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In the digital world where creativity knows no bounds, Patreon has emerged as a powerful membership platform that allows creators to earn a sustainable income. With Patreon, creatives across all fields can turn their passion into profit, engaging a community of fans who are willing to pay for exclusive access to their work. This article explores how to make money on Patreon and provides tips for maximizing your success. What is Patreon? So, what is Patreon, and how can creators leverage it to make money? Patreon is a membership platform that allows creators to earn income by offering a subscription service to their fans. It acts as a virtual tip jar or fan club, where supporters, referred to as patrons, contribute a set amount regularly to gain access to exclusive content from their favorite creators. Why Patreon is an Ideal Platform for Creators Patreon excels by creating a platform where creators can establish direct connections with their fans, allowing them to earn money while delivering exclusive content and experiences. Below are some of the key features that differentiate Patreon: Exclusive Content: Creators can offer patrons exclusive access to new work, behind-the-scenes content, and more. Community Engagement: The platform allows creators to interact directly with their fans, fostering a sense of community. Flexible Membership Tiers: Creators can offer multiple levels of membership, each with its own set of rewards and benefits. Recurring Income: Rather than depending on one-time sales, creators have the opportunity to generate consistent income through ongoing patron subscriptions. Setting Up Your Patreon Account for Success Before launching into the world of Patreon, there are some key steps to ensure your success. Choosing Your Niche Identifying a niche that aligns with your interests and has potential demand is critical. Some popular niches on Patreon include: Podcasting Visual Art Writing Video Production Music Gaming Setting Up Your Patreon Page Once you have a niche in mind, it’s time to set up your Patreon page. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started: Sign Up: Create an account on Patreon’s website. Choose Your Niche: Identify what type of creator you are and what you plan to offer. Set Up Membership Tiers: Decide on what tiers of membership you will offer and the perks for each tier of membership fee. Build Your Page: Add a bio, images, a welcome video, and other details to make your page engaging. Launch: Once your page is ready, promote it on your other social media platforms to attract patrons. Ways to Make Money on Patreon Monetizing your creativity on Patreon can take many different forms. In this section, we’ll explore several strategies to help you maximize your income potential. Ways to Make Money on PatreonStrategy DescriptionTip for Success Offer Multiple Membership TiersCater to fans with different budget levels and engagement interests, thereby maximizing your earning potential.Survey your audience to determine what tiers and benefits would be most appealing to them. Create High-Quality, Exclusive ContentAttract and retain patrons by consistently delivering high-quality content that they can't find anywhere else.Set a consistent content schedule and keep a pipeline of ideas to ensure regular, unique output. Regular Interaction and Engagement with PatronsFrequent interaction and engagement with your patrons not only fosters a sense of community but also encourages them to maintain their memberships.Use Patreon's polling and messaging features to engage patrons regularly, and respond promptly to comments and messages. Utilize YouTube to Drive Patreon SubscriptionsLink your Patreon page to your YouTube channel, offering early access or exclusive content to your patrons, thereby encouraging more subscriptions.Promote the exclusive benefits of Patreon membership in your YouTube videos and link back to your Patreon in the video description. Set Attractive Subscription FeesStriking the right balance between what value you provide and how much you charge for it is key to setting attractive subscription fees.Monitor patron feedback and be ready to adjust pricing based on the perceived value and your income goals. Organize Paid Live Streams or WebinarsHosting live streams or webinars can provide added value to your patrons and provide an additional income source.Choose topics that resonate with your audience, and ensure the tech setup is flawless for a smooth streaming experience. Sell MerchandiseSelling merchandise like t-shirts, posters, or custom art pieces can add a lucrative income stream.Create high-quality, unique merchandise that fits with your brand and appeals to your audience. Provide Early or Exclusive Access to Your WorkOffering early or exclusive access to your work can incentivize more patrons to subscribe.Make sure early access content is truly valuable and well-promoted, and that you deliver on promises to ensure patron satisfaction. Offer Multiple Reward Tiers and Membership OptionsOffering a variety of rewards and membership options caters to a wider audience, increasing potential earnings.Vary the rewards based on the level of support, offering something for everyone, from casual fans to die-hard supporters. Utilize Other Social Media PlatformsPromote your Patreon page on other social media platforms to attract a broader audience.Tailor your promotional messages to fit the unique dynamics of each platform and encourage followers to support you on Patreon. Offer Multiple Membership Tiers By providing a variety of membership options, you can appeal to fans with varying budgets and levels of engagement, which will help you maximize your earning potential. Create High-Quality, Exclusive Content Attract and retain patrons by consistently delivering high-quality content that they can’t find anywhere else. Regular Interaction and Engagement with Patrons Frequent interaction and engagement with your patrons fosters a sense of community and encourages them to maintain their memberships. Utilize YouTube to Drive Patreon Subscriptions Link your Patreon page to your YouTube channel, offering your patrons early access or exclusive content, thereby encouraging more subscriptions. Set Attractive Subscription Fees Striking the right balance between what value you provide and how much you charge for it is key to setting attractive subscription fee tiers. Organize Paid Live Streams or Webinars Hosting live streams or webinars can provide added value to your patrons and provide an additional income source. Sell Merchandise Selling merchandise like t-shirts, posters, or custom art pieces can add a lucrative income stream. Provide Early or Exclusive Access to Your Work Offering early or exclusive access to your work can incentivize more patrons to subscribe. Offer Multiple Reward Tiers and Membership Options Offering a variety of rewards and membership options caters to a wider audience, increasing potential earnings. Utilize Other Social Media Platforms Promote your Patreon page on other social media platforms to attract a broader audience. How to Make Money on Patreon as a Writer Writers can harness Patreon’s potential by offering unique content or experiences to their patrons. Here are a few strategies: Serialized Novels: Release your novel chapter by chapter exclusively to your patrons. Writing Workshops: Host digital writing workshops or webinars. Behind-the-Scenes Access: Give patrons an inside look into your writing process. Early Access: Offer patrons early access to your latest work. How to Make Money on Patreon as an Artist Artists can use Patreon to transform their passion into profit. Here are a few strategies: Art Tutorials: Share your expertise through tutorials or classes. Commissioned Work: Offer custom artwork for higher-tier patrons. Digital Art Downloads: Provide downloadable digital art pieces. Studio Tours: Give patrons virtual tours of your workspace or process. Patreon Earnings and Fee Structure Patreon operates on a tiered fee structure based on the plan you choose, taking a percentage of your earnings each month. Currently, the pricing tiers include Pro and Premium. Pro Plan: Patreon takes an 8% commission with the Pro plan. This plan offers advanced features like membership tiers, analytics and insights, promotional tools, priority customer support, and more. It’s designed for creators who want to grow their businesses and offer more to their patrons. Premium Plan: The Premium plan is for well-established creators or businesses that need a little more. It offers everything in the Pro plan plus merchandise for membership and a dedicated partner manager for either a 12% commission or $600 a month, whichever is higher. According to Patreon, the plan is best for creators who expect to make at least $5,000 per month on Patreon, so the 12% fee equals at least $600 per month to Patreon. In addition to Patreon’s commission, your earnings will also be subject to transaction fees. These fees can fluctuate based on the payment method chosen by your patrons, but they generally amount to approximately 2.9% + $0.30 for each successful payment exceeding $3, and 5% + $0.10 for payments of $3 or less. Case Study: Successful Patreon Creators Many creators have successfully transformed their passions into profitable ventures on Patreon. Here are a few inspiring examples: Chapo Trap House: This political comedy podcast earns over $160,000 per month on Patreon. Amanda Palmer: The musician and artist earn over $40,000 for each piece of content she creates. The Try Guys: Known for their hilarious and informative YouTube videos, they earn over $30,000 per month. Darknet Diaries: This podcast, centered on cybercrime and hosted by Jack Rhysider, generates approximately $30,000 each month from its loyal listeners. Jessica Nigri: This cosplayer uses Patreon to deliver exclusive photoshoots and behind-the-scenes content, earning over $20,000 per month. FAQ: Making Money on Patreon Questions often arise when creators begin their journey on Patreon. Here are concise answers to some of the most frequently asked ones. How Much Can a Patreon Creator Expect to Earn? Earnings on Patreon vary widely depending on factors such as the number of patrons, membership tier prices, and frequency of content release. How Can I Attract More Patrons to My Page? Attract more patrons by offering high-quality, unique content, engaging with your audience regularly, and promoting your Patreon page on various platforms. How Long Does It Take to Start Earning on Patreon? The time it takes to start earning on Patreon can vary. It often depends on factors like the size of your existing audience, the quality of your content, and your promotion strategies. How Often are Membership Payments Processed on Patreon? Membership payments are processed on the 1st of every month. What Are Some Challenges I Might Face on Patreon? Some challenges might include building and maintaining an audience, setting appropriate subscription prices, and consistently creating high-quality, exclusive content. If these challenges prevent you from using Patreon effectively, there are other options. For example, you could explore how to make money on TikTok, how to make money on Twitch, or how to make money on PayPal. Image: Envato Elements This article, "How to Make Money on Patreon" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. When’s the last time you fielded a tech support call from a parent? You want your parents—or anyone you support—to benefit from email, photo sharing, and video calls. You also have to protect them from scams, malware, and unnecessary complexity. Or maybe you are that parent and want to stay safe online. Either way, today’s post aims to support you. I periodically help my parents make sense of confusing WebEx conferencing instructions or Microsoft Word settings. So when Wonder Tools reader and tech expert Paul Schreiber offered to write a guest post based on his professional and personal experience, I welcomed his input. Below he outlines specific hardware recommendations, security steps, and practical tips you can implement today. The next section of this piece is by Paul. Paul’s advice Over the past few years, I’ve helped my parents and some friends’ parents stay safe online. Here are some things I’ve found work well. Skip the computer