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Decision follows signs of Eurozone resilience to The President’s tariffs View the full article

Google's Robby Stein explains how AI Mode judges content quality and names five quality signals useful for SEO The post Google’s Robby Stein Names 5 SEO Factors For AI Mode appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Call me immature, but I’m about a thousand times more likely to participate in activities that are good for me when they can be gamified. Even the simple pleasures of watching a number go up or earning a digital milestone badge can motivate me to get to the gym, track my meals, or form a new habit. Gamification can be used for focusing and studying, too, and a wide variety of apps exist to serve this purpose. Here are some of the best. Gamification apps for focusingFocusing is notoriously difficult, especially in this hyper-connected era in which many of us can’t go five minutes without getting a text or eat a meal without watching TikTok videos. Use your device to your advantage instead with these apps that turn focusing into a game. Finch Credit: Finch Finch is my favorite habit tracking app and I use it every day (streak as of today: 311!). You are responsible for the well-being of a happy little bird character and you take care of them by marking off your to-dos. I will be upfront and say it's a little infantilizing and mushy; it comes pre-loaded with to-dos like "get out of bed" and "take a stretch break." I left those in alongside the actual daily activities I programmed in myself for some easy wins, but the app is clearly designed for people struggling a little with executive function. To me, though, Finch is great because it's so positive. Other apps might penalize you for missing a day, but this one is encouraging. It's useful to have a little positive reinforcement every day, even if it's a little cloying. By completing your tasks, you send your bird on "adventures," earn in-game currency to dress them up in outfits, and level up your friendship score with them. Interestingly, you are also periodically prompted to enter in how you're feeling and what's making you feel that way, which the app tracks. Over time, you can see a data breakdown of your moods and the things that affect them, which is useful if you're trying to maximize your productivity and make a few lifestyle changes to enhance it. Read my full review of the Finch app here. Habitica Credit: Habitica One of the gold-standard apps in gamification and productivity is Habitica, which is almost like a roleplaying game. You designate the goal you want to achieve, track when you do it, and watch as your in-game avatar gains (or loses) health. Your avatar can even link up with other players for games and challenges, so you all level up together. You earn gold coins that can be spent in-game or “redeemed” when you do something you want to do in real life, like watch a movie. It’s free, but you can make in-app purchases or subscribe to group plans that help coordinate team goals for $9 per month, plus $3 per person. Read my full review of the app here. Toggl Credit: Toggl Another app that’s great for teams but also works well for personal productivity, Toggl is a time-tracker that gives you leaderboards in addition to achievements when you stay focused and get things done. If digital badges don’t get you going, imagine the rush of seeing your name at the top of a leaderboard. If you’re using it on your own, it’s free, but after a 14-day trial, teams will pay $9 per user per month. It looks like any digital calendar tool (and you can import calendars, like Google Calendar, right into it so you can see all your daily commitments), but there's a Play button in the top right corner that you tap when you're ready to track time. You can label the time blocks (and should get familiar with the concepts of time blocking and time boxing to make this most effective) so you can see precisely how many minutes you're devoting to a given task every day. Beeminder Credit: Beeminder Beeminder is a great app because it links up to a variety of other apps—Habitca, Toggl, Duolingo, Gmail, Fitbit, Strava, and more—pulling in your data to make sure you’re staying on track with your goals. If you have a goal to stay focused on Slack or emails, Beeminder can actually make sure you’re doing it instead of relying on you to be honest in self-reporting. Continue to do what you’re trying to do and a red line will appear, inching toward your goal. The catch? If you don’t stick to what you’re trying to focus on, it charges $5 to the card you have on file. Otherwise, it’s free for up to three goals, but you can unlock unlimited goals (and the ability to put off payments and set charge caps) with premium plans that move from $8 per month, $16 per month, or even $50 per month, depending on how many features you want. If you're worried about the money-losing aspect, don't be: This isn't a tyrannical, scammy app. The developers are clear that if something comes up and prevents you from completing a goal on time, you can respond to the email you received about that goal's timeline starting, ask for a refund, and they'll "always believe you" and reverse the charge. Gamification apps for studyingIf you need to gamify your studies, there are special apps that work well for that, too. The software above also works for studying, so if you’re more of a Habitica person, feel free to stick with those. The ones below have unique features that might be helpful for students. FocusPomo Credit: FocusPomo This is my favorite Pomodoro technique app. FocusPomo is simple to use and allows you to quickly access "focus sessions," which are periods of time that are blocked out for studying or working. The app blocks your other, more distracting apps and rewards you with a little tomato graphic whenever you finish a session. It might not seem like much, but just collecting tiny, pixelated tomatoes becomes a little addicting. The app syncs with your calendars and communication platforms to make it easier for you to launch focus sessions whenever you have something to do, too, so earning those little tomatoes is surprisingly easy. Read my full review of FocusPomo here. Flora Credit: Flora If you want something a little zen that still motivates you, try Flora, which is an app that just wants to help you plant trees (and stay focused on your work). It gamifies your productivity by rewarding you with cool animations, similar to the others on this list. Here, you get to you grow "trees" in a virtual forest, but only so long as you don't interrupt their growth by using your phone when you're supposed to be working. Moreover, you can bet money on your ability to carry out focus sessions or buy a subscription, both of which directly fund the planting of trees in the real world. That's not a gamification so much as a real-world contribution that can make you feel good about your studying. Read my full review of Flora here. Study Bunny Credit: Study Bunny Study Bunny is a game designed for students. It has an in-app timer and a scored flashcard system, slots for to-do lists, and room for 15 subjects. You are assigned a virtual bunny rabbit that gets happier when you track work and progress, but sadder when you pause a work session or don’t open the app. The longer you work, the more coins you earn to buy items for your bunny. The app is pretty janky and I won't lie about that, but it's cute and stress-free, which makes it ideal if you're looking for a fun way to stay motivated about your studies. Read my full review of Study Bunny here. View the full article

