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Baby care brand Frida is facing online backlash after screenshots of sexual innuendos in its marketing materials began circulating on social media. Frida, which describes itself as “the brand that gets parents,” sells a range of baby care, fertility, and postpartum products through major retailers, including Target. Last week, an X user shared images of several products’ packaging, writing: “sexual jokes to market baby products is actually sick and twisted @fridababy this is absolutely appalling and disgusting.” The post has since gained almost five million views on X. Among the examples highlighted is a social media graphic promoting the company’s 3-in-1 True Temp thermometer. The image shows the device next to a baby’s bottom, accompanied by the caption: “This is the closest your husband’s gonna get to a threesome.” sexual jokes to market baby products is actually sick and twisted @fridababy this is absolutely appalling and disgusting pic.twitter.com/cXhiksoaY8 — stace 🩵🪲 (@staystaystace) February 12, 2026 Other screenshots highlighted by critics include phrases such as “How about a quickie?” printed on a thermometer box. An apparent Instagram post from 2020 that has since resurfaced also features a baby with what seems to be snot on its face. The caption reads: “What happens when you pull out too early.” Parents and critics online have accused the company of sexualizing children in its marketing choices, with posts on parenting forums calling for boycotts of the company’s products. A Change.org petition to “hold Frida Baby accountable” has more than 4,000 verified signatures at the time of writing. Not everyone agrees with the criticism. “IMO, this is akin to Disney putting in jokes that only parents will get,” one Reddit user wrote. “They know who the decision-makers are. Frida is marketing to the parents.” Others argue the tone crosses a clear line. A statement from Frida emailed to multiple publications reads in part: “Our products are designed for babies, but our voice has always been written for the adults caring for them. Our intention has consistently been to make awkward and difficult experiences feel lighter, more honest, and less isolating for parents. It continued: “That said, humor is personal. What’s funny to one parent can feel like too much to another.” Fast Company has reached out to Frida Baby for comment. A scroll through Frida’s social media shows the brand has long leaned into a deliberately risqué tone, often relying on double entendres and innuendo to target parents. In April, it teased a new product on Instagram with the line, “Take your top off.” Its current “Show us what your boobs can do” campaign aims to destigmatize breastfeeding by spotlighting what it calls “milk-making boobs.” As more brands adopt informal, attention-grabbing voices online, the lesson here is clear: context matters. View the full article

Neel Kashkari hits out at The President adviser who criticised research showing tariffs harm AmericansView the full article

About 1.3% of residential properties in the United States were vacant at the beginning of the year, Attom found. View the full article

Search is no longer a blue-links game. Discovery increasingly happens inside AI-generated answers – in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLM-driven interfaces. Visibility isn’t determined solely by rankings, and influence doesn’t always produce a click. Traditional SEO KPIs like rankings, impressions, and CTR don’t capture this shift. As search becomes recommendation-driven and attribution grows more opaque, SEO needs a new measurement layer. LLM consistency and recommendation share (LCRS) fills that gap. It measures how reliably and competitively a brand appears in AI-generated responses – serving a role similar to keyword tracking in traditional SEO, but for the LLM era. Why traditional SEO KPIs are no longer enough Traditional SEO metrics are well-suited to a model where visibility is directly tied to ranking position and user interaction largely depends on clicks. In LLM-mediated search experiences, that relationship weakens. Rankings no longer guarantee that a brand appears in the answer itself. A page can rank at the top of a search engine results page yet never appear in an AI-generated response. At the same time, LLMs may cite or mention another source with lower traditional visibility instead. This exposes a limitation in conventional traffic attribution. When users receive synthesized answers through AI-generated responses, brand influence can occur without a measurable website visit. The impact still exists, but it isn’t reflected in traditional analytics. At the core of this change is something SEO KPIs weren’t designed to capture: Being indexed means content is available to be retrieved. Being cited means content is used as a source. Being recommended means a brand is actively surfaced as an answer or solution. Traditional SEO analytics largely stop at indexing and ranking. In LLM-driven search, the competitive advantage increasingly lies in recommendation – a dimension existing KPIs fail to quantify. This gap between influence and measurement is where a new performance metric emerges. 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 LCRS: A KPI for the LLM-driven search era LLM consistency and recommendation share is a performance metric designed to measure how reliably a brand, product, or page is surfaced and recommended by LLMs across search and discovery experiences. At its core, LCRS answers a question traditional SEO metrics can’t: When users ask LLMs for guidance, how often and how consistently does a brand appear in the answer? This metric evaluates visibility across three dimensions: Prompt variation: Different ways users ask the same question. Platforms: Multiple LLM-driven interfaces. Time: Repeatability rather than one-off mentions. LCRS isn’t about isolated citations, anecdotal screenshots, or other vanity metrics. Instead, it focuses on building a repeatable, comparative presence. That makes it possible to benchmark performance against competitors and track directional change over time. LCRS isn’t intended to replace established SEO KPIs. Rankings, impressions, and traffic still matter where clicks occur. LCRS complements them by covering the growing layer of zero-click search – where recommendation increasingly determines visibility. Dig deeper: Rand Fishkin proved AI recommendations are inconsistent – here’s why and how to fix it Breaking down LCRS: The two components LCRS has two main components: LLM consistency and recommendation share. LLM consistency In the context of LCRS, consistency refers to how reliably a brand or page appears across similar LLM responses. Because LLM outputs are probabilistic rather than deterministic, a single mention isn’t a reliable signal. What matters is repeatability across variations that mirror real user behavior. Prompt variability is the first dimension. Users rarely phrase the same question in exactly the same way. High LLM consistency means a brand surfaces across multiple, semantically similar prompts, not just one phrasing that happens to perform well. For example, a brand may appear in response to “best project management tools for startups” but disappear when the prompt changes to “top alternatives to Asana for small teams.” Temporal variability reflects how stable those recommendations are over time. An LLM may recommend a brand one week and omit it the next due to model updates, refreshed training data, or shifts in confidence weighting. Consistency here means repeated queries over days or weeks produce comparable recommendations. That indicates durable relevance rather than momentary exposure. Platform variability accounts for differences between LLM-driven interfaces. The same query may yield different recommendations depending on whether a conversational assistant, an AI-powered search engine, or an integrated search experience responds. A brand demonstrating strong LLM consistency appears across multiple platforms, not just within a single ecosystem. Consider a B2B SaaS brand that different LLMs consistently recommend when users ask for “CRM tools for small businesses,” “CRM software for sales teams,” and “HubSpot alternatives.” That repeatable presence indicates a level of semantic relevance and authority LLMs repeatedly recognize. Recommendation share While consistency measures repeatability, recommendation share measures competitive presence. It captures how frequently LLMs recommend a brand relative to other brands in the same category. Not every appearance in an AI-generated response qualifies as a recommendation: A mention occurs when an LLM references a brand in passing, for example, as part of a broader list or background explanation. A suggestion positions the brand as a viable option in response to a user’s need. A recommendation is more explicit, framing the brand as a preferred or leading choice. It’s often accompanied by contextual justification such as use cases, strengths, or suitability for a specific scenario. When LLMs repeatedly answer category-level questions such as comparisons, alternatives, or “best for” queries, they consistently surface some brands as primary responses while others appear sporadically or not at all. Recommendation share captures the relative frequency of those appearances. Recommendation share isn’t binary. Appearing among five options carries less weight than being positioned first or framed as the default choice. In many LLM interfaces, response ordering and emphasis implicitly rank recommendations, even when no explicit ranking exists. A brand that consistently appears first or includes a more detailed description holds a stronger recommendation position than one that appears later or with minimal context. Recommendation share reflects how much of the recommendation space a brand occupies. Combined with LLM consistency, it provides a clearer picture of competitive visibility in LLM-driven search. To be useful in practice, this framework must be measured in a consistent and scalable way. Dig deeper: What 4 AI search experiments reveal about attribution and buying decisions How to measure LCRS in practice Measuring LCRS demands a structured approach, but it doesn’t require proprietary tooling. The goal is to replace anecdotal observations with repeatable sampling that reflects how users actually interact with LLM-driven search experiences. 1. Select prompts The first step is prompt selection. Rather than relying on a single query, build a prompt set that represents a category or use case. This typically includes a mix of: Category prompts like “best accounting software for freelancers.” Comparison prompts like “X vs. Y accounting tools.” Alternative prompts like “alternatives to QuickBooks.” Use-case prompts like “accounting software for EU-based freelancers.” Phrase each prompt in multiple ways to account for natural language variation. 2. Confirm tracking Next, decide between brand-level and category-level tracking. Brand prompts help assess direct brand demand, while category prompts are more useful for understanding competitive recommendation share. In most cases, LCRS is more informative at the category level, where LLMs must actively choose which brands to surface. 3. Execute prompts and collect data Tracking LCRS quickly becomes a data management problem. Even modest experiments involving a few dozen prompts across multiple days and platforms can generate hundreds of observations. That makes spreadsheet-based logging impractical. As a result, LCRS measurement typically relies on programmatically executing predefined prompts and collecting the responses. To do this, define a fixed prompt set and run those prompts repeatedly across selected LLM interfaces. Then parse the outputs to identify which brands are recommended and how prominently they appear. 4. Analyze the results You can automate execution and collection, but human review remains essential for interpreting results and accounting for nuances such as partial mentions, contextual recommendations, or ambiguous phrasing. Early-stage analysis may involve small prompt sets to validate your methodology. Sustainable tracking, however, requires an automated approach focused on a brand’s most commercially important queries. As data volume increases, automation becomes less of a convenience and more of a prerequisite for maintaining consistency and identifying meaningful trends over time. Track LCRS over time rather than as a one-off snapshot because LLM outputs can change. Weekly checks can surface short-term volatility, while monthly aggregation provides a more stable directional signal. The objective is to detect trends and identify whether a brand’s recommendation presence is strengthening or eroding across LLM-driven search experiences. With a way to track LCRS over time, the next question is where this metric provides the most practical value. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Use cases: When LCRS is especially valuable LCRS is most valuable in search environments where synthesized answers increasingly shape user decisions. Marketplaces and SaaS Marketplaces and SaaS platforms benefit significantly from LCRS because LLMs often act as intermediaries in tool discovery. When users ask for “best tools,” “alternatives,” or “recommended platforms,” visibility depends on whether LLMs consistently surface a brand as a trusted option. Here, LCRS helps teams understand competitive recommendation dynamics. Your money or your life In “your money or your life” (YMYL) industries like finance, health, or legal services, LLMs tend to be more selective and conservative in what they recommend. Appearing consistently in these responses signals a higher level of perceived authority and trustworthiness. LCRS can act as an early indicator of brand credibility in environments where misinformation risk is high and recommendation thresholds are stricter. Comparison searches LCRS is also particularly relevant for comparison-driven and early-stage consideration searches. LLMs often summarize and narrow choices when users explore options or seek guidance before forming brand preferences. Repeated recommendations at this stage influence downstream demand, even if no immediate click occurs. In these cases, LCRS ties directly to business impact by capturing influence at the earliest stages of decision-making. While these use cases highlight where LCRS can be most valuable, it also comes with important limitations. Dig deeper: How to apply ‘They Ask, You Answer’ to SEO and AI visibility Limitations and caveats of LCRS LCRS is designed to provide directional insight, not absolute certainty. LLMs are inherently nondeterministic, meaning identical prompts can produce different outputs depending on context, model updates, or subtle changes in phrasing. As a result, you should expect short-term fluctuations in recommendations and avoid overinterpreting them. LLM-driven search experiences are also subject to ongoing volatility. Models are frequently updated, training data evolves, and interfaces change. A shift in recommendation patterns may reflect platform-level changes rather than a meaningful change in brand relevance. That’s why you should evaluate LCRS over time and across multiple prompts rather than as a single snapshot. Another limitation is that programmatic or API-based outputs may not perfectly mirror responses generated in live user interactions. Differences in context, personalization, and interface design can influence what individual users see. However, API-based sampling provides a practical, repeatable reference point because direct access to real user prompt data and responses isn’t possible. When you use this method consistently, it allows you to measure relative change and directional movement, even if it can’t capture every nuance of user experience. Most importantly, LCRS isn’t a replacement for traditional SEO analytics. Rankings, traffic, conversions, and revenue remain essential for understanding performance where clicks and user journeys are measurable. LCRS complements these metrics by addressing areas of influence that currently lack direct attribution. Its value lies in identifying trends, gaps, and competitive signals, not in delivering precise scores or deterministic outcomes. Viewed in that context, LCRS also offers insight into how SEO itself is evolving. 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 What LCRS signals about the future of SEO The introduction of LCRS reflects a broader shift in how search visibility is earned and evaluated. As LLMs increasingly mediate discovery, SEO is evolving beyond page-level optimization toward search presence engineering. The objective is no longer ranking individual URLs. Instead, it’s ensuring a brand is consistently retrievable, understandable, and trustworthy across AI-driven systems. In this environment, brand authority increasingly outweighs page authority. LLMs synthesize information based on perceived reliability, consistency, and topical alignment. Brands that communicate clearly, demonstrate expertise across multiple touchpoints, and maintain coherent messaging are more likely to be recommended than those relying solely on isolated, high-performing pages. This shift places greater emphasis on optimization for retrievability, clarity, and trust. LCRS doesn’t attempt to predict where search is headed. It measures the early signals already shaping LLM-driven discovery and helps SEOs align performance evaluation with this new reality. The practical question for SEOs is how to respond to these changes today. The shift from position to presence As LLM-driven search continues to reshape how users discover information, SEO teams need to expand how they think about visibility. Rankings and traffic remain important, but they no longer capture the full picture of influence in search experiences where answers are generated rather than clicked. The key shift is moving from optimizing only for ranking positions to optimizing for presence and recommendation. LCRS offers a practical way to explore that gap and understand how brands surface across LLM-driven search. The next step for SEOs is to experiment thoughtfully by sampling prompts, tracking patterns over time, and using those insights to complement existing performance metrics. View the full article