Many folks don’t need a powerful computer. They just need access to email, messaging, and the web. An iPad or Chromebook for around $300 provides this (along with thousands of apps), while reducing the burden of maintenance. . . . or pick a simple one A MacBook Air is a great choice if they do need a computer. There’s less malware and Apple provides a single, simple source of support. No need to worry about separate or conflicting instructions from hardware and OS manufacturers. Plus, if they already have an iPhone, the Air works with it seamlessly. Replace the router Replace their current router with one or more eero devices. Eeros: Automatically connect to each other in a mesh for large homes—no more clunky extenders with separate network names. They also work for apartments with thick walls Automatically configure themselves with the right network settings Automatically stay up-to-date Can be monitored and administered remotely from your phone Add guardrails Make yourself the admin. When setting up the computer, create two accounts: One for yourself, with administrative rights A standard account for your parent If they accidentally install adware or other junk, it will only affect their account, not the whole computer, and it’ll be easier to remedy. Install an ad blocker Ads slow down the page and trick people into installing malware. I recommend the free uBlock Origin for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. (Note: avoid the similarly named uBlock.) For Safari, consider buying 1Blocker, Wipr, or AdGuard. Set up a family account Apple (iCloud+) and Google (Google One) both sell cloud storage that can be shared with your family. For about $10 per month, you ensure everyone’s device is backed up and their photos are synced. You can also share some apps without repurchasing them. Make yourself the recovery contact Add your email and phone number as a recovery contact (Apple, Google) for your parents’ important accounts. This lets you help when they forget their password. It also lets you reset it if they become incapacitated or die. Set up legacy contacts Unlike recovery contacts, legacy contacts control an account after someone dies. Setting these up gives you legal permission to access the account. Each service handles it differently, so read instructions from Facebook, Apple, and Google carefully. Today is trash day Go through your parents’ computer and/or phone. Delete unused apps. Clean up the downloads folder, removing installers (such as .pkg and .dmg files) as well duplicate or outdated files. Passwords Passwords are a pain. Good news: You no longer need to memorize them. With a password manager, the only two passwords you’ll need to remember are those for your computer and your email. Your password manager will automatically create hard-to-guess passwords and fill them in for all other logins. It won’t fill your password in on sites trying to steal your information. Set up password autofill and teach them to use it Spend a few hours using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or 1Password to generate new passwords for their 25 most important sites Share key account passwords with yourself Final Tips If you want personalized advice, visit Consumer Reports’ security planner. If your parents or relatives are easily duped by fake reviews, set up bookmarks for Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, the Good Housekeeping Institute, Vetted, or other trustworthy review services. P.S. bonus tools—recommended by Jeremy Print Friendly makes it easy to print anything online. Postlight Reader removes clutter from articles, making reading easier. Permission Slip is a free app from Consumer Reports that helps you learn what companies are collecting data about you or your parents or children. You can send a request that they stop selling your personal info. Consumer Reports testing found that paid data removal services often fail to fully scrub personal information from people-search sites. I’ve been testing Incogni, which wasn’t assessed in that report. So far it’s been helpful in requesting that data brokers erase information about me that they’re storing and selling. See the big data broker opt-out list for more info. CleanMyMac is a simple Mac app that makes it easy to remove old installers, duplicate files, and other files cluttering up your computer or taking up space. I’ve used it for a few years and recommend it. Yorba is another promising new service in beta. It can help in several ways: Unsubscribe from emails. Wipe old unused accounts and associated logins. Cancel subscriptions you forgot about. It’s free to start. This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. View the full article

The waters of Cape Cod Bay are coming for the big brown house perched on the edge of a sandy bluff high above the beach. It’s just a matter of when. Erosion has marched right up to the concrete footings of the multimillion-dollar home where it overlooks the bay. Massive sliding doors that used to open onto a wide deck, complete with hot tub, are now barricaded by thin wooden slats that prevent anyone from stepping through and falling 25 feet to the beach below. The owner knew it. He removed the deck and other parts of the house, including a small tower that held the primary bedroom, before stopping work and falling into a standoff with the town. He’s since sold the place to a salvage company that says it won’t pay for work. Officials in Wellfleet worry the home’s collapse will damage delicate beds in their harbor where farmers grow oysters that are among New England’s most prized. A report commissioned by the town projects if nothing is done, the 5,100-square-foot home will tumble into the bay within three years—and possibly much sooner. Its certain fate is a reminder of the fragility of building along the cape, where thanks to climate change sea level rise has accelerated in recent years. “I mean, the cape has always been moving,” said John Cumbler, a retired environmental history professor who also serves on the Wellfleet Conservation Commission. “The sand is moving.” History of the home The house was built in 2010 on Cape Cod on the bay side of the peninsula. Its original owners, Mark and Barbara Blasch, sought permission from the commission in 2018 to build a 241-foot-wide seawall to stave off erosion. The commission’s seven members—all volunteers—rejected the seawall on the grounds that it might have unintended effects on the beach and the way water carries nutrients in the bay. They also questioned whether it would actually save the house. The property is within Cape Cod National Seashore. The National Seashore Administration supported rejection of the seawall because of the “critical location” within the seashore and Wellfleet Harbor area, including critical habitat and valuable shellfish operations. The Blasches appealed the rejection in state district court and lost. An appeal to the state’s Superior Court is pending. A New York man, attorney John Bonomi, bought the house in 2022 for $5.5 million, even as its future was in doubt. Bonomi’s attorneys declined to comment for this story. Threat to the bay and oyster beds A report prepared for Wellfleet last year by Bryan McCormack, a coastal processes specialist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, estimates that the bluffs are eroding at a rate of 3.8 to 5.6 feet a year. The report estimated collapse in up to three years, but likely sooner. The report said a collapse could send debris into Wellfleet Harbor, where the town’s namesake oysters, well-known to shellfish lovers, take two to three years to reach maturity. “The house has a lot of fiberglass insulation in it. It has toxic material in it,” Cumbler said. “If that toxic material gets into Wellfleet Harbor, which is where the currents will take it, it could endanger the oyster industry in Wellfleet, our major industry outside of tourism.” Standoff over what to do with the house Bonomi “came to us back in October and said, yes, we understand the house is in danger of falling into the sea, and we will give you a plan by January for what we will do with the house,” Cumbler said. “We asked for a plan to remove it from the danger.” That plan was supposed to be presented at the commission’s January meeting. But Bonomi’s attorney, Tom Moore, wrote to the town in December to say Bonomi had sold the house to CQN Salvage, a company incorporated in October, that Moore was also representing. Moore wrote that the town “is on notice to take whatever steps it deems prudent to prevent the collapse of the embankment and the other consequences of further erosion. CQN Salvage is ready to work alongside the town in such efforts but will not fund them.” It’s not clear who owns CQN Salvage. Its incorporation records in New York state don’t list any officials. Moore declined to speak with The Associated Press. At the January meeting, Moore appeared by video and told the commission that the “bare minimum estimate” to remove the house was at least $1 million. “So, you plan to do nothing and allow it to fall into the water?” Lecia McKenna, the town’s conservation agent, asked Moore. “I plan to ask you to not let it fall into the water,” Moore responded. The commission voted to extend to June 1 the deadline to comply with its enforcement order. Wellfleet is left to watch and wait For now, the town is left to simply watch the house. When the AP recently visited the site, 20 mph winds were hitting the bluffs and sand could be seen trickling down. The sea level at nearby Falmouth has risen 11 inches in the past 90 years, but the pace is accelerating. An AP analysis of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the sea level around Cape Cod between 1995 and 2024 was rising at an annual rate of 0.16 inch faster than the prior 30-year period. McCormack, the Woods Hole specialist who prepared the report for the town, said it’s difficult to attribute erosion at a single property to climate change and sea level rise. And he said Cape Cod has been eroding “for tens of thousands of years.” But he said the bluffs have receded 54 feet since 2014, and the erosion rate over the past decade “has exceeded long-term rates published by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.” —By Andre Muggiati, Associated Press AP data journalist Mary Katherine Wildeman contributed to this report. The Associated Press’s climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. View the full article

Struggling Japanese carmaker is pursuing tech rather than automotive ally to revive its businessView the full article

An X post recently made the rounds for its “old money” visuals. The video depicting weekends spent sailing Lake Como in tuxedos and candlelit dinners at impossibly long dining tables screams “upper crust.” Or so we thought. It was another X user who quickly shattered the illusion. “Sorry to burst the fantasy, but I know one of the girls in this video, and none of this is casual or real,” Louis Pisano wrote in a post. “It’s an ‘Instagram club’ where, if you get accepted, you pay to dress up and create ‘old money’ content with them.” This is the Tuxedo Society, a U.K.-based members-only club promising access to “experiences in the most iconic locations” and a chance to “elevate your network” by connecting with like-minded people. Founded by classic-car dealer Riccardo Capotosti, the group markets itself as an exclusive gateway to a more glamorous, monied world with the motto “Attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” “Having access to this elite club will give you the opportunity to connect with enlightened people from all over the world,” the group’s website states. Or, as one X user put it: “So it’s basically Disneyland for wannabe socialites.” The Tuxedo Society, also known as the Tuxedo Members Club, has two websites: one showing the luxurious lifestyle you can expect with a membership and another for applications, though the latter is still in the “Coming Soon” phase as of this writing. To join, you must earn more than 500,000 euros per year (that’s around $520,000) or have a seven-figure net worth (although Pisano claims this isn’t true, based on his personal knowledge of one of the members). Prospective members must also pass an approval process, including an introductory video call with a board member, according to the website. An annual membership then costs 6,000 euros (about $6,200), and if you don’t renew, your spot goes to someone else. Current members, including influencers like Federico di Custoza and model Chiara Basso, pose against classic cars and suited up in formal wear on tennis courts. The most notable member, who can actually claim “old money” status, is Eugenia Hannover, a model linked to the historic House of Hanover. Fascination with the rich and well-connected is nothing new, but in the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to cosplay as wealthy, even if just for content. The secret lives and unspoken rules of the upper classes have been the subject of countless films and TV shows, from The Great Gatsby and The Talented Mr. Ripley to Saltburn. Remember how those stories ended? View the full article

