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We need to have a talk about KPIs and AI search. I’ve observed numerous SEO professionals on LinkedIn and at conferences talking about “ranking No. 1 on ChatGPT” as if it’s the equivalent of a No. 1 ranking on Google: On Google, being the first result is often a golden ticket. Going from No. 2 to No. 1 in Google search will often result in 100%-300% increases in traffic and conversions. This is almost certainly not the case with AI responses – even if they weren’t constantly changing. Our team’s research shows AI users consider an average of 3.7 businesses before deciding who to contact. Being the first result in that list on ChatGPT isn’t the golden ticket it is in Google search. This being the case, the focus of AI search really should be on “inclusion in the consideration set” – not necessarily being “the first mentioned in that set” – as well as crafting what AI is saying about us. User behavior on AI platforms differs from Google search Over the past several months, my team has spent more than 100 hours observing people use ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode to find services. One thing came into focus within the first dozen or so sessions: User behavior on AI platforms differs from Google search in ways that extend far beyond using “natural language” and having conversations versus performing keyword searches. Which is overstated, by the way. About 75% of the sessions we observed included “keyword searches.” One key difference: Users consider more businesses in AI responses than in organic search. It makes sense — it’s much easier to compare multiple options in a chat window than to click through three to five search results and visit each site. Dig deeper: From searching to delegating: Adapting to AI-first search behavior AI users don’t stop at the first result In both Google AI Mode and ChatGPT, users considered an average of 3.7 businesses from the results. This has strong implications for the No. 1 result – as well as No. 4. The value of appearing first drops sharply — and the value of appearing lower rises — when, in 75% of sessions, users also consider businesses in Positions 2 to 8. What’s driving conversions isn’t your position in that list. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Why do businesses with lower rankings end up in the consideration set in LLMs? First of all, these aren’t rankings. They are a list of recommendations that will likely get shuffled, reformatted from a list to a table, and completely changed, given the probabilistic nature of AI. That aside, AI chat makes it much easier to scan and consider more options than Google search does. Let’s look at the Google search results for “fractional CMO.” If a user wants to evaluate multiple fractional CMO options for their startup, it’s more work to do so in Google Search than in ChatGPT. Only two options appear above the fold, and each requires a click-through to read their website content. Contrast this with the experience on ChatGPT. The model gave them eight options, along with information about each one. It’s easy to read all eight blurbs and decide whom to explore further. Which leads to the other thing we really need to focus on: what the model is saying about you. 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 A bigger driver than being first on ChatGPT: Being a good fit Many search marketers focus on rankings and traffic, but rarely on messaging and positioning. This needs to change. In the case of the response for an ophthalmologist in southern New Jersey, you get an easily scannable list: Roughly 60% make their entire decision based on the response, without visiting the website or switching to Google, according to our study. So how do you drive conversion? Deliver the right message — and make sure the model shares it. Dr. Lanciano may be the best glaucoma specialist in the area. But if the model highlights Ravi D. Goel and Bannett Eye Centers for glaucoma care, and that’s what the user needs, they’ll go there. Bannett Eye Centers appears last in the AI response but may still win the conversion because of what the model says about it — something that rarely happens in Google Search. Visibility doesn’t pay the bills. Conversions do. And conversions don’t happen when customers think someone else is a better fit. Dig deeper: How to measure your AI search brand visibility and prove business impact As SEOs shift toward Dig deeper: , a mindset shift needs to occur We’re still thinking about AI search the way we’ve thought about SEO. In SEO, the top result captures most of the traffic. In AI search, it doesn’t. AI users consider more available options. Responses — and their format — change dramatically with each request. “Winning” in AI search means getting into the consideration set and being presented compellingly. It’s not about being first on a list, especially if what’s said about you misses the mark. In other words, SEOs who think like copywriters and salespeople will drive outcomes for their organizations. Dig deeper: Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both View the full article

Spanish government seeks ‘influential and meaningful position’ at helm of Eurozone central bankView the full article

The consequences from being associated with Jeffrey Epstein are mostly playing out behind closed doors rather than in courtrooms. Despite the release of millions of documents and photos that seemingly include damning evidence of impropriety and even potential criminal activity, the Epstein files haven’t yet resulted in further criminal charges. That’s not altogether surprising as an unsigned memo from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last year indicated that no further investigation into “uncharged parties” was warranted based on an “exhaustive review” of evidence that confirmed Epstein had harmed more than 1,000 victims. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has often frustrated lawmakers and advocates who continue to seek justice for Epstein’s victims. During her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week, Bondi said that the Justice Department is actively investigating individuals who might have conspired with the convicted sex offender, without specifying who those individuals are. On Saturday, Bondi sent a letter to Congress indicating that the DOJ has released “all” records, documents, communications, and investigative materials required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. That letter also contained a list of 300-plus prominent individuals whose names appear in the files, though she cautioned that their names appear “in a wide variety of contexts.” Even if the highest law enforcement agency in the country ultimately decides not to dive back into this case to bring charges, consequences have been rippling through Hollywood, Wall Street, academia, and beyond. Some prominent figures named in the files have faced a reputational reckoning that has forced them to step down from high-profile roles, while others will likely escape unscathed from the scrutiny. Resignations from Epstein fallout The list that Bondi shared over the weekend includes the names of dozens of prominent U.S. politicians, including many who have served in either the first or second term of President Donald The President’s administrations. But politicians in Europe have thus far faced more pressure to resign. In the United States, elected officials haven’t faced the most severe consequences as of yet. Rather, people beyond the Capital Beltway are reckoning with having their personal correspondences with Epstein aired out in public, though the severity of the fallout has ranged widely. Here are some business leaders who have resigned from prominent roles in recent weeks. No one on this list has been accused of a crime, but many are facing business consequences due to the reputational damage of communicating with Epstein. Casey Wasserman In a company-wide email he reportedly sent on Friday (per CNN and other media outlets), Hollywood agent Casey Wasserman announced that he is selling his talent agency after his flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in the Epstein files and high-profile clients like Chappell Roan started to jump ship from his agency. Wasserman has thus far resisted stepping down as chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Monday joined a growing chorus of people calling for his resignation. Kathryn Ruemmler The now-former general counsel for Goldman Sachs reportedly resigned last week after emails and other materials revealed her personal relationship with Epstein that included providing legal counsel and calling the disgraced financier by pet names. Ruemmler will remain with the bank until June 30 to provide a smooth transition. In a statement confirming her resignation to The New York Times, Ruemmler said: “My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’s interests first.” Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem On Friday, Dubai-based DP World announced in a regulatory statement that Bin Sulayem had resigned as chairman and CEO of one of the world’s largest logistics companies, where he’d been at the helm since 2019—and that his replacements had already been named. The Epstein files revealed a close relationship between the two men that remained long after Epstein was first convicted in 2008. Kimbal Musk The fallout from the Epstein files may be the way that many people are learning for the first time that there’s a board of directors behind Burning Man, the annual desert party. Members of the Burning Man community called for the resignation of Elon Musk’s younger brother Kimbal Musk after his correspondence with Epstein appeared in the last trove of files. But he had apparently submitted his resignation before the latest files were released, according to The San Francisco Standard. Kimbal Musk still sits on the boards of Tesla and SpaceX. Larry Summers In November, Harvard University announced that its former president Larry Summers would immediately leave his role as an instructor as the university investigated his ties to Epstein. Summers, who also served as U.S. Treasury Secretary, was seen in photos on Epstein’s private plane. Leon Black When his ties to Epstein first surfaced several years ago, Leon Black resigned from his role as CEO of investment firm Apollo Global Management and chairman of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Even though he’s largely out of the public eye now, the billionaire private equity investor surfaced again after the latest drop of Epstein files. There have been reports that some school districts have dropped plans for class pictures because of a link between Apollo, which Black led for more than three decades, and Lifetouch, which photographs students each year. Ken Murphy, CEO of Lifetouch, said in a statement that neither Black nor any of Apollo’s directors or investors ever had access to Lifetouch photos. Resisting calls to resign Even as some powerful figures have faced career-altering consequences stemming from their relationships with Epstein, other associates have resisted the pressure to resign—for now. That wait-and-see approach may ultimately mean that many of Epstein’s associates don’t face any consequences, though they may be in a period of professional limbo as the public and their respective organizations weigh the evidence. The latest release of files has been particularly reputationally damaging, though the fallout remains uneven. Without the threat of legal action by the Justice Department, some prominent people are banking on a strategy of apologizing for their links to Epstein and then vowing that they partook in no criminal activity. Whether that strategy ultimately saves them from facing consequences, only time will tell. Les Wexner The billionaire business mogul led Victoria’s Secret for more than a decade and most recently served as chair emeritus of Bath & Body Works, the company he cofounded. But he severed ties with these retailers several years ago, and will face questions from lawmakers this week about his relationship with Epstein. Though Wexner claims to have cut ties with Epstein by 2008 and has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s offenses (as reported last week by WOSU Public Media), the FBI named him as a “co-conspirator” of Epstein’s in 2019. Howard Lutnick The latest Epstein files revealed that Howard Lutnick maintained communications with Epstein more than a decade after he claimed to have cut off all contact. Lutnick testified before Congress earlier this month that he did have lunch with Epstein in 2012, years after he claimed to have cut off contact and after the financier was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a child. But he’s thus far resisted calls from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who want to see Lutnick resign or be fired. Bill Gates Things must surely be a bit awkward at the Gates Foundation lately, as the organization issued a statement following the latest release of Epstein files, while the Financial Times reported that its chief executive told staff he feels “sullied” by the foundation’s association with the disgraced financier. But Gates hasn’t stepped aside as chair and finally addressed what he called “false” allegations in an interview with an Australian TV network. “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that,” Gates said. Steve Tisch Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants and the Hollywood producer behind Forrest Gump, claims to have had only a “brief association” with Epstein. Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has promised that the league will review “all the facts” about their relationship. In a statement (as reported in January by the Athletic and other outlets), Tisch said that he now “deeply” regrets his association with the convicted sex offender, but he has thus far ignored the calls for his resignation as co-owner of the Giants. Riding it out . . . Many more prominent people are simply riding out the storm caused by their inclusion in the Epstein files, with no apparent consequences for them in sight. While many supporters of President The President called for the release of the Epstein files during the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, The President’s name was mentioned in the files some 38,000 times, along with several of his cabinet members and close associates, like billionaire Elon Musk. But it’s a topic that continues to divide voters. The President has repeatedly rejected that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity, but a majority of Americans don’t buy his story. In fact, 52% say the president is trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes, while 30% say he isn’t, according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month. While The President recently said it’s time to “turn the page” on the Epstein scandal and Bondi has said that there are no more files to come, the reputational toll may continue to play out—though largely outside of Washington, D.C. View the full article

