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This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ In the context of freelance planning, time is a critical factor. Managing it well can make a real difference to your output and ensure you meet specific project deadlines. It’ll even help you spot the times that you’re most productive, which can, in turn, help you maximize your output. With good time management comes excellent time allocation; you can safely allocate the correct amount of time to each project to handle it well. So, what’s the best way to acknowledge and track the time taken to complete these tasks? Well, time-tracking apps can make a real difference here. Need to optimize your time management? Let’s take a deep dive into the best time-tracking apps you might want to consider. 5 best time-tracking app options to manage time effectivelyThere’s a whole range of time-tracking app options on the market that can be great helpers for freelancers. They ensure you’ll meet deadlines and spend the right amount of time on each project, even when each requires a different amount of time and focus. Consider the time-tracking software options below to ensure you’re always on time when completing freelance work. Timemator: Track productivity for each project separatelyWhen you want to track how long you spend on a specific task, Timemator can help. One specific instance of when you might use this time tracker app is when you need to handle multiple tasks as a freelance writer and track the time spent on each. For example, you might need to know how long keyword research takes and how long it takes to write the article so that you can optimize these processes in the future. In this case, Timemator’s features can facilitate the time management process. It allows you to set or enter tasks and press play when you start them so that you can track how long you spend on each one. You can also click on any entry on your activity timeline and create auto-tracking rules for them. The auto-tracking rules are beneficial for automating the time-tracking process and will ensure you don’t need to manage the timer manually — it will start automatically and stop on its own for each entry. This will save you time and optimize the time-tracking process. Timing: Track what really mattersWhen it comes to accuracy in time tracking, Timing is up there with the best of the time tracking apps. If you want to track your hours as a freelance writer or check how much time you spend using specific apps, you can gauge these factors and learn how you used the software. Timing will even reveal what you did with specific apps. The advantageous features of Timing include its multiple graphs. These graphs ensure you can visualize how you spend your time and optimize time management with greater precision based on the data the app collects. For example, if you want to optimize how long you spend on web browsing, there’s a section on the pie chart that’ll help you see how much time you currently spend doing this. You can then make adjustments to this to align with project expectations. So if a project requires greater time for web browsing or research, you can adjust the amount of time you take accordingly. Daily: Track your time with promptsFor a more hands-on time tracker, Daily can work well. This app offers several benefits, such as allowing you to add what you’re doing that day, week, or month. The app will then record how long you spend on each task. But the most advantageous feature of Daily is the check-in notification. The app will ask what you’re doing intermittently to ensure you’re on track with the tasks you need to complete. It works by prompting you to select which task you’re currently doing from a dropdown list. Once you’ve selected the task, you just need to click the tick button. Daily is particularly useful for time-sensitive projects. For example, if you have multiple deadlines as a freelance writer and need to transition from researching to writing for a project, you’ll receive the prompts from Daily. These will ensure you’re on schedule and making the right progress with your project. Time Out: Track time & take breaksIf you need to manage your break time more effectively and optimize your level of focus, Time Out is a time-tracking software option that can support this. It is beneficial for helping freelancers organize their time more efficiently and can be used alongside techniques such as the Pomodoro method to reinforce those breaks. Using this with the Pomodoro technique just requires you to set the break period for five minutes after working consistently for 25 minutes. The screen will fade out for five minutes, after which you can carry on with your next 25-minute work phase. For instance, you might be writing a long-form article and, after 25 minutes, be due for a break. In that case, you can set when you want to take a break the duration required. After setting the break period, the screen fades out and prompts you to stop working. And although you’re not locked out and can postpone the break if you want to, the new paused screen will remain until you’re due to continue with the long-form article. BeFocused: Stay focused before time is upProlonged focus and productivity can be enhanced when taking breaks, which can help you maximize your output during a specific timeframe. BeFocused is an app that provides the benefit of keeping you focused until the set time is up. The app works by allowing you to add multiple tasks and set the timer for each of them. After focusing on the task for a sustained period, when you complete it, you can select the “Done” button. For example, when writing several product pages, you might want to complete each page within a 50-minute timeframe. This requires staying focused for 50 minutes, which you can do by adding a task and setting the timer for 50 minutes. An additional benefit of BeFocused is that you can quickly check the timer without interrupting your current task since the countdown appears on the Mac’s menu bar. And if you need to set several intervals to break up the task, this is also possible with this app; it helps you to organize your time more efficiently and take breaks when they’re due. Best time-tracking apps: Spotted one you’d like to use?Staying on schedule is important as a freelancer, as it helps you satisfy clients and respect deadlines. Having a time-tracking app can facilitate time management and help you allocate the right amount of time to each task. Do you have a time-tracking app to assist you with this? If you’re searching for one, all of the apps listed in this article are available through Setapp! Since there’s also the chance to use them for free for seven days, you’ll be able to access free time tracking app solutions that support your work process. Go directly to Setapp to download these apps today. Manage your time effectively and enhance the quality of your output. View the full article

This article is posted with permission from our partner MacPaw. MacPaw makes Mac + iOS apps that have been installed on over 30 million devices worldwide. Freelancers Union members receive 30 days of free unlimited access to CleanMyMacX and Setapp: https://freelancersunion.org/resources/perks/macpaw/ In the context of freelance planning, time is a critical factor. Managing it well can make a real difference to your output and ensure you meet specific project deadlines. It’ll even help you spot the times that you’re most productive, which can, in turn, help you maximize your output. With good time management comes excellent time allocation; you can safely allocate the correct amount of time to each project to handle it well. So, what’s the best way to acknowledge and track the time taken to complete these tasks? Well, time-tracking apps can make a real difference here. Need to optimize your time management? Let’s take a deep dive into the best time-tracking apps you might want to consider. 5 best time-tracking app options to manage time effectivelyThere’s a whole range of time-tracking app options on the market that can be great helpers for freelancers. They ensure you’ll meet deadlines and spend the right amount of time on each project, even when each requires a different amount of time and focus. Consider the time-tracking software options below to ensure you’re always on time when completing freelance work. Timemator: Track productivity for each project separatelyWhen you want to track how long you spend on a specific task, Timemator can help. One specific instance of when you might use this time tracker app is when you need to handle multiple tasks as a freelance writer and track the time spent on each. For example, you might need to know how long keyword research takes and how long it takes to write the article so that you can optimize these processes in the future. In this case, Timemator’s features can facilitate the time management process. It allows you to set or enter tasks and press play when you start them so that you can track how long you spend on each one. You can also click on any entry on your activity timeline and create auto-tracking rules for them. The auto-tracking rules are beneficial for automating the time-tracking process and will ensure you don’t need to manage the timer manually — it will start automatically and stop on its own for each entry. This will save you time and optimize the time-tracking process. Timing: Track what really mattersWhen it comes to accuracy in time tracking, Timing is up there with the best of the time tracking apps. If you want to track your hours as a freelance writer or check how much time you spend using specific apps, you can gauge these factors and learn how you used the software. Timing will even reveal what you did with specific apps. The advantageous features of Timing include its multiple graphs. These graphs ensure you can visualize how you spend your time and optimize time management with greater precision based on the data the app collects. For example, if you want to optimize how long you spend on web browsing, there’s a section on the pie chart that’ll help you see how much time you currently spend doing this. You can then make adjustments to this to align with project expectations. So if a project requires greater time for web browsing or research, you can adjust the amount of time you take accordingly. Daily: Track your time with promptsFor a more hands-on time tracker, Daily can work well. This app offers several benefits, such as allowing you to add what you’re doing that day, week, or month. The app will then record how long you spend on each task. But the most advantageous feature of Daily is the check-in notification. The app will ask what you’re doing intermittently to ensure you’re on track with the tasks you need to complete. It works by prompting you to select which task you’re currently doing from a dropdown list. Once you’ve selected the task, you just need to click the tick button. Daily is particularly useful for time-sensitive projects. For example, if you have multiple deadlines as a freelance writer and need to transition from researching to writing for a project, you’ll receive the prompts from Daily. These will ensure you’re on schedule and making the right progress with your project. Time Out: Track time & take breaksIf you need to manage your break time more effectively and optimize your level of focus, Time Out is a time-tracking software option that can support this. It is beneficial for helping freelancers organize their time more efficiently and can be used alongside techniques such as the Pomodoro method to reinforce those breaks. Using this with the Pomodoro technique just requires you to set the break period for five minutes after working consistently for 25 minutes. The screen will fade out for five minutes, after which you can carry on with your next 25-minute work phase. For instance, you might be writing a long-form article and, after 25 minutes, be due for a break. In that case, you can set when you want to take a break the duration required. After setting the break period, the screen fades out and prompts you to stop working. And although you’re not locked out and can postpone the break if you want to, the new paused screen will remain until you’re due to continue with the long-form article. BeFocused: Stay focused before time is upProlonged focus and productivity can be enhanced when taking breaks, which can help you maximize your output during a specific timeframe. BeFocused is an app that provides the benefit of keeping you focused until the set time is up. The app works by allowing you to add multiple tasks and set the timer for each of them. After focusing on the task for a sustained period, when you complete it, you can select the “Done” button. For example, when writing several product pages, you might want to complete each page within a 50-minute timeframe. This requires staying focused for 50 minutes, which you can do by adding a task and setting the timer for 50 minutes. An additional benefit of BeFocused is that you can quickly check the timer without interrupting your current task since the countdown appears on the Mac’s menu bar. And if you need to set several intervals to break up the task, this is also possible with this app; it helps you to organize your time more efficiently and take breaks when they’re due. Best time-tracking apps: Spotted one you’d like to use?Staying on schedule is important as a freelancer, as it helps you satisfy clients and respect deadlines. Having a time-tracking app can facilitate time management and help you allocate the right amount of time to each task. Do you have a time-tracking app to assist you with this? If you’re searching for one, all of the apps listed in this article are available through Setapp! Since there’s also the chance to use them for free for seven days, you’ll be able to access free time tracking app solutions that support your work process. Go directly to Setapp to download these apps today. Manage your time effectively and enhance the quality of your output. View the full article

Complicated cleaning hacks can be fun projects, but I love a simple one even more—and this one is really simple: You can use the lid of a pot or pan to clean your carpets and fabrics. It works like a charm, which is why it’s been all over TikTok for the past few years. To freshen up your upholstery or carpet, you’ll need: The lid from a pot or pan, with a handle in the center A large microfiber rag A bowl of water Dish soap Depending on what you’re cleaning and how you like to do it, you may want to add a few drops of vinegar or vodka, but otherwise, stick to the cleaning recipes you’d normally use for whatever upholstery or carpet you’re working on. Cleaning the upholsteryFill a bowl with your cleaning solution, whether it’s a mixture of liquid dish detergent and baking soda, water and vinegar, or a store-bought upholstery cleaner. (I used what I had on hand, which was laundry detergent.) Drop your cloth in the bowl, saturate it with the mixture, then squeeze out the excess, and lay the fabric down flat. Set your lid in the center of your damp cloth and pull the edges up around it, securing them over the handle with a rubber band. If they don’t quite reach that far, just secure them tightly over the handle with your hand as you work. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Now you have a fabric-covered disk that you can push around on your couches, chairs, carpets, rugs, or pillows. It will pick up lint and freshen the fabrics without making anything too damp. I recommend pushing the soapy rag around on the upholstery until it's decently damp and clean, then going back in with a plain wet rag on the lid instead of the soapy one and then either drying the area with a hair dryer or fan (or opening a window and letting the outside air take care of it). Why I like this cleaning methodThe goal here isn’t to make your carpets and cushions wet, but to give them a damp refresh—the lid provides stability and works the solution in gently and evenly. It's easy to push the lid along the surface of a couch or chair cushion, and the heft of the lid gives you some extra power. When you're just using a rag, it's hard to push down enough to really clean the area, since both the rag and the upholstery are so soft. Inevitably, you end up pushing down too much and making the spot too wet, which is no good—if the cushion doesn't dry out fully, that can lead to mold or bad smells. I recently spilled coffee all over my couch; despite dabbing it up that day, I was left with hideous stains. This couch is old and cost me like $200 on Amazon years ago, so it's not really worth pulling out a bunch of stops or getting a professional machine to deal with. I decided to give the pan lid a try. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson To my horror, just one round of pot-lid scrubbing pulled up a lot of residual coffee. To my pleasure, it required very little elbow grease on my part and did not soak my poor, cheap couch in too much cleaning solution. The entire couch looks much better and was fine to sit on again in under an hour, after just a little bit of air drying. Not every TikTok hack works, but this one sure does. View the full article