Influencers are not only good for skinny jean and matcha recommendations. Now, they can advise you on where to invest your money. Founded by 23-year-old Steven Wang, Dub is an influencer-driven marketplace where users can now copy the entire portfolios of the likes of Rep. Nancy Pelosi or billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman for just $9.99 a month or $89.99 a year. At the same time, retail traders accepted into Dub’s top creator program will be paid royalties for users to access their model portfolio. “I want the next five Warren Buffetts to be surfaced and famous on Dub,” Wang told CNBC last month. “If we’re really successful with the top creator program, the next generation of the best fund managers, the best traders in the world that people follow will rise from Dub.” Rather than picking stocks, users just need to make sure they pick the right person (kind of like copying the homework of the smartest kid in class rather than actually doing your homework). These portfolios are tracked for changes over time, with any trades automatically copied, eliminating the human error of missing any trades. Dub is also focused on educating users and helps investors make informed decisions by displaying risk scores, risk-adjusted returns, and portfolio stability metrics all on the platform. Retail investing has changed rapidly over the past two decades. Now, almost half of Gen Zers invest in the stock market, according to the Oliver Wyman Forum survey. They are 45% more likely to start investing by age 21 than Millennials and two to four times more likely than Gen X and baby boomers. In for a penny in for a pound, Gen Z are also saving a sizable 14% of their incomes. At the same time, social media is reshaping how people, and Gen Z in particular, choose to spend, save and invest their money. Gen Zers are nearly five times more likely to say they get financial advice, including investing tips, from social media than those in their 40s or above. So Gen Z is going to take advice from anyone, might as well be from those who can put their money where their mouth is. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I use a wedding photo — with a veil — as my work avatar? My company is fully remote, so they really encourage us to upload a headshot to our company chat service so people can put a face to the name. Would it look out of touch or immature to use a photo from my wedding? It’s probably the best I’ll ever look in any photo because of the professional hair and makeup and because it was taken by a professional photographer. But because of the veil, it’s very obviously a wedding photo. (I’d choose a shot without my husband in it.) I think some of my male coworkers have done this, but it feels different because they’re just wearing suits rather than the whole Bridal Outfit ™. Yeah, a wedding veil will look out of place for a headshot. For most companies, at least. There are undoubtedly exceptions, but we’re trafficking in generalities for questions like this. (I totally understand the temptation to use it though and feel the same way about my wedding photos, and in hindsight everyone who’s just had their hair and makeup done for their wedding should consider taking a couple of shots with no obviously wedding-ish accoutrements while they are looking like that.) 2. I sneeze constantly, and my coworkers say “bless you” Every. Single. Time I sneeze. A lot. Like, when I sneeze, I sneeze six times in a row and I do this multiple times a day. Even with regular visits to an allergist and daily medication, it’s something I have to deal with. My issue is that I work in a huge open-concept office. Every time I sneeze, I’m greeted with a chorus of “Bless you!” from around the office. Putting aside the fact that I have no concerns about my soul escaping via my nose, it’s just annoying. If I sneeze six times, they’ll say “bless you!” six times. I’ve tried to jokingly tell people that I’m okay, to just ignore me, or to at least wait until I’ve finished, but several people still do it. I already worry that I’m creating a disruption, but my sneezing isn’t something I can control. How do I get these well-intentioned colleagues to stop? You might not be able to; some people feel too rude letting a sneeze go unacknowledged. But you can try! The thing is, you’ve got to stop saying it jokingly and start saying it more seriously: “I appreciate the thought, but it’s making it more of a disruption than it already is. I’d be grateful to agree there’s a blanket ‘bless you’ in effect and no more are needed.” If saying it to the group doesn’t work, start talking to the hold-out’s one-on-one. 3. What is the normal amount of extra staffing a team should plan for? I work in a support role on a team which physically moves objects, devices, and equipment around. No working from home! A normal complement of staff to cover the needs on a normal day is six people. But there are only six people, total, employed on my team. If even one team member calls in sick or goes on holiday or on a training course, the team is short-staffed. This causes friction and delays and impacts the work of the whole place. I feel that management is in denial and expects us to just do our best and work harder. Is there a number which any sensible manager applies to a situation like this? Should a six-position team have a complement of say nine staff? Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s at least seven, right? Not really. It’s actually very normal for a team with a six-person workload to be staffed by six people. Well-resourced and well-managed organizations might staff it with seven, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an organization that could justify overstaffing by 50% (nine staff). It absolutely does make sense to build in a buffer for times when people are out or when work is higher, but it can be a very hard sell and it’s common for managers not to be able to get the budget for it. Ideally you’d build in an additional staff position that does other useful work when they’re not needed to cover for someone, but there isn’t always enough other work to justify the additional position, or it’s not high-priority enough relative to other things that money could be spent on. That said, a decently managed place will recognize the situation and manage workflow accordingly — meaning that when someone is out, they’ll adjust the workload, reprioritize as needed, push back on demands from other teams, bring in temp help, and so forth. It’s when that doesn’t happen that it really becomes a problem. 4. Telling an employer I’ll need time off to promote a book This is still a hypothetical, but I want to be prepared to navigate the situation. I have a book being released by a major publisher this year. It’s beyond exciting, and I am contractually obligated to do any and all promotional activities asked of me. However, I won’t see any more money from my publisher until I earn out my advance, and I need a job. I just concluded a second interview for a really fantastic position. If I get an offer, I know my obligations to my publisher have to be an immediate discussion with my supervisor. How would I navigate this without getting my offer pulled? “I’m delighted to accept this rigorous and team-work based role but also I might be on a book tour lol” is not really the note I want to strike, you know? Well, first, look at your contract with your publisher — it’s very unlikely that you are contractually obligated to do “any and all” promotional activities asked of you. You’re typically expected to do a lot of them, even most of them, but that doesn’t mean you can never push back and have a conflict with something. You should also talk to your publisher about exactly what it’s likely to look like; book tours are less and less common these days, unless the author has a massive audience (or in some cases unless the author is highly motivated to do one). It’s possible you’ve already discussed this with your publisher and know for sure they expect a book tour, but either way, talk to them and get really clear on what promotion is likely to look like and how much flexibility you’ll have. (For most authors, it’s likely to be a lot of demands on your time the month the book comes out — although keep in mind a lot of it will be interviews that you will do remotely — and then decreasing demands on your time after that.) Once you have that discussion, you’ll be in a better position to talk to a would-be employer about it since they’ll need to hear specifics of what you’re asking them to agree to. Ideally you can say something like, “I have a book being published by Oatmeal Press in June and will need time for promotional activities that month, including being at the Groats fan convention on June 20 and away for a signing event on June 30 and general availability for interviews around the time of publication.” You won’t be able to predict everything that will come up (and media stuff in particular can come up last minute), but talking to your publisher should position you to be able to provide a general idea of what it will look like. Congratulations on the book! 5. I work for the federal government — how can I stay in touch with coworkers? I have worked for the federal government for over 15 years — almost all of my professional references are federal employees and I only have their official contact information. In the event of a mass layoff or other mass exodus of employees from the government, how should we handle reference checks for future employment? I have the personal contact info for 3-4 people who would provide relevant info (not just “we were neighbors and played volleyball on Tuesdays” or “we worked together a decade ago”), but if I had to provide a list of more people, or those who fit a certain description, I’d be in trouble if I couldn’t look people up. I have no expectation of any privacy related to official communication channels right now. This might seem like I’m overthinking or focusing on a relatively minor issue while everything is falling apart, but, due to health concerns, I’m terrified of losing my health insurance and need to be able to find new work ASAP if I somehow find myself unemployed. The only thing that’s keeping me going right now is figuring out how to get as many ducks in a row as possible. LinkedIn is the easiest way to keep in touch with people after you’re no longer working together. You don’t need to be active on LinkedIn to use it this way; you just need to connect to colleagues and other contacts so you can find each other in the future. So if you’re not already connected there, do that right away. There’s also nothing wrong with saying to people, “With everything going on, I want to make sure we can stay in touch if anything changes. My personal email address is X and I’d love to have yours as well if you’re comfortable exchanging it.” View the full article

As the president threatens a trade war, follow the latest data on imports, exports and trade balancesView the full article

The flaws of the UK’s competition regulator can be corrected without government interferenceView the full article

All political careers may end in failure, but the UK’s new ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, isn’t done yetView the full article

Investigation examines how French IT group Atos used Moscow office for sensitive European computer projectView the full article

Data adds to fears that climate change is accelerating, as La Niña phenomenon fails to cool global temperatures View the full article