Sandisk Corporation has announced plans for a secondary public offering. The data storage company will open up 5,821,135 common stock shares (Nasdaq:SNDK) at $545 a pop. The shares are currently owned by Western Digital Corporation (WDC), Sandisk’s former parent company. Sandisk separated from WDC nearly a year ago to the date, and subsequently joined the S&P 500 in November. Now, WDC is furthering that split. It will be left with 1,691,884 shares of common stock, but it plans to get rid of those as well. WDC intends to complete a debt-for-equity exchange with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and BofA Securities—both of which will act as selling stockholders. Sandisk says it will not personally sell any of its shares or profit from the secondary offering. The offering should close tomorrow, Thursday, February 19. Sandisk is benefiting from an AI-fueled chip memory shortage In response to the news, Sandisk’s shares have fallen over 3.5% during premarket trading on Wednesday. However, they’re still sitting very comfortably. Sandisk’s shares have risen about 148% in 2026 and nearly 1,184% in the past 12 months. Sandisk’s dramatic upward trend mirrors many of its fellow memory chip makers—including WDC’s shares (Nasdaq:WDC). WDC is up around 1.68% in premarket trading and about 422% year-over-year (YOY). Micron, another manufacturer, is up about 283% YOY. Sandisk and Macron have both benefited tremendously from this year’s global memory chip shortage. They have AI companies to thank for the extreme demand—and subsequent shortage—that makes these companies’ products extremely valuable and their respective shares skyrocket. View the full article

An analysis of 11 impacted sites reveals a strong correlation between Google visibility losses and declining AI search citations, with ChatGPT hit hardest. The post Are Citations In AI Search Affected By Google Organic Visibility Changes? appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Perplexity is abandoning advertising, for now at least. The company believes sponsored placements — even labeled ones — risk undermining the trust on which its AI answer engine depends. Perplexity phased out the ads it began testing in 2024 and has no plans to bring them back, the Financial Times reported. The AI search company could revisit advertising or “never ever need to do ads,” the report said. Why we care. If Perplexity remains ad-free, brands lose paid access to a fast-growing audience. The company previously reported that it gets 780 million monthly queries. With sponsored placements gone, brands have no way to get visibility inside Perplexity’s answers other than via organic citations. What changed. Perplexity was one of the first AI search companies to test ads, placing sponsored answers beneath chatbot responses. It said at the time that ads were clearly labeled and didn’t influence outputs. Executives now say perception matters as much as policy. “A user needs to believe this is the best possible answer,” one executive said, adding that once ads appear, users may second-guess response integrity. Meanwhile. Perplexity’s exit comes as other AI platforms experiment with ads. OpenAI is now testing ads in ChatGPT for free users, placing labeled sponsored results below answers. Google runs ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews within Search, though not in Gemini. Anthropic has publicly committed to keeping Claude ad-free. Perplexity says subscriptions are its core business. It offers a free tier and paid plans from $20 to $200 per month. It has more than 100 million users and about $200 million in annualized revenue, according to executives. Perplexity also introduced shopping features, but doesn’t take a cut of transactions, another indication it’s cautious about revenue models that could create conflicts of interest. “We are in the accuracy business, and the business is giving the truth, the right answers,” one executive said. The report. Perplexity drops advertising as it warns it will hurt trust in AI (subscription required) View the full article

Move involving 6,500 claimants is set to put pressure on other universities to compensate graduates View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung HW-QS700F dropped to $355.49 in open-box condition at Woot, which is a steep cut from its $799.99 list price. Amazon currently has it for $597.99, and the lowest it has dipped there was $397.99. So this is comfortably below its previous low, according to price trackers. “Open-box” here means it may have been repackaged due to damaged packaging but you still get the full setup: soundbar, wireless subwoofer, HDMI cable, wall mount kit, rubber feet, and a remote with batteries. Samsung HW-QS700F Soundbar $355.49 at Woot $799.99 Save $444.50 Get Deal Get Deal $355.49 at Woot $799.99 Save $444.50 This is a 3.1.2-channel system, which in plain terms means left, right, and center speakers; a dedicated subwoofer for bass; and two upward-firing speakers for height effects like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. What makes this model different is its adjustable (Convertible Fit) design, meaning it actually changes how the speakers behave depending on whether it’s sitting flat on a TV stand or mounted vertically on a wall. Built-in sensors detect the position and reassign the speaker roles so the sound still points where it should. In practice, that means you’re not sacrificing performance just because you prefer one setup over the other. The included subwoofer, too, does a good job of adding depth to movies without overwhelming dialogue. It also supports wifi and Bluetooth streaming, including Chromecast, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect, so it works easily with most phones and TVs. That said, it does not include rear speakers, so you won’t get full wraparound surround sound unless you buy extras separately. The HDMI passthrough also skips 4K at 120Hz for high-end gaming consoles, so serious gamers will need to plug directly into the TV and use eARC. Also, dialogue can reportedly sound slightly restrained in certain placements, though you can tweak levels manually. Still, for most living rooms, this soundbar setup delivers strong volume, clear detail, and convincing Atmos height in either position. At this open-box price, it's worth considering if you want flexible placement and big sound without paying flagship money. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $158.00 (List Price $179.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $329.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $229.00 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Silver) — $159.99 (List Price $219.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

