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...And it has less to do with technical skills than firms expect. Accounting ARC With Arpan Grewal and Harshita Multani Center for Accounting Transformation Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

...And it has less to do with technical skills than firms expect. Accounting ARC With Arpan Grewal and Harshita Multani Center for Accounting Transformation Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

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

One of the ways AI models are rapidly improving is in their image editing capabilities, to the extent that they can now quickly take care of tasks that would previously have taken a substantial amount of time and effort in Photoshop. This is undoubtedly one of the main reasons Adobe has decided to introduce its own ChatGPT plug-ins. Want your t-shirt to be blue rather than red? Need to cut out a person or an object from an otherwise perfect group selfie? These are tricks that AI chatbots are now able to do cleanly and professionally, from just a text prompt. You don't need to have any digital photo editing skills; you only need to describe what you want to happen. Over the past few months, both Gemini and ChatGPT have become better at more precise edits. They're able to tweak part of an image and leaving the rest of it untouched, rather than rendering everything again from scratch just to alter one detail. Now Gemini has quietly added some more markup tools for this job. Marking up images in GeminiGoogle hasn't said anything officially about these markup tools, which suggests the feature is still in testing (it's also previously been spotted by the team at Android Authority). If you're not seeing these tools, try quitting and restarting the Gemini app on mobile, or refreshing the app on the web—and if you still can't see the options after that, you may have to be wait a little bit longer If this functionality has rolled out to you, you should be able to upload an image in a chat using the + (plus) button in the prompt box, and then tap or click on the image thumbnail to find the markup tools. At the moment, they only show up before the image has been edited—you can't find them after you've started generating edits. Look out for this pop-up to see if you have the new feature. Credit: Lifehacker The easiest tool to understand is the drawing tool, which is enabled via the icon that looks like a scribble. You can use this to highlight a particular part of an image—a space in the sky, a lamppost in the street, a face in a crowd—and then describe the change you want Gemini to carry out. For example, rather than just saying "add a cartoon dragon in the sky" in your prompt, you can actually combine that prompt with a circle on the image showing exactly where the dragon should go. It gives you even more of that Photoshop-level precision, without cluttering up the interface too much. The scribblings can also be used if you're asking questions about the image. For example, you could circle an actor or an object in a scene and then ask "who is this?" or "what is this?" in the attached prompt. In that sense it works in a similar way to the Circle to Search feature that's available for images on Android. You can add scribbles and text to your images. Credit: Lifehacker There's also a text tool—the T icon—but I'm not sure exactly how you use this (and there's no official help available yet). You can use it to describe changes you want to apply to your picture (like "an add arrow here"), but the text stays in place—it's almost like a rudimentary text overlay feature, with a choice of colors but no font or styling options. You can use the prompt to manipulate the text you've added, adding outlines and backgrounds for example, so perhaps that's the way it's intended to be used: a more precise editing option, but for text. Presumably once these tools have reached all Gemini users, we'll get some more information from Google on how to use them—but you may well find they're available to you now. View the full article

Incrementality testing in Google Ads is suddenly within reach for far more advertisers than before. Google has lowered the barriers to running these tests, making lift measurement possible even without enterprise-level budgets, as recently reported in Search Engine Land. That shift naturally raises a question: How is Google able to measure incrementality with so much less data? For years, reliable lift measurement was assumed to require large budgets, long test windows, and a tolerance for inconclusive results. So when Google claims it can now deliver more accurate results with as little as $5,000 in media spend, it understandably sounds like marketing spin. But it’s not. It’s math. Behind this change is a fundamentally different testing methodology that prioritizes probability over certainty and learning over rigid proof. Understanding how this approach works is essential to interpreting these new incrementality results correctly – and turning them into smarter PPC decisions. Glossary: Bayesian terms for search marketers Before we dive in, here are some definitions to refresh your memory from Stats 101. Prior: What the system believes before the test. Posterior: Updated belief after observing data. Credible interval: Where the result likely falls (Bayesian). P-value: Probability of observing this result if nothing changed (Frequentist). Why traditional A/B testing fails modern marketers Most PPC advertisers are already familiar with frequentist statistics, even if they’ve never heard the term. Any classic A/B test that asks “Did this change reach statistical significance?” and relies on p-values and fixed sample sizes to answer that question is using a frequentist framework. It’s the model that underpins most experimentation platforms and has shaped how marketers have been taught to evaluate tests for decades. Let’s look at what that means for a realistic, smaller-budget test. For simplicity, assume a click-based experiment with equal exposure to both variants. Total test budget: $5,000. Split: 50/50 → $2,500 per variant. Average CPC: $2. Clicks per variant: 1,250. CPA target: ~$100. Observed results Control: 1,250 clicks → 25 conversions → 2.00% conversion rate. Treatment: 1,250 clicks → 30 conversions → 2.40% conversion rate. Observed lift: 20% more conversions, ~16.7% lower CPA. On paper, that looks promising: better conversion rate and lower CPA for the treatment. But when you run a standard two-proportion z-test on those rates, the result tells a very different story. The output looks like this: Z ≈ 0.68 One-tailed p ≈ 0.25 Two-tailed p ≈ 0.50 In other words, under a traditional frequentist framework, this test is not statistically significant. A 20% lift and a visibly better CPA are still treated as “could easily be noise.” The advertiser has spent $5,000, seen encouraging numbers, but can’t claim a clear winner. At the budget levels many advertisers can realistically afford, the old-style incrementality tests, which are frequentist in nature, often fail to produce conclusive results. That’s the gap Google is trying to close with its newer, Bayesian-style incrementality methods: keeping tests useful even when the budget is closer to $5,000 than $100,000. Here’s why a different approach to the test significantly reduces the required budget. Dig deeper: Why incrementality is the only metric that proves marketing’s real impact Bayesian testing: What matters is likelihood, not certainty Bayesian models ask different – and often more decision-useful – questions. Instead of asking whether a result is statistically significant, they ask a more practical question: Given what we already know, how likely is this to be true? Now let’s apply that framing to the same $5,000 budget example that produced an inconclusive frequentist result. Using a simple Bayesian model with flat priors (Beta(1,1)): Control: 25 conversions out of 1,250 clicks → Beta(26, 1226) Treatment: 30 conversions out of 1,250 clicks → Beta(31, 1221) From these posterior distributions, we can compute: Mean lift: ~18–20% 95% credible interval: roughly spans negative to positive lift (wide, as expected with small data) Probability that lift > 0: ~75–80% A traditional A/B test looked at the same data and said: “Inconclusive. Could be noise. Come back with a bigger budget.” But a Bayesian read says something more nuanced and infinitely more practical: “There’s about an 80% chance the treatment really is better.” It’s not proof, but it may be enough to guide the next step, like extending the test, replicating it, or making a small allocation shift. Bayesian methods don’t magically create signal where none exists. So what is the magic then, and why does this work? So, how does Google make $5,000 tests work? Short answer: priors + scale. Frequentist methods only look at observed test data. Bayesian models allow you to bring prior knowledge to the table. And guess which company has a ton of data about online ad campaigns? This, indeed, is Google’s advantage. Google doesn’t evaluate your test entirely in isolation. Instead, it draws on: Informative priors (large volumes of historical campaign data). Hierarchical modeling (grouping your test with similar campaigns). Probabilistic outputs (replacing p-values with likelihoods). Google explains these concepts in their Meridian MMM documentation. Here’s an example: Test typePosterior liftProb(lift > 0)InterpretationNo prior+0.7%54%InconclusivePrior (~10% lift)+20.5%76%Directionally confident The prior belief, in the example above, that similar campaigns often see ~10% lift, stabilizes the result enough to support real decisions. Dig deeper: Exploring Meridian, Google’s new open-source marketing mix model Smart Bidding already works this way Should we trust this new approach that uses prior knowledge? We should, because it underpins a different system from Google Ads that advertisers are happy with – Smart Bidding. Consider how Smart Bidding establishes expectations for a new campaign. It doesn’t start from scratch. It uses device-level, location-level, time-of-day, vertical, and historical performance data to form an initial expectation and updates those expectations as new data arrives. Google applies the same principle to incrementality testing. Your $5,000 test inherits learnings from campaigns similar to yours, and that’s what makes insight possible before spending six figures. That’s the “memory” behind the math. Why frequentist thinking leaves marketers stuck Let’s put Bayesian and frequentist methods side by side: AspectFrequentistBayesianOutputP-valueProbability of liftSample sizeLargeSmaller if priors are strongFlexibilityBinaryProbabilisticReal-world relevanceLimitedHighHandles uncertaintyPoorlyExplicitly Marketers don’t make decisions in black-and-white terms. Bayesian outputs speak the language of uncertainty, risk, and trade-offs, which is how budget decisions are actually made. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Google’s data advantage Google doesn’t guess at priors. They’re informed by: Historical campaign performance. Cross-campaign learning. Attribution modeling (including data-driven attribution and modeled conversions). Then priors are downweighted as test data accumulates, a core principle of Bayesian statistics and one that’s especially relevant for advertisers concerned about bias or “baked-in” assumptions. At the start of a test, when data is sparse and noisy, prior information plays an important stabilizing role. It provides a reasonable starting point based on how similar campaigns have performed in the past, preventing early results from swinging wildly based on a handful of conversions. But as more data is observed, something important happens. The information coming from the test itself, the likelihood becomes sharper and more informative. Each additional conversion adds clarity, narrowing the range of plausible outcomes. Over time, that growing body of evidence naturally outweighs the influence of the prior. In practical terms, this means Bayesian tests don’t stay anchored to their starting assumptions. They evolve. Initially, the model relies on historical patterns to interpret limited data. Later, it increasingly trusts what actually happened in your campaign. Eventually, with enough volume, the results are driven almost entirely by the observed data, much like a traditional experiment. This dynamic is what makes Google’s approach viable at both ends of the spectrum. It allows small tests to produce usable directional insight without overreacting to noise, while still ensuring that large, data-rich tests converge on conclusions driven by real performance rather than inherited assumptions. What advertisers should watch for The system is powerful, but not perfectly transparent. Important open questions remain: Are priors fully removed once enough test data exists? Can advertisers inspect or validate priors? What safeguards prevent irrelevant priors from influencing results? Google has indicated that priors diminish as data grows, but advertisers still need to apply judgment when interpreting results. Dig deeper: How causal impact studies work and when to use them in PPC Stop chasing significance, start reducing uncertainty Statistical significance is a blunt instrument in a world that demands nuance. Bayesian testing offers a more practical way to measure impact, especially when budgets are limited and decisions can’t wait. The next time Google shows you a lift estimate from a $5,000 test, don’t dismiss it. It’s not smoke and mirrors. It’s math with all the benefits of Google’s massive knowledge about the performance of ad campaigns that have come before yours. And it’s a welcome new capability from Google Ads for all advertisers who want to make better data-driven optimization decisions. View the full article

