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Hi there, We tend to think in straight lines—growth or decline, success or failure. But work, markets, trends, and even motivation rarely move that way. They move in cycles. Before making big decisions, it’s worth remembering that what feels permanent today may simply be a phase. This issue explores exactly that: guidelines to consider before accepting a job in the rocketship, advice on landing a role in a startup, the evolving expectations of new generations—and yes, a story about a scam that reminds us not every opportunity is what it seems. Enjoy today’s reads. -Maja Our Favorite Articles 💯Rocketship Seat Chosen Wisely (Molly Graham, Lessons)An argument for slowing down before boarding the next “rocketship,” and making career moves with intention rather than hype. 👉 ​Read on​. Gen Z’s Remote Work Future (Inc.)Gen Z leaders signal that flexibility is here to stay, with many saying that when they’re in charge, remote work will remain a standard—not a perk. 👉 ​Read here​. How to Land a Startup Job (Ben Lang, Next Play)A tactical guide to landing a startup role—why initiative beats credentials and how to get noticed by founders. 👉 ​Learn more​. Woman Loses $176K in Facebook Job Scam (ABC7 News Bay Area)Scammers are everywhere, and they're more skilled than ever. 👉 ​Watch the video​. This Week's Sponsor 🙌Secure your remote work with Surfshark VPNProtect your data and privacy while working remotely with Surfshark VPN. Enjoy secure, encrypted connections on any network, ensuring your sensitive information stays safe. Try Surfshark today!​ Remotive Jobs 💼Let's get you hired! This great company is hiring now: 💻 Engineering 👉 ​Senior Independent AI Engineer / Architect at A.Team​ (Americas, Europe, Israel) 👉 ​Senior Independent Software Developer at A.Team​ (Americas, Europe, Israel) 👉 ​iOS Developer at nooro​ (USA Only) 👉 ​Senior Python Backend Developer at SKYCATCHFIRE ​(USA Only) 🧠 AI/ML 👉 ​AI-Native Cloud Infrastructure Generalist (m/f/d) at shopware AG​ (Europe, Germany) 🧚 Customer Service 👉 ​Client Support Specialist at Clipboard Health​ (Europe, Canada, South Africa, Philippines, Jamaica) Free Guides & Tools​Premium Job Board​We curate 130,000+ fully remote jobs so you don't have to. ➡️ ​Find your remote job​ ​Job Search Tips​Looking for a remote job? Here are our tips to help you work remotely. ➡️ ​Check it out​ Join the Remotive newsletter Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email address Subscribe Powered by ConvertKit View the full article

As AI Mode enables on-platform transactions, ecommerce visibility now depends on schema completeness, feed accuracy, and third-party validation. The post Agentic Commerce Optimization: A Technical Guide To Prepare For Google’s UCP appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

A new standard is reshaping how AI agents connect to enterprise systems. The Model Context Protocol, created by Anthropic and now backed by OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google, provides a universal interface for AI agents to access tools, databases, and business applications. After years of custom integrations for every AI-to-system connection, MCP offers a standardized approach that’s gaining rapid enterprise adoption. Understanding MCP matters because it signals a shift in how organizations will deploy AI agents. The protocol addresses a fundamental bottleneck: connecting intelligent models to the data they need to be useful. But MCP also introduces new considerations around security, governance, and how it fits with existing integration infrastructure. This isn’t just another technical standard. Gartner predicts that 40% of enterprise applications will include AI agents by the end of 2026, up from less than 5% today. MCP is becoming the foundation for how those agents operate. What MCP actually is The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that defines how AI applications discover, connect to, and interact with external tools and data sources. Released by Anthropic in November 2024, MCP provides a consistent interface so that AI agents can access different systems without requiring custom code for each connection. The architecture follows a client-server model. MCP clients run within AI applications like Claude, ChatGPT, or enterprise AI platforms. MCP servers expose specific capabilities: tools that can execute actions, resources that provide data, and prompts that offer reusable templates. The protocol handles communication between them in a standardized way. The four primary capabilities MCP provides: CapabilityWhat It DoesExampleToolsExecutable functions for actionsQuery a database, create a ticketResourcesRead-only data and contextAccess file contents, retrieve recordsPromptsReusable prompt templatesStandardized analysis formatsSamplingServer-requested LLM completionsAgent asks model for clarification Before MCP, connecting an AI agent to a business system meant building custom integration code. Each combination of AI model and external system required its own implementation. MCP replaces this with a standard interface: build an MCP server once, and any MCP-compatible AI client can use it. The ecosystem has grown rapidly. Over 5,500 MCP servers now exist on registries like PulseMCP, covering everything from developer tools to business applications. The most popular servers connect AI agents to platforms like GitHub, Figma, and Playwright for browser automation. The problem MCP was created to solve Enterprise AI deployments faced what’s called the “N times M problem.” If you have N different AI models that need to connect with M different business systems, you theoretically need N times M custom integrations. Five AI platforms connecting to twenty enterprise tools means one hundred integration projects. This made enterprise AI adoption expensive and slow. Each new AI tool required rebuilding connections to existing systems. Each new business application required updating every AI integration. Technical debt accumulated faster than value. Organizations familiar with enterprise integration challenges recognize this pattern from traditional system connectivity. The integration bottleneck had real consequences: Organizations couldn’t scale AI beyond pilot projects because the integration work overwhelmed available engineering resources. Data remained trapped behind fragmented integrations that couldn’t keep pace with AI deployment ambitions. Employees created their own AI solutions, what some organizations call “shadow AI,” because official channels couldn’t deliver integrations fast enough. These ungoverned implementations created compliance and security risks. AI agents operated in isolation rather than maintaining context across the systems relevant to their work. An agent helping with customer service couldn’t access the full picture if relevant data lived in multiple platforms. MCP addresses this by standardizing the connection layer. Build an MCP server for Salesforce once, and every MCP-compatible AI can use it. The N times M problem becomes N plus M: one server per system, usable by all compatible clients. Who’s adopting MCP and why it matters The speed of MCP adoption signals its strategic importance. Within a year of release, the protocol gained backing from the major AI platform providers and significant enterprise software vendors. Platform adoption: OpenAI announced MCP support for ChatGPT in December 2025, describing MCP as the foundation for their connector strategy. Microsoft integrated MCP into Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio, enabling GitHub Copilot extensions through the protocol. Google launched fully-managed MCP servers through Google Cloud with enterprise security features. In December 2025, Anthropic donated MCP to the newly formed Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation. The foundation’s co-founders include Anthropic, Block, and OpenAI, with support from Google, Microsoft, AWS, Cloudflare, and Bloomberg. This governance move signals that MCP is intended as industry infrastructure, not a proprietary advantage. Enterprise software vendors building MCP servers: CategoryVendorsBusiness intelligenceTableau, ThoughtSpot, Sisense, GoodData, SASData infrastructureSnowflake, Databricks, Oracle, Teradata, ConfluentDevelopment platformsGitHub, Replit, Cursor, Sourcegraph, Codeium Early enterprise results provide validation. Block, the company behind Square and Cash App, built an internal AI agent called Goose that uses MCP to connect across GitHub, Jira, Snowflake, and internal systems. Thousands of employees use it daily, with reported time savings of 50-75% on common tasks. Bloomberg adopted MCP organization-wide and reported reducing time-to-production from days to minutes for new AI integrations. How MCP differs from traditional integration MCP isn’t just another API standard. It reflects fundamentally different assumptions about how software will interact with external systems. Traditional APIs assume human-written applications making predictable, coded requests. A developer writes specific calls to specific endpoints. The application follows predetermined paths. The system knows what requests to expect. MCP assumes autonomous AI agents making contextual decisions. The agent reasons about what information it needs and what actions to take. Requests emerge from natural language instructions rather than hardcoded logic. The system must handle unpredictable sequences that evolve based on context. AspectTraditional APIsMCPRequest modelDiscrete, predictable transactionsOrchestrated sequences with evolving contextDecision-makingHardcoded by developersAutonomous agent decisionsState managementStateless request-responsePersistent context across interactionsDiscoverabilityDocumentation for humansMachine-readable capability descriptionsReusabilityTightly coupled to applicationsBuild once, use with any compatible client This difference has practical implications. Traditional API integrations require developers to anticipate every interaction pattern. MCP enables AI agents to discover available capabilities and decide how to use them based on the task at hand. MCP also handles “tool overload” differently. An agent with access to hundreds of tools through traditional methods would need to load information about all of them, consuming context window capacity. MCP supports progressive discovery, where agents query for relevant tool categories rather than loading everything upfront. This approach has demonstrated 98.7% reduction in token usage compared to loading all tools simultaneously. Enterprise considerations and gaps MCP solves the connection standardization problem but introduces new considerations that enterprises must address. Security remains a primary concern. Research indicates that 25% of MCP servers have no authentication, and 50% of MCP builders cite security and access control as their primary concern. The protocol enables AI agents to take real-world actions on enterprise systems, making security failures more consequential than traditional API vulnerabilities. Specific security challenges include tool poisoning, where attackers embed malicious instructions in MCP tool metadata, and prompt injection attacks that could trigger unintended actions across connected systems. Because agents make autonomous decisions, the attack surface expands beyond what traditional API security models address. This is particularly relevant for ServiceNow integrations and other enterprise platforms handling sensitive data. Governance infrastructure is immature. Security tooling for MCP hasn’t caught up with traditional API management capabilities. Visibility and observability gaps mean agent actions can appear as normal user activity in logs, complicating audit and compliance requirements. Performance characteristics differ from expectations. MCP introduces baseline latency of 300-800 milliseconds end-to-end, making it unsuitable for real-time applications like trading systems or checkout flows. The protocol uses polling rather than event subscriptions, limiting use cases that depend on immediate notifications. MCP connects but doesn’t synchronize. The protocol enables AI agents to access data from systems, but it doesn’t keep that data consistent across systems. If customer information differs between your CRM and support platform, MCP doesn’t resolve that inconsistency. The agent accesses whatever data exists in each system, conflicts included. ConsiderationStatusSecurity standardsEmerging, significant gapsEnterprise governanceImmature toolingReal-time performanceNot suitable (300-800ms latency)Data synchronizationNot addressed by protocolCross-platform consistencyRequires separate infrastructure This last point matters for enterprise deployments. MCP provides the pipes for AI agents to reach your systems. It doesn’t provide the plumbing that keeps those systems aligned with each other. MCP and your existing integration infrastructure Organizations evaluating MCP often ask whether it replaces their existing integration platforms. The answer reveals how different problems require different solutions. MCP standardizes how AI agents connect to systems. Integration platforms standardize how data flows between systems. These are complementary functions, not competing ones. Consider what each layer provides: Integration platforms maintain ongoing data synchronization. When a customer record updates in Salesforce, it should reflect in your support platform and marketing tools. This requires persistent infrastructure that monitors changes, handles conflicts, and ensures consistency. Integration platforms like two-way sync solutions provide this foundation. MCP enables AI agents to access that synchronized data through a standard interface. The agent queries the CRM through an MCP server and gets current information because the integration layer kept that information current. Without the integration layer, the agent might access stale or conflicting data across systems. The relationship is layered: Integration infrastructure keeps your business systems synchronized. MCP servers expose those synchronized systems to AI agents. The agent benefits from both: standardized access through MCP, and consistent data through integration. Organizations that invested in integration infrastructure find that MCP extends the value of that investment. AI agents can now access the synchronized data that integration provides. Organizations without solid integration foundations discover that MCP alone doesn’t solve the data consistency problems their agents encounter. For teams already using two-way sync between work management platforms, MCP represents an additional access layer for AI agents rather than a replacement for existing integration. What comes next MCP’s trajectory suggests it will become standard infrastructure for enterprise AI. The governance transfer to the Linux Foundation, backing from all major AI platforms, and rapid ecosystem growth indicate sustained momentum rather than a passing trend. Near-term developments to watch: Security and governance tooling will mature as enterprise adoption increases. The current gaps create risk that major vendors are actively working to address. Expect enterprise-grade security features to emerge as table stakes. Multi-agent orchestration will become more common. Rather than single agents handling requests, specialized agents will coordinate through MCP, each accessing the systems relevant to their function. This “agent squad” pattern expands what’s possible but also expands complexity. The line between MCP servers and integration platforms may blur. Some integration vendors will expose their capabilities through MCP servers. Some MCP implementations will add synchronization features. The current clear distinction may become a spectrum. For enterprise planning: Evaluate MCP readiness of your critical systems. Which vendors offer MCP servers? What capabilities do they expose? Understanding the current landscape helps prioritize where AI agents can operate effectively. Assess your data foundation. AI agents accessing systems through MCP are only as useful as the data in those systems. If your platforms contain conflicting or stale information, agents will work with that flawed data. Integration infrastructure that maintains consistency becomes more valuable, not less, as MCP adoption increases. Consider security implications before deployment. The 25% of MCP servers without authentication represents significant risk. Ensure your organization’s security requirements are met before exposing systems to AI agents. MCP: The protocol for getting more out of every agent MCP represents a genuine shift in how AI agents will access enterprise systems. Understanding both its capabilities and its limitations helps organizations adopt it effectively while maintaining the data foundations that make AI agents actually useful. View the full article