When teams use different tools, someone has to keep data consistent. In a one-way sync, changes flow from a source system to a destination. The source stays authoritative, and the destination just receives updates. Bidirectional sync works differently. Changes flow in both directions. When data is updated in System A, it’s automatically updated in System B. When someone modifies System B, the change flows back to System A. The distinction matters because modern organizations rarely have a single source of truth for everyone. Engineering works in Jira. Product management works in roadmap tools. Customer success works in CRMs. Each team needs access to shared information, and each team needs to contribute updates. One-way sync forces you to pick a winner. Bidirectional sync lets multiple systems participate as equals. The technology enables a workflow pattern that wasn’t practical before: genuine tool autonomy. Teams choose the tools that fit their work, and integration handles the data consistency that would otherwise require manual copying, meetings, or a mandate to standardize on a single platform. How bidirectional sync works At its core, bidirectional sync monitors changes in connected systems and propagates those changes to keep data aligned. The process involves several components working together. Change detection identifies when data has been modified. This can happen through polling at intervals, webhook subscriptions for real-time notification, or event streams that capture every modification. Timestamp management tracks when changes occurred. When both systems modify the same record, timestamps help determine which change is more recent. Field mapping defines how data in one system corresponds to data in another. A Jira ticket’s “status” field might map to an Asana task’s “progress” field, with values translated between them. Conflict resolution handles cases where both systems change the same data. Without clear rules, bidirectional sync can create data corruption or infinite update loops. ComponentWhat It DoesWhy It MattersChange detectionIdentifies modified recordsDetermines what needs to syncTimestamp managementTracks modification timesResolves “which change wins”Field mappingTranslates data between schemasConnects different data structuresConflict resolutionHandles simultaneous editsPrevents data corruptionSync direction rulesControls which fields sync which wayEnables field-level authority The sophistication of these components determines whether a sync solution can handle real-world complexity. Simple sync tools might track changes but lack granular conflict resolution. Enterprise platforms handle field-level control over which direction updates flow, so you can define that priority comes from the roadmap tool while status comes from the engineering tracker. One-way sync vs bidirectional sync Understanding when each approach makes sense requires examining what each does well. One-way sync works when you have a clear source of truth and other systems just need to reflect that data. A reporting database that receives data from production systems benefits from one-way sync. The production systems are authoritative, and the reporting database shouldn’t send changes back. Bidirectional sync works when multiple systems need to both receive and contribute updates. When product managers update priorities in their roadmap tool while engineers update status in Jira, both changes matter. Neither system should be read-only. AspectOne-Way SyncBidirectional SyncData flowSource to destination onlyBoth directionsAuthoritySingle source of truthMultiple contributorsComplexityLowerHigherConflict riskNoneRequires managementBest forBackups, reporting, data warehousesCollaboration across tools One-way sync is simpler to implement and maintain. There’s no possibility of conflicts because only one system can make changes. But that simplicity comes with a limitation: if the destination system’s users need to modify data, they can’t. Their changes would get overwritten on the next sync. The practical question is whether your workflow requires mutual contribution. If the answer is yes, you need bidirectional sync regardless of the additional complexity. Many organizations start with one-way sync thinking it will suffice, then discover that users in the destination system need to make changes. At that point, they either switch to bidirectional sync or accept that certain changes won’t propagate. The first option costs implementation effort upfront. The second option costs ongoing manual work and data inconsistency. Challenges of implementing bidirectional sync Bidirectional sync introduces challenges that don’t exist with one-way data flow. Conflict resolution is the primary challenge. When both systems modify the same record between sync cycles, the sync process must decide which change to keep. Common approaches include: Last write wins: The most recent change takes precedence Field-level merging: Different fields can have different winners Manual review: Conflicts get flagged for human resolution Source-specific rules: Certain fields always defer to specific systems None of these approaches is perfect. Last write wins can lose important changes. Manual review creates bottlenecks. The right choice depends on your data and how critical perfect accuracy is. Schema differences create mapping complexity. Systems rarely store data the same way. One tool might use dropdown statuses while another uses freeform text. One might require fields that the other considers optional. Mapping these differences requires transformation logic that can break when either system updates. API rate limits constrain sync frequency. Most SaaS tools limit how many API calls you can make per minute or hour. High-frequency bidirectional sync can exceed those limits, forcing you to choose between real-time updates and staying within quotas. Sync loops pose data integrity risks. A poorly implemented bidirectional sync can create infinite loops: System A updates, triggering a sync to System B, which triggers a sync back to System A, and so on. Well-designed sync solutions include loop detection and change origin tracking, but simpler approaches can create cascading updates that corrupt data or exhaust API limits. ChallengeRisk LevelMitigationConflict resolutionHighClear rules for which source wins per fieldSchema mappingMediumField-level configuration with transformationAPI rate limitsMediumEvent-driven sync with retry logicSync loopsHighLoop detection and change origin trackingNetwork reliabilityMediumRetry mechanisms with idempotent operations These challenges explain why many organizations settle for manual processes or one-way sync even when bidirectional would serve them better. The overhead of building and maintaining custom bidirectional sync often exceeds the benefit. When to use bidirectional sync Certain scenarios strongly benefit from bidirectional sync. Cross-functional collaboration with tool autonomy. When engineering works in Jira and product works in Asana, bidirectional sync keeps priorities and status aligned without forcing either team to change tools. Teams can connect tools like Asana and Jira so product updates the roadmap, engineering sees the change. Engineering updates ticket status, product sees progress without checking a separate system. Customer data across sales and service. CRM data matters to both sales and customer success teams, but they might work in different tools. Bidirectional sync ensures that a phone number updated by support also updates in the sales CRM, and account notes from sales appear in support’s view. Project handoffs between departments. When work moves from planning to execution to delivery, each phase might use different tools optimized for that work. Bidirectional sync maintains context as work flows through the organization. Multi-entity organizations. Companies with multiple subsidiaries, acquired businesses, or partner networks often have different tools in different units. Bidirectional sync enables collaboration without forced standardization. ScenarioWhy Bidirectional HelpsEngineering + ProductBoth update shared data in preferred toolsSales + ServiceCustomer records stay consistentPlanning + ExecutionContext travels with workMulti-entity orgsCollaboration without tool mandates The common thread is multiple teams legitimately contributing updates to shared information. If updates only need to flow one direction, one-way sync is simpler. If both sides need to contribute, bidirectional is the only approach that actually works. The test for whether you need bidirectional sync: Ask whether users in each system make changes that the other system needs to see. If the answer is yes for both directions, one-way sync will leave you with stale data on one side. The friction of that stale data often exceeds the complexity of implementing proper bidirectional sync. Choosing a bidirectional sync solution The build-versus-buy decision for bidirectional sync typically favors buying. Custom sync implementations require ongoing maintenance as APIs change, handling edge cases that multiply over time, and monitoring infrastructure to catch failures before data diverges. Key capabilities to evaluate: Does the solution support true bidirectional sync out of the box, or does it require building two separate one-way flows? Some automation platforms can technically do bidirectional sync, but the implementation requires multiple triggers and careful orchestration to avoid conflicts. Does it offer field-level control over sync direction? The ability to specify that priority always comes from the roadmap while status always comes from engineering provides flexibility that blanket bidirectional rules don’t. How does it handle conflicts? Look for clear conflict resolution logic, preferably configurable per your workflow needs. Does it sync historical data or only new items? If you’re connecting systems that already contain data, you need initial synchronization of existing records, not just ongoing sync of new changes. What monitoring and alerting exists? Bidirectional sync failures can cause data to drift silently. Visibility into sync health matters for ongoing reliability. For work management tools where teams collaborate across platforms like Jira, Asana, and monday.com, platforms designed for two-way sync between work management tools handle the complexity of bidirectional updates, field mapping, and conflict resolution without custom development. Bidirectional sync and the future of work Organizations increasingly accept that tool standardization isn’t realistic. Teams choose tools that fit their work, and that choice deserves respect. The question isn’t how to force everyone into the same platform. It’s how to make diverse tool environments function as a coherent system. Bidirectional sync is the technical foundation for that coherence. When data flows freely between tools, teams gain autonomy without losing visibility. Product managers see engineering progress in their roadmap tool. Engineers see updated priorities in their tracker. Customer success sees sales context in their platform. No one copies and pastes. No one works with stale data. The technology exists to make multi-tool environments work as well as single-tool environments. The question is whether organizations invest in that integration or continue absorbing the hidden costs of manual data management. For teams ready to enable genuine collaboration across tools, two-way sync platforms provide the bidirectional data flow that makes tool autonomy practical. View the full article