Performance Max (PMax) and search campaigns often trip over each other and make a mess out of your data and the customer journey. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At SMX Next, Brad Geddes, co-founder of Adalysis, dove deep into the data analysis of why you need to exert control over your search terms. He walked through the steps you can take to ensure these two campaigns aren’t fighting each other but working in tandem to improve your account performance. The core of the conflict: PMax and Search overlap Geddes set the stage by addressing the ongoing competition between PMax, search, and shopping campaigns: “Right now, the shift is PMax, search and shopping campaigns often compete with each other as opposed to complementing each other.” This competition can lead to inefficiencies, as campaigns vie for the same search terms. One of the central concepts Geddes introduced was Google’s “priority” system for ad displays. Google prioritizes exact-match keywords when deciding which ad to show. However, the definition of “identical” can be surprisingly stringent, Geddes said: “If you have this search term, ‘Italy tour guide,’ and you have the search keyword, ‘Italy tour guide,’ that’s identical. But if the search term is ‘Italian tour guide,’ it’s not identical.” Data insights: The extent of overlap An analysis of 2,000 accounts found that 45% of PMax search terms also appeared in search campaigns, Geddes said. However, PMax often secured more impressions, showing for 61% of these shared terms. Yet, despite PMax’s dominance in impressions, Geddes emphasized: “Search has better click-through rates 65% of the time and better conversion rates 84% of the time.” The problems that lead to overlap Geddes offered actionable strategies to address this overlap, starting with keyword management. Problem 1: Poor organisation leads to lower ad rank Poor ad group organization is a significant issue impacting ad rank and relevance in search campaigns. Geddes critiqued Google’s approach to responsive search ads (RSAs), which involves automatically mixing and matching keywords and ad assets to create ads, as it often results in mismatched messaging. He uses the example of a New York City hotel specializing in being dog-friendly. The hotel had an ad group with keywords like “New York City dog-friendly hotel,” expecting their RSA to display ads highlighting “dog-friendly” when users searched for those terms. However, most impressions for the keyword “NYC dog-friendly hotel” showed ads with generic phrases like “downtown New York City hotel” or “Times Square hotel,” failing to mention pet-friendliness. The solution? Reorganizing ad groups. By analyzing search terms, creating more specific ad groups, and writing ads tailored to those terms, the hotel expanded from one broad ad group to around 20 focused ones. This improved the relevance of ads and tripled conversions without increasing the budget. Evergreen ad group organization enhances relevance, quality scores, click-through rates, and conversion rates, outperforming automated approaches. Problem 2: Not adding search terms as keywords Our second issue in search campaign performance is tied to Google’s reliance on automation. Google’s approach encourages marketers to use broad match keywords and automated bidding, such as CPA or maximum conversion value bidding, under the premise that Google’s system will handle the search terms effectively, Geddes said. However, he pointed out a critical flaw: “If you don’t manually add your top search terms as keywords, those terms won’t exist as keywords in your account.” This prevents an exact match between the search term and keyword, leading to a scenario where PMax campaigns might take precedence over search campaigns. The solution he offers is straightforward: marketers should still manually review and identify their top-performing search terms and add them as keywords in their search campaigns. This ensures better alignment and control, avoiding over-reliance on Google’s automation. Problem 3: Google recommendation, removing redundant keywords Geddes highlighted Google’s suggestion to remove “redundant keywords,” such as similar variations like Italy tour guides, Italy guided tours, and tours of Italy. Google views these as duplicates and recommends removing them. However, if you remove these variations, you lose identical keywords in your account, allowing PMax to take priority over search campaigns, Geddes said. Problem 4: Google auto-apply settings – turn off Check your Auto Apply settings in Google Ads, as Google may automatically implement changes like removing redundant keywords or “non-serving keywords” (those with few or no impressions), Geddes said. While removing non-serving keywords might seem harmless, he cautions that it can cause problems for businesses with seasonal demand. For example, a roofing company may see fewer impressions in winter, or flower delivery keywords may drop after major holidays. If these keywords are auto-removed, they won’t be available when the next season starts, potentially leading to PMax taking over or ads not showing at all. He emphasizes reviewing and managing Auto Apply settings to avoid unintended changes that could undermine campaign performance. Problem 5: Ad rank preview tool Google’s ad preview tool can provide valuable insights but has shown limitations in recent months. Geddes notes that Google often reports: “We don’t know why your ads aren’t showing for the search,” a problem potentially linked to PMax. The tool might focus on previewing responsive search ads (RSAs), and if RSAs aren’t showing, PMax ads take over, leaving Google unable to explain why ads aren’t serving. Another frequent issue: keywords not triggering because another “identical” keyword exists. While the system flags the duplication, the identical keyword might have low ad rank, making it ineligible to display. This allows other ads to show instead. Pay attention to impression shares and bids, especially when low ad rank is affecting ad performance, Geddes said. This underscores the importance of monitoring how ad rank impacts eligibility and ensuring the account is well-optimized to prevent such conflicts. Problem 6: Lost IS budget & Bid strategy Geddes explains how using search campaigns alongside PMax campaigns can lead to conflicts if not managed carefully. In one example, an account had a structured setup where search and corresponding PMax campaigns complemented each other based on regions or products. However, problems arise when the search campaign loses impression share to budget. If the search campaign’s budget runs out, PMax takes over, shifting traffic to PMax instead of search. To avoid this, he advises ensuring that search campaigns have minimal loss of impression share due to budget so they can compete effectively. When impression share is lost due to rank, he suggests two solutions: Reduce targeting types, like having fewer keywords, to improve efficiency. Raise bids or improve quality scores to regain ad rank, but avoid increasing bids to the point where profitability is lost. Geddes highlights a common issue with bid strategies: search and PMax campaigns often use different bidding methods, such as manual CPC for search and maximum conversion value for PMax. This results in different bids submitted to auctions, causing PMax to win ad rank when its bids are higher. For example, if an advertiser sets a $15 target CPA for search and a $25 target CPA for PMax, PMax can outbid search in the auction, even if search performs better. He emphasizes that this mismatch is often a self-inflicted issue caused by inconsistent bid strategies and campaign settings, which advertisers need to address to ensure search campaigns remain competitive. Problem 7: Campaign settings Geddes emphasizes the importance of aligning location and scheduling settings between Search and PMax campaigns to improve performance. Check whether both campaigns target the same regions, as discrepancies can lead to inefficiencies. For example, some companies may exclude specific areas, like Alaska, Hawaii, or California, in their Search campaigns due to shipping or regulatory reasons, but their PMax campaigns might still target those locations, or even the entire country or world. “PMax can show for some region in this case they target different regions,” Geddes said, which can cause overlap or misalignment. Similarly, ad scheduling should also be consistent across both campaign types. “PMax should be more restricted than Search, not more expansive,” to ensure better control and targeted performance, he suggested. Problem 8: Misspellings aren’t the “identical” term Google’s approach to search term data caused challenges, particularly the grouping of misspellings with correct spellings. While this change simplifies reporting, it creates significant issues for advertisers: “You can no longer tell what’s a misspelling in Google. You have no clue.” This is problematic, especially for new brands like Airbnb or Lyft, where early misspellings dominate until Google recognizes them as valid terms. Geddes highlighted two major concerns: “A, you can’t see those stats anymore. B, we don’t know how things are being corrected.” It’s unclear if Google prioritizes correcting misspellings before applying search term logic or if corrections occur afterwards, complicating analysis and strategy. Misspellings are a growing problem, with Google sometimes making “crazy spell corrections,” Geddes said. As a result, some advertisers are reverting to outdated practices, such as adding exact match misspellings, which Geddes describes as “a crazy amount of work” but possibly necessary due to PMax campaigns amplifying misspelling issues. He advises advertisers to monitor this closely: “It’s something that you might start watching more than you ever did before.” “Take your search term data, take your PMax search term data, put it in a pivot table, and look for overlaps.” By identifying high-performing search terms, advertisers can add these as exact-match keywords in their search campaigns, ensuring better control and performance. Another recommendation involved improving ad group organization to enhance relevance and ad rank. He shared a success story where reorganizing ad groups for a New York City hotel resulted in tripled conversions on the same budget. “Good ad group organization helps relevance from a quality score standpoint and improves click-through and conversion rates,” Geddes said. Fix ad-serving issues Geddes summarized the fix of these ad-serving issues into three main buckets: Evaluate. “Take your search term data, take your PMax search term data, put in a pivot table and look for overlaps.” Create. “What are our top search terms? It doesn’t matter if they’re from search campaigns or PMax campaigns. Let’s make sure those are in your search ad group – with relevant ads and landing pages. Check. ”Check your settings, your bid settings, your location settings, your time of day settings, your budget settings. Consistency is what we’re looking for” Exception – Shopping Campaigns There are challenges, however in managing overlap between Search and PMax campaigns in retail, where the same search term might trigger ads from both campaigns. Geddes noted: “The same search term could show a search ad from search and a product ad from PMax, or PMax could show both,” which creates reporting complexity. “The reporting’s really messy.” To address this, Geddes suggests analyzing top search terms and checking if they are included in Search campaigns. However, he cautions against broadly using negative keywords at the campaign or account level to block PMax, as this approach can complicate campaign performance. He highlights tools like Adalysis, which help simplify this process by identifying overlaps: “We’ll look and say here’s your PMax search terms. Is this a keyword in Search? Is it a search term in Search?” For example, Adalysis can analyze terms with no conversions in PMax but better performance in Search, enabling advertisers to optimize organization and performance. Geddes advises focusing on overlap percentages and using systems that make managing negative keywords and overlaps more efficient. He mentions that Google plans to introduce campaign-level negative keywords for PMax, which will make managing overlaps easier: “As soon as that happens, that’ll be baked into the workflow…to make life easier.” Looking ahead: The role of PMax Despite its challenges, Geddes acknowledged that PMax can play a supportive role, especially for smaller accounts: “PMax is almost that backfill. It can be remarketing, serve across channels, and fill in the gaps for us.” For advertisers hesitant to embrace PMax, Geddes reassured: “If you don’t want to try it, there’s no need to do it right now.” Dig deeper. Performance Max vs. Search campaigns: New data reveals substantial search term overlap View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I know I’m not the only person with exercise equipment an arm’s reach (or a short walk) from where they spend most of their day. And you can pop down to your home gym a couple times a day, is that better than doing a whole workout all at once? Or if not better, is it just as good? Sometimes it is! Let’s discuss the nuances. For purposes of argument, I’ll assume you’re trying to decide between two schedules: A traditional strength workout, where you warm up and then do four or five different exercises, with several sets of each. The whole thing might take you anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on what you’re doing and how much. The same exercises, but breaking them up—spending, say, 15 minutes on each piece of the workout and then returning to your regular workday. The benefits of spreading your workout throughout the dayWorking out for 15 minuted probably sounds a lot less intimidating than a whole workout, and that's likely the most obvious benefit to breaking up your workout. For people with busy or unpredictable schedules (say, someone with a taxing job, or parents with a new baby), it may be easier to find a few small chunks of time to exercise rather than to schedule in a full-length workout. Here are four reasons to consider splitting up your workout: Each mini-workout is less intimidating, since it will be over in a few minutes. It may be easier to fit short sessions between other obligations and activities. You'll get a few mental and physical breaks from your workday (which is healthy if you normally spend the day sitting at a desk). You may feel less fatigued at the start of each exercise, because you’ve had an hour or two of rest rather than a few minutes. The downsides of spreading your workout throughout the dayThose benefits sound great, but there are some pretty significant downsides to splitting up a workout, depending on what kind of workout you’re doing. Most people will probably conclude it’s not worth it for these five reasons: Instead of deciding once that it’s time to go work out, you'll have four or five opportunities during the day to tell yourself yes or no. Miss one of those, and you’ve only done, say, 75% of your workout. You'll approach each exercise cold, instead of still being warmed up from the previous one. Warmups aren’t always necessary, but they can help a lot to prepare you, especially for a good strength session. You probably won’t get to shower after each mini workout, meaning you might be sitting around in sweaty clothes. It can be nice to do a workout, clean up, and know that you’re done. You'll spend most of the day knowing that you have another workout coming up, rather than getting it over with early. Some workouts are designed so that each part follows from what’s before it—for example, activating or pre-exhausting a muscle in the first exercise of the day, and then going into the second exercise before you’ve fully recovered. Breaking up the workout can make it less effective or, ironically, encourage you to use more weight or work harder than you would have if you’d done everything in one block. Aside from that last point, which only applies to those workouts designed to work as a sequence, most of the reasons for choosing one option over the other come down to time management. Do you think you’ll be more likely or less likely to do four mini workouts than one big one? Are you OK with the tradeoffs—perhaps spending more total time warming up or cleaning up—if they mean you never have to dedicate your entire lunch break to exercise? That’s a decision only you can make. “Exercise snacks” can be an effective alternativeIf you can’t or won’t do a dedicated workout, maybe you can do an exercise “snack” every few hours. A lot of recent research has considered ways to get people to exercise more to improve their health. One study had older adults do a 10-minute, no-equipment workout twice a day. The exercises included standing up from a chair over and over, marching in place, and doing calf raises. At the end of four weeks, the subjects improved their score in a sit-to-stand test by an average 31%. Short workouts are definitely doing something, and are a hell of a lot better than nothing. Whether the same strategy works for more athletic people doing work with weights would require more specific study, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it works. Mini workouts like “greasing the groove” can improve strengthThere’s another type of mini workout that has a lot of backing in the exercise world. So-called “greasing the groove” can help you get better at a specific exercise, like pull-ups. The name reportedly comes from kettlebell coach Pavel Tsatsouline, and the idea is that you pick an exercise to do multiple times a day, but never to failure. So if you can't do five pullups in a row, you might do one or two pullups every hour or so throughout the day. Many people have found this helped them get better at the exercise, likely for two main reasons. One is volume: two pullups an hour for six hours is 12 reps of pullups. Do that every day, and you’ll have done 60 reps during the work week, more than if you just did three sets of five pullups on two or three workout days. Each set might be easy, but they add up. The other advantage of greasing the groove is that it gives you a lot of practice at the movement you're working on. Strength exercises aren’t just about the size of your muscles; they also involve a skill component. Just as you can get better at playing the piano by practicing, you can also get better at an exercise by staying in practice. What happened when I tried splitting up my own workoutsThat's a lot of theory. How does this work in practice? I gave it a try myself, and I have two stories to share. First, I’ve been doing a grease-the-groove protocol with a kettlebell exercise for months now. Anytime I’m sitting at my desk and one of my wearable devices tells me I’ve been sitting too long, I get up and do a bent press (or two, or three) with my adjustable kettlebell. I add weight when it starts to feel too light, but I stick to a weight that feels nice and easy—more like practice than training. I swear my shoulders feel healthier, and I know I’ve gotten better at this particular exercise. A few months ago, 24 kilograms was a tough weight for me to bent press, so my daily bent presses were with 20 kilograms, one rep at a time. These days, I do 24 for an easy double, three times a day, no warmup required. Kettlebell Kings 12-32kg Adjustable Kettlebell Sets - Gym Weight Set for Exercises - Competition Style for Lift and Weight Training in Gym or at Home - 35mm Handle - Body Building Heavy-Duty Weights $241.99 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $241.99 at Amazon But while writing this article, I also decided to split up my usual workout to see what I thought of the approach. (My workout for the day included four main components that looked like they could be separated without ruining the intention of the workout.) I did the first exercise—five sets of heavy quarter squats with a barbell—while helping my son with his own workout in our garage gym. I did a set, changed weights, talked to him a bit, did another set, and so on. I was done with my mini workout long before he was done with his. A bit later, I did the next exercise, three sets of sit-ups. I didn’t even bother going down to the garage for that one, I just did them on the floor in my office. Later, I did my supersets of pull-ups and dips. This is a workout that I normally find pretty intimidating, because it can end up taking a while. (It involves eight sets of pull-ups and dips. I mean, come on.) But taking it on one piece at a time, it didn’t seem nearly so bad—I can handle eight sets of pull-ups and dips if I’m not doing another hard exercise right before and right after. That said, I did run into one of the problems noted above: I had to say “yes” to the workout four different times. And at the end of the day, I said “no” to the last part: a 15-minute circuit of core exercises. I had split everything up already, so what would it hurt to do the circuit the next morning? But today is "the next morning," and I still haven’t done it. I’ll get around to it later. Maybe. Probably. After today’s workout. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You've probably heard of Oura's smart rings before, one of the best sleep and recovery trackers, but a new player entered the ring last summer: Samsung. It's the first time a big tech company has produced a smart ring, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. As the name implies, it's mostly geared to Samsung users, although any Android user can use it with some limitations. Right now, most sizes and colors of the Samsung Galaxy Ring are $279.99 (originally $399.99) after a $120 discount at checkout (some have the green checkmark under the listing price and others have a 30% discount), the lowest price it has reached since its recent release, according to price-tracking tools. Samsung Galaxy Ring ($120 discount at checkout) AI Smart Ring, Size First w/Sizing Kit, No App Subscription, Fitness Monitor, Sleep Tracker... $399.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Get Deal Get Deal $399.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Samsung's Galaxy Ring isn't a one-time gadget it threw at the wall to see if it would stick: it's a well-made health-monitoring product that is likely to have improved generations in the future. But as a first-generation smart ring, it's solid, according to PCMag's review, as long as you have a Samsung phone to get the most out of it. It is a solid health and sleep tracker, but the activity tracking is better left to smartwatches. The Galaxy Ring has a titanium finish with color options including gold, silver, and black. Like Oura rings, it’s a bit bulky compared to regular rings at 7 mm wide and 2.6 mm thick. Anyone wearing it can see their sleep, heart rate, and skin temperature, but Samsung users can control their phone’s camera or dismiss alarms by tapping their ring finger to their thumb twice in a row. The best part of the ring compared to the main competition, Oura rings, is that it's subscription-free. It also has a wireless charging case included and is IP68 water resistant so you can wash your hands or shower with it. The battery life will give you about six days of use and you can choose from a size five to 15. If your Android phone can run the Samsung Health app, it's compatible with the ring. If you want to access a feature called Energy Score, which gives you a score on your energy level based on sleep, diet, and activity, you'll need a Samsung phone. View the full article