Private-sector employment increased by 183,000 jobs in January, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report, produced in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The report, based on payroll data from more than 25 million U.S. employees, also showed that annual pay grew by 4.7% year-over-year. Job Growth Trends and Industry Breakdown While hiring momentum from late 2024 carried into January, growth was uneven across industries. Consumer-facing sectors led the expansion, while business services and manufacturing posted weaker results. Industry Employment Changes: Goods-producing sectors: -6,000 jobs Natural resources/mining: +4,000 Construction: +3,000 Manufacturing: -13,000 Service-providing sectors: +190,000 jobs Trade/transportation/utilities: +56,000 Leisure/hospitality: +54,000 Education/health services: +20,000 Professional/business services: +14,000 Information: +18,000 Financial activities: +13,000 Other services: +15,000 Regional Employment Changes Northeast: +22,000 Midwest: +64,000 South: +50,000 West: +70,000 Job Growth by Business Size Small businesses (1-49 employees): +39,000 Medium businesses (50-499 employees): +92,000 Large businesses (500+ employees): +69,000 Pay Insights: Stability in Wage Growth Annual pay increases remained steady in January. Job-stayers saw a median annual pay increase of 4.7%. Job-changers experienced a 6.8% wage increase. Median Annual Pay Growth by Industry (Job-Stayers): Construction: 5.0% Manufacturing: 4.9% Education/health services: 5.0% Leisure/hospitality: 4.8% Financial activities: 5.0% Median Annual Pay Growth by Firm Size (Job-Stayers): Small firms (1-19 employees): 2.9% Medium firms (50-249 employees): 5.0% Large firms (500+ employees): 5.0% Labor Market Outlook Despite strong overall job growth, disparities remain across industries, and some sectors continue to face hiring challenges. “We had a strong start to 2025 but it masked a dichotomy in the labor market,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “Consumer-facing industries drove hiring, while job growth was weaker in business services and production.” Image: ADP This article, "Private Sector Employment Rises by 183,000 in January" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Private-sector employment increased by 183,000 jobs in January, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report, produced in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The report, based on payroll data from more than 25 million U.S. employees, also showed that annual pay grew by 4.7% year-over-year. Job Growth Trends and Industry Breakdown While hiring momentum from late 2024 carried into January, growth was uneven across industries. Consumer-facing sectors led the expansion, while business services and manufacturing posted weaker results. Industry Employment Changes: Goods-producing sectors: -6,000 jobs Natural resources/mining: +4,000 Construction: +3,000 Manufacturing: -13,000 Service-providing sectors: +190,000 jobs Trade/transportation/utilities: +56,000 Leisure/hospitality: +54,000 Education/health services: +20,000 Professional/business services: +14,000 Information: +18,000 Financial activities: +13,000 Other services: +15,000 Regional Employment Changes Northeast: +22,000 Midwest: +64,000 South: +50,000 West: +70,000 Job Growth by Business Size Small businesses (1-49 employees): +39,000 Medium businesses (50-499 employees): +92,000 Large businesses (500+ employees): +69,000 Pay Insights: Stability in Wage Growth Annual pay increases remained steady in January. Job-stayers saw a median annual pay increase of 4.7%. Job-changers experienced a 6.8% wage increase. Median Annual Pay Growth by Industry (Job-Stayers): Construction: 5.0% Manufacturing: 4.9% Education/health services: 5.0% Leisure/hospitality: 4.8% Financial activities: 5.0% Median Annual Pay Growth by Firm Size (Job-Stayers): Small firms (1-19 employees): 2.9% Medium firms (50-249 employees): 5.0% Large firms (500+ employees): 5.0% Labor Market Outlook Despite strong overall job growth, disparities remain across industries, and some sectors continue to face hiring challenges. “We had a strong start to 2025 but it masked a dichotomy in the labor market,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “Consumer-facing industries drove hiring, while job growth was weaker in business services and production.” Image: ADP This article, "Private Sector Employment Rises by 183,000 in January" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Suntory boss expects to sell less in Europe, Canada and Mexico as a result of US president’s protectionist trade policiesView the full article

YouTube updates Analytics with more prominent device data, helping you tailor content to shifting viewing habits. The post YouTube Analytics Update: Device-Type Data In Audience Tab appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Black-owned small businesses are embracing digital tools at higher rates than their non-Black counterparts, helping them navigate financial challenges and drive long-term success, according to a new Intuit QuickBooks Black History Month Survey. The report highlights how early technology adoption is proving to be a key factor in business resilience and financial health, even as access to funding remains a major hurdle. Technology Adoption as a Competitive Advantage The study, based on insights from 2,490 Black and 3,000 non-Black small business owners, found that 28% of Black entrepreneurs are early adopters of new technology, compared to 20% of non-Black entrepreneurs. Businesses that adopt technology later or not at all are nearly twice as likely to struggle or face closure, highlighting the importance of digital tools in long-term business viability. Social media, mobile point-of-sale (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and AI-powered solutions were identified as key drivers of success, with 84% of Black business owners stating that technology is a major contributor to their growth. Social Media and AI Fuel Business Growth Among digital tools, social media stands out, with 70% of Black entrepreneurs crediting it as a critical business driver. It is primarily used for product promotion (64%), brand awareness (51%), and customer engagement (50%). AI adoption is also significantly higher among Black-owned businesses, with 79% integrating AI tools, compared to 62% of non-Black business owners. AI is being used for idea generation (47%), customer support (34%), and marketing (31%), reinforcing its role in streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Financial Challenges Persist Despite Progress While Black entrepreneurs are making strides with technology, financial barriers remain a significant challenge. The study found that 80% of Black business owners used personal funds to cover business expenses in the past year—down from 85% last year but still higher than the 47% of non-Black entrepreneurs who rely on credit cards. Additionally, Black business owners were twice as likely to be denied a bank loan (30%) compared to their non-Black counterparts (15%). Fewer Black entrepreneurs applied for startup loans in the past year, with 45% seeking funding, down from 76% in 2023, mirroring an industry-wide shift away from traditional lending sources. Early Tech Adoption Reduces Financial Strain The report suggests that businesses leveraging technology early are 20% less likely to use personal funds to sustain operations. Seventy-eight percent of Black entrepreneurs believe that digital tools better prepare them for financial challenges, while 93% agree that technology adoption is helping close the racial wealth gap. Lower Barriers to Business Entry The study also found a sharp decline in startup costs for Black entrepreneurs. The average cost to start a Black-owned business fell to $9,800, down from $21,000 in 2023, and lower than the $12,900 average for non-Black entrepreneurs. Looking Ahead: Technology as an Equalizer Black entrepreneurs overwhelmingly view technology as a leveling force in business, with 82% agreeing that it is creating more equitable opportunities. As more Black-owned businesses embrace AI, digital marketing, and automation tools, early adoption trends are likely to continue, reinforcing technology’s role in reducing financial risk and fostering business sustainability. This article, "Black-Owned Businesses Leverage Early Tech Adoption to Overcome Financial Barriers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Black-owned small businesses are embracing digital tools at higher rates than their non-Black counterparts, helping them navigate financial challenges and drive long-term success, according to a new Intuit QuickBooks Black History Month Survey. The report highlights how early technology adoption is proving to be a key factor in business resilience and financial health, even as access to funding remains a major hurdle. Technology Adoption as a Competitive Advantage The study, based on insights from 2,490 Black and 3,000 non-Black small business owners, found that 28% of Black entrepreneurs are early adopters of new technology, compared to 20% of non-Black entrepreneurs. Businesses that adopt technology later or not at all are nearly twice as likely to struggle or face closure, highlighting the importance of digital tools in long-term business viability. Social media, mobile point-of-sale (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and AI-powered solutions were identified as key drivers of success, with 84% of Black business owners stating that technology is a major contributor to their growth. Social Media and AI Fuel Business Growth Among digital tools, social media stands out, with 70% of Black entrepreneurs crediting it as a critical business driver. It is primarily used for product promotion (64%), brand awareness (51%), and customer engagement (50%). AI adoption is also significantly higher among Black-owned businesses, with 79% integrating AI tools, compared to 62% of non-Black business owners. AI is being used for idea generation (47%), customer support (34%), and marketing (31%), reinforcing its role in streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Financial Challenges Persist Despite Progress While Black entrepreneurs are making strides with technology, financial barriers remain a significant challenge. The study found that 80% of Black business owners used personal funds to cover business expenses in the past year—down from 85% last year but still higher than the 47% of non-Black entrepreneurs who rely on credit cards. Additionally, Black business owners were twice as likely to be denied a bank loan (30%) compared to their non-Black counterparts (15%). Fewer Black entrepreneurs applied for startup loans in the past year, with 45% seeking funding, down from 76% in 2023, mirroring an industry-wide shift away from traditional lending sources. Early Tech Adoption Reduces Financial Strain The report suggests that businesses leveraging technology early are 20% less likely to use personal funds to sustain operations. Seventy-eight percent of Black entrepreneurs believe that digital tools better prepare them for financial challenges, while 93% agree that technology adoption is helping close the racial wealth gap. Lower Barriers to Business Entry The study also found a sharp decline in startup costs for Black entrepreneurs. The average cost to start a Black-owned business fell to $9,800, down from $21,000 in 2023, and lower than the $12,900 average for non-Black entrepreneurs. Looking Ahead: Technology as an Equalizer Black entrepreneurs overwhelmingly view technology as a leveling force in business, with 82% agreeing that it is creating more equitable opportunities. As more Black-owned businesses embrace AI, digital marketing, and automation tools, early adoption trends are likely to continue, reinforcing technology’s role in reducing financial risk and fostering business sustainability. This article, "Black-Owned Businesses Leverage Early Tech Adoption to Overcome Financial Barriers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A website audit helps you find what’s holding your site back. It highlights technical issues that affect your rankings and UX problems that hurt conversions. In this guide, I’ll walk you through five essential steps to maximize your site’s performance. And to make it easier, I’ve