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Freshworks has recently launched significant new features for its AI-powered IT management platform, Freshservice, aimed at enhancing employee experience (EX) and streamlining service delivery. These capabilities come in response to a pressing issue in the industry: the growing complexity and fragmentation of IT tools which has been contributing to employee burnout and reduced productivity. At a recent event, Freshworks highlighted the need for organizations to overcome the challenges presented by cumbersome software, which nearly 20% of IT leaders say leads to team burnout. Additionally, 29% of employees report productivity loss due to inefficient tools. These insights come from Freshworks’ latest Cost of Complexity Report, shedding light on a critical pain point for many small businesses struggling to maintain operational efficiency. “Many teams are stuck battling complexity, leading to fragmented processes and reactive practices,” said Srini Raghavan, Chief Product Officer at Freshworks. The new updates aim to address this by embedding AI-powered capabilities that enhance service delivery, allowing teams to resolve issues proactively rather than reactively. Among the most notable features is the enhanced Freddy AI Agents, which simplify self-service processes for employees. These agents integrate seamlessly with popular platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Drive, allowing users to get assistance without breaking their workflow. This integration could be particularly beneficial for small businesses, where employees often juggle multiple tools and responsibilities. Another significant enhancement is the AI-powered Intelligent Routing. This feature ensures that once an IT support ticket is raised, it is directed to the appropriate team instantly based on their workload and expertise. This not only speeds up resolution times but also improves the overall experience for employees who rely on IT support. The integration of Digital Employee Experience (DEX) platforms allows for real-time device health insights, enabling IT teams to prevent issues before they impact employees. For instance, when a user’s laptop begins to slow down, the system can automatically gather telemetry data—like CPU and memory usage—and generate a ticket with all the necessary information. This proactive approach helps IT teams resolve issues remotely, minimizing downtime. Companies like Porsche eBike Performance have already seen the benefits of these capabilities, leveraging Freshservice’s AI-driven features to improve their IT efficiency. The multilingual knowledge base and conversational support provided by Freshservice have made it easier for users to find the help they need quickly, which is crucial in small business environments where time is always of the essence. However, integrating these advanced technologies does present challenges. Smaller businesses may encounter hurdles in the form of initial setup complexity or a learning curve as employees adapt to new systems. Owners must also weigh the investment against potential returns, particularly if their existing tools are serving their needs adequately. Despite these concerns, the value proposition of adopting AI-driven solutions is compelling. For example, Freshworks reports that organizations using Freddy AI Insights have improved their first-contact resolution rates significantly, with Fox Communities Credit Union achieving a 96% success rate in this area. Such efficiencies can be transformative for small businesses, enabling them to scale their IT support and focus on core operations. Freshworks has garnered positive feedback in recent market evaluations, being named a strong performer in The Forrester Wave for Enterprise Service Management Platforms. The report highlighted strengths in areas such as ease of use, proactive alert management, and customer service excellence. As small business owners navigate the complex landscape of IT management, leveraging tools that integrate AI for operational efficiency and enhanced employee support could prove essential. While the benefits are clear, careful consideration of deployment and adaptation is crucial for maximizing these solutions’ potential impact on business growth and employee satisfaction. For additional information on these updates and their implications, visit Freshworks’ official announcement here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Freshworks Unveils AI Enhancements to Streamline IT Service Management" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Freshworks has recently launched significant new features for its AI-powered IT management platform, Freshservice, aimed at enhancing employee experience (EX) and streamlining service delivery. These capabilities come in response to a pressing issue in the industry: the growing complexity and fragmentation of IT tools which has been contributing to employee burnout and reduced productivity. At a recent event, Freshworks highlighted the need for organizations to overcome the challenges presented by cumbersome software, which nearly 20% of IT leaders say leads to team burnout. Additionally, 29% of employees report productivity loss due to inefficient tools. These insights come from Freshworks’ latest Cost of Complexity Report, shedding light on a critical pain point for many small businesses struggling to maintain operational efficiency. “Many teams are stuck battling complexity, leading to fragmented processes and reactive practices,” said Srini Raghavan, Chief Product Officer at Freshworks. The new updates aim to address this by embedding AI-powered capabilities that enhance service delivery, allowing teams to resolve issues proactively rather than reactively. Among the most notable features is the enhanced Freddy AI Agents, which simplify self-service processes for employees. These agents integrate seamlessly with popular platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Drive, allowing users to get assistance without breaking their workflow. This integration could be particularly beneficial for small businesses, where employees often juggle multiple tools and responsibilities. Another significant enhancement is the AI-powered Intelligent Routing. This feature ensures that once an IT support ticket is raised, it is directed to the appropriate team instantly based on their workload and expertise. This not only speeds up resolution times but also improves the overall experience for employees who rely on IT support. The integration of Digital Employee Experience (DEX) platforms allows for real-time device health insights, enabling IT teams to prevent issues before they impact employees. For instance, when a user’s laptop begins to slow down, the system can automatically gather telemetry data—like CPU and memory usage—and generate a ticket with all the necessary information. This proactive approach helps IT teams resolve issues remotely, minimizing downtime. Companies like Porsche eBike Performance have already seen the benefits of these capabilities, leveraging Freshservice’s AI-driven features to improve their IT efficiency. The multilingual knowledge base and conversational support provided by Freshservice have made it easier for users to find the help they need quickly, which is crucial in small business environments where time is always of the essence. However, integrating these advanced technologies does present challenges. Smaller businesses may encounter hurdles in the form of initial setup complexity or a learning curve as employees adapt to new systems. Owners must also weigh the investment against potential returns, particularly if their existing tools are serving their needs adequately. Despite these concerns, the value proposition of adopting AI-driven solutions is compelling. For example, Freshworks reports that organizations using Freddy AI Insights have improved their first-contact resolution rates significantly, with Fox Communities Credit Union achieving a 96% success rate in this area. Such efficiencies can be transformative for small businesses, enabling them to scale their IT support and focus on core operations. Freshworks has garnered positive feedback in recent market evaluations, being named a strong performer