Apple plans to introduce additional ads within App Store search results starting in 2026, expanding its search ad inventory while keeping strict limits on how advertisers can influence placement. What’s changing. The new ads will appear inline within App Store search results, alongside organic listings. Existing ads at the top of search results will remain unchanged. Apple says advertisers don’t need to take any action to appear in the new placements — and, notably, they can’t. What Apple is saying. In guidance shared with Apple Insider, Apple emphasized that relevance is non-negotiable: “If your app isn’t relevant to what the user is searching for, it won’t be displayed — regardless of how much you may be willing to pay,” says Apple rep They continue by saying apps that aren’t a good match for a user’s search query won’t be entered into the auction at all, regardless of bid size. Apple Ads considers both relevance and bids, but relevance is the gatekeeper. Why we care. Apple is expanding App Store search ad inventory, which could increase competition and change how often ads appear during discovery. At the same time, Apple’s relevance-first approach means bidding alone won’t secure visibility, putting more pressure on keyword strategy and creative quality. With placement control off the table, advertisers who align closely to user intent stand to benefit most from the added exposure. What advertisers can control. Creative still matters. Advertisers can prepare multiple ad variations to better align messaging with different audiences or keyword themes. If no custom creative is provided, Apple will automatically generate ads using the app’s product page assets. Billing stays the same. Apple confirmed there will be no pricing changes. Advertisers will continue to pay per tap or per install, depending on their current setup. The big picture: Apple has been steadily expanding its ads business. It added ads to the Today tab in 2022 and recently rebranded Apple Search Ads as Apple Ads — signaling broader ambitions, even as it resists traditional auction dynamics seen elsewhere. The bottom line. Apple is increasing ad density in App Store search, but not advertiser control. More ads are coming — just not the ability to buy your way into better positions. View the full article

Bloomberg Intelligence puts odds on a release from conservatorship and issuing new shares. Its study estimates critical steps would take "months if not years." View the full article

Every year since 2010, I’ve posted an article about what trend I expect to dominate the next twelve months. Throughout the 2010s, these forecasts usually focused on emerging technologies or new currents in management thinking. But around 2020, that began to shift. The annual trends increasingly centered on how we cope with change rather than the change itself. Last year my trend was “The Coming Realignment.” History tends to propagate at a certain rhythm and then converge and cascade around certain points. Years like 1776, 1789, 1848, 1920, 1948, 1968, 1989—and, it seems, 2020—mark these inflection points. The years that follow are usually spent absorbing the shock and navigating the consequences. Today, everything is up for question. Will AI boom or bust? Will it take our jobs or bring new prosperity? What kind of economic system will we adopt for the future? We are in the midst of a great realignment. What we know from previous inflections is that what comes after will be profoundly different from before. What we most need to watch is our institutions. AI boom or bust? Today, the AI investment boom is without a doubt the single biggest factor propping up the US economy. Just this year, tech giants are expected to invest roughly $364 billion in the technology. And the spending won’t stop there. McKinsey projects that building AI data centers could add up to $5.2 trillion in investment by 2030. This boom is different from what we’ve seen in the past because the main investors aren’t speculators or startups, but some of the world’s most profitable companies, including Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft. Unlike in past cycles, if the industry hits a downturn, there will still be tens of billions of dollars in annual profits to cushion the blow. Still, as investor Paul Kedrosky points out, there are reasons to worry. Investment in data center infrastructure has already surpassed the peak of the dot-com boom and is beginning to approach levels last seen during the railroad frenzy of the 19th century. Also, 60% of the cost of those data centers goes to AI chips, which have a useful life of only about three years. That means this is not a boom that can wait decades to pay off. If today’s investments don’t generate returns in the near future, much of the infrastructure could fully depreciate before delivering meaningful profit. In practical terms, unless tech firms can earn more than $200 billion in profit—on these investments alone, not from their core businesses—they will be underwater. And as investment accelerates, that bar only rises. Kedrosky also notes signs of growing systemic risk. Increasingly, tech giants are choosing to finance their infrastructure build-outs with Enron-like special-purpose vehicles. These structures cost more but keep the debt off their balance sheets. That risk, in turn, is increasingly being passed to more traditional investors, including REITs. Will AI displace humans or enhance us? A 2023 report by the World Economic Forum, analyzing 673 million jobs, predicted structural job growth of 69 million jobs and a decline of 83 million, an overall decrease of 14 million jobs. An IMF analysis found that 40% of global employment is exposed. In an interview with Axios, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years. Yet more grounded economic analyses suggest a much more modest impact. A study by the St. Louis Fed suggests a 1.1% increase in aggregate worker productivity, with much of that increase concentrated in the tech sector. A paper by Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu, which looks at total factor productivity (TFP), a measure which takes use of capital into account, sees a 0.66% increase over 10 years, translating to a 0.064% increase in annual TFP growth. A recent McKinsey report takes an optimistic view. While noting that many routine office and production jobs are likely to disappear, those that leverage technical, social and emotional skills are likely to flourish, just as Autor has predicted. However, there is reason to suspect that optimists may be merely extrapolating from historical trends that may no longer apply. There’s no guarantee that the future will look like the past. An analysis in Harvard Business Review suggested that AI could disrupt the non-routine creative work that, to this point, has been hard to automate. Meanwhile, research in Science has found that, although AI may enhance individual creative work, it diminishes the diversity of novel output, potentially stifling the very innovation it aims to support. What will be the economic system of the future? Before 1789 the world was ruled by the divine right of kings and the feudal system. Yet that year would prove to be an inflection point. The American Constitution, the French Revolution, and the first Industrial Revolution, already underway since the introduction of the steam engine in 1776, together created a fundamental realignment of power. These forces would build and clash for decades until things came to a head in the revolutionary year of 1848. Today, we seem to be in a similarly liminal space, as we decide what kind of future we want to live in. The next century and a half would be dominated by the tensions between socialism and capitalism. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the West was triumphant. Communism was exposed as a corrupt system bereft of any real legitimacy. Yet for anyone paying attention, communism had long been discredited. As far back as the 1930s, Stalin’s disastrous collectivization and industrialization campaigns had led to mass starvation. By the 1970s, Soviet total factor productivity growth had gone negative, meaning more investment actually brought less output. Yet today, it is capitalism that finds itself under siege from all sides. Leftist progressives like Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani advocate for reining in the private sector and creating a bigger safety net. The mercantilist American president rails against free trade and nationalizes the means of production. Christian nationalists openly call for theocratic rule. At the same time, a new cadre of theorists has emerged whose ideas don’t fit the traditional right-left paradigm. New Right thinkers such as Curtis Yarvin and Patrick Deneen call for wholesale reordering of society. On the more technocratic side, a new school of thought is emerging that is associated with Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance. It’s the institutions, stupid In Why Nations Fail, economists Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson explain why the fate of nations rests less on innate factors such as geography, culture, or climate and more on the quality and types of institutions they build. In particular, they make the distinction between inclusive institutions and extractive institutions. Inclusive institutions protect property rights broadly across society, establish fair competition, and reward innovation. Extractive institutions, on the other hand, concentrate wealth in the hands of a small elite who exploit the broader population. These elite players control resources and use state power to enrich themselves at society’s expense. We are clearly in a liminal period in which we are struggling to adapt to shifts in technology, economics, and identity. Will AI oppress or empower regular people? Will we trade openly or retreat behind national barriers? Will we focus primarily on our local communities or see ourselves as citizens of a larger planet? As ever, there will be no shortage of pundits predicting the paths the future will take. Many of their narratives will be persuasive—but also mutually contradictory. The real tell will be what kinds of institutions we build and which ones we allow to decay or be destroyed outright. Are we creating institutions that strengthen rights and the rule of law, or those that serve the powerful? The outcome is still unclear, but the lines of battle have been drawn. If you want to know what to expect in the near to mid-term, pay less attention to predictions about technology, politics, or ideology and focus instead on institutions. Those are what create the norms and rituals that will shape the behaviors of the future. View the full article