created a free website audit checklist that you can refer to as you follow along. Note: This post covers the fundamentals of website audits for small to medium sites. Enterprise sites have extra considerations and may need specialized tools and processes. Step #1: Review Your Site Architecture and Navigation A clear site structure and intuitive navigation help both users and search engines find what they’re looking for. This means it can affect your rankings AND your bottom line. After all, if your visitors can’t find your products or services, how will they buy them? Here’s how to audit your site’s architecture: Analyze Your Site’s Navigation Check how easily users can move through your site. Your navigation menu structure should be intuitive, and your site architecture should be logical. Here are some questions to ask about key areas of your navigation: Is your main navigation easy to find, and do the labels clearly describe where they lead? Does your site search function return accurate, relevant results? Do you use internal linking for related content to help users naturally explore your site? For example, this furniture store, Terra Outdoor, ticks all the boxes: What do they do right? The site has a clean drop-down design that organizes items by product groups, materials, and collections. This kind of organization lets shoppers easily browse the products they’re looking for. Useful resource: Use this menu design checklist to make your site’s navigation more user-friendly. Map Your Site Structure Your content needs proper organization on each page so readers AND search engines can understand it easily. Start with your heading hierarchy: Your H1 tag is the main title of your page. So it should be unique and properly describe the content of each specific page. Here’s how an H1 tag appears on your page: Meanwhile, H2s and H3s should logically break down your topic. Further reading: Learn more about creating a user-friendly site structure with our website architecture guide. Check Your Internal Links Internal links help readers navigate your site. They also signal to search engines that your content is all connected. That’s why proper internal linking can help boost your topical authority. So, check if you link to: Important product/service pages Related blog posts High-converting pages One thing to consider: do you use descriptive anchor text that includes relevant keywords naturally? This tells readers where your link will take them. Plus, it gives Google helpful context about that page. Here’s what useful internal linking looks like: Next steps: Put these insights into action with our ultimate guide to internal linking. Step #2: Check Technical Foundation With a technical site audit, you can check how easily search engines can access, crawl, and index your pages. You could have the best content in the industry, but technical issues could still hold your rankings back. For example, a technical SEO audit helped BetterVet, a mobile veterinary service, fix critical site errors affecting the crawling and indexing of their content. Which resulted in a 2,002% boost in organic traffic. So this kind of audit can get REAL results for your business. Here’s how to do it: Check Your Site’s Indexability First, you need to know if search engines can actually find and understand your pages. To check this, head over to Google Search Console and check if Google is indexing your important pages. You’ll see this under “Indexing” > “Pages.” How to fix: If your website audit highlights indexing issues, check out this guide to getting your site indexed by Google. Look for Crawlability Issues Next, make sure search engines can easily move through your site and find your content. Look for broken links, missing pages, and complex site structures. Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to identify crawled pages and the issues that might be blocking search engines from accessing them effectively. Here’s how: Head over to Site Audit and select your project to get an overview of your site’s health. Take a look at the “Crawled Pages” section. There, you’ll see your pages broken down into the following categories: Healthy pages: Pages that are working correctly Broken pages: Pages returning errors Have issues: Pages that need attention, but still working Redirects: Pages sending users to another page Blocked pages: Pages that can’t be crawled Next, click the “Crawled Pages” tab: This will show you a list of crawled pages on your website. Click the number in the “Issues” column for any page’s URL to see what you need to fix. If you’re unsure what one of the errors, warnings, or notices means, click “Why and how to fix it” for more info. Further reading: Learn about the most common crawlability problems (and find out how to fix them.) Check Your XML Sitemap Next, make sure it’s easy for search engines to effectively navigate your site structure. Start by checking your XML sitemap in Google Search Console to confirm you’ve submitted it correctly. Then review it manually to check for issues like missing or duplicate URLs. Further reading: Sitemap: What It Is & Why Your Website Needs One Analyze Your Page Speed A page speed audit helps you identify exactly what’s slowing down your site and how to fix it. Improving your site speed can potentially help you convert more customers. How? It’s simple: a fast-loading website creates a smooth user experience. When your site loads quickly, visitors can easily explore your content, interact with your site, and complete actions—like clicking the buy button. Want to see the real impact? Take Agrofy, an agricultural marketplace. After identifying and fixing their performance issues through a page speed audit, their cart abandonment rate dropped by 76%: Here’s how to check if your site is as fast as it could be: Measure Your Page Performance Start by checking your page speed using Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool. This tool shows you detailed performance data and actionable insights, which can help you identify areas that you need to improve. Pay special attention to the Core Web Vitals. These are part of Google’s page experience ranking factors. Here’s why they matter and how to improve them: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) reflects how quickly your main content loads for users. A good LCP score (under 2.5 seconds) means your visitors are less likely to abandon your page before it loads. To improve your LCP, compress bulky resources like hero images or animations. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how quickly your site responds when users interact with it. Keep INP under 200 milliseconds by minimizing JavaScript execution time. Also remove unnecessary third-party scripts that could slow down interactions. Cumulative layout shift (CLS) tracks the visual stability of your page as it loads. For example, if ads load in and push content down the page as they do so, that will affect your CLS score. Aim for a CLS score below 0.1 by setting proper image dimensions, reserving space for ads, and using consistent fonts. Prioritize High-Impact Fixes When auditing your site’s page speed, focus on changes that can bring the biggest improvements, like: Compressing and properly sizing all images Minifying and combining CSS and JavaScript files Removing unnecessary code and plugins If you’re not sure where to start, follow the list of issues and fixes PageSpeed Insights suggests. Next steps: Learn all about why this matters in our guide to page speed and SEO. Step #3: Analyze Your Backlink Profile A backlink audit helps you understand your site’s backlink profile and identify opportunities for improvement. Strong backlinks from reputable sites can boost your rankings, while poor quality links (or a lack of links) might hold you back. Let me show you how to evaluate your link profile: Check Your Backlink Profile First, get an overview of your backlink profile with a tool like Semrush’s Backlink Analytics. Take a look at the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and overall toxicity score: Watch out for any sudden spikes in new, low-quality backlinks. This could signal that you’ve been attacked by spam, which could harm your SEO. Free tool: Use our free backlink checker to quickly analyze your site’s links (or your competitor’s). Analyze Link Quality Next, use the Backlink Audit tool to get a clear picture of your link profile’s health. Click through the numbers shown in red (toxic), orange (potentially toxic), and green (non-toxic) to review each category of backlinks: This breakdown helps you spot opportunities in two ways: You can analyze your healthy backlinks and find similar link-building opportunities You can identify toxic links and send removal requests Having a few toxic backlinks isn’t necessarily alarming, and it’s almost inevitable as your site grows. What does matter is the ratio between good and toxic links in your profile—you want the vast majority to be high-quality links. Further reading: Toxic Backlinks: How to Spot and Avoid Them Monitor Your Link Profile Regularly monitor your backlink profile to maintain it in a healthy state. Schedule monthly checks to catch harmful links before they tank your rankings. Tool recommendation: Use Semrush’s Link Building Tool to monitor your link building efforts. You can manage your outreach and monitor your results in one place: Step #4: Evaluate Your Content A content audit will uncover pages you need to update if you want to boost their traffic. It reveals three key things: Which pages drive the most value Which pages you need to improve Which pages you should remove or consolidate Here’s how to audit your content: Evaluate the Quality of Your Content High-quality content keeps readers engaged and signals to search engines that your page is valuable and deserving of higher rankings. But how do you evaluate content quality? High-quality content is generally well-researched, up to date, and provides unique insights. Other elements of high-quality content include: Clear language Easy-to-follow format Short paragraphs Relevant images, charts, and videos Pro tip: Use our guide to quality SEO content to learn what it takes to create truly great content (that also ranks well) Review Your Meta Elements Your title tags and meta descriptions are your first chance to impress people in search results. These elements can determine whether someone clicks through to your content—or scrolls past it. Here’s what they look like in search results: But what should you look out for when auditing your titles and descriptions? Great titles should: Include target keywords near the start Stay under ~60 characters (or 600 pixels—use a tool like Mangools to check) Use compelling language that makes people want to click Follow a consistent format across your pages And your meta descriptions should: Include relevant keywords naturally Accurately describe the page content Stay under 155 characters/960 pixels (or ~120 characters/680 pixels on mobile) Have a clear call to action (CTA) Use Google Search Console to see which pages get the most clicks from search. Then, analyze their meta elements to understand what’s working well. Look for pages with lots of impressions but not many clicks. These are pages with low click-through rates (CTRs), and likely ones you could optimize for better performance. Next steps: You need people to click on your site if you want them to turn into customers. Check out our guide to click-through rate to find out how to further optimize your website content to get more clicks. Step #5: Assess the User Experience The goal of auditing your site’s user experience (UX) is to identify friction points and optimize them so users can effortlessly find what they’re looking for. A great UX keeps visitors engaged with your content and encourages them to take action (like making a purchase). Plus: Intuitive experiences also signal to search engines that your site is valuable to users. In fact, page experience is a key ranking factor. Here’s how to audit your site’s UX: Check the Mobile Experience More than 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. So, test your site on different screen sizes to ensure you provide a consistent experience. Focus on the following: Are your buttons and links large enough to tap without zooming? Do your images scale properly on smaller or larger