in The Forrester Wave for Enterprise Service Management Platforms. The report highlighted strengths in areas such as ease of use, proactive alert management, and customer service excellence. As small business owners navigate the complex landscape of IT management, leveraging tools that integrate AI for operational efficiency and enhanced employee support could prove essential. While the benefits are clear, careful consideration of deployment and adaptation is crucial for maximizing these solutions’ potential impact on business growth and employee satisfaction. For additional information on these updates and their implications, visit Freshworks’ official announcement here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Freshworks Unveils AI Enhancements to Streamline IT Service Management" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The diplomatic rift between Beijing and Tokyo is also a test of Washington’s appetite for engagement with the regionView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. Back in the pre-pandemic days of 2019, I was looking for a universal travel adapter to accompany me across the world. I stumbled upon this older one by Epicka and bought it almost without thinking, something I rarely do. That turned out to be one of my best purchase decisions ever, because that travel adapter is still going strong. I've taken it to multiple countries and have used it extensively while traveling to remote locations in India, where you don't always have a reliable power supply. Last year, I gave it away to a friend I met during a meditation retreat, and she's been happily using it since then. This is the first time I've had a travel adapter for that long. I'd bought a few crappy ones before and they couldn't always reliably charge multiple devices or last very long. This Epicka unit was quite impressive in that regard, but it did have a couple of limitations. It was a fairly slow charger, and it had only one USB-C port. I've been looking to upgrade to a better travel adapter for about a year now, and I think I'm going to do it this time. Epicka has another model with three USB-C ports and support for up to 75W charging, which makes it ideal for me. That one is now down to its lowest ever price in an early Black Friday deal. Epicka Universal Travel Adapter, GaN 75W $45.00 at Amazon $60.00 Save $15.00 Get Deal Get Deal $45.00 at Amazon $60.00 Save $15.00 Even at the deal price of $45 (15% off), it is a bit pricey, but I think the premium is worth paying for a fast charger from a brand with a good track record. I will say that this product is a bit bulky and some people will prefer to travel with a more compact charging adapter, but its size never bothered me much. You also get two USB-A ports (one on each side) in this adapter, which is good for those with older charging cables. This Epicka universal travel adapter has a 4.8 rating on Amazon, with a total of 336 reviews at time of writing. The general consensus among Amazon reviewers is that this is a great product. One review says that if you charge multiple devices, this adapter splits power evenly across the devices, which means that all devices will be charged reasonably quickly. It has plugs for the US, UK, Australia, and EU, and a nice locking mechanism to keep the plugs in place. Note, though, that if you're planning to use high-wattage electronics such as hair dryers with this adapter, then it's not for you. This adapter is also not a voltage converter, so be sure to check if your electronics ship with a built-in converter when using the Epicka adapter in other countries. Most phone and laptop chargers are dual voltage, so you probably won't have to worry about it much, but safety first. How long do Black Friday deals really last? Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. Are Black Friday deals worth it? In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday? Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Wireless Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $24.99 (List Price $49.99) NEW Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $298.00 (List Price $429.00) Shark AI Ultra Matrix Clean Mapping Voice Control Robot Vacuum with XL Self-Empty Base — $249.99 (List Price $599.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $349.99 (List Price $399.00) Western Digital 14TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive — $169.99 (List Price $279.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

More users are now spotting Google Ads embedded directly in Google’s AI Mode results, a sign that Google’s months-long test is quietly accelerating. What we’re seeing. Google confirmed ad testing in AI Mode on desktop back in May, but sightings have jumped of late: Greg Sterling shared a screenshot of an HVAC repair query and said this was the first AI Mode ad he saw in the wild. Brodie Clark replicated the behavior soon after, noting “the time has come” as he shared multiple screenshots of ads inside generated answers. Barry Schwartz reported ongoing reports of people running into AI Mode ads on Search Engine Roundtable. Why we care. Ads showing up inside AI Mode mark a major shift in how Google blends sponsored content with AI-generated answers. The change could reshape visibility, click-through rates, and the overall search experience. Early adopters could benefit from less competition, new formats, and stronger engagement. This is the clearest sign yet that AI Mode is becoming a real ad channel, not just an experiment. Between the lines. The expansion signals Google is moving to normalize ads inside AI experiences, likely ahead of a wider Search rollout. Bottom line. What started as a small experiment is now appearing more frequently. Advertisers should expect AI Mode to become a mainstream ad surface in Google Search. 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. Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. When buying a new device, it takes me a long time to actually click the "buy" button. I grew out of using my iPhone and Mac to read ebooks a few years ago, but I waited until this year to finally grab the e-reader I'd been eyeing since 2020. It's the Kindle Paperwhite, which I bought on discount a few months ago. I love it, which is why I'm happy to report that it's now on sale for Black Friday and is down to its lowest ever price. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Ad-Supported) $125.00 at Amazon $160.00 Save $35.00 Get Deal Get Deal $125.00 at Amazon $160.00 Save $35.00 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Ad-Free) $145.00 at Amazon $180.00 Save $35.00 Get Deal Get Deal $145.00 at Amazon $180.00 Save $35.00 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition $150.00 at Amazon $200.00 Save $50.00 Get Deal Get Deal $150.00 at Amazon $200.00 Save $50.00 SEE 0 MORE I know what you might be about to say, but buying a Kindle doesn't mean that you're forced to opt into Amazon's ebook ecosystem. I've successfully de-Amazoned my Kindle, and it's been going fine so far. You have lots of Amazon alternatives to buy ebooks, and I've made the most of the opportunity to read many of the DRM-free ebooks purchased over the years. The Kindle Paperwhite itself is a great device, too. It's quite snappy and doesn't show any performance issues even if you turn a lot of pages back-to-back. It's water-resistant, which means that you can use it by the pool, beach, or even while doing the dishes. And yes, there was a time when I got so locked into a book that I actually was reading the series even while doing the dishes. It was a bit annoying to stop and turn the page every minute or so, but the point is that I never worried about causing any water damage to my Kindle Paperwhite. Yes, there is a cheaper Kindle, too, but it lacks water resistance and has about half the battery life of a Paperwhite, which makes it less appealing to me. If you can afford to do so, I think buying the Kindle Paperwhite is the smart choice. But there still are a few more decisions to factor in. One is the color. The Paperwhite is available in black, green, and pink colors and all are currently at their lowest ever price. Once you've figured out your color, you need to choose if you're buying your Kindle with ads or ad-free. I always recommend spending the extra 20 bucks to get the ad-free version, but if lock screen ads don't bother you, then you can get the lower priced model. The third and final choice is whether you want to stretch your budget for the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. This variant has 32GB of built-in storage (double that of the regular Paperwhite), an auto-adjusting front light, and support for wireless charging. It's just $5 more than the ad-free Kindle Paperwhite at time of writing, and it's worth remembering that this variant also doesn't have ads. Personally, I think the choice is really between an ad-supported Paperwhite at $125 or an ad-free Paperwhite Signature Edition at $150. Both are great devices, so no matter what, you can't really go wrong. How long do Black Friday deals really last? Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. Does Amazon have Black Friday deals? Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it. Are Black Friday deals worth it? In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $279.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $248.00 (List Price $399.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Wireless Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $24.99 (List Price $49.99) NEW Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $298.00 (List Price $429.00) Shark AI Ultra Matrix Clean Mapping Voice Control Robot Vacuum with XL Self-Empty Base — $249.99 (List Price $599.00) Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $349.99 (List Price $399.00) Western Digital 14TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive — $169.99 (List Price $279.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

New research has found that AI-powered content moderation systems from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek don’t always come to the same conclusions about bad language on the internet. View the full article

Creating a monthly social media calendar is vital for streamlining your content strategy and maximizing engagement. By comprehending your audience’s demographics, you can select the right platforms and tailor your content effectively. Planning content themes in advance allows for a consistent posting schedule, whereas incorporating flexibility helps you stay relevant with trends. There are several key strategies to contemplate that can improve your approach. Let’s explore these fundamental tips to boost your social media presence. Key Takeaways Analyze your audience demographics to select the right platforms for effective engagement. Establish a consistent posting schedule based on audience activity patterns for maximum visibility. Plan monthly content themes to enhance creativity and maintain a steady flow of quality posts. Incorporate flexibility in your calendar to adjust for trending topics and current events. Regularly review performance metrics to optimize content strategy and improve engagement rates. Understand the Purpose of a Social Media Calendar To effectively manage your social media presence, it’s crucial to understand the purpose of a social media calendar. This strategic tool helps you plan, organize, and manage your upcoming posts across various platforms. By outlining key details like publish dates, content types, and messaging, you guarantee consistency and alignment with your marketing goals. Calendar examples demonstrate how to cover important dates and seasonal trends, engaging your audience based on their interests. A monthly social media calendar prevents content creation ruts, allowing you to maintain a steady flow of quality posts. In the end, a well-structured calendar promotes efficiency, improves content quality, and aligns your marketing efforts with your business objectives, making certain that you stay organized and on track. Choose the Right Platforms for Your Audience Selecting the right social media platforms is vital for effectively reaching your target audience. Start by analyzing your audience demographics to identify which platforms they frequent. For instance, 73% of U.S. adults use YouTube, whereas 69% are on Facebook, presenting significant engagement opportunities. If you’re targeting younger consumers, consider TikTok, where 60% of users are aged 16-24. Each platform has its unique trends; Instagram stands out in visual content, making it ideal for lifestyle brands, and LinkedIn is fundamental for B2B marketing. Use analytics tools to track engagement, as 63% of marketers see improved sales through social media. Finally, diversify your content across platforms—short videos thrive on TikTok, whereas long-form articles work best on LinkedIn. Plan Content Themes and Types Ahead of Time Planning content themes and types ahead of time is crucial for maintaining a cohesive narrative that aligns with your marketing objectives. By identifying key dates, holidays, and seasonal trends, you can create relevant content that resonates with your audience and boosts engagement rates. Researching audience preferences in advance helps you select effective content types, increasing the likelihood of capturing attention and driving interaction. A well-structured monthly theme improves creativity, allowing your team to brainstorm ideas within a specific context, thereby avoiding content fatigue. Utilizing a social media calendar template streamlines the planning process, making it easier to visualize content distribution. This guarantees a balanced mix of formats and messaging, in the end supporting your overall marketing strategy. Establish a Consistent Posting Schedule To establish a consistent posting schedule, you need to determine the ideal times for your audience and align your content with relevant events. Regular posting not just keeps your brand visible but additionally helps your audience anticipate your updates, boosting engagement. Determine Optimal Posting Times Many brands overlook the importance of determining ideal posting times, yet this step is crucial for maximizing engagement and reach on social media platforms. Analyzing your audience’s activity patterns can reveal when they’re most active, allowing you to post at prime times. Tools like Sprout Social’s ViralPost® can suggest the best posting times based on historical data and audience behavior. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule not merely boosts brand visibility but additionally nurtures audience trust. The ideal frequency differs by platform; for instance, aim for 1-2 posts daily on Instagram and 3-10 on Twitter. Regularly testing and adjusting your posting times based on metrics like engagement rates can improve your performance and strengthen your connection with your audience over time. Align Content With Events Aligning your content with relevant events and holidays can greatly boost audience engagement, as timely posts resonate more with followers who have an interest in those themes. Establishing a consistent posting schedule based on key dates improves visibility, with 60% of consumers expecting regular updates. A social media calendar can help diversify content, mixing promotional and engaging posts customized to audience interests. Event/Holiday Content Type Posting Frequency New Year Inspirational Quotes Weekly Valentine’s Day Promotional Offers Bi-weekly Earth Day Educational Posts Monthly Halloween Interactive Content Weekly Tracking engagement patterns will inform future strategies, leading to a potential 30% increase when aligned with expectations. Incorporate Flexibility for Timely Trends To effectively incorporate flexibility into your social media calendar, you should monitor current events and trending topics closely. By adapting your content strategy based on audience engagement and using relevant hashtags, you can greatly improve your reach and interaction rates. This approach not just keeps your brand relevant but likewise allows you to seize opportunities that arise from timely discussions. Monitor Current Events Even though planning your social media calendar is vital, it’s equally important to stay attuned to current events and trending topics. By monitoring these, you can tap into timely content that improves engagement by 30% among interested audiences. Flexibility in your calendar allows for