Search Console is a free gift from Google for SEO professionals that tells you how your website is performing. It’s the closest thing to X-ray vision we can get. With data-packed amenities, SEO professionals can scavenge through to locate stashes of hidden nuggets like clicks and impressions from search queries, Core Web Vitals, and whatever other surprises lie within your website. Custom regex filters take you around your million-page website. And while all SEO professionals hope to avoid any catastrophic SEO-related events with Google’s AI Overview, all we can really do is be prepared. For starters, keep reading this guide below on Search Console. It’s engineered to withstand zombie pages, Helpful Content bloodbaths, core update mood swings, and AI Overview siphoning your clicks like we’re in Mad Max, the Search Edition. This guide is exactly what you need when the SEO industry gets dicey. What does Search Console do? And how does it help SEO? Search Console is a free website analytics and diagnostic tool provided by Google. Search Console tracks your website’s performance in Google search results (and, hopefully soon, in Gemini and AI Mode). This is the closest thing we have to first-party search truth. As an SEO director, I use Search Console daily. I monitor content performance, validate technical fixes, and track branded and non-branded query growth. It helps me prioritize what I should focus on in my SEO strategy. 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 How do I set up Search Console? Getting set up on Search Console is quick and easy, but may require technical support. First, you need to have a Google account. Next, go to Search Console https://search.google.com/search-console. If you don’t see any profiles listed, you’ll need to choose a domain or prefix URL and verify your website ownership. So, how do you choose between a domain versus a prefix URL? Let me walk you through the differences. Domain property is the default recommendation A domain property includes all subdomains but no protocols (HTTP:// or HTTPS://) and no path strings (/sub/folder/). A domain property provides a comprehensive view of how your website performs in Google search results because it automatically includes the HTTP, HTTPS, www, and non-www versions of your site. I recommend setting up domain properties first. To set up a domain property in Search Console, remove the HTTPS and trailing slashes. After you hit continue, you can verify your ownership via a DNS TXT record. I recommend going this route as it is the easiest. You’ll need to log in to your hosting provider to submit the TXT file. Another option is to verify through the CNAME. If you have technical support, this could be an easy alternative. If you run an ecommerce site, Search Console lets you set shipping and return policies and connect to Merchant Center data. This pairs nicely with your schema markup: Product + Offer + shippingDetails + returnPolicy lets Google read your store like a label with price, availability, delivery speed, returns, etc. URL prefix property allows you to dissect sections of a site A URL prefix property includes the HTTPS or HTTP protocol and path string. This means that if you want to really dive into a section of your website, like /blog/ subfolder or a blog.website.com subdomain, you can do this. After I set up my domain property, I created individual URL prefix properties for each subdomain, HTTP versions, and the/blog/ subfolders. By having multiple URL prefix properties, I can dig deeper into sections of the website to help troubleshoot. I can also create reporting specific to the website’s sections that may be more relevant to my co-workers. For example, I work with customer support team members looking for data on how their Help Center content is performing. Key moments in history for Search Console Some really crazy stuff has happened with Search Console over time. Search Console is notorious among many SEO professionals as a delicacy, an incessant phantom of manual actions, and a culprit behind a better understanding of our website health. I’ve compiled a short history of my SEO bromance with Search Console over the years to give you a glimmer of how we got here. June 2005: Google Webmaster Tools (now called Search Console) was launched. May 2015: Google changed the name to Google Search Console from Google Webmaster Tools. June 2016: Search Console tests new mobility usability report. September 2016: Search Console improves Security Issues report. September 2018: Search Console released the Manual Actions report, “Test Live,” and request indexing features added for the URL inspection tool, and upgraded to 16 months of historical data. November 2018: Google experiments with domain properties. June 2019: Search Console adds mobile-first indexing features. May 2020: Search Console adds Core Web Vitals report. November 2021: Search Console rolls out new design. September 2022: Search Console launches new HTTPS report. November 2022: Search Console adds Shopping tab listings feature. September 2023: Search Console rolls out new Merchant Center integrated reports. November 2023: Google released a new robots.txt report. August 2024: Search Console Recommendations launch. June 2025: Search Console Insights refreshes. October 2025: Query Groups introduced. November 2025: Branded vs non-branded filter added. November 2025: Custom annotations added to performance charts. December 2025: AI-powered report configuration experiments begin. December 2025: Weekly and monthly chart views introduced. December 2025: Social channel performance begins to appear in Search Console Insights (limited rollout). Was Google preparing us for AI through Search Console all along? Alright. Zoom out with me for a second. All of these updates are not random. They tell a very clear story. Search Console is evolving from a technical reporting tool into a visibility intelligence tool for the AI era. Google is moving from: “Here are 1,000 queries.” to “Here’s a topic cluster and how it’s performing.” The weekly/monthly views and annotations encourage trend-level analysis. Google recognizes discovery journeys aren’t linear anymore with the introduction of social reporting. Breakdown of Search Console for SEOs While some SEO professionals may be waiting in the tunnels for Skynet and AIO to take over, there’s one thing we can all still depend on: Search Console. So before you join your freelance mission with SEAL Team 6, walk through the anatomy of Search Console. Overview The Overview section in Search Console provides a bird’s-eye view of all data sets users can uncover in Search Console. Search Console Insights Search Console Insights shows which pages are popping off and which are dying in the corner. The Insights view is a digital equivalent of a snack tray. In an AI running wild like an overcaffeinated squirrel, I’ll take this instead of analyzing 50+ tabs. This is Google’s attempt to slide into your emails and whisper, “Hey, you might want to see this.” URL inspection The URL inspection tool lets you see what Google sees for a given URL. The URL inspection tool is one of my favorite SEO tools. Unfortunately, today, you can only inspect one URL at a time. However, if you use the Search Console URL inspection API, you can test up to 2000 URLs per day. The test will show if the URL is indexable and explain why it may or may not be indexed. You can also request a URL be indexed. Search results Search results are every content marketer’s favorite report in Search Console. It shows search traffic over the past 16 months (with comparisons), along with search queries, devices, countries, and search appearances. It will also show you which pages rank for specific queries. I use this report to show which pages are performing best and which are performing worst. It also helps troubleshoot any major drops or spikes in traffic. You can segment this report based on clicks, impressions, and CTR. The AI-powered configuration (Experiment) inside the Performance report is where things get interesting. Instead of manually stacking filters, comparisons, regex, device splits, country filters, and date ranges, you can now describe the analysis you want and let Google build the report for you. You can ask it questions like: “Compare blog traffic month over month.” “Show me queries containing ‘how to’.” “What happened to USA traffic last week?” “Compare mobile vs desktop performance in the last 28 days.” “Show non-branded queries for the past 3 months.” “What pages lost clicks this month?” “Show changes for mobile users.” Discover The Discover report in Search Console shows your content’s performance in Google search results. You can filter by pages, countries, search appearances, and devices, like the search results report. Google News The Google News report in Search Console tells you how your content performs under Google News in Google search results. You can filter the report by page and device. Pages Pages indexing report in Search Console shares which pages in Google can find (or not find) on your website. The pages report is valuable for every technical SEO. This report offers tons of quick wins for technical SEO. I always start with this section when auditing a website. If you see an increase in pages indexed or not indexed, you’ll want to investigate why it’s happening. Video pages The video indexing report shows how many pages on your website are indexed with video content. Sitemaps The sitemap report allows you to submit all your XML sitemaps to Search Console. Ideally, you have at least one XML sitemap to submit. You’ll need to submit all your XML sitemaps, including any video, image, or language-specific ones. Removals The removals tool in Search Console lets you temporarily block pages from Google. Remember, these must be pages that you own on your website. You cannot submit pages you do not own. This is the fastest way to remove a page from your website. However, I recommend working on a long-term solution if you want this web page permanently removed. Core Web Vitals The Core Web Vitals report uses real-world data to tell you how your pages perform. Again, this is based on a URL level. The report is grouped into mobile and desktop with segments of poor, needs improvement, and good. The report is based on LCP, INP, and CLS user data. Only indexed pages will be included in the Core Web Vitals report. HTTPS The HTTPS report tells you how many indexed pages on your website are HTTP or HTTPS. If you notice any HTTP pages on your website, you should convert them to HTTPS. Google indexes the HTTPS version to protect searchers’ security and privacy. Product snippets Product snippets are part of the structured data reporting in Search Console that showcases which products have product markup on the page. Currently, Google only supports product snippets for pages with one product. Be aware of Google’s algorithm updates. There can be changes in impressions and clicks for product snippets. Merchant snippets Merchant snippets are also part of the rich result report in Search Console and serve as extensions of your Product snippet. Merchant snippets are like getting a golden ticket. It provides more enhanced features in the SERPs, like carousels or knowledge panels. Shopping tab listings Shopping tab listings are also part of the rich result reports in Search Console and showcase the pages listed in the Shopping tab in Google search results. If you’re an ecommerce marketer, you’ll want to live inside this report. If you don’t see this information in Search Console, make sure your website’s structured data fits within the Merchant listing structured data requests. AMP The AMP report in Search Console shows all the AMP pages on your website and potential issues you may need to troubleshoot. If AMP is a big part of your SEO strategy, you’ll want to ensure you reach zero in the critical errors section of the report so Google can detect your AMP pages. While AMP is considered legacy, it’s relevant for some publishers. Breadcrumbs The breadcrumbs report is also part of the rich result report in Search Console, which tells you if your breadcrumb structured data is correct and readable by Google. Breadcrumbs are essential to maintain a healthy site architecture and user experience. If you see any errors in the breadcrumbs, I recommend prioritizing this quickly. FAQ The FAQ report is also part of Search Console’s rich results report, which shares insights into which pages received the FAQ snippet. However, with Google’s changes to visibility of HowTo and FAQ rich results, you may see this fluctuate quite a bit. Profile page The Profile page report reflects which pages are getting the profile page markup. You’ll want to validate and clean up any makeup you may be missing because these offer interesting SERP features. It’s almost like a card functionality similar to the recipes. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Review snippets Review snippets showcase your validation of review markup on pages. You should check that all your markup is valid. If you notice any errors, work on updating those specific pages. With Google’s algorithm updates, I’ve seen significant fluctuations in review snippets. Always double-check if it’s a bug, an algorithm update, or a true markup error. Sitelinks searchbox The sitelinks search box is a feature of the rich result report in Search Console that tells us in more detail any errors you may have with your Sitelinks Search Box markup. Unparsable structured data The unparsable structured data report in Search Console aggregates structured data syntax errors that prevent Google from identifying the specific structured data type. Videos The video indexing report in Search Console has expanded dramatically over the last few years, giving us more detailed information on how your videos perform in search results. You can dissect whether the video is outside the viewport, too small, or too tall. If you’re building a video content strategy, it really helps to elevate your game with your UX team. Manual actions If you’re running your SEO strategy properly, you’ll hopefully never have to worry about the manual action report. But if you’re one of the unlucky ones who gets hit with a manual action, Google will tell you in this report in Search Console. A manual action occurs when a human reviewer at Google determines that a specific page or pages are not compliant with Google’s spam policy. Security issues The Security issues report in Search Console will tell you if your site was hacked or harmful. Google will actually email you now to notify you when you receive a security issue. Check out this beauty I received within the first week of starting to work on a new site. Links The Links report in Search Console allows you to view all your site’s internal and external links. You can view the top link pages, top linking sites, and top linking text. This is a legacy report, so I’d be cautious about relying on it in case Google decides to depreciate it. Settings If you need to verify ownership or add a new user, you should check the settings in Search Console. Two cool reports under Settings in Search Console go undiscovered, but these are two of my favorite reports. Robots.txt: The robots.txt report tells us which pages Google can crawl or any potential issues preventing Google from crawling your site. One of the challenges I run into when working with developers is that they often choose to disallow it in the robots.txt file instead of adding a noindex, nofollow tag. This report will help audit any technical updates with your dev team. The robots.txt report is only available if you set up a domain property. Crawl stats: The crawl stats report shows Google’s crawling history on your website. It can be sorted by how many requests were made and when, server response, and availability issues. It tells SEO professionals if Google is encountering problems when crawling your website. This report is only available if you have a domain property or a URL prefix at a root level. Search Console is like stepping onto a planet dedicated to SEO professionals That’s a lot to unpack. But the gist is that Search Console is a place where you can get information about how your website is performing. All of the above is just part of the early phases of Search Console’s transformation. Google also hopes to add Google’s AI Overview data in the future. So, that seems like a worthwhile endeavor, seeing as there is no tool to support AIO data today. And I know you all must be hoping Google’s AI Overview doesn’t overtake your jobs. That would suck. It would likely mean the end of times. But in the insane event it does, at least you’re covered on how Search Console got here today. Until then, you’ll have to make do with luxe URL inspections, regex filters, and manual action surprises. View the full article