Hedge fund billionaire says acquisition of Vantage is milestone in effort to transform real estate company Howard Hughes View the full article

SEO still matters, but Duane Forrester explains how answer-driven systems change the work, the metrics, and the path to influence. The post Who Benefits When The Line Between SEO And GEO Is Blurred appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

If you get a letter from a company called 700Credit, don't ignore it. Your information may have been compromised in a massive breach affecting more than 5.8 million consumers, and you should take the necessary steps to protect your data. 700Credit supplies credit and identity verification services to more than 21,000 vehicle, RV, powersport, and marine dealerships in the U.S., so if you've purchased a vehicle and applied for dealer financing—or even been pre-screened or pre-qualified to do so—your information could have been affected. What happened with 700Credit?According to the company's filing with the Maine Attorney General, 700Credit's systems were hacked between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27. Attackers stole personal information about customers of 700Credit's dealership clients, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers (SSNs), and dates of birth. As BleepingComputer reports, this breach was actually a consequence of a system compromise back in July at one of 700Credit's 200 integration partners. Threat actors were able to gain access to an API used to pull consumer data, and a security vulnerability in the API allowed them to exfiltrate information from 700Credit. What you need to doIf you receive a data breach notice from 700Credit, read it carefully. 700Credit is offering 12 months of credit monitoring and identity restoration services through TransUnion's Cyberscout to affected consumers. You will need to go to the URL listed in your notice and enter your unique activation code in order to enroll, and you have 90 days from the date of the letter to complete the process. 700Credit expects to begin notifying individuals starting on Dec. 22. In addition to utilizing the free credit protection, you should take the usual precautions to lock down your identity: Freeze your credit at all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Place a fraud alert on your credit file. You only need to do this at one bureau, which will apply it to all three. Keep an eye on your financial accounts for suspicious transactions as well as your credit report. Note that if your credit is frozen, thieves shouldn't be able to take out new credit in your name. Request an IP PIN from the IRS to prevent someone from filing a tax return using your SSN. Follow good digital hygiene practices, such as using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. You cannot reverse a data breach, but you can (and should) do damage control. View the full article

Murtaza Lakhani is the highest-profile oil trader to have been targeted by western sanctions since 2022View the full article

Missed the final SEO Update by Yoast of 2025? Our in-house principal SEOs, Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss, broke down December’s biggest search shifts, from Gemini’s integration to Google’s publisher deals, and answered your burning questions. Don’t forget to watch the replay and sign up for the next edition! Watch the full replay below (or read on for the highlights). 2025 in a nutshell: The three biggest SEO shifts 2025 was the year AI officially took over search. Here’s what mattered most: From rankings to retrieval: AI overviews and chat interfaces made being cited more important than ranking #1. EEAT became non-negotiable: Google (and users) demanded real expertise, not just keyword-stuffed content. Publishers vs. AI: Lawsuits and deals reshaped how content is licensed and monetized. Want the full breakdown? Our in-depth 2025 SEO recap post will be released next week. Also, hear Carolyn and Alex share their insights in the December SEO Update by Yoast on YouTube. Key takeaways from the episode AI search isn’t coming, because it’s already here Gemini 3 blurs the line between chat and search. Google’s AI mode is now the default for many queries, and the UX is evolving fast. Google Ads in AI mode? Some users have reported seeing sponsored results in AI overviews, which occupy half the screen. Expect more tests in 2026. OpenAI’s “Code Red”: After user feedback favored Gemini, OpenAI rushed out GPT-5.2. The takeaway? AI platforms are in a feature war, and your content needs to work across all of them. Action: Audit your content for retrieval (not just rankings). Use tools like Yoast’s Brand Insights AI visibility tracker to see where you’re cited in AI responses in LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Google’s publisher deals: A band-aid or the future? Google struck deals with major publishers (e.g., news sites) to license content for AI training. This is to avoid lawsuits and maintain ad revenue. The catch: This doesn’t solve the long-term problem. Publishers still rely on traffic, and AI overviews are siphoning clicks. Action: If you’re in publishing, diversify traffic sources (email, social, direct). For everyone else, monitor how these deals affect your niche. Shopify’s AI UX agent: A glimpse of the future Shopify’s SimGym simulates user behavior to identify UX issues, without skewing analytics. Why it matters: AI-driven CRO tools are getting smarter. If you’re not testing UX with AI, competitors will. Action: Experiment with AI UX tools (even free ones like Hotjar’s AI insights). Google Search Console gets smarter AI-powered insights: Search Console now suggests questions to analyze your data (e.g., “Why did impressions drop for X query?”). Social channel tracking: YouTube, Reddit, and other social traffic now appear in Search Console. Action: Use these tools to spot trends before they become problems. llms.txt: Worth the 5 minutes? Google confirmed they “treat it like a text file”, meaning it doesn’t hurt to add one, but there’s no guarantee it’ll help. Our take: It’s low-effort, so why not? Yoast SEO’s free tool generates a valid llms.txt file in seconds. Action: Add llms.txt if you’re curious, but don’t expect miracles. Q&A highlights Carolyn and Alex answered live questions during the webinar. Here are the top three: 1. Should we stop using background images to improve load speed? Carolyn: “Optimize them, but don’t stress. Focus on non-blocking load times. If the image is lazy-loaded and doesn’t delay interactivity, it’s fine.” Alex: “Test it. If your audience cares about visuals (e.g., fashion, design), keep them. If not, simplify.” 2. Can we make big changes during a Google core update? Carolyn: “Act like there’s no update. If you need to make changes, make them. Google’s updates are continuous, so they’re not a deadline.” Alex: “Worst case? You’ll see fluctuations. But if your site’s broken, fix it now.” 3. FAQ pages or FAQs on every page? Alex: “Both. Put unique FAQs on product/service pages. Use a central FAQ for shared questions (e.g., shipping, returns).” Carolyn: “Avoid hiding answers in toggles, because AI won’t read them.” Stay ahead in 2026 The news in this December edition of the SEO Update by Yoast proves one thing: SEO is changing faster than ever. Whether it’s AI-driven search, publisher deals, or smarter tools, the rules are being rewritten at a rapid pace. Here’s how to keep up: Join us for the next SEO Update by Yoast on January 27, 2026. We’ll dive into the latest trends and explore their implications for your strategy. Sign up now. Missed the 2025 recap? Our in-depth post will be released next week; don’t forget to read it! The post The December 2025 edition of the SEO Update by Yoast: AI search, publisher deals & more appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Learn about the future of search AI and trust in information in an evolving digital landscape focused on transparency and authenticity. The post The Future Of Content In An AI World: Provenance & Trust In Information appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Net zero is difficult enough — but an age of net negative emissions goals would be far tougher View the full article