screens? Is your text readable without pinching to zoom? Does your navigation menu work smoothly on mobile? Further reading: Mobile SEO: The Definitive Guide Take a Look at Your Visual Hierarchy and Readability Your design should guide users’ attention to important elements and make your content easy to consume. Key considerations: Have you nested your headers properly (H1 > H2 > H3) with clear visual distinctions for skimmers? Is your text easy to read against the background? Do you use enough white space to help break up different sections? Useful resource: Use this guide from the Nielsen Norman Group to boost your content’s readability. Test Calls to Action (CTAs) Since your CTAs are crucial conversion points, they should be visible, compelling, and easy to click. Test them to make sure they: Stand out visually on the page Use clear, action-oriented text Appear at logical points in the user journey Work properly across all devices (desktop and mobile) Pro tip: Use heat mapping tools like Hotjar to see if users actually notice and interact with your CTAs. These tools show you: Where users click most frequently (shown in red “hot” spots) How far they scroll down your pages If they see your CTAs or scroll past them Whether CTAs in different positions work better Next steps: Get inspiration to boost your conversion rates with this list of attention-grabbing CTAs. Step #6: Review Your Analytics & Conversion Data Auditing what’s on your website is just part of the overall process. To find out what the best next steps are, you need to look at the data. Analyze Search Performance Open Google Search Console to check your content’s performance metrics. Identify the following: Pages with zero traffic Content with low click-through rates Pages ranking on page 2-3 Like Brian Dean suggests: “Start by identifying content that gets zero traffic and zero sales. With lots of published content, there’s just too much to analyze at once. When you clear out the junk first, you can focus your energy on content worth improving.” Further reading: Use our guide to Google Search Console to learn how to monitor and analyze your organic traffic data. Check Your Traffic Once you get rid of the junk content, check how other pieces are performing. Brian Dean suggests focusing on one key metric: traffic. It reflects whether or not a piece of content is attracting an audience. Look for content with declining traffic trends. Here’s how: Open the “Performance” tab from the left side menu Scroll past the main performance chart and open the “Pages” tab Select 12-month period (or longer) to clearly show traffic patterns Select one page to see its individual performance graph When looking at the traffic graph for each individual page, watch for these patterns: Consistent downward trend over several months Sudden drops that haven’t recovered Previously high-performing content that’s lost momentum That means there’s an opportunity to update it and regain the traffic. Next steps: Boost your numbers with our guide to driving more traffic to your blog (you can use the tips for other types of websites too). Take Action on Your Website Audit Findings After completing your website audit, you’ll likely have a long list of potential fixes. But how do you take action on these? And how can you best prioritize your resources so you make the highest impact fixes first? Here’s how you turn these findings into actual improvements: Prioritize Your Fixes Start with issues that have the biggest impact on your SEO and user experience. Such as: Critical technical issues like crawlability and indexing problems Missing meta information on key pages Slow loading pagesNon-intuitive navigation Poor mobile experience High number of toxic backlinks Create an Action Plan Looking at a long list of issues can feel overwhelming. To make things easier, break them down into manageable chunks based on how quickly you can implement them. For example, your breakdown might look like this: Timeline Action Items Quick wins (tasks requiring little effort and less than an hour) Add missing meta descriptions Fix broken internal links Compress large images Medium-term (tasks that need more planning and resources) Improve site structure Rewrite underperforming content Fix Core Web Vitals issues Long-term (major changes requiring significant time and effort) Site redesign for better UX Migration to faster hosting This helps you tackle high-impact quick wins immediately, while planning for bigger projects. Plus, you won’t feel paralyzed by a massive to-do list. Pro tip: Set up regular monitoring in tools like Semrush’s Site Audit to catch new issues early and make timely improvements. Ready to Do Your Own Website Audit? When doing your first website audit, start small. Pick the SEO aspects or areas of your site that resonate with the biggest challenges you currently face. For example: If your rankings are falling, focus on an on-page SEO audit to find out how you can boost their performance. If your bounce rate is high, do a UX audit to find out why people might be leaving your site without taking action. Before, during, and after your audit, use our complete SEO checklist to keep your optimization efforts on the right track. The post How to Do a Website Audit in 5 Steps (+ Checklist) appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

The difference between getting discovered on YouTube search and being invisible? Strategic keyword research. By optimizing videos with the right terms, you can dramatically increase your organic traffic. Take YouTuber Caren Magill’s ADHD coaching channel, for example. With 4.95M lifetime views and 116K subscribers, it’s safe to say Caren has found a successful niche. But this wasn’t luck. Caren optimizes her video’s titles, descriptions, and tags with terms that attract her target audience. The good news? You can do it, too—all you need is a reliable keyword research tool. To help you with this task, I evaluated five of the most popular YouTube keyword tools. And gave each one a “Best for” rating based on its standout features and overall value. Before I dive into the reviews, let’s explore why keyword research is crucial for your channel’s success. YouTube Keyword Tools at a Glance YouTube Keyword Tool Best For Starting Price (Monthly) VidIQ Deep keyword intelligence $19/month; 7-day free trial Keyword Analytics for YouTube Finding popular seed keywords 7-day free trial; $10/month; unsubscribe anytime TubeBuddy In-browser keyword research and channel optimization $7.50/month; limited free plan Keywords Everywhere Analyzing competitors’ keywords $2.25 per month; limited free plan Google Trends Real-time keyword trend tracking Free Why YouTube Keyword Research Matters Keyword research reveals what your audience wants to watch and helps your videos appear in search results. This is why it’s a vital step in growing your channel’s reach and engagement. Decode Audience Search Intent On YouTube (and search engines), people search with different goals in mind. They might want to learn something, compare options, or find entertainment. This is called search intent. Keyword research lets you match your content to your audience’s search intent to attract engaged viewers that turn into subscribers. For example, informational searches like “how to deadlift” show viewers want to learn specific skills, while commercial searches like “best home gym equipment” indicate they’re comparing different options. Matching your content to these search patterns helps you attract more engaged viewers. Find High-Performing Keywords Smart keyword research helps you discover topics with high search volume but low keyword difficulty—the sweet spot for growing channels. For example, instead of competing for overcrowded terms like “gardening tips,” more specific searches like “apartment gardening” can be easier to rank for but still drive significant traffic. Identify Trends to Maximize Discoverability Popular YouTubers anticipate viewer demand—and keyword tools reveal exactly when that demand is building. Using keyword research tools helps you: Spot rising topics before they peak Create timely content when search interest is growing Build momentum from trending searches For example, when the TV show “Squid Game” announced its second season, keyword tools showed surging searches for “squid game season 2” and “squid game season 3″—revealing perfect opportunities to create videos before peak interest. Now that you know why keyword research is important, let’s explore the best tools for it. 5 Best YouTube Keyword Tools (Free & Paid) I tested the most popular YouTube keyword tools to see which ones performed best at keyword analysis, competitive intelligence, and trend spotting. Here’s what I discovered. 1. VidIQ: Best for Deep Keyword Intelligence VidIQ helps YouTube creators find content ideas and maximize their reach organically. Its helpful browser extension lets you perform keyword research, audit your channel, track competitors, and more. Conduct Keyword Research VidIQ’s keyword analysis stands out as the most detailed of the tools I reviewed. It provides: An overview with key metrics Related keywords Matching terms Trending videos For example, when I searched for “affiliate marketing,” I could see its SEO score, search volume, and competition level, along with multiple other helpful metrics. This includes long-tail keywords, relevant questions, and variations containing my primary keyword. This information will allow me to focus on niche topics that tend to attract smaller but highly engaged audiences. Like “Amazon affiliate marketing,” which gets fewer searches than “affiliate marketing” but has lower competition, too. When you search for a keyword, VidIQ highlights the top 10 trending videos for that term so you know what you’re up against. It also tells you how many views each one has and its engagement rate. For example, I clicked on one of these videos, and the tool revealed it was performing 15 times better than this channel’s average video engagement. This tells me I should investigate further to find out why it’s doing so well—whether it’s niche keywords, quality content, a trending topic, eye-catching visuals, or something else. I recommend repeating this process for five or so competitor videos to gain valuable insights you can use to improve your own video’s optimization and performance. Create and Track Keyword Trends Trends move fast on YouTube—what’s viral today might be forgotten tomorrow. VidIQ’s real-time trend tracking keeps you ahead of the competition. Set up custom trend alerts to discover hot topics in your niche before they explode. Here’s how: Give your alert a relevant name Add target keywords and competitors Set a views-per-hour (VPH) threshold as your benchmark Choose how often you want to receive email notifications Click “Update alert” to go live Outperform the Competition Use VidIQ’s competitor analysis tools to find keywords and content types that drive the highest traction in your niche. Track your competitors’ content performance through: Engagement rate Views per hour View velocity For example, I noticed a competitor’s video gained over 400,000 views with a 3.9% engagement rate and over 100 views per hour. So, I exported its keywords to see which terms the YouTuber used to drive this impressive traffic and growth. I also learned when the video was published and how many subscribers it attracted. Data like this reveals exactly which topics and search terms drive the most views in your niche, giving you a clear strategy for your own videos. VidIQ Pricing Free: 7-day free trial Boost: $19/month Coaching: $199/month Further reading: SEO and Content Marketing: A Complete Guide 2. Keyword Analytics for YouTube: Best for Finding Popular Seed Keywords Keyword Analytics for YouTube is a Semrush app (available without a subscription) that lets you research seed keywords, top-ranking videos, and trends in your niche. Fine-tune your search by time period and location to zero in on the most relevant data for your content strategy. Identify Popular, Low-Competition Keywords Search any term in Keyword Analytics for YouTube to learn its search volume and competition. For example, I searched “learn Spanish.” This keyword gets 140K monthly searches and has a 67 competitive rate in YouTube search. Hover over the competitive rate for any term for more context. For