional SERP. SEO needs to be the strategic quarterback for brand authority. This is a highly valuable opportunity to work cross-channel toward a common goal of improving visibility across search surfaces. It really requires SEOs, commerce, and paid media teams to get in the same room. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with The case for a dedicated organic feed Typically, brands run a single product feed optimized for Google paid shopping campaigns. Titles are written for bid relevance, descriptions are built for Quality Score, and the feed exists to win auctions, with less consideration for user search behaviors. As user behavior shifts, search surfaces favor stronger semantic alignment between queries and product data. A title stuffed with paid-friendly modifiers or branded terms isn’t the same as a title that mirrors how someone conversationally searches for a product. We tested this with a large ecommerce brand. Our agency’s AI SEO team partnered with the commerce team to launch a dedicated product feed for free organic listings, with titles and descriptions optimized specifically for organic visibility, rather than replicating what was already running in the paid feed. After the organic feed was pushed live: Organic listing CTR increased 10% month over month, alongside a 4% lift in purchasing rate. A product-level test saw a 92% increase in revenue for free listings, with visibility up 83%, and add-to-cart up 14%. The organic optimization changes alone drove 35,000 impressions at a 1.4% CTR, 55% higher than the CTR seen in paid for the same time period. Rather than replacing our paid feed strategy, we recognized that organic and paid shopping solve different problems and have different needs that require optimizing accordingly. Organic feed titles should reflect how your customers actually search, not how your bidding strategy is structured. Dig deeper: How AI-driven shopping discovery changes product page optimization Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. What to prioritize in an organic feed strategy Not every feed attribute carries equal weight. If you’re building a dedicated organic feed or just auditing your existing feed for gaps, here’s where you could start. Titles are the highest-impact lever Google’s algorithm heavily favors feed titles when matching products to queries, and its own documentation emphasizes including important attributes to “better match search queries and drive performance lift.” Consider how a customer might describe what they’re looking for in a conversational way, and how that aligns with product attributes. Google’s Merchant Center documentation reinforces the point that your feed strategy should map to how your customer actually shops to help improve their search journey Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) are non-negotiable Google’s GTIN documentation makes clear that products with correct GTINs receive significantly more visibility. Industry data has consistently shown that properly matched products can drive up to 40% more clicks. They’re also the primary signal for aggregating product reviews across sources. Don’t overlook images They’re still the most common source of Merchant Center disapprovals. Products with both standard and lifestyle images typically see significantly higher engagement. If budget or bandwidth has kept better product images on the back burner, Google’s Product Studio can help handle some of the editing, so you can test and improve creative at scale without a full reshoot. It’s also a way for SEO and creative teams to collaborate on feed-specific assets and testing. Optimize key product attributes: product_highlight and product_detail product_highlight lets you add scannable benefit statements that appear in expanded Shopping views. For instance, “water-resistant for light rain commutes” is doing more work than “high-quality material” for both the shopper and the AI. product_detail provides structured specifications that power Google’s faceted filters in organic product grids. The same semantic work SEOs are doing to optimize product detail pages (PDPs) for conversational search — like defining ideal buyers, naming use cases, and articulating compatibility — should inform feed attributes. Product and content teams already understand what drives someone to buy. That context should be in the feed, not just on a brand’s PDPs. Dig deeper: How to make ecommerce product pages work in an AI-first world Your feed is also your agentic commerce foundation Here’s what makes this investment compound: the feed optimization work done today for organic shopping visibility will also help build brand readiness for agentic commerce standards and applications. Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, announced in January, is a framework that enables AI agents to discover products, build carts, and complete transactions directly inside AI Mode and Gemini. The shopper may never land on the brand website to make a purchase. UCP isn’t a replacement for Google Merchant Center, because it’s built directly on top of GMC data. Feeds are how products enter the Shopping Graph. The Shopping Graph is the dataset AI agents query when processing a shopping request. The new native_commerce attribute added to feeds is what signals that a product is eligible for the UCP-powered “Buy” button in traditional and AI-driven Google services. Google has also announced the eventual rollout of several new Merchant Center attributes designed specifically for conversational commerce: Product FAQs. Use cases. Compatible accessories. Product substitutes. These are additions to an existing GMC feed that give AI agents the contextual understanding they need to match products to natural-language queries like “what’s a good waterproof jacket for bike commuting?” These new conversational attributes are rolling out to a small group of retailers first. This is where feed data and on-page content need to stay tightly aligned. Search surfaces cross-reference a brand’s feed against: Structured data. PDP content. Other sources to validate findings. When those layers contradict each other, trust erodes at the domain level. Dig deeper: 7 organic content investments that drive ecommerce ROI Building a cross-channel strategy for AI search Product feed strategy and optimization is an opportunity for genuine cross-team collaboration to test, execute, and measure visibility. A holistic approach to managing product details across every surface will benefit brands in both traditional and AI-driven search. SEOs bring the keyword intelligence, semantic understanding, and knowledge of how AI systems match queries to content. Commerce and marketplace teams own the product data, product information management, and relationships with retailers. Paid teams have the feed infrastructure, the tools, and years of experience managing feed health at scale. These teams must work together to coordinate their insights and effectively establish an AI SEO operating system. The product feed sits at that intersection as it’s an owned asset managed by commerce infrastructure that directly feeds AI-powered visibility. The first step is to pull a current feed and compare organic titles to paid titles. The second step is getting the right people in the room to build something better. SEO is most successful when more channels align toward the same goal: better brand visibility. View the full article

Google Keyword Planner is a free tool. Here’s how to use it to find terms for content and ad campaigns. View the full article

Google's March core update finished rolling out. Here's what to know about the rollout and when to check your data. The post Google Confirms March 2026 Core Update Is Complete appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Wall Street surged in Wednesday premarket trading as oil prices plunged 16% after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Futures for the S&P 500 jumped 2.7% before the opening bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.6%. Nasdaq futures soared 3.4%. Benchmark U.S. crude sank $18.43 to $94.52 a barrel, a nearly 16% decline. Brent crude, the international standard dropped $15.54 to $93.73 a barrel. Natural gas futures declined close to 5%. The drops reversed some of the rise in oil prices since the start of the war more than five weeks ago that had effectively blocked passage through the strait that’s a crucial route for global supplies. “Yet the mood remains one of cautious optimism rather than outright celebration,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. “The ceasefire is only two weeks long, and markets will be watching closely to see whether shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes as promised and whether the fragile truce can pave the way for a more durable peace agreement.” Late Tuesday, The President said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management. But analysts warned against too much optimism. “There is a reason to be optimistic, but it is still too early to tell, because, as you know, after all, it is The President,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at MONEX. In equities trading, major U.S. airline stocks soared on the steep drop in oil prices. Delta and United jump more than 12% in premarket while American rose 10%. Delta on Wednesday also reported first-quarter sales and profit that came in ahead of Wall Street forecasts and said that demand remained strong with the summer travel season just a few months away. Elsewhere, in Europe France’s CAC 40 added 4.5% by midday, while the German DAX soared nearly 5%. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 2.9%. In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 5.4% to finish at 56,308.42. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 2.6% to 8,951.80. South Korea’s Kospi soared 6.9% to 5,872.34. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.1% to 25,893.02, while the Shanghai Composite added 2.7% to 3,995.00. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 158.39 Japanese yen from 159.52 yen Wednesday. The euro cost $1.1701, up from $1.1597. The dollar usually becomes a safe haven during geopolitical uncertainty, so the ceasefire deal worked to lessen that appeal. Associated Press videographer Mayuko Ono and Writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama —Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott, AP Business Writers View the full article

Customer Service Management (CSM) is a systematic approach to overseeing customer interactions and experiences. It’s vital for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty, which directly influences a company’s success. By integrating various communication channels and providing teams with the necessary tools and training, organizations can better meet evolving customer expectations. Comprehending the key components of this process is fundamental, as it not only improves retention rates but additionally boosts brand reputation. What are the specific strategies that can enhance your CSM efforts? Key Takeaways Customer Service Management (CSM) oversees customer interactions to enhance satisfaction, loyalty, and overall experience across various communication channels. Effective CSM can boost customer retention rates by 10-15%, significantly impacting long-term business success. Key components include inquiry handling, omnichannel support, and structured processes for timely issue resolution. Implementing technology and analytics in CSM improves operational efficiency and enables proactive customer service strategies. Measuring success through metrics like CSAT and FCR helps organizations assess performance and continuously improve their CSM practices. Understanding Customer Service Management Comprehending Customer Service Management (CSM) is vital for any organization aiming to nurture strong customer relationships. The customer service management meaning revolves around overseeing customer interactions to improve satisfaction and loyalty. This process involves integrating various communication channels to guarantee a seamless experience for customers, which ultimately enhances overall service delivery. By empowering teams with the right tools and training, CSM helps meet evolving customer expectations while aligning with organizational goals across departments. Nevertheless, a significant 62% of customer experience leaders believe they’re falling short in providing instant responses, highlighting the need for robust CSM strategies. Additionally, actively seeking and analyzing customer feedback is a core aspect of the customer service management process, informing continuous improvement efforts. This feedback is critical for maintaining a competitive edge in the market, guaranteeing that your organization remains responsive to customer needs. The Importance of Customer Service Management The significance of Customer Service Management (CSM) cannot be overstated, as it plays a