quick adjustments to incorporate relevant news or viral content, potentially increasing your post reach by up to 50%. Utilizing social listening tools helps identify emerging trends, enabling you to craft posts that resonate with your audience. Effective monitoring can lead to higher engagement rates, as real-time content generates up to six times more interactions than pre-scheduled posts. Scheduling buffer periods in your calendar can help maintain relevance and responsiveness to capitalize on fast-moving trends. Adapt to Audience Engagement Incorporating flexibility into your social media calendar is vital for adapting to audience engagement effectively. Make room for timely trends and spontaneous content that resonates with your audience’s current interests, as this can greatly improve engagement rates. Regularly monitor real-time analytics and audience feedback to identify trending topics that fit seamlessly into your content strategy. Utilizing social listening tools will help you stay informed about emerging conversations that can connect you with your audience. Each month, allocate time to review and adjust your calendar based on audience engagement patterns. Striking a balance between scheduled posts and spontaneous content is important, especially since 78% of consumers prefer brands that respond to cultural and social trends. Use Trending Hashtags Using trending hashtags is a strong strategy to boost your social media presence and engage your audience effectively. Incorporating these hashtags into your monthly social media calendar can considerably increase your content’s visibility, as posts with hashtags see 12.6% more engagement. Monitoring ongoing trends allows you to stay relevant and join real-time conversations, potentially increasing user engagement by 33%. Flexibility in your content calendar is essential; it lets you quickly adapt and include trending hashtags, ensuring your posts resonate with current audience interests. Tools like Sprout Social can help identify these trending hashtags and analyze performance metrics, leading to data-driven content strategies. Engaging with trending topics improves brand awareness, as 70% of users prefer content tied to current events. Utilize Performance Metrics for Optimization To effectively optimize your social media strategy, it is essential to regularly monitor key performance metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion rates. Utilizing tools like Sprout Social helps generate reports that reveal which content types drive the highest engagement. Analyzing audience behavior patterns, like peak engagement times, allows you to align your posting schedule with when your audience is most active. Focus on high-performing content themes and formats, as indicated by your engagement data, to improve your overall content strategy. Continuously refine your social media calendar based on performance insights to boost ROI and guarantee your content strategy evolves with audience preferences and engagement trends. Metric Description Action Required Engagement Rate Measures interactions with posts Adjust content style Click-Through Rate Indicates link effectiveness Optimize call-to-action Conversion Rate Tracks completed desired actions Refine target audience Collaborate With Your Team for Better Engagement Collaborating with your team can greatly boost engagement on social media, as it brings together diverse perspectives that lead to more creative and compelling content. Regular team meetings to discuss strategies align everyone on goals, making it easier to track progress and adjust plans as needed. Using collaboration tools like Sprout Social increases efficiency, allowing team members to provide feedback, comment on drafts, and streamline the approval process. Involving individuals from different departments can offer unique insights, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of your posts. Studies show that companies with strong collaborative cultures are five times more likely to be high-performing, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in achieving social media success. Frequently Asked Questions How to Make a Good Social Media Calendar? To make a good social media calendar, start by defining your content themes and categories, ensuring they align with your brand and audience. Incorporate various content formats like videos and infographics to boost engagement. Schedule posts at ideal times for each platform, using tools like Buffer or Hootsuite for consistency. Organize your calendar in a customizable template, and aim to plan your content 2–4 weeks in advance for flexibility and alignment with campaigns. What Is a Social Media Calendar for the Month? A social media calendar for the month is a structured plan that outlines your scheduled posts across different platforms. It includes details like posting dates, times, content types, and channels, ensuring you maintain a consistent and strategic approach to your marketing efforts. What Is the Best Calendar for Social Media Planning? The best calendar for social media planning combines customizable templates with collaborative tools, allowing you to define your posting schedule and content types clearly. Options like Google Sheets and AirTable offer flexibility for tracking posts and ideas. For a more integrated approach, consider specialized software like Sprout Social or CoSchedule, which enable planning, scheduling, and performance tracking across various platforms, ensuring your social media efforts align with your marketing goals effectively. How Do You Determine the Best Posting Frequency for Your Social Media Calendar? To determine the best posting frequency for your social media calendar, analyze your audience’s engagement patterns. Typically, brands benefit from posting 1-2 times daily, but this varies by platform. For instance, Twitter thrives on multiple daily posts, whereas Instagram and Facebook favor fewer, high-quality updates. Monitor competitors’ activity for insights, and use social media tools to identify ideal posting times. Regularly review performance metrics to refine your strategy effectively. Conclusion In conclusion, creating a monthly social media calendar requires careful planning and analysis. By comprehending your audience, selecting appropriate platforms, and establishing a consistent posting schedule, you can improve engagement. Flexibility for current trends and using performance metrics will help optimize your strategy. Collaborating with your team can yield varied insights, ensuring your content remains relevant. Regularly reviewing feedback allows you to adapt your approach, eventually leading to a more effective social media presence. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Tips for Your Monthly Social Media Calendar" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Creating a monthly social media calendar is vital for streamlining your content strategy and maximizing engagement. By comprehending your audience’s demographics, you can select the right platforms and tailor your content effectively. Planning content themes in advance allows for a consistent posting schedule, whereas incorporating flexibility helps you stay relevant with trends. There are several key strategies to contemplate that can improve your approach. Let’s explore these fundamental tips to boost your social media presence. Key Takeaways Analyze your audience demographics to select the right platforms for effective engagement. Establish a consistent posting schedule based on audience activity patterns for maximum visibility. Plan monthly content themes to enhance creativity and maintain a steady flow of quality posts. Incorporate flexibility in your calendar to adjust for trending topics and current events. Regularly review performance metrics to optimize content strategy and improve engagement rates. Understand the Purpose of a Social Media Calendar To effectively manage your social media presence, it’s crucial to understand the purpose of a social media calendar. This strategic tool helps you plan, organize, and manage your upcoming posts across various platforms. By outlining key details like publish dates, content types, and messaging, you guarantee consistency and alignment with your marketing