Cheap tote bag collections everywhere just got an attachable clip-on upgrade. Snatch is a shoulder strap system designed to attach and detach to fabric surfaces without damaging them. The clips are comprised of three pieces of hardware—a button, slotted loop, and fastener—and they can give thin-handled tote bags new life with a wider, sturdier shoulder strap in just a few steps, exemplifying a simple and solutions-oriented Occam’s razor approach to product design. To assemble, you place fabric over the button piece and thread it through the aluminum slotted loop. The fastener holds it all into place, and the strap is then attached onto a g-hook on the slotted loop. The black strap has a 3M retro-reflective print on one side for nighttime visibility, and it’s woven as a single piece with openings every inch so it can be adjustable without requiring extra hardware. “We wanted to avoid additional hardware or sewing,” says Taylor Levy, one half of CW&T, the Brooklyn art and design studio behind Snatch. “Tri-glide or other buckle hardware works well for adjustable shoulder straps, but all those require sewing. We wanted to keep things as simple as possible, so we opted for this mille-style webbing that lets you hook directly into any notch to adjust strap length.” The product typifies CW&T’s approach to product design: clean, minimal, and useful. The idea for the Snatch came during a trip when Che-Wei Wang, the agency’s other designer, started thinking about ways to easily and non-destructively attach a strap to a bag or fabric. He considered how when outdoors, fabric can be wrapped around a rock with a knot tied around it and the rock distributes the load to hang a tarp. “Snatch works using the same principle,” Levy says. The device affords a wider, adjustable shoulder strap, making any tote bag personalizable. Additionally, it gives tote bags tracking device compatibility, as the button in the clip was designed to hold an AirTag inside. Snatch retails for $52 and comes with two clips, one strap, and a free tote. But it’s not just for tote bags. CW&T says the device should be thought of as “an interface for attaching anything to fabric” with versatile uses, like making a backpack or attaching a pouch to a shirt, or used to hang a tarp or hammock outdoors. For cute tote bags with uncomfortable or inconvenient handles, though, Snatch makes it possible to finally and more comfortably put them back into rotation. View the full article