Your network operations team escalates a P1 ticket to infrastructure. The infrastructure team lead opens it twenty minutes later and sees a ticket created that morning with three comments, none of which explain why it’s now urgent or what the network team already tried. She pings the original engineer on Slack: “What’s the actual issue here?” He’s confused; he added a detailed handoff comment before escalating the ticket. The problem? It’s in the old system. She’s looking at the new one. This happens constantly during and after tool migrations. Escalation paths exist in your documentation and your org chart, but the actual context for individual tickets disappears in the gap between System A and System B. You end up with tickets that move between teams while losing the thread of what’s actually wrong. Most migration guides treat this as a data problem: mapping fields, importing history, training users. But escalation context isn’t just data. It’s the accumulated understanding of who touched this issue, what they ruled out, why they sent it to you, and what they need back. When that context breaks during migration, your escalation process becomes a game of telephone played across two different phone systems. Why escalation context vanishes during migrations You notice the problem in your daily standup. Your tier-two team mentions they’re getting escalations without enough information. Your tier-three team says they’re redoing work that tier-two already completed. Both teams blame the new tool: “the interface is confusing” or “fields are in different places.” When you dig in, you find something else. The information exists. It’s just not in the right system. During parallel-run periods, escalation paths cross system boundaries. A ticket originates in your legacy platform because that’s what the service desk still uses. The team that needs to resolve it works exclusively in the new platform because you migrated their queue two weeks ago. The escalation happens through a software integration that moves the ticket from A to B. Technically, it works. The ticket appears in the right queue with the right priority. The status syncs back when they close it. What doesn’t sync is why this ticket matters right now, what the customer already told the first responder, which solutions failed, or what the business impact is beyond the severity label. These things exist in comments, in custom fields that don’t map perfectly, in attachments with diagnostic logs, in related tickets that reference each other. Your integration moved the ticket. It didn’t move the story. The service desk engineer who escalated it assumes the context transferred. The infrastructure engineer who received it assumes anything important would be in the description field. Both are wrong. The escalation happened, but the handoff failed. The infrastructure engineer either works from incomplete information or cycles back to ask questions that were already answered. Your mean time to resolution climbs even though your team is doing exactly what you trained them to do. Standard integrations weren’t designed for this. They sync data: field values, status changes, priority levels. They don’t preserve the narrative of what happened and why someone escalated. That’s the gap where your escalations break during migrations. Treating your integration as a temporary escalation system Here’s the reframe most IT teams miss: your software integration isn’t temporary infrastructure you tolerate until you finally switch off the system you’re migrating from. It’s your escalation system during the transition. Everything routes through it. If it doesn’t preserve context, your escalation process breaks regardless of how well you’ve planned the migration. Documentation from integration vendors treats them as a band-aid, syncing data and maintaining basic workflows until your migration is done. What isn’t documented is how to preserve escalation context across that integration. You need more than just basic field mappings. You need three critical capabilities that most integrations don’t provide. Context preservation (not just data sync) Your integration needs to recognize when a ticket is being escalated, not just moved. When your network team escalates to infrastructure, that’s different from a new ticket. Someone already worked on it. They made a deliberate decision to hand it off. The receiving team needs to see that decision and understand the reasoning behind it. Create escalation context documentation that assembles understanding from multiple sources: who worked on this previously, what actions they took, what they ruled out, why they’re escalating it now, and what specific question they need answered. This isn’t just copying comments chronologically. It’s a structured summary that the receiving team sees immediately when they open the ticket. The engineer opening an escalated ticket in the new system shouldn’t have to hunt for context. It should be visually distinct—highlighted at the top, formatted consistently, clearly labeled as handoff information. Some teams use a dedicated “Escalation Summary” field. Others configure their bridge to post context as the first comment with a distinctive format that engineers recognize instantly. Attachments and diagnostic data need special handling. If the network engineer attached packet captures before escalating, those files need to reach the infrastructure engineer. Not just a note saying “see attached”—the actual files. Your bridge should verify attachment transfer and alert someone if it fails. The receiving team gets the artifacts, not just references to artifacts they can’t access. Links between tickets matter too. If this escalation relates to other tickets or if it’s a recurring issue with history, those relationships should transfer. Dead links to tickets that the receiving team can’t access create confusion and force them to start investigations from scratch. Ownership clarity during dual-system operation The biggest non-technical challenge during migration is ownership ambiguity. Some teams have migrated, some haven’t. Some tickets span both groups. Who owns what, and who’s responsible when something falls through the crack between systems? Define ownership based on where the work happens, not where the ticket lives. If a ticket exists in System A but the team doing the work uses System B, System B is the source of truth for status, progress, and resolution. System A becomes a read-only view for anyone who hasn’t migrated yet. Your integration configuration should enforce this with sync directionality. During the work phase, updates flow from System B to System A only. When the ticket returns to a System A team, the directionality reverses. This prevents conflicts where both systems show different statuses and nobody knows which is true. Create a responsibility matrix: which system owns each action during the transition period. The service desk creates tickets in System A. The network team works in System A and can escalate to teams in either system. The infrastructure team works in System B exclusively. Your integration configuration should match this matrix. Don’t set up bidirectional sync everywhere and hope teams figure it out. You need a dedicated integration operator: someone who monitors the integration, investigates sync failures, and handles edge cases. This isn’t IT support’s job or the migration team’s job. It’s a dedicated responsibility during the transition period. When an escalation fails to transfer properly, the integration operator catches it before it turns into a dropped ticket. When context gets lost, they retrieve it manually and document what went wrong. Your integration operator also handles orphaned tickets: tickets that exist in both systems but with divergent states. This happens when sync fails intermittently or when someone manually recreates a ticket because they couldn’t find it in their system. The integration operator reconciles these, decides which is canonical, and merges the history. Monitoring that catches escalation failures Standard integration monitoring tracks sync success rates and error logs. That’s not enough. Syncs might succeed technically while losing comments or attachments. You need monitoring that verifies the full handoff worked. That monitoring should track these metrics. MetricWhat it tells youWhen to actEscalation completion rateHow many escalations reach the receiving team with context intactBelow 95% means context is getting lostEscalation delaysTime gap between reassignment and receiving team touching the ticketMore than 30 minutes means notifications aren’t workingEscalation loopsTickets bouncing between same teams repeatedlyTickets bouncing between the same teams repeatedlyOrphaned ticketsTickets existing in both systems with divergent statesImmediate reconciliation needed Set alerts for escalations that sit in “New” status in the destination system for more than thirty minutes. That’s your signal that the handoff failed even though sync succeeded. The ticket didn’t appear in the right queue, the notification didn’t fire, or the receiving team doesn’t recognize it as escalated. Build a dashboard showing integration health from an escalation perspective: escalations in flight, escalations with missing context, escalation bouncebacks, and escalation abandonments. Review this daily during the transition period. It tells you whether your integration is actually working or just technically functioning. You also need qualitative monitoring: regular check-ins with teams using the integration. They’ll tell you about problems metrics don’t catch. Fields that technically sync but aren’t useful. Notifications that arrive but don’t provide enough context. Handoffs that work but feel awkward. This feedback drives configuration improvements throughout the transition period. Making the integration operational, not just technical The transition window is where most migrations either succeed or fail quietly. Your migration might complete technically, while your escalation paths break in practice because context doesn’t transfer, ownership becomes ambiguous, or monitoring doesn’t catch handoff failures. Focus your migration energy on the transition period, powered by your integration. Not just the destination state. Design your strategy before you migrate the first team. If you’re already mid-migration and escalations are breaking, treat the integration as your primary system right now. It is. Everything else connects to it. Configure it with the same care you’d give a permanent system. Make sure it recognizes escalations and preserves context, not just field values. Establish clear ownership rules that follow where work happens. Assign someone to monitor it who can catch failures before they cascade into dropped tickets. Set up automated testing of common escalation paths. Create test tickets, escalate them, and verify they arrive with context intact. Do this weekly or after any integration configuration change. Automated testing catches regressions before they affect real work. The technology for connecting systems exists. Platforms like Unito can help you synchronize tickets between systems during migration while maintaining bidirectional updates and preserving context through comment syncing and field-level control. The missing piece is usually recognizing that you’re not just connecting systems—you’re maintaining an escalation process across a deliberate, temporary discontinuity. Treat it as the operational challenge it is, and your migration will maintain the workflows that actually keep services running. Your teams will barely notice the transition because the handoffs that matter keep working even as the underlying systems change. Want to run a smoother migration? Meet with Unito product experts to see how a two-way integration can streamline your migration. Talk with sales View the full article