It’s an upgrade pitch, so they have to see the value. By Hitendra Patil Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide Go PRO for members-only access to more Hitendra Patil. View the full article

It’s an upgrade pitch, so they have to see the value. By Hitendra Patil Client Accounting Services: The Definitive Success Guide Go PRO for members-only access to more Hitendra Patil. View the full article

Explore LinkedIn Analytics in 2025 to track performance, refine B2B marketing strategies, and make informed decisions to achieve your business goals effectively. View the full article

There comes a point every winter when you have to rally together your arsenal of hot liquid meals. If you have enough recipes—all your hot soups, stews, stoups, and chunky sauces—they can get you through to spring. Much to the chagrin of my friends, I call this Hot Bean Season. One of my favorite meals that fits this category is my Dutch oven beans and sausage. It’s utterly simple, completely satisfying, and you need absolutely no fancy cooking skills to make it. The reason I come back to this meal again and again is because it uses the Screw It method of cooking—just dump everything in the pot. Well, the initial sausage searing is a must for flavor, but I consider that step part of the Screw It method because it allows me to skip the whole mise en place business: I use the sausages’ sear time to chop the other two ingredients. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I like to make this recipe in a Dutch oven. (Don’t worry, you don’t need a Le Creuset, any of these cheaper ones will do perfectly.) This meal simmers for a little while, and the heavy cast iron of a Dutch oven keeps the low heat evenly distributed while the domed lid redistributes the moisture back into the sauce. That said, you could make this bangin’ beans and sausage in any heavy-bottomed pot or a big, wide skillet with a well-fitting lid. This dish makes me feel like I’m in a cozy tavern on a snowy mountain. That’s never happened to me, but I’m confident a meal like this would be available there. I use the entire can of cannellini beans, including the aquafaba. Don’t drain those beans, even if you elect to use a different variety like chickpeas or red beans. The viscous liquid is full of helpful proteins and starches that will thicken the sauce beautifully. That liquid will also help dissolve the fond that builds from your seared sausage and create a deeply savory sauce. Dump all of the ingredients over the seared sausage and let it simmer. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann In my opinion, this recipe serves two people with two sausages each, but feel free to double for a bigger group or use a little more of any ingredient to make it fit your style. A couple more potatoes won’t harm this dish. If you don’t like kale, replace it with raw spinach, chard, mustard greens, or collards. Easy Dutch Oven Beans and Sausage RecipeIngredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 sausage links 4 ribs of lacinato kale 2 red potatoes 1 clove garlic 1 can cannellini beans (liquid included) 1 cup chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt (adjustable according to your chicken broth) 1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy duty pot, sear the sausage links in the olive oil over medium heat. Rotate them once or twice while they cook. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Roughly chop the kale, cut the potatoes into half-inch cubes, peel and smash the garlic clove. 3. Once the sausages have some color on two sides of each link, toss in all of the other ingredients. Give everything a poke to make sure it contacts the broth a bit. Cover it with a well-fitting lid and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir occasionally to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. 4. About five minutes before it’s finished, smash some of the beans with a wooden spoon to release some of the starches and thicken the sauce even more (if desired). Enjoy with a hunk of crusty bread. View the full article