Improving customer service is vital for any business aiming to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. By comprehending customer needs, encouraging open communication, and investing in agent training, you can create a more effective service experience. Leveraging technology and personalizing interactions likewise play important roles. Furthermore, soliciting feedback and nurturing a culture of continuous improvement can lead to significant advancements. What steps can you implement today to raise your customer service strategy? Key Takeaways Gather and analyze customer feedback regularly to identify service gaps and enhance satisfaction. Invest in comprehensive training for employees, focusing on empathy and conflict resolution skills. Utilize CRM systems to store and access customer data for personalized service. Encourage open communication within the team to cultivate a transparent and responsive culture. Leverage technology like AI chatbots for efficient handling of common inquiries, freeing agents for complex issues. Understand Customer Needs Grasping customer needs is critical for any business aiming to thrive in a competitive market, especially since 76% of consumers will stop doing business after just one bad experience. To improve customer satisfaction, start by gathering current customer information. This data helps you identify gaps in your services and align offerings with customer expectations. Engaging long-serving team members can additionally provide valuable insights into what makes a good customer service rep, as they comprehend established relationships with customers. Secure storage of customer information is fundamental for responding effectively to their needs. Utilizing tools like CRM systems allows you to capture and update customer data efficiently, creating a more personalized experience. These actions are imperative suggestions to improve customer service, ensuring you meet your customers’ expectations and reduce the risk of losing them. In the end, grasping your customers is the foundation of a successful business strategy. Encourage Open Communication To improve customer service, it’s essential to encourage open communication between your business and its customers. When customers feel heard and valued, their satisfaction increases by 70%. Establishing clear communication guidelines for your representatives guarantees consistent responses, which builds trust in your brand. Regularly soliciting feedback through surveys and direct interactions helps identify areas for improvement, allowing you to adapt to changing customer expectations. Furthermore, empowering employees to share concerns cultivates a transparent culture, reducing turnover rates by 25% and improving service quality. Utilizing technology, such as help desk software, streamlines communication between teams and customers, leading to quicker response times and better issue resolution. Invest in Agent Training Investing in agent training is crucial for enhancing the overall effectiveness of your customer service team. Proper onboarding and continuous training not only equip agents with necessary skills but likewise boost new hire retention by 25%. When agents are engaged and effectively trained, you can expect a 24% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Here’s a quick overview of the benefits: Benefit Impact New Hire Retention +25% Customer Satisfaction Scores +24% First Contact Resolution Rate +47% Empathy in Customer Interactions 70% of customers cite lack of empathy Revenue Per Employee +218% When you focus on training that emphasizes empathy and conflict resolution, you’ll create empowered agents who can resolve issues on the first contact, leading to improved efficiency and customer loyalty. Leverage Technology for Efficiency As customer expectations continue to evolve, leveraging technology for efficiency has become essential in improving service delivery. Implementing customer relationship management (CRM) tools allows your agents to access customer histories quickly, streamlining interactions and enabling personalized service. Utilizing AI-driven chatbots can handle common inquiries, freeing up your human agents to tackle more complex issues, which boosts overall efficiency. Integrating omnichannel communication platforms guarantees seamless shifts for customers between different contact methods, minimizing the need for them to repeat information. Moreover, data analytics tools track service trends, helping you identify areas for improvement and tailor strategies to improve customer satisfaction. Finally, employing automated call summaries saves time for your agents and managers, facilitating immediate feedback and more effective coaching based on real customer interactions. Personalize Customer Interactions Personalizing customer interactions is essential as it helps make customers feel recognized and valued. With 71% of customers expecting personalized experiences, leveraging customer data can greatly improve the overall interaction. By customizing recommendations and communications, you can show customers that you understand their needs. Additionally, acknowledging loyalty through small gestures, like personalized thank-you notes or exclusive offers, can boost customer retention and satisfaction. Using tools such as Invoca’s PreSense technology gives agents access to key customer details, enabling more informed and bespoke service. Here’s a quick overview of the benefits of personalization: Benefit Description Improved Customer Experience Customized recommendations increase relevance. Boosted Loyalty Customers appreciate recognition and care. Enhanced Satisfaction 80% of customers value the experience equally. Solicit and Act on Customer Feedback To improve customer service, regularly soliciting and acting on customer feedback is vital. Start by using surveys and follow-up calls to gather insights about your customers’ experiences and preferences. Research shows that 70% of customers believe feedback is important for improvement. Implement closed-loop feedback systems to inform dissatisfied customers about how their input has led to real changes, which nurtures trust and loyalty. Analyze the feedback for common themes and actionable insights to address recurring issues and improve service quality. Utilize metrics like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) to quantify customer sentiments, giving you a clear picture of service effectiveness. Finally, communicate any changes made in response to feedback back to customers, demonstrating that you value their opinions and reinforcing a customer-centric approach in your business. Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement Creating a culture of continuous improvement is essential for any organization aiming to improve customer service effectively. To achieve this, establish regular audit processes to evaluate workflows and customer interactions, ensuring areas for development are continuously identified. Encourage a culture of experimentation, empowering team members to propose and test innovative solutions. Moreover, implement feedback loops that actively solicit input from customers and employees, adapting strategies based on real experiences. Recognizing and celebrating contributions to service improvements reinforces the importance of continuous enhancement. Finally, provide ongoing training on emerging trends and best practices in customer service to keep your team engaged and informed. Action Purpose Outcome Regular audits Identify improvement areas Improved service delivery Empower experimentation Encourage innovative solutions Enhanced customer service Feedback loops Adapt strategies based on input Better alignment with customer needs Recognition programs Reinforce improvement culture Increased motivation among staff Ongoing training Stay informed on best practices Higher quality service Frequently Asked Questions How Can You Improve Customer Service? To improve customer service, start by implementing a feedback system that regularly gathers customer insights. Train your representatives in empathy and conflict resolution to handle difficult situations effectively. Utilize technology, like CRM systems and AI tools, to streamline processes and provide quick responses. Set clear service standards to manage expectations, and consistently analyze metrics to identify trends. This approach will boost customer satisfaction and nurture loyalty, creating a better overall experience. What Are the 4 P’s That Improve Customer Service? To improve customer service, focus on the 4 P’s: People, Processes, Products, and Personalization. Empower your customer service representatives, allowing them to make decisions that improve satisfaction. Streamline processes to reduce response times and communication barriers. Guarantee agents possess thorough product knowledge to build trust. Finally, personalize interactions based on individual customer needs, as this approach greatly boosts satisfaction and loyalty. Regularly measure performance to identify improvement areas and maintain service standards. What Are the 5 R’s of Customer Service? The 5 R’s of customer service are Respect, Responsiveness, Reliability, Reassurance, and Relevance. You should treat customers with dignity and genuinely value their feedback. Responding swiftly to inquiries is vital, as most customers appreciate quick replies. Maintaining consistent service builds trust, whereas offering reassurance and pertinent information elevates their experience. Tailoring interactions to meet individual needs is fundamental, as customers expect personalized experiences. Prioritizing these elements can greatly improve overall customer satisfaction. What Is the 10 to 10 Rule in Customer Service? The 10 to 10 Rule in customer service emphasizes responding to inquiries within 10 minutes and resolving issues within another 10 minutes. This approach addresses the high demand for quick solutions, as most customers prefer instant replies. By adhering to this rule, you can greatly reduce frustration, improve customer satisfaction, and increase loyalty. Efficient resolution not only improves the customer experience but additionally boosts first-call resolution rates, which in the end benefits your business’s bottom line. Conclusion By implementing these seven strategies, you can greatly improve your customer service experience. Comprehending customer needs and encouraging open communication promotes a supportive environment. Investing in agent training and leveraging technology boosts efficiency and effectiveness. Personalizing interactions and actively soliciting feedback guarantees that you meet customer expectations. Finally, creating a culture of continuous improvement allows your organization to adapt to changing needs. Each of these elements contributes to building stronger relationships with customers and achieving long-term success. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Simple Suggestions to Improve Customer Service" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Improving customer service is vital for any business aiming to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. By comprehending customer needs, encouraging open communication, and investing in agent training, you can create a more effective service experience. Leveraging technology and personalizing interactions likewise play important roles. Furthermore, soliciting feedback and nurturing a culture of continuous improvement can lead to significant advancements. What steps can you implement today to raise your customer service strategy? Key Takeaways Gather and analyze customer feedback regularly to identify service gaps and enhance satisfaction. Invest in comprehensive training for employees, focusing on empathy and conflict resolution skills. Utilize CRM systems to store and access customer data for personalized service. Encourage open communication within the team to cultivate a transparent and responsive culture. Leverage technology like AI chatbots for efficient handling of common inquiries, freeing agents for complex issues. Understand Customer Needs Grasping customer needs is critical for any business aiming to thrive in a competitive market, especially since 76% of consumers will stop doing business after just one bad experience. To improve customer satisfaction, start by gathering current customer information. This data helps you identify gaps in your services and align offerings with customer expectations. Engaging long-serving team members can additionally provide valuable insights into what makes a good customer service rep, as they comprehend established relationships with customers. Secure storage of customer information is fundamental for responding effectively to their needs. Utilizing tools like CRM systems allows you to capture and update customer data efficiently, creating a more personalized experience. These actions are imperative suggestions to improve customer service, ensuring you meet your customers’ expectations and reduce the risk of losing them. In the end, grasping your customers is the foundation of a successful business strategy. Encourage Open Communication To improve customer service, it’s essential to encourage open communication between your business and its customers. When customers feel heard and valued, their satisfaction increases by 70%. Establishing clear communication guidelines for your representatives guarantees consistent responses, which builds trust in your brand. Regularly soliciting feedback through surveys and direct interactions helps identify areas for improvement, allowing you to adapt to changing customer expectations. Furthermore, empowering employees to share concerns cultivates a transparent culture, reducing turnover rates by 25% and improving service quality. Utilizing technology, such as help desk software, streamlines communication between teams and customers, leading to quicker response times and better issue resolution. Invest in Agent Training Investing in agent training is crucial for enhancing the overall effectiveness of your customer service team. Proper onboarding and continuous training not only equip agents with necessary skills but likewise boost new hire retention by 25%. When agents are engaged and effectively trained, you can expect a 24% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Here’s a quick overview of the benefits: Benefit Impact New Hire Retention +25% Customer Satisfaction Scores +24% First Contact Resolution Rate +47% Empathy in Customer Interactions 70% of customers cite lack of empathy Revenue Per Employee +218% When you focus on training that emphasizes empathy and conflict resolution, you’ll create empowered agents who can resolve issues on the first contact, leading to improved efficiency and customer loyalty. Leverage Technology for Efficiency As customer expectations continue to evolve, leveraging technology for efficiency has become essential in improving service delivery. Implementing customer relationship management (CRM) tools allows your agents to access customer histories quickly, streamlining interactions and enabling personalized service. Utilizing AI-driven chatbots can handle common inquiries, freeing up your human agents to tackle more complex issues, which boosts overall efficiency. Integrating omnichannel communication platforms guarantees seamless shifts for customers between different contact methods, minimizing the need for them to repeat information. Moreover, data analytics tools track service trends, helping you identify areas for improvement and tailor strategies to improve customer satisfaction. Finally, employing automated call summaries saves time for your agents and managers, facilitating immediate feedback and more effective coaching based on real customer interactions. Personalize Customer Interactions Personalizing customer interactions is essential as it helps make customers feel recognized and valued. With 71% of customers expecting personalized experiences, leveraging customer data can greatly improve the overall interaction. By customizing recommendations and communications, you can show customers that you understand their needs. Additionally, acknowledging loyalty through small gestures, like personalized thank-you notes or exclusive offers, can boost customer retention and satisfaction. Using tools such as Invoca’s PreSense technology gives agents access to key customer details, enabling more informed and bespoke service. Here’s a quick overview of the benefits of personalization: Benefit Description Improved Customer Experience Customized recommendations increase relevance. Boosted Loyalty Customers appreciate recognition and care. Enhanced Satisfaction 80% of customers value the experience equally. Solicit and Act on Customer Feedback To improve customer service, regularly soliciting and acting on customer feedback is vital. Start by using surveys and follow-up calls to gather insights about your customers’ experiences and preferences. Research shows that 70% of customers believe feedback is important for improvement. Implement closed-loop feedback systems to inform dissatisfied customers about how their input has led to real changes, which nurtures trust and loyalty. Analyze the feedback for common themes and actionable insights to address recurring issues and improve service quality. Utilize metrics like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) to quantify customer sentiments, giving you a clear picture of service effectiveness. Finally, communicate any changes made in response to feedback back to customers, demonstrating that you value their opinions and reinforcing a customer-centric approach in your business. Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement Creating a culture of continuous improvement is essential for any organization aiming to improve customer service effectively. To achieve this, establish regular audit processes to evaluate workflows and customer interactions, ensuring areas for development are continuously identified. Encourage a culture of experimentation, empowering team members to propose and test innovative solutions. Moreover, implement feedback loops that actively solicit input from customers and employees, adapting strategies based on real experiences. Recognizing and celebrating contributions to service improvements reinforces the importance of continuous enhancement. Finally, provide ongoing training on emerging trends and best practices in customer service to keep your team engaged and informed. Action Purpose Outcome Regular audits Identify improvement areas Improved service delivery Empower experimentation Encourage innovative solutions Enhanced customer service Feedback loops Adapt strategies based on input Better alignment with customer needs Recognition programs Reinforce improvement culture Increased motivation among staff Ongoing training Stay informed on best practices Higher quality service Frequently Asked Questions How Can You Improve Customer Service? To improve customer service, start by implementing a feedback system that regularly gathers customer insights. Train your representatives in empathy and conflict resolution to handle difficult situations effectively. Utilize technology, like CRM systems and AI tools, to streamline processes and provide quick responses. Set clear service standards to manage expectations, and consistently analyze metrics to identify trends. This approach will boost customer satisfaction and nurture loyalty, creating a better overall experience. What Are the 4 P’s That Improve Customer Service? To improve customer service, focus on the 4 P’s: People, Processes, Products, and Personalization. Empower your customer service representatives, allowing them to make decisions that improve satisfaction. Streamline processes to reduce response times and communication barriers. Guarantee agents possess thorough product knowledge to build trust. Finally, personalize interactions based on individual customer needs, as this approach greatly boosts satisfaction and loyalty. Regularly measure performance to identify improvement areas and maintain service standards. What Are the 5 R’s of Customer Service? The 5 R’s of customer service are Respect, Responsiveness, Reliability, Reassurance, and Relevance. You should treat customers with dignity and genuinely value their feedback. Responding swiftly to inquiries is vital, as most customers appreciate quick replies. Maintaining consistent service builds trust, whereas offering reassurance and pertinent information elevates their experience. Tailoring interactions to meet individual needs is fundamental, as customers expect personalized experiences. Prioritizing these elements can greatly improve overall customer satisfaction. What Is the 10 to 10 Rule in Customer Service? The 10 to 10 Rule in customer service emphasizes responding to inquiries within 10 minutes and resolving issues within another 10 minutes. This approach addresses the high demand for quick solutions, as most customers prefer instant replies. By adhering to this rule, you can greatly reduce frustration, improve customer satisfaction, and increase loyalty. Efficient resolution not only improves the customer experience but additionally boosts first-call resolution rates, which in the end benefits your business’s bottom line. Conclusion By implementing these seven strategies, you can greatly improve your customer service experience. Comprehending customer needs and encouraging open communication promotes a supportive environment. Investing in agent training and leveraging technology boosts efficiency and effectiveness. Personalizing interactions and actively soliciting feedback guarantees that you meet customer expectations. Finally, creating a culture of continuous improvement allows your organization to adapt to changing needs. Each of these elements contributes to building stronger relationships with customers and achieving long-term success. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "7 Simple Suggestions to Improve Customer Service" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The launch of the Google Pixel 10a is a game changer for small business owners seeking a reliable and durable smartphone solution. Combining an impressive array of features with a refreshing design, the Pixel 10a aims to support the demanding lifestyle of entrepreneurs and small business owners, enhancing productivity and ensuring seamless communication. With a striking new color palette that includes Lavender, Berry, Fog, and Obsidian, the Pixel 10a isn’t just about functionality; it also offers a touch of style. Small business owners often find themselves making a statement both in their work and personal lives, and the Pixel’s aesthetic appeal complements that effort. The durability of the Pixel 10a stands at the forefront of its features. As the most robust A-series phone to date, it boasts an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. This means it can withstand unexpected spills or dusty environments—ideal for small business owners who are constantly on the move. An upgraded Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i cover glass enhances scratch and drop resistance, thus preserving the phone’s quality even in the face of the daily wear and tear that busy professionals experience. One of the standout features for small businesses is the impressive battery life. With more than 30 hours of standard use and the potential for up to 120 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode, the Pixel 10a ensures that you’ll have the power you need throughout your workday without constantly worrying about finding an outlet. Faster charging capabilities further streamline daily operations, allowing business owners to maximize productivity without interruption. Moreover, the Pixel 10a comes with a robust commitment to software and security updates, promising seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drops. For small businesses that value data protection and continual improvements, this is a significant benefit. Keeping software updated is crucial for cybersecurity, an often overlooked area in small enterprises. In a unique twist, the Pixel 10a introduces Satellite SOS capabilities to the A-series for the first time. This feature could prove invaluable for small business owners working in remote areas. The ability to connect with emergency services without Wi-Fi or cellular coverage adds an extra layer of safety and peace of mind, which is particularly beneficial for those who undertake on-site meetings or travel frequently. Despite these advantages, small business owners should consider potential challenges associated with adopting the Pixel 10a. The advanced features of the phone, while advantageous, may come with a learning curve, particularly for those who are less tech-savvy. Familiarizing oneself with the various functionalities—like Extreme Battery Saver or new software updates—may require time and effort. Additionally, for businesses heavily invested in specific apps or software that may not be optimized for the latest Android systems, compatibility could pose an issue. It’s important for small business owners to assess how well the Pixel 10a aligns with their existing technology framework before making a transition. As Google continuously innovates, the Pixel 10a stands out as a product designed to cater to the needs of dynamic professionals. The combination of durability, extended battery life, and unique safety features make it a compelling choice for small business owners seeking a reliable tool for everyday tasks. The Google Pixel 10a represents a worthwhile investment for business leaders who prioritize efficiency, style, and reliability. With tools that foster productivity and protect business interests, it’s poised to support small business needs effectively. For more information about this new device, check out the official post here. Image via Google This article, "Pixel 10a Launches with Bold Colors, Enhanced Durability, and Safety Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The launch of the Google Pixel 10a is a game changer for small business owners seeking a reliable and durable smartphone solution. Combining an impressive array of features with a refreshing design, the Pixel 10a aims to support the demanding lifestyle of entrepreneurs and small business owners, enhancing productivity and ensuring seamless communication. With a striking new color palette that includes Lavender, Berry, Fog, and Obsidian, the Pixel 10a isn’t just about functionality; it also offers a touch of style. Small business owners often find themselves making a statement both in their work and personal lives, and the Pixel’s aesthetic appeal complements that effort. The durability of the Pixel 10a stands at the forefront of its features. As the most robust A-series phone to date, it boasts an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. This means it can withstand unexpected spills or dusty environments—ideal for small business owners who are constantly on the move. An upgraded Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i cover glass enhances scratch and drop resistance, thus preserving the phone’s quality even in the face of the daily wear and tear that busy professionals experience. One of the standout features for small businesses is the impressive battery life. With more than 30 hours of standard use and the potential for up to 120 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode, the Pixel 10a ensures that you’ll have the power you need throughout your workday without constantly worrying about finding an outlet. Faster charging capabilities further streamline daily operations, allowing business owners to maximize productivity without interruption. Moreover, the Pixel 10a comes with a robust commitment to software and security updates, promising seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drops. For small businesses that value data protection and continual improvements, this is a significant benefit. Keeping software updated is crucial for cybersecurity, an often overlooked area in small enterprises. In a unique twist, the Pixel 10a introduces Satellite SOS capabilities to the A-series for the first time. This feature could prove invaluable for small business owners working in remote areas. The ability to connect with emergency services without Wi-Fi or cellular coverage adds an extra layer of safety and peace of mind, which is particularly beneficial for those who undertake on-site meetings or travel frequently. Despite these advantages, small business owners should consider potential challenges associated with adopting the Pixel 10a. The advanced features of the phone, while advantageous, may come with a learning curve, particularly for those who are less tech-savvy. Familiarizing oneself with the various functionalities—like Extreme Battery Saver or new software updates—may require time and effort. Additionally, for businesses heavily invested in specific apps or software that may not be optimized for the latest Android systems, compatibility could pose an issue. It’s important for small business owners to assess how well the Pixel 10a aligns with their existing technology framework before making a transition. As Google continuously innovates, the Pixel 10a stands out as a product designed to cater to the needs of dynamic professionals. The combination of durability, extended battery life, and unique safety features make it a compelling choice for small business owners seeking a reliable tool for everyday tasks. The Google Pixel 10a represents a worthwhile investment for business leaders who prioritize efficiency, style, and reliability. With tools that foster productivity and protect business interests, it’s poised to support small business needs effectively. For more information about this new device, check out the official post here. Image via Google This article, "Pixel 10a Launches with Bold Colors, Enhanced Durability, and Safety Features" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’re in the Northeast, there’s a good chance you’ll be hunkering down inside for a few days as a major snowstorm batters the East Coast. And if you have a flight to catch, well, there’s a high probability that it might not be taking off at all. Due to the blizzard, which is forecast to bring up to two feet of snow in some areas, thousands of flights have already been canceled or delayed. Here’s what you need to know if you have a flight to catch. Thousands of flights have already been canceled due to the snowstorm As of the time of this writing, 5,348 flights within, into, or out of the United States today have already been canceled, according to data compiled by the flight tracking platform FlightAware. Additionally, another 703 flights have been delayed. The number of today’s cancellations already outpaces yesterday, when 3,436 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States took place. It is highly likely that as the day continues on—and the storm continues along its path—that more flights will be canceled or delayed. And the majority of those cancellations and delays can be blamed on the winter storm that is bearing down across the Northeast. As NBC News reports, the storm has already resulted in more than 200,000 people losing power across the impacted area, which stretches from Maryland to Maine. In total, blizzard warnings currently cover 41 million people. School closures have already been announced across major cities like Boston and New York, the latter of which has a travel ban in place until later today. In New York, officials said today’s blizzard could be one of the city’s 10 worst over the past 150 years. Major airlines issue travel alerts for dozens of airports America’s three largest airlines have issued travel alerts for flights scheduled to depart from or land into dozens of airports. The airlines, which include American, Delta, and United, say the travel alerts are in place from yesterday, February 22, 2026, until Wednesday, February 25, 2026. Those airports include: American Airlines American has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm: Baltimore, Maryland (BWI) Boston, Massachusetts (BOS) Hampton / Newport News, Virginia (PHF) Hartford, Connecticut (BDL) New York Kennedy, New York (JFK) New York LaGuardia, New York (LGA) Newark, New Jersey (EWR) Norfolk, Virginia (ORF) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL) Providence, Rhode Island (PVD) Richmond, Virginia (RIC) Salisbury / Ocean City, Maryland (SBY) Washington Dulles, Washington D.C. (IAD) Washington Reagan, Washington D.C. (DCA) White Plains / Westchester County, New York (HPN) Worcester, Massachusetts (ORH) Delta Air Lines Delta has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm: Albany, NY (ALB) Allentown, PA (ABE) Baltimore, MD (BWI) Bangor, ME (BGR) Boston, MA (BOS) Charleston, WV (CRW) Charlottesville, VA (CHO) Cleveland, OH (CLE) Elmira, NY (ELM) Harrisburg, PA (MDT) Hartford, CT (BDL) Ithaca, NY (ITH) New York, NY (JFK) New York, NY (LGA) Newark, NJ (EWR) Norfolk, VA (ORF) Philadelphia, PA (PHL) Portland, ME (PWM) Providence, RI (PVD) Richmond, VA (RIC) South Bend, IN (SBN) Washington, DC (DCA) Washington, DC (IAD) White Plains, NY (HPN) Worcester, MA (ORH) United Airlines United has issued travel alerts for the following airports due to the winter storm: Allentown, PA, US (ABE) Albany, NY, US (ALB) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA, US (AVP) Hartford, CT, US (BDL) Boston, MA, US (BOS) Baltimore, MD, US (BWI) Washington, DC, US (DCA) Newark, NJ/New York, NY, US (EWR) Washington, DC, US (IAD) New York, NY, US (JFK) New York, NY, US (LGA) Manchester, NH, US (MHT) Norfolk, VA, US (ORF) Philadelphia, PA, US (PHL) Providence, RI, US (PVD) Portland, ME, US (PWM) Richmond, VA, US (RIC) What should I do if I have a flight scheduled for the next few days? Before you head to the airport, you should monitor for any announcements about your flight. The easiest way to do this is to check your airline’s app to see whether your flight is on time, delayed, or canceled. You can also enter your flight information on the airline’s website to get the latest updates for your journey. What are my options if my flight is delayed or canceled? If your flight is delayed or canceled, you should check with your airline about alternate travel options. Some airlines are also allowing affected passengers to reschedule their flights. United, for example, is allowing passengers with original travel dates between February 22 and February 25, 2026, at select airports to change their flights without incurring change fees or fare differences, under certain conditions and limitations. If your flight is delayed or canceled—or you just don’t want to travel during the storm—it’s best to call your airline to ask what your travel options are. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. An immutable law of the universe is that no matter how big your house is, you eventually fill it up with stuff. And if you’re starting off with a small house to begin with, you hit maximum storage pretty quickly. That can make DIY home maintenance and other projects a challenge, because so many of the tools you need are kind of enormous and awkwardly-shaped, making their storage problematic even in spacious homes. While hand tools like hammers and screwdrivers can usually be stashed creatively, larger items eat up your spare room pretty quickly—unless you opt for a folding or collapsible version. These tools do the same job, but shrink down when not in use so they can squeeze into tight spots or unexpected locations, solving your storage problems. A folding ladder is easy to store in a garage or shedLadders can be some of the biggest storage challenges because they are, by their very nature, extremely large and rigid. If you don’t have enough vertical or horizontal space to store a ladder, it can wind up just sort of standing in an odd place, collecting dust in between uses and making your home look like a perpetual job site. You have two small-space options to solve for this, though. The most common is a telescoping ladder, which collapses down to a portion of its height when not in use. This can make it a lot easier to find storage space in a closet or other location, and it can even be hidden behind furniture. Another option is a folding ladder like this one from DuoSaftey, which folds into a stick-like form when not in use, minimizing its horizontal footprint instead of its vertical footprint. This wheeled cart can be store in a laundry room or closetA sturdy, wheeled cart is incredibly useful in a lot of maintenance and repair jobs, making it easy to transport tools and materials around the area. But who has the space to have a whole cart just sitting around until it’s needed? A folding cart is the answer: It folds flat for easy storage, but snaps into a sturdy full-sized cart that can handle up to 300 pounds of weight when it’s needed. Get a collapsible bubble level that folds around cornersA bubble level is a necessity if you want your home projects to look like a sane, rational person performed the work. But a full-size level is often difficult to find space for, and smaller levels aren’t as useful for larger projects. This folding level not only collapses into a tiny form factor for storage, it can be bent and used to check level around corners, which is one of those DIY superpowers you don’t realize you need until you learn about its existence. This folding saw is great for the occasional DIY projectSaws are another rigid tool that can be problematic to store. Hanging them on a wall is a good solution that gets them out of the way, but if you need to pack your tools out of sight, you need to consider a folding saw like this one. If you saw wood every day of your life, you might not want this, but if you need a saw for the occasional quick project around the house and don’t have storage space to spare, this will get the job done and fold up and away when not needed. Store this pop-up workbench in the garageLike rolling carts, workbenches are incredibly useful when you need a flat surface to work on, but become a real pain when it’s time to store them away. Luckily, you can pick up a folding workbench like this one from DeWalt. It’s a sturdy work surface that can support up to 1,000 pounds, but when the job is done, it folds up to be slid into the tightest spot you have available. This collapsible bucket fits under the sink or in a utility closetEveryone needs a job bucket in the house, but the traditional five-gallon bucket not only takes up more space than you realize, it also becomes a place to store stuff in, making it a chore to unpack every time you need to use it. A folding bucket like this one isn’t quite as large (it’s only three gallons), but it collapses into an easily-stored flat configuration when you’re not using it, preventing it from tempting you with all that empty space. A folding hand truck can transport heavy stuff and then get tucked away in a closetFor years, I had a hand truck stored in my crawl space, because a hand truck was an incredibly useful thing. Any time I had to move bags of cement or large items around, I’d have to climb down into that nightmarish crawl space and retrieve the hand truck, which was a pain in the butt. Now I have this folding handtruck, which does the same job (it can handle more than 300 pounds) but can be tucked away in a closet when not in use. Use this folding shovel for gardening and clearing out snowEvery house needs a shovel. You either have a garden or backyard where digging will occasionally be needed, or you’ll need to clear snow from your sidewalks and driveway. Or both! Shovels tend to be left in garages or outside when not in use, but if you need to store yours in a small space inside, a folding option is a real space-saver. It collapses into a compact square that will squeeze into any space, but it’s sturdy enough for the toughest jobs you can throw at it. View the full article