If you’re leading marketing right now, you’re probably knee-deep in planning season, and feeling a tension I hear from CMOs and VPs every year: “We build a plan, but the execution never matches the intent.” Sound familiar? You aren’t alone. The disconnect isn’t because goals were wrong or strategies were flawed. It’s because most SEO plans aren’t built to survive operational constraints: Shifting priorities. Surprise product launches. Algorithm updates. The inevitable “can you just quickly…” requests that derail your roadmap by March. After helping many businesses build SEO strategies, I’ve learned this: the winners aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the flashiest tools. They’re the ones with plans built for how work actually gets done, not how we wish it would. This guide shows you how to create an SEO annual plan that holds up in the real world. You’ll learn how to set clear, action-driven goals and build quarterly systems that keep execution on track, even when things get messy. Why annual planning still works even when everything changes Annual planning can feel outdated when Google rolls out AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity emerge as real search alternatives, and algorithm updates land without warning. Why plan for 12 months when everything could shift next week? However, businesses that skip long-term planning are often the ones that always play catch-up. They’re reactive instead of strategic, chasing trends instead of building assets that compound over time. An annual plan doesn’t mean you’re locked into every decision for 12 months. It means you have clear priorities, allocated resources, and a framework for making smart decisions when things inevitably shift. The fragmented search landscape demands better planning Search is no longer just Google. Your customers are getting answers from ChatGPT, researching purchases through Perplexity, and discovering solutions in AI-generated summaries that may never send a click to your site. This fragmentation changes what SEO success looks like. It’s not just about ranking, it’s about being the source that AI systems cite and reference. It’s about brand authority strong enough that when someone asks an AI assistant about your category, your name comes up. The fundamentals still matter: quality content, strong technical SEO, and topical authority, but now they serve a broader purpose. You’re not just optimizing for Google’s algorithm; you’re building the kind of authoritative presence that gets recognized across platforms. This is exactly why scattered tactics fail. You need a unified strategy that builds brand authority and topical depth, whether someone finds you through traditional search, an AI Overview, or a conversational query to ChatGPT. A solid annual SEO plan should accomplish three things: Drive real business results (not just traffic). Build sustainable competitive advantages through topical authority and quality content. Position you to capitalize on changes rather than just react to them. Setting goals that actually drive execution Here’s where most SEO plans fail before they even begin: they focus on metrics that don’t directly connect to business outcomes. Rankings are nice, but they don’t pay bills. Traffic growth feels good, but it’s worthless if visitors don’t convert. 1. Start with performance metrics What does success actually look like for your business? For ecommerce, that’s revenue from organic traffic. For SaaS, it’s trial signups and paid conversions. For services, it’s qualified leads and booked calls. Don’t just track these at the top level, segment by landing page and content theme. The page driving 1,000 visitors worth $10,000 in revenue beats the one driving 5,000 visitors worth $1,000. Every time. This matters when you’re deciding where to invest limited resources. 2. Add visibility metrics with context Instead of tracking hundreds of individual keyword rankings, focus on keyword groups representing business themes. If you sell project management software, track visibility for “project management,” “team collaboration,” and “workflow automation” as distinct groups. This gives you a clearer picture of how you’re performing in different market segments. Share of voice matters more than ever, and not just on Google. Monitor whether your brand gets mentioned in AI-generated answers by regularly querying ChatGPT and Perplexity for your key commercial terms and noting whether you’re cited. Track your presence across the platforms where your customers actually search. If your share of voice is growing across these touchpoints, you’re winning ground. If it’s shrinking, you need to understand why. 3. Build in leading indicators Annual goals matter, but you need early warning signals. If content production slows in Q2, you won’t see the ranking impact until Q4. If backlink acquisition stalls, authority erodes gradually. Track metrics like publication frequency, indexation rates, Core Web Vitals scores, and backlink acquisition rate. These leading indicators predict future performance in your main KPIs and give you time to course-correct before problems compound. Dig deeper: SEO execution: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning The baseline audit: Know where you actually stand You can’t plan where you’re going without knowing where you are. Before building a strategy, you need an honest assessment of your current position. Focus on three areas: Technical health Can Google find and understand your content? Use Search Console to identify crawl errors, indexation issues, and pages that aren’t getting discovered. Check Core Web Vitals on your highest-value pages. These aren’t glamorous, but they’re the foundation everything else builds on. Content gaps Map your existing content to the customer journey. Export your top 50 organic landing pages from GA4, then tag each by funnel stage: awareness, consideration, or decision. Most businesses discover they’re heavy on awareness content and light on high-intent, bottom-funnel pages. That gap is where your biggest opportunities hide. Authority signals Analyze your backlink profile for quality and topical relevance, not just quantity. Search your brand name and see what appears. Are the results positive? Do they accurately represent your business? Your online reputation affects both conversions and how search engines perceive your expertise. This audit consistently reveals surprises, including: High-performing pages you may have forgotten about. Duplicate content cannibalizing rankings. Gaps where you should have content but don’t. That clarity is essential for smart prioritization. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Building strategy around constraints Here’s where most planning guidance falls apart. It tells you what to do, but it ignores the reality of limited resources and competing priorities. You can’t do everything, so you need a framework for deciding what to do first. Use a simple effort-versus-impact matrix to prioritize everything in your plan: High impact, low effort Do these first. Fixing obvious technical issues, optimizing existing high-performing content, and targeting low-competition keywords where you can win quickly. A quick win: find your pages ranking positions 5-15 for valuable terms, often a content refresh and a few internal links can push them onto page one. High impact, high effort Schedule throughout the year with adequate resources. Comprehensive content hubs, major site architecture improvements, and ambitious link earning campaigns. Don’t stack them all in Q1. Spread the heavy lifting so your team can sustain quality. Low impact items Question whether they belong in the plan at all. Every hour spent on low-impact work is an hour not spent on something that moves the needle. Your content strategy should begin with understanding customer needs, rather than focusing on keyword volume. What problems are they trying to solve? What information do they need to make good decisions? Group related topics into themes that build topical authority, each theme supported by comprehensive pillar content and related cluster pages that demonstrate expertise in that area. One B2B client I worked with was creating content around every keyword their tools found, but nothing connected. We restructured around five core themes tied to their customers’ biggest challenges. Within two quarters, their organic traffic to those themes grew 20%, not because they published more, but because they published with intent. Dig deeper: SEO prioritization: How to focus on what moves the needle Quarterly execution: Where plans live or die This is the piece most SEO plans miss entirely, and it’s exactly why execution never matches intent. Annual plans provide direction, but quarterly execution keeps you moving. Break your annual goals into 90-day sprints. Each quarter gets 3-5 major deliverables you can realistically achieve with available resources. Write them down, assign owners, and set specific completion dates, not “improve technical SEO” but “fix all critical crawl errors