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I live in a lovely touristy small city with a university. It’s a great place to live, with lots of services and things to do for its size. I have a job in my field which I still enjoy in some ways, but I’ve been in it for 10 years and am terribly bored. I’ve really pushed the boundaries of my position and am feeling so stuck. I’ve been actively applying in town for three years. It’s rare that positions come up, and when they do, they are inundated with candidates. Our city is known for having a “scenery tax” and having wildly educated baristas. So in the past year, I’ve started applying to positions in different states and have received two offers, but I’d go to visit and they just didn’t seem like as nice of places to live, so I turned them down. I don’t know what to do. Part of me feels selfish for thinking about moving. We have a great community and I have two little kids who are doing well here. But I get really sad when I think about this job being my whole career. I know people living here face this problem all the time. I’d love to hear from folks who either stayed or went and how it shook out. Readers, please share your thoughts in the comment section. The post ask the readers: should I leave a great city that I love to expand my job options? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Misgivings came before The President lashed out at London’s deal to cede ownership of Chagos Islands to MauritiusView the full article

When Sergey Brin spoke at Stanford University’s school of engineering centennial celebration recently, the Google co-founder was open about his career mistakes. “When you have your cool new wearable device idea, really fully bake it before you have a cool stunt involving skydiving and airships,” he joked, referring to the infamous Google Glass flop. But one misstep he admitted to might surprise a lot of people who dream of the day they can quit their 9-to-5. “I actually retired like a month before Covid hit, and it was the worst decision,” Brin said. He was such a failure at retirement that he has since returned to everyday work at Google, spearheading its efforts to catch up in the AI race. Going back to work just for fun might sound like a uniquely billionaire move. But a stack of research suggests that Brin’s dissatisfaction in retirement and subsequent decision to return to work isn’t that uncommon. His story contains an essential but often overlooked lesson that can help anyone better plan their retirement. Why Sergey Brin unretired Like many people, Brin had a relaxing vision for his post-working life. “I was gonna sit in cafés and study physics, which was my passion at the time,” he told the Stanford audience. Fate intervened in the form of Covid. But Brin wasn’t dissatisfied with his retirement just because he was locked in his house all day. “I was just kind of stewing and felt myself spiraling, not being sharp,” he recalled. After the Google offices partially reopened, he started going in occasionally. Eventually, he “started spending more and more time on what later became called Gemini, which is super-exciting. To be able to have that technical creative outlet, I think that’s very rewarding, as opposed to if I’d stayed retired. I think that would’ve been a big mistake,” he added. Retirement struggles aren’t just for billionaires Brin’s issues with retirement are his own. More people dream of days on the golf course than pouring over physics textbooks. But Brin’s feelings of listlessness and intellectual decline are not at all exclusive to billionaires. When researchers from European business school Insead surveyed entrepreneurs who had gone through a big exit and become financially independent, they discovered many decided to retire. And many soon regretted it. “It is perfectly normal to discover that life post-financial freedom isn’t as happy as one might have expected it to be,” the researchers summed up. It’s not just restless entrepreneurs. Another recent study of retired Japanese salarymen revealed similar patterns. Having given so much of themselves to their careers, they often felt unmoored and purposeless when they left their jobs. Their retirement was “characterized by boredom—having nowhere to go to or having nothing to do. The sense of boredom led to a sense of isolation and low confidence in old age,” explained study author Shiori Shakuto. Adherents of the popular financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement scrimp and sacrifice to retire early. Only for many of them to discover their dream of post-work life does not match reality. Several have written about the experience. “If you’ve spent decades in a career working 40 hours a week, it’s hard to suddenly stop working. Many early retirees feel uncomfortable feeling unproductive. As a result, they unretire to work on something meaningful. … It’s easy to get bored with 40 hours of extra free time a week,” wrote ex-FIRE early retiree Sam Dogen in one such blog post. A good retirement isn’t all about money All of this evidence, as well as Sergey Brin’s experience, point in the same direction. We tend to think of a successful retirement as a numbers game. If you save enough to be comfortable and indulge in whatever activities you enjoy, the end of working life should represent the start of the golden years. But all the people involved in these studies were set financially. Brin has a net worth north of $200 billion. Clearly, money is not the issue. The problem is purpose. As Brin’s fellow billionaire Bill Gates recently wrote: “As life expectancies go up, many people are living for years and even decades after they stop working. That sounds like a luxury, and it is in a lot of ways—but it is also a lot of time to fill.” Gates fills his time with philanthropy. Brin is back to building AI. The rest of us will probably not spend our post-work years doing anything as grand. But the same truth applies. If you think only about finances and not enough about how to meaningfully fill your days in retirement, you’re probably not going to enjoy yourself much. You also might, in Brin’s words, feel “less sharp.” Science has shown having purpose helps stave off dementia as well as boosts happiness. Sergey Brin’s lesson for the rest of us This doesn’t mean we should all work until we drop, of course. Instead, experts insist the essential takeaway is the need to plan for meaning as well as money. “It’s never too early, or too late, to start thinking about what you would want to do after achieving financial freedom. What would you do with your money and time?” the Insead researchers ask. So the next time you check the balance of your retirement savings account, take a moment to think not just about how much you will save, but also how you will spend your time. As Sergey Brin’s unretirement reminds us, even billions of dollars can’t guarantee you a good retirement if you don’t plan for purpose in your post-work life, too. —Inc. This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. View the full article

They say job hunting is just like dating. Some are taking that advice literally. “Job market so bad I’m using Hinge to find work,” one job seeker posted on TikTok in December. Sharing a look at her dating app profile, in place of a photo of her best angle, she instead uploaded a snapshot of her résumé. Answering the prompt “a life goal of mine,” she wrote “to find work in the creative industries.” Since it was posted in December, the video has gained almost a quarter of a million views. In a recent update, the TikTok user shared that Hinge has since taken down her profile for breaking their policies. But she is not the only one. Others are also using this unconventional method to get their profiles in front of hiring managers. One claimed to land a six-figure job from a match on Bumble. “Sometimes I use hinge to match with people in my career field and ask if they’re hiring,” another posted. “It’s called being resourceful, innovative and bold,” they wrote in the caption. As sites like LinkedIn are overwhelmed with applications and employers rely on AI résumé screeners, applicants are finding creative ways to get their foot in the door. In a recent Glassdoor community pool, 29% of respondents said that they were using or considered using dating apps for career purposes. While networking on dating apps isn’t new, it appears to be a growing trend. A ResumeBuilder.com survey of about 2,200 U.S. dating site customers in October also found a third of dating app users had used the platforms for job or career-related purposes in the past year. Nearly one in 10 say it was the primary reason they used dating apps, with the most common platforms being Tinder, Bumble, and Facebook Dating. It’s not just those hoping to break into entry-level positions. Almost half of those using dating apps for job-related purposes reported incomes of more than $200,000. For many, the strategy has paid off—43% say they gained mentorship or career advice from networking on the apps, while 39% landed an interview, 37% received a referral or lead, and 37% received a job offer. One survey participant called the new job-hunting practice “weird but effective,” while another said, “It worked, but you need the audacity to ask.” Of course, the lines quickly become blurred when seeking employment in an environment designed for hookups and romantic pursuits. Especially if there’s a power balance at play. But desperate times call for desperate measures. It now takes more than 23 weeks on average for an unemployed person in the U.S. to find a new job. For one in four unemployed people, or 1.8 million Americans, they are still job hunting six months later. Long-term unemployment is now at its highest level in three years. Under these circumstances, it’s no surprise job seekers are turning to any means necessary to find new connections. And hey, it’s better than the inverse: anyone using LinkedIn as a personal dating pool. View the full article