Pages on your website can be well written, well laid out, supported by backlinks, and even meet E-E-A-T expectations – yet still fail to rank. While there are many possible explanations, one common issue is a misalignment with search intent, and it’s often harder to spot than it sounds. When the focus is on content, optimization, and usability, intent can easily be missed or misjudged. This is where AI can become a useful review tool, helping guide things back in the right direction. Get back to basics Whether you’re starting work on a new page or updating something older, beginning with the basics of search intent can help set you up for success. A simple prompt asking AI for the likely search intents for your given keyword offers a framework to guide your content creation or optimization. A list of this type will be comprehensive, and you don’t have to hit every variation of intent on the page you create. Yet it can highlight different user types, intent shifts, and needs you might not have considered. Reviewing all these factors will help you create a more useful, well-rounded page that’s likely to satisfy real user needs. Dig deeper: There are more than 4 types of search intent Review what’s working Nailing intent can be harder than it sounds. Using AI tools can help you get a feel for what’s already ranking and what those pages are getting right. AI tools make it easier to get a quick overview of the primary intent of a page. You can check this at scale to see whether top-ranking pages all satisfy the same intent. Then you can ask the same questions about intent for your page, whether it’s a first draft of something new or an older page you’re optimizing. If your primary intent matches what’s already succeeding, that’s a great starting point. If it doesn’t, you’ve got a quick answer on how to begin improving it. Either way, asking AI tools for suggestions on improvement can give you some useful ideas. Areas to focus on refining intent can cover the following. Language The language you use can reinforce or undermine intent. Persuasive, sales-focused wording strengthens commercial intent. Descriptive, informative language adds clarity to pages designed to educate or fulfill informational intent. Format Even the layout and format of a page give intent signals. To offer a couple of examples: If it’s a sales page, where do the products sit? What information about them is provided? Does it support sales or product investigation? When you’re creating step-by-step guides, have you labeled steps, added visual guides or used video content? Calls to action Giving clear, direct calls to action signifies intent. Aligning the action you’d like the user to take with the potential intent underpins the entire purpose of a page. Generalized, missing, or uncertain calls to action can dilute both user engagement and ranking. Dig deeper: How to master user intent with SEO personas Pricing signals Have you listed pricing on relevant pages, VAT elements, and currency? These can all help send the right signals. Available support Is information on or links to pre- or post-sale support readily available? Do you have clear contact details for sales teams for user queries? Knowing assistance is available could be the difference between making a sale or losing one. Trust signals Have you mentioned product guarantees, return policies, reviews, and testimonials? All these factors help users make their decision. Product or service comparison Clear comparisons between similar products can help with commercial investigation. If users are weighing up their options, understanding pros and cons can help move them from research into decision-making. Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Improving with structure As I’ve worked on pages with a specific focus on intent, I’ve discovered areas that try to do too much at once. Perhaps this depth of information has worked in the past, but today things need to be clearer, simpler, and more intent-driven. This has led me to consider where the information really should sit and how it best supports the user journey with new eyes. AI tools can help recognize the intent behind specific pockets of information to suggest the best way to structure it. Breaking things down into specific guides for different stages of the user funnel can effectively satisfy intent, as well as provide supporting background information for key pages. An ecommerce example Let’s consider a sales page for internal French doors. The main page is struggling, even though on paper it has plenty of plus points. Detailed copy. Good navigation. A wide product range. Running the page through an AI tool, along with the top competitors, reveals a pattern. Competitors are selling first. Your page is problem-solving. While all the information is useful, it’s not directly addressing the needs of users who have primarily reached the page to purchase or to collect sales-driven information to make a future purchase. With that in mind, you can adjust the structure: Move sales-driven copy to the forefront. Address buyer pain points, but keep things concise. Move pre- and post-sale information to supporting pages. Link all this information together to create a strong hub-and-spoke model. Keep the main product listing page sales-focused. In this scenario, you’re using AI for clarity. It helps you identify the position in the user journey and better satisfy your visitors. Dig deeper: How to drive SEO growth with structure, skimmability and search intent Aligning intent for better results Getting the human aspect of search intent right is the goal, but ranking should follow. AI’s biggest strength in this situation is to act like a second set of eyes, helping you interpret patterns and highlight mismatches you might have missed. Used as a strategic tool, AI can help you: Sanity-check your intent alignment. Validate what’s working for top competitors. Identify structural issues that confuse or dilute intent. Strengthen your understanding of your users. It doesn’t replace expertise, understanding, or skill. It helps direct your efforts and fine-tune your approach for better results. View the full article