instance, “learn spanish” has an “average” level of competition in YouTube search. This means it’s ideal for channels with 1M+ subscribers. To find less-competitive keywords, scroll through the list. This helped me find terms like: “Learn spanish for beginners”: 13K search volume; 56 competitive rate “How to learn spanish fast”: 194 search volume; 31 competitive rate “Best free way to learn Spanish”: 65 search volume; 24 competitive rate How can you use these lower-competition keywords? Create a series of videos targeting these terms to improve your visibility in YouTube search Add them to your video’s description to attract more viewers Find Top-Ranking Videos Need a little creative inspiration? Go to the “Most viewed videos” tab in Keyword Analytics to find the most popular YouTube videos in your preferred country. Filter by the last 24 hours, week, or month to find trending topics you can turn into popular videos. Want to see the top-ranking videos for a specific keyword? Switch back to the “Top Keywords” tab and search for your desired term. For example, I searched “spanish for beginners,” and the app revealed the top YouTube videos for this term. Hover over the video to see its full title (take note of the keywords) and how many subscribers the channel has. This gives you a decent idea of the competition you’ll be up against when deciding which terms to target. Get Trending Keyword Data If you target viewers in a particular region, you’ll find the “Fast-growing keywords” feature particularly helpful. This is because it tells you trending topics that will help you attract a local audience. For example, I learned the top keyword in Italy (at the time of my search) was “Sinner,” the last name of a popular Italian tennis player. The tool also shows the overall change in keyword performance for each term. Hover over the trend graph to see how monthly search volume fluctuates. Use this data to create timely, relevant YouTube content when search interest is at its peak. Pro tip: Want deeper keyword insights? Use Semrush’s all-in-one SEO toolkit to perform more advanced keyword research. Keyword Analytics for YouTube Pricing Free: 7-day free trial Monthly: $10/month; unsubscribe anytime 3. TubeBuddy: Best for in-Browser Keyword Research and Optimization TubeBuddy is a YouTube browser extension designed to optimize and grow your channel. Some of its key SEO features include: Find and analyze keywords for your channel Create thumbnails and upload videos in bulk Generate optimized titles, descriptions, and tags Even better? The tool integrates directly into your YouTube dashboard. So, you can take advantage of its features without leaving your channel. Get Actionable Keyword Insights Analyze any keyword in TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer to see important metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty. For example, I searched “how to make pasta” in the tool and learned this keyword gets 782K monthly searches but is surprisingly not overly competitive. It also revealed videos currently ranking on YouTube for this topic have “excellent” optimization. This tells me something crucial: I’ll need to focus heavily on optimization to give my video a good shot at ranking. Another cool feature is the overall SEO score, which factors in multiple ranking signals. This helps you gauge the potential of a keyword. Not sure which keyword to use? The tool lets you compare two options. To test this out, I evaluated “how to make pasta” and “homemade pasta recipe.” Keyword Explorer shows that “homemade pasta recipe” has an SEO score of “Good” and a “Very Good” search volume of 156K. It’s also a fairly low-competition keyword, making this term promising. In comparison, “how to make pasta” has a much higher search volume (782K), a “Very Good” SEO score, and a “Fair” competition level. This indicates even stronger potential—voilà, I’ve found a winner! Generate and Optimize Titles and Descriptions TubeBuddy’s SEO Studio lets you instantly generate AI-powered titles and descriptions for your videos. Improve your SEO score by following the tool’s optimization recommendations, such as “include your target keyword naturally in the title.” Spy on Your Competitors Next, I used TubeBuddy’s Videolytics tool to evaluate competing videos and identify keyword opportunities. This powerful tool shows you why videos succeed or struggle by revealing: Performance metrics: Views, likes, comments, and social shares SEO insights: Optimization scores and which tags drive traffic Competitor strategies: What top channels do differently Improvement tips: Recommendations to boost your video’s visibility This data helps you create better content and get more views by understanding exactly what works in your niche. TubeBuddy Pricing Free: Limited free plan available Pro: $7.50/month Legend: $32.99/month Enterprise: Contact for pricing Further reading: Video SEO: The Definitive Guide 4. Keywords Everywhere: Best for Analyzing Competitors’ Keywords Keywords Everywhere is a handy browser extension and keyword tool for YouTube. It lets you analyze every keyword through data-packed widgets like trend charts, popular tags, and engagement scores. Get Detailed Keyword Insights Keywords Everywhere taps into Google Keyword Planner data to show you real-time search volume, competition, and cost-per-click (CPC). For example, when I searched “weight loss,” the tool suggested related terms like “weight loss diet” that had lower competition. This instant insight helps you pick keywords that will rank higher and attract more views. Keywords Everywhere also breaks down exactly what makes videos successful. For example, I found that videos about “weight loss” have 3.35 million views on average. 60% of these videos contain “weight loss” in the title, and 50% contain the keyword in the description. This data shows you how to optimize your content by strategically placing keywords where they matter most to boost your visibility. Analyze Top-Ranking Competitors Keywords Everywhere also tells you what’s working for your competitors. I looked at an in-depth breakdown of the top 20 videos for the keyword “weight loss.” And learned metrics like view count, views per day, ranking difficulty, and SEO score. But the one that stood out to me the most was “Age.” This metric tells you how long ago a video was published. For example, most of the videos for my keyword are at least a year old (and likely outdated). So, now I know there’s a good chance I can outrank the existing content by sharing fresh perspectives. Besides this detailed top-20 breakdown, you’ll also find a summarized analysis of all search results for a given keyword. This overview tells you helpful info, like how many subscribers and views each video has. But it also analyzes video titles and descriptions for length and quality. Generate Keywords in Bulk I also experimented with the Bulk Keywords Data Tool to expand my initial keyword list. A bulk keyword tool saves hours by analyzing hundreds of terms instantly instead of one by one. Seeing all keywords together also reveals valuable patterns in viewer search behavior. Once you add your seed keywords, the tool suggests related terms. Use these insights to naturally weave relevant keywords into your video description and transcript—helping YouTube better understand and recommend your content to interested viewers. Keywords Everywhere Pricing Bronze: $2.25/month Silver: $6/month Gold: $25/month Platinum: $80/month 5. Google Trends: Best for Real-Time Keyword Trend Tracking Google Trends reveals real-time search patterns across web, image, and YouTube searches, helping you spot opportunities others miss. Compare keywords, track trends, and discover what’s hot in specific regions—all for free. Find Keywords for Specific Locations Want to know where your content will resonate the most? Google Trends can show you. For example, when I searched for “travel destinations,” it revealed unexpected hotspots in Idaho, Connecticut, and Kansas. I can turn this insight into targeted content like “Best travel destinations in Idaho” to reach a local audience. Discover Related and Trending Topics Google Trends shows you related topics for every search, so you can add relevant keywords and subtopics to your videos. But it doesn’t just show you what’s popular—it reveals what’s about to be big. For example, a search for “coffee makers” uncovers emerging trends like “coffee makers that use k cups,” which recently increased in interest by 350%. For each trending term, you’ll learn: Search volume When the term started trending Specific queries fueling its popularity Create content around these rising topics, and you’ll catch viewer interest at the perfect moment. Compare Keywords to Find the Best Opportunities Google Trends lets you compare keywords head-to-head to see which ones truly resonate with viewers. When I compared “vegan meal prep” versus “quick vegan recipes,” the data revealed “vegan meal prep” consistently attracts more interest. These direct comparisons help you focus your efforts on topics viewers are actively searching for rather than guessing what might work. Google Trends Pricing Google Trends is free to use. Fast-Track Your YouTube Channel’s Growth Want your YouTube channel to get more views and subscribers? You need to target the right keywords. And to find those keywords, you need the right Youtube keyword tools. Whether you use TubeBuddy to optimize videos or Semrush for deeper analysis (or both), keyword research can set your channel up for long-term growth and success. For best results, combine keyword research with a strong promotion strategy. Read our guide: 21 Ways to Promote Your YouTube Videos to maximize your reach and build stronger brand awareness. The post Top 5 YouTube Keyword Tools <br>(Field-Tested For Growth) appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Founded in 2023, DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup known for its new chatbot beating many existing models and rivaling dominance of ChatGPT. Since the public release of DeepSeek-R1 on January 20, the startup attracted worldwide attention thanks to its reported cost-efficient model outpacing leading US-based AI chatbots. Today, DeepSeek ranks as the #1 most downloaded app in the App Store in over 160 countries and has been downloaded more than 2.6 million across App Store and Google Play. AI chatbot by DeepSeek is currently one of the fastest-growing tech products but as a private company, they don’t disclose many details. We plan to update this page as more information is available. Key DeepSeek Stats DeepSeek app has been downloaded over 4.3 million times to date. China, the United States, and Russia are the largest markets for DeepSeek accounting for 42.3% of DeepSeek iOS app downloads. DeekSeek website unique visitors per week amounted to 5.1 million. DeepSeek has an estimated 6-8 million users. DeepSeek App Downloads As of January 27 2025, the DeepSeek AI app has been downloaded over 4.3 million times worldwide across Google Play and App Store to date. Downloads from the DeepSeek AI app from Google Play amounted to 2.4 million times, with the remaining 1.9 million downloads from the App Store. Here’s a detailed breakdown of DeepSeek app daily downloads since January 20 2025 across Google Play and App Store: Date DeepSeek App Downloads January 20, 2025 78,674 January 21, 2025 128,942 January 22, 2025 197,342 January 23, 2025 242,258 January 24, 2025 283,510 January 25, 2025 431,165 January 26, 2025 677,870 January 27, 2025 1,855,689 Source: Appfigures DeepSeek Website Unique Visitors As of January 13 – 19 2025, DeekSeek had 5.1 million unique website visitors, up from 4.9 million unique website visitors during the previous week (January 6 – 12 2025). Source: Semrush DeepSeek Number of Users Our analysis of multiple sources suggests that the current worldwide user base of DeepSeek varies between 6 – 8 million. At the moment, DeepSeek restricts new registrations due to reported cyberattacks on the services which may impact the total number of DeepSeek users. Note: As of the moment of preparing this post, there’s no publicly available data on the number of users from DeepSeek. Our estimates are based on traffic and app downloads estimates. Sources: Backlinko analysis of Appfigures, Semrush data DeepSeek User Demographics According to the