vital role in shaping customer experiences and nurturing loyalty. Effective CSM directly influences customer satisfaction and retention, with studies showing a potential 10-15% increase in retention rates when customer experience improves. Furthermore, a strong CSM process improves brand reputation, making 81% of consumers more likely to recommend a brand after a positive service encounter. In addition, organizations with efficient CSM practices can reduce service costs by up to 25%, optimizing operations through automation. Trust is also fundamental; 61% of customers consider trustworthiness important when interacting with companies using AI. By regularly collecting and acting on feedback, CSM strategies can lead to a 20% rise in customer satisfaction scores. Benefit Statistic Impact on Business Increase in Retention 10-15% Higher customer loyalty Brand Recommendation 81% Improved brand reputation Cost Reduction Up to 25% Lower operational expenses Customer Trust 61% consider trust essential Improved customer relationships Key Components of the Customer Service Management Process When you think about the customer service management process, two key components stand out: inquiry handling techniques and follow-up procedures. Perfecting these elements not merely streamlines interactions but also guarantees that customer concerns are addressed efficiently. Inquiry Handling Techniques How can effective inquiry handling transform your customer service experience? By ensuring quality and consistency in every interaction, you build trust with your customers. Utilizing omnichannel support allows customers to reach out through various platforms, making your service more accessible and efficient. First contact resolution (FCR) is vital; it measures how well you can resolve issues during the first interaction, directly impacting customer satisfaction. Implementing structured processes, like case management and knowledge management, can greatly improve your response times. These techniques not only streamline your operations but furthermore improve the overall customer experience. Follow-Up Procedures Effective follow-up procedures in customer service management serve as a critical component in enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. By reaching out to customers after interactions, you can confirm their issues are resolved and gather valuable feedback. This structured approach not just boosts retention rates—70% of customers return when they feel heard—but also helps identify areas needing improvement. It opens up opportunities for cross-selling and upselling, addressing additional needs. Consistent follow-up showcases your commitment to service, enhancing brand perception. It encourages word-of-mouth referrals, as satisfied customers share their positive experiences. Implementing these procedures demonstrates your dedication to customer care, in the end contributing to long-term business success. Benefits of Effective Customer Service Management Although many businesses recognize the importance of customer interaction, the benefits of effective Customer Service Management (CSM) extend far beyond just addressing inquiries. CSM improves customer satisfaction by streamlining operations, leading to quicker issue resolutions and positive experiences. When you implement CSM strategies, you can expect enhanced customer loyalty; consistent support builds trust, which results in repeat business and brand advocacy. Furthermore, CSM offers data-driven insights into customer needs, guiding product and service improvements that ultimately drive revenue growth and give you a competitive advantage. A strong CSM process likewise optimizes operational efficiency, reducing the time and resources spent on inquiries while boosting the productivity of your customer service teams. In addition, organizations with effective CSM practices benefit from a strengthened brand reputation, as excellent service encourages positive word-of-mouth and improves public perception, making it easier to attract new customers. Strategies for Improving Customer Service Management Improving Customer Service Management (CSM) requires a multifaceted approach that includes several effective strategies. By implementing these methods, you can boost service quality and customer satisfaction. Create a feedback loop: Regular customer surveys provide valuable insights that help identify issues, enabling you to address them quickly. Empower your team: Training and giving decision-making authority to customer service representatives can speed up resolution times and elevate overall satisfaction. Utilize technology: AI solutions and automation can streamline repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on complex inquiries and improve service efficiency. Additionally, establishing consistent communication across all channels guarantees customers receive unified and accurate information. Setting measurable goals and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) will help you assess the effectiveness of your strategies, guiding continuous improvement efforts. Embracing Customer Feedback for Continuous Improvement To truly improve your customer service, you need to collect insights regularly from your customers. By implementing post-interaction surveys and utilizing various feedback channels, you can capture valuable suggestions that drive improvement. Acting on this feedback not just addresses recurring issues but additionally boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty, making it an essential part of your strategy. Collecting Insights Regularly Regularly collecting customer feedback is essential for businesses aiming to improve their service quality and maintain a competitive edge. By actively seeking insights through various channels, you can better understand customer needs and identify areas for improvement. This structured approach not only cultivates trust but also amplifies brand loyalty. Consider these strategies for effective feedback collection: Use post-interaction surveys to capture immediate reactions. Monitor social media platforms for real-time customer opinions. Organize focus groups to explore deeper into customer preferences. These methods can lead to a 10% to 15% increase in customer satisfaction scores, ensuring your offerings align with evolving expectations. Staying attentive to feedback helps refine products and services, encouraging continuous growth. Acting on Suggestions Though collecting customer feedback is vital, acting on those suggestions is what truly drives continuous improvement in service quality. When you embrace feedback, you’re likely to see improved customer satisfaction. Regular post-interaction surveys help gather actionable insights, and businesses that effectively use this feedback can report a 16% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Feedback Method Benefits Post-Interaction Surveys Actionable insights, better service Social Media Monitoring Real-time feedback, quick responses Structured Feedback Loop Improved adaptability, culture of responsiveness Leveraging Technology in Customer Service Management In today’s fast-paced business environment, integrating technology into Customer Service Management (CSM) is essential for enhancing operational efficiency and improving customer experiences. By leveraging AI solutions, you can automate repetitive tasks, allowing your customer service agents to focus on more complex issues. Implementing a unified customer service platform guarantees seamless omnichannel support, delivering consistent communication across various channels like phone, email, and live chat. Consider these key advantages of technology in CSM: Predictive analytics track key performance metrics, helping you proactively address customer needs. Self-service portals empower customers to resolve simple issues on their own, which 61% of customers prefer, reducing team workload. CRM systems manage customer interactions and organize data, providing personalized service. Building a Customer-Centric Culture To build a customer-centric culture, organizations must prioritize awareness and addressing customer needs at every level. A focus on grasping customers leads to consistent experiences across departments, which 79% of customers find essential for satisfaction. By nurturing this culture, you can boost loyalty and retention rates, as satisfied customers are more likely to return and advocate for your brand. Companies with a strong customer-centric approach often see a 10-15% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Here’s a quick overview of key components in building a customer-centric culture: Key Component Importance Action Steps Grasping Needs Guarantees aligned services Regular customer surveys Employee Empowerment Improves service delivery Provide decision-making authority Feedback Loops Identifies areas for improvement Implement regular feedback sessions Consistent Experience Increases customer satisfaction Train teams across departments Motivated Workforce Directly impacts customer experiences Offer thorough training Measuring Success in Customer Service Management Measuring success in customer service management is vital for comprehending how well your organization meets customer expectations and identifies areas for improvement. To achieve this, focus on key metrics that provide insights into your service effectiveness: Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) reflects customer likelihood to recommend your service based on their experiences. First Contact Resolution (FCR) indicates the percentage of inquiries resolved on the first interaction, boosting both satisfaction and loyalty. Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer loyalty by evaluating the likelihood of recommending your brand. Additionally, tracking agent productivity and ticket volume trends helps identify performance gaps, ensuring that your service aligns with operational goals. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Customer Management Process? The customer management process involves four key touchpoints: receiving inquiries, assigning requests, resolving issues, and following up for customer satisfaction. You engage with customers through effective communication, ensuring consistent processes. This builds trust and rapport, in the end enhancing customer loyalty. Metrics like first contact resolution rate and customer satisfaction score help you assess the process’s efficiency. A well-structured approach streamlines operations, improving overall customer experience and driving business success. What Is the Meaning of Customer Service Management? Customer service management (CSM) involves overseeing customer interactions to improve satisfaction and loyalty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihu9rr1wRa0 It combines various communication channels, ensuring a seamless experience where customers feel valued. CSM relies on data-driven insights to understand customer needs, guiding improvements in products and services. By effectively managing these interactions, businesses can boost operational efficiency and increase customer retention rates, which is often more economical than acquiring new customers. In the end, CSM is essential for maintaining strong customer relationships. What Are the 5 Steps of the CRM Process? The CRM process consists of five crucial steps. First, you identify customer needs by gathering data to understand preferences. Next, you capture customer data through various channels like surveys and social media. After that, you analyze the data to uncover trends and improvement areas. Then, you utilize these insights to improve customer interactions. Finally, you maintain ongoing relationships through consistent communication and personalized experiences, boosting customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business. What Is CRM and Why Is It Important? CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a strategy that helps you manage interactions with customers effectively. It centralizes customer data, allowing you to analyze behaviors and preferences, which is essential for tailoring your services. Implementing a robust CRM system can greatly boost customer retention rates and improve overall satisfaction. Conclusion In summary, effective Customer Service Management is crucial for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. By comprehending its components and implementing strategies for improvement, organizations can nurture a customer-centric culture that drives retention and positive brand recommendations. Utilizing technology and actively seeking feedback further strengthens service processes. In the end, measuring success in CSM allows businesses to adapt and thrive in a competitive environment, ensuring they meet evolving customer expectations and maintain a strong reputation in the market. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is Customer Service Management Process and Why Is It Important?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Oil prices tumble following deal between Washington and Tehran to open Strait of HormuzView the full article