The annual NFL tradition of firing the head coach as the season ends continues. This year, 10 top coaches got the axe, a staggering 31% of all NFL coaches. And they include football legends like John Harbaugh, after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, and Sean McDermott, who took the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs in eight out of nine seasons. Firing the head coach—just like firing the CEO in the business world—is the easy answer, and it looks good in the media: decisive, forward-looking, taking action. But, most times, this act alone falls short of fixing the problems that contributed to an organization’s failures. PART OF A SYSTEM In reality, the CEO is part of a system, and it’s the system that matters. You can have a B player CEO with a great team and board and deliver significant performance and culture gains. Alternatively, you can have an A player CEO with a weak board and team and fail spectacularly. If you only focus on “fixing the CEO,” you’re not focused on the right problem and can’t get to the right solution. Yet CEO turnover is at its highest level in more than a decade, according to a 2026 Spencer Stuart study reported in The Wall Street Journal. In fact, approximately one in nine CEOs were replaced in 1,500 large companies in 2025, including the CEOs of Disney, HP, Lululemon, PayPal and Procter & Gamble. Disney illustrates the downside of this. Just ask Bob Chapek. Sure, he had a rough three years as CEO of Walt Disney Co. before the board summarily fired him and brought back his predecessor, Bob Iger. Disney stock, at $125 a share when Chapek took over in February 2020, had fallen almost 40% to $90 by the time he got the axe on November 20, 2022. Iger arguably is one of the best CEOs in decades, and he rebuilt the company with incredibly successful acquisitions (Pixar, Marvel Entertainment, Star Wars, the Muppets). But his two years back at the top were less than stellar: Disney shares are up 17% since he took over, while the S&P media and entertainment index rose 99% in the same period. Obviously, Chapek alone wasn’t the problem, just as Iger alone wasn’t the solution. Rarely is the executive at the very top solely responsible for what went wrong. It owes to a multitude of weaknesses: illogical organization models, conflicting agendas, turf battles, reporting structures that don’t align with the company strategy, and communication lapses. There is rarely an objective assessment done ensuring the board is aligned with a new CEO or a new market entry for what success looks like, and the structures and talent required to achieve that success. This is especially true in the unforgiving and bottom-line-obsessed world of private equity (PE). The biggest myth in PE (and pro football) is that if you get the CEO right, and you get the strategy right, you will get the numbers you want on the scoreboard. Every CEO is encumbered by their surroundings. A PE board is possibly 50% of the CEO’s success or failure, and in my experience, a lack of alignment between how each part defines success is a root issue. Leaders of PE-funded businesses must also operate under very compressed timeframes that leave little room for exiling and replacing a CEO. By the time the CEO has been exiled, it can be even harder—or too late—to drive a successful outcome. A TEAM APPROACH This is why, again, even B player CEOs with strong teams and supportive boards find success, while A-rated commanders often falter with the wrong organization structure and fractured boards. The CEO is but one part of a whole system that must play well together, including the board, key team members, business partners, core customers, and suppliers. Yet highly intelligent and competitive people often miss their biggest and most controllable opportunity to ensure their CEO is positioned for success. That is to better manage their own decision-making, accountability, and communication as board members and teammates and ensure the organization is designed for success. Alice Mann is founder and CEO of Mann Partners. View the full article