Last week, two fonts became the unlikely stars of a political messaging firestorm, after the The President administration replaced Calibri as its official diplomatic font in favor of Times New Roman, claiming that an initial shift to Calibri in 2023 was part of former President Biden’s “DEIA” agenda. The implication was clear: Calibri was framed as a liberal, Democratic font; while Times New Roman took its place as the The President administration’s more conservative choice. Now, a new study is revealing the major flaw in this logic: font is certainly a political tool, but it’s not inherently partisan. The study, titled “You’re Just Not My Type: How Attitudes Towards Fonts Explain Affective Polarization,” examines how affective polarization—or the tendency to associate positive feelings with one’s political ingroup, and negative feelings with outgroups—impacts people’s reception of different fonts. The study showed that, across multiple kinds of fonts, respondents were more likely to respond favorably to a font if they were told that it was associated with their own partisan and ideological beliefs. As the study’s conclusion explains, “People will ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ the typeface in a political logo based on their political views of the candidate it represents.” According to the researchers behind the study, Katherine Haenschen, Shannon Zenner, and Jessica R. Collier, this finding demonstrates that campaign designers shouldn’t feel constrained to only using certain kinds of fonts in their work—because, at the end of the day, constituents vote for candidates, not fonts. Emotion leads to analytical inconsistency This new study adds another layer of nuance to several years worth of research on how fonts are perceived in a political context. In 2019, an initial study coauthored by Haenschen found that individuals do make some instinctive ideological distinctions between typefaces. Serifs, like Times New Roman or Garamond, were rated by study participants as more conservative; while sans serifs such as Helvetica or Arial were rated as more liberal. But that perception isn’t the same as reality. Based on 2020 data from the Center for American Politics and Design, both Democrats and Republicans are more likely to use sans serif fonts, with 68% of Democratic candidates and 62% of Republican candidates using sans serifs that year, respectively. Haenschen, Zenner, and Collier’s research offers more context on why that might be the case. Across three survey experiments, the researchers tested the relationship between political identity and emotional reactions to typefaces. They found that, when it comes to fonts in politics, emotions matter more than stylistic preference. In one condition, participants were shown a font along with a brief description framing it as ideologically associated—like, for example, “Time magazine rates Garamond as the most conservative font.” In another, participants were shown a typeface with a partisan description (which refers to party affiliation), like, “Time magazine rates Century Gothic as the most Democratic font.” They were then asked to rate how much they liked the font. In both the ideological and partisan cases, respondents’ favorability ratings were noticeably impacted by their own political views. And the more partisan a respondent was, the more these descriptors impacted their choices. “If you tell me, ‘This font is liked by conservatives,’ and I’m a conservative, then that makes me like it even more,” Zenner says. “If you tell me that liberals like this typeface, and I’m not a liberal, then I tend to dislike that typeface—or it will affect how much I like it.” While some respondents resisted these impacts, she says, most people’s political affiliation dominated their responses more than their actual taste. “We saw that the political grouping you have can really overrun any kind of taste.” But it’s good news for designers, actually For campaign designers, these results may actually be good news. Zenner says designers shouldn’t worry about constraining their font choices based on ideological associations, because, ultimately, voters will associate their positive (or negative) feelings about a candidate with the font itself. “Designers need to keep in mind that they still have the ability to make choices about typefaces,” Zenner says. “They shouldn’t say, ‘I can only pick a sans serif typeface if we have a liberal candidate,’ or ‘I can only pick a serif if we have a conservative candidate,’ because, no matter what, the partisanship of the people who are voting swamps all these taste-level things.” For some candidates, she adds, this research also opens the door to convey a more nuanced platform through design. For example, a Republican candidate campaigning in a swing state might opt for a sans serif font more traditionally perceived “liberal” to communicate a more forward-thinking, modern, or progressive stance, without actually alienating their voters. Affective polarization can also help explain how a font can so easily become a political flashpoint, as in the case of the The President administration’s nixing of Calibri in favor of Times New Roman. As soon as these typefaces became a topic of political discussion, Zenner says, the way people responded to them became inherently tied to their own political affiliations. It’s no longer about how the font looks, or works, or whether anyone actually likes it—it’s all about how it’s been politically labeled. “People will be like, ‘I only want stuff that looks like Times New Roman because I associate with MAGA and The President, and therefore I’m going to back that up,’” Zenner says. “Or the opposite will be like, ‘I’m definitely going to use Calibri in everything and I am going to make a statement by doing that, and I don’t know if I even care for it or if I like it or not—it’ll just be the politics of it.’ I think it’s an example of where, yes, these differences in taste exist, but they’re very much driven by culture.” View the full article

Chipotle is officially in its Ozempic era. Today, the brand is launching an all-new High Protein Menu in the U.S. and Canada, which it describes as “a clean menu for the protein movement.” The menu comes with six items, including proteinmaxxed burritos and bowls and a new salad option. The real stand-out, though, is what Chipotle is billing as its “first-ever snack,” but is really just a tiny cup of chicken. The High Protein Cup is a topping-less, four-ounce serving of adobo-seasoned chicken that you could easily hold in the palm of your hand—and it’s a perfect, if somewhat depressing, symbol of the GLP-1 age. For Chipotle, the new menu means embracing two emerging trends in the food and beverage space: bringing off-menu, TikTok-inspired hacks into its official product offerings, and offering more nutritionally optimized (and visually unappealing) options as GLP-1 weight loss drugs begin to transform American consumers’ eating habits. Menu hacks go mainstream Over the past few months, popular chains have increasingly been turning to platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels to see exactly how their fans are engaging with menus—and bringing those popular online hacks into the real world. Starbucks ignited the trend in July by launching a “secret menu” in its app that built off of the digital-driven consumer behavior of drink customization. That same month, Taco Bell tried something similar by rolling out a feature called “Fan Style,” which let users build their own menu items and share them on socials. In a press release, Chipotle explicitly cited a viral TikTok of a fan ordering a side of chicken for an extra protein boost as one of the inspirations behind its new High Protein Menu. “On social media, guests have been ‘hacking’ their orders by getting a side of protein as a standalone snack,” says Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief brand officer. “We’re formalizing that behavior.” Chipotle’s Ozempic era Chipotle’s new menu appears to be targeting two different prospective customers: Those who are embracing the broader high protein trend, and those who are seeking low calorie, nutrient-dense options out of necessity driven by GLP-1s. The difference between these two categories is stark. Protein in its own right is currently having a moment across the fitness and nutrition worlds, and that’s snowballed into the macronutrient finding its way into everything from Cheerios to Starbucks drinks and Propel electrolytes. New protein-focused items on Chipotle’s menu include a “double high protein” bowl and burrito, both filled with chicken, beans, and other toppings, and both clocking in at around 80g of protein for 800 calories. But what really stands out about the Chipotle High Protein Menu are its options geared toward customers on GLP-1s—a group that would otherwise be left behind by Chipotle’s traditional, high-calorie burritos. These include a High Protein-High Fiber Bowl and High Protein-Low Calorie salad, both explicitly labeled “GLP-1 friendly”; an Adobo Chicken Taco (which is a singular taco with 190 calories); and the aforementioned four-ounce chicken cup. “We designed GLP-1-friendly builds to generally align with widely shared guidance: approximately 300 to 550 calories, 20 to 40 grams of protein, and 6 to 12 grams of fiber,” says Brandt. “Our goal is to make it simple to find options that fit those ranges.” The logic behind the tiny chicken cup is clear: GLP-1 users need small, low-calorie, protein packed portions, because their brain’s hunger signals have been altered to feel fuller faster. But the unfortunate side effect of this effort is that, compared to Chipotle’s iconic chunky burritos and overstuffed bowls, its Ozempic-optimized chicken snack looks more like plain, sad fuel to be dutifully digested than a meal to look forward to. Chipotle is hardly the first brand to rethink its menus for the GLP-1 era, and it won’t be the last. The brand’s embrace of new menu items geared toward smaller appetites signals that, as weight loss medications continue to fly off pharmacy shelves, GLP-1-centric menus may become the norm for other fast casual spots. We just hope they’ll add a few toppings to their offerings. View the full article