latest estimates, DeepSeek’s audience mainly consists of younger users aged 18-24 years old accounting for 42.5% of total audience among iOS users and 50.4% among Android users. Here’s detailed breakdown of DeepSeekers by age across Android and iOS devices: Age Group iOS Android 18-24 42.5% 50.4% 25-34 23.9% 16.5% 35-49 11.9% 14.5% 50-64 21.6% 17.8% 65+ 0.0% 0.8% On both platforms, DeepSeek’s user base leans male. Source: Appfigures DeepSeek iOS App Users by Country According to recent estimates, the top 3 markets of DeepSeek iOS app downloads are China, the US and Russia, combined accounting for 42.3% of all app downloads. Here’s a detailed breakdown of DeepSeek downloads from App Store by country as of January 26, 2025: Country DeepSeek iOS App Downloads Worldwide (Share of Total) China 391,765 (20.1%) United States 316,440 (16.2%) Russia 117,963 (6.0%) Saudi Arabia 66,505 (3.4%) Brazil 64,046 (3.3%) United Kingdom 56,515 (2.9%) Germany 52,779 (2.7%) India 50,975 (2.6%) France 48,206 (2.5%) Turkey 45,700 (2.3%) Source: Appfigures DeepSeek Website Unique Visitors by Country As of January 13 – 19, 2025, China, the US and Russia are the largest markets for DeepSeek accounting for 48.1% of all unique visitors to the DeepSeek website. Here’s a detailed breakdown by country, including unique visitors share: Country DeepSeek Website Weekly Unique Visitors (Share of Total) China 1,100,000 (21.81%) Russia 411,300 (8.09%) United States 234,000 (4.6%) India 118,300 (2.33%) Bangladesh 11,900 (0.24%) Source: Semrush The post DeepSeek AI Usage Stats appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Nearly half of Americans believe that we will see a civil war in the United States in our lifetime. As a corporate leader of a large, diverse team that operates across the United States, I am simultaneously horrified by this and hopeful that it will not come to fruition. The workplace gives me a window into the relationships that are at stake if our country further divides. It also gives me hope that relationships can hold us together, two people at a time. I met my colleague Ted last year. We are a generation apart. I’m a city girl. He’s a country guy. I’ve never voted Republican. I doubt he’s ever voted for a Democrat. We both call ourselves Christian, while our similar faith identities guide distinct political choices. Ted and I met at a company-sponsored volunteer week, swinging hammers and painting bold yellow safety lines on the floor of a Habitat for Humanity warehouse in rural Kaua’i. Amidst bruised thumbs (mine) and splattered paint (also mine) we talked about our opposing views on social issues. We also shared tears about loved ones lost and pride for the purpose of our company, Thrivent, where Ted is a 41-year veteran financial advisor, and I am a relatively new executive. Ted and I came away knowing that, despite differences, we have many more values that we share, including our passion for service and community-building among colleagues. We’ve stayed in touch. Ted has both questioned and complimented my marketing team’s work in how we are evolving telling Thrivent’s story in our advertising. He’s also graciously welcomed my family at corporate events. Post-election day On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, I knew it might be difficult for many colleagues—regardless of how they voted—to show up for work the morning after the election. As soon as I arrived, an email came in from Ted. “Good Mornin’ Sunshine!!!” read the subject. One could bristle at seeing that, but I did not. Seeing this come from Ted is like seeing it come from my favorite uncle. I smile as I open the message. Ted was not writing to gloat. He didn’t even mention the election. He was writing to offer thoughts on an article on Thrivent’s intranet site highlighting veterans’ work. He discussed Thanksgiving plans and wished my family well. He was making an authentic connection despite political divisiveness around us and demonstrating genuine care. In a world where we are increasingly sucked into echo chambers of our individual beliefs, the workplace remains a place where we can connect with people with different beliefs and recognize that it is possible not only to work together, but to do work together. For those of us lucky enough to work at a purpose-based and values-driven company, now is the time to lean into those strengths, focus on growth and the impact we have, even amidst differences. Everyone should belong at work Thrivent is a Fortune 500 financial services company whose purpose is to empower lives of service and faith. It is a unique organization that faces cultural challenges of divisiveness just like any large corporation today. Regardless of politics, I want Thrivent to continue to be a place where both Ted and I belong. I read Ted’s email and thought about this for a moment, and then about my team, and our upcoming day—today of all days—of team building that had been on the calendar for months. I sent them an email with the subject “Taking on the day.” In it, I included the following: I am cognizant of how divisive our country is right now, and how divided we are, and how, regardless of the outcome of the election, we would all be among people who are hurting and worried today. I know you all care about this team just as I do. I was thinking about our shared values at Thrivent and how relevant they can be as guiding principles for how we get through tough days together: Empathy—recognize that we all have our own emotional journeys today and be there for one another Authenticity—don’t be afraid to be real with each other, and know that that realness will be met with empathy Commitment—keep moving forward and look for opportunities to serve, and live into the community that we want to be a part of Impact—recognize the strength of our collective effort, and the good that we can do in the world when we focus our energy together Gratitude—even on the difficult days, take comfort in all the gifts that we have, including the gift of each other These are Thrivent’s values. They are not the values of Republicans or Democrats, red states or blue. At work—at my work—they rally us despite forces that could otherwise divide. There are many corporations whose purpose and values put them squarely on one side of a social issue. Most large organizations, though, do not have a purpose that puts them on one end of a political spectrum or another, and, therefore, can be a place where people can work together to have impact despite political differences. In the worldview that Ted and I share, our greatest role in work, and life, is to love one another. There is no room for civil war in this worldview. Using shared purpose and values at work is a unifier that helps us find love for all. Let’s get to work. Carolyn Sakstrup is EVP and chief growth and generosity officer at Thrivent. View the full article

LinkedIn report highlights five key trends reshaping B2B marketing, emphasizing revenue metrics, AI attribution, and ROI-focused strategies. The post LinkedIn Report Reveals 5 Key Trends Reshaping B2B Marketing appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Changes will pave the way for construction of a new generation of small modular reactorsView the full article

In just a couple of years, generative AI (GenAI) has made a big impact on the way people, companies, and entire industries think about work. It’s helping doctors and nurses, who spend more than a third of their work week on paperwork, free up more time to focus on patients. Scientists are using GenAI ideation to achieve research breakthroughs. In the field of law, where time is so valuable it’s often measured in six-minute increments, GenAI’s ability to understand and analyze documents faster than any person can is quickly becoming indispensable. Many legal teams doing text-heavy work are using innovative GenAI tools to speed their race against the ever-present clock. The next time you’re in a time crunch with your work, GenAI can also come in clutch for you. Here are three inspirational ways that GenAI is giving legal teams an unmistakable advantage in speed. 1. Cut through the chaos Even the most sensational courtroom dramas rely on evidence. Complex matters such as criminal cases, business disputes, corporate mergers, and countless others are based on the facts found in millions of evidentiary documents. For example, litigation against the opioid industry has created more than four million documents. The vast majority of legal cases never make it to trial. Instead, they unfold in what feels like a game of chess, as opposing parties maneuver and negotiate back and forth. Knowledge and speed are strategic assets here, and GenAI has become an important tool that lawyers are using to achieve both. Cole, Scott & Kissane, a law firm specializing in civil litigation, has experienced the real-world impacts in resolving matters faster than before with the help of AI technology. “GenAI legal software proved helpful in reaching a settlement,” Manuel Delgado, the firm’s litigation support manager told us. “With it, we were able to quickly summarize dozens of financial reports prior to conference. Some of the insights we gained caught the plaintiff by surprise. A settlement was solidified thereafter, and our client was thrilled.” 2. Find the needle in the haystack, faster Discovery is the stage of a civil lawsuit where opposing parties gather and exchange information and evidence relevant to their respective cases. It is part of the law of civil procedure adopted by the U.S. legal system in 1938. As recently as the late 1990s, discovery was a paper-based chore. With large cases, hundreds of cardboard “bankers boxes” would be delivered to law firms; junior associates then spent hours scanning thousands of pages, searching for bits of invaluable information like a needle in a haystack. It was tedious, “brain deadening” work. Today, the problem seems harder: Millions of discovery documents may arrive at once, electronically, often at the last allowable minute. Sometimes a needle is found in the haystack. In civil litigation against Theranos cofounder Elizabeth Holmes, prosecutors dove into evidentiary metadata to find more than 40 key documents, all potentially bolstering the case that Holmes and other company executives were well aware of the deception the company was later accused of, and of which Holmes was eventually found criminally guilty. But historically, legal teams have had to spend enormous amounts of time, usually measured in months and often requiring dozens of attorneys, reviewing discovery documents manually to find such needles. GenAI-powered e-discovery legal tech software has completely changed the game, allowing large volumes of electronic documents to quickly be analyzed, summarized, and assembled into a structured story. Cal Yeaman completed the review of more than 10,000 documents in minutes—something that would have taken a team of human reviewers several days. Yeaman is a project attorney at Orrick, one of the largest law firms in the country. He said at our company summit that GenAI’s coding suggestions, which help identify relevant documents in discovery, were more accurate and consistent than human review. Running the numbers, Yeaman estimated that the new AI-powered review process reduced their cost of document review by more than 50%. 3. Get the lay of the land in minutes Law is a service business with high client expectations. Firms pride themselves on their commitment to serving client needs, an attitude that extends to the legal support teams behind the scenes. Jen Jackson, a senior analyst at the boutique employment law firm Baker Dolinko & Schwartz, had GenAI come in clutch when 10 new business requests for proposals, including over 120 pages of questions and 500 items, landed in her inbox. She also mentioned at our summit that instead of handing the task off to a junior attorney, wasting time and billable hours, she uploaded the documents to a GenAI tool that functions as a “smart intern” and got a condensed two-page summary of the tasks in minutes. How will GenAI come in clutch for you? Do you need to cut through the chaos? Find a needle in a haystack? Get the lay of the land, fast? With a little imagination, GenAI can be an invaluable tool the next time you’re in a time crunch. AJ Shankar is CEO of Everlaw. View the full article