When evaluating what makes an effective accounting software interface, consider the importance of user-friendly design and intuitive navigation. A well-organized menu structure allows quick access to crucial features, whereas customizable dashboards can improve your overall experience. Robust reporting tools and automation features streamline financial management, ensuring efficiency. Furthermore, regular updates based on user feedback can adapt the interface to meet changing needs. Comprehending these elements can greatly impact your choice of software for managing finances effectively. Key Takeaways A user-friendly design with intuitive navigation reduces the learning curve and enhances task completion efficiency. Customizable dashboards allow users to focus on key financial metrics relevant to their specific needs. Strong reporting features with real-time data visualization facilitate informed decision-making and financial monitoring. Robust security measures, such as encryption and multi-factor authentication, protect sensitive financial information. Continuous improvement through user feedback ensures the software evolves to meet changing user needs and preferences. Importance of User-Friendly Design When you consider the role of accounting software in managing finances, it’s important to recognize the significance of a user-friendly design. A well-designed accounting software interface can reduce the learning curve by up to 50%, enabling you to navigate and utilize billing software for accountants efficiently. Intuitive layouts with clear labeling not only improve productivity but can also enhance task completion times by 20-30%. Furthermore, incorporating helpful prompts guarantees you experience less frustration, leading to a 70% increase in satisfaction during your initial use. Responsive designs that allow mobile access are important too, with over 60% of users preferring to manage finances on-the-go. A consistent layout promotes familiarity, improving user retention rates by 40%, which is critical for effective accounting workflow management software. Intuitive Navigation and Layout When you use accounting software, a clear menu structure and logical workflow design are vital for efficiency. You’ll find it easier to navigate fundamental functions like invoicing and expense tracking when these elements are well-organized. A thoughtfully designed interface not just streamlines your tasks but furthermore improves your overall experience by minimizing confusion and errors. Clear Menu Structure A clear menu structure is vital for effective accounting software, as it allows users to navigate through various functions with ease. This is particularly important in workflow software for accountants, where efficiency is key. Here are three fundamental features of a clear menu structure: Logical Categorization: Functions like invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting should be grouped logically. Visual Cues: Icons and other visual elements can guide users, making it easier to find what they need, regardless of whether they’re unfamiliar with accounting terminology. Consistent Design: Consistency across different modules helps users predict where to find features, reducing confusion and speeding up task completion. Additionally, incorporating a search functionality improves user experience by allowing quick access to specific features, minimizing frustration. Logical Workflow Design An effective accounting software interface prioritizes logical workflow design, enabling users to navigate effortlessly between various functions while minimizing the number of clicks needed to complete tasks. Intuitive layouts, with clear labeling and organized categories, improve your experience and boost productivity, whether you’re a novice or an expert. Consistency in design elements, like color schemes and button placements, helps you quickly familiarize yourself with the interface, making it easier to locate tools. Incorporating visual cues, such as icons and tooltips, guides you through complex processes, streamlining workflows and reducing data entry errors. Regularly gathering user feedback is essential for refining the interface, ensuring it meets your needs for logical navigation and ease of use. Customization Options for User Preferences When using accounting software, having customization options is crucial for tailoring your experience. You can create personalized dashboard layouts to highlight the metrics that matter most to your business, as well as choosing themes and colors that align with your brand identity. This level of customization not only improves usability but also guarantees that your workspace feels uniquely yours. Personalized Dashboard Layouts How can personalized dashboard layouts transform your experience with accounting software? By allowing you to customize how you view key financial metrics, these layouts improve usability and efficiency. With options like drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily rearrange widgets to prioritize the information that matters most to you. Here are three benefits of personalized dashboard layouts: Tailored Metrics: Select which data points to display, such as cash flow, profit margins, or expense tracking, ensuring you focus on your crucial operations. Pre-built Templates: Utilize customizable templates that fit various business needs, making data visualization simpler and more effective. Increased Engagement: Improved personalization features lead to higher user satisfaction, encouraging you to adopt the software that best aligns with your working style. Theme and Color Choices Customizing theme and color choices in accounting software can greatly improve your overall user experience, making it a crucial feature for many users. By selecting specific hues like blue, which promotes trust, or green, which encourages a calm environment, you can improve your comfort during long sessions. Furthermore, an effective interface should allow you to adjust font sizes and styles, catering to different readability needs for better accessibility. Personalized interfaces not merely boost engagement but likewise lead to a more efficient workflow. For instance, creating customizable dashboards with color-coded charts helps you interpret data quickly, improving your decision-making processes. Overall, these customization options guarantee that the software aligns with your personal preferences and working style. Clear Dashboards and Reporting Features A well-designed accounting software interface includes clear dashboards and strong reporting features that greatly improve user experience and decision-making. With these tools, you can easily monitor your financial health at a glance, without getting lost in multiple screens. Here are three crucial elements: Customizable Reports: Tailor your financial reports to meet specific business needs, making data more relevant and useful. Intuitive Visualizations: Use graphs and charts to simplify complex financial data, helping you spot trends and anomalies quickly. Real-Time Reporting: Access the latest financial information, ensuring timely decisions and responsiveness to market changes. Integration With Other Business Tools Though many businesses rely on accounting software for financial management, integration with other business tools is essential for maximizing efficiency and accuracy. Effective accounting interfaces seamlessly connect with CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and payroll services, facilitating smooth data flow. This integration supports real-time data synchronization, keeping financial information current and reducing manual entry errors. For instance, automating invoice generation from sales data captured in a CRM can greatly improve productivity. Furthermore, compatibility with third-party applications allows you to tailor your accounting solution to specific needs, such as linking inventory management tools. Research shows that businesses using integrated accounting solutions can experience up to a 20% increase in operational efficiency, underscoring the importance of cohesive software ecosystems. Accessibility Across Devices How vital is it for accounting software to be accessible across multiple devices? In today’s fast-paced world, it’s imperative. A mobile-responsive design allows you to access your financial data and perform tasks on smartphones and tablets, perfect for remote work or on-the-go management. Here are three key benefits: Cross-Platform Compatibility: You can switch between devices without losing functionality or data integrity, boosting productivity. User-Friendly Design: Intuitive elements like touch-friendly buttons make managing finances easier on smaller screens. Consistent Experience: Familiar layouts across devices minimize the learning curve for new users, leading to quicker adoption. Ultimately, 70% of users prefer accounting software that’s easily accessible across devices, highlighting its significance in user satisfaction. Responsive Customer Support Availability In addition to device accessibility, responsive customer support availability plays a significant role in the overall effectiveness of accounting software. You’ll want options like 24/7 live chat and phone assistance, ensuring that any issues you encounter can be quickly resolved. An extensive knowledge base with how-to articles and FAQs improves your experience by providing immediate access to solutions. Video tutorials help you learn at your own pace, whereas user forums create a collaborative environment for sharing tips and guidance. Timely updates and proactive outreach from support teams build trust and satisfaction. Support Feature Description 24/7 Live Chat Instant assistance anytime you need it Phone Support Speak directly to a representative for complex issues Knowledge Base Access to articles and FAQs for self-help Video Tutorials Learn software features at your convenience User Forums Connect with other users for shared experiences Security Features and Data Protection When selecting accounting software, security features and data protection should be top priorities, as these elements safeguard your sensitive financial information from potential threats. Effective software offers several key security measures: Advanced Encryption Protocols – These protect your data during transmission and storage, ensuring it remains confidential. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – This adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple identity verifications, making unauthorized access more difficult. Regular Software Updates – Timely updates and patches address vulnerabilities, keeping your software resilient against emerging cyber threats. Additionally, user permissions and audit trails bolster security by limiting data access and tracking user activity, ensuring that only authorized personnel can view sensitive information. Prioritizing these features helps secure your financial data effectively. Automation of Routine Tasks Even though many businesses still rely on manual processes, automating routine tasks through effective Intuit software can greatly improve efficiency and accuracy. By automating invoicing, expense tracking, and payroll processing, you could save up to 40 hours a month. Automation features likewise generate timely financial reports, providing real-time insights. Data entry is simplified through bank feeds and receipt scanning, which can improve data accuracy by up to 80%. Automated reminders for payment due dates help maintain consistent cash flow and reduce late payments by about 30%. Many software solutions offer customizable workflows customized to your specific business needs, enhancing overall productivity. Task Manual Process Time Automated Process Time Invoicing 10 hours 2 hours Expense Tracking 12 hours 3 hours Payroll Processing 15 hours 4 hours Financial Reporting 8 hours 1 hour Regular Software Updates and Improvements Regular software updates and improvements play a crucial role in maintaining the security and functionality of accounting software. By regularly updating, you’re not just fixing bugs; you’re elevating your overall experience and keeping your data secure. Here are three key benefits: Security Improvement: Approximately 60% of data breaches happen because of unpatched vulnerabilities, so updates are critical for protecting your information. User Interface Enhancements: Well-designed updates can boost user satisfaction by 50%, making navigation and functionality more intuitive. Compliance Adjustments: Updates often reflect changes in tax regulations, helping you avoid penalties and ensuring compliance. Incorporating user feedback into these updates can additionally reduce the learning curve, making your accounting tasks smoother and more efficient. Onboarding and Training Resources Effective onboarding and training resources are vital for ensuring you get the most out of your accounting software. Step-by-step tutorials simplify initial setups and functionalities, boosting your confidence from the start. Thorough training programs like webinars and interactive demos cater to different learning styles, ensuring everyone grasps fundamental concepts. A well-organized knowledge base offers searchable how-to articles, allowing you to troubleshoot independently. Access to live support during onboarding provides immediate assistance for quick resolutions. Continuous learning opportunities, including refresher courses and updates on new features, keep you informed and engaged. Resource Type Description Benefits Step-by-Step Tutorials Guides you through the setup process Builds user confidence Webinars Live sessions covering fundamental features Engages different learning styles Knowledge Base Searchable articles for troubleshooting Reduces support reliance Live Support Immediate help during onboarding Quick resolution of questions User Feedback for Continuous Improvement Gathering user insights is essential for improving your accounting software interface. By implementing an iterative design process, you can make adjustments based on real feedback, ensuring that the changes align with user needs. This approach not just improves functionality but additionally cultivates a more user-friendly experience, making your software more effective for everyone involved. Gathering User Insights How can you guarantee your accounting software continuously meets user needs? Gathering user insights is essential for ongoing improvement. By actively seeking feedback, you can identify which features are underutilized and address usability issues effectively. Consider these key strategies: Regular Feedback Sessions: Host sessions to gather insights directly from users, which can boost satisfaction by 20-25%. Implement Feedback Mechanisms: Use tools like surveys and focus groups to gather real-time feedback, nurturing community and improving retention. Incorporate User Input: Adjust your software based on user suggestions, leading to faster adoption rates and addressing pain points swiftly. Iterative Design Process Even though user feedback remains vital for refining accounting software, implementing an iterative design process can greatly improve its effectiveness. This approach involves gathering user insights through surveys, interviews, and usability testing, helping you identify areas for improvement. Regularly scheduled feedback sessions, like bi-weekly or monthly check-ins, guarantee that user insights are continuously integrated into design updates. You can analyze data from user interactions, such as navigation patterns and feature usage, to inform design decisions effectively. Prototyping and A/B testing enable you to compare different interface designs, refining features based on user preferences. Establishing a feedback loop is critical; collecting user input and acting upon it leads to a more intuitive and efficient accounting software interface that meets real user needs. Implementing Suggested Changes To effectively implement suggested changes based on user feedback, it’s essential to establish a systematic approach that guarantees ongoing improvements to the software interface. Consider these key steps: Regularly collect user feedback through surveys and interviews to identify areas for improvement, ensuring users feel heard and valued. Analyze user interaction data to pinpoint common challenges and friction points within the interface. This helps target upgrades that improve usability. Implement a structured feedback loop where users can suggest changes directly within the software. This facilitates an ongoing dialogue between users and developers. The Role of Aesthetic Design in Usability Aesthetic design plays a crucial role in the usability of accounting software, as it directly influences how users perceive and interact with the interface. Studies reveal that 94% of first impressions are design-related, which greatly impacts usability and user satisfaction. A visually appealing interface can boost user engagement, leading to a 20-50% increase in retention. Consistent design elements, like color schemes and typography, create familiarity, making navigation easier and reducing the learning curve. Effective use of whitespace lowers cognitive load, allowing you to focus on critical tasks without feeling overwhelmed. Furthermore, user-centered design principles, such as responsive layouts and clear visual hierarchy, enable you to complete tasks quickly and accurately, enhancing overall productivity in managing finances. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Key Features of Accounting Software? Key features of accounting software include automation for invoicing and expense tracking, which helps you save time and reduce errors. Thorough reporting tools allow you to generate real-time financial analyses, aiding in decision-making. Multi-currency support is crucial for businesses operating internationally, ensuring accurate transactions. Furthermore, robust security features like encryption and multi-factor authentication protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access, making them fundamental for maintaining compliance and safeguarding financial information. What Is an Interface in Accounting? An interface in accounting is the visual and interactive framework that enables you to navigate the software efficiently. It includes elements like menus, icons, and dashboards that display vital financial metrics. A user-friendly interface allows you to access functions such as invoicing and reporting quickly. Effective interfaces often feature prompts and tooltips, which help guide you through complex tasks, reducing the time needed to learn how to use the software effectively. What Features Should Be There in an Ideal Accounting System? An ideal accounting system should include features like invoicing, expense tracking, and payroll management to simplify financial processes. You’ll benefit from robust reporting tools that provide real-time insights and customizable reports for informed decision-making. Multi-currency support is vital if you operate globally, allowing smooth transactions across different currencies. Furthermore, verify the software complies with tax regulations to avoid legal issues and maintain accurate financial records, streamlining your accounting tasks effectively. What Are the 5 Characteristics That Are Common to All Effective Accounting Systems? Effective accounting systems share five key characteristics. First, they offer intuitive navigation, so you can easily perform tasks without extensive training. Second, they provide real-time dashboards, helping you quickly assess financial health. Third, customizable reporting tools enable personalized insights. Fourth, integration with other business systems streamlines workflows and improves data consistency. Finally, strong security measures, like encryption and multi-factor authentication, protect sensitive information, ensuring your financial data remains safe and trustworthy. Conclusion To conclude, an effective accounting software interface relies on user-friendly design, intuitive navigation, and customizable features. By prioritizing clear dashboards, robust reporting tools, and seamless integration with other business tools, you improve usability and efficiency. Regular updates and user feedback guarantee the software evolves to meet changing needs. Aesthetic design furthermore plays an essential role in maintaining user engagement. In the end, focusing on these elements leads to a more effective and satisfying user experience in financial management. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Makes an Effective Accounting Software Interface?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When evaluating what makes an effective accounting software interface, consider the importance of user-friendly design and intuitive navigation. A well-organized menu structure allows quick access to crucial features, whereas customizable dashboards can improve your overall experience. Robust reporting tools and automation features streamline financial management, ensuring efficiency. Furthermore, regular updates based on user feedback can adapt the interface to meet changing needs. Comprehending these elements can greatly impact your choice of software for managing finances effectively. Key Takeaways A user-friendly design with intuitive navigation reduces the learning curve and enhances task completion efficiency. Customizable dashboards allow users to focus on key financial metrics relevant to their specific needs. Strong reporting features with real-time data visualization facilitate informed decision-making and financial monitoring. Robust security measures, such as encryption and multi-factor authentication, protect sensitive financial information. Continuous improvement through user feedback ensures the software evolves to meet changing user needs and preferences. Importance of User-Friendly Design When you consider the role of accounting software in managing finances, it’s important to recognize the significance of a user-friendly design. A well-designed accounting software interface can reduce the learning curve by up to 50%, enabling you to navigate and utilize billing software for accountants efficiently. Intuitive layouts with clear labeling not only improve productivity but can also enhance task completion times by 20-30%. Furthermore, incorporating helpful prompts guarantees you experience less frustration, leading to a 70% increase in satisfaction during your initial use. Responsive designs that allow mobile access are important too, with over 60% of users preferring to manage finances on-the-go. A consistent layout promotes familiarity, improving user retention rates by 40%, which is critical for effective accounting workflow management software. Intuitive Navigation and Layout When you use accounting software, a clear menu structure and logical workflow design are vital for efficiency. You’ll find it easier to navigate fundamental functions like invoicing and expense tracking when these elements are well-organized. A thoughtfully designed interface not just streamlines your tasks but furthermore improves your overall experience by minimizing confusion and errors. Clear Menu Structure A clear menu structure is vital for effective accounting software, as it allows users to navigate through various functions with ease. This is particularly important in workflow software for accountants, where efficiency is key. Here are three fundamental features of a clear menu structure: Logical Categorization: Functions like invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting should be grouped logically. Visual Cues: Icons and other visual elements can guide users, making it easier to find what they need, regardless of whether they’re unfamiliar with accounting terminology. Consistent Design: Consistency across different modules helps users predict where to find features, reducing confusion and speeding up task completion. Additionally, incorporating a search functionality improves user experience by allowing quick access to specific features, minimizing frustration. Logical Workflow Design An effective accounting software interface prioritizes logical workflow design, enabling users to navigate effortlessly between various functions while minimizing the number of clicks needed to complete tasks. Intuitive layouts, with clear labeling and organized categories, improve your experience and boost productivity, whether you’re a novice or an expert. Consistency in design elements, like color schemes and button placements, helps you quickly familiarize yourself with the interface, making it easier to locate tools. Incorporating visual cues, such as icons and tooltips, guides you through complex processes, streamlining workflows and reducing data entry errors. Regularly gathering user feedback is essential for refining the interface, ensuring it meets your needs for logical navigation and ease of use. Customization Options for User Preferences When using accounting software, having customization options is crucial for tailoring your experience. You can create personalized dashboard layouts to highlight the metrics that matter most to your business, as well as choosing themes and colors that align with your brand identity. This level of customization not only improves usability but also guarantees that your workspace feels uniquely yours. Personalized Dashboard Layouts How can personalized dashboard layouts transform your experience with accounting software? By allowing you to customize how you view key financial metrics, these layouts improve usability and efficiency. With options like drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily rearrange widgets to prioritize the information that matters most to you. Here are three benefits of personalized dashboard layouts: Tailored Metrics: Select which data points to display, such as cash flow, profit margins, or expense tracking, ensuring you focus on your crucial operations. Pre-built Templates: Utilize customizable templates that fit various business needs, making data visualization simpler and more effective. Increased Engagement: Improved personalization features lead to higher user satisfaction, encouraging you to adopt the software that best aligns with your working style. Theme and Color Choices Customizing theme and color choices in accounting software can greatly improve your overall user experience, making it a crucial feature for many users. By selecting specific hues like blue, which promotes trust, or green, which encourages a calm environment, you can improve your comfort during long sessions. Furthermore, an effective interface should allow you to adjust font sizes and styles, catering to different readability needs for better accessibility. Personalized interfaces not merely boost engagement but likewise lead to a more efficient workflow. For instance, creating customizable dashboards with color-coded charts helps you interpret data quickly, improving your decision-making processes. Overall, these customization options guarantee that the software aligns with your personal preferences and working style. Clear Dashboards and Reporting Features A well-designed accounting software interface includes clear dashboards and strong reporting features that greatly improve user experience and decision-making. With these tools, you can easily monitor your financial health at a glance, without getting lost in multiple screens. Here are three crucial elements: Customizable Reports: Tailor your financial reports to meet specific business needs, making data more relevant and useful. Intuitive Visualizations: Use graphs and charts to simplify complex financial data, helping you spot trends and anomalies quickly. Real-Time Reporting: Access the latest financial information, ensuring timely decisions and responsiveness to market changes. Integration With Other Business Tools Though many businesses rely on accounting software for financial management, integration with other business tools is essential for maximizing efficiency and accuracy. Effective accounting interfaces seamlessly connect with CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and payroll services, facilitating smooth data flow. This integration supports real-time data synchronization, keeping financial information current and reducing manual entry errors. For instance, automating invoice generation from sales data captured in a CRM can greatly improve productivity. Furthermore, compatibility with third-party applications allows you to tailor your accounting solution to specific needs, such as linking inventory management tools. Research shows that businesses using integrated accounting solutions can experience up to a 20% increase in operational efficiency, underscoring the importance of cohesive software ecosystems. Accessibility Across Devices How vital is it for accounting software to be accessible across multiple devices? In today’s fast-paced world, it’s imperative. A mobile-responsive design allows you to access your financial data and perform tasks on smartphones and tablets, perfect for remote work or on-the-go management. Here are three key benefits: Cross-Platform Compatibility: You can switch between devices without losing functionality or data integrity, boosting productivity. User-Friendly Design: Intuitive elements like touch-friendly buttons make managing finances easier on smaller screens. Consistent Experience: Familiar layouts across devices minimize the learning curve for new users, leading to quicker adoption. Ultimately, 70% of users prefer accounting software that’s easily accessible across devices, highlighting its significance in user satisfaction. Responsive Customer Support Availability In addition to device accessibility, responsive customer support availability plays a significant role in the overall effectiveness of accounting software. You’ll want options like 24/7 live chat and phone assistance, ensuring that any issues you encounter can be quickly resolved. An extensive knowledge base with how-to articles and FAQs improves your experience by providing immediate access to solutions. Video tutorials help you learn at your own pace, whereas user forums create a collaborative environment for sharing tips and guidance. Timely updates and proactive outreach from support teams build trust and satisfaction. Support Feature Description 24/7 Live Chat Instant assistance anytime you need it Phone Support Speak directly to a representative for complex issues Knowledge Base Access to articles and FAQs for self-help Video Tutorials Learn software features at your convenience User Forums Connect with other users for shared experiences Security Features and Data Protection When selecting accounting software, security features and data protection should be top priorities, as these elements safeguard your sensitive financial information from potential threats. Effective software offers several key security measures: Advanced Encryption Protocols – These protect your data during transmission and storage, ensuring it remains confidential. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – This adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple identity verifications, making unauthorized access more difficult. Regular Software Updates – Timely updates and patches address vulnerabilities, keeping your software resilient against emerging cyber threats. Additionally, user permissions and audit trails bolster security by limiting data access and tracking user activity, ensuring that only authorized personnel can view sensitive information. Prioritizing these features helps secure your financial data effectively. Automation of Routine Tasks Even though many businesses still rely on manual processes, automating routine tasks through effective Intuit software can greatly improve efficiency and accuracy. By automating invoicing, expense tracking, and payroll processing, you could save up to 40 hours a month. Automation features likewise generate timely financial reports, providing real-time insights. Data entry is simplified through bank feeds and receipt scanning, which can improve data accuracy by up to 80%. Automated reminders for payment due dates help maintain consistent cash flow and reduce late payments by about 30%. Many software solutions offer customizable workflows customized to your specific business needs, enhancing overall productivity. Task Manual Process Time Automated Process Time Invoicing 10 hours 2 hours Expense Tracking 12 hours 3 hours Payroll Processing 15 hours 4 hours Financial Reporting 8 hours 1 hour Regular Software Updates and Improvements Regular software updates and improvements play a crucial role in maintaining the security and functionality of accounting software. By regularly updating, you’re not just fixing bugs; you’re elevating your overall experience and keeping your data secure. Here are three key benefits: Security Improvement: Approximately 60% of data breaches happen because of unpatched vulnerabilities, so updates are critical for protecting your information. User Interface Enhancements: Well-designed updates can boost user satisfaction by 50%, making navigation and functionality more intuitive. Compliance Adjustments: Updates often reflect changes in tax regulations, helping you avoid penalties and ensuring compliance. Incorporating user feedback into these updates can additionally reduce the learning curve, making your accounting tasks smoother and more efficient. Onboarding and Training Resources Effective onboarding and training resources are vital for ensuring you get the most out of your accounting software. Step-by-step tutorials simplify initial setups and functionalities, boosting your confidence from the start. Thorough training programs like webinars and interactive demos cater to different learning styles, ensuring everyone grasps fundamental concepts. A well-organized knowledge base offers searchable how-to articles, allowing you to troubleshoot independently. Access to live support during onboarding provides immediate assistance for quick resolutions. Continuous learning opportunities, including refresher courses and updates on new features, keep you informed and engaged. Resource Type Description Benefits Step-by-Step Tutorials Guides you through the setup process Builds user confidence Webinars Live sessions covering fundamental features Engages different learning styles Knowledge Base Searchable articles for troubleshooting Reduces support reliance Live Support Immediate help during onboarding Quick resolution of questions User Feedback for Continuous Improvement Gathering user insights is essential for improving your accounting software interface. By implementing an iterative design process, you can make adjustments based on real feedback, ensuring that the changes align with user needs. This approach not just improves functionality but additionally cultivates a more user-friendly experience, making your software more effective for everyone involved. Gathering User Insights How can you guarantee your accounting software continuously meets user needs? Gathering user insights is essential for ongoing improvement. By actively seeking feedback, you can identify which features are underutilized and address usability issues effectively. Consider these key strategies: Regular Feedback Sessions: Host sessions to gather insights directly from users, which can boost satisfaction by 20-25%. Implement Feedback Mechanisms: Use tools like surveys and focus groups to gather real-time feedback, nurturing community and improving retention. Incorporate User Input: Adjust your software based on user suggestions, leading to faster adoption rates and addressing pain points swiftly. Iterative Design Process Even though user feedback remains vital for refining accounting software, implementing an iterative design process can greatly improve its effectiveness. This approach involves gathering user insights through surveys, interviews, and usability testing, helping you identify areas for improvement. Regularly scheduled feedback sessions, like bi-weekly or monthly check-ins, guarantee that user insights are continuously integrated into design updates. You can analyze data from user interactions, such as navigation patterns and feature usage, to inform design decisions effectively. Prototyping and A/B testing enable you to compare different interface designs, refining features based on user preferences. Establishing a feedback loop is critical; collecting user input and acting upon it leads to a more intuitive and efficient accounting software interface that meets real user needs. Implementing Suggested Changes To effectively implement suggested changes based on user feedback, it’s essential to establish a systematic approach that guarantees ongoing improvements to the software interface. Consider these key steps: Regularly collect user feedback through surveys and interviews to identify areas for improvement, ensuring users feel heard and valued. Analyze user interaction data to pinpoint common challenges and friction points within the interface. This helps target upgrades that improve usability. Implement a structured feedback loop where users can suggest changes directly within the software. This facilitates an ongoing dialogue between users and developers. The Role of Aesthetic Design in Usability Aesthetic design plays a crucial role in the usability of accounting software, as it directly influences how users perceive and interact with the interface. Studies reveal that 94% of first impressions are design-related, which greatly impacts usability and user satisfaction. A visually appealing interface can boost user engagement, leading to a 20-50% increase in retention. Consistent design elements, like color schemes and typography, create familiarity, making navigation easier and reducing the learning curve. Effective use of whitespace lowers cognitive load, allowing you to focus on critical tasks without feeling overwhelmed. Furthermore, user-centered design principles, such as responsive layouts and clear visual hierarchy, enable you to complete tasks quickly and accurately, enhancing overall productivity in managing finances. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Key Features of Accounting Software? Key features of accounting software include automation for invoicing and expense tracking, which helps you save time and reduce errors. Thorough reporting tools allow you to generate real-time financial analyses, aiding in decision-making. Multi-currency support is crucial for businesses operating internationally, ensuring accurate transactions. Furthermore, robust security features like encryption and multi-factor authentication protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access, making them fundamental for maintaining compliance and safeguarding financial information. What Is an Interface in Accounting? An interface in accounting is the visual and interactive framework that enables you to navigate the software efficiently. It includes elements like menus, icons, and dashboards that display vital financial metrics. A user-friendly interface allows you to access functions such as invoicing and reporting quickly. Effective interfaces often feature prompts and tooltips, which help guide you through complex tasks, reducing the time needed to learn how to use the software effectively. What Features Should Be There in an Ideal Accounting System? An ideal accounting system should include features like invoicing, expense tracking, and payroll management to simplify financial processes. You’ll benefit from robust reporting tools that provide real-time insights and customizable reports for informed decision-making. Multi-currency support is vital if you operate globally, allowing smooth transactions across different currencies. Furthermore, verify the software complies with tax regulations to avoid legal issues and maintain accurate financial records, streamlining your accounting tasks effectively. What Are the 5 Characteristics That Are Common to All Effective Accounting Systems? Effective accounting systems share five key characteristics. First, they offer intuitive navigation, so you can easily perform tasks without extensive training. Second, they provide real-time dashboards, helping you quickly assess financial health. Third, customizable reporting tools enable personalized insights. Fourth, integration with other business systems streamlines workflows and improves data consistency. Finally, strong security measures, like encryption and multi-factor authentication, protect sensitive information, ensuring your financial data remains safe and trustworthy. Conclusion To conclude, an effective accounting software interface relies on user-friendly design, intuitive navigation, and customizable features. By prioritizing clear dashboards, robust reporting tools, and seamless integration with other business tools, you improve usability and efficiency. Regular updates and user feedback guarantee the software evolves to meet changing needs. Aesthetic design furthermore plays an essential role in maintaining user engagement. In the end, focusing on these elements leads to a more effective and satisfying user experience in financial management. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Makes an Effective Accounting Software Interface?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