Behind the GEO trend is a familiar cycle: new acronym, same tactics, and a market built on fear of falling behind. The post GEO Was Invented On Sand Hill Road appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Comprehending key tax year dates is vital for managing your financial responsibilities effectively. You’ve got important deadlines coming up, like the April 15, 2026, deadline for federal income tax returns and the January 15, 2026, due date for fourth quarterly estimated tax payments. Businesses likewise have critical dates to remember, including the March 15, 2026, filing deadline for partnerships and S Corporations. Missing these dates can have significant consequences, so it’s fundamental to stay informed about your obligations. Key Takeaways Federal income tax returns are due by April 15, 2026, with penalties for missed payments. Fourth quarterly estimated tax payments must be made by January 15, 2026. W-2 forms and certain 1099 documents must be received by January 31, 2026. Partnerships and S Corporations need to file returns by March 15, 2026. Extensions for individual tax returns can be requested until April 15, 2026, using Form 4868. Important Tax Deadlines for Individuals When you’re preparing for tax season, it’s crucial to be aware of important deadlines that can impact your filing process. For the 2025 tax year, the primary india tax deadline for individual federal income tax returns falls on April 15, 2026. If you’re making estimated tax payments, keep in mind the fourth quarterly payment is due on January 15, 2026. Employers must send out W-2 forms and certain 1099 documents to employees by January 31, 2026, so verify you’ve received yours in time. Furthermore, if you turn 73 in 2025, note that your required minimum distributions must be completed by April 1, 2026. If you need more time to file, submit Form 4868 by April 15, 2026, to extend your deadline to October 15, 2026. Staying on top of these tax year dates will help you avoid penalties and guarantee a smooth filing experience. Key Dates for Businesses Grasping key tax dates for businesses is essential for effective financial management and compliance. For Partnerships and S Corporations, the deadline to file 2025 calendar year returns is March 15, 2026. On the same day, C Corporations must likewise file their tax returns or request an extension. If you’re a C Corporation, sole proprietor, or single-member LLC, mark April 15, 2026, on your calendar as the due date for submitting your tax filings for the 2025 tax year. Tax-exempt nonprofits need to keep in mind that Form 990 is due by May 15, 2026, if they follow a calendar year. Furthermore, estimated tax payments for businesses are required by January 15, 2026, for the fourth quarter of 2025. Staying organized and aware of these deadlines can help you avoid complications in your financial planning and guarantee compliance with tax regulations. Consequences of Missing Tax Deadlines Missing tax deadlines can lead to significant financial repercussions that you should be aware of. If you miss the April 15 deadline for individual taxes, you’ll face penalties and interest on any unpaid balance until you file your return and pay your taxes. Similarly, failing to make estimated tax payments by their deadlines, like April 15 and June 16, may result in underpayment penalties. Moreover, late filing typically doesn’t incur penalties if you expect a refund, but if you owe taxes, you’ll still accrue interest and penalties until your return is filed and taxes are settled. Furthermore, missing the October 15 extension deadline means penalties will apply if you owe taxes, with further interest compounding until you resolve the outstanding balance. Finally, not adhering to deadlines for retirement account contributions, such as the April 15 IRA deadline, can lead to missed tax advantages and potential penalties. Extensions and Special Circumstances Taxpayers facing challenges in meeting the standard filing deadlines can explore various extensions and special circumstances that might apply to their situation. You can request an extension to file your individual tax return by April 15 using Form 4868, which extends your deadline to October 15. Nonetheless, keep in mind that any taxes owed must still be paid by the original due date to avoid penalties and interest. If you’re affected by a federally declared disaster, the IRS provides automatic extensions, allowing you extra time for both filing and payment without penalties. If you discover mistakes in your filing, you can correct them by re-filing your taxes. Furthermore, relief options may be available based on your specific circumstances. It’s essential to check your eligibility for these extensions and relief measures to effectively manage your tax responsibilities and avoid potential penalties. Estimated Tax Payments and Filing Options When you anticipate owing tax for the year, making estimated tax payments can help you manage your financial responsibilities effectively. For 2025, quarterly estimated tax payments are due on April 15, June 16, September 15, and January 15, 2026. You can estimate your annual income and tax liability using IRS Form 1040-ES, which provides clear guidelines for calculating these payments. If you need extra time to file, request an extension using Form 4868 by April 15, 2026, but keep in mind that this doesn’t extend the payment deadline. If you overestimate your tax payments, you may choose to receive a refund or apply the excess toward next year’s tax liability, offering some flexibility. Furthermore, e-filing your tax return is the fastest way to submit, allowing for immediate confirmation from the IRS and ensuring timely processing of your estimated payments. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Important Tax Dates? Important tax dates to remember include the start of the filing season on January 27, 2025, when the IRS begins accepting returns. By January 31, 2025, employers must provide W-2s and 1099s. Your individual taxes are due on April 15, 2025, which is likewise the deadline for filing an extension. If you live abroad, you must file by June 16, 2025, along with your second quarter estimated tax payments. Why Is It Important to Know Key Dates Within the Tax Cycle? Knowing key dates within the tax cycle is essential to avoid penalties and interest. By being aware of filing deadlines, such as April 15 for individual taxes, you can guarantee timely submissions. Comprehending when to submit Forms W-2 and 1099 helps you comply with IRS requirements, preventing fines. Furthermore, knowing estimated tax payment dates allows you to manage cash flow effectively. What Dates Are in a Tax Year? In a tax year, several key dates matter for individuals. You start with January 1, when the tax year begins, and by January 31, employers must provide your W-2 forms. April 15 marks the deadline for filing your tax return or requesting an extension. If you’re 73 or older, you need to take required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts by December 31. Furthermore, estimated tax payments are due quarterly throughout the year. Is the IRS Sending $3000 Tax Refunds in June 2025? As of now, there’s no confirmation from the IRS about $3,000 tax refunds being issued in June 2025. Tax refunds depend on your individual tax filings, and any new refund programs would need legislative approval and proper implementation by the IRS. Typically, refunds are processed after you file your returns. Stay updated through official IRS channels for any announcements regarding potential refunds or changes in tax policy. Conclusion Staying informed about key tax year dates is crucial for managing your financial responsibilities. By noting deadlines for individual and business filings, in addition to estimated tax payments, you can avoid penalties and guarantee compliance. Keep in mind that extensions are available in some cases, but they don’t eliminate the obligation to pay taxes owed. Prioritize organization and preparation to navigate tax season smoothly, making certain you meet all required dates for a successful filing experience. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Key Tax Year Dates You Need to Know" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Hreflang has long been a core mechanism in international SEO, directing users to the right regional version of a page. That approach worked when search engines primarily returned static results. AI-driven synthesis changes that. Instead of returning lists of links, AI systems construct answers. They don’t need, nor want, your perfectly implemented hreflang tags. They aren’t looking for instructions on which page to serve. They’re trying to determine which answer is best supported across sources. Your content has to hold up when the model compares it against everything it’s seen, regardless of language or origin. If it doesn’t, it won’t be used. What hreflang does and doesn’t do We need to address a fundamental misunderstanding of the hreflang attribute. Hreflang has always been a switcher, not a booster. If your brand lacked organic authority in Australia before implementing the tag, adding the en-au attribute wouldn’t magically improve your rankings in Sydney. Its only function was to ensure that if you did rank, the user saw the correct regional version. In AI search, this “you vs. you” dynamic has become a liability. While traditional search still relies on these tags to organize traffic, AI models often bypass them during the synthesis phase. If a brand’s U.S.-based .com site possesses decades of authority, the AI’s internal logic may determine that the U.S. site is the true source of information. Consequently, even when a user in Berlin searches in German, the AI may synthesize an answer based on the U.S. data and simply translate it on the fly, effectively ghosting the brand’s localized German site despite perfectly implemented hreflang tags. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with The double-blind: Query fan-out vs. entity compression AI models don’t just answer the query you see. They expand it into dozens of hidden checks, comparing sources, validating claims, and pulling in information across languages to see what aligns. ChatGPT often translates and evaluates queries in English even when the user searches in another language, research from Peec AI shows. This reinforces how query fan-out operates across markets. If your local entity doesn’t hold up in that broader comparison, it doesn’t get used. A second issue happens before retrieval even begins. During training, LLMs compress what they see so it can be stored and reused at scale. When multiple regional pages look too similar, they don’t stay separate. They’re folded into a single representation, also known as canonical tokenization. Local details — phone numbers, office locations, and market-specific references — don’t always survive that process. They’re treated as minor variations rather than meaningful signals. By the time the model is asked a question, your local site is often no longer competing. In many cases, it’s already been absorbed into the global one. Dig deeper: What the ‘Global Spanish’ problem means for AI search visibility 7 ways to build AI-first relevancy To compete globally, expand your strategy to include signals that resonate with AI’s data supply chain. 1. Build locally aligned infrastructure Meta tags tell systems what you intend. Infrastructure often tells them what to believe. Datasets like Common Crawl use geographic heuristics, IP location, and domain structure to make sense of content at scale. That happens early in the process, before anything resembling ranking. This means your content may already be placed in a market before the model ever evaluates it. If your regional domains aren’t supported by local infrastructure or delivery, you’re sending mixed signals. Those are hard to recover from later. 2. Break the compression threshold To break the semantic gravity that leads to entity compression, you need what I would call a clear “knowledge delta.” Most global teams fail here because they think localization means translation. It doesn’t. There’s no universally accepted magic number for unique content. From a semantic vector perspective, I speculate that a divergence threshold of at least 20% of the content on a local page must be unique to prevent the model from collapsing your local identity into your global one. To address this, front-load market-specific data, such as regional shipping logistics, local tax identifiers, and native case studies, into the first 30% of your page. This lets you provide the mathematical proof the model needs to cite your local URL as a distinct authority. 