goals. Calendar examples demonstrate how to cover important dates and seasonal trends, engaging your audience based on their interests. A monthly social media calendar prevents content creation ruts, allowing you to maintain a steady flow of quality posts. In the end, a well-structured calendar promotes efficiency, improves content quality, and aligns your marketing efforts with your business objectives, making certain that you stay organized and on track. Choose the Right Platforms for Your Audience Selecting the right social media platforms is vital for effectively reaching your target audience. Start by analyzing your audience demographics to identify which platforms they frequent. For instance, 73% of U.S. adults use YouTube, whereas 69% are on Facebook, presenting significant engagement opportunities. If you’re targeting younger consumers, consider TikTok, where 60% of users are aged 16-24. Each platform has its unique trends; Instagram stands out in visual content, making it ideal for lifestyle brands, and LinkedIn is fundamental for B2B marketing. Use analytics tools to track engagement, as 63% of marketers see improved sales through social media. Finally, diversify your content across platforms—short videos thrive on TikTok, whereas long-form articles work best on LinkedIn. Plan Content Themes and Types Ahead of Time Planning content themes and types ahead of time is crucial for maintaining a cohesive narrative that aligns with your marketing objectives. By identifying key dates, holidays, and seasonal trends, you can create relevant content that resonates with your audience and boosts engagement rates. Researching audience preferences in advance helps you select effective content types, increasing the likelihood of capturing attention and driving interaction. A well-structured monthly theme improves creativity, allowing your team to brainstorm ideas within a specific context, thereby avoiding content fatigue. Utilizing a social media calendar template streamlines the planning process, making it easier to visualize content distribution. This guarantees a balanced mix of formats and messaging, in the end supporting your overall marketing strategy. Establish a Consistent Posting Schedule To establish a consistent posting schedule, you need to determine the ideal times for your audience and align your content with relevant events. Regular posting not just keeps your brand visible but additionally helps your audience anticipate your updates, boosting engagement. Determine Optimal Posting Times Many brands overlook the importance of determining ideal posting times, yet this step is crucial for maximizing engagement and reach on social media platforms. Analyzing your audience’s activity patterns can reveal when they’re most active, allowing you to post at prime times. Tools like Sprout Social’s ViralPost® can suggest the best posting times based on historical data and audience behavior. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule not merely boosts brand visibility but additionally nurtures audience trust. The ideal frequency differs by platform; for instance, aim for 1-2 posts daily on Instagram and 3-10 on Twitter. Regularly testing and adjusting your posting times based on metrics like engagement rates can improve your performance and strengthen your connection with your audience over time. Align Content With Events Aligning your content with relevant events and holidays can greatly boost audience engagement, as timely posts resonate more with followers who have an interest in those themes. Establishing a consistent posting schedule based on key dates improves visibility, with 60% of consumers expecting regular updates. A social media calendar can help diversify content, mixing promotional and engaging posts customized to audience interests. Event/Holiday Content Type Posting Frequency New Year Inspirational Quotes Weekly Valentine’s Day Promotional Offers Bi-weekly Earth Day Educational Posts Monthly Halloween Interactive Content Weekly Tracking engagement patterns will inform future strategies, leading to a potential 30% increase when aligned with expectations. Incorporate Flexibility for Timely Trends To effectively incorporate flexibility into your social media calendar, you should monitor current events and trending topics closely. By adapting your content strategy based on audience engagement and using relevant hashtags, you can greatly improve your reach and interaction rates. This approach not just keeps your brand relevant but likewise allows you to seize opportunities that arise from timely discussions. Monitor Current Events Even though planning your social media calendar is vital, it’s equally important to stay attuned to current events and trending topics. By monitoring these, you can tap into timely content that improves engagement by 30% among interested audiences. Flexibility in your calendar allows for quick adjustments to incorporate relevant news or viral content, potentially increasing your post reach by up to 50%. Utilizing social listening tools helps identify emerging trends, enabling you to craft posts that resonate with your audience. Effective monitoring can lead to higher engagement rates, as real-time content generates up to six times more interactions than pre-scheduled posts. Scheduling buffer periods in your calendar can help maintain relevance and responsiveness to capitalize on fast-moving trends. Adapt to Audience Engagement Incorporating flexibility into your social media calendar is vital for adapting to audience engagement effectively. Make room for timely trends and spontaneous content that resonates with your audience’s current interests, as this can greatly improve engagement rates. Regularly monitor real-time analytics and audience feedback to identify trending topics that fit seamlessly into your content strategy. Utilizing social listening tools will help you stay informed about emerging conversations that can connect you with your audience. Each month, allocate time to review and adjust your calendar based on audience engagement patterns. Striking a balance between scheduled posts and spontaneous content is important, especially since 78% of consumers prefer brands that respond to cultural and social trends. Use Trending Hashtags Using trending hashtags is a strong strategy to boost your social media presence and engage your audience effectively. Incorporating these hashtags into your monthly social media calendar can considerably increase your content’s visibility, as posts with hashtags see 12.6% more engagement. Monitoring ongoing trends allows you to stay relevant and join real-time conversations, potentially increasing user engagement by 33%. Flexibility in your content calendar is essential; it lets you quickly adapt and include trending hashtags, ensuring your posts resonate with current audience interests. Tools like Sprout Social can help identify these trending hashtags and analyze performance metrics, leading to data-driven content strategies. Engaging with trending topics improves brand awareness, as 70% of users prefer content tied to current events. Utilize Performance Metrics for Optimization To effectively optimize your social media strategy, it is essential to regularly monitor key performance metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion rates. Utilizing tools like Sprout Social helps generate reports that reveal which content types drive the highest engagement. Analyzing audience behavior patterns, like peak engagement times, allows you to align your posting schedule with when your audience is most active. Focus on high-performing content themes and formats, as indicated by your engagement data, to improve your overall content strategy. Continuously refine your social media calendar based on performance insights to boost ROI and guarantee your content strategy evolves with audience preferences and engagement trends. Metric Description Action Required Engagement Rate Measures interactions with posts Adjust content style Click-Through Rate Indicates link effectiveness Optimize call-to-action Conversion Rate Tracks completed desired actions Refine target audience Collaborate With Your Team for Better Engagement Collaborating with your team can greatly boost engagement on social