AI is helping teams build software and tools faster than ever—but that doesn’t mean we’re building smarter. I’ve seen entire prototypes spin up in a day, thanks to AI coding assistants. But when you ask how they were built, or whether they’re secure, you get a lot of blank stares. That’s the gap emerging now, between what’s possible with AI, and what’s actually ready to scale. What looks like progress can quickly become a liability. Especially when no one’s quite sure how the thing was built in the first place. Before you go all-in on AI-assisted coding, check these five fault lines: 1. You can’t govern what you can’t see. Perhaps the most overlooked risk of AI-assisted coding isn’t technical, it’s operational. In the rush to deploy AI tools, many companies have unintentionally created a layer of “shadow engineering.” Developers use these tools without official policies or visibility, leaving leaders in the dark about what’s being built and how. As Mark Curphey, cofounder of Crash Override, told me: “AI is accelerating everything. But without insight into what’s being built, by whom, or where it’s going, you’re scaling chaos with no controls.” That’s why visibility can’t be an afterthought; it’s what makes both governance and acceleration possible. Platforms like Crash Override are designed to surface how AI is being used across the engineering org, offering a real-time view into what’s being generated, where it’s going, and whether it’s introducing risk or value. And that visibility doesn’t exist in isolation. Tools like Jellyfish help connect development work to business goals, while Codacy monitors code quality. But none of these tools can do their job well if you don’t know what’s happening under the hood. Visibility isn’t about surveillance, it’s about building on a solid foundation. 2. Productivity is up. So is your risk exposure. A 2025 study Apiiro, an application security firm, found that AI-assisted developers are shipping 3 to 4 times more code with GenAI tools. But they’re also generating 10 times more security risks. These weren’t just syntax errors. The increase included hidden access risks, insecure code patterns, exposed credentials, and deep architectural flaws—issues far more complex and costly to resolve over time. 3. AI-generated code is a potential legal risk. Because AI coding tools are trained on vast libraries of public code, they can generate snippets governed by restrictive open-source licenses. That raises important compliance questions, especially with licenses like GPL or AGPL, which could, in theory, require companies to open-source any software built on top of that output. But it’s worth clarifying: No company has been sued (yet) for using AI-generated code. The lawsuits we’ve seen (like the GitHub Copilot class action) have targeted the AI toolmakers, not the teams using their output. And the majority of GitHub’s claims were ultimately thrown out. Still, this is a fast-evolving area with real implications. Auditboard’s 2025 study found that 82% of enterprise organizations were already deploying AI tools, but only 25% report having any sort of official governance in place. That disconnect may not be a courtroom issue today, but it’s a visibility and audit issue that leaders can’t afford to ignore. 4. Speed is great, until only one person knows how it works. The “bus factor” has long described a worst-case scenario: What happens if the one person who knows how your software works suddenly disappears? “Powered by AI, an average developer becomes 100 times more productive. A superstar becomes 1,000 times,” Curphey noted. “Now imagine two of them are pushing all of that code into production. If they disappear, the company’s in serious trouble.” But the goal isn’t zero risk—it’s coverage. Just like test cases help ensure software is resilient, teams need to ensure knowledge and ownership are distributed. That includes understanding who’s building what, where the AI is involved, and how those systems will be maintained over time. Ironically, GenAI can help with this. It can surface patterns, identify gaps, and map ownership in ways traditional tooling can’t. More than just a productivity boost, it can be a tool for reducing fragility across your team and your codebase. 5. It’s easy to end up with “software slop.” Good, scalable AI-assisted code starts with the prompt. AI will generate exactly what you ask for. But if you don’t fully understand the technical constraints, or the risks you’re overlooking, it might give you code that looks good but has critical flaws in security or performance under the hood. You certainly don’t have to be a developer to use these tools well. But you do need to know what you don’t know, and how to account for it. As Curphey notes in a company blog post, “If you wouldn’t accept that level of vagueness from a junior engineer, why would you accept it from yourself when prompting?” Otherwise, you’re moving fast and creating a kind of digital brain rot: systems that degrade over time because no one really understands how they were built. FROM VIBE CHECK TO REALITY CHECK The takeaway: AI may accelerate output, but it also accelerates risk. Without rigorous review and governance, you may be shipping code that functions, but isn’t structurally sound. So while AI is changing how software gets built, we need to be sure we’re building on a solid foundation. It’s no longer enough to move fast or ship often. As leaders, we need to understand how AI is being used inside our teams, and whether the things getting built are actually stable, scalable, and secure. Because if you don’t know what your team is using AI to build today, you may not like what you’re shipping tomorrow. Lisa Larson-Kelley is founder and CEO of Quantious. View the full article