3. Anchor your entity in semantic neighborhoods AI models interpret market relevance by looking at the company you keep in the text. Incorporate geographic anchoring by referencing local neighborhoods, regional landmarks, or specific transit hubs (e.g., “located near the Alexanderplatz station” in Berlin). These co-occurrence signals pull your brand’s vector embedding toward the specific local coordinate in the model’s training data, creating a geographic fence that helps the AI disambiguate your local office from your global headquarters. Dig deeper: How to craft an international SEO approach that balances tech, translation and trust Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 4. Prioritize local link sources The origin of your links is a primary signal of market authority. During the fan-out phase, AI models look for regional consensus. This is one of the areas where traditional link building logic starts to break. It’s not just about getting links. Consider where those links originate, along with their authority and contextual relevance. If your Australian page has backlinks primarily from U.S.-based websites, the model has little evidence that you actually belong in or are relevant to the Australian market. Local sources, including high local trust and location-specific news outlets, change that. Without them, you’re often treated more like a visitor than a participant. 5. Incorporate linguistic and authoritative nuances LLMs pick up on regional language nuances far more than most teams expect. This is where simple translation starts to break down. Unique market- or colloquial-specific terms, formatting, and even small legal references signal whether something actually belongs in a market. Use the terms people in that market actually use — things like “incl. GST,” local identifiers like ABN, and even spelling differences. Without these signals, the page may be technically and linguistically correct, but it won’t register as truly local. 6. Capture the invisible long-tail As mentioned, LLMs often generate multiple incremental queries during their research phase. These invisible queries may focus on local friction points, such as “How does this product comply with [name of local regulation]?” By incorporating local FAQ clusters that address these nuances, you ensure your local URL survives the fan-out check, making your global .com too generic to be cited in a localized answer. Dig deeper: Why AI optimization is just long-tail SEO done right 7. Run AI citation audits Expand your SEO reporting beyond traditional rank tracking. Incorporate AI citation audits by using a local VPN to query the most popular generative engines in your target markets. If the AI consistently pulls from your global .com domain for a local query, it’s a clear signal that your local domain lacks the necessary evidence chain. Identify where this market drift is occurring and reinforce those specific pages with more unique local data and infrastructure signals. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with The new international standard Hreflang and traditional technical signals still shape how search engines organize and deliver content, but they don’t determine what AI systems use. AI models evaluate which sources to use based on evidence of local relevance. Without a distinct presence in each market, they default to the version of your brand they trust most, which often isn’t the one you intended. Translation alone doesn’t establish that presence. Your content needs to demonstrate that it belongs in the market it’s meant to serve. Dig deeper: Multilingual and international SEO: 5 mistakes to watch out for View the full article

Introducing Remix with Rovo and partner agents in Confluence — a new way to instantly transform Confluence pages into charts, prototypes, presentations, and apps The last mile of knowledge Something strange happened over the past decade of work. Teams got incredibly good at creating knowledge — documenting decisions, capturing meeting notes, writing specs. But all that effort exposed a different problem: most of that knowledge never reaches the people who need it, in a format they can actually use. Confluence pages with 1 or more visual element are 18% more likely to be read by a wider audience. This isn’t a search problem. It isn’t an access problem. It’s a format problem. The knowledge exists. It’s just stuck in a form that doesn’t match how the next person needs to consume it. This means manual work: copying from docs into slides, reformatting for different audiences, and losing context, repackaging existing knowledge instead of creating new. We’re introducing two new experiences to close that gap to change how teams get value from work they’ve already created. Remix with Rovo transforms content on any Confluence page into new formats like charts, infographics, and other visuals. Pre-built third party partner agents for Lovable, Replit, and Gamma, turn Confluence content into working prototypes, starter apps, and presentations in those tools without manual copy-pasting or custom integrations. What’s available today Remix with Rovo starts rolling out today in open beta for Confluence Cloud customers with Rovo. At launch, Remix supports — data visualizations, infographics, diagrams, and charts — with more formats coming soon. Out-of-the-box partner agents for Lovable, Replit, and Gamma are in open beta and start rolling out next week. Admins can enable partner agents in Atlassian Administration under Connected Apps, with no custom agent creation or scripting required. Introducing Remix with Rovo Confluence has always been where teams go to create and share knowledge. With Remix, it becomes something more: an adaptive workspace — one where the content itself reshapes to meet the reader, not the other way around. Select any content on a Confluence page and instantly transform it into a visual format optimized for how someone needs to consume it. A data-heavy section becomes a chart. A process description becomes an infographic. A long-form analysis becomes a visual summary. No copy-pasting, no switching tools, no reformatting. Just the boost in understanding that comes from nailing the format. Confluence pages with 1 or more visual element are 18% more likely to be read by a wider audience. Three things make Remix with Rovo fundamentally different from what’s come before: It’s non-destructive. Remix never overwrites your page. Every remix is an extra layer on top of the source, which stays intact as the canonical version — so you get new ways to view the content without creating copies that go stale. It’s opinionated. Remix gives you ready-made format options or a freeform prompt if you already know what you want. Pick a preset (like a chart for numbers or an infographic for a flow), or describe the output in your own words. In both cases, it analyzes the content to propose a strong first version you can tweak. It’s embedded, not separate. Remix views are created and live right on the page. Instead of sending people to a separate deck, report, or tool, the most digestible version of the content sits where they already are. Anyone visiting a Confluence page can turn the source into the version that’s easiest for them to scan, compare, and act on. When the right format lives in a different tool Sometimes the next step isn’t a better chart — it’s a working prototype. A starter app. That’s why we’re also launching out-of-the-box partner agents in Confluence, starting with Lovable, Replit, and Gamma, built on Rovo and powered by MCP. From any Confluence page, invoke a partner agent that carries your content (and context) into a native output in that partner’s tool using Rovo Chat. A product spec becomes a real Lovable application our designer can interact with in minutes. A technical doc becomes a Replit starter app your engineer can fork and extend. Meeting notes become a Gamma presentation your team lead can walk into a room with. And Rovo Skills keep that output linked back to the source page it came from. That linkage runs through the Teamwork Graph, the same layer of work relationships and context, built from over 100 billion data points across Atlassian, that powers agents in Jira and MCP skills for Rovo. When a partner agent carries your content into Lovable or Replit, it doesn’t just carry the text. It carries the context: who created it, what project it belongs to, what decisions it connects to. Enable a partner’s MCP server once and within minutes, teams get a ready-to-use agent in their Rovo directory, pre-configured by the partner, inheriting the permissions and context of your workspace. And because everything routes back through Confluence, work created in an external tool doesn’t disappear into that tool’s silo. It stays anchored to your source of truth. And these partner agents are just the beginning. Go further with MCP skills in Rovo The same foundation that’s powering these Partner agents – MCP – also lets you bring in tools beyond the ones we’ve launched with today. MCP lets any tool connect to Confluence as an AI-aware service. Today that includes Lovable, Replit, and Gamma. But the protocol is open, the server is documented, and any partner can build an agent that works with the knowledge your team already has in Confluence, without waiting for us to build a bespoke integration. To discover MCP‑compatible skills from your favorite apps, and use them with Rovo across Confluence, Jira, and more, visit our gallery of MCP servers and start connecting them to your work today. Check out Rovo MCP skills A different bet about AI in the enterprise This is the second chapter of a platform shift we started in February. Agents in Jira showed what happens when AI joins your team inside the tool where work gets tracked. Today, Remix and partner agents show what happens when AI joins your team inside the tool where knowledge lives. Together, they mark a turn from AI that helps individuals produce faster to AI that helps teams deliver to each other — across tools, across formats, across the last mile. Because the last mile of knowledge isn’t about writing more. It’s about delivering better. See what that looks like in practice Check out our new digital series, Rovo at Work, to see product demos and real-world examples of how Atlassian teams use Remix, Rovo Skills, and Rovo Dev in Jira to transform how they get work done and deliver better outcomes. Watch Rovo at Work The post Your team’s best ideas are trapped in the wrong format. AI just fixed that. appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Introducing Remix with Rovo and partner agents in Confluence — a new way to instantly transform Confluence pages into charts, prototypes, presentations, and apps The last mile of knowledge Something strange happened over the past decade of work. Teams got incredibly good at creating knowledge — documenting decisions, capturing meeting notes, writing specs. But all that effort exposed a different problem: most of that knowledge never reaches the people who need it, in a format they can actually use. Confluence pages with 1 or more visual element are 18% more likely to be read by a wider audience. This isn’t a search problem. It isn’t an access problem. It’s a format problem. The knowledge exists. It’s just stuck in a form that doesn’t match how the next person needs to consume it. This means manual work: copying from docs into slides, reformatting for different audiences, and losing context, repackaging existing knowledge instead of creating new. We’re introducing two new experiences to close that gap to change how teams get value from work they’ve already created. Remix with Rovo transforms content on any Confluence page into new formats like charts, infographics, and other visuals. Pre-built third party partner agents for Lovable, Replit, and Gamma, turn Confluence content into working prototypes, starter apps, and presentations in those tools without manual copy-pasting or custom integrations. What’s available today Remix with Rovo starts rolling out today in open beta for Confluence Cloud customers with Rovo. At launch, Remix supports — data visualizations, infographics, diagrams, and charts — with more formats coming soon. Out-of-the-box partner agents for Lovable, Replit, and Gamma are in open beta and start rolling out next week. Admins can enable partner agents in Atlassian Administration under Connected Apps, with no custom agent creation or scripting required. Introducing Remix with Rovo Confluence has always been where teams go to create and share knowledge. With Remix, it becomes something more: an adaptive workspace — one where the content itself reshapes to meet the reader, not the other way around. Select any content on a Confluence page and instantly transform it into a visual format optimized for how someone needs to consume it. A data-heavy section becomes a chart. A process description becomes an infographic. A long-form analysis becomes a visual summary. No copy-pasting, no switching tools, no reformatting. Just the boost in understanding that