media, as it brings together diverse perspectives that lead to more creative and compelling content. Regular team meetings to discuss strategies align everyone on goals, making it easier to track progress and adjust plans as needed. Using collaboration tools like Sprout Social increases efficiency, allowing team members to provide feedback, comment on drafts, and streamline the approval process. Involving individuals from different departments can offer unique insights, enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of your posts. Studies show that companies with strong collaborative cultures are five times more likely to be high-performing, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in achieving social media success. Frequently Asked Questions How to Make a Good Social Media Calendar? To make a good social media calendar, start by defining your content themes and categories, ensuring they align with your brand and audience. Incorporate various content formats like videos and infographics to boost engagement. Schedule posts at ideal times for each platform, using tools like Buffer or Hootsuite for consistency. Organize your calendar in a customizable template, and aim to plan your content 2–4 weeks in advance for flexibility and alignment with campaigns. What Is a Social Media Calendar for the Month? A social media calendar for the month is a structured plan that outlines your scheduled posts across different platforms. It includes details like posting dates, times, content types, and channels, ensuring you maintain a consistent and strategic approach to your marketing efforts. What Is the Best Calendar for Social Media Planning? The best calendar for social media planning combines customizable templates with collaborative tools, allowing you to define your posting schedule and content types clearly. Options like Google Sheets and AirTable offer flexibility for tracking posts and ideas. For a more integrated approach, consider specialized software like Sprout Social or CoSchedule, which enable planning, scheduling, and performance tracking across various platforms, ensuring your social media efforts align with your marketing goals effectively. How Do You Determine the Best Posting Frequency for Your Social Media Calendar? To determine the best posting frequency for your social media calendar, analyze your audience’s engagement patterns. Typically, brands benefit from posting 1-2 times daily, but this varies by platform. For instance, Twitter thrives on multiple daily posts, whereas Instagram and Facebook favor fewer, high-quality updates. Monitor competitors’ activity for insights, and use social media tools to identify ideal posting times. Regularly review performance metrics to refine your strategy effectively. Conclusion In conclusion, creating a monthly social media calendar requires careful planning and analysis. By comprehending your audience, selecting appropriate platforms, and establishing a consistent posting schedule, you can improve engagement. Flexibility for current trends and using performance metrics will help optimize your strategy. Collaborating with your team can yield varied insights, ensuring your content remains relevant. Regularly reviewing feedback allows you to adapt your approach, eventually leading to a more effective social media presence. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Tips for Your Monthly Social Media Calendar" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

President Donald The President is considering pressuring states to stop regulating artificial intelligence in a draft executive order obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, as some in Congress also consider whether to temporarily block states from regulating AI. The President and some Republicans argue that the limited regulations already enacted by states, and others that might follow, will dampen innovation and growth for the technology. Critics from both political parties — as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups — worry that banning state regulation would amount to a favor for big AI companies who enjoy little to no oversight. While the draft executive order could change, here’s what to know about states’ AI regulations and what The President is proposing. What state-level regulations exist and why Four states — Colorado, California, Utah, and Texas — have passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies. The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race. “It’s not a matter of AI makes mistakes and humans never do,” said Calli Schroeder, director of the AI & Human Rights Program at the public interest group EPIC. “With a human, I can say, ‘Hey, explain, how did you come to that conclusion, what factors did you consider?’” she continued. “With an AI, I can’t ask any of that, and I can’t find that out. And frankly, half the time the programmers of the AI couldn’t answer that question.” States’ more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs. Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the government’s own use of AI. What The President and some Republicans want to do The draft executive order would direct federal agencies to identify burdensome state AI regulations and pressure states to not enact them, including by withholding federal funding or challenging the state laws in court. It would also begin a process to develop a lighter-touch regulatory framework for the whole country that would override state AI laws. The President’s argument is that the patchwork of regulations across 50 states impedes AI companies’ growth, and allows China to catch up to the U.S. in the AI race. The president has also said state regulations are producing “Woke AI.” The draft executive order that was leaked could change and should not be taken as final, said a senior The President administration official who requested anonymity to describe internal White House discussions. The official said the tentative plan is for The President to sign the order Friday. Separately, House Republican leadership is already discussing a proposal to temporarily block states from regulating AI, the chamber’s majority leader, Steve Scalise, told Punchbowl News this week. It’s yet unclear what that proposal would look like, or which AI regulations it would override. TechNet, which advocates for tech companies including Google and Amazon, has previously argued that pausing state regulations would benefit smaller AI companies still getting on their feet and allow time for lawmakers develop a country-wide regulatory framework that “balances innovation with accountability.” Why attempts at federal regulation have failed Some Republicans in Congress have previously tried and failed to ban states from regulating AI. Part of the challenge is that opposition is coming from their party’s own ranks. Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said a federal law barring state regulation of AI was “Not acceptable” in a post on X this week. DeSantis argued that the move would be a “subsidy to Big Tech” and would stop states from protecting against a list of things, including “predatory applications that target children” and “online censorship of political speech.” A federal ban on states regulating AI is also unpopular, said Cody Venzke, senior policy council at the ACLU’s National Political Advocacy Department. “The American people do not want AI to be discriminatory, to be unsafe, to be hallucinatory,” he said. “So I don’t think anyone is interested in winning the AI race if it means AI that is not trustworthy.” —Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I’ve DIYed three kitchen and two bathroom renovations so far in my life; I’ve re-caulked countless old windows and doors; I’ve applied construction adhesive to a lot of things. And I’ve always struggled with caulking. It's difficult to get smooth, equal caulk lines, and when caulking large areas my arm gets pretty tired, especially if I’m pushing some thick and heavy material out of that tube. Plus, I always ended up wiping away accidents with my hands, leaving me smeared with caulk. After years of constant frustration, it finally occurred to me that the culprit might be the old-school manual caulk gun I’d been using for decades. It’s