John Mueller from Google had Danny Sullivan from Google on the Search Off the Record podcast to talk about "Thoughts on SEO & SEO for AI." In short, they both said SEO for AI is the same as SEO for traditional search but then they got into it.View the full article

Google updated its JavaScript SEO best practices document with a new section on how to set the canonial URL when using JavaScript. Google wrote, "The best way to set the canonical URL is to use HTML, but if you have to use JavaScript, make sure that you always set the canonical URL to the same value as the original HTML."View the full article

Google is bringing Gemini 3 Flash to AI Mode, bringing much of Gemini 3's power without waiting too long - hence the "Flash" part of the name. Robby Stein from Google said, "Starting today, we're rolling it out globally in Search as the default model in AI Mode."View the full article

Back in October, many businesses reported that reviews left on their Google Business Profiles were disappearing. It wasn't happening to every business, but it was widespread. Last night, I was told the bug had been fixed and that the reviews should be returning.View the full article

Andrew Bailey signals caution on further cuts even as central bank responds to signs of slowing economyView the full article

Microsoft is also testing underlining the text of the Bing Ads search snippets and descriptions. I am not sure if those underlined words are links or not but I assume so.View the full article

There’s no shortage of apocalyptic headlines about the future of work in the era of artificial intelligence. For workers, the technology has inflicted anxiety and uncertainty, provoking questions of when, how many, and which kinds of workers will be replaced. Companies have been propelled into a FOMO fury to integrate AI expediently or miss out on efficiency, cost savings, and competitive advantage. The disruption is inevitable, but from where I sit at the nexus of employee mental health and technology, we’re asking the wrong questions. Enhancing, not replacing, humans As CEO of Calm, I have spent the past year visiting with executives and their teams across the country to understand how they are faring amid the uncertainty. No matter their sector or location, employers and employees alike have shared their resounding commitment to a future where human talent will still lead, where work will still be human-powered. There’s no doubt that the future will be different and that workforces will be impacted. The how, who and when of it all is likely to remain uncertain for some time. AI is already transforming how we work—but it isn’t replacing the human element of work. It’s enhancing it. The future of work won’t be man versus machine; it will be man and machine. I see this every day in our work and in conversations with others navigating this transition. An experiment One recent experiment reinforced this truth. Partnering with a major chip company, our team explored whether AI visual-language models could help people recognize and reflect on their own emotions like happiness, sadness, or fear—so that they might use them to overcome a barrier many face in seeking mental health support: putting their feelings into words. The aim wasn’t to use machines to tell someone how they feel, but to use technology to help support emotional self-awareness that could lead to better descriptions of their emotional experience and other important outcomes, ultimately enhancing their journey with mental health support. While the AI model achieved 80% accuracy in mapping facial expressions to core emotions, which is closing the gap on the level of accuracy needed to deploy the tool for use, it was clear that achieving the level of accuracy needed could only be achieved with human input to label the data. In short, AI gave us scale to gather and get close to helpful analysis, but human input gave that data the accuracy and meaning we needed to get to a use case. This isn’t just true for mental health technology. It’s the blueprint for the future of work across every industry. Technology supports it, but humans lead it. The organizations that will succeed won’t be the ones deploying technology in isolation. They’ll be the ones that invest as deeply in human capacity as they do in data and algorithms—prioritizing mental-health support infrastructure, designing resilient cultures, and creating workplaces where people and machines complement one another. And that requires a specific kind of leadership: leaders who ask how employees see themselves integrating AI to supercharge their work, not replace it—and who actively encourage their teams to engage with these tools in ways that feel empowering and additive. Leaders who listen to what their teams need now to be ready for the AI future. Leaders who model the human capabilities no algorithm can replicate: creativity, judgment, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Overwhelmed But here’s the problem: the very people we need to guide us through this transition are struggling to stay afloat themselves. Calm Health’s latest survey of more than 250 U.S.-based C-suite executives revealed a striking paradox. While nearly nine in ten rate their mental and emotional health as “good,” nearly half say they feel overwhelmed; one in four report anxiety or depression tied to their role. Sleep disruption (41%), exhaustion (34%), and an inability to be mentally present (40%) are rampant. Many leaders say they’ve considered stepping down or changing careers. This isn’t just about the general difficulty of leadership. This crisis is happening as leaders navigate one of the most disruptive technological transformations in history. They’re making critical decisions about AI integration, workforce transformation, and organizational change—while burned out, anxious, and unable to be mentally present. They’re being asked to model emotional intelligence and human-centered thinking while running on empty. Leaders who are sleep-deprived and overwhelmed cannot do the thoughtful, human-centered work that AI integration demands. They can’t ask the right questions about preserving creativity and empathy in their organizations. They can’t build psychologically safe environments where employees feel secure enough to experiment with new tools. They can’t listen deeply to their teams’ needs or properly mentor the next generation of leaders. And they certainly can’t inspire and sustain organizations through profound uncertainty. The wrong questions This leads me to believe that we’re asking the wrong questions when debating AI and the future of work. We should not be asking which sectors will be transformed and how fast. We know that it will be all sectors, and transformation is already happening. We should be asking questions about how we are supporting our leaders and employees through this transition. How are we fostering a shared vision and sense of connection? How are we minimizing exhaustion, burnout and anxiety? Eighty-four percent of executives believe that mental health directly impacts their company’s bottom line. Research shows that when workplaces invest in well-being, employees are three times more likely to be engaged, far less likely to burn out, and significantly more loyal to their employer. Burnout alone drives $200–300 billion in lost productivity and turnover each year, while companies that invest in mental-health care see returns of up to 4:1 through lower absenteeism, better performance, and improved retention. At Calm Health, we see this firsthand. When employees engage with our offerings, 77% complete a mental-health screening, 39% enroll in a clinical program, and 37% report improved well-being after a single session. The benefits don’t just improve individual lives—they lift culture, performance, and the organization as a whole. And that begins at the top. None of that is possible when leaders themselves are depleted. Contrary to dystopian headlines, most leaders already understand the human + AI future. Just 13% fear AI will replace human workers. Nearly 60% see AI and human talent as complementary. Thirty-one percent believe AI will free people to focus on higher-value work; another 25% believe it enhances human capabilities rather than replaces them. And almost 80% describe the human brain as the “original data center.” These aren’t comfort statements. They’re strategic imperatives. The leaders who hold this vision are right. But vision without capacity is just aspiration. To actually build organizations where humans and AI complement one another, leaders need to be mentally and emotionally equipped to do that work. Well-being in the workplace isn’t just nice to have—it is the infrastructure that enables performance, especially in the era of AI. Technology may speed and scale work, but it doesn’t relieve the need for emotional presence or psychological safety. AI will reshape nearly every job, industry, and business model. The question isn’t whether humans will still be needed. They will. The question is whether we’ll prioritize investment in the mental health of that “original data center” and AI at the same pace. Human capacity—especially leadership capacity—is required to navigate our future wisely. We need to support the leaders and the next generation of management to guide us there. That work begins with ensuring today’s leaders not only have access to transformational AI tools, but also mental health resources that support their higher-value work, so they can actually show up—mentally present, emotionally resilient, and genuinely human. View the full article