comes from nailing the format. Confluence pages with 1 or more visual element are 18% more likely to be read by a wider audience. Three things make Remix with Rovo fundamentally different from what’s come before: It’s non-destructive. Remix never overwrites your page. Every remix is an extra layer on top of the source, which stays intact as the canonical version — so you get new ways to view the content without creating copies that go stale. It’s opinionated. Remix gives you ready-made format options or a freeform prompt if you already know what you want. Pick a preset (like a chart for numbers or an infographic for a flow), or describe the output in your own words. In both cases, it analyzes the content to propose a strong first version you can tweak. It’s embedded, not separate. Remix views are created and live right on the page. Instead of sending people to a separate deck, report, or tool, the most digestible version of the content sits where they already are. Anyone visiting a Confluence page can turn the source into the version that’s easiest for them to scan, compare, and act on. When the right format lives in a different tool Sometimes the next step isn’t a better chart — it’s a working prototype. A starter app. That’s why we’re also launching out-of-the-box partner agents in Confluence, starting with Lovable, Replit, and Gamma, built on Rovo and powered by MCP. From any Confluence page, invoke a partner agent that carries your content (and context) into a native output in that partner’s tool using Rovo Chat. A product spec becomes a real Lovable application our designer can interact with in minutes. A technical doc becomes a Replit starter app your engineer can fork and extend. Meeting notes become a Gamma presentation your team lead can walk into a room with. And Rovo Skills keep that output linked back to the source page it came from. That linkage runs through the Teamwork Graph, the same layer of work relationships and context, built from over 100 billion data points across Atlassian, that powers agents in Jira and MCP skills for Rovo. When a partner agent carries your content into Lovable or Replit, it doesn’t just carry the text. It carries the context: who created it, what project it belongs to, what decisions it connects to. Enable a partner’s MCP server once and within minutes, teams get a ready-to-use agent in their Rovo directory, pre-configured by the partner, inheriting the permissions and context of your workspace. And because everything routes back through Confluence, work created in an external tool doesn’t disappear into that tool’s silo. It stays anchored to your source of truth. And these partner agents are just the beginning. Go further with MCP skills in Rovo The same foundation that’s powering these Partner agents – MCP – also lets you bring in tools beyond the ones we’ve launched with today. MCP lets any tool connect to Confluence as an AI-aware service. Today that includes Lovable, Replit, and Gamma. But the protocol is open, the server is documented, and any partner can build an agent that works with the knowledge your team already has in Confluence, without waiting for us to build a bespoke integration. To discover MCP‑compatible skills from your favorite apps, and use them with Rovo across Confluence, Jira, and more, visit our gallery of MCP servers and start connecting them to your work today. Check out Rovo MCP skills A different bet about AI in the enterprise This is the second chapter of a platform shift we started in February. Agents in Jira showed what happens when AI joins your team inside the tool where work gets tracked. Today, Remix and partner agents show what happens when AI joins your team inside the tool where knowledge lives. Together, they mark a turn from AI that helps individuals produce faster to AI that helps teams deliver to each other — across tools, across formats, across the last mile. Because the last mile of knowledge isn’t about writing more. It’s about delivering better. See what that looks like in practice Check out our new digital series, Rovo at Work, to see product demos and real-world examples of how Atlassian teams use Remix, Rovo Skills, and Rovo Dev in Jira to transform how they get work done and deliver better outcomes. Watch Rovo at Work The post Your team’s best ideas are trapped in the wrong format. AI just fixed that. appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire, an 11th-hour deal that allowed U.S. President Donald The President to pull back from his threat to unleash a bombing campaign that would destroy Iranian civilization. Hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries reported new attacks Wednesday. It was not clear if the sporadic attacks would be enough to scuttle the deal, which U.S. Vice President JD Vance called “fragile.” Even before the new strikes were reported, much about the deal was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms. — Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but the terms were not clear, nor was whether ships would feel safe using the crucial transit lane for oil. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition. — Pakistan, which helped to mediate the deal, and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Israel said it would not, and strikes hit Beirut on Wednesday. — The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. The President said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that. In the streets of Tehran, pro-government demonstrators screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” after the ceasefire announcement and burned American and Israeli flags. The chants underscored the anger animating hard-liners, who have been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptic battle with the United States. The President warned Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” if a deal wasn’t reached. Varying reports of ceasefire’s terms The President initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. launched with Israel on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — The President called it fraudulent without elaborating. The President also suggested American warships would be “hangin’ around” the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. That could be a potential flashpoint in days to come. Iran’s demands for ending the war, meanwhile, include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of its frozen assets. In his post Wednesday, The President said: “We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran.” It’s not clear if other Western nations would agree to that – and the other points are likely nonstarters. Pakistan said that talks to hammer out a permanent end to the war could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday. Israel backed the U.S. ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah. Israel’s military said later that fighting and ground operations continue. Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same. Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz While Iran could not match the sophistication of U.S. and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz since the war began proved a tremendous strategic advantage: The chokehold roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on The President both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff. The ceasefire may formalize that control — and give Iran a new source of revenue. The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit and will likely not be acceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military management — further clouding the picture of who would be allowed to transit the waterway. Nevertheless, news of the ceasefire drove oil prices down and pushed stocks up Wednesday. Fate of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs remains unclear U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war. The President said Wednesday that the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.S-Israeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. Any retrieval is expected to be an intensive undertaking. There was no confirmation from Iran on that. Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. Iran referred to its nuclear program differently in two versions of the ceasefire plan that it released. The version in Farsi included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program. That phrase was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats with journalists. A senior Israeli official said the United States had coordinated the ceasefire with Israel in advance and said Israel’s government credited “the massive crushing of the regime’s infrastructure” with securing the agreement. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing private diplomatic conversations, the official said Washington had committed to pressing for the removal of nuclear material and dismantling of Iran’s ballistic missile program. Airstrikes reported in the hours after the deal is announced Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart. An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. Its report said that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched the attack. The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas. The U.S. military’s Central Command did not respond to questions about the strike. A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks. More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days. In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed. and 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died. In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. Associated Press writers Edie Lederer, Natalie Melzer, Abby Sewell, and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. —Bassem Mroue, Jon Gambrell, Samy Magdy and Sam Metz, Associated Press View the full article

Conduit has become an economic lifeline for the kingdom since the near closure of the Strait of HormuzView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung’s 65-inch S95F OLED TV is now down to $2,199.99 from $2,997.99—just a couple of dollars shy of its lowest tracked price, according to price trackers. That discount makes a difference, but it is still a premium buy. If your budget is tighter, a refurbished unit from Amazon Renewed comes in at $1,926.22. The new unit includes free delivery to your room (you will need to handle setup yourself), and a one-month trial of Xbox Game Pass for new users, which adds some immediate value if you plan to use it for gaming. Samsung 65-Inch S95F OLED TV 4K glare-free smart TV (2025 model) $2,199.99 at Amazon $2,997.99 Save $798.00 Get Deal Get Deal $2,199.99 at Amazon $2,997.99 Save $798.00 OLED TVs are known for deep blacks, but they often look dim in brighter rooms. The S95F pushes past that limitation—it delivers the deep blacks you expect, but it also gets noticeably brighter than older OLED models, so daytime viewing holds up better, notes this PCMag review. The built-in speakers are also better than expected. You get a 4.2.2-channel system that adds some height and depth, so voices come through clearly, and action scenes have more presence than a standard TV setup. It is not a replacement for a full sound system, but it saves you from needing one right away. For gaming, this 4K Smart TV has a 120Hz panel that supports variable refresh rates up to 165Hz, along with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility, meaning gameplay stays smooth even when frame rates fluctuate. Its input lag is also low enough to feel responsive, whether you are playing at 4K60 or 1080p120, and all four HDMI ports support modern consoles. On the downside, Samsung still does not support Dolby Vision, which some streaming services rely on for their best HDR format. It also sticks with Wi-Fi 5 rather than newer standards, so streaming performance may depend more on how busy your home network is. And while the Tizen OS smart interface covers all the major apps, getting around it can feel a bit cluttered, and settings aren’t always quick to find. Even the remote keeps things minimal to a fault, with no quick input switching. Still, the core experience is strong—you’re still getting a bright, capable OLED that handles both movies and gaming with ease. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $224.00 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $321.