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc.and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. During Charles Giancarlo’s first all-hands meeting after becoming CEO of Pure Storage in 2017, an employee asked: “How long are we going to keep the name Pure Storage?” The question suggested that having “storage” in the company’s name limited the range of products and services it could offer customers. “My response at the time was, ‘We can think about a new name as soon as we start doing something other than storage,’” Giancarlo recalls. Though the company may be best known for its data storage platform—including its all-flash hardware that uses ultraefficient flash memory modules instead of spinning hard drives—Giancarlo is pushing the Santa Clara, Calif.-based tech concern into data management. Today, he unveiled a new name, Everpure, reflecting his ambition to deliver a broader array of products and services to enterprises. A brand by any other name The Everpure moniker preserves the brand equity of “Pure” from the original company name. “Ever” nods to the company’s Evergreen storage-as-a-subscription program. A new logo retains the Pure Storage logomark, and the company’s ticker symbol, PSTG, remains unchanged. Renaming a company isn’t cheap—brand management platform Frontify estimates that a complete brand overhaul can cost companies $1 million or more. And while consumer branding changes are often hotly debated (hello, Cracker Barrel), business-to-business (B2B) marketing moves rarely elicit more than a shrug. Giancarlo himself says it is unlikely that anyone will be talking about the name change a year from now. But an enterprise rebranding can help reframe a company’s remit for employees, investors, and prospective customers. Indeed, Giancarlo believes the new name will help open doors with chief data officers and AI strategists. “The person who cares about data management inside our customers is different from the person that cares about data storage,” he explains. “And when they hear the name Pure Storage, they’re likely to say, ‘Oh, I don’t need to meet with them. They’re the storage people.’” New name, new opportunities The rebranding is also a manifestation of Giancarlo’s bet that enterprises will pay Everpure for more than data storage, aligning the company’s name and brand with the future it aspires to build. To take full advantage of the promise of AI—such as agents that can monitor a supply chain or automatically generate financial reporting—companies need to organize, tag, and unify information that often exists in different systems and databases. Everpure is ready to help them do that. “Many customers who were furthest along in adopting AI—who were gung-ho—are saying, ‘my biggest challenge in being able to deploy AI is that my enterprise data is not ready,’” Giancarlo says. Everpure is seeking to address these challenges with its Enterprise Data Cloud architecture, which promises to simplify the process of cleaning, reshaping, and moving data so it can be useful to companies. However, the company’s success is by no means assured. Its competitors include Dell EMC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), heavy hitters who are also seeking to help customers with their data management needs. Giancarlo says Everpure’s edge is its willingness to invest in innovation. When he arrived at the company, after 13 years at Cisco Systems and 8 years at private equity firm Silverlake, he committed to maintaining heavy investment in research and development. In its fiscal year that ended February 2, 2025, the company spent $804 million on R&D, 25% of its $3.2 billion in total revenue. Everpure reports 2026 revenue this week. While some “mature” companies might look to improve profitability by cutting that spending, Giancarlo says he still intends to maintain high levels of R&D investment, adding: “Maybe I’m perpetually immature.” What investments do you prioritize? What are the tools your company uses to help realize your ambitions? Send your responses to stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’ll publish some of your manifestations in a future newsletter. Read more: the business of rebranding 7 designers on the most influential rebrands of 2025 The biggest branding trends you’ll see this year 6 situations that call for a rebrand View the full article