Many ecommerce websites obsess over flashy designs and trendy layouts. Big mistake. Instead, you should focus on conversion-centered design. That’s the blend of buyer psychology, user experience, and strategic design working together to turn visitors into customers. Doing this can get you: More sales Higher average order values Better conversion rates Below, I’ve handpicked nine effective ecommerce website examples that follow a conversion-focused design. Use them as a blueprint to create your own online store that converts. Crème de la Crème: Our Favorite Ecommerce Website Examples Short on time to review every ecommerce website example on this list? Focus on these three. Study them. Use them as a template for your store. And watch your conversion rates improve. 1. Crutchfield Crutchfield is a large electronics retailer specializing in audio, video, and car tech. The company grew its business on expert product knowledge and top-tier customer service. Their website stays true to this focus. They have designed it with the customer experience in mind. Despite offering thousands of products, the layout is clean, organized, and easy to navigate. Take the homepage, for example. It provides links only to popular products and categories. By limiting the options to these key choices, it avoids overwhelming shoppers. (While also letting them dive deeper to find exactly what they need.) Click one of these product category links, and you’ll find the pages are just as well-organized. Take the “Smart Home” category, for example. Easy-to-read text and clear images make sure you move through the site with ease. The content is also easy to skim, which simplifies browsing and finding information. Scroll down the page, and you’ll see options to search for products in different ways: By use By brand By compatibility By subcategory This lets you shop in the way that works best for you. You can either search for a specific product or browse through the available options. Now, check out the navigation bar. The mega menu is clear and simple, with dropdowns that guide you to the right section. But what if you already know the specific product you’re looking for? The intuitive search bar helps you with that. It gives suggestions as you type—aka predictive text—to speed things up. Once you’ve searched, narrowing the results is just as easy. You can filter with options like: Price Features Availability of virtual audio demo Select the filters you want, and voilà, you customize your search results. And you know what that means: The quicker you can find a product, the more likely you are to buy. Now, let’s look at the product pages. They’re a perfect mix of SEO and user experience (UX). For example, breadcrumbs show exactly where you are on the site and make it easy to go back a step. And the product names and descriptions are also clear and easy to understand. They even include target keywords to help with search rankings. A nice touch. What’s more, the reviews and testimonials are right where you can see them. These help build credibility as you read more about the product. Then, to make it easier for potential customers to click the buy button, Crutchfield uses “anxiety reducers” in strategic locations. For example, near the “add to cart” button, microcopy highlights benefits such as: Free lifetime tech support 60-day price-drop protection 60-day returns Smart move. Why? Asking someone to take action, like adding to cart, can trigger hesitation. These anxiety reducers help ease buyer concerns and make the next step feel safer. But what really sets Crutchfield’s website apart is how clear their focus on customer service is. (After all, that’s their brand differentiator.) On every page, they make it clear how quickly you can reach them. First, their phone number is always visible at the top of every page. And no matter where you are—homepage, category page, or product page—they always feature tech experts. This reassures shoppers that a real, knowledgeable human is always ready to help. These elements build trust in their business while making the shopping experience stress-free. That’s why they top my list of ecommerce sites with conversion-focused designs. How Crutchfield Looks on Mobile Crutchfield’s mobile site is just as user-friendly as the desktop version. It ticks all the big mobile SEO boxes. Pages load fast, and the search and filter options are clear, simple, and easy to tap. All the trust signals are still there, too. And here’s a superb touch: The PayPal “Buy now” button gets prime placement on mobile, unlike the desktop version. (While we obviously don’t know for sure, the team likely tested this and found it boosted mobile sales.) Takeaways Prioritize user experience: Focus on customer needs to help boost conversions and SEO. Make your value proposition obvious: What makes your store and products different? Make sure visitors see that on every page. Design product pages for people AND search engines: They should load fast, give clear details, and guide shoppers to buy. Further reading: SEO Behavioral Factors: How User Actions Impact Rankings 2. Bang & Olufsen (B&O) Bang & Olufsen is a global leader in luxury audio and visual technology. They’re known for sleek design features, cutting-edge sound, and refined Scandinavian craftsmanship. Their website matches their brand, as the minimalist design oozes elegance. Plus, the generous white space makes each product look like a museum piece. The clean layout and modern font (Beosupremen) complete the Scandinavian aesthetic. Browsing the site feels less like online shopping and more like exploring an art exhibit. Now, check out the product pages. It feels like something out of a premium lifestyle magazine. High-resolution images capture your attention immediately. Plus, the detailed, well-crafted descriptions speak to reason AND emotion. The best part? B&O have managed to do all this while optimizing for SEO. For example, their product pages use keywords in the H1 tag instead of just the product name. (In this case, “portable speaker.”) They also use the keyword naturally throughout the page a few times. Side note: H1 tags are the main headings on a webpage. Adding target keywords here can boost your SEO and make the page’s purpose clear to visitors. And there’s more: Bang & Olufsen’s website does a great job of linking online browsing with in-store visits. Their homepage displays a call to action encouraging shoppers to “Experience in store.” The same CTA copy also appears on product pages reinforcing B&O’s physical presence. And here’s why that matters: It shows they’re more than an online retailer. This adds credibility and sophistication to the brand. It also helps boost buyers’ confidence in the brand’s legitimacy. How Bang & Olufsen Looks on Mobile Bang & Olufsen’s mobile site keeps the same luxury vibe. The minimalist design stays the same, with clean layouts and space for products to stand out. The high-quality images load quickly and look stunning. Navigation is just as smooth. The large, clear buttons are easy to tap, and everything responds quickly to your touch. All this comes together to create the premium, elegant feel you’d expect from B&O. Takeaways Speak luxury through subtlety: Skip the loud banners and hard-sell tactics. They create a salesy feel that cheapens a premium brand. Balance image quality with page speed: Showcase your products with high-quality images. Also compress them so they load fast and stop visitors from bouncing. Create a seamless shopping experience: Link your website to your offline stores. This makes everything feel more cohesive. 3. Misen Misen sells high-quality cookware for home chefs and hobby cooks. They transform everyday kitchen tools into aspirational must-haves. Their website fully reflects this goal. Bold typography and bright colors grab your attention. And the compelling copy inspires you to level up your cooking skills. What sets Misen’s website apart? It speaks to four distinct decision-making styles. Just look at their product pages to see this at work. First, Misen wins over methodical buyers with: Detailed specs Material breakdowns Clear explanations This gives these logic-driven shoppers the data to make a confident purchase. For emotion-driven buyers, Misen uses vivid images and GIFs, like the knife slicing through a grape. These visual elements spark desire and help you imagine using the product yourself. To attract competitive buyers, Misen uses bestseller badges and review counts. These elements trigger FOMO and appeal to the desire to choose the best product. Finally, for practical buyers, Misen features close-up shots of knives in action. You’ll see hands gripping tools, before-and-after cooking shots, and precise cuts. This gives practical buyers proof that the product delivers on its promises. So go visit Misen’s product pages. Study them. Copy what works. And your conversions will thank you. How Misen Looks on Mobile Misen’s mobile site proves that rich content and video can work on smaller screens. They also embrace long copy, pairing text and visuals with precision. Images appear right where they’re needed, making browsing smooth and intuitive. But that’s not all. Social proof, like user-generated content (UGC), appears at just the right moments to nudge shoppers to buy. Misen’s mobile pages make it clear: Premium design and performance can work perfectly even on smaller screens. Takeaways Design for different buyer mindsets: Show your product working in multiple ways to appeal to different buyer types. Make images tell stories: Skip stock images and basic product photos. Show your products in action to evoke curiosity and desire. Keep mobile fast but premium: Compress images to load high-res product shots and videos quickly. This keeps the premium feel while boosting performance. Top tip: Want to know if images are slowing down your site? Run Semrush’s Site Audit. It flags issues like uncompressed images and slow-loading pages. Fixing these can help keep your site fast. Note: A free Semrush account lets you audit up to 100 URLs. Or you can use this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription. Large Ecommerce Website Examples Large ecommerce sites face a big challenge: Managing thousands of products while staying fast and user-friendly. The best sites drive conversions by focusing on key elements like: Fast load times Simple navigation Streamlined checkout processes These elements aren’t optional. They directly impact conversions, user experience, and customer satisfaction. 4. Sephora Sephora is a global beauty retailer with a wide selection of products. The website feels like browsing a sleek, organized beauty aisle (without the crowds). One of Sephora’s smartest conversion plays is “Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS).” It’s a way to reduce cart abandonment, and Sephora makes it impossible to miss. But that’s just the start of their user-friendly design. Their intuitive navigation menu makes browsing simple. The menu dropdown appears instantly when you hover, and categories are easy to find. Bold fonts highlight main categories, while subcategories use lighter fonts. This makes scanning super easy, so you can easily find what you’re looking for in the mega menu. The category pages keep this same attention to detail. Popular filters like “Vegan” and “Clean” sit right at the top, making it easy to sort by preference. The site also uses faceted navigation. This lets shoppers filter results based on specific criteria, like price or brand. It’s especially helpful for large ecommerce sites with extensive product catalogs. Now, let’s look at Sephora’s product pages. Key product details like price, availability, and shipping info are clearly displayed. This gives potential customers the details they need to make a confident purchase decision. The product photos do some heavy lifting, too. First, Sephora uses unedited images to show real results. It also includes influencer videos that show real people using the product. Then, there are photos with ingredient callouts that highlight key benefits. As you can see, everything about Sephora’s product pages encourages action: Clear product details help visitors understand the value Social proof like unedited photos and videos builds trust in the products These elements work together to make it easy for visitors to take the next step and buy. Side note: Images can have a huge impact on conversions. But don’t rely on standard shots. Mix in other types of visuals, such as influencer content and action shots, to bring the product to life. And make sure to pair them with conversion-focused copy that drives home the product’s benefits. How Sephora Looks on Mobile The mobile experience on Sephora is just as user-friendly. But you’ll notice one big difference from many ecommerce site designs: The hamburger menu is missing. Instead, Sephora uses a scrollable text-based menu at the top. And a bottom navigation bar that pops up when tapped. This design isn’t typical, but it reflects Sephora’s customer-first approach. How so? Their customer research has shown that the hamburger menu was causing friction. So they removed it. This move paid off. According to Andrew Birgiolas, UX Lead at Sephora: “We (also) discovered that a bottom navigation helps users quickly orient themselves in the app and allows them to multitask. The changes we made were good for our users—and for our business. We saw immediate improvements in app engagement, satisfaction, and perception of speed, which ultimately led to increases in conversion and revenue that surpassed our expectations.” Takeaways Bridge online business and in-store shopping: If you offer in-store pickup, make it impossible to miss. Don’t bury it in the checkout process. Simplify navigation: Use scrollable menus with clear, readable labels that guide customers naturally. Make data-driven decisions: Ask your customers what they like and don’t like about your site and make changes based on these insights. And use tools like heatmaps to find out what elements of your site are acting as stumbling blocks. 5. RevZilla RevZilla is a shop for motorcycle enthusiasts. They offer a range of products from riding gear to bike parts. A big part of their conversion strategy? Building a community. Their “Riders Preferred Membership (RPM)” offers members exclusive perks and benefits. The moment you land on the site, it’s clear that members get special treatment. This taps into a powerful psychological driver: the need to belong. But RevZilla’s strategy goes beyond community. The site is also filled with customer-centric features that speed up the buying process. Just look at the header. You’ll find a search bar and the “SHOP YOUR RIDE” button. The search bar supports average users just browsing the site. These are the shoppers casually exploring options or researching gear. But “SHOP YOUR RIDE?” It’s for riders who know what they’re looking for and want to find products fast. Just enter your bike’s make, model, and year… …and the search results instantly filter into products that fit your ride. How about that for search personalization? RevZilla also uses dynamic personalization. It detects the customer’s location and updates shipping details automatically. It’s a small touch, but it makes customers feel seen. And the customer-focused design elements don’t stop there. Check out their “Find Your Perfect Helmet” tool: It’s an interactive product quiz that asks simple questions to match users with the right helmet. This interactive element boosts engagement. It also reduces decision fatigue, making it easier for customers to buy. This is exactly the kind of thoughtful design that makes shoppers feel like the entire site was built just for them. How RevZilla Looks on Mobile RevZilla’s mobile site is perfectly adapted for mobile users. The sticky header keeps essential navigation tools within reach at all times. This includes the search bar and the “SHOP YOUR RIDE” feature. Navigation on mobile is also smooth and responsive. Filters, buttons, and dropdowns are perfectly sized for touch, and navigation paths are simple and clear. The checkout process is just as thoughtful. It’s designed for speed and simplicity. There are also progress indicators that show you where you are in the process. And form fields are kept to a minimum. Plus, RevZilla offers guest checkout, which is a way to reduce cart abandonment. Takeaways Build a community, not just a customer base: When customers feel seen, heard, and valued, they’re more likely to stick around and spend more. Personalize the shopping experience: The more personalized the experience, the more engaged users become—and engaged users convert. Could your ecommerce website emulate the “Shop Your Ride” feature? Optimize the checkout process: Guest checkout, clear next steps, and fewer form fields remove friction. This makes it easier for users to complete their purchases. Luxury Ecommerce Websites Luxury ecommerce sites need to radiate sophistication and exclusivity on screen. Not an easy task. So, how do they create that kind of experience? With: High-quality visuals that capture the product’s exclusivity Minimalist layouts that create a refined and polished aesthetic Curated design elements that reflect the brand’s elegance But here’s the real challenge: How do they exude elegance without slowing the site down? And if that’s not tricky enough, they also have to nudge customers toward a purchase. In a subtle way, of course. 6. Tiffany & Co. World-renowned luxury jewelry store, Tiffany & Co. transforms online shopping into a refined experience. The site carries the same aura of exclusivity as stepping into one of their flagship stores. The moment you land on the site, you’re unmistakably in Tiffany’s world. The iconic Tiffany blue frames every page. And you can feel the elegance in every detail. The typography is subtle and unobtrusive. (Just like a butler. Always present but never in the way.) Then, there are the visuals. High-resolution images take center stage, showcasing the craftsmanship of each product. Even the mega menu exudes refinement. Generous white space, carefully chosen fonts, and a clean layout come together to create a truly luxurious feel. And here’s something that goes against typical ecommerce best practices: You won’t find star ratings, review snippets, or social proof bars anywhere on the site. What’s more, the luxury feel goes beyond design choices. Tiffany & Co. doesn’t rush you into a purchase. Instead, they make it clear that a slower, more personal shopping experience is an option if you want it. For example, they offer virtual consultations with jewelry specialists. This helps customers make better decisions through one-on-one advice. Then, for diamond purchases, experts are readily available for personalized guidance. And for customers who want to see and feel the pieces in person, they can easily book in-store appointments. Yes, these paths to purchase may take longer. But they make the target audience feel seen and valued. After all, when you’re spending thousands on jewelry, the experience matters as much as the product. How Tiffany & Co. Looks on Mobile The mobile experience keeps Tiffany & Co’s signature elegance intact. A standout feature is the “Mobile Virtual Try-On” tool. It uses augmented reality (AR) to let customers see how jewelry looks on them using their phone’s camera. This feature reduces purchase anxiety and gives customers the confidence to move forward. Takeaways Make your site look the part: Prioritize minimalist design, lots of white space, and uncluttered layouts. Skip the hard sell: People don’t generally buy luxury items on impulse. Embrace a slow, thoughtful approach and do away with urgency tactics. Break best practices if they don’t fit your brand: Skip review stars and ratings if they feel off-brand. But make sure you replace them with stronger conversion triggers like brand authority. Or, say, Anya Taylor-Joy’s face on your homepage. 7. Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton is one of the most iconic and recognized names in fashion. Its website carries the same confidence and authority that only a legacy brand can. The colors are rich and striking. And the oversized product images command attention. Then, there’s the iconic LV monogram which signals status and quality. Head to one of their product page, and you’ll see something unique. The first image is often a lifestyle shot. It’s like seeing the product on the runway which helps reinforce the brand’s aspirational nature. Next, check out the unique navigation menu. Click the hamburger icon, and a list of product categories slides in. Click one of the product categories and a subcategory appears. Choose one and click. And yet, another subcategory slides in. It’s an approach that’s visually clean and easy to follow, thanks to the ample white space. And if you use the search function, a full-screen window will appear with images of trending products and bestsellers. As you type, search is predictive, and results populate instantly. No need to hit enter. Everything happens in real time. All these design elements make the site feel like LV truly understands its customers. And that’s exactly how you want your customers to feel—luxury site or not. How Louis Vuitton Looks on Mobile Louis Vuitton’s mobile site keeps the same smooth, refined experience. For example, the “Find in Store” option is easily accessible. And search works just as beautifully as it does on desktop. Predictive search offers instant results that make browsing fast and easy. Takeaways Create a great search experience: Use predictive search or quick links to trending products. These can make browsing easier and more engaging. Offer omnichannel flexibility: Add features like “Find in Store” to improve user experience. These give customers more control over how they shop, which helps increase sales. Subscription-Based Sites Subscription ecommerce sites have one job: Convince people to pay every month. Tough business. To do that, they must clearly show value and build trust. Key elements include clear pricing, smooth signups, and risk-free trials. The goal? Make it feel easy to start and enticing to stay. Side note: The FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” rule requires subscription sites to make a cancellation as simple as signing up. So your website should make it just as easy to cancel as it is to join. 8. HelloFresh HelloFresh is a major name in the meal kit delivery space. Its website has a clear focus: Stand out in a crowded market. Here’s how they do this. The homepage makes their unique selling points clear. It starts with a bold value proposition for why visitors choose them: 15-minute meals (for people looking for speed and convenience) America’s #1 meal kit (social proof) Up to 10 free meals + free breakfast for life (attention-grabbing incentives) The “Get Started” CTA is perfectly placed for warm visitors ready to buy. And the image next to it isn’t just eye candy—it’s functional. Each image is paired with text, making it easy for visual scanners to find key information. Plus, to make the subscription even more appealing, HelloFresh emphasizes control and choice. For example, customers can browse menus before committing. This makes the process feel flexible and low-pressure. Plus: Key features and benefits are clear throughout the site. You’ll see images that show just how easy the meals are to prepare—kids can even get involved. And the onboarding process? It’s friction-free. The first step is simple: enter your zip code to confirm deliverability. This way, customers immediately know if HelloFresh delivers to their area. (So they don’t waste time going through the process only to find out it’s unavailable.) From there, the entire process is busy-user-friendly, with minimal typing required. This keeps the experience effortless—exactly what customers want when signing up for a subscription. How HelloFresh Looks on Mobile Unfortunately, HelloFresh’s mobile site doesn’t match the sleekness of its desktop version. For example, some text in the hero section of the homepage is hard to read. One smooth aspect, however, is the signup process. The same progress indicators show the steps you need to take. And moving from step to step feels intuitive and smooth. It’s the kind of signup you can complete while watching a Netflix show on your couch. This low-friction process makes it so much easier to complete the signup process. Takeaways Lead with your differentiators: Show visitors why you’re better than the competition as soon as they arrive. Don’t make signups a chore: When shoppers are ready to commit, make it quick and easy. 9. First Day For our last ecommerce website example, let’s look at First Day—a store that sells supplements. Unlike HelloFresh, they offer many products with both one-time payment and subscription options. If you look closely, it’s clear that getting people to subscribe is a major focus. The navigation menu, for example, includes only three links: Shop Learn Subscribe and Save The “Subscribe & Save” link takes you to a dedicated page explaining a First Day subscription. Giving the page its own spot in the nav bar underscores its importance. But here’s the best part: First Day doesn’t rely solely on this page to sell subscriptions. Instead, they integrate subscription nudges throughout the site. It’s on the hero section of the homepage, for example: And the product pages also reinforce the subscription as the preferred option: Yes, a “One-Time Purchase” is available. But it’s downplayed compared to the subscription. Now, you might think all these subscription nudges would feel overwhelming or pushy. But here’s the thing: First Day’s site integrates them so naturally that they don’t ruin the shopping experience. And that’s the key for subscription sites like this: aligning business goals with a user-friendly experience. How First Day Looks on Mobile First Day’s mobile site keeps the subscription focus. For example, when you click the navigation icon, the first button takes you to the “Subscribe & Save” page. The product pages also maintain its emphasis on subscriptions as the preferred option. But what’s even more impressive is how the site seamlessly integrates this focus. For example, the product pages continue to use conversion-focused design best practices. Look at the product descriptions. They’re laid out for easy scanning. This helps users quickly absorb important information. Plus, the site reinforces trust with credibility boosters. You’ll see customer reviews all throughout, for example. And there’s even a section for media mentions. Together, these features create an experience that draws visitors in and keeps them informed. And they’ve managed to do all this while consistently promoting their subscription option throughout. The result? Visitors have plenty of chances to see the value of subscribing—a must for any subscription website. Takeaways Design with your subscription goals in mind: If your goal is to get more subscriptions, ensure visitors see the benefits clearly. And don’t be afraid to nudge them towards subscribing (naturally) across your site. Balance business goals with UX: Design your site to guide customers toward goals like subscribing or purchasing. But make sure it doesn’t ruin the shopping experience. How to Create a Conversion-Focused Ecommerce Website 1. Optimize for User Experience Make it easy for visitors to find what they came for, fast. Here are some areas to prioritize: Simplify navigation so users can browse with ease Structure category pages to make product discovery simple Streamline the checkout process to reduce friction and speed up purchases Create persuasive product pages that highlight key benefits and drive action Design for a mobile-first experience The key is to make the experience foolproof. As the book Making Websites Win says: “Design your processes for what you perceive to be a busy, lazy, drunk, amnesiac idiot—what lawyers call a “moron in a hurry” (really). Even geniuses with time on their hands will be grateful that you did.” 2. Speed Up Your Site Page speed affects everything: SEO, conversions, and brand perception. And so speeding up your site is one of the most impactful changes you can make. For example, Vodafone ran an A/B test focusing only on page speed improvements. The results? As much as 8% increase in sales. [VISUAL] Faster pages can drive higher revenue. Period. So you can’t afford to ignore it. Further reading: Page Speed and SEO: The Complete Guide 3. Match Pages to Visitor Needs Visitors come to your site for different reasons. Some are browsing. Some are comparing. And others are ready to buy. Build a site that serves all of them. For example, on your homepage, visitors are usually in the browsing stage, so grab their attention quickly. Introduce your brand and key offers and be clear about what makes your products different. Like Huel’s homepage: However, on product pages, visitors have different expectations. They might be comparing products. Or are ready to buy. Make it easy by including comparison tools and clear product details. Give people what they need at each stage of their journey. And they’ll be more likely to click checkout. Build an Ecommerce Site That Converts The ecommerce website examples above show you how to design for conversions. But even the most user-friendly site isn’t that great if no one visits. Enter: ecommerce SEO. It’s one of the best ways to get in front of ready-to-buy shoppers. Learn how to do it right by checking out our ecommerce SEO guide for proven traffic-boosting strategies. The post 9 Ecommerce Website Examples to Copy for Better Results appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to other readers. * If you submitted a question to me recently, please do not repost it here, as it may be in my queue to answer. View the full article