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched India as a central player in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem, saying the country aims to build technology at home while deploying it worldwide. “Design and develop in India. Deliver to the world. Deliver to humanity,” Modi told a gathering of some world leaders, technology executives and policymakers at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Modi’s remarks came as India — one of the fastest-growing digital markets — seeks to leverage its experience in building large-scale digital public infrastructure and to present itself as a cost-effective hub for AI innovation. The summit was also addressed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who called for a $3 billion fund to help poorer countries build basic AI capacity, including skills, data access and affordable computing power. “The future of AI cannot be decided by a handful of countries, or left to the whims of a few billionaires,” Guterres said, stressing that AI must “belong to everyone.” India aims to ramp up its AI scale India is using the summit to position itself as a bridge between advanced economies and the Global South. Indian officials cite the country’s digital ID and online payments systems as a model for deploying AI at low cost, particularly in developing countries. “We must democratize AI. It must become a tool for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South,” Modi said. With nearly 1 billion internet users, India has become a key market for global technology companies expanding their AI businesses. Last December, Microsoft announced a $17.5 billion investment over four years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in India. It followed Google’s $15 billion investment over five years, including plans for its first AI hub in the country. Amazon has also pledged $35 billion by 2030, targeting AI-driven digitization. India is also seeking up to $200 billion in data center investment in the coming years. The country, however, lags in developing its own large-scale AI model like U.S.-based OpenAI or China’s DeepSeek, highlighting challenges such as limited access to advanced semiconductor chips, data centers and hundreds of local languages to learn from. The summit has faced troubles The summit opened Monday with organizational glitches, as attendees and exhibitors reported long lines and delays, and some complained on social media that personal belongings and display items had been stolen. Organizers later said the items were recovered. Problems resurfaced Wednesday when a private Indian university was expelled from the summit after a staff member showcased a commercially available Chinese-made robotic dog while claiming it as the institution’s own innovation. The setbacks continued Thursday when Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates withdrew from a scheduled keynote address. No reason was given, though the Gates Foundation said the move was intended “to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.” Gates is facing questions over his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. —Associated Press View the full article

Oracle has rolled out significant enhancements to its Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing platform, specifically aimed at aiding small to midsize businesses engaged in process manufacturing. This move comes as organizations are increasingly pressured to achieve operational excellence while adhering to stringent regulatory standards. In sectors such as life sciences, chemicals, and food and beverage, manufacturers grapple with the challenge of delivering consistent quality amid variations in materials, yields, and production processes. The new features from Oracle are designed to tackle these issues head-on, enabling businesses to gain real-time visibility into their production workflows, thus ensuring greater compliance and quality assurance. Derek Gittoes, group vice president of SCM product management at Oracle, emphasized the significance of these advancements, stating, “Process manufacturers in complex, regulated industries must deliver consistent quality at scale despite high variability in materials, yields, and production conditions.” Among the latest capabilities, a key focus is on enhanced recipe and yield management. Oracle’s features allow for automatic synchronization of formula changes with recipes, which not only maintains product quality but also helps in adhering to regulatory requirements. Manufacturers can use AI-assisted “what-if” scenarios to analyze how changes may impact batch outcomes, thus making informed adjustments to their processes. Additionally, the platform introduces flexible batch manufacturing execution. This allows manufacturers to define batch size ranges that correspond to fluctuating demand, ensuring they can meet customer needs without overproducing. The system dynamically tracks actual materials and outputs, making it easier for businesses to maintain accurate production records. Another standout feature is the connected process execution, which fosters improved traceability and reduces errors. By enabling manufacturers to issue materials multiple times within a single operation and manage co-products efficiently, the platform aims to streamline production processes. Notably, Oracle has also implemented advanced materials traceability and control capabilities. Features such as lot-specific unit of measure conversions enhance inventory management and help keep track of lot quality. The system automatically prevents the use of expired materials, minimizing waste and risks associated with subpar products. For small business owners, these innovations could lead to optimized operations and enhanced product quality, potentially boosting customer satisfaction and retention. However, there are some challenges to consider. Transitioning to a cloud-based solution involves an initial investment in technology and training. Additionally, ensuring that all staff are adept at using the new tools might require ongoing training and development. Still, small businesses can leverage Oracle’s capabilities to transform their operational landscape. The consolidation of supply chain processes into a single AI-powered platform can lead to improved resilience and adaptability as market conditions evolve. Embedded AI features can analyze data and automate workflows, providing manufacturers with actionable insights to navigate supply challenges. As Oracle continues to enhance its offerings, small businesses in the manufacturing sector have the opportunity to benefit from advanced technologies that promote efficiency and compliance. The evolving landscape of process manufacturing, when coupled with these innovations, can ultimately help small manufacturers remain competitive in a challenging market. Learn more about Oracle’s latest innovations in supply chain and manufacturing at Oracle SCM. For the original press release detailing these advancements, visit Oracle News Release. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Oracle Unveils Enhancements for Real-Time Production in Process Manufacturing" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Oracle has rolled out significant enhancements to its Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing platform, specifically aimed at aiding small to midsize businesses engaged in process manufacturing. This move comes as organizations are increasingly pressured to achieve operational excellence while adhering to stringent regulatory standards. In sectors such as life sciences, chemicals, and food and beverage, manufacturers grapple with the challenge of delivering consistent quality amid variations in materials, yields, and production processes. The new features from Oracle are designed to tackle these issues head-on, enabling businesses to gain real-time visibility into their production workflows, thus ensuring greater compliance and quality assurance. Derek Gittoes, group vice president of SCM product management at Oracle, emphasized the significance of these advancements, stating, “Process manufacturers in complex, regulated industries must deliver consistent quality at scale despite high variability in materials, yields, and production conditions.” Among the latest capabilities, a key focus is on enhanced recipe and yield management. Oracle’s features allow for automatic synchronization of formula changes with recipes, which not only maintains product quality but also helps in adhering to regulatory requirements. Manufacturers can use AI-assisted “what-if” scenarios to analyze how changes may impact batch outcomes, thus making informed adjustments to their processes. Additionally, the platform introduces flexible batch manufacturing execution. This allows manufacturers to define batch size ranges that correspond to fluctuating demand, ensuring they can meet customer needs without overproducing. The system dynamically tracks actual materials and outputs, making it easier for businesses to maintain accurate production records. Another standout feature is the connected process execution, which fosters improved traceability and reduces errors. By enabling manufacturers to issue materials multiple times within a single operation and manage co-products efficiently, the platform aims to streamline production processes. Notably, Oracle has also implemented advanced materials traceability and control capabilities. Features such as lot-specific unit of measure conversions enhance inventory management and help keep track of lot quality. The system automatically prevents the use of expired materials, minimizing waste and risks associated with subpar products. For small business owners, these innovations could lead to optimized operations and enhanced product quality, potentially boosting customer satisfaction and retention. However, there are some challenges to consider. Transitioning to a cloud-based solution involves an initial investment in technology and training. Additionally, ensuring that all staff are adept at using the new tools might require ongoing training and development. Still, small businesses can leverage Oracle’s capabilities to transform their operational landscape. The consolidation of supply chain processes into a single AI-powered platform can lead to improved resilience and adaptability as market conditions evolve. Embedded AI features can analyze data and automate workflows, providing manufacturers with actionable insights to navigate supply challenges. As Oracle continues to enhance its offerings, small businesses in the manufacturing sector have the opportunity to benefit from advanced technologies that promote efficiency and compliance. The evolving landscape of process manufacturing, when coupled with these innovations, can ultimately help small manufacturers remain competitive in a challenging market. Learn more about Oracle’s latest innovations in supply chain and manufacturing at Oracle SCM. For the original press release detailing these advancements, visit Oracle News Release. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Oracle Unveils Enhancements for Real-Time Production in Process Manufacturing" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...View the full article