Overhaul will bind operations in 80 countries across Europe and Middle East View the full article

Google's John Mueller said that if Google is not convinced that there are new and important content to index on your site, then it won't use the sitemap file on your site. Just because you have a sitemap file, it does not mean Google will index all the pages in that file.View the full article

The US president has developed an appetite for the wars of choice that he once denouncedView the full article

Google's John Mueller said a spike/increase in impressions within Google Search Console does not cause any specific problems within Google Search. There are a number of posts where some users are seeing a surge in impressions within Google Search Console but clicks and traffic have not changed.View the full article

Microsoft is testing a new user interface for the Bing Copilot AI responses. The new interface shows these link and references cards both inline and on the right.View the full article

We've seen Google use AI for local panel descriptions, menus and more. But now Google is also using AI to generate a list of services a local business offers.View the full article

Google is now (past few weeks?) sending out emails when it detects fake or incentivised reviews on your Google Business Profile. Google also says it has removed the fake or incentivised reviews that were identified. View the full article

The Google Search Console page indexing report seems to be missing a chunk of data. The missing data is from December 15th and earlier, but we do have data from December 15th (14th) through today.View the full article

Google’s page indexing report within Google Search Console is missing a block of data earlier than December 15th. It seems like some sort of reporting bug that is impacting all users. Google has not yet commented on the reporting issue but again, it is widespread and impacting everyone. What it looks like. Here is a screenshot from Vijay on X but you can see it yourself by checking your page indexing report: Why we care. I’d check back in a day or two to see if this data returns or if Google posts a notice about the issue. Right now, no one is able to access that data, so everyone is in the “same boat.” Google will hopefully fix the data, and you can run your reporting and analysis if you have not done so yet for those data ranges. View the full article

The best keyword research tools include Keyword Magic Tool, Google Keyword Planner, and ChatGPT. View the full article