and improve LCP on top 20 pages by March 15.” It’s better to completely hit fewer goals than partially hit too many. A typical quarter rhythm might look like this: Q1 focuses on foundational work, including technical fixes, research, and planning major initiatives. Q2 and Q3 emphasize execution, including publishing content, building links, and optimizing based on data. Q4 involves measurement, optimization, and planning for next year. Here’s the critical part most plans miss: reserve 20-30% of your capacity for responding to the unexpected. Algorithm updates happen. Competitors make moves. Market conditions shift. A product launch gets moved up two months. You need slack in the system to respond without abandoning your core priorities. Build review checkpoints into each quarter. Block 90 minutes at the end of each month to ask: What’s working? What’s not? What’s changed in the market or search landscape that should influence priorities? Keep a running doc of these insights. Patterns emerge over time that inform smarter planning next year. The businesses that adapt quickly during major disruptions typically outperform those who stick rigidly to plans that no longer fit reality. Monthly check-ins keep projects on track. Quarterly reviews allow for bigger strategic adjustments. This rhythm creates accountability while preserving the flexibility that separates plans that get executed from those that sit in a folder until next December. Cross-functional alignment SEO doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Product teams control roadmaps that impact your site structure. Development teams implement technical improvements. Content and PR teams are natural allies for production and amplification. Schedule regular sync points with these teams. Share keyword research with content creators. Work with PR on link earning opportunities. Keep stakeholders informed with monthly progress updates that focus on business impact, revenue contribution, and pipeline influence, not just rankings and traffic. Common mistakes that kill annual plans Years of building SEO plans reveal a consistent set of failure patterns: Too rigid: Plans that can’t adapt to change become irrelevant by March. Build flexibility into the structure, not as an afterthought. Too competitor-focused: Understanding competitors matters, but copying their strategy means you’re always a step behind. Focus on serving your customers better than anyone else. Too scattered: Trying to do everything means doing nothing well. Most businesses would see better results focusing deeply on fewer areas than spreading thin across every possible initiative. Chasing trends over fundamentals: Strong technical foundations, quality content, and good user experience will always matter regardless of algorithm changes. Don’t neglect basics while chasing the latest shiny object. Disconnected from business reality: Plans built in isolation from sales cycles, product launches, and seasonal patterns miss opportunities to support broader business goals. Your SEO calendar should align with what’s actually happening in the business. Dig deeper: SEO strategy in 2026: Where discipline meets results Making it work The gap between planning and execution isn’t inevitable. It happens when plans are built for an ideal world instead of the reality of competing priorities, limited resources, and constant change. December’s planning session doesn’t have to feel like last year’s. Build in the flexibility, focus on the metrics that matter, and create quarterly rhythms that keep execution aligned with intent. The best plans aren’t the most comprehensive. They’re the ones that actually get executed. 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. For parents shopping for a first kids’ tablet that won’t turn into a headache or break after one drop, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2024) might be worth a look. It usually retails for $149.99, but it’s currently marked down to $74.99 on Amazon, its lowest price to date, according to price trackers. Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet $74.99 at Amazon $149.99 Save $75.00 Get Deal Get Deal $74.99 at Amazon $149.99 Save $75.00 At that price, you’re getting a rugged case, a year of Amazon Kids+ subscription, a two-year worry-free replacement guarantee, and solid parental controls all bundled into one eight-inch tablet. It’s not fast, and it doesn’t have a high-res display, but for young kids starting out with screen time, it does a lot right. It has a 2.0GHz hexa-core processor, 32GB of storage (expandable to 1TB), and a 1,280-by-800 resolution display. It handles video streaming and basic apps well, though heavier games and multitasking can slow it down. Battery life is impressive, lasting close to 10 hours in PCMag’s video playback tests. The case, which adds bulk, also includes a built-in stand that doubles as a handle, though younger kids might need help adjusting it. It’s not waterproof, but if it breaks, Amazon will replace it for free within two years—no questions asked. Setup requires a parent to create profiles, set screen time limits, and customize content filters. Once done, kids can access Amazon Kids+, which includes age-appropriate books, videos, games, and a genuinely fun “Quest” feature that blends learning with light gamification. When the free trial ends, though, you’ll need to pay $5.99 a month (or $48 annually) to keep access to that library. Without it, the experience is much more limited and depends on how much effort you want to put into finding and installing your own content. But for under $75, with a kid-proof case and thoughtful tools for parents, it’s one of the better value tablets out there for kids aged three to seven. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $139.99 (List Price $219.99) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 3-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $74.99 (List Price $189.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Meta Quest 3 512GB Mixed Reality VR Headset with Controllers — (List Price $499.99 With Code "QUEST50") Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Stargazers and scientists are getting a holiday present from the cosmos this week. 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar comet, will get “closest” to Earth on Friday, December 19, as part of its journey across the galaxy. Let’s break the facts of this natural phenomena down because it sounds like it could be the plot of an exciting science fiction thriller. What is an interstellar comet? Much like a Christmas tree, planets in our Solar System revolve around our star, the sun. It’s not the only planetary system out there. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains other systems, and if you zoom out even further, there are even more. The comet 3I/ATLAS is labeled interstellar because it comes from outside our star system and is not gravitationally bound to the sun. It’s on an elliptical vacation of sorts, exploring new locations with a greater freedom than the other objects surrounding it. When was 3I/Atlas discovered? Scientists only recently discovered 3I/ATLAS, on July 1, 2025. The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System survey telescope, funded by NASA and located in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first laid eyes on the object. This observation caused scientists to go back and look over records from other Atlas telescopes to learn more. These pre-discovery findings found evidence of the comet dating back to June 14, 2025. The comet got its name because it is a tradition to name objects after the people or system that discover them. In this case, it was named after Atlas. The 3 and the I tell the world this is the third interstellar object found. How close will 3I/ATLAS actually get? On Friday, 3I/ATLAS will get the closest to Earth in its orbit, but close is a relative term. It will cross within 167 million miles of our planet. To put that in perspective, that is around two times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The comet poses no danger to Earth, meaning there’s no need to hire a ragtag group of oil drillers à la the 1998 film Armageddon. How best to view 3I/Atlas Unfortunately, 3I/ATLAS cannot be viewed by the naked eye. Dedicated stargazers will need a small telescope. But the silver lining is that the comet will hang around until spring. For best results, view in the early, predawn hours. According to NASA, those who are extra enthusiastic and planning a Friday adventure should focus on the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo, as 3I/ATLAS should appear near that location. For those who are without a telescope and would rather sleep in, NASA has done the work for you. You can visit the NASA website to view 3I/ATLAS from many different angles. Maybe the pictures will inspire you to write the next great science fiction tale. Finally, NASA’s “eyes on the solar system” tool lets you view a simulated live version of 3I/ATLAS as it hurls through space. View the full article