Lock screens are a good way to protect your data, but thieves stealing your smartphone when it's unlocked (or after seeing your passcode), and then resetting everything in just a tap is still a real security risk. Apple deals with this vulnerability using its Stolen Device Protection feature, and now, in Android 15, Google has a similar feature called Identity Check. Identity Check ensures strangers out in public can't change your Android smartphone's account settings without first passing a secondary biometric authentication. First, you set up one or more trusted locations, like your home. Then, if someone outside of one of those locations has your phone and tries to access your passwords, change your PIN, or disable the Find My Device feature, they'll need to pass a biometric lock first. The feature is first rolling out on Pixel devices and any Samsung Galaxy device using One UI 7. But as is the case with most new Android features, it will slowly start to trickle out to other devices as well, as more manufactures update their own software. According to a Google blog, other manufactures will add support "later this year." Identity Check's protections are pretty robust, gating away settings like resetting your smartphone, changing the screen lock, creating a new fingerprint ID, disabling the Find My Device feature, adding a new Google account, accessing developer options, and accessing passwords and passkeys in the Password Manager. A major difference between Android's Identity Check and Apple's Stolen Device Protection is the time delay. Apple basically blocks you from changing any important setting while in an unknown location until you've waited for an hour first. Perhaps a tad too frustrating, but that hour can give someone enough time to remotely wipe your device. Android would perhaps do well to follow suit. For now, you'll have to enable Identity Check manually. Head over to Settings > Google account > All services > Theft Protection. Here, enable the Use Identity Check feature. Here, you can also click the Manage button to add trusted locations like your workspace or your home. Disabling the feature requires you to either authenticate using biometrics or by logging in to your Google account. Along with this update, Google is also rolling out its AI-powered Theft Detection Lock to all supported devices running Android 10 or higher (the feature was released last year for Pixel users). This feature detects when a smartphone is forcibly taken away from you, using data from the smartphones built-in sensors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. You can enable it under Settings > Google account > All services > Theft protection > Theft Detection Lock. View the full article