New York City is a city of walkers. More trips are made on foot than by car (41% versus 28%) and the city’s “80X50” climate action plan envisions that 80% of all trips by 2050 will be made either on foot, by biking, or by public transit. The problem is that pedestrian movement in the city has remained largely unmapped and underestimated—until now. Together with a team of researchers, Andres Sevtsuk, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, has built what he says is the first complete model of pedestrian activity in New York City—and it’s a model that can now be applied to any U.S. city. The model, which maps foot traffic across all sidewalks, crosswalks and footpaths in NYC during peak periods, reveals surprising patterns about the way people move around the city, as well as where they are most vulnerable to vehicle crashes (hint: it’s not Midtown Manhattan). It could have tremendous benefits for city planners. The pitfalls of a car-centric country Much ink has been spilled on the car-centricity of American cities. Americans average two vehicles per household (among the highest rates in the world) and car ownership has shaped everything from suburban sprawl to infrastructure spending priorities. Over the past decades, transportation agencies have become experts at modeling traffic and predicting vehicle flows, but as Sevtsuk points out in a study accompanying the model that was published in the journal Nature Cities, “what gets counted, counts.” The amount of transportation infrastructure funding that states receive from the Federal Highway Administration, for example, relies on vehicle miles traveled in that state. The more residents of that state drive cars, the more funding the state receives. If cities could count the number of pedestrians that walked across their streets, they could steer more federal money into urban, people-oriented infrastructure. But while car domination in the U.S. has long relied on tremendous lobbying from automakers, the pedestrian movement has had no champion pushing for data collection. “Nobody has monetized walking,” says Sevtsuk, “and this is actually a good thing.” Until 1994, the U.S. didn’t even have an accurate roadway map. That year, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order directing federal agencies to build a standardized digital road network. As Sevtsuk explains, this helped revolutionize traffic modeling and paved the way for more efficient deliveries and various location-based services. If a similar order were to help develop and standardize a pedestrian network nationwide, it would highlight where communities have systematically worse pedestrian infrastructure, and help target public space investments in places where they affect the most people. The “Manhattan bias” Over the past decade, Sevtsuk and his team have built various district-wide models in places like Melbourne, Australia, and Cambridge, MA, but they have never built a model at this scale. “A lot of cities don’t even know where their sidewalks are,” he says, “and the sad part is, some cities don’t want to know where sidewalks are.” Indeed, cities face legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to maintain accessible sidewalks, but a comprehensive tracking system also exposes them to greater liability. The result, according to Sevtsuk, is a perverse incentive whereby cities that don’t systematically inventory their sidewalk conditions can more easily defend themselves against injury claims by arguing they weren’t aware of specific hazards. In New York City, Sevtsuk’s model revealed illuminating findings. One of them has to do with the way street improvements are funded in the city. In 2020, the NYC Department of Transportation released a New York City Pedestrian Mobility Plan that laid out a road map for ongoing improvements for pedestrians and other road users. The plan laid out five corridor classification types intended to serve as a guideline for pedestrian infrastructure renovations. Most streets with the highest classification type—”global corridors” that would receive priority funding for sidewalk widening, pedestrian plazas, and other improvements—were located in Manhattan. Sevtsuk acknowledges that many of these streets, including Broadway and Fifth Avenue, are important corridors, but his team’s model shows that 26 streets in the outer boroughs had higher pedestrian volume than 75% of the “global corridors” designated by NYC DOT, yet they were categorized lower, meaning they won’t receive the treatment or investment they deserve. “We discovered there is a Manhattan bias in policymaking,” he says, noting the discrepancy was likely due to a lack of metrics. “They were guesstimating, and with guesstimation, we’re all flawed and have biases,” he added. Another finding had to do with car crashes. For years, transportation officials have thought the highest number of pedestrian injuries involving vehicle crashes was around Times Square, in Manhattan. But these numbers never took crash rates per pedestrian into account, meaning they simply looked at where the most crashes occur, without considering the fact that there were more crashes simply because there were more people. “We need to take into account how many people actually walk there, then look at crash rates per pedestrian,” says Sevtsuk. Using data from the model, the researchers mapped the rate of pedestrian crashes and found the highest concentration in The Bronx, Staten Island, as well as outer regions of Brooklyn and Queens. Not a single street below 125th in Manhattan lit up on the map. “Midtown sees a lot of crashes but it’s a safe place to walk because it has very high level of foot traffic,” says Sevtsuk. A template for cities worldwide The implications of the team’s work extend far beyond New York City. In fact, what makes the model particularly powerful for other cities is how adaptable it is. The researchers’ approach builds on a framework called Urban Network Analysis that Sevtsuk and his team have been developing for a decade. The team started by assembling data on where in NYC sidewalks, crosswalks, and footpaths are located, then mapping major trip origins and destinations—think home to school, job to subway, or restaurant to park. They then simulated how pedestrians move between these locations, accounting for the fact that people don’t always take the shortest route and often have multiple subway stops to choose from. Using pedestrian counts from over 1,000 locations from NYC DOT as “ground truth,” the team calibrated the model using machine learning to ensure the estimates matched real-world observations. Once calibrated at those locations, the model could predict pedestrian volumes across every street in the city. The process took about a year to complete, “but relatively speaking, it’s still much easier than building a full-fledged traffic model,” says Sevtsuk. The researchers are now working with 140 cities across the state of Maine to better understand the kinds of upgrades and safety improvements they could make for pedestrians. They have also partnered with LA Metro to identify opportunities where the city could do small but important interventions that would help them better prepare for the LA28 Olympic Games, but also everyday users. “They are trying to use [the interventions] as a kind of legacy, using some of the Games’ budget to support walking in the city,” says Sevtsuk. View the full article

Ghost jobs are postings for positions that don’t actually exist for various reasons, and they waste countless hours for job seekers who apply to roles that were never meant to be filled. Experts in recruiting and career strategy have identified specific warning signs that reveal when a posting is likely fake or abandoned. This guide breaks down how to recognize these red flags before investing time in an application, so you can better focus your efforts on genuine opportunities. Prioritize Responsive Employers that Show Immediate Engagement One reliable way to identify a ghost job is to see whether applying to it leads to any human response at all. Today, silence has become the norm. I’ve watched thousands of job seekers reach out to employers saying it feels like they’re reaching out into a void. The numbers tell a similar story; research shows that only about 20% to 25% of applications submitted on large job boards, like Indeed, receive any response, which means the majority of applicants never hear back. That is why so many job seekers feel stuck. Many are not being rejected, but they’re being ignored by jobs that were never truly open. Some listings exist to build applicant pipelines, satisfy internal posting requirements, or because job distribution is automated even when no recruiter is actively reviewing candidates. We’ve learned to spot the difference between a real opening and a ghost job by watching for one thing: action. When a role is genuinely open, employers engage quickly by reviewing candidates, sending messages, or moving applicants into next steps. When there is no engagement at all, the listing may exist in name only. Job seekers can better focus their efforts by looking for signals of immediacy and accountability. Listings that include clear location details, shift times, pay ranges, or start timing are far more likely to be tied to real hiring needs. Applying locally and prioritizing roles where employers are actively engaging candidates leads to better outcomes than applying broadly and hoping for a response. —Debbie Emery, Cofounder & CSO, Juvo Jobs Follow Projects and Investment Signals for Reality Another good way to spot a ghost job is to look at how disconnected the posting feels from what’s actually happening in the sector. In energy, where I specialize, hiring is almost always tied to a real project, a capital investment, or some kind of regulatory timeline. So that’s a key indicator: If a role keeps getting reposted for months, the description never really changes, and there’s no clear business reason behind it, it might just be a ghost job. I’ve seen this happen a lot with software and data roles at utilities. There was one utility that kept reposting a cloud engineering role for close to a year. On paper it looked urgent. In reality, their digital transformation project had been paused while they waited on regulatory approval, but HR kept the job live to collect résumés. Candidates were spending hours interviewing for a role that couldn’t even be funded yet. Internally, everyone knew what was going on. Externally, it looked like a great opportunity. For job seekers, I’d say the safest move is to follow the money and follow the projects. Pay attention to which companies just secured funding, announced expansions, or won major contracts. In energy, hiring tends to follow infrastructure. If a company just broke ground on a new facility or announced a big grid modernization program, those roles are usually real. Your sector likely has its own red and green flags; take a minute to establish them early on. Then, keep your eyes open. —Jon Hill, Managing Partner, Tall Trees Talent Target Newly Posted Positions with Urgency An easy way to spot a ghost job listing is when the same role sits online for months with no real changes. In real hiring cycles, things usually move fast, or at least you see progress. When a job keeps showing up again and again, or never fully closes, it is often there to collect résumés or test the market, not to hire right now. We constantly update our job postings on Indeed. I work closely with our team managers to shape each listing, tweak the wording, and pull roles down when hiring pauses. That is why ghost jobs stand out to me so clearly. There was this one company in particular that always seemed to have the same opening listed on Indeed. It was a marketing manager’s role that got reposted every 30 days for almost a year. We’ve posted and filled at least five positions over the past six months, but that specific position was still open. Behind the scenes, I’m guessing candidates kept applying and following up for that role. But no interviews were happening at all. The post stayed live only to build a future talent pool, which felt unfair to job seekers putting in real effort. To focus on real opportunities, I usually tell job seekers to look for roles posted within the last 14 to 30 days and scan for signs of real activity. This can be a named hiring manager, clear next steps in the process, or recent team growth on LinkedIn. From what I have seen, applying to fewer roles with stronger signals of urgency works better than sending out dozens of applications and hoping one sticks. —Lauren Byrne, Co-Owner and Head of HR, My Biz Niche Watch for Reposts, Research Beyond the Listing Job searching requires time, emotional energy, and vulnerability. When a role turns out to be a ghost job, or worse, a risky one, it understandably erodes trust in the hiring process and in employers more broadly. One reliable way to spot a ghost job is when a role has been posted or repeatedly reposted for months with no visible hiring activity or meaningful evolution. These listings are often vague, evergreen, and disconnected from a clear, time-bound business need. I see this most often with fast-growing companies that are fundraising or planning for future scale. From an employer perspective, building a talent pipeline is strategic. From a candidate perspective, applying to a role that is not actively being filled can feel misleading. A strong candidate experience depends on transparency. If a role is exploratory or pipeline-based, say so clearly. Candidates deserve to know whether an opportunity is immediate or future-facing. Other things to be mindful of: Legitimate employers do not ask for personal or financial information such as banking details, SIN/SSN, or government ID during the application or interview process. That information is only collected after a formal offer has been made and accepted, typically through secure onboarding systems. I have seen candidates targeted through fake or misleading job postings that quickly move conversations off platform and request personal details under the guise of “pre-onboarding” or “payroll setup.” These are clear red flags. For job seekers, taking your research further can make a meaningful difference. Look beyond the posting itself. Review the company’s website, its LinkedIn employer profile, and the profiles of potential hiring managers or team members. Platforms like Glassdoor can also provide useful context when viewed thoughtfully. Pairing this research with a focus on recently posted roles and clear ownership, and combining applications with targeted outreach, helps reduce wasted effort and job search burnout. For employers, the takeaway is simple. Hiring practices are part of your brand. If you are building a pipeline, be transparent about it. Trust is built through clarity, not ambiguity. —Heidi Hauver, Executive Advisor & Mentor | Fractional VP, People & Culture Spot Vague Descriptions Vague job descriptions paired with little or no movement in the hiring process are another red flag. If a posting lists generic responsibilities, lacks clear success metrics, and there’s no defined next step or timeline; it’s often a sign that the company isn’t truly ready to hire. I’ve seen this firsthand when companies post roles before aligning internally. They think they’re hiring, but they haven’t clarified what success in the role actually looks like. That lack of structure leads to stalled searches and leaves candidates hanging. To avoid ghost jobs and focus on real opportunities, job seekers should look for postings that are outcome-based, with clear expectations and a transparent process. Companies that understand job fit, and define the role based on competencies, tend to move faster and hire more intentionally. —Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators Chase Recently Funded Firms where Demand Exists Another reliable way to spot a ghost job is to step back and look at the hiring context of the company, not just the job description itself. First, pay attention to the total number of open roles a company is posting and whether the employer is actually a recruiting or staffing agency. Agencies often publish large volumes of roles to build résumé pipelines, even when no active opening exists. If a company consistently posts dozens or hundreds of similar roles without clear hiring updates, that’s a strong red flag. Second, if the company has only a few openings, check who the company is and why they might be hiring now. Well-known brands or Fortune 500 companies often keep roles open continuously for “evergreen” hiring or future needs. In contrast, genuine hiring urgency is usually tied to recent business events, such as a funding round or rapid expansion. You can verify this by checking sources like TechCrunch or recent press releases. From my experience, the most efficient strategy is to focus on startups that raised significant funding within the last one to three months. Fresh capital almost always translates into real hiring pressure, defined roles, and faster decision cycles. Platforms like Wellfound (AngelList Talent) make this especially easy, as many startups there are actively converting funding into immediate hires. In short, job seekers should shift their effort from volume-based applying to signal-based targeting: companies with recent funding, clear growth drivers, and a concrete reason to hire right now. This dramatically reduces wasted applications and increases the odds of engaging with real, active opportunities. —Bogdan Serebrykaov, Founder & CEO, Careery Favor Definite Steps toward Live Interviews One reliable red flag is a process that never outlines clear steps toward a live interview. At the SHRM25 Executive Network Experience, HR leaders told me they are bringing candidates into the office earlier to confirm identity because of deep fakes, and processes that outline this process upfront are more credible than those that are vague. Job seekers should focus on employers that clearly describe those in-person steps in the job description and early communications. —Colleen Paulson, Executive Career Consultant, Ageless Careers Match Role Scope to Company Stage One thing I’ve learned is that a job posting can sound way bigger than the company actually is, and that’s a strong sign it might be a ghost job. If the role promises “global leadership,” “building a world-class team,” or “executive-level strategy” for a startup that only has a handful of employees, it usually means the posting was created to attract clicks or collect résumés, not to fill a real position. I once saw a listing for a “VP of Growth” at a tiny SaaS company with no marketing team and only a couple of customers. The job description read like it was written for a large enterprise. When I checked the company’s LinkedIn and website, there was no evidence they were scaling at that level, so it didn’t feel genuine. To avoid wasting time, I recommend focusing on companies whose job descriptions match their real size and stage. A genuine opportunity will clearly describe the team structure, the current product roadmap, and what success looks like in the first 90 days. If those details are missing or exaggerated, treat it as a red flag. So my advice is to avoid chasing roles that sound too big for the company. Instead, focus your energy on listings where the job scope matches the company’s real-world reality. That’s how you find real opportunities. —Monica Panait, CMO, Brizy Cross Check Ads against Employer-Owned Channels I would say that one reliable way to spot a ghost job is to check when the job was posted against the company’s own careers page or their social media activity. I tend to see roles on LinkedIn which say that the job was posted two days ago. But if you really dig into the company’s website, the same role has been listed with the exact same description for several months now. You should focus on the active signals instead of just open roles. I recommend looking for a hiring manager posting about the role personally on their LinkedIn profile or on Twitter in the past week. If you’re only able to find evidence of that job on an automated feed on a job board, then it’s quite likely just a “pipeline builder” and not something the company is taking very seriously. But if there’s a human behind it talking about the role, then there is a real budget attached to that role right now. —Jeremy Chatelaine, Founder & CEO, MonsterOps Verify Local Contact Numbers before You Proceed Job seekers should know that an out-of-town—or country—phone number is often a red flag. On its own, it seems like a small detail. People move and often keep their old numbers. But businesses are different. A legitimate company hiring for a real, funded role should have a local presence tied to the market they operate in. Even large national or global companies still maintain local recruiting numbers, local HR contacts, or at minimum a clear corporate line that routes internally. So, when a posting claims to be hiring in Dallas, Chicago, or Toronto, but every call comes from an overseas call center or a rotating set of untraceable numbers, that’s worth paying attention to. In my experience, real hiring teams want to be reachable. They want candidates to be able to call back, verify who they spoke with, and feel confident about who is on the other end of the process. When a company refuses to provide a local number, hides behind VOIP lines, or routes all recruiting through offshore screening centers with no accountability, it often means the role itself isn’t real. It doesn’t mean you walk away immediately. But it does mean you proceed carefully, protect your time, and keep your expectations realistic. —Ben Lamarche, General Manager, Lock Search Group Ask Specific Questions, Confirm Real Work The most reliable signal of a ghost job is how the hiring manager responds to technical questions about the actual work. When I’m actively hiring, I can tell you exactly what technologies you’d be working with, which client projects need support, and what the team structure looks like. If you ask specific questions about the tech stack, the development process, or what the first month would look like and get vague answers or deflection, that’s your warning sign. Real hiring managers are usually eager to talk about the work because they need to fill the role and want candidates who understand what they’re signing up for. Job seekers should treat initial conversations like due diligence, not auditions. Ask about timelines, who you’d report to, what problem this hire solves, and why the position is open. A legitimate manager will answer these directly because they’re trying to assess fit just as much as you are. I’ve seen candidates waste months chasing roles where the company was “just collecting résumés” or the position was frozen but still posted. The ones who filtered fast by asking pointed questions about the actual work moved on to real opportunities while others were still waiting for callbacks that would never come. —Sergiy Fitsak, Managing Director, Fintech Expert, Softjourn Review Team Activity around Announced Vacancies If the hiring team or recruiter don’t have activity regarding the open position, that can be a red flag. Let’s assume a company advertises open roles. If the hiring team or internal recruiters haven’t posted, shared, or commented on these open positions, it is likely a ghost job. Companies tend to be loud and very active about their open positions and willingness to recruit people to join their mission. Check for activities from the company’s hiring team or internal recruiters. Even better, use LinkedIn to search for people who worked at the company and if they started new jobs elsewhere within the last month. If they did, then the company is trying to fill their vacuum and the opportunity is real. —Anush Gasparian, Human Resources Director, Phonexa Treat Easy Apply as a Red Flag I have seen the job search process from all sides, and for me, the most striking indicator of ghost job postings is the use of LinkedIn’s Easy Apply feature. When an employer posts an Easy Apply job, they instantly receive hundreds or thousands of responses, most of which are irrelevant, while worthy candidates get lost in the white noise. In addition, candidates sometimes simply don’t remember that they applied for your job and may not respond to your messages. In short, from the perspective of a recruiter or hiring manager, digging through hundreds of résumés is simply not practical. In my opinion, if you see an “easy apply” button, then something is wrong with this vacancy. And I know at least a couple of reasons why these ghost vacancies are posted: To gain followers. When a candidate applies for a vacancy, they automatically subscribe to the company’s page. This allows companies to grow their followers and raise their authority on LinkedIn. To show potential investors, clients, or partners that the company is growing. If I were looking for a job right now, I would perceive the easy apply button as one of the warning signs. Of course, there are genuine vacancies among them, but this is the first red flag. —Michael Vavilov, Product Manager, Glozo View the full article