Coursera agrees to acquire Udemy in a stock-for-stock transaction. The post Coursera Acquiring Udemy appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

The Christmas holiday season is a time to step back from the busy pace of modern life and connect with our nearest and dearest instead of screens, apps and chatbots. Here are some suggestions on how to unplug from the online world for the next few weeks as you sit down for a festive meal, exchange gifts or take time out for some self-reflection. Do not disturb me Your phone already has built-in features that can help you stop getting distracted. To temporarily silence all those attention-seeking notifications, use the Focus setting on your iPhone or Android device. This mode is designed to stop interruptions when you want to concentrate. You can customize it by blocking specific apps or muting only when you’re doing certain things, like sleeping or reading. Android and iOS also have related screen time controls to manage overall device usage. Too much Instagram scrolling? Limit yourself to a daily total of 20 minutes. There are other tricks you could try, like turning the screen gray to make it less appealing. On iPhones or Android devices, tweak the color filter or adjustment settings. On Android, activating Bedtime Mode also turns the screen gray. Delete apps If you need to be more strict with yourself, then delete any or apps you’re addicted to. An effective way to stop looking at your phone is by removing those apps that you spend the most time scrolling through, even if temporarily. You can always reinstall them again if the withdrawal symptoms become too much. Get outside … When the temperature drops, it’s tempting to hunker down inside and stay cozy. But don’t sit on the couch all day. Head outdoors, away from Wi-Fi signals. If it’s been snowing where you are, have a snowball fight or go sledding. To keep your hands warm, don’t forget to put on bulky mittens — which your phone’s touch screen won’t respond to. Even if there’s no snow, take a walk in the woods, a park or along some tree-lined streets. Time spent outdoors, and away from screens, can benefit your mental health and physical well-being. There’s even a term for it: forest bathing. … And touch grass There’s an app you can use to force yourself to — literally — get back in touch with nature. Touch Grass takes its name from a viral catchphrase for when someone has lost their connection to the real world because they’re consumed by what’s on their screens. It’s similar to other apps designed to restrict screen time by forcing users to take a timeout from scrolling. The difference is that Touch Grass requires users to go outside and take a picture of themselves physically touching some grass. Touch Grass has a free service level that allows you to block two apps. I found it was quite effective at stopping me from opening two of my favorite time-wasters, Reddit and Instagram, though I ended up spending more time on other apps like Facebook. To block all apps, you’ll have to shell out for a subscription — $6 a month or $50 annually. If you can’t find grass because it’s winter, there’s also the option to touch snow or sand. It’s only available for iPhones so far, but there are copycat versions for both iOS and Android, though we haven’t tested them. Putting pen to paper When was the last time you sent a Christmas card? Most digital natives find it easier to type out holiday greetings or send digital cards over chat apps, than to put pen to paper. The consequence of all the time that we spend tapping, typing or swiping on our devices is that handwriting is becoming something of a dying art. But there are neurological and cognitive benefits of handwriting, research suggests. For example, taking notes by hand is a better way for students to learn and to remember information. So use this time of year to write a thoughtful message to someone special, a letter to a long-lost friend, or thank you notes for presents received. Pick up a book If you still don’t know what you want for Christmas, why not ask for a book? It’s easy to find inspiration and ideas at this time of year, when many people like to share the books they’ve read over the past 12 months, and outlets including The Associated Press compile their list of the year’s best books. Reading long-form literature or non-fiction has many benefits that can’t be gained from glancing at short-form bursts of text on your device, including a deeper understanding of a topic, developing empathy, increasing your focus and concentration and more. Lock your device up If you’re looking for a last-minute gift, how about a time-lock vault to put your devices out of reach for, say, 15 minutes, a few hours or even weeks? There are plenty of versions for sale online. For about $30, I bought a battery-powered gray plastic model that can hold several smartphones. The instruction leaflet says it’s intended to “enhance self-discipline.” Punch in the amount of time — up to 30 days — and a digital display will count down until it unlocks. The lid has portholes so you can thread in cables for charging while you wait. One evening, I locked my phone up for an hour and then grabbed my laptop to do some online Christmas shopping. But my plans were foiled because I forgot that authentication requests for my credit card and Amazon went to my phone. Not-as-smart phones For another gift idea, consider putting a brick phone under the tree. Also known as a feature phone, these devices cater to those who want a back-to-basics phone without all the digital stimulation that comes with a smartphone. Retro devices from Nokia evoke the early days of the cellphone era — no touch screens, numeric keypads and throwback video games like Snake. Most can only make voice calls and send text messages. If that sounds too primitive, there are so-called digital minimalist phones that serve a similar market niche. Devices from Light, Punkt and Balance offer sleek, modern designs but with a stripped-down experience. Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip. —Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer View the full article

One of the best things about the Christmas period is all the yummy desserts found in people’s kitchens. But now one of the largest food companies in America is issuing a warning about one of those sweet treats. Here’s what you need to know about a new recall from Danone U.S., which impacts one of its dairy-free frozen desserts. What’s happened? On December 15, North American food producer Danone U.S. announced a voluntary recall of one of its dessert products, per a notice posted on the website of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is recalling its So Delicious Dairy Free brand of Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert. The recall is due to concerns that the product may contain foreign materials mixed into the dessert. Specifically, there is a chance that the cashews in the frozen dessert may have “small stones and other hard objects” embedded within them. The potential for foreign material contamination is obviously concerning, which is why Danone U.S. is pulling the impacted products from the shelves and urging consumers who have them not to eat them. What products are included in the recall? Only one product is listed as being part of this recall, though the product has multiple best-by dates: Product Name: So Delicious Dairy Free Salted Caramel Cluster Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert pints SKU: 136603 UPC: 744473476138 Best-By Dates / Lot No (Exp Dates): Before 08 Aug 2027 The recalled product, as the notice on the FDA website states, can have multiple “Best-By Dates / Lot No (Exp Dates),” all of which are before August 8, 2027. Danone U.S. has also posted photographs of the recall product, which you can view here. It should be noted that the recalled product actually came in two different packaging designs. Products purchased before February 7, 2025, have a different package design than those purchased after. Has anyone been harmed by the recalled product? The recall notice does not state whether anyone has been harmed by the presence of foreign materials in the frozen dessert. Danone U.S. says, “So Delicious Dairy Free is working swiftly with retail partners to remove the potentially impacted product from shelves. In the meantime, the company has already identified and corrected this issue and will soon be able to bring back the frozen dessert so many people enjoy.” Where was the recalled product sold? The notice does not specify where the product was sold. Fast Company has reached out to Danone U.S. for additional details. What should I do if I have the recalled product? You should not consume the recalled product if you have it in your possession. Instead, the recall notice posted on the So Delicious website states that you should dispose of the product. For information about a refund for the product, consumers are asked to contact So Delicious via the contact form on its website. Alternatively, consumers can call the company on the So Delicious Dairy Free Care Line at 1-833-367-8975. View the full article