We know that cars are better connected than ever before, which is great when you want to remember where you parked or start defrosting the vehicle windows while you're still in bed—but this modern tech comes with security and privacy concerns, as a new hack of Subaru cars and their Starlink software has shown. Security researchers Sam Curry and Shubham Shah explain in a blog post how they were able to remotely hack into the Starlink connected vehicle service run by Subaru. Specifically, they targeted software on Curry's mom's car, but the same platform operates across Subaru vehicles in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. With access to the driver's surname and their attached ZIP code, email address, phone number, or license plate, Curry and Shah were able to start, stop, lock, and unlock the Subaru, as well as retrieve its current location. In addition, they could view the collected location history for a whole year (right down to parking spots). The same hack gave access to personal information about the driver, including their address, their billing information (though not their full credit card number), and their emergency contact. Support call history, odometer readings, and previous owners of the motor could also be accessed. Curry and Shah managed to test out the access on a Subaru belonging to one of their friends, and it worked again—all without any kind of notification or alert to the car's driver that their vehicle was being accessed. All that was needed was a successful login to the Starlink portal and some basic driver information. The Subaru employee portal was targeted by the hack. Credit: Sam Curry While the Starlink login was protected with two-factor authentication and security questions, these security measures were applied in a bespoke way that the researchers were able to get around just by modifying the website code to ignore them. In other words, there was no need to enter a password. That's a huge amount of access to features and data from a relatively simple hack. The good news is that Curry and Shah reported the vulnerability to Subaru, and the vehicle maker patched it within 24 hours—this hack is no longer possible. However, all of this data remains accessible to Subaru employees, which raises more questions. Subaru and your dataThe original hack was done by logging into the Starlink terminal as a Subaru employee, via some detective work on LinkedIn and a little tweaking of website code. While this route of access has now been locked down, genuine Subaru staff can still get at all the information found by Curry and Shah, including the year's worth of location history. "The auto industry is unique in that an 18-year-old employee from Texas can query the billing information of a vehicle in California, and it won’t really set off any alarm bells," writes Curry. "It's part of their normal day-to-day job. The employees all have access to a ton of personal information, and the whole thing relies on trust." Subaru employees can see where you've been via Starlink. Credit: Sam Curry Subaru told Wired that its employees, "based on their job relevancy," can access location data—in the case of contacting first responders when a collision is detected, for example (though that hardly requires a year of data). Privacy, security, and NDA agreements are signed by these employees, Subaru says. You can read the Subaru privacy policies here and here. You'll notice there's a lot of data collected about you and your vehicle via Starlink, including where it starts and stops, vehicle speeds, and diagnostic information. Use a Subaru website or app, and you're allowing access to a whole new swath of data, including data collected by the microphones and cameras on your devices. Even worse, these policies apply to any passengers in a Subaru—Firefox developer Mozilla has a comprehensive breakdown here (note this includes Subaru's apps and website as well as Starlink). While Subaru promises not to sell your data to third-parties, and says it requires the information to improve support and detect criminal activity, it can target you with ads, communications, and promotions. The researchers were able to get at a lot of user data. Credit: Sam Curry There are steps you can take to limit some of this data collection. You can, of course, cancel your Starlink subscription, but then you miss out on features such as emergency assistance. You can also uninstall any Subaru-related apps from your phone, change your marketing preferences via the MySubaru portal, and fill out this form to put certain limits on data collection and sharing in specific states—though it's not clear which data the form covers or how long existing data will be retained for. Subaru isn't alone among car makers when it comes to security vulnerabilities and suspect privacy policies. However, it's another reminder that extra connectivity often comes with an extra cost in terms of user data—and that any decision about which car to buy next should probably come with a look at the manufacturer's data collection policies, too. View the full article

Uncover the rewards of sustainable practices. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

Uncover the rewards of sustainable practices. Gear Up for Growth With Jean Caragher For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Jean Marie Caragher. View the full article

SEO is at a crossroads. As AI reshapes the digital landscape and Google continues to drive less traffic to brands, marketers face a critical challenge: how to balance strategies that deliver results today with innovations that prepare for tomorrow. This article outlines eight key considerations to help you navigate these changes and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of SEO. Why SEO feels overwhelming right now In 2024, five of the top 15 SEO stories on Search Engine Land were about AI, with several others covering major changes at Google that have led to less traffic being sent to brands. These shifts leave us with a lot to think about. Studies and experiments show the immense potential of AI-based search tools, yet most of us are still focused on optimizing for what works today. It can feel overwhelming to keep up. I often find myself lost in the wealth of insights shared by thought leaders like Rand Fishkin, Wil Reynolds, and Michael King. This rapid pace of change is not new. I vividly remember attending SEMpdx Engage in Portland in 2019, where Fishkin presented on zero-click searches. That was before the pandemic and long before ChatGPT made its debut, yet the trend of diminishing clicks from Google was already taking shape. I’m not here to break new ground with data or studies – that’s best left to the industry leaders I mentioned earlier. Instead, I want to share practical considerations to help you navigate the SEO landscape with confidence. 1. Focus on ROI Long before AI, one of the biggest contributors to ineffective SEO has been the lack of a strong connection between SEO strategy and its ROI. Given the time it takes to see meaningful results, you can’t afford to “do all the stuff” only to realize it was the wrong approach – or worse, conclude that SEO doesn’t work for your organization. Even with a detailed strategy, it’s often challenging to connect SEO KPIs to business outcomes when presenting to stakeholders. Anchoring your efforts in ROI, rather than just SEO metrics, is more critical than ever as the industry evolves. Avoid shifting strategies and tactics without a clear understanding of what’s working for your organization and what isn’t. Dig deeper: 7 proven methods to explain the value of SEO 2. Leverage AI AI is the driving force behind the changes reshaping the SEO industry. If you’ve been focused solely on existing strategies, hesitant to trust AI, or simply haven’t made time to experiment with it, now is the time to start testing and adopting it. This doesn’t mean relying on AI to generate all your content or trusting it blindly. Instead, focus on understanding its strengths, its limitations, and where it can create efficiencies. For those juggling multiple roles or working solo in SEO, AI can serve as a valuable assistant – provided you verify and question its outputs. Set aside time to test and innovate with AI. The technology is here to stay, and the longer you wait, the harder it will be to adapt as it becomes more advanced. Dig deeper: 3 ways to use AI for SEO wins in 2025 3. Know who you are targeting Your audience is the reason for doing SEO – not search engines or emerging AI tools. The goal is for your content and brand to be found in ways that drive ROI. While having a strong brand strategy and detailed personas is a great start, SEO today requires a deeper understanding of your target audience. With fragmented traffic sources and fewer clicks from Google, it’s more important than ever to know exactly who your audience is, what they’re seeking, and how you can uniquely serve them. As platforms like ChatGPT grow, even if they don’t drive direct traffic, quality must take precedence over quantity. Casting a wide net isn’t enough; precision is key in this evolving landscape. Dig deeper: How to find emerging audience needs using Google Trends 4. Identify where your audience is Understanding your audience also means knowing where they are and how they engage online. This has traditionally involved examining social media, email marketing, third-party content, and ads, along with their interplay with Google search behavior. Today, we need to go further. Whether you call it SEO, AI optimization, or something else, it’s essential to account for multiple platforms. Are your audiences still using Google search? Are they engaging with AI summaries in Google, ChatGPT, or Bing? Are they evenly distributed across various platforms? Optimizing for these sources requires an understanding of how your audience engages with each. Asking the right questions and exploring deeper insights about your audience’s online behavior will shape where and how you reach them effectively. Dig deeper: How to do audience research for SEO Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 5. Invest in content Content has always been a cornerstone of SEO and audience engagement, and it remains a crucial area to invest in. While the way we create and consume content has evolved, it still serves as the fuel for digital marketing efforts. AI has made content research, ideation, and even creation more scalable and accessible. However, thought leadership and showcasing your unique value to your audience remain as important as ever. With AI making it easier to produce content, standing out through quality will be even more critical. Investing in high-quality, impactful content – especially content that works across multiple channels – will continue to yield strong results. Dig deeper: Content marketing and SEO: Creating an integrated SEO plan 6. Evolve tactics and checklists For years, I’ve cautioned against “checklist SEO,” where tactics are followed blindly without a clear strategy. However, having a defined approach and documented processes is still essential. As traffic sources diversify, your methodology must evolve to keep pace. Outdated SEO practices won’t cut it, and relying on memory or unstructured workflows can hinder your efforts. Maintain a written process that adapts as needed to ensure your strategy stays relevant. This way, you can defend your approach to stakeholders and even to yourself when changes require swift adjustments. Dig deeper: Evolving SEO for 2025: What needs to change 7. Be intentional in testing Amid the demands of daily tasks, make sure to carve out intentional, scheduled time for testing. Even those at the forefront of AI often feel behind when comparing themselves to others or evaluating the pace of advancements. Make testing purposeful by setting clear goals and objectives. Whether you need to push yourself to dedicate time or rein in constant experimentation to refocus on what matters now versus what’s coming next, find a balance that supports meaningful progress. Dig deeper: SEO testing: Shifting from reactive to proactive strategies 8. Communicate with stakeholders Keeping stakeholders informed, educated, and comfortable with SEO has always been a challenge, and the rapid changes brought by AI make this even more critical. Whether your stakeholders are clients, bosses, or other decision-makers, they’re likely less immersed in SEO than you are. Don’t let the complexity of AI or evolving strategies be an excuse to avoid effective communication. Ensuring stakeholders understand your approach and the broader industry context will help build trust and alignment, even as changes continue to unfold. Dig deeper: How to use SEO education for stakeholder management Mastering SEO: Balancing proven tactics with emerging trends If you’re deep in SEO, you’re probably not scared of change. The shifts we’re seeing today affect everyone, and many of these trends – such as fewer clicks from Google – have been developing for years. While the influx of new information and changes can feel overwhelming at times, my hope is that by applying the eight aspects I’ve discussed in this article to your mindset, approach, and overall strategy, you’ll be able to move forward with clarity. By adopting these principles, you can set clear objectives that will help you adapt and thrive in this shifting environment. View the full article