After officials released millions of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revelations in his emails and other files have led to the resignations of multiple corporate executives, new investigations into abuses by Epstein and potential accomplices, and even the arrest of the United Kingdom’s former Prince Andrew. For those looking to research Epstein’s vast correspondence and web of connections across industry, government, and academia, some of the most effective tools have been built not by federal investigators or big-name news organizations but by a scrappy team of volunteer developers. Starting with a website called Jmail, which made Epstein’s publicly released emails searchable through an interface cheekily copied from Gmail, they have since built a set of web apps modeled after familiar sites like Google Drive, Wikipedia, Amazon, and YouTube. The goal: to turn messy PDFs and other files released in bulk by federal officials into something members of the public—including journalists—can more easily search and understand. Key to the project’s speedy success is the technical talent of the team of around 15 named core contributors. But equally vital, they say, is the current wave of AI tools that helped them rapidly generate code and process huge troves of data. “So not only do we have an app that we were able to make very quickly, we have data that can populate that app with real content,” says Luke Igel, among the project’s initial creators. “Both those things had to come together; both of those were not possible a few years ago.” Igel, an MIT grad who is cofounder and CEO of video software company Kino, says the inspiration for the project came after he and a friend were discussing an initial tranche of Epstein-related documents released by members of Congress in November. They were struck by the extent of Epstein’s ties to political figures across party lines and around the world but questioned whether the public would be able to fully understand the story as the data was initially presented. Igel then reached out to Riley Walz, a developer and entrepreneur known for creative internet projects (including a recent parody of Apple’s “Find My” interface that tracked San Francisco parking enforcement officers) about collecting the emails in a Gmail-style interface. Thanks to AI development tools like Cursor and Anthropic’s Claude models, the pair was able to put together the first version of Jmail in just a few hours, Igel says. “We cloned Gmail, except you’re logged in as Epstein and can see his emails,” Walz announced in a viral X post in November. When the Department of Justice released an additional trove of files in December, spurred by the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress the previous month, a group of about 10 collaborators gathered at Igel’s San Francisco home and via video conference to build the next iteration of the software. The team also had help from a company called Reducto—a maker of software that turns messy PDFs and other complex documents into structured data—to parse the newly released files, which had become too complex for general-purpose AI tools to decipher reliably. “A lot of these PDFs are scans of printouts or handwriting,” says Adel Wu, who works on growth at Reducto. “It was actually very messy.” The company—which is located in the same building as Kino—had already been considering doing something with the Epstein files and quickly decided to support the Jmail effort after hearing about it, says founding engineer Omar Alhait, noting, “We very quickly went through all of the documents and parsed out all relevant email information from them.” Reducto’s software helped accurately render redactions within the documents and even let the team extract complex information like Epstein’s flight data, which was made available in a Google Flights-style interface called JFlights. Again, AI—including Anthropic’s then-new Claude Opus 4.5 model—helped the Jmail team rapidly develop new features and apps and merge thousands of code updates in a short time. “So much of what I thought was core to software engineering is actually something that this model can help you with and help you blast through very quickly,” Igel says. The team’s investment in infrastructure let them quickly import, process, and share additional documents released just before Christmas, though the project drew even more attention after a massive DOJ release of millions of Epstein-related files on January 30. Handling that release required not only processing the new documents—Alhait says it took Reducto about three days to crunch through the data—but also beefing up the project’s infrastructure to handle an influx of traffic as public interest in the files continued to grow. “Tons of people came to the house again, and this time we really just had to make it scale,” Igel says. “Everything broke. Tons of scaling issues we thought we had solved, with database outages and caching failing, came through again.” With the help of AI tools, the team stabilized the site, which has now served more than 500 million page requests to more than 50 million unique visitors. The project has also expanded beyond Jmail and JFlights to include an AI guide to the files called Jemini, a video repository called JeffTube, a file repository known as JDrive, and even a searchable log of Epstein’s Amazon orders called Jamazon. The team works to ensure information in the files is properly redacted to protect sensitive details, taking care to update the site’s available materials to reflect any new redactions by federal officials. “It’s very, very important to us to be as responsible as possible when surfacing information to the public,” says Melissa Du, an AI research engineer who works on the project. “We obviously don’t want to be over-redacting, but also the privacy of the victims is of utmost importance.” Du, another MIT grad, says she became “morbidly fascinated” by the first set of files released on Jmail, including documents referencing MIT-linked academics such as former Media Lab director Joi Ito and professor emeritus Noam Chomsky. She has since worked on aspects of the project such as JDrive for data management and the Wikipedia-style Jwiki, which was first populated with write-ups of key Epstein-linked figures generated by AI and then carefully vetted before publication. Perhaps most striking about the project is that a small group of developers was able to do what major media organizations had done in organizing previous viral data repositories, like former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about government surveillance or the offshore finance leaks known as the Panama Papers. The team has received about $32,000 in donations to cover various costs, along with donated technical services from Reducto, Kino, and cloud provider Vercel. But the core work has been carried out by developers with their own day jobs and startups. Though at times Igel wondered whether the project would be effectively scooped by big news organizations building their own Epstein data explorers, data from the Jmail project has actually been cited by news outlets including The Economist. The team has also been in touch with congressional staffers about passing on crowdsourced requests for release of potentially excessively redacted files. And additional features are being considered, including a Google Calendar-style interface to explore calendar data in the repository, says Igel, who notes that the underlying code from the project will also likely be released as open source in the future. Already the project stands as an example of what’s possible for a talented team equipped with the latest in AI development and data processing tools. “We’ve really relied on the new AI models,” Du says. “And we’ve also just had a very high level of trust across the team.” View the full article