bent, rusted, and covered in a crust of old caulk, cement, and dirt; I couldn’t think of a single reason why I hadn’t upgraded it. When I did, I decided to try out a power caulking gun, so I picked up this cordless one by DeWalt. It's not the cheapest option, but I love this thing. DEWALT 20V MAX Caulking Gun $159.93 at Amazon $256.00 Save $96.07 Get Deal Get Deal $159.93 at Amazon $256.00 Save $96.07 What is a power caulking gun?A power caulking gun is similar to the standard manual tool you’re used to. It’s a bit bulkier and heavier, of course, but it operates in much the same way: You pop in a cartridge (or a sausage tube if your gun can switch between them), you cut the tip, and the rod pushes the caulk or adhesive out. The main difference is that the rod advances automatically when you press the trigger—you don’t have to keep exerting force with your hand, and caulk is dispensed continuously instead of in the chaotic waves I always managed manually. Why you need a power caulking gunWhat’s fantastic about this power caulk gun is the level of control. You can set the maximum and minimum speed of the tool precisely, so you get exactly the flow rate you need for your job, and you can change speed within that range easily with the trigger. It comes with different canister trays to accommodate different tubes, and it has a nifty little light that allows you to actually see what you’re doing—something I didn’t realize I needed until I experienced it. One thing I love is that the rod retracts when you release the trigger, preventing caulk or adhesive from oozing out of the tube. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set the caulking gun down to do something and discovered a nice pile of caulk on my floor. That’s not an issue any more. There’s a bit of a learning curve with this—it’ll take a moment to get a feel for the flow and to mentally calibrate what speed setting is right for what job. Once you get the hang of it, though, being able to caulk an entire run of tile or countertop without pausing feels like a superpower. And not getting covered in caulk is priceless. View the full article

One of the most energetic conversations around AI has been what I’ll call “AI hype meets AI reality.” Tools such as Semush One and its Enterprise AIO tool came onto the market and offered something we could not live without: The data on what was happening inside LLMs. How many citations were we capturing? How many mentions were our brands gobbling up? This data became, and still is, an incredible novelty. But with the data came questions like “What’s the ROI here?” and “How do I interpret this data and integrate it into my team’s actual marketing strategy?” It’s clear the data provided by these tools is very valuable and very intriguing, but what do you do with it? The fundamental problem with tracking LLMs Why should tracking LLMs be any more problematic than tracking traditional metrics like Google rankings? The truth is that a KPI like Google ranking does suffer from similar shortcomings. Rank doesn’t equate to dollars. In fact, rank does not necessarily mean there is traffic coming to the site. If Google has an AI Overview right on top of your ranking, traffic may well be minimal for that keyword. And even so, is your site getting the right traffic to meet your business goals? The difference between traditional Google rankings and LLM visibility is that the equation demonstrating the relationship between strong Google rankings and increased revenue is not complicated. People search for a keyword, your site ranks at the very top of the results, and then users are more likely to click on your organic listing rather than someone else’s. From there, you can track how the consumer behaved. Once they landed on your site, did they leave in three seconds flat? Abandon their cart? Make multiple purchases after multiple visits? Whatever the case, the connection is clear: SEO did its job by bringing people to the site. (Whether they were the right people is a conversation for another time.) Once we have people coming to the site from Google, we can track how good the CRO is or determine what needs to be adjusted in order to take the consumer from site visitor to site consumer. Meet our AI Visibility Toolkit Discover how you appear across LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI, and get AI-powered strategy recommendations. Explore the toolkit Get started with The transaction journey with an LLM is far more ethereal and disjointed. SEO and CRO work like brother and sister to create a transparent data journey. Conversely, LLMs are like your messy cousin who can’t figure out how to clean up after themselves at your grandmother’s 90th birthday party. Fundamentally, this is because Google Search was built to drive consumers to your ecosystem (i.e., your website). LLMs couldn’t give a hoot about your website. They are not built to deliver traffic as part of the pathway. Moreover, more and more data indicate what I feel has been obvious: LLMs are very top of the funnel. They are a starting point; a jumping-off point for users to further explore a topic or product. Evidence of this is found in basically every study under the sun, indicating that users tend to verify the information LLMs offer them. This construct makes turning LLM visibility data into something meaningful far more complex and layered than we’ve been used to with SEO data. Simply put, because LLMs don’t drive users to websites (an ecosystem we own and can measure), tracking their role—and therefore their value—within the conversion funnel gets incredibly tricky. Great, my brand saw a 1,000% increase in the number of mentions it ranks for inside ChatGPT. What now? What does that mean? How can I qualify it? Is there a simple CTR-type of metric that says, “If you are the first brand mentioned in an LLM’s output, there is an 11.5% chance the user will visit your website?” No. So, now what? Now we get to where this gets really interesting. The problem with the methodology Before we get into the weeds, I want to outline the basic methodology of how I approach utilizing LLM-related data. The issue with it is not how complex or simplistic the methodology for qualifying LLM visibility is or isn’t. It’s about how comfortable we are with it. The question of tracking LLM visibility in a more substantive way is not new. Not at all. Brand marketers have faced this problem since the dawn of the billboard. What makes this data process difficult for us is that we, as performance marketers, need to step out of our comfort zones for a moment. We’re very much used to direct attribution, direct data points, and not relying on correlational data. (I would venture that we’ve already been relying on correlational data, but this isn’t the place.) Regardless, the methodology around qualifying LLM performance is far more holistic, far more implicative, and far more correlative. Whereas performance marketers have historically been trying to create a data equation, they are now being asked to create an equation that fits into a certain picture or narrative rather than direct causation (or the appearance of it). That is new. Performance marketers are now being asked to create a narrative and a picture that shows the value of tracking LLM visibility. That picture is a little messier than the typical SEO or PPC reporting you may have done previously. However, marketers on the performance side are sitting on a wealth of information that their wider teams may not even be aware of. What you, as SEOs (and beyond), bring to the LLM visibility table is invaluable—once you get a little creative with it. The metrics and approach to measuring the impact of LLM visibility Since the metrics included in LLM visibility reports don’t create the direct relationship and pattern performance marketers are accustomed to, discovering the value brought to your organization is a more layered process. Before we dive in, it’s very important to understand what is happening within the full ecosystem of your company’s promotional efforts. If we’re creating a lot of correlated, but still deep, pictures and narratives, we have to know what should and shouldn’t be included in the data story, and how what’s included is best qualified. If, for example, your brand