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $329.00 (List Price $399.00) Fire TV Stick 4K Plus Streaming Player With Remote (2025 Model) — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Bose TV Speaker — $199.00 (List Price $279.00) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Shares in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) are on the rise this morning after the company reported its Q1 2026 results. While Delta comfortably beat revenue expectations, the U.S. air carrier also addressed the biggest challenge it is currently facing, rising gas prices, and how it is working to mitigate that challenge. Here’s what you need to know. Delta’s Q1 beats expectations, stock surges On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines announced its Q1 2026 financial results, covering the January through March period. The results, announced before markets opened, showed the company had a strong quarter. The company reported non-GAAP operating revenue of $14.2 billion and an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.64. To put those numbers into greater perspective, Wall Street analysts were expecting Delta to post $14 billion in revenue and an EPS of $0.57, notes CNBC. In other words, Delta handily beat Wall Street expectations. In a bit of fortuitous timing for Delta, the airline reported its latest earnings just hours after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire, which will see the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, reopened. That news sent the price of a barrel of oil plunging below the $100 mark for the first time in weeks. It’s particularly good news for airlines like Delta, whose fuel expenditures are among their greatest potential liabilities when it comes to profitability. As a result of Delta’s expectation-beating Q1, combined with investor relief over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Delta shares surged in premarket trading. At the time of this writing, they are currently up more than 11% to above $73. Delta signals how it will combat rising gas prices But investors might not only be cheering Delta’s earnings and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Many are also likely satisfied with Delta’s game plan for offsetting higher oil and gas prices. Along with announcing its Q1 results, Delta CEO Ed Bastian confirmed that passenger demand remains strong. That’s normally a good thing—an airline generally wants as many customers as possible. But at a time of spiraling oil and gas prices, a strong customer base means airlines need to buy more fuel to move passengers from point A to point B. Paying higher costs can eat into profits. To counteract this potential hit to the company’s bottom line, Bastian said that Delta would take “actions to protect our margins and cash flow.” Those actions include “meaningfully reducing capacity growth, with a downward bias until the fuel environment improves, and moving quickly to recapture higher fuel costs.” To put that in plain English, it means that Delta will likely reduce the number of flights it offers, or cancel some routes altogether. This will make fewer seats available, saving on fuel costs, but that scarcity will mean Delta can charge more for the seats it does offer. And this isn’t the only way Delta plans on combating higher fuel costs. Bastian also said the company will move “quickly to recapture higher fuel costs,” which is basically corporate-speak for passing those increased fuel costs on to customers. Earlier this week, Delta announced it was raising its checked baggage fee by $10, following other airlines that are doing the same. Another way Delta could recoup higher fuel costs from passengers is by adding fuel surcharges to flight prices. DAL stock is once again green for the year Yesterday, Delta’s stock price closed at $65.62 per share, representing a year-to-date loss of around 5.4%. But with today’s double-digit gain, DAL stock is now firmly in the green for the year. And Delta’s isn’t the only airline stock seeing double-digit growth today. In addition to Delta, American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) is up 11%, United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL) is up 12%, and Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is up nearly 11%, as of the time of this writing in premarket trading. This suggests the primary factor spurring investors to buy into airline stocks this morning is the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, the ceasefire is currently scheduled to last only two weeks if the warring nations cannot reach a final agreement. If the ceasefire expires or, worse, doesn’t hold until then, all the airline stocks getting a boost today could be in for a future beating. View the full article

Strengthen ecommerce visibility by optimizing product feeds for search intent, structured data, and AI-driven discovery. The post Why Product Feeds Shouldn’t Be The Most Ignored SEO System In Ecommerce appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

You’re facing a major shift as familiar manual targeting levers disappear in favor of AI-driven discovery. Platforms’ automated tools are collapsing campaign types, obscuring data, and replacing manual targeting with intent-based algorithms. This is a shift from selection to prediction. You won’t adapt by holding onto old controls — you’ll adapt by learning to engineer the inputs that replace them. Here’s how to make sure you have the tools to stay on top. The end of manual targeting as you knew it You previously relied on granular keyword lists, demographic filters, and custom exclusions to target ideal customers. You told platforms exactly who to target and paid to access that inventory. Now, platforms have eliminated those controls: Google collapsed campaign types into Performance Max, removing keyword-level targeting in favor of “asset groups” and “audience signals” — suggestions, not directives. Meta launched Advantage+, automating demographic and interest targeting so your role shifts from selector to signal provider. Microsoft extended the same model to Bing, confirming this is an industry-wide shift, not a single-platform experiment. Targeting didn’t disappear — it moved inside the platform’s black box. The algorithm now targets based on data within its own ecosystem. Platforms are clear: manual segmentation is gone, and automation is here to stay. The rise of audience engineering If targeting is now internal to the algorithm, your role changes. It’s less about selecting your audience and more about engineering it. From targeting to teaching The distinction is critical. Traditional targeting focused on selecting audiences. Audience engineering focuses on instructing the algorithm through high-quality conversion signals, precise creative, and first-party data. It teaches AI systems who to find and what to optimize for. Here’s how this changes your workflow: In the past, to target CFOs, you might use job title filters and negative keyword lists. With audience engineering, you instead upload high-quality data (e.g., “deal closed” signals) to define a high-value prospect. You also tailor creative to CFO-specific pain points, teaching the AI to reach people who engage with that message. The new competitive discipline If you fight the algorithm and resist this shift, you’ll struggle. If you embrace it, you’ll succeed by optimizing conversion signals, refining creative, and strengthening your data infrastructure. As manual levers disappear, the gap between strong and average performance comes down to signal quality. Audience engineering is what closes that gap. The three levers that now drive targeting You must optimize three critical inputs the AI uses to segment for you: 1. Conversion signal quality Tell the algorithm what matters. If you optimize for cheap, top-of-funnel leads, it will get efficient at finding people who fill out forms but never buy — that’s not what you want. Focus on meaningful business outcomes, not top-of-funnel metrics. Integrate Offline Conversion Imports (OCI) and Conversions API (CAPI) to feed data on final sales, not just initial clicks. With value-based bidding, you teach the algorithm to prioritize users who drive revenue — effectively targeting high-value customers without using demographic checkboxes. 2. Creative as a targeting mechanism In a world without demographic filters, your creative becomes your primary targeting mechanism. The specificity of your message does the filtering. If your creative speaks broadly, the AI shows it broadly. If it speaks to a niche pain point, the AI finds users who resonate with that pain point. Build ad sets around motivations, not product categories. 3. First-party data as competitive moat Your customer lists, CRM data, and engagement signals are the foundation the algorithm learns from. This data replaces third-party signals and becomes a critical competitive advantage. You’re giving the algorithm a cheat sheet to identify your best customers. How this plays out in real campaigns The shift to AI-driven targeting isn’t theoretical. As an agency managing over $215 million in annual paid media spend, we’ve tested this across platforms and validated it with performance data. Here’s what we’ve learned: Advantage+ Audiences in practice A long-time client had a well-established view of its target audience based on years of campaign performance and customer data. Campaigns used manual age caps and layered targeting to protect efficiency. When we transitioned those campaigns to Advantage+ Audiences, manual exclusions were removed, allowing the algorithm to optimize based purely on conversion signals and creative performance. During testing, Meta identified and scaled into an older demographic that had previously received minimal budget. This segment delivered a 37% higher CTR than the campaign average and drove stronger downstream conversion performance. As spend shifted into this audience, conversions came at a lower cost per result while total revenue increased. Broader targeting improved return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to the prior manual strategy. This reflects a broader trend with Advantage+ Audiences. Paired with strong conversion goals, accurate data signals, and high-quality creative, it consistently identifies high-value segments that manual targeting restricts or misses. Microsoft PMax Placement Transparency and Advanced Audience Signal Targeting For another client, we implemented a Microsoft PMax test, using advanced audience targeting and first-party data to reach high-intent prospects across Bing, Outlook, MSN, and the Microsoft Audience Network. With in-platform placement insights, we monitored performance closely and reacted quickly early on. The campaign drove a 10% increase in conversion rate, a 14% decrease in cost per lead, and a 4x increase in form fills in the first month — followed by another 2x the next month. This reinforced a key principle: automation performs best with strategic human oversight. While we fed strong audience signals and conversion data, performance drifted as the system expanded into less efficient placements. With Microsoft support and ongoing monitoring, we excluded underperforming placements and refined targeting without over-constraining the campaign. By letting PMax handle scale and optimization — while maintaining disciplined oversight and guardrails — we preserved efficiency and improved overall performance. The risks nobody is talking enough about Automated targeting is powerful, but not benevolent. It optimizes for the math you give it. Here are pitfalls to avoid. Garbage in, garbage out This is the most important risk. Poorly defined conversion events, incomplete data pipelines, or low-quality first-party data limit performance and train the algorithm on the wrong outcomes. If you feed it noise, it will scale that noise — wasting budget on low-quality traffic. If your goal is too broad or lacks strong quality signals, the algorithm will maximize volume, even when that volume doesn’t drive real business value. The self-reinforcement trap If your seed data is biased, the AI will keep optimizing toward that bias — potentially missing valuable adjacent audiences. This “sampling bias” in training data is a real, underappreciated risk in automated systems. Automation without oversight Platforms have a financial incentive to push broader automation. Without your oversight and willingness to intervene, campaigns can drift from your business goals. “Set it and forget it” fails. You need to monitor campaigns and nudge them back on track when they drift. Creative complacency As targeting automates, creative becomes your primary differentiator. Neglect it and you lose. Build creative that directly answers your audience’s pain points. Stand out. How to put audience engineering into practice So how do you operationalize this? Here are three steps to start engineering your audiences today: Audit conversion events. Review what you’re asking platforms to optimize for. Make sure your signals reflect real business outcomes like revenue. Restructure creative around intent signals. Ask: what does someone need to believe to convert? Let that drive your messaging. Build asset groups around specific barriers or desires to push the AI to find people who hold those beliefs. Set guardrails before you let the algorithm learn. Automation works best within clear boundaries. Define performance thresholds before launch. Monitor for audience drift and intervene when results diverge from your goals. AI is a tool, not a replacement for strategy. The future belongs to audience engineers The era of manual targeting is over, but precision matters more than ever. Audience engineering is your competitive advantage. By teaching algorithms who to target and what matters, you unlock AI’s full potential and win in this evolving landscape. View the full article