Data will fuel boost calls for Fed to keep cutting ratesView the full article

Starting a certificate company can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. By following five straightforward steps, you can simplify the process and set yourself up for success. First, you’ll need to choose a unique business name that appeals to your audience. Next, appoint a registered agent based in Texas, then decide on your business structure. After that, drafting an operating agreement is crucial before you file the Articles of Organization. Comprehending each step is key to your success. Key Takeaways Choose a unique business name that reflects your brand and check its availability through the Texas business entity website and Google. Appoint a registered agent with a physical Texas address to handle legal documents and ensure compliance. Decide on a business structure, such as an LLC or corporation, considering legal and tax implications for your company. Draft an operating agreement detailing ownership, profit distribution, and management responsibilities to enhance credibility and clarify roles. File the Articles of Organization by submitting the Certificate of Formation to the Texas Secretary of State, ensuring compliance with naming requirements. Choose Your Unique Business Name Choosing a unique business name is essential for establishing your brand identity and avoiding potential legal complications. To begin, check the Texas business entity website and Google to confirm your chosen name isn’t already in use. This step is important, as it prevents trademark infringement issues that could affect your certificate of incorporation. Consider using descriptive words that relate to your products or services, enhancing your market presence. Furthermore, conduct a name search with the USPTO to identify any existing trademarks that may pose conflicts. Gathering feedback from friends and family can likewise help confirm your name resonates well with potential customers and stakeholders. A thoughtful name choice can greatly impact your business’s success and recognition in the market. Appoint a Registered Agent Appointing a registered agent is a critical step in the process of establishing your business, as this individual or entity will act as your official point of contact for legal documents. In Texas, your registered agent must have a physical address in the state and be available during regular business hours. You can choose to act as your own registered agent, appoint an employee, or hire a registered agent service for added privacy and professionalism. Keeping your registered agent information current with the Texas Secretary of State is fundamental to avoid legal complications. Option Pros Cons Self-Appointment Control over documents Limited privacy Employee Familiarity with business Possible time constraints Registered Agent Service Professional handling Additional cost Decide on Your Business Structure Deciding on your business structure is a crucial step that greatly impacts your operations, liability, and taxes. In Texas, you have several options: Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Corporation, General Partnership, and Limited Partnership. Each comes with unique legal and tax implications. LLCs are often favored for startups because of their simplicity and personal liability protection, allowing profits to pass through to your personal tax returns. Corporations, whether C or S-Corps, have different structures and shareholder limitations. A Sole Proprietorship is the easiest to set up, but it lacks liability protection. Before making your choice, consult a legal advisor or accountant to understand the implications, including the need for a letter of incorporation for certain structures. Draft Your Operating Agreement After establishing your business structure, the next step involves drafting your operating agreement, particularly if you’ve chosen to form an LLC. This document outlines your ownership structure, management responsibilities, and operational procedures, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Although Texas doesn’t legally require it, having one increases your business’s credibility and aids in resolving conflicts. Key Elements Importance Notes Ownership Structure Clarifies member roles Vital for multi-member LLCs Profit Distribution Prevents disputes Details how profits are shared Decision-Making Process Improves collaboration Defines how decisions are made Member Changes Maintains clarity Covers adding or removing members LLC Dissolution Provides a clear exit Outlines the dissolution process Keeping this agreement updated is significant for compliance and can be particularly useful during disputes or audits, especially regarding your limited liability company annual report. File the Articles of Organization Filing the Articles of Organization is a crucial step in officially establishing your LLC in Texas. You’ll need to submit the Certificate of Formation for a For-Profit Limited Liability Company to the Texas Secretary of State, which you can do online or by mail. The filing fee is currently $300. Typically, online submissions take about 2-3 business days for processing, whereas mailed applications may take up to 5 days. Be sure to include your LLC’s name, registered agent’s name and address, and the business purpose in your application. Check that your chosen LLC name complies with Texas naming requirements to avoid delays. Once approved, your Articles of Organization will establish your LLC as a legal entity under Texas law. Frequently Asked Questions What Are 5 Steps to Starting a Business? To start a business, first, choose a unique name and check its availability. Next, decide on the business structure, like an LLC or Corporation, which affects taxes and liability. Then, hire a registered agent to handle legal documents. After that, file your Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State, usually online. Finally, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes and employee hiring. What Are the Steps to Register a Business? To register a business, start by choosing a unique name and checking its availability. Next, decide on a business structure like an LLC or Corporation, which impacts your liability and taxes. File the Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State online, and obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Finally, make certain you apply for any required licenses or permits based on your business type and location to stay compliant. What Is the 7 Step Process for Starting a Business? To start a business, you’ll want to follow these seven steps: First, choose a unique business name. Second, select a suitable business structure, like an LLC or Corporation. Third, appoint a registered agent. Fourth, file the necessary formation documents with your state. Fifth, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Sixth, set up a business bank account. Finally, make certain you comply with all local and state regulations to operate legally. What Is the Best Way to Register a Company? To register a company, start by choosing the right business structure, like an LLC or Corporation, for liability and tax benefits. Next, file your Certificate of Formation online through the Texas Secretary of State’s website, which can take 2-3 days. Appoint a registered agent in Texas to handle legal documents. Don’t forget to get your Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes and consider consulting a tax advisor for structure implications. Conclusion By following these five straightforward steps, you can successfully register your certificate company in Texas. Selecting a unique business name, appointing a registered agent, deciding on a business structure, drafting an operating agreement, and filing the Articles of Organization are crucial actions that will set your business on the right path. Once completed, you’ll be well-prepared to operate legally and efficiently in the state, allowing you to focus on growing your certificate business. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Successful Certificate Company Registration in 5 Easy Steps" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Starting a certificate company can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. By following five straightforward steps, you can simplify the process and set yourself up for success. First, you’ll need to choose a unique business name that appeals to your audience. Next, appoint a registered agent based in Texas, then decide on your business structure. After that, drafting an operating agreement is crucial before you file the Articles of Organization. Comprehending each step is key to your success. Key Takeaways Choose a unique business name that reflects your brand and check its availability through the Texas business entity website and Google. Appoint a registered agent with a physical Texas address to handle legal documents and ensure compliance. Decide on a business structure, such as an LLC or corporation, considering legal and tax implications for your company. Draft an operating agreement detailing ownership, profit distribution, and management responsibilities to enhance credibility and clarify roles. File the Articles of Organization by submitting the Certificate of Formation to the Texas Secretary of State, ensuring compliance with naming requirements. Choose Your Unique Business Name Choosing a unique business name is essential for establishing your brand identity and avoiding potential legal complications. To begin, check the Texas business entity website and Google to confirm your chosen name isn’t already in use. This step is important, as it prevents trademark infringement issues that could affect your certificate of incorporation. Consider using descriptive words that relate to your products or services, enhancing your market presence. Furthermore, conduct a name search with the USPTO to identify any existing trademarks that may pose conflicts. Gathering feedback from friends and family can likewise help confirm your name resonates well with potential customers and stakeholders. A thoughtful name choice can greatly impact your business’s success and recognition in the market. Appoint a Registered Agent Appointing a registered agent is a critical step in the process of establishing your business, as this individual or entity will act as your official point of contact for legal documents. In Texas, your registered agent must have a physical address in the state and be available during regular business hours. You can choose to act as your own registered agent, appoint an employee, or hire a registered agent service for added privacy and professionalism. Keeping your registered agent information current with the Texas Secretary of State is fundamental to avoid legal complications. Option Pros Cons Self-Appointment Control over documents Limited privacy Employee Familiarity with business Possible time constraints Registered Agent Service Professional handling Additional cost Decide on Your Business Structure Deciding on your business structure is a crucial step that greatly impacts your operations, liability, and taxes. In Texas, you have several options: Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Company (LLC), Corporation, General Partnership, and Limited Partnership. Each comes with unique legal and tax implications. LLCs are often favored for startups because of their simplicity and personal liability protection, allowing profits to pass through to your personal tax returns. Corporations, whether C or S-Corps, have different structures and shareholder limitations. A Sole Proprietorship is the easiest to set up, but it lacks liability protection. Before making your choice, consult a legal advisor or accountant to understand the implications, including the need for a letter of incorporation for certain structures. Draft Your Operating Agreement After establishing your business structure, the next step involves drafting your operating agreement, particularly if you’ve chosen to form an LLC. This document outlines your ownership structure, management responsibilities, and operational procedures, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Although Texas doesn’t legally require it, having one increases your business’s credibility and aids in resolving conflicts. Key Elements Importance Notes Ownership Structure Clarifies member roles Vital for multi-member LLCs Profit Distribution Prevents disputes Details how profits are shared Decision-Making Process Improves collaboration Defines how decisions are made Member Changes Maintains clarity Covers adding or removing members LLC Dissolution Provides a clear exit Outlines the dissolution process Keeping this agreement updated is significant for compliance and can be particularly useful during disputes or audits, especially regarding your limited liability company annual report. File the Articles of Organization Filing the Articles of Organization is a crucial step in officially establishing your LLC in Texas. You’ll need to submit the Certificate of Formation for a For-Profit Limited Liability Company to the Texas Secretary of State, which you can do online or by mail. The filing fee is currently $300. Typically, online submissions take about 2-3 business days for processing, whereas mailed applications may take up to 5 days. Be sure to include your LLC’s name, registered agent’s name and address, and the business purpose in your application. Check that your chosen LLC name complies with Texas naming requirements to avoid delays. Once approved, your Articles of Organization will establish your LLC as a legal entity under Texas law. Frequently Asked Questions What Are 5 Steps to Starting a Business? To start a business, first, choose a unique name and check its availability. Next, decide on the business structure, like an LLC or Corporation, which affects taxes and liability. Then, hire a registered agent to handle legal documents. After that, file your Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State, usually online. Finally, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes and employee hiring. What Are the Steps to Register a Business? To register a business, start by choosing a unique name and checking its availability. Next, decide on a business structure like an LLC or Corporation, which impacts your liability and taxes. File the Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State online, and obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Finally, make certain you apply for any required licenses or permits based on your business type and location to stay compliant. What Is the 7 Step Process for Starting a Business? To start a business, you’ll want to follow these seven steps: First, choose a unique business name. Second, select a suitable business structure, like an LLC or Corporation. Third, appoint a registered agent. Fourth, file the necessary formation documents with your state. Fifth, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. Sixth, set up a business bank account. Finally, make certain you comply with all local and state regulations to operate legally. What Is the Best Way to Register a Company? To register a company, start by choosing the right business structure, like an LLC or Corporation, for liability and tax benefits. Next, file your Certificate of Formation online through the Texas Secretary of State’s website, which can take 2-3 days. Appoint a registered agent in Texas to handle legal documents. Don’t forget to get your Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes and consider consulting a tax advisor for structure implications. Conclusion By following these five straightforward steps, you can successfully register your certificate company in Texas. Selecting a unique business name, appointing a registered agent, deciding on a business structure, drafting an operating agreement, and filing the Articles of Organization are crucial actions that will set your business on the right path. Once completed, you’ll be well-prepared to operate legally and efficiently in the state, allowing you to focus on growing your certificate business. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Successful Certificate Company Registration in 5 Easy Steps" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article