Search behavior is no longer just people typing keywords into Google. It’s people asking questions and, in some cases, outsourcing their thinking to LLMs. As Google evolves from a traditional search engine into a more question-and-answer machine, businesses need a robust, time-tested way to respond to customer questions. AI changes how people research and compare options. Tasks that once felt painful and time-consuming are now easy. But there’s a catch. The machine only knows what it can find about you. If you want visibility across the widest possible range of questions, you need to understand your customers’ wants, needs, and concerns in depth. That’s where the “they ask, you answer” framework comes in. It helps businesses identify and create the many questions and answers prospective customers already have in mind. Always useful, it’s a practical, actionable way forward in the age of AI. An answer-first content strategy and why it matters now “They Ask, You Answer” (TAYA) is a book by Marcus Sheridan. (I strongly recommend you read it.) The concept is simple: buyers have questions, and businesses should answer them honestly, clearly, and publicly — especially the ones sales teams avoid. No dodging. No “contact us for a quote.” No “it depends” – sorry, SEO folks. TAYA isn’t just an inbound marketing strategy. It’s a practical way to map a customer-facing content strategy with an E-E-A-T mindset. The framework centers on five core content categories: Pricing and cost. Problems. Versus and comparisons. Reviews. Best in class. These categories align with the moments when a buyer is seeking the best solution, reducing risk, and making a decision. More of those moments now happen inside AI environments — on your smartphone, your PC, in apps like ChatGPT or Gemini, or anywhere else AI shows up, which at this point is nearly everywhere. At their core, these are question-and-answer machines. You ask. The machine answers. That’s why the TAYA process fits so well. The modern web is chaotic. Finding what you need can be exhausting — dodging ads, navigating layers of SERP features, and avoiding pop-ups on the site you finally click. AI is gaining ground because it feels better. Easier. Faster. Cleaner. Less chaos. More order. 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 Turning E-E-A-T into a practical content strategy You could argue we already have a north star for content creation in E-E-A-T. But have you ever tried to build a content strategy around it? Great in principle, harder in practice. They ask, you answer puts an E-E-A-T-focused content strategy on rails: Pricing supports trust, experience, and expertise. Problems show experience and trust. Versus content builds authority and expertise. Reviews build experience and trust. Best-in-class content builds authority and trust. E-E-A-T can be difficult to target because there are many ways to build trust, show experience, and demonstrate authority. TAYA maps those signals across multiple areas within each category, helping you build a comprehensive database of people-first content that AI readily surfaces. Dig deeper: How to build an effective content strategy for 2026 How to integrate TAYA with traditional SEO research The skills and tools we use as SEOs already put us in a strong position for the AI era. They can help us build an integrated SEO, PPC, and AI strategy. The action plan: Google Search Console: Go to Google Search Console > Performance. Filter queries by question modifiers such as who, what, why, how, and cost. These are your raw TAYA topics. Google Business Profile: Review keywords and queries in your Google Business Profile for additional ideas. The semantic map: Use AnswerThePublic or Also Asked. Look for secondary questions. If you’re writing about cost, you’ll often see related concerns such as financing or hidden fees. The competitor gap: Use Semrush or Ahrefs Keyword Gap tools. Don’t focus on what competitors rank for. Look for “how-to” and “versus” keywords where they have no meaningful content. That’s your land grab. Method marketing: Immerse yourself in the mindset of your ideal customer and start searching. What comes up? What does AI say? What’s missing? Tools like the Value Proposition Canvas and SCAMPER can help you evaluate these angles in structured ways. Often, you won’t go wrong by simply searching for your own products and services. AI tools and search results will surface a wide range of questions, answers, and perspectives that can feed directly into your AI and SEO content strategy. Also consider the internal sources available to you: Sales calls and sales teams. Live chat transcripts. Emails. Customer service tickets. Proposal feedback. Complaints. All of this helps you understand the question landscape. From there, you can begin organizing those insights within the five TAYA categories. TAYA and your AI-era content marketing strategy The framework centers on five core categories, reinterpreted for an answer-driven environment where Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT-like systems anticipate user needs. For each, here’s what it is, why it matters now, and examples to get you started. 1. Pricing and cost: Why we must talk about money Buyers want cost clarity early. Businesses avoid it because “it depends.” Both are true, but only one is useful. AI systems will readily summarize typical costs, using someone else’s numbers if you don’t publish your own. If you fail to provide a credible range with context, you’re effectively handing the narrative to competitors, directories, or a generic blog with a stock photo handshake. How to do it Publish ranges, not unrealistic single prices. Explain what drives costs up or down. Include example packages, such as good, better, and best. Be explicit about what’s included and excluded. Add country-specific variables where relevant, such as tax or VAT in the UK. Content examples How much does [service] cost in the UK? Include price ranges and what influences them. X vs. Y pricing: what you get at each level. The hidden costs of [solution] and how to avoid them. Budget checklist: what to prepare before you buy [product or service]. One of the most cited examples in the TAYA world is Yale Appliance. The company embraced transparent, buyer-focused content and saw inbound become its largest sales channel, alongside significant reported growth. The takeaway isn’t “go sell fridges.” It’s to answer money questions more clearly and honestly than anyone else. Do that, and you build trust at scale. 2. Problems: Turning problems into strengths This category focuses on being honest about drawbacks, limitations, risks, and who a product or service isn’t for. You have to think beyond pure SEO or GEO. A core communication strategy is taking a perceived weakness, such as being a small business, and reframing it as a strength, like a more personalized approach. Own the areas that could be seen as problems. Present them clearly and constructively so customers understand the trade-offs and context. The answer layer aims to provide balanced guidance. Pages that focus only on benefits read like marketing. Pages that acknowledge trade-offs read like advice. People can spot spin quickly. Be direct. Own your limitations. When you do, credibility increases. How to do it Create problem-and-solution guides. Include “avoid if …” sections. Address common failure modes and misuses. Be explicit about prerequisites, such as budget, timeline, skill, or access. Content examples The biggest problems with [solution] and how to mitigate them. Is [product or service] worth it? When it’s a great choice and when it isn’t. Common mistakes when buying or implementing [solution]. What can go wrong with [approach] and how to reduce risk. This is where your “experience” in E-E-A-T becomes tangible. “We’ve seen this go wrong when …” carries far more weight than “we’re passionate about excellence.” Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. Versus and comparisons People rely on comparisons to reduce cognitive load. They want clarity. What’s the difference? Comparison queries are ideal for answer engines because they lend themselves to structured summaries, tables, and recommendations. If you don’t publish the clearest comparison, you won’t be the source used to generate the clearest answer. How to do it Compare by use case, not just features. Use a consistent framework, such as price, setup, outcomes, risks, and who it suits. Include clear guidance, such as “If you’re X, choose Y.” Content examples X vs. Y: which is better for [specific scenario]? In-house vs. outsourced for [service]: cost, risk, and results. Tool A vs. Tool B vs. Tool C: an honest comparison for UK teams. Alternatives to [popular option]: when to choose each. SEO bonus: These pieces tend to earn links because they’re genuinely useful and because many competitors hesitate to name alternatives directly. Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search 4. Reviews, case studies, and credibility This isn’t about asking for a five-star review. It’s about creating review-style content that helps buyers evaluate their options. AI summaries often rely on review-style pages because they’re structured around evaluation. But generic affiliate reviews can be, at best, inconsistent in sincerity. Your advantage is first-hand experience and contextual truth. How to do it Review your own services honestly, including what clients value and where they struggle. Review the tools you use with clear pros and cons. Publish “what we’d choose and why” for different buyer types. Content examples Is [solution] worth it? Our honest take after implementing it for X clients. Best [category] tools for [persona], including limitations. The top questions to ask before choosing a [provider]. What good looks like: a checklist to evaluate [service]. If you want to be cited in AI answers, you have to sound like a source, not an ad. 5. Best in class – and the courage to recommend others Sheridan’s view, and it’s a bold one, is that you should sometimes publish “best in class” recommendations even when the best option isn’t you. That’s how trust is built. The answer layer rewards utility. If your page genuinely helps users choose well, it becomes the kind of resource systems are more likely to reference. How to do it Build “best for” lists based on clear criteria, not hype. Explain how you evaluated the options. Include scenarios where each option wins or loses. Content examples Best [solutions] for [use case] in 2026, including criteria and picks. Best [service] providers for [industry] and what to look for. Best budget, best premium, best for speed, best for compliance. If I were buying this today: the decision framework I’d use. The goal is for your brand to become a trusted educator, not just a vendor. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with TAYA as the playbook for answer-first visibility Strategic content marketing in the age of AI centers on middle-of-the-funnel content, where AI helps prospects make informed decisions. The content you publish and organize on your website remains the foundation, and SEO remains the backbone of AI visibility. When leveraged effectively, TAYA is a powerful way to map what you should be addressing and to build a content strategy that ensures you’re represented across the AI landscape. In practice, that means building an editorial program where: Every piece begins with a real buyer question. The five core categories prioritize decision-stage content, not just awareness content. Traditional SEO research validates language and demand. Content is written to satisfy both the human, through clarity and confidence, and the machine, through structure, specificity, evidence, and balanced trade-offs. This shift also changes how success is measured. In classic SEO, the win was rank, click, convert. In the AI era, the win is often be the source, earn trust, be chosen, with or without the click. If your content is the clearest, most in-depth, most honest, and most experience-backed explanation available for the questions buyers are already asking, then whether someone discovers it through Google, Gemini, ChatGPT, or elsewhere, you’ve built something durable. Which is what strong SEO has always been about. The window has changed. The principles haven’t. Dig deeper: Mentions, citations, and clicks: Your 2026 content strategy View the full article