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

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The LG C3 65-inch Evo OLED TV, featured in Lifehacker's Best Budget OLED TVs to Buy in 2025, is now available for $1,196.99, down from $1,499.99—its lowest price ever on Amazon, according to price trackers. LG C3 Series 65-Inch Class OLED TV $1,196.99 at Walmart $2,499.99 Save $1,303.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,196.99 at Walmart $2,499.99 Save $1,303.00 Its OLED panel provides perfect black levels, an infinite contrast ratio, and near-flawless color accuracy. Whites and SDR colors are especially precise, with only minor deviations in reds and greens in HDR content. Plus, it supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, so if you stream a lot in 4K, you’ll see those details shine. That said, the lack of an ATSC 3.0 tuner might be a drawback if you rely on over-the-air 4K broadcasts. You can place the C3 Evo on its (included) metal stand or mount it on a wall for a cleaner look. Its ports—four HDMI 2.1 (all 4K120, with one eARC), three USBs, Ethernet, and more—are easy to reach on the left. LG’s WebOS runs its smart TV features and covers nearly all major streaming platforms (except Crunchyroll, as highlighted in this PCMag review). However, the WebOS' smart home hub features lean heavily toward LG ThinQ appliances, which might limit compatibility with your setup if your smart devices aren’t LG-branded or are from other non-compatible brands. The Magic Remote included with the LG C3 Evo has dedicated buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Alexa, and other popular apps, making it easy to jump straight to your favorites. You’ll also find Apple AirPlay for easy streaming from your iOS devices and Alexa integration for hands-free voice commands. When it comes to gaming, with the Game Optimizer mode enabled and input lag reduction set to Boost, the TV achieves an impressively low input lag of under a millisecond. Add to that a 120Hz refresh rate, with variable refresh rate (VRR) support, plus AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility (though neither is formally certified), and you’ve got yourself a gaming powerhouse. If you’re debating alternatives, the Samsung S90C ($1,179) offers similar OLED quality and comes with the missing ATSC 3.0 tuner. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The hardest part of sticking to a workout routine may be starting, but the second-hardest part is figuring out what to do when it's time for another workout but you're still sore from the first one. Below, I'll share some tips for relieving that soreness—but, even more importantly, I'll tell you what not to do. Perhaps the most surprising thing: you probably shouldn't skip your next workout. Know what normal soreness feels likeBefore we discuss what to do, let's take a minute to understand how you're feeling right now, and why. It's not lactic acid (that's a myth), but rather a phenomenon known as DOMS, for "delayed onset muscle soreness." It's most likely to happen when you do something different than what you're used to. That might mean starting a new workout routine, but it can also happen to people who are already fit but try a new sport or even a slight change to their routine. DOMS can feel pretty brutal, but it's not serious. It doesn't mean your muscles are seriously damaged, and you're not going to injure yourself by ignoring it. Just to make sure we're on the same page, normal DOMS: Hurts the most when you wake up in the morning or when you've been sitting still for a while Feels better with movement Hurts when you use the muscle and when you stretch the muscle Usually starts the day after exercise (rather than the same day), and may last multiple days Is often at its worst two days after the exercise that caused it There are medical conditions that can also cause muscle soreness, so check with a doctor if you think there may be more going on than the usual DOMS situation. One condition worth keeping in mind is rhabdomyolysis, which is muscle damage that gets severe enough to cause muscle breakdown and kidney issues. Dark-colored urine (often described as "tea colored" or "cola colored") is a huge red flag—get to the emergency room if you notice this. I've written more here about the differences between normal soreness and the kind that needs medical attention. But most likely, you just have a normal case of DOMS. If that sounds right, let's talk about what to do about it. Do some active rest or gentle movementYou may not feel like moving at all, but it's worth fighting the urge to lie in bed. Once you get up and move around, the DOMS will start to fade, at least temporarily. Definitely do not cancel any plans for the day when you first wake up—that's the worst it's going to feel all day. So go for a walk. That's my go-to when I'm not feeling great. If you have access to a spin bike, moving your legs at low resistance tends to help relieve soreness. Cyclists will talk about "flushing" out their muscles with easy pedaling; whether that's scientifically accurate or not, it does seem to help. If you're into yoga, a day you're sore is a good time to do some gentle yoga; you can even look up recovery yoga for some videos to follow. Movement helps to relieve the pain of DOMS, but it doesn't necessarily make it fully go away—if you sit down to watch TV for a while, the soreness will be back when your show is over and you get up. The only thing that can make it go away is time, so you'll have to be patient. In the meantime, here are a few more things to try for temporary relief and to support your body as it naturally clears things up. Take a warm bath or visit the saunaHeat tends to make sore muscles feel better, so this is a great time to hit the sauna, if your gym has one. You can also use an electric heating pad like this one, or take a hot bath. Epsom salt baths are popular for sore muscles, but the minerals in the bathwater don't actually reach your muscles. Adding them to a bath can still make it smell nice (get the lavender scented kind) and can make it feel like you're doing something special for yourself, so use them if you enjoy them. Give yourself a massageGentle pressure can feel good on sore muscles, so consider treating yourself to a massage or asking someone to give you a back rub. A foam roller is a good way to give yourself some "self-myofascial release" (I'm convinced that's nothing but a fancy word for massage), or consider a massage gun. Eat well and sleep wellWhen you’re sore, it's good time to pay more attention to taking care of yourself. Anecdotally, I find sleep helps to deal with soreness: if I stay up late, I’m more likely to be sore the next day. Eating plenty of protein can’t hurt, either, since protein is important to building muscle. And carbs are important for recovery and fueling, so I wouldn't skimp on those either. What not to do when you're soreMyths abound, so I want to call out a few specific things that you're better off not doing. Intense stretching. Gentle movement is fine, but deep or painful stretches can cause muscle damage. Ice or cold plunges. This one is a bit controversial, but it may interfere with the healing process. Taking ibuprofen if you don't really need it. If you need a pain reliever to get through the day, it's fine to take one. But if you get into the habit of taking ibuprofen regularly—like after every workout—it can hinder your recovery. Don’t skip your workoutWhen you're feeling sore, you’re probably tempted to just stay home with some Netflix instead of taking your achy body back to the gym. But resting doesn't help much in the long run. Beating the soreness for good comes from getting used to exercise, and you’ll never get used to it if you have to take a week off every time you get the idea to start again. So go back to the gym, or head out for another run, or whatever is on your schedule for today. Make some effort to continue the schedule that you set up for yourself, whether that was a written program or a promise to yourself that you'd go to the gym a certain number of times per week. First, do your warmup, but ease into it gradually. If you planned to go for a run, start with a brisk walk and then see how an easy jog feels. If it's a lifting day, start with lighter weights than usual, and only add as much weight as you feel like you can handle today. Even if you can't manage your regular workout, you're still doing something, and that's buying you insurance against future soreness. You're also not going to get anywhere near as sore after today's workout as you did before. Scientists call this the repeated bout effect: each workout (each "bout" of training) protects against soreness from the next one. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. Cookbooks don’t really teach you how to cook. Instead they offer a collection of recipes that you (hopefully) like. If you find one, though, with recipes that serve as inspiration for adapting and modifying to create even more new recipes—well, that’s a real gem. The cookbooks I find myself going back to time and again make a wee inspiration library. Sometimes I use their recipes, and sometimes I find a flavor combination or cooking method I’ll get excited to use later in the week. But it is rare that a cookbook breaks down how a chef thinks about recipe creation. This week I chose Kitchen Matrix for my cookbook of the week because it’s unlike any other cookbook I’ve seen before. It’s a cookbook with major lessons on how to cook. A bit about the bookThis book comes from Mark Bittman, a legendary food journalist and author (read more about him here). Although this cookbook isn’t new—it was published in 2015—the message is timeless: Cooking is an endless spectrum. A single recipe exists on a branch of an ingredient’s sprawling family tree. Ok, enough romance: let me explain. The pages of Kitchen Matrix are filled with recipes, yes, but directly following one recipe will be how to riff in three to 12 different ways. Essentially, how to make a whole new meal by swapping the main ingredient, or what you get when you change the cooking method from grilling to steaming. It reveals the connection between different dishes within a food set. For example, how only two or three ingredients separate minestrone from mushroom soup from tomato and garlic soup. The cooking method is the same; it’s a matter of swapping this for that. When you see it displayed in the clever way Bittman has arranged these sections, the art of cooking suddenly clicks into a clear science. Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix: More Than 700 Simple Recipes and Techniques to Mix and Match for Endless Possibilities: A Cookbook $28.09 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $35.00 Save $6.91 Shop Now Shop Now $28.09 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $35.00 Save $6.91 A great book for the confident cookJust because someone is a confident cook doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a good cookbook. Kitchen Matrix is more like Cooking 201 versus Cooking 101. It’s best for someone who already feels good about getting around the kitchen, using various cooking methods, trying out new flavors, and taking risks. There’s plenty of inspiration in this cookbook and a lot for the confident cook to get excited about. That said, many of the recipe spin-offs are written in what I’ll call a recipe shorthand, while other recipes are written out in a full version—with an ingredient list and steps underneath. For example, with the section “Corn +12 ways” you’ll get a short recipe equating to “Mix this, this, and this together. Cook it until browned.” Then two recipe variations underneath where only the swapped ingredients are indicated. Seasoned cooks will be able to connect the dots, while I think the missing information could be extremely confusing for many other home cooks. The recipes you can expect I like that many of the chapters are split up by main ingredients, like Meat, Vegetables, or Poultry and Eggs. Within each chapter will be a mini section dedicated to major popular items that fit in the section. For the Vegetable section you can flip to Salad Greens +12 Ways, Celery +16 Ways, or Vegan Entrees +10 Ways, among many others. This speaks to my nightly cooking habit of discovering I have six zucchini that are about to get weird, so I need a zucchini-centric meal STAT. I can simply flip to Zucchini +12 Ways and pick between raw, grilled, microwaved, or sautéed and have three recipes each at the ready. Even if I had more squash than one recipe required, at least I have 11 different choices for tomorrow’s meals. That’s support. It’s like un-creepy AI (if you can imagine). I feel like this cookbook has my back when I need it. My favorite feature of Kitchen Matrix is the Recipe Generator. There are a few of them throughout the book, and they’re double page visual diagrams of popular meals—like Sandwich Recipe Generator, Tartar Recipe Generator, Grain Salad, Eggs, Jam—and they show you the components that are involved along with options so you can create your own. Prof. Bittman wants you to learn to create your own recipes. As a former teacher witnessing beautiful diagrams, I wipe a single tear from my eye. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann The dish I made this weekI don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s winter and hell has frozen over. I’ve been in a soup mood. I flipped over to Soups and Stews, and landed on the Vegetable soups. I adore soups for all meals, and this section’s matrix consisted of Creamy, Brothy, Bean, and Vegetable. I can never turn down a creamy soup, so I turned my attention there. The main recipe was for a creamy spinach soup, and underneath it were the two variations: curried cauliflower, or squash and ginger. I chose curried cauliflower. The main recipe for spinach soup had simple directions. Basically, cook the garlic and onion in water, then add the spinach and yogurt before puréeing it all. The cauliflower soup instructed me to swap out a few ingredients: garlic for ginger, spinach for cauliflower, parsley for curry powder, and yogurt for coconut milk. I did just that, but using the same method from the spinach recipe. The soup was a golden-hued hug. Creamy without any cream, thick without being gloppy, and boosted with just enough spice to compliment the cauliflower’s natural flavors. It was a reminder that great soup can be drop-dead simple, and as a result, I know how to make 11 other simple soups. That’s enough to get me through the winter. How to buy itKitchen Matrix is available online, as an ebook (for a bargain), and keep in mind that you can support your local brick and mortar bookstores by asking them to order it to their location if they don’t have it in stock. View the full article