Digital marketing teams have long debated the balance between SEO and PPC. Who owns the keyword? Who gets the budget? Who proves ROI most effectively? For years, the division felt clear. SEO optimized for organic rankings, while paid media optimized for auctions. Both fought for visibility on the same results page, but operated under fundamentally different mechanics and incentives. ChatGPT ads are beginning to erase that line. The separation between organic and paid isn’t just blurring, it’s breaking down inside conversational AI. The new battleground isn’t the SERP. It’s the prompt. The intersection of PPC and SEO now lives inside ChatGPT ads. From SERP-based strategy to prompt-based demand insights Search marketing has always revolved around keywords: bidding strategies, landing page optimization, and even attribution modeling. Generative AI doesn’t operate on keyword strings the same way. It operates on intent-rich, multi-variable prompts. “Best CRM” becomes “What’s the best CRM for a B2B SaaS company under 50 employees?” “Project management tool” becomes “What project management tool integrates with Slack and Notion?” These prompts carry deeper layers of context and specificity that traditional keyword research often flattens to accommodate SERP coverage rather than answer an individualized question. When ChatGPT introduces sponsored placements beneath its answers, ads don’t appear next to a head term. They show under a fully articulated need. That changes everything. ChatGPT ads are structurally different. They: Appear underneath an AI-generated response. Are clearly labeled as “Sponsored.” Don’t influence the answer itself. Are primarily contextual and session-based. This isn’t a classic auction layered over a keyword strategy. It’s contextual alignment layered over a conversational experience. For marketers, that means three things: Intent is richer. Context matters more. SEO and PPC must coordinate at the prompt level. Dig deeper: Ads in ChatGPT: Why behavior matters more than targeting Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with The new playbook: Prompt intelligence as the bridge If ChatGPT ads represent a new demand capture environment, the first strategic question becomes, “How do we know which prompts to prioritize?” The answer isn’t buried in Google Search Console, Keyword Planner, or any other SERP research or keyword mining tool. It’s surfaced in LLM performance that SEO counterparts have been analyzing for the past several months. The first intersection of PPC and SEO begins with organic LLM visibility. We can start developing a ChatGPT ads strategy by mining high-performing LLM prompts. To do this, we’ll need to understand: When does your brand appear organically in ChatGPT responses, and when do competitors appear? What types of prompts surface the kinds of discussions we want to be part of? Which use cases are most commonly referenced? This is prompt intelligence. Instead of asking, “What keywords are we ranking for?” the question becomes, “Which conversational queries are surfacing our brand?” When you analyze those prompts, you uncover something even more valuable: fanout keywords. Fanout keywords: The new long tail Fanout keywords are contextual signals embedded within prompts. For example, take this prompt: “Best CRM for B2B SaaS startups with under 50 employees that integrates with HubSpot.” Traditional keyword tools might surface relevant targets as “CRM for SaaS,” “best CRM,” and “B2B CRM,” focusing on the root terms and the core subject of the prompt. The fanout structure would include “SaaS startups with under 50 employees,” “HubSpot integration,” “budget sensitivity,” and “growth-stage scaling,” focusing not only on the root terms and core subject but also on factors like company size, growth trajectory, and pain-point considerations. These aren’t simple keyword variations to cover semantic phrasing. They’re layered qualifiers that reveal nuance and support us as marketers in identifying additional high-intent segments, highlighting underserved or undiscovered audience segments, and identifying potential gaps in paid keyword coverage. This is an example of PPC and SEO converging. Dig deeper: Why AI optimization is just long-tail SEO done right Aligning fanout keywords with paid coverage After extracting fanout keywords from high-performing LLM prompts, run a paid coverage audit to see whether your strategy addresses the nuanced variants that surfaced, whether you’re over-indexed on root terms while missing higher-intent expansions, and whether competitors dominate contextual areas you’ve overlooked. You can prioritize where to activate paid media based on this audit: If LLM organic presence is high and paid media coverage is high: Great. Continue reinforcing your strategy to dominate. If LLM organic presence is high and paid media coverage is low: Consider testing ChatGPT ads to increase overall coverage. If LLM organic presence is low and paid media coverage is high: Work on improving organic LLM and SEO visibility and strength. If LLM organic presence is low and paid media coverage is low: This is a lower priority. Focus on building foundational marketing strategies to increase overall coverage. The opportunity lies where organic LLM visibility and paid gaps intersect. If your brand frequently appears in conversational responses for “CRM for early-stage SaaS,” but you aren’t targeting that intent via paid placements, you’re leaving incremental demand on the table. ChatGPT ads can become a mechanism for defending and amplifying organic AI authority. Landing pages: An overlooked leverage point Until now, PPC and SEO teams may have both sent traffic to the same landing pages, but each team optimized them based on independent factors. That approach won’t hold in conversational AI. When prompts become hyper-specific, landing pages must mirror that specificity. Consider this group of queries: “Best CRM for 10-person SaaS team,” “Affordable CRM for startups,” and “CRM with simple onboarding for founders.” If all of those drive to a generic “CRM software” page, conversion friction increases and conversion rates drop. Instead, we can use these groups to build intent-specific landing pages, add content tied to common keyword fanout themes, adjust messaging to mirror conversational phrasing, and highlight deeper, relevant information for the customer. The more your landing page reflects the nuance of the prompt, the stronger alignment becomes across ad relevance, user experience, conversion performance, and even LLM organic authority. The critical loop is this: Improved landing page clarity doesn’t just increase conversion. It increases the likelihood that LLMs understand and surface your brand appropriately in future prompts. This is the new feedback cycle between SEO and paid. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. The closed loop between LLM visibility and paid media In traditional search, SEO influenced PPC through factors like Quality Score and brand demand. Paid media influenced SEO indirectly through brand lift. With conversational AI, the loop tightens. Organic LLM visibility surfaces prompt clusters. Prompt clusters inform ChatGPT ad prioritization. Paid performance identifies high-converting conversational segments. Landing page optimizations improve both conversion and LLM clarity. Improved clarity increases organic AI mentions. This isn’t parallel channel management anymore. It has to be a unified system. Dig deeper: SEO vs. PPC vs. AI: The visibility dilemma Measurement: Moving beyond last click One of the most common objections to emerging ad formats is the ability to accurately measure performance and report ROI. ChatGPT ads operate with privacy-forward controls and aggregate reporting. We won’t have pixel-level behavioral depth or cross-session tracking parity with traditional paid media. This continues to force a shift in how marketing performance is evaluated, away from click-based attribution models. Instead of relying exclusively on click-based ROI, teams should prioritize: Incrementality testing. Assisted conversion analysis. Prompt-level lift. Brand search lift post-exposure. LLM visibility shifts before and after paid media campaign coverage. If ChatGPT ads reinforce high-intent conversational exposure, that impact might show up downstream in branded search, direct traffic, and higher close rates in assisted funnels. We shouldn’t think of this as a purely demand capture channel, but as a hybrid of capture and demand influence or creation. Organizational implications: SEO and PPC can’t be siloed This shift is less about media buying and more about team structure. To execute effectively, marketing organizations need to prioritize. 1. Shared prompt taxonomies SEO and paid teams must work together to group queries into prompt categories. For example, role-based queries (e.g., CMO, founder, or operations lead); industry-based queries (e.g., SaaS, healthcare, or ecommerce); and constraint-based queries (e.g., budget, team size, or integrations). These groupings should inform both content and paid media structure and bidding strategies. 2. Unified reporting dashboards Instead of separate keyword and ranking reports, teams should see: Query group performance. LLM visibility by segment. Paid coverage by segment or query group. Landing page conversion by prompt type or category. 3. Integrated budget planning Paid media budget allocation should consider where: Organic AI authority is strongest. Competitors dominate conversational mentions. Incremental coverage via ChatGPT ads can defend or expand. This isn’t about shifting dollars from Google Ads to ChatGPT. It’s about reallocating dollars based on a deeper understanding of user demand and behavior. Dig deeper: Why 2026 is the year the SEO silo breaks and cross-channel execution starts The bigger shift: AI as the primary discovery layer Zoom out. Search engines were the gateway to information. Social feeds were the gateway to discovery. Conversational AI is becoming the gateway to decision-making. If that trajectory continues, optimizing for LLM visibility becomes as critical as ranking on Google once was. Now that ads are layered into that experience, paid media and SEO become inseparable. The future won’t be defined by organic rankings or paid media CPC efficiency alone. It will be defined by how effectively brands show a unified message and experience across: Prompt intelligence. Contextual ad placement. Landing page alignment. Conversational authority. 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 Think in systems, not channels The introduction of ads into ChatGPT isn’t just another platform beta. It’s a structural signal. The channel divide between SEO and paid media, a debate that has shaped marketing teams for as long as they’ve existed, is dissolving inside conversational AI. The brands that win will: Mine prompt data like they once mined keyword reports. Extract fanout signals that reveal hidden demand. Align paid media coverage to conversational intent. Build landing pages that mirror prompt nuance. Measure incrementally and holistically, not myopically. The intersection of paid and SEO is no longer a shared SERP. It’s a shared intelligence system. ChatGPT ads may be the first clear signal that conversational AI isn’t just changing how people search. It’s changing how we structure growth. View the full article