Nationalists on the continent have historically opposed America more than anything else View the full article

As Big Tech faces criticism for the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, companies have said the technology will actually help solve climate change. But those claims often lack scientific evidence, a new report finds. And when touting the climate benefits of AI, tech companies conflate “traditional AI” with the more environmentally harmful generative AI, a form of “bait-and-switch” that amounts to greenwashing. The report, commissioned by a group of environmental organizations including Beyond Fossil Fuels, Friends of the Earth, and Stand.earth, analyzed 154 statements from tech companies, including those from Google and Microsoft, which purported that AI will have a “net climate benefit.” Most of those comments relate to “traditional” AI, the analysis found, which has a smaller environmental footprint than the generative AI tools that are spurring a boom in data centers. Tech companies, however, tend to lump these technologies together, the report says, blurring the differences and presenting the climate benefits and environmental harms as a “package deal.” But whether those climate benefits are real is also unclear. Only 26% of those statements cite published academic papers, the research found, and 36% don’t cite any evidence at all. Of the remaining statements, 29% cited corporate publications—the majority of which did not include peer-reviewed or published academic work—and 8% cited media, NGOs, or unpublished academic papers. Questionable AI evidence The rapid expansion of AI has come under fire for its potential environmental harms. Reports on generative AI’s climate impact vary, but the tech has been linked to intense energy and water use. Tech companies have justified their AI expansion by pointing to AI’s climate benefits. One of the most widespread claims is that AI could help mitigate 5% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Google has repeated that statistic, including in its 2024 environmental report. That figure, however, comes from a 2021 blog post by consulting firm BCG which attributes it to the firm’s own “experience with clients.” “This questionable extrapolation of massive global climate benefits justified on seemingly anecdotal evidence was the first clear instance of what has become a longer-term trend of overstating the climate benefits of AI,” the report reads. In reality, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects total data center consumption, driven by AI, will double by 2030—and Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that this increase will grow total global power sector emissions by 10% over the coming decade. In another example, Google’s 2025 environmental report said that rooftop solar power installations assisted by an AI mapping tool would “help enable partners to reduce around 6 million metric tons of lifetime GHG emissions.” Google also said that figure would be “around 6,000 times greater” than the service’s operation in 2024. But the Beyond Fossil Fuels report says that Google’s footnotes reveal that the 6 million figure is an estimate of the total emissions avoided by rooftop solar because they produce low-emissions energy, not the additional reductions from the AI mapping tool. This detail could “create the impression,” the report notes, that the climate benefits are attributed to the AI tool. In response to a request for comment, a Google spokesperson told Fast Company that it stood by its methodology, “which is grounded in the best available science. And we are transparent in sharing the principles and methodology that guide it.” (That methodology does not mention AI.) Microsoft, also cited in the report, declined to comment. What even counts as ‘AI’? To many, any mention of “AI” has become synonymous with generative AI—examples of which include large language models like Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot, and image or video generating services like Midjourney and Sora. But not all AI is “generative.” Traditional AI, an umbrella term that covers subsets like machine learning, has been powering all sorts of technology for years, from search engines and recommendation algorithms to medical imaging. Generative AI consumes more energy and is associated with more emissions than traditional AI. When tech companies talk about AI’s climate benefits, though, they can conflate the two terms, or position them like a “package deal.” Most AI climate benefits will come from traditional AI, the report found. In its analysis, the researchers said that “at no point” did they “uncover examples in which consumer generative systems were leading to a material, verifiable, and substantial level of emissions reductions.” So climate benefit claims are attributed to traditional AI, but the majority of energy consumption comes from generative AI. The surge in data center demand is largely driven by the exploding demand for generative AI. Those data centers are also directly spurring more natural gas in the U.S. The confusion between these terms matters, the report says, because it amounts to a “bait-and-switch” type of greenwashing: Tech companies are justifying their data center expansion by touting AI’s climate benefits, though most of those data centers “will not be processing climate-beneficial computation on their servers. “Big Tech’s AI hype is distracting users from the rapid and dangerous expansion of giant, energy and water-intensive data centers, while the tech industry’s huge energy demands are throwing the fossil fuel industry a lifeline,” Jill McArdle, international corporate campaigner from Beyond Fossil Fuels, said in a statement. “There is simply no evidence that AI will help the climate more than it will harm it,” she added. “We cannot bet the climate on these baseless claims.” View the full article

Shares of Fiverr International Ltd. (NYSE: FVRR) are dropping significantly this morning after the freelance marketplace platform reported its Q4 2025 financial results. While the company reported modest revenue growth, its 2026 outlook sent the stock plunging, even as Fiverr executives put a positive spin on the impact of artificial intelligence on its business. Here’s what you need to know. Revenue increases, but outlook sends investors fleeing On Wednesday morning, Fiverr reported its fourth-quarter 2025 results. And those results, for the most part, were mixed. The company saw modest growth in total revenue, which rose to $107.2 million in the quarter—a 3.4% increase from a year earlier. Its revenue actuals fall on the lower end of the $104.3 million to $112.3 million range that the company had projected. However, once you get past the modest revenue growth, you see that Fiverr disappointed on many other key metrics. For example, its marketplace revenue for the quarter was $71.5 million, which was 2.7% lower than the same quarter a year earlier. Perhaps more worrying, and looking out across its entire fiscal 2025, Fiverr reported that its annual active buyers as of December 31 totaled 3.1 million. That’s down from 3.6 million annual active buyers a year earlier—a decline of half a million buyers, or 13.6% year over year. Interestingly, though, this 13.6% decline in the number of annual active buyers was offset to a large degree by an increase of 13.3% in annual spend per buyer. For the 2025 fiscal year, Fiverr says that the average annual buyer spent $342 compared to the average of $302 they spent in the previous year. What this suggests is that while there were fewer buyers in 2025, they spent more on average than they did in 2024. Yet this mixed bag of results isn’t what seems to have sunk Fiverr’s stock price this morning. Instead, the main catalyst for Fiverr’s stock price decline seems to be its 2026 guidance. For its current Q1 2026, the company says it expects to make between $100 million and $108 million. That would represent a decline of anywhere from 7% to a modest increase of 1%. And for all of fiscal 2026, the company says it expects to make between $380 million and $420 million in revenue, which would represent a decline of anywhere between 12% and 3%. As noted by investing.com, analysts had been expecting Q1 2026 guidance to be around $112.26 million and full-year 2026 guidance to be around $456.80 million. When these expectations weren’t met, the stock sank. Fiverr shares are currently down nearly 21% in premarket trading as of the time of this writing. AI uncertainty abounds Of course, the elephant in the room for Fiverr investors is artificial intelligence. For over a decade and a half, businesses have turned to Fiverr to source freelancers who could help them carry out projects, from design to coding. But in recent years, those same businesses have begun embracing AI tools for many of those tasks. This has led many investors (and freelancers who sell services on Fiverr) to ponder the platform’s future in a world where AI tools are increasingly commonplace. Fiverr itself didn’t say if the rise of these AI tools were the reason for its declining Q1 marketplace revenue, but the company did touch on the topic of AI, attempting to put a somewhat positive spin on it. Address the topic, Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman said that is was “clear that we are living through a significant shift in AI adoption,” but he argued that this AI adoption would make humans “more essential, not less.” “By moving toward an agentic economy, where AI helps navigate complexity, we are ensuring that we remain the bridge between businesses and the most exceptional human talent,” Kaufman argued. “With our expansive global talent network, outcome based hiring model, and depth of proprietary data, Fiverr has a unique right to win in this new age of AI.” Whether or not AI actually has a positive impact on Fiverr’s marketplace remains to be seen. It will likely be one of the main points of focus for Fiverr investors in 2026. FVRR has had a horrible 2026 so far As of the time of this writing, FVRR stock is down nearly 21% in premarket trading to $10.79 per share. As of yesterday, the company’s stock price had already fallen more than 33% for the year to $13.10. Unfortunately, looking back further doesn’t help the company’s position. Over the past year, FVRR shares have lost more than 60% of their value as of yesterday’s close. Last May, the stock was trading at over $33 per share at one point. During the same 12-month period, the New York Stock Exchange composite index has risen by nearly 6%. View the full article