The start of a new year signals more than resolutions – it’s a critical moment for PPC professionals to reset, refocus, and strategically realign. As the digital marketing landscape evolves, success demands a clear-eyed approach to account management, client objectives, and personal growth. Here are five essential areas every PPC specialist must prioritize in 2025. 1. Master the fundamentals: Strengthen your foundation We often rush to tackle advanced strategies without solidifying the fundamentals, whether in client work or our personal development. No matter your experience level, revisiting the basics is essential for long-term success. Now is the perfect time to refocus on foundational elements, both for your accounts and your own growth, such as: Tracking Accurate and complete tracking is critical in the AI era. Your account’s performance depends entirely on the quality of the data flowing into it. Review your setups and identify any gaps, such as enhanced conversions, offline conversion tracking, or basket-level data. Account hygiene This may not be the most exciting task, but it’s essential. If you were auditing someone else’s account, account hygiene would be one of the first things you’d examine. Review ads, creatives, bidding strategies, campaign settings, and keywords to ensure everything is in order. Over time, these elements can become out of place, so adjustments are likely needed. For a starting point, check the Recommendations tab, then refine from there. Account structure Ensure the account structure aligns with the client’s advertising goals and objectives. Task management Review task management systems and service agreements to confirm they still match current needs. Peak periods can lead to workload overflows, which may carry into the new year. Assess your tasks to remove anything unnecessary or of little value to the client. Personal habits During busy periods, morning account checks may be skipped, and weekly performance reviews or analyses might stretch to biweekly or even monthly. Make sure to get back on track. Skill sharpening Keeping up with industry newsletters or completing a PPC training course might have taken a backseat. Reprioritize these activities to stay ahead in the field. Dig deeper: How to create a roadmap for your PPC clients 2. Plan for success: Align goals and strategy For the client side, start with an annual review or extended quarterly meeting with clients and key stakeholders to ensure objectives are communicated clearly and aligned. The plan should focus on measurable goals and future strategy rather than revisiting technical basics. Key elements to include: 2024 performance overview: Evaluate performance against primary objectives with year-on-year or forecast comparisons. Channel analysis: Identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. For example, if direct and organic traffic is underperforming, diagnose the cause (e.g., reduced brand awareness) and explore solutions, such as upper-funnel activity in current or new channels. Realignment of 2025 objectives, goals, and targets: Use existing insights to set clear goals and define how to achieve them. List of strategic actions: For instance, if revenue grew year-over-year but profits declined, a 2025 objective might be to test profit-based bidding strategies. Strategy roadmap: Prioritize actions for the first two quarters rather than spreading them out over the entire year. For personal development, take time to reflect on your goals for 2025 and collaborate with your agency or manager to create a development plan. Consider the following: Weaknesses or interests: Identify areas you want to improve or explore further this year. Strengths: Focus on skills you excel at and aim to become an internal leader in those areas. Portfolio review: Assess whether your current client portfolio aligns with your personal growth goals. Career progression: Define the position you want to work toward and ensure your objectives align with achieving that role. Dig deeper: 5 ways to align PPC campaigns with business objectives Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 3. Resource readiness: Equip yourself and your team Once planning is underway, assess the resources needed to implement your plans effectively. These requirements may evolve based on client feedback and internal discussions. Key areas to review include: Team capability Can existing team members address any measurement or implementation gaps? Will the client’s development team need to handle certain tasks? If there’s a skills gap, is this an opportunity for you to upskill? Service contract alignment Do the tasks and requirements fit within the current service agreement? If additional channel management is needed, will the account require extra support? Creative process Does the client’s creative process support new strategies or channels? Are additional resources or adjustments needed to align with new goals? Commercial scope If current delivery exceeds the original agreement, plan a review with the client. Consider how this extra service aligns with your personal growth objectives. Upskilling needs Identify any training or knowledge gaps necessary to meet both client and personal objectives. Resource needs often overlap between personal and business goals. For example, if you aim to improve your skills in profit tracking and a client’s goal is to focus on profitability over revenue, this creates an opportunity to align personal development with client success. Prioritize areas that deliver value for both. 4. Learning and growth: Stay ahead in a fast-moving industry In the fast-evolving digital marketing world, continuous learning is critical to staying relevant and achieving your growth ambitions. Whether refining your expertise or exploring new areas, upskilling offers several benefits: Fresh ideas and innovative thinking. Confidence from enhanced knowledge. Increased job satisfaction and motivation. A clear signal of career ambition and drive. Both personal and business growth can be supported through targeted learning. Potential focus areas include: Specific skills: AI, attribution/measurement, multi-channel strategies, profit tracking. Broader development: Leadership, management, and client communication. While personal and client objectives may not always align perfectly, both require dedicated learning plans. Shape these around the year’s strategic goals: For personal growth, focus on skills that help you lead in your specialty or explore new interests. For business growth, consider training that strengthens client understanding, such as PPC’s role in overall strategy or how AI (e.g., Performance Max) reshapes campaign structures. Bridging gaps between roles – such as clients fixating on minor CPC changes instead of strategy impact – through education can reduce misunderstandings, improve efficiency, and foster stronger relationships. Empowering clients with relevant knowledge helps them better communicate results to stakeholders, benefiting both parties. Dig deeper: Becoming a world-class PPC ad buyer: 8 key lessons 5. From goals to actions: Turning plans into progress Planning is only half the battle; without action, even the best strategies fall flat. Whether it’s executing a 2025 paid media strategy or achieving personal goals, effort, and resources must be allocated to move forward. Here are effective ways to translate plans into progress: Break down objectives: Divide broad goals into smaller, actionable tasks for clarity and focus. Track progress: Create a weekly updated progression sheet to monitor goals and maintain transparency. Set deadlines: Assign clear timelines to keep everyone accountable and motivated. Communicate regularly: For client plans, track and report progress through regular communications and monthly updates. Invest in resources: Commit to necessary tools, training, or initiatives. Financial investment adds urgency and focus. Assign accountability: Clearly delegate responsibilities and deliverables to ensure follow-through. By prioritizing these steps, whether individually or as a whole, you can set yourself and your clients up for a successful and productive 2025. Dig deeper: PPC management checklist: Daily, weekly and monthly reviews View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you're looking for a new show to watch this week, I got your back. I've scoured the schedules of Netflix, Prime, Max, Hulu, and other streaming platforms to bring you the best and most notable shows streaming this week. The Traitors, season 3 From its top notch host Allan Cummings to its cast of hardcore reality show veterans, to its classy Scottish castle setting and stylish presentation, reality TV rarely rises to the heights of The Traitors. If you like conniving on a grand scale, and you didn't come here to make friends, check out The Traitors. Where to stream: Peacock SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night NBC's late night comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live has been on the air for half a century and this four-part documentary series takes you backstage at SNL, from the writers' room to the executive suites to the talent's green room, to tell the story of how a tiny show no one cared about became a culture defining force. Packed with interviews with celebrities, cast members, producers, and writers, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is required viewing for anyone into comedy. Where to stream: Peacock Harlem, season 3 In season 3 of Harlem, the drama continues as four best friends in the city navigate career struggles, motherhood, singlehood, sisterhood, and more. Cast members Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson, and Shoniqua Shandai return, but there are some new faces too, including Kofi Siriboe who plays Seth, a handsome MLB player who catches one of the ladies’ attention. Starts streaming January 23. C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart This four-episode British series is based on the best-selling novels by J.K. Rowling, but there's not a wizard to be found. Instead, C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart offers the detective team of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, who are hired to investigate a murder involving the creator of a cult TV cartoon and an anonymous online troll called “Anomie.” The case reveals a complex web of online intrigue, shadowy business interests, and family conflicts that will test the limits of Strike and Robin's investigative skills and might cost them their lives. Starts streaming January 23. Last week's picksSeverance, season 2 I'm a little nervous for the new season of Severance. The first season's mix of pitch-black social commentary, ice-cold production design, and acting talent was so good, I'm afraid season two is going to disappoint, especially since I've been waiting for three years. So far, it looks promising: Rotten Tomatoes' critics are nearly universal in their praise, and the trailer looks phenomenal. Season 2 takes us deeper into the mysteries surrounding Lumon Industries, and deeper into the psyches of the people who work there, and the people who don't work there, who are the same people. Where to stream: Apple TV+ Goosebumps: The Vanishing This horror series stars Friends' David Schwimmer as Anthony, a divorced dad hosting his twin teenage children Devin and Cece for the summer at his Brooklyn home. Anthony only has one rule: Stay out of the basement—like that's going to happen. The mystery under their feet leads the twins and their friends to dark secrets connected to the disappearance of four teenagers in the 1990s and a supernatural entity of immense power. Where to stream: Max Harley Quinn, season 5 The fifth season of adult cartoon Harley Quinn sees the titular character, voiced by Kaley Cuoco, moving to Metropolis with her friend Poison Ivy, voiced by Lake Bell. The pair soon find that something serious is going down in Superman-town, and Quinn will meet up with Lex Luthor, his sister, Lena Luthor, Brainiac, and other comic book favorites in this irreverent take on the DC Universe. Harley Quinn has a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's definitely worth your time. Where to stream: Max An Update On Our Family All "family YouTubers" seem pretty weird, but the Stauffer family was next-level reprehensible. This three-part documentary series examines how Myka and James Stauffer built a small vlogging empire by presenting themselves and their children as a perfect family, but took it a step too far when they adopted a baby from China with severe neurological problems. They tried to turn two year-old Huxley into the centerpiece of their content, but he soon disappeared from the family channel and the family. Where to stream: Max View the full article

Google search ranking volatility is heated this week, but some of the tools are having issues tracking them. Google is sending out penalties, manual actions...View the full article

Short-form videos are here to stay. Explore the opportunities for businesses on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. The post Short-Form Video Dominance: The Future Of Engagement In Social Media appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article