Nearly a third of businesses were lossmaking last year as rising costs and volatile weather hit household incomeView the full article

Core goals for 2026 must be survival — to kill off Farage’s claim that only he can offer an alternative to LabourView the full article

Zoho has unveiled a significant expansion of its AI capabilities within its Finance and Operations Platform, promising to transform the way small businesses manage their financial tasks. With automation, enhanced insights, and predictive analytics, these new features aim to streamline operations for finance teams, ultimately leading to better decision-making and efficiency. At the heart of these enhancements is Zia LLM, Zoho’s proprietary large language model designed specifically for business applications. This innovative technology not only improves operational efficiency but also prioritizes data privacy, a crucial factor for small business owners managing sensitive financial information. Raju Vegesna, Zoho’s Global Chief Evangelist, emphasized the importance of security, stating, “When it comes to AI and data privacy, there is no greater concern than the safety of a customer’s financial information.” The newly integrated AI features offer a range of practical applications that can help small businesses automate tedious tasks and gain deeper insights into their financial health. The Ask Zia function acts as a virtual finance assistant, enabling users to pose a variety of questions—ranging from basic inquiries to complex command requests—thus allowing for a more nuanced understanding of their financial situation. Another noteworthy feature is the Co-Create Agent, which allows users to see how Zia is generating documents like invoices and custom reports. This transparency not only aids users in monitoring the AI’s actions but also empowers them to intervene whenever necessary, fostering a collaborative environment between human operators and AI. The platform’s automation capabilities extend to bank reconciliation, where AI can suggest categorizations for transactions, significantly reducing manual input and decreasing the potential for errors. This feature is particularly beneficial for small businesses that often lack extensive financial resources and personnel. Revenue forecasting is another critical addition. By analyzing historical data, this AI-driven tool predicts future trends, equipping small business owners with insights necessary for long-term financial planning. Coupled with anomaly detection, which flags inconsistencies in transactions in real-time, these features present a robust framework for proactive financial management. Additionally, Zoho’s Finance and Operations Platform introduces several other AI functionalities, including Generated Blueprints, AI Custom Fields, Invoicing Agent, AI Summary, and Write with Zia, all designed to optimize various aspects of financial operations. While the potential benefits are substantial, small business owners should also consider some challenges. Implementing advanced AI features might require an initial investment in training and integration. For businesses unfamiliar with AI tools, there may be a learning curve that could temporarily disrupt workflows. Furthermore, ensuring that all staff members are comfortable using these new technologies will be crucial for maximizing their effectiveness. In summary, Zoho’s enriched AI capabilities present a valuable opportunity for small businesses to enhance their financial operations. By automating mundane tasks and providing deeper insights, these tools can lead to improved efficiency and decision-making. However, small business owners should prepare for the transition by investing in training and support to fully leverage these innovations. For more information on these features, interested parties can reach out to support@zohobooks.com or visit the Zoho blog. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Zoho Enhances Finance Platform with Advanced AI for Smarter Operations" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Zoho has unveiled a significant expansion of its AI capabilities within its Finance and Operations Platform, promising to transform the way small businesses manage their financial tasks. With automation, enhanced insights, and predictive analytics, these new features aim to streamline operations for finance teams, ultimately leading to better decision-making and efficiency. At the heart of these enhancements is Zia LLM, Zoho’s proprietary large language model designed specifically for business applications. This innovative technology not only improves operational efficiency but also prioritizes data privacy, a crucial factor for small business owners managing sensitive financial information. Raju Vegesna, Zoho’s Global Chief Evangelist, emphasized the importance of security, stating, “When it comes to AI and data privacy, there is no greater concern than the safety of a customer’s financial information.” The newly integrated AI features offer a range of practical applications that can help small businesses automate tedious tasks and gain deeper insights into their financial health. The Ask Zia function acts as a virtual finance assistant, enabling users to pose a variety of questions—ranging from basic inquiries to complex command requests—thus allowing for a more nuanced understanding of their financial situation. Another noteworthy feature is the Co-Create Agent, which allows users to see how Zia is generating documents like invoices and custom reports. This transparency not only aids users in monitoring the AI’s actions but also empowers them to intervene whenever necessary, fostering a collaborative environment between human operators and AI. The platform’s automation capabilities extend to bank reconciliation, where AI can suggest categorizations for transactions, significantly reducing manual input and decreasing the potential for errors. This feature is particularly beneficial for small businesses that often lack extensive financial resources and personnel. Revenue forecasting is another critical addition. By analyzing historical data, this AI-driven tool predicts future trends, equipping small business owners with insights necessary for long-term financial planning. Coupled with anomaly detection, which flags inconsistencies in transactions in real-time, these features present a robust framework for proactive financial management. Additionally, Zoho’s Finance and Operations Platform introduces several other AI functionalities, including Generated Blueprints, AI Custom Fields, Invoicing Agent, AI Summary, and Write with Zia, all designed to optimize various aspects of financial operations. While the potential benefits are substantial, small business owners should also consider some challenges. Implementing advanced AI features might require an initial investment in training and integration. For businesses unfamiliar with AI tools, there may be a learning curve that could temporarily disrupt workflows. Furthermore, ensuring that all staff members are comfortable using these new technologies will be crucial for maximizing their effectiveness. In summary, Zoho’s enriched AI capabilities present a valuable opportunity for small businesses to enhance their financial operations. By automating mundane tasks and providing deeper insights, these tools can lead to improved efficiency and decision-making. However, small business owners should prepare for the transition by investing in training and support to fully leverage these innovations. For more information on these features, interested parties can reach out to support@zohobooks.com or visit the Zoho blog. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Zoho Enhances Finance Platform with Advanced AI for Smarter Operations" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small business owners navigating growth often face a tough choice: stick with simple tools that don’t scale or adopt complex enterprise systems designed for companies ten times their size. Zoho’s latest announcement signals a potential sweet spot for scaling businesses that need robust financial capabilities—without the burden of heavyweight enterprise software. This week, Zoho Corporation unveiled a new Enterprise Edition of Zoho Billing, expanding its Finance and Operations platform to serve larger and more complex organizations. But the move has real implications for mid-sized and growing small businesses looking to streamline billing, adopt modern pricing models, and gain real-time revenue insights—especially those with aspirations beyond domestic markets. “Zoho Billing Enterprise Edition offers businesses the flexibility to monetize using any modern revenue strategy, with the scalability to solve the most complex billing scenarios,” according to the company’s announcement. The product includes built-in regional compliance, advanced automation, and AI-powered analytics, aiming to ease friction for businesses with increasingly complex operations. For small business owners dealing with multiple pricing models—say a blend of subscription and usage-based pricing—the platform offers flexibility that many entry-level systems lack. Whether charging per project, by usage, or through flat-rate subscriptions, Zoho Billing adapts to those needs without requiring costly custom development or third-party plugins. One standout capability is automated collection workflows, which could be especially useful for small teams looking to cut down on late payments without dedicating staff to constant follow-ups. By reducing “Days Sales Outstanding”—a key metric that reflects how long it takes to get paid—small businesses may see improved cash flow and fewer headaches. The system also includes built-in revenue recognition features aligned with ASC 606 and IFRS 15 standards. That means finance teams—or often just the one person handling finances at a small company—can more easily recognize revenue in real time and shorten the month-end close process. This kind of visibility, often reserved for enterprises, could provide an edge for growing companies managing cash flow, investor relations, or future funding rounds. Another benefit: businesses expanding into international markets won’t have to bolt on compliance tools. The software includes 15 country-specific editions with local tax compliance and supports e-invoicing in nine countries, including Mexico, India, and Germany. Customer lifecycle management is also built into the core product, helping companies guide users from free trials through conversion, upgrades, and retention—useful for any SaaS-based or subscription-driven small business that needs to scale without manually tracking every customer movement. Zoho also brings its AI assistant, Zia, into the billing experience. Ask Zia acts as a finance-specific virtual assistant, offering insights on billing performance, customer behavior, and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, Zia Insights highlights anomalies in key financial reports, forecasts revenue trends, and flags potential risks or opportunities. This could help small business owners anticipate issues before they become costly and make faster, data-backed decisions—without needing a full analytics team. Of course, not every small business will need or be ready for the full scope of Zoho Billing Enterprise Edition. For simpler operations with limited pricing tiers or minimal international exposure, Zoho’s more basic plans may still offer the best balance of features and usability. The Enterprise Edition appears most beneficial for fast-growing firms that already face some of the billing complexity the software is designed to handle. Still, the move underscores a growing trend: tools once only accessible to large enterprises are becoming more approachable—and affordable—for smaller businesses with ambitions to scale. As competition increases and pricing models evolve, having flexible, intelligent billing infrastructure could make a real difference in long-term viability. Zoho’s latest update aligns with a broader push to integrate finance, operations, and automation into one platform. For small businesses looking to transition from startup tools to systems that grow with them, this release offers a compelling option—especially for those already embedded in the Zoho ecosystem. This article, "Zoho Unveils Enterprise Billing Edition for Greater Control and Agility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Small business owners navigating growth often face a tough choice: stick with simple tools that don’t scale or adopt complex enterprise systems designed for companies ten times their size. Zoho’s latest announcement signals a potential sweet spot for scaling businesses that need robust financial capabilities—without the burden of heavyweight enterprise software. This week, Zoho Corporation unveiled a new Enterprise Edition of Zoho Billing, expanding its Finance and Operations platform to serve larger and more complex organizations. But the move has real implications for mid-sized and growing small businesses looking to streamline billing, adopt modern pricing models, and gain real-time revenue insights—especially those with aspirations beyond domestic markets. “Zoho Billing Enterprise Edition offers businesses the flexibility to monetize using any modern revenue strategy, with the scalability to solve the most complex billing scenarios,” according to the company’s announcement. The product includes built-in regional compliance, advanced automation, and AI-powered analytics, aiming to ease friction for businesses with increasingly complex operations. For small business owners dealing with multiple pricing models—say a blend of subscription and usage-based pricing—the platform offers flexibility that many entry-level systems lack. Whether charging per project, by usage, or through flat-rate subscriptions, Zoho Billing adapts to those needs without requiring costly custom development or third-party plugins. One standout capability is automated collection workflows, which could be especially useful for small teams looking to cut down on late payments without dedicating staff to constant follow-ups. By reducing “Days Sales Outstanding”—a key metric that reflects how long it takes to get paid—small businesses may see improved cash flow and fewer headaches. The system also includes built-in revenue recognition features aligned with ASC 606 and IFRS 15 standards. That means finance teams—or often just the one person handling finances at a small company—can more easily recognize revenue in real time and shorten the month-end close process. This kind of visibility, often reserved for enterprises, could provide an edge for growing companies managing cash flow, investor relations, or future funding rounds. Another benefit: businesses expanding into international markets won’t have to bolt on compliance tools. The software includes 15 country-specific editions with local tax compliance and supports e-invoicing in nine countries, including Mexico, India, and Germany. Customer lifecycle management is also built into the core product, helping companies guide users from free trials through conversion, upgrades, and retention—useful for any SaaS-based or subscription-driven small business that needs to scale without manually tracking every customer movement. Zoho also brings its AI assistant, Zia, into the billing experience. Ask Zia acts as a finance-specific virtual assistant, offering insights on billing performance, customer behavior, and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, Zia Insights highlights anomalies in key financial reports, forecasts revenue trends, and flags potential risks or opportunities. This could help small business owners anticipate issues before they become costly and make faster, data-backed decisions—without needing a full analytics team. Of course, not every small business will need or be ready for the full scope of Zoho Billing Enterprise Edition. For simpler operations with limited pricing tiers or minimal international exposure, Zoho’s more basic plans may still offer the best balance of features and usability. The Enterprise Edition appears most beneficial for fast-growing firms that already face some of the billing complexity the software is designed to handle. Still, the move underscores a growing trend: tools once only accessible to large enterprises are becoming more approachable—and affordable—for smaller businesses with ambitions to scale. As competition increases and pricing models evolve, having flexible, intelligent billing infrastructure could make a real difference in long-term viability. Zoho’s latest update aligns with a broader push to integrate finance, operations, and automation into one platform. For small businesses looking to transition from startup tools to systems that grow with them, this release offers a compelling option—especially for those already embedded in the Zoho ecosystem. This article, "Zoho Unveils Enterprise Billing Edition for Greater Control and Agility" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