A points program is a structured rewards system that allows you to earn points primarily through purchases. Each dollar spent typically translates into a set number of points, which you can later redeem for discounts or exclusive items. These programs usually require you to create an account to track your points, and they often include guidelines on how long your points last and how you can use them. Comprehending the mechanics behind these programs can improve your shopping experience considerably. Key Takeaways A points program is a rewards system that encourages customer engagement through earning points from purchases and referrals. Customers earn points at predetermined rates, commonly 1 point per $1 spent, for various activities. Points can be redeemed for discounts, exclusive products, or other rewards, enhancing customer loyalty. Successful programs, like Starbucks Rewards, significantly boost customer spending and retention. Clear policies on point expiration and redemption options are essential for effective program management. What Is a Loyalty Points Program? A loyalty points program is a rewards system designed to encourage customer engagement by allowing you to earn points through various actions, such as making purchases or referring friends. These points act as virtual currency, which you can redeem for discounts, free products, or exclusive perks once you reach a specified threshold. Typically, you’ll need to create an account to track your earned points, making it easier to monitor your progress. Loyalty points programs come in different structures, including flat-rate, tiered, and gamified models, each aimed at incentivizing distinct customer behaviors and engagement levels. Successful programs can greatly boost customer retention and satisfaction; studies show that 78% of consumers prefer brands offering loyalty rewards. Major retailers like Starbucks and Target effectively utilize loyalty points programs, with Starbucks Rewards accounting for over 50% of U.S. store sales in 2023, illustrating the program’s potential impact on revenue. How Loyalty Points Programs Function Loyalty points programs operate by assigning points to customers based on specific actions, primarily purchases and referrals. When you participate in a loyalty program, you typically earn points at a predetermined rate, like one point for every dollar spent. Furthermore, points can be awarded for various engagement activities, which encourages you to interact more with the brand. You can redeem the points you accumulate for rewards, discounts, or exclusive products once you reach a certain threshold, enhancing the value of your loyalty. Effective loyalty programs guarantee seamless integration between earning and redeeming processes, making it easy for you to track your points and rewards. Clear policies regarding point expiration, redemption options, and the visibility of your point balance are vital for maintaining satisfaction and encouraging your ongoing engagement with the program. Benefits of Loyalty Points Programs Many businesses find that implementing a points program offers significant benefits, particularly in improving customer retention and boosting revenue. Loyalty points programs can increase customer retention by 5–10 times, making them a cost-effective alternative to acquiring new customers. Customers enrolled in these programs tend to spend 12–18% more annually compared to non-members, directly contributing to higher overall revenue. Furthermore, members who actively redeem rewards typically spend 3.1 times more than those who don’t engage with the rewards system. In addition, these programs improve customer satisfaction by providing personalized rewards and exclusive deals, which strengthen emotional connections with your brand. You can also gain valuable insights into customer purchasing habits through data collected from loyalty programs, allowing for customized marketing strategies that resonate with your audience. Incorporating features like credit card points can further incentivize spending, making your loyalty program even more attractive. Examples of Successful Points-Based Programs Successful points-based programs have emerged as effective tools for enhancing customer loyalty and driving sales across various industries. Here are some notable examples: Starbucks Rewards: Members earn 1 Star for every $1 spent, redeemable for free items starting at just 25 Stars, greatly contributing to over 50% of U.S. store revenue in 2023. Target Circle: With over 100 million members, this points program allows customers to earn 1% back on purchases, along with exclusive deals and personalized savings that can be combined with Target RedCard benefits. Gap Good Rewards: This program integrates across multiple brands, offering 1 point per $1 spent, with 100 points equating to a $1 reward, plus exclusive benefits for higher-tier members. Adidas adiClub: Members earn 10 points for every €1 spent and for engaging in app activities, revealing tier-based benefits and exclusive access to limited-edition products. How to Create a Points-Based Loyalty Program Creating a points-based loyalty program can greatly improve customer engagement and retention if you approach it with a clear strategy. Start by defining measurable objectives, like increasing customer retention or average order value, to guide your program’s structure and rewards. Next, select a technology platform that integrates seamlessly with your eCommerce system to manage point accumulation and redemption efficiently. Establish clear earning and redemption rules, such as awarding 1 point per $1 spent, and guarantee the redemption threshold is achievable to motivate participation. Design an engaging customer interface, including a mobile-friendly dashboard, so members can easily track their points and rewards status. Finally, promote the program through targeted marketing strategies, such as email campaigns and social media, to encourage customers to sign up for the loyalty program and maintain ongoing interest in its benefits. Following these steps will help you create a successful points-based loyalty program. Frequently Asked Questions How Does the Points Program Work? A points program allows you to earn points through specific actions like purchases or referrals. You typically earn a point for every dollar spent, and special promotions can offer bonus points. Once you reach a set threshold, you can redeem points for discounts or products. Many programs have tiered structures, providing faster point accumulation as you engage more. Seamless tracking and redemption improve your experience and promote loyalty. How Much Is 5000 Points Worth in Dollars? The value of 5000 points varies depending on the loyalty program’s structure. Typically, if 100 points equal $1, then 5000 points would be worth about $50. Nevertheless, you should check the specific program rules, as some may have minimum redemption thresholds or different point values based on tier levels. Furthermore, the value can fluctuate based on the type of rewards offered, so comprehending your options is vital for maximizing your points. How Do Points Programs Make Money? Points programs generate revenue by encouraging customer loyalty and repeat purchases. When you join a program, you typically spend more, which boosts overall sales for the business. These programs provide valuable insights into your shopping habits, helping companies tailor their marketing strategies. By partnering with other brands, they can improve rewards, attracting even more customers. In the end, retaining existing customers is less costly than acquiring new ones, making these programs financially beneficial for businesses. What Is an Example of a Point Based Program? One notable example of a points-based program is Starbucks Rewards. In this program, you earn 1 Star for every $1 spent, and once you accumulate 25 Stars, you can redeem them for free items. This model not just incentivizes repeat purchases but additionally greatly contributes to the brand’s revenue, highlighting how effective points programs can be in nurturing customer loyalty and driving sales. Other brands, like Target and Adidas, utilize similar structures. Conclusion In conclusion, a points program is an effective way for businesses to cultivate customer loyalty by rewarding purchases and engagement. By allowing customers to earn points that can be redeemed for various benefits, these programs not merely incentivize repeat business but additionally improve customer satisfaction. Implementing a well-structured points-based loyalty program can greatly contribute to a brand’s success, encouraging ongoing relationships with customers as well as providing them valuable rewards for their loyalty. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is a Points Program and How Does It Work?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Eufy FamiLock S3 Max is a deadbolt, a 2K video doorbell, and a small indoor monitor in one device. Right now it’s $279.98 on Amazon, down from $399.99, which price trackers list as its lowest price to date. Eufy FamiLock S3 Max $279.98 at Amazon $399.99 Save $120.01 Get Deal Get Deal $279.98 at Amazon $399.99 Save $120.01 PCMag gave it an “excellent” rating and named it the best smart lock of 2025 (for more options, check out this roundup). While that context helps justify the cost, it’s still a premium buy—you’re paying for convenience and consolidation. Instead of installing a separate lock, doorbell camera, and indoor display, this wraps all three into one setup with local storage. In practice, that means fewer gadgets around your door and fewer apps to juggle. The exterior panel of this IP65-rated smart lock houses a 2K HDR camera with a wide 180-degree view, so packages left at the edge of the frame are less likely to get cut off. At night, infrared kicks in automatically. The keypad stays dark until you tap it, then lights up clearly enough to use, and the palm vein scanner works quickly and consistently, which makes it more practical than fingerprint readers, which can struggle in bad weather. If you prefer traditional access, you can still fall back on a physical key, a passcode, the mobile app, or voice control through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Assistant. Also, there’s a four-inch 1080p screen on the interior unit that shows a live view of whoever is outside, essentially replacing a peephole. That's helpful in homes that never had one, or for anyone who prefers not to pull out their phone every time the bell rings. Power comes from a 15,000mAh rechargeable battery rated for up to five months, with four AA batteries as backup. It fits standard doors and installs like a typical smart lock, though the hardware is larger than most. As for its integrations and storage, it supports Matter, the cross-platform smart home standard, so you are not locked into one ecosystem. That said, it does not support IFTTT, which limits more niche automations. Video is stored locally on 15.5GB of built-in memory, which avoids a monthly fee, and it can expand up to 16TB through Eufy’s HomeBase 3 (sold separately). Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $158.00 (List Price $179.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $329.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones — $229.00 (List Price $349.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet (Silver) — $159.99 (List Price $219.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Soaking in a warm bath can be relaxing, but nothing beats the soothing convenience of a hot shower. Like everything else in your house, your shower will start to show its age long before it stops being useful, leaving you to have a functional but uninspiring experience every day. If you can afford to remodel, that’s not a huge problem. But if you’re stuck with a shower that’s lost its shine and you can’t afford to tear it out and start over, there are a lot of affordable, easy ways to upgrade your shower with just a few purchases and minimal effort. Spruce up tiles with this shower-safe paintIf your shower tiles are in good shape but make you sad every time you step in there, you don’t have to rip them out and find a contractor to replace them—just paint them. Using a specific shower-safe product like Rust-Oleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit, you can make your shower into a fresh, bright space in just a few hours. You’ll need to scrub the shower pretty thoroughly, protect any surfaces you don’t want to paint, and make sure the bathroom is well-ventilated before you get started, but otherwise it’s as easy as painting a wall, and the results can be shockingly good. Add a towel warmer to make your daily shower feel more like a spaIf you’ve never experienced a towel warmer, then I am about to change your life for the better: Stepping out of a shower and wrapping yourself in a warm towel is one of those simple pleasures that can start your day off right. You don’t need to hang anything on the wall or wire-in some fancy towel rack. A freestanding towel warming box like this looks great and keeps those towels (as well as robes, blankets, or even pajamas) at the comfiest temperature possible. It’ll make your daily shower feel more like a spa trip. SereneLife Luxury Rectangle Towel Warmer - Spa & Bathroom Heater with Custom Fragrance, Auto Shut-Off, Fits 2 large Towels, Blankets, Bathrobes, PJ's - Perfect Gift for Him & Her (Natural Wood) $109.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $109.99 at Amazon Install corner shelves to your shower stall to organize bottlesIf your shower is storage-poor and you’ve got a collection of gross shampoo and soap bottles on the floor, investing in some corner shelves is an easy way to get organized. You have several options, from metal shelves that fit into the grout lines between tiles to adhesive shelves that simply stick to your walls. Whichever one you choose, you’ll instantly make your shower look neater and feel more coherent. Increase storage with a hanging or free-standing shower caddyIf you need storage but adding shelves isn’t possible or practical, a shower caddy is a good solution. A lot of old-school shower caddies are kind of unsightly, especially once they start to rust, or become gunked up with soap scum and mold. An attractive teak caddy that hangs from the showerhead is a nicely upgraded option, though. If you prefer a freestanding option, this unit from Yamazaki is good-looking, simple, and affordable. Upgrade your showerhead to something more luxuriousIt seems obvious once you think about it: The most crucial aspect of your shower experience is the showerhead itself. Few things are worse than a weak water stream in your morning shower, so if your showerhead has seen better days, swapping it out for a fresh one is an instant (and easy) upgrade. And if you’re going to swap it out, why not go for a spa-like showerhead like this one from Moen that comes with a detachable handheld hose, or perhaps a rainfall showerhead for a luxurious upgrade. Midanya Round Rainfall Shower Head High Pressure Stainless Steel Waterfall Large Rain Shower Head Ultra Thin Design,Oil Rubbed Bronze 12 Inch $44.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $44.99 at Amazon Add a water-resistant shower benchSeating in the shower is a subtle luxury, but once you have a bench in there, you’ll wonder how you lived without one. Not only does a water-resistant teak bench look great, it makes it easier and safer to scrub your legs and feet or shave your legs. It also makes it possible to just turn up the hot water and sit for a few minutes, basking in the heat. Install a sound system into your showerWe often treat showers as chores we have to race through before we tackle our day, but a shower can be a retreat, a few minutes of peace that rejuvenate and motivate. One way to make that happen is to upgrade your shower with a waterproof speaker like this one so you can play some music while you shower. For a more streamlined look, you could consider a showerhead with a built-in speaker so you can enjoy your playlist without cluttering up your shower space. Swap your regular shower curtain rod for a curved rodIf your shower has a curtain, one of the most impactful upgrades is also the cheapest: a curved curtain rod. This does require some basic DIY skills to install, but it’s well worth it: Curved rods hold the curtain out away from you while you shower, ensuring that a slimy curtain never wraps itself around you. It also makes the shower feel larger because you’re not hemmed in as much. Add wall-mounted soap dispensers to your showerNothing makes a shower look less attractive than a collection of scuzzy plastic shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles crammed into a niche. An easy upgrade win is to get those bottles off the floor and out of the niche by hanging them on the wall in neat, efficient dispensers. The Squeezi is a cheap and easy solution: It slides over the shampoo or soap bottle, then affixes to the wall via good old-fashioned suction, so you don’t need to refill dispensers constantly. If you want a more elegant, hotel-like look, this no-drill dispenser is just the ticket. View the full article