In the world of convenience stores, 7-Eleven is undoubtedly the cool kid. Phoebe Bridgers named-dropped the c-store in a song, Lana del Rey has posed in front of its parking lot, and, in Asia, the stores have become a must-visit spot. But is the brand cool enough to wear? People seem to think so. “Nothing could have prepared me for how hard the 7-eleven merch website goes,” Axios congress reporter Andrew Solender said on X this week, sparking a discussion about the brand’s merchandise website. Some of the offerings are straightforward—a white t-shirt with 7-Eleven’s logo—while others look less like corporate swag and more look more like they belong to a hype beast brand. Consider a cream-colored, ’70s-inspired knit sweater featuring a twirly serif typeface reading, “Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven.” And some offerings are just silly, like a series of sold-out inflatable Slurpee costumes. For many, discovering the collection has ignited a sense of irreverent excitement. “I’m going to be flooded out in 7-Eleven merch on St. Marks this summer,” a user added on X, referencing the famous street in Manhattan’s East Village’s that’s popular among young people for outdoor drinking. But many point out that the apparel line is not new. “Omg they’ve been killin it for some time now. Welcome to the club,” A user responded on an X thread. Give me convenience The items belong to 7-Eleven’s 7Collection, an online-exclusive apparel store launched in 2022. The collection initially offered exclusive apparel and accessories inspired by the brand’s famous products like the Big Gulp or the Slurpee, but it has since broadened its scope, tapping into its own cultural currency. “Today, 7Collection is a creative platform for collaboration and cultural connection,” a 7-Eleven spokesperson told Fast Company. “It allows 7-Eleven to participate in the broader lifestyle of its customers, showing up across streetwear, sports, gaming, music, and other passion points in a way that feels authentic to the brand.” With over 83,485 stores across the world, 7-Eleven has a globally recognizable logo, but it’s also become a cultural hotspot—and the brand is leaning into it. “7-Eleven uniquely sits at the intersection of so many lifestyle touchpoints – food, sports, gaming, car culture – and we intentionally design drops that reflect the different ways fans connect with the brand in their own daily lives,” 7-Eleven added. Take a recent collection that dropped last summer as an homage to the chain’s most profitable store in the U.S., the Montauk location, a summer staple for Hamptons regulars during the warm season. “More than a store, it’s a scene and a summer ritual,” Alex Crawford, creative director and head of 7Collection, said on LinkedIn. “People weren’t just shopping at Montauk 7-Eleven. They were documenting it, tagging it, and turning it into cultural currency.” Named “Château Montauk 7-Eleven,” the summer 7Collection was a collaboration with local artist Sean Kinney, featuring the artist’s handwriting and cheeky quotes across caps, t-shirts, keychains, and more. The collection could be spotted during DJ sets at the beach town’s popular club Surf Lodge, and even designer Cynthia Rowley stopped by the store, where the merch was available for a weekend. Drops and designs are a collaborative effort, the company says, with an internal team identifying key cultural opportunities. Then, the team works with Craftwork Design Co, 7Collection’s agency partner, to develop design, production, and content creation. But 7-Eleven isn’t only c-store dabbling in the apparel and accessories game. Circle K sells polos and quarter zips featuring its logo, while Wawa fans have been able to snag tumblers, hoodies, and hats for years. And still, users online can’t hide their exitement. A user said on X, “I just know wearing that 7-Eleven cardigan would give me all the confidence I need.” View the full article

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Facebook is a new frontier for me. I've been having loads of fun over the past few months experimenting with the shiny new features Facebook has launched to woo creators. Facebook itself may not be all that shiny, but there’s no denying that it's enormous. And for a lot of creators, small business owners, and marketers, it's a great place to find new audiences. I'll be honest, though: even Facebook has over three billion monthly active users, and I'm... not reaching even a teeny tiny fraction of them. My content performance has been hit and miss. So when Buffer's senior data scientist, Julian Winternheimer, dug into over a million Facebook posts as part of his cross-platform comment engagement study, I was really curious to see what he'd find. Could being super on top of replying to comments help me boost my reach? Short answer: Yes! Long answer: Yes, potentially... Let’s unpack that. Posts where creators replied to comments received about 9.5% more reactions than posts where they didn't. That might not sound like a jaw-dropping number — especially compared to the 42% lift Julian found on Threads or the 30% on LinkedIn — but on a platform as mature and broad as Facebook, a consistent single-digit lift across a million posts is nothing to wave away. What I find most interesting about this data is what it reveals beneath the surface. The raw numbers actually suggest the opposite at first glance — and it took some smart statistical analysis to uncover what's really going on. 📊There's more engagement data where this came from! Check out our full State of Social Media Engagement Report 2026. Jump to a section: How we analyzed the data How replying to comments impacts Facebook engagement Why this matters for Facebook How to stay on top of your Facebook comments Putting the 'social' back in social media How we analyzed the dataLet’s get nerdy. Julian pulled around one million Facebook posts that received at least one comment, spanning accounts of all sizes and niches. Rather than comparing big Facebook Pages to small ones (which would tell us very little), he compared each account to its own performance over time. The method — called a fixed-effects regression model — holds constant all the things that make each account different: audience size, niche, location, posting frequency. All of that gets baked into the baseline. So instead of asking "Do Facebook Pages that reply get more engagement than pages that don't?" we're asking: "Does this specific Facebook Page perform better when it replies versus when it doesn't?" He also ran a Z-score analysis as a second check — measuring how far above or below "normal" each post performed for that specific account. Both methods pointed in the same direction, which gives us a lot more confidence in the finding. (If you're interested in the full methodology — and want more charts — you can check Julian's full analysis on his blog.) A few things worth keeping in mind before we get into the numbers: we can't say with absolute certainty that replying causes higher reactions. It's possible that posts that naturally perform well attract more activity, and creators are simply more motivated to reply when there's a buzzing comment section. Julian's dataset also measures reactions specifically (likes, loves, hahas, etc.) rather than total engagement — a deliberate choice to avoid the circularity of including comments in an engagement metric that's testing the effect of comments. That said, the pattern shows up across all six platforms Julian analyzed, with lifts ranging from 5% to 42%. That kind of cross-analysis consistency is something data scientists love to see. It makes the findings that much more convincing. How replying to comments impacts Facebook engagementJulian’s fixed-effects model — covering over 1 million posts across 97,427 Facebook profiles — found that posts with replied-to comments receive approximately 9.5% more reactions on average. The effect is statistically significant (p < 0.001, for the stats-inclined among us). The Z-score analysis backed this up. About 53.8% of Facebook Pages performed better when they replied. In other words, posts with replied-to comments sat slightly above each account's usual performance level, while posts without replied comments hovered right at baseline. That "53.8%" number is worth pausing on. It's a slimmer majority than what Julian found on Instagram (63%) or LinkedIn (83%). Facebook's effect is statistically significant, but it's more modest — which tracks with the platform's broader, more mature engagement patterns. Some fun behind-the-scenes stuff: If we just looked at the raw median numbers, posts without replied-to comments actually have slightly higher median reactions (22) than those with replies (16). On the surface, that seems to contradict everything I just said. But that comparison is misleading — it's mixing together Facebook Pages of wildly different sizes and activity levels. Once Julian controlled for those differences and compared each account to itself, things looked very different (and gave us the numbers I shared above). Why this matters for FacebookFacebook is a different beast compared to newer, more conversation-forward platforms like Threads or LinkedIn. The Facebook algorithm prioritizes what it calls "meaningful interactions" — and comments, particularly back-and-forth exchanges, are one of the strongest signals of that. When you reply to a comment, you're creating a conversation thread that signals to the algorithm that your post is sparking real discussion, not just passive scrolling. There are a few reasons why this likely translates into higher reactions: Extended visibility. Comment threads keep posts active in the feed longer. Every reply is another signal fire to the algorithm that might resurface the post for the commenter's connections — and for anyone else who's previously interacted with your page. Relationship signals. Facebook tracks interaction history between accounts. When you consistently reply to someone's comments, the platform registers that connection and is more likely to show your future posts to them. Over time, these micro-interactions compound. Social proof. An active comment section with replies from the creator or brand signals that there's a real person behind the Page. People are more likely to stop scrolling and react when they see that the creator is actually present in the conversation. The 9.5% lift might feel modest next to Threads' 42%, but context matters. Facebook's sheer scale means that even a small percentage increase in reactions can translate to meaningfully more people seeing and engaging with your content. And unlike some platform-specific tactics, replying to comments is something you can start doing right now with zero additional tools, budget, or strategy overhaul. How to stay on top of your Facebook commentsIf you're managing a Facebook Page alongside other platforms (who isn’t?), keeping up with comments can feel like another full-time job. Here are a few approaches that have helped me keep on top of my comments across Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook: Time block your replies Rather than trying to respond to every single comment (which can quickly become unsustainable as you grow), dedicate two 10-to-15-minute windows each day for comment engagement. Mid-morning and early evening tend to work well — you'll catch comments from both the morning scrollers and the after-work crowd. Prioritize conversations A "thanks!" reply is fine, but it's not what drives the engagement flywheel. Try asking a follow-up question or adding a detail that keeps the thread going. "Great question — have you tried..." or "That's a good point, we actually found that..." are the kinds of replies that tend to generate more activity. Reply while the post is fresh (if you can) Like most platforms, Facebook's algorithm gives early engagement heavy weight. If you can get into the comments within the first couple of hours after posting, you're more likely to spark additional reactions while the post is still being distributed. (This is where posting at times when you're actually available to engage becomes a real strategic advantage.) Use a tool that keeps everything in one place If you're active on Facebook and a couple of other platforms, bouncing between apps to manage comments gets old fast. Buffer's Community tab pulls all your comments across platforms into a single dashboard — and you can reply directly from there without opening Facebook and getting pulled into the feed. It's free for up to three social accounts. There's also a Comment Score feature that tracks your reply consistency over time — think of it like a streak tracker for engagement. It helps turn commenting from something you remember to do sporadically into an actual habit. Putting the 'social' back in social mediaJulian's cross-platform analysis covered millions of posts, and Facebook's 9.5% reaction lift sits at the lower end of the spectrum. But "lower end" doesn't mean it’s not helpful — it’s fitting for a platform where engagement patterns are broader and more varied than on conversation-first networks like Threads. What I keep coming back to with this data — across Facebook and every other platform Julian analyzed — is how refreshingly simple the takeaway is. You don't need to crack some secret code or find a loophole in the algorithm. You're just showing up for the people who showed up for you. The 9.5% lift isn't guaranteed for every Facebook Page (remember, around 54% of profiles in Julian's study saw positive effects), but the odds tilt in your favor if you're willing to put in the time. And on a platform with Facebook's reach, even a modest, consistent boost in reactions can make a real difference over time. For the full breakdown of Julian's findings across all six platforms, check out our cross-platform engagement study. More Facebook resourcesHow the Facebook Algorithm WorksHow to Get More Followers on FacebookHow to Increase Facebook Page EngagementBest Time to Post on FacebookFacebook Marketing for Small BusinessView the full article