The social media trial brought by a 20-year-old Californian plaintiff known as Kaley or KGM, putting Meta and YouTube in front of a jury, has captured the world’s attention. The bellwether trial is a test case for the liability of social media platforms and how much they could be on the hook financially if found to have caused harm to their users. KGM, for her part, alleges that she faced anxiety, depression and body image issues after using Instagram. The proceedings could establish the first real legal boundaries for what has been up to now largely unregulated algorithmic design, determining whether amplifying harmful content amounts to negligence. A verdict against Meta or YouTube in this bellwether case could open the door to other suits, and finally force disclosure of internal research that has so far remained confidential. The first day that Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, was on the stand on February 18 was a major moment—not necessarily for what Zuckerberg said, but for the fact the case has gotten this far. “This is a significant moment in terms of these platforms finally being seen to be held to account by their own users,” says Steven Buckley, lecturer in media digital and sociology at City St George’s, University of London. While Zuckerberg withstood rigorous questioning from Mark Lanier, the lawyer representing Kaley GM, the fact that he was there at all and the case got to trial is a significant happening. As Fast Company has previously reported, 2026 is the year that the world is getting tough on online safety, particularly for kids. And this trial is notable because it managed to sidestep the usual way social networks swerve liability: Claiming Section 230 protections, which have been in place since the mid-1990s and insulate platforms from bearing responsibility for the actions of their users. If jurors agree that product design, rather than user behavior, is the root cause of harm, big tech’s decades-long legal shield could begin to fracture. That possibility alone has Silicon Valley watching nervously, with billions in potential damages on the line. Prior to the trial beginning, Snap and TikTok settled with the claimant without admission of liability, leaving YouTube and Meta to fight the trial. A Meta spokesperson tells Fast Company the firm “strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” They add: “The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media.”(YouTube responded to Fast Company’s request for comment.) “It’s not particularly surprising that these large platforms are finally facing some legal repercussions from their actual users,” says Buckley. A steady drumbeat of reporting, alongside other smaller legal cases, have revealed information that suggests social media can be harmful to younger users. This case is therefore a potential watershed because the plaintiffs argue that Instagram’s and YouTube’s underlying product design—features like the infinite scroll, autoplay and recommendation algorithms that serve up progressively more engaging content—constitutes a defective product. But most of those other cases haven’t received as much attention because they’ve not gotten as far as this one has—nor have been as likely to succeed in some way. “Zuckerberg did not come across as someone with children’s best interests at heart,” says Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Australia. Leaver contrasts Zuckerberg’s performance in court with Adam Mosseri a few days earlier, who the researcher says “had the tenacity to argue that the term addiction is being misused”. In contrast, “Zuckerberg didn’t feel like someone who’d done their homework, but rather someone who was surprised they had to turn up and answer these questions,” Leaver explains. “If his job was to convince the listening world that he could be a trusted figure in the lives of teens and young people, then he failed.” Despite that poor performance by Zuckerberg, and despite the strength of the case in comparison to others that have gone before, some think that a decision against the social media firms—or a general movement to recognize the issues inherent with social media—could backfire. “One concern I have is that people will think that the simple solution to many of the issues raised in these lawsuits is to simply ban under-16s from using the platforms,” says Buckley. “This is a woefully misguided reaction. The scientific evidence regarding the link between social media use at a young age and addiction is still not well established.” Whether the jury agrees with that assessment or not, the trial has already achieved something that years of congressional hearings and regulatory hand-wringing haven’t: Putting the people who designed these systems under oath and making them answer difficult questions—then be responsible for the consequences of what they say. “One of the reasons I think we have gotten to this stage is that some people have come to the conclusion that their governments are not going to do anything meaningful to hold these companies to account and so have felt compelled to take them on themselves,” says Buckley. The rest of the tech industry will be watching closely to see what comes next. View the full article

Tariffs paid by midsized U.S. businesses tripled over the course of last year, new research tied to one of America’s leading banks showed on Thursday — more evidence that President Donald The President’s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption. The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the U.S. — the kinds of businesses that The President had promised to revive — have had to find ways to absorb the new expense, by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer workers or accepting lower profits. “That’s a big change in their cost of doing business,” said Chi Mac, business research director of the JPMorganChase Institute, which published the analysis on Thursday. “We also see some indications that they may be shifting away from transacting with China and maybe toward some other regions in Asia.” The research doesn’t say how the additional costs are flowing through the economy, but it indicates that tariffs are being paid by U.S. firms. It’s part of a growing body of economic analyses that counter the administration’s claims that foreigners pay the tariffs. The JPMorganChase Institute report used payments data to look at businesses that might lack the pricing power of large multinational companies to offset tariffs, but may be small enough to quickly change supply chains to minimize exposure to the tax increases. The companies tended to have revenues between $10 million and $1 billion with fewer than 500 employees, a category known as “middle market.” The analysis suggests that the The President administration’s goal of becoming less directly reliant on Chinese manufacturers has been occurring. Payments to China by these companies were 20% below their October 2024 levels, but it’s unclear whether that means China is simply routing its goods through other countries or if supply chains have moved. The authors of the analysis emphasized in an interview that companies are still adjusting to the tariffs and said they plan to continue studying the issue. The The President administration has been adamant that the tariffs are a boon for the economy, businesses, and workers. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, lashed out on Wednesday at research by the New York Federal Reserve showing that nearly 90% of the burden for The President’s tariffs fell on U.S. companies and consumers. “The paper is an embarrassment,” Hassett told CNBC. “It’s, I think, the worst paper I’ve ever seen in the history of the Federal Reserve system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined.” The President increased the average tariff rate to 13% from 2.6% last year, according to the New York Fed researchers. He declared that tariffs on some items like steel, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities were in the national security interest of the country — and declared an economic emergency to bypass Congress and impose a baseline tax on goods from much of the world last April at an event he called “Liberation Day.” The high rates provoked a financial market panic, prompting The President to walk back his rates and then engage in talks with multiple countries that led to a set of new trade frameworks. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether The President surpassed his legal authority by declaring an economic emergency. The President was elected in 2024 on his promise to tame inflation, but his tariffs have contributed to voter frustration over affordability. While inflation has not spiked during The President’s term thus far, hiring slowed sharply and a team of academic economists estimate that consumer prices were roughly 0.8 percentage points higher than they would otherwise be. —Josh Boak, Associated Press View the full article

Long-form content doesn’t fail because it’s weak. It fails because LLMs lose the middle. This article explains how to engineer it to survive. The post Why AI Misreads The Middle Of Your Best Pages appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

You don't need to do much digging online to find complaints about the iPhone keyboard: From typos and spelling mistakes to lag and missed keystrokes, there are multiple issues being reported by users, across multiple versions of iOS. While the root causes of these problems tend to vary, there are some broad fixes you can try that should go some way to giving you an iPhone keyboard experience you can rely on—besides waiting for the next bug-squashing iOS update from Apple. Reset the keyboard dictionary on your iPhone Resetting the keyboard on iOS. Credit: Lifehacker Over time, the iOS keyboard tries to build up smarter autocorrect suggestions for you, but these aren't always helpful: The further away these suggestions get from the defaults, the worse they can get, which risks turning your sentences into gibberish. To clean the slate and go back to the beginning, open up Settings, then tap General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary. Type in your handset's unlock code, then choose Reset Dictionary. Add custom words and shortcuts to your iPhone's dictionaryThis may seem to contradict the previous tip, but by explicitly teaching your iPhone the words it often gets wrong, you can reduce the likelihood of those frustrating moments where iOS suddenly replaces the word you were typing with something else (e.g. "he'll yeah" or "what the duck"). From Settings, tap General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Tap on the + (plus) button in the top right corner, then enter your word or phrase—you can add a shortcut for it too to help you type it more quickly, but it's optional. Tap Save to confirm. Adjust other iPhone keyboard settings If a keyboard setting isn't helping, turn it off. Credit: Lifehacker There are more keyboard settings that are worth taking a look at under General > Keyboard in iOS Settings. You can turn Auto-Correction off completely, for example, and disable Slide to Type if your fingers have a tendency to slip across the keyboard. There are additional tweaks you can make through the Accessibility menu in Settings: Under Touch > Touch Accommodations, you can change the sensitivity of double-taps and press-and-holds, among other settings, which may help improve typing accuracy. Change your iPhone's keyboard layoutThere's not a lot you can do with the iPhone keyboard layout to improve your typing experience and eliminate bugs, but there is a one-handed mode you can try in order to minimize glitches and ensure your keypresses match up with what's on screen. To switch to the one-handed layout, tap and hold on the globe icon in the lower left corner of the keyboard, then tap one of the icons at the bottom of the pop-up menu: You can move the keyboard to the left, or the right, or put it back to normal. Switch to a different keyboard on the iPhone You've got several options for iOS keyboards. Credit: Lifehacker If you're still struggling with the vagaries of the keyboard on iOS, you can always opt to install a third-party alternative: We've covered a bunch here, including Gboard and SwiftKey, and they typically offer more customization options than the Apple default. Once you've installed an alternative keyboard or two, you can manage them from iOS Settings by choosing General > Keyboard > Keyboards. To actually switch between keyboards when typing, press and hold on the globe icon (lower left). Or avoid a keyboard altogetherThere are also some more extreme measures you can take that maybe haven't crossed your mind. The first is to use a Bluetooth keyboard (via Bluetooth in Settings), which will give you a more convenient (if less portable) way of typing text into your iPhone. The second is to ensure dictation is enabled in General > Keyboard in Settings, then tap the mic icon in the lower right corner of the keyboard, and speak out your text. You can handle emojis, line breaks, text editing, and more, using your voice. View the full article

A phrase from the 1990s altered America’s sense of itself — and its political trajectoryView the full article

Collapse follows revelations about former peer’s relationship with Jeffrey EpsteinView the full article

As AI automates compliance, value shifts to measurable outcomes and client aspirations. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

As AI automates compliance, value shifts to measurable outcomes and client aspirations. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article