It's time to reset how we think about links and link building for SEO and AI search. The post Let’s Be Honest About The Ranking Power Of Links appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Zoho Corporation has unveiled a game-changing solution for larger businesses aiming to streamline their financial operations and enhance budget management. The newly launched Zoho Spend integrates essential functions such as payroll, accounts payable (AP) automation, corporate travel, employee expenses, and procurement into a single, user-friendly platform. This innovative offering is poised to transform how finance leaders manage company expenditures as they scale. Zoho Spend addresses a critical gap in spend management by consolidating various financial processes that are often managed through disparate systems. According to the company, many organizations struggle with fragmented oversight, compliance issues, and unmanaged costs due to this siloed approach. “Finance leaders lack 360-degree insights into company-wide expenses and purchases, and employees don’t have a unified way to track reimbursements or purchase requests,” the release noted. Zoho Spend aims to change that by providing a comprehensive dashboard that gives finance leaders the tools they need to control budgets, enforce governance, and curb unauthorized spending. Key features of Zoho Spend include: – Procurement Capabilities: The platform simplifies the source-to-pay process, allowing for digital vendor onboarding and management of requests for quotes (RFQs), purchase requisitions, purchase orders (POs), and bills all in one place. This integration enables businesses to gain valuable insights at both vendor and category levels, which can enhance negotiation strategies and procurement efficiency. – AP Automation: Utilizing OCR-based scanning, Zoho Spend captures bills automatically and streamlines the matching process for payments. The system allows for payment approvals, enabling businesses to make individual or batch payments and automate reconciliation processes. – Travel Booking: The self-booking travel tool provides employees with access to a global inventory of travel options, including 30+ direct New Distribution Capability (NDC) integrations. This feature ensures compliance with corporate travel policies while promoting cost savings and eliminating delays in booking. – Expense Management: The platform automates the expense reporting process, from receipt capture to reimbursements, while ensuring compliance with various policies, per diem rules, and tax regulations. – Payroll Processing: Zoho Spend simplifies payroll tasks across all 50 states, addressing the complexities of federal, state, and local tax compliance. Businesses can manage employee benefits and contributions seamlessly, making it easier for those with branches in multiple states to maintain compliance. For small business owners, the benefits of adopting Zoho Spend are clear. By consolidating multiple financial functions into a single platform, businesses can gain enhanced visibility into their expenditures, streamline processes, and ultimately improve their bottom line. The comprehensive nature of the software means that small businesses can operate more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of errors and compliance issues that often arise from using multiple systems. However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Implementing a new system can involve a learning curve for employees and may require upfront investment in training and integration. Additionally, businesses must ensure that the software meets their specific needs and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. As Zoho Spend becomes available immediately, small business owners looking to enhance their financial management capabilities can explore its features further. The platform aims to empower organizations by transforming spend management into a strategic advantage. For more information about Zoho Spend, interested parties can visit the official website at Zoho Spend. This launch reflects Zoho Corporation’s commitment to providing innovative solutions that cater not only to large enterprises but also to the growing needs of small businesses in the evolving marketplace. This article, "Zoho Launches Zoho Spend, Revolutionizing Control Over Business Expenses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Zoho Corporation has unveiled a game-changing solution for larger businesses aiming to streamline their financial operations and enhance budget management. The newly launched Zoho Spend integrates essential functions such as payroll, accounts payable (AP) automation, corporate travel, employee expenses, and procurement into a single, user-friendly platform. This innovative offering is poised to transform how finance leaders manage company expenditures as they scale. Zoho Spend addresses a critical gap in spend management by consolidating various financial processes that are often managed through disparate systems. According to the company, many organizations struggle with fragmented oversight, compliance issues, and unmanaged costs due to this siloed approach. “Finance leaders lack 360-degree insights into company-wide expenses and purchases, and employees don’t have a unified way to track reimbursements or purchase requests,” the release noted. Zoho Spend aims to change that by providing a comprehensive dashboard that gives finance leaders the tools they need to control budgets, enforce governance, and curb unauthorized spending. Key features of Zoho Spend include: – Procurement Capabilities: The platform simplifies the source-to-pay process, allowing for digital vendor onboarding and management of requests for quotes (RFQs), purchase requisitions, purchase orders (POs), and bills all in one place. This integration enables businesses to gain valuable insights at both vendor and category levels, which can enhance negotiation strategies and procurement efficiency. – AP Automation: Utilizing OCR-based scanning, Zoho Spend captures bills automatically and streamlines the matching process for payments. The system allows for payment approvals, enabling businesses to make individual or batch payments and automate reconciliation processes. – Travel Booking: The self-booking travel tool provides employees with access to a global inventory of travel options, including 30+ direct New Distribution Capability (NDC) integrations. This feature ensures compliance with corporate travel policies while promoting cost savings and eliminating delays in booking. – Expense Management: The platform automates the expense reporting process, from receipt capture to reimbursements, while ensuring compliance with various policies, per diem rules, and tax regulations. – Payroll Processing: Zoho Spend simplifies payroll tasks across all 50 states, addressing the complexities of federal, state, and local tax compliance. Businesses can manage employee benefits and contributions seamlessly, making it easier for those with branches in multiple states to maintain compliance. For small business owners, the benefits of adopting Zoho Spend are clear. By consolidating multiple financial functions into a single platform, businesses can gain enhanced visibility into their expenditures, streamline processes, and ultimately improve their bottom line. The comprehensive nature of the software means that small businesses can operate more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of errors and compliance issues that often arise from using multiple systems. However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Implementing a new system can involve a learning curve for employees and may require upfront investment in training and integration. Additionally, businesses must ensure that the software meets their specific needs and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. As Zoho Spend becomes available immediately, small business owners looking to enhance their financial management capabilities can explore its features further. The platform aims to empower organizations by transforming spend management into a strategic advantage. For more information about Zoho Spend, interested parties can visit the official website at Zoho Spend. This launch reflects Zoho Corporation’s commitment to providing innovative solutions that cater not only to large enterprises but also to the growing needs of small businesses in the evolving marketplace. This article, "Zoho Launches Zoho Spend, Revolutionizing Control Over Business Expenses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