The airport is chaos. Lines snake beyond the designated barriers and out the doors as frazzled travelers tug their luggage and scowl at their phones, their grimaced faces even more dramatic in the harsh lighting. I stand in the security queue, sensing the stress emanating from everyone around me like swarms of buzzing flies. A man behind me huffs with dramatic indignation, a couple ahead bickers in hissed whispers “we should have left earlier!”, and someone’s roller bag keeps thwacking my heels. My fists clench as irritation winds me tighter. The security checkpoint seems miles away and my flight is in an hour. I feel myself being sucked into the collective vortex of misery. Then, as we make our first zig in the queue, I catch my partner’s eye and make a split-second decision. I raise my hand for a high five. “Yes!” I exclaim with exaggerated enthusiasm. “One turn closer!” My partner looks momentarily confused, then a half grin lights up his face as he slaps my raised palm. A few people nearby glance over, some with bemused smiles. When we reach the next turn, we were ready. “Turn number TWO!” We announce together, high-fiving with gusto. A woman behind us lets out a chuckle that seems to surprise even herself. By the third turn, a family with a toddler holds up their hands for high fives before we can even offer ours. “We’re on a roll now!” the dad says, grinning. With each zigzag, our celebration grows a little as others join our absurd celebration of incremental progress. Soon, a pocket of genuine laughter has formed in our section of the line, rippling outward like a skipped rock as others catch on to our game. Pressured vs. playful In that moment of travel chaos, we made a choice: instead of facing the frustrating situation with tense resentment (what I now call “The Pressured Way”) we decide to transform it through levity and connection (“The Playful Way”). This simple shift doesn’t change our situation. We are still in the same painfully slow airport security queue. We are still at risk of missing our flight. But it changes what the situation feels like—from stress to humor, from isolation to community, storm cloud to sun break. This choice between The Pressured Way and The Playful Way appears constantly in our lives: during technology crashes, tricky conversations, power struggles, or canceled plans. When challenges arise, we can clench our jaws and white-knuckle our way through—or we can bring imagination, inquiry, and openness to the situation. This choice isn’t just about boosting fun (thought that’s a welcome bonus), it’s about accessing new solutions, deeper camaraderie, and a richer experience of everyday life. Playfulness isn’t one size fits all. While our airport moment involved a social game, you might express your playful side by finding beauty in the terminal architecture, creating backstories for fellow travelers, or scoring the scene with a film soundtrack—turning a mundane wait into the opening of your personal heist movie or Broadway musical. The Pressured Way tightens our vision like horse blinders, while The Playful Way opens our peripheral sight to possibilities we’d otherwise miss entirely. A transformative mindset When I talk about playfulness in adulthood, I’m often met with puzzled looks. “You mean sports?” people ask. Or “Board games with friends?”. “Oh, like, work hard/play hard… partying?” But playfulness runs deeper than scheduled recreation (though that is important). It’s not a leisure activity reserved for weekends or vacations—it’s a mindset that transforms how we experience everything. Playfulness is: — Finding humor and lightness even in tense moments — Navigating situations with genuine questions instead of assumptions — Staying open to possibilities rather than fixating on one “right” way — Experimenting rather than seeking perfection — Bringing an ethos of adventure to difficulties — Reimagining the mundane through reframes and games — Being willing to collaborate rather than control When we move through the world playfully, we remain pliable, ready to adapt, change, and work with whatever comes our way: to navigate obstacles nimbly and alchemize even the most mundane tasks into micro adventures. Playfulness is often dismissed as frivolous — a charming but dispensable quality best left in childhood alongside stuffies and imaginary friends. But watch any child transform a cardboard box into a spaceship or a pile of sticks into a fairy house and — beyond the cute façade — you are witnessing them exercising some of humanity’s most valuable capacities: imagination, adaptation, and ingenuity. The good news? Playfulness is part of us all — it’s standard issue for the human species. Even if you’ve left it in the drawer gathering dust, you can pick up your playfulness again and relearn to use it. I haven’t always been able to find the high-five moments in life’s security lines. There was a time when I was deeply lost in what I now recognize as “The Pressured Way.” Beyond burnout During a particularly intense period building my first company, I found myself alone late one night, pen in hand, making a list titled “Ways I’m Failing RN.” It contained eleven meticulously detailed items—work projects falling behind, leadership shortcomings, fertility struggles, neglected friendships and family relationships—each one a knife twist of self-criticism. At the bottom, almost as an afterthought, I’d written: “Stressing myself out with my stress and inability to emotionally regulate.” I was beyond burnout — overworked and under-played. Night after night, I’d come home, collapse on my apartment floor, and sob until I was empty, unable to see any of the success around me. The brilliantly colored, creative world I’d built felt like it was happening to someone else entirely. The weight of my perfectionism had become so crushing that I couldn’t imagine a way forward. What moved me through this period wasn’t working harder or being more disciplined. It was remembering The Playful Way of life I’d learned as a child, sitting around our kitchen table in Maine with my family, brainstorming wild ideas over dinner. Our kitchen was the beating heart of my childhood home, with its cheerful painted tiles, bright green countertops, and wall jam-packed with family photos. After my brother and I helped our parents serve dinner, the fun began. My words would tumble out in excitement: “Hey, what if we started a kids’ karaoke club?” My parents would exchange a conspiratorial glance. “Now there’s an idea!” Mom would reply, leaning forward. “What would that look like? Where would we host it?” Between bites of penne, my brother would chime in: “We could have themed nights — Disney songs one week, pop hits the next!” My dad would smile, his laughter-creased eyes twinkling. “I love it! Now what would we name it?” Before anyone could answer, his fork was in the air, face lit up with enthusiasm. “Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I know! Kiddieoke!” These kitchen table sessions were boisterously loud, as we built upon each other’s ideas. No idea was too outrageous to explore. We were elementary schoolers doing business brainstorms—and our parents took us seriously and egged us on. Eventually, we’d have to clear the table, do our homework, and return to our daily responsibilities. But in these moments, I learned that any endeavor could be handled with an inquisitive attitude and a spirit of adventure. I was fortunate to have parents who showed me that wonder and whimsy could be woven into all aspects of life. My mom—a social worker, artist, gardener—and my dad—an entrepreneur, engineer, inventor—modeled what it looks like for adults to be playful while simultaneously building businesses, dealing with illness and loss, and nurturing families and communities. My voyage of questioning took a new turn at age 15 when I found my heart fluttering like butterfly wings whenever I was around my best girl friend and realized I wasn’t just attracted to one gender. Growing up Catholic, I learned that boundaries were fixed—lines drawn between right and wrong, holy and profane, approved and forbidden forms of love. But my bisexual heart didn’t fit into hard pews or rigid boxes, it spilled out like vivid stained glass light. Luckily my mom told me that some rules were for bending so I turned to playfulness, curiously exploring and embracing the expansiveness of being queer, rather than fearing it. Carving out play space This current of exploration carried me to New York City, where I co-founded and built Refinery29 from a small style website into one of the most influential digital media brands for women, reaching millions with its distinctive mix of fashion, culture, and boundary-pushing storytelling. Even in boardrooms, I carved out spaces for play—like my apricot-colored office dubbed “The Peach Pit” with its round table that became our magic circle for brainstorms. All the players around the table now were adults, so I had to take some extra measures to get the ideas flowing including doing physical shake breaks and having a lovingly bedazzled Taboo! game buzzer on hand for when anyone got into excessively “serious mode.” Our playful approach led us to create innovative experiences like 29Rooms—a funhouse of culture that reimagined vacant warehouses into kaleidoscopic, artist-made wonderlands where 100,000 adults came through to frolic and fall down imagination rabbit holes in cities across the US. A new chapter In 2021, I found myself ready to begin a new chapter. But leaving the company I’d built over fifteen years was like moving out of a home you’ve loved — even when you’re ready to go, there’s still a bittersweet ache. Add to that the wild adventure of new motherhood and a global pandemic, and I was navigating multiple identity shifts at once. Daunting questions loomed: Who was I beyond the role I was most known for? What kind of parent would I become? What did I want to create next? As I faced these huge transitions, my spirit whispered an answer: experiment! Instead of rushing to figure it all out, I turned my life into a play laboratory. I led cathartic dance parties on Zoom, created public art experiences connecting strangers in parks, took classes in improv and storytelling, and said “yes” to pretty much any foray that sparked curiosity. I dove deep into researching the power of play for our health and happiness, and piles of books stacked up on my desk. My calendar filled up with what I lovingly called “play dates with possibility,” and something magical happened: as I led thousands of people in unlocking their vibrant spirits, I discovered my next chapter — creating spaces for playful, creative practice and shared joy. Playfulness is my power tool and my life preserver across all aspects of my life from parenting to self care to career. It’s how I’ve come up with innovative solutions at work, built meaningful relationships, found purpose during transitions, and made memories in mundane moments. My relationship with playfulness isn’t just about joy—it’s been essential medicine for navigating life with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. I’ve developed my own methods and seen the power of this approach transform not just my own life, but countless others I’ve worked with. And now, I’m on a mission to unlock that magic for you too—to help you dive into that giddy river that flows when we approach life with playfulness. Adapted excerpt from The Playful Way, by Piera Gelardi, and reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2026. View the full article