With more than two decades in SEO, I’ve lived through every major disruption the industry has faced — from stuffing meta keywords to rank on AltaVista to Google reshaping search, to mobile-first indexing, and now AI. What feels different today is the speed of change and the emotional weight it carries. I see growing pressure across teams, even among seasoned professionals who have weathered every major shift before this one. Many have a legitimate concern: If AI can do this faster, where do I fit in? That’s not a technical question. It’s a human one. That uncertainty affects morale and adoption. Productivity slows. Experimentation stalls. Teams either overuse AI without judgment or avoid it altogether. The real leadership challenge is about building confidence, capability, and trust in AI-assisted teams. 4 tips for building AI confidence in SEO teams Building real confidence in AI within an SEO team isn’t about deploying new tools. It’s about shifting the culture. The most effective SEO teams aren’t the ones adopting the most tools. They use AI intentionally and with discipline. They automate data pulls, summarize research, and cluster keywords. This allows teams to focus on strategy, storytelling, and stakeholder alignment. Technology adoption is largely cultural, as Harvard Business School has noted. Tools alone don’t drive change. Trust does. That insight applies directly to SEO teams navigating AI today. Below are four strategies for building AI confidence in your teams through clarity, participation, and shared ownership, not pressure or hype. 1. Earn trust by involving the team in AI tool selection and workflow design A practical way to strengthen trust is to move from top-down implementation to shared ownership. People trust what they help create. When AI is imposed on a team, resistance increases. Inviting people into evaluation and workflow design makes AI feel less intimidating and more empowering. Bringing teams in early also surfaces real-world insight into where AI reduces friction or introduces new risks. Effective leaders: Invite teams to test tools and share feedback. Run small experiments before scaling adoption. Communicate clearly about what you’re adopting, what you’re rejecting, and why. When teams feel included, they’re more willing to experiment. They learn and stretch into new capabilities. That openness fuels growth and innovation. Dig deeper: Why SEO teams need to ask ‘should we use AI?’ not just ‘can we?’ 2. Meet people where they are – not where you want them to be AI capability varies widely across SEO teams. Some practitioners experiment daily. Others feel overwhelmed or skeptical, often because they’ve seen past automation trends come and go. Leaders who strengthen confidence understand that capability develops at different speeds. They create environments that encourage curiosity, where uncertainty is normal, and learning happens continuously, not just when it’s mandated. That means: Normalizing different comfort levels. Creating psychological safety around “I don’t know yet.” Avoiding shame or over-celebration of early adopters. Offering multiple learning paths. Recognizing different starting points makes progress feel achievable rather than threatening. 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 3. Celebrate wins and highlight champions Confidence grows through visible success. When someone uses AI to cut a task from hours to minutes, it’s more than a productivity gain. It proves AI can support real work without replacing human judgment. Effective teams: Share clear examples of AI improving quality and efficiency. Highlight internal champions who can mentor others. Create space for demos and knowledge sharing. Reinforce a culture of experimentation, not judgment. My agency formed AI focus groups with members from across the organization. One group focused on integrating AI into project management, with representatives from SEO, operations, and leadership. That shared ownership made adoption more successful. Teams weren’t just implementing AI; they were shaping how it fit into real workflows. The result was stronger buy-in, better collaboration, and greater confidence across the team. Each group shared its successes and lessons. This built awareness of what worked and why. Momentum builds when teams see their peers using AI responsibly and effectively. Dig deeper: The future of SEO teams is human-led and agent-powered 4. Frame AI as a collaborative partner, not a replacement Fear of replacement is real. Ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. Teams need explicit clarity about where human expertise still matters. Reframing AI as a partner means emphasizing: AI handles volume. Humans handle nuance. AI accelerates analysis. Humans interpret meaning. AI drafts. Humans validate, refine and contextualize. AI scales output. Humans build trust and influence. AI can help with execution, but it can’t replace strategic instincts, contextual judgment, or cross-functional leadership. Those are the skills that ultimately move performance forward. Why experience still matters in AI-driven SEO AI has lowered the barrier to entry for many SEO tasks. With effective prompts, almost anyone can generate keyword lists, outlines, or summaries. With that accessibility, we see many short-lived tactics and recycled “quick wins.” Anyone who’s been in SEO long enough has seen this cycle before. The tactics change. The fundamentals don’t. This is where experience becomes the differentiator. AI can generate outputs, not accountability AI can produce content and analyze data, but it doesn’t own outcomes. It doesn’t carry responsibility for brand reputation, compliance, or long-term performance. SEO professionals remain accountable for: Deciding what to exclude from publication. Assessing technical, reputational, and compliance risks. Weighing long-term consequences against short-term gains. AI executes. Humans decide. That distinction matters more than ever. Pattern recognition is learned, not automated AI excels at surfacing patterns. It struggles to explain why they matter or whether they apply in a specific context. Experienced SEOs bring a depth of understanding that AI can’t replicate. Their historical background helps them distinguish true shifts from industry noise. Few industries have seen as many tactics rise and fall as SEO. Experience enables strategic thinking beyond what worked before and helps avoid repeating tactics that once succeeded but later failed. AI suggests possibilities. Experience evaluates relevance. Professional integrity remains a differentiator In high-visibility search environments, mistakes scale quickly. AI can produce inaccuracies and hallucinations. These errors can put brands at risk of losing trust and facing compliance issues. Teams with strong professional SEO foundations: Validate AI output instead of assuming correctness. Prioritize accuracy over speed. Maintain ethical SEO standards. Protect brand voice and credibility. Integrity isn’t automated. It’s practiced. In a high-speed AI environment, that discipline matters even more. Dig deeper: How to build and lead a successful remote SEO team Growing the SEO profession in an AI era AI is accelerating SEO execution. As routine tasks become automated, the SEO professional’s role shifts to strategic oversight. Time once spent on manual analysis can be redirected to interpreting user intent, shaping search strategy, guiding stakeholders, and assessing risk. This makes fundamentals more important. Teams still need sound judgment, technical expertise, and accountability. AI can support execution, but professionals remain responsible for decisions, quality, and long-term performance. Developing the next generation of SEOs requires more than proficiency with tools. It requires teaching: When to rely on AI. When to challenge it. How to apply experience and context to its output. View the full article