You’ve probably seen them: clutch purses designed to look like croissants, anime-inspired hot sauce gear, purposefully ketchup-stained shirts, and even fried chicken perfumes. It seems like many of our favorite food brands are betting on merch, with surprisingly effective results. While some might see these as stunts or a new revenue play, it’s more meaningfully a reflection of cultural and consumer shifts. Consumers today aren’t just eating at these restaurants, they’re fans of the brands themselves. Chain restaurants like Waffle House, Applebee’s, or Cracker Barrel occupy a unique emotional space. Just as people support sports teams, they express fandom for these cultural icons. And their proud embrace of brand merch isn’t ironic or an inside joke. Whether it’s through TikTok-famous denim “McMerch” or retro restaurant lampshades, brands are making genuine connections. There’s a strong element of nostalgia driving this. Research of Gen Z, millennials and Gen-X reveal high levels of historical nostalgia compared with baby boomers and the silent generation. For fast casuals, this leads to people celebrating the brands they grew up with; ones that feel like part of their personal and cultural history. But social media plays a role here as well—turning consumers into more than customers, but advocates and extensions of the brand. Branded apparel like shirts, hats, or hoodies become a vehicle for that expression. Aligning with a beloved restaurant can feel like joining a community, and social media amplifies that connection. In our current times of economic uncertainty, brand advocacy becomes even more valuable. That’s why fast casual apparel and other collaborations can help maintain visibility, attract new audiences, and reinforce loyalty; smart plays if done thoughtfully. Brands worth wearing Today’s fast casual chains face mixed economic realities. Some brands are thriving; others are struggling under macroeconomic pressure. Young and lower-income consumers, for example, are spending less at chain restaurants, likely due to tighter budgets. When forced to choose between dining out and cooking at home, many opt for the latter. But these iconic restaurant brands are also having a cultural moment. We now live in a “post-ironic” world. In the 1990s, wearing fast-food or diner merch might’ve been tongue-in-cheek. Today, it’s a genuine cultural statement. People are earnestly celebrating brands that once might have been considered lowbrow. This reflects a larger postmodern blending of “high” and “low” culture, where Michelin-star restaurants serve burgers, and cultural hierarchies have softened. Consumers see authenticity and nostalgia as valuable, not kitsch. Adding to that, these brands now have the ability to reach audiences in new ways: digitally and socially, creating activation opportunities far beyond traditional marketing. Together, this creates a climate where, suddenly, people are not only open to wearing their favorite food brands, they crave it. And while the initial impact for brands can be more revenue, its real value lies in brand building, deepening affinity, and strengthening the relationship between brands and their audiences. What food fandom craves While demand is up, adding a logo to a hat or shirt isn’t enough. Instead, creating the right opportunity means translating the brand experience into something people genuinely want to live with; something that both celebrates what makes the brand itself and taps into what’s happening in culture. The goal is to take the rituals, emotions, humor, or nostalgia tied to the brand and express them through products that feel culturally current, functional, or stylish enough to belong in people’s real lives. Take Arby’s “13 Hour Drip Fit,” a recent project where we collaborated to transform a familiar part of the Arby’s experience—the messy joy of eating barbecue—into a wearable cultural moment. The napkin-made clothing line was playful, self-aware, and unmistakably Arby’s, while also speaking to fashion’s fascination with absurdity and craft. Other ideas, like the Pizza Hut–inspired “Hut Hat,” work because they tap into a universally recognizable brand experience—the lights over the tables—while aligning with culture’s embrace of bold, nostalgic statement pieces that feel both fun and genuinely wearable. As importantly, when executed well, these types of collaborations generate buzz, encourage social sharing, and attract influencers organically. Our “13 Hour Drip Fit” spread everywhere from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to the media to TikTok, earning valuable organic reach in the process. In these instances, success isn’t just measured by sellouts but by cultural resonance and conversation. Of course, when stepping outside the norms of fast casual marketing, there’s always a danger in overdoing things. Brands that chase trends or follow others risk appearing derivative. But playing it too safe leads to stagnation, and fast casuals can’t afford to rely solely on traditional pricing tactics to serve their hungry fandom. It’s those brands ready to create products that surprise and delight audiences that will spark the type of cultural conversation that will expand their reach. View the full article

Google’s shift to AI Mode reshapes local SEO by elevating entity authority, verified data, and structured facts as the defining drivers of visibility. The post How Will AI Mode Impact Local SEO? appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Countries that looked down on the Gulf’s ‘kafala’ system are edging closer to creating their own View the full article