Google has finally fully rolled out the Google Search Console AI-powered configuration tool. Google wrote on LinkedIn, "The Search Console's new AI-powered configuration is now available to everyone! Have you already tried it?"View the full article

Move SEO upstream into leadership decisions to safeguard visibility, enforce standards, and scale sustainable search performance. The post Enterprise SEO Operating Models That Scale In 2026 And Beyond appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The future looks green for Mike’s Red Tacos. The San Diego-based taco restaurant currently has only two locations, but it has caught the attention of the restaurant investors who made Dave’s Hot Chicken a scorching success. This week, the restaurant announced that it has secured franchise development agreements for more than 200 new locations around the country. Mike’s Red Tacos was founded as a food truck in 2021 by Mike Touma, followed by a brick-and-mortar location in 2022. The brand is gaining a fast-growing following on social media following—and now it’s primed for nationwide expansion. Fast casual with a taco twist Mike’s Red Tacos specializes in Birria—a traditional, slow-cooked Mexican stew dish that’s typically made from beef, lamb, or goat—which has exploded in popularity in recent years, largely due to social media trends. It can now be found, in various forms, on menus at numerous Mexican chains, including Taco Bell, Del Taco, and others. Mike’s Red Tacos is receiving support from early-stage investors and advisors Bill Phelps and Andrew Feghali. Phelps is executive chairman of Dave’s Hot Chicken, cofounder of Wetzel’s Pretzels, and a founding investor in Blaze Pizza. He tells Fast Company that very few restaurants catch his eye, but Mike’s ticked all the boxes. “I love entrepreneur-started businesses, and guys that have figured things out,” Phelps says. “The product is just amazing. It’s so good, it’s like a breakthrough within a category.” He adds that in the strata of Mexican chains, Mike’s sits in the fast-casual lane, closer to a chain like Chipotle, rather than a fast-food chain like Taco Bell. “We’ve learned over the years how to do the model for a fast-casual rollout in the franchise world, so we were able to put a team together very quickly of people we worked with before.” “There’s a lot of competition” Phelps says that he first walked into a Mike’s Red Tacos around a year ago, and immediately saw the potential. That’s a relatively rare occurrence. “It’s been once every five years we see something that looks really great and then we go for it,” Phelps says. “We like founder-created businesses that have incredible quality, but don’t know how to scale them—that’s what we bring to the party. We make a deal that is a great for the founder and for us (investors).” He knows success isn’t guaranteed, of course. “You need to leave your ego at the door,” he says. “There’s a lot of competition. A lot of work to do. You need to work your ass off.” A lot of that work will fall on Vincent Montanelli, a seasoned industry executive, who was named the company’s president. Previously, he held various leadership roles at Wetzel’s Pretzel’s. All told, the 200 or so Mike’s Red Tacos locations will be spread across 25 markets around the country, including Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Boston, and other locations around Southern California. The first new location is expected to open in San Diego in March, with a new, corporate-run location opening in Pasadena later this spring. View the full article

Earlier this month, we covered Google testing what we called contextual overlay link cards in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Well, Google officially began rolling them out yesterday, and they are more like hover-over pop-up link cards.View the full article

Google Ads may be automatically enabling paused keywords in your advertising accounts. I am waiting for a statement from Google on this but there are reports that this is being done through the low activity system bulk changes.View the full article

Party’s new ‘shadow chancellor’ is seeking to present a more conservative economic policy platform View the full article

Google Ads is now showing in the "When and where ads showed" report, the ability to see PMax, Performance Max, reporting. So you can see the placement, type, network and impressions you are getting from your PMax campaigns.View the full article

Google is losing one of its main sources of information for its Knowledge Graph, the CIA World Factbook. This was a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency between 1962 and 2026 with almanac-style information about the countries of the world.View the full article