ran a huge TV ad campaign at the same time that your team “optimized” for LLM mentions, how do you identify the root cause of site traffic or branded searches on Google and the like? While it’s not impossible to identify causality, that can only happen when you have full awareness of the other activities your brand runs that may inform the same metrics you use to qualify LLM visibility. That caveat aside, what I tend to find is that the data from LLM visibility tracking is often the starting point for exploration and insight. This is unlike traditional SEO data, where the insights and end validation are much more closely seen, outward, and to a degree, “apparent.” I’ll give you an example. According to the Semrush AIO Enterprise tool, TCL’s 6-Series of TVs is a trending product: A good 8% of the prompts I am tracking in the project pull up a brand mention related to the product line. With traditional SEO data, there was a tendency to stop here (not that this inclination was correct either, in my honest opinion). However, while ChatGPT seems “eager” to mention the product line, actual people are looking for it with less frequency. In November 2024, the keyword “tcl 6 series” had a global search volume of 6K and a monthly search demand of 3.6K in the US: Those numbers fall considerably just one year later: In November of 2025, global search volume for the product fell by over 35% to 3.8K monthly searches, while demand in the US fell to 1.6K monthly Google searches. You can qualify this pattern in the branded traffic TCL receives from Google: In the above, the metric has essentially flattened. Going back to 2024, the brand has a consistent level of branded traffic from Google. Not so when you filter to only show TCL’s branded traffic as related to its 6 series TV product: In the above, you can see a serious decline in branded traffic associated with the product line, beginning in April 2024. At this point, we’re faced with a fundamental question: Does the product line have less interest because of a product issue, or is it simply getting outdone by a competitor? Qualifying this should be relatively easy. If I run a search for “is tcl 6 series a good tv,” the search results seem positive: While not perfect, the SERP points to the TV being a solid overall option. Google’s AI Overview confirms: Since it’s not a product problem, it most likely means it’s a market/competitor issue. When we zoom out and look at how TCL stacks up in terms of LLM visibility across all of its TV-related products, you can see it lags behind powerhouses Samsung and LG by a good 10 percentage points, if not more: Now we have a starting point to run with. The next step would be to more fully audit Samsung and LG from their campaigns, activities, market perception, and the like in order to see where TCL could make up some ground with a product people really seem to like. My point is that using LLM visibility is far, far more layered and strategic than most of the traditional SEO metrics we’ve worked with for years. There are insights there, but you have to delve further into them and use them as red flags that indicate starting points where further investigation is required. If you can do that, you can set yourself, your team, and your company apart with the information gained. The branded search of it all I want to focus more on using brand search to qualify LLM visibility. I touched on it in the section above, but I think brand search has always been a marketing insight goldmine, and now it’s even more valuable than before! One of my favorite cases highlighting the value of how branded search data qualifies LLM performance is the example of the chicken wing chains Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop. The legacy brand Buffalo Wild Wings, which offers a dine-in experience (as opposed to Wingstop), has 18.4K mentions and 3.2K cited pages across LLMs: Its newer (and takeout only) rival Wingstop (which has seen tremendous growth) pulls in about 4K fewer mentions but roughly the same amount of citations: The question is, why? Well, Wingstop has about 200K more followers on both TikTok and Instagram: It is seemingly the cooler, hipper, more trending brand. Yet, its LLM performance lags behind its legacy competitor. To me, the branded search data tells this story. It’s not a matter of who is more popular for LLMs, but rather, who is more well-known across the internet (and all of the various concepts subsumed under that notion). Both brands have similar branded search traffic trajectories. Below, Buffalo Wild Wings draws in 5M visitors from Google for branded keywords: Almost exactly how Wingstop performs here: What’s different, however, is not the raw branded traffic numbers. This goes back to what I was saying earlier about using search data creatively and holistically to pull back the layers and create a narrative. Most of us would have focused solely on the number of visitors coming to each brand via Google through branded keywords. However, if we’re trying to get a complete picture of what LLM visibility data is telling us, we need to start thinking about this data more broadly. In this case, I want to focus on the number of ranking branded keywords—not the traffic. In terms of raw branded traffic, both restaurant chains pull in around 5.8M users per month via some form or variation of their brand name. However, Buffalo Wild Wings uses roughly 360M keywords to get there: In comparison, Wingstop gets its branded traffic numbers from Google with just 169K branded keywords. From a pure performance point of view, is this significant? You could argue it’s not. However, from a perception point of view and from an understanding of the awareness of these brands (which ties right into LLM visibility)—this is huge. Imagine if Nike got 10M visitors per month via branded search, but only one keyword was involved: “nike shoes.” That’s a lot of missed awareness. Nike also offers exercise clothes, sports jerseys, and a variety of products. That’s a lot of missed awareness that LLMs are going to pick up on. If you’re trying to use branded search data as part of your process to qualify LLM visibility, you should not only look at raw traffic but also qualify the keywords driving that traffic. What I see here with the two chains is very much a case in point. Let’s search for only branded queries that are related to “sauce” (as in “wingstop best sauce”). Wingstop has 406 keywords that yield 10.4K monthly visitors from the SERPs. Conversely, Buffalo Wild Wings’ branded sauce keywords amount to 3.7K for a SERP traffic yield of 70.5K: Which brand, from this point of view, is doing a better job with product awareness and diversity? Is it any surprise then that Buffalo Wild Wings has a larger total monthly audience in LLMs than Wingstop (with “monthly audience” being defined by Semrush as “total search volume for all topics where your brand is mentioned [in LLMs])? Wingstop has a total monthly audience in LLMS of 56.8M: That’s impressive, but it’s not nearly as high as Buffalo Wild Wings’ 98.7M: And to me, that makes a lot of sense. Why? Because we took the initial LLM metrics presented to us and qualified them, then created a narrative that told the brand’s and the data’s story. So, coming back to a metric I purposefully glossed over earlier and seeing a discrepancy, it now makes total sense. This is how we need to approach measuring LLM visibility. It is the starting point. The data flagged that there may be an issue or an opportunity, and additional data was then required to contextualize and help us better understand what that issue or opportunity is. Direct traffic is your LLM data friend Branded search traffic and keyword search volumes are not the only metrics we can use to help us develop a fuller LLM data picture. It’s not even scratching the surface. There are all sorts of ways to give your LLM visibility data the narrative it needs. It can be anything from seeing correlations in how you resonate with your audience and who engages with your brand on social media to simply connecting the dots in your Google Analytics. One dot you could use in GA4 to help make that connection is your direct traffic. SEOs have long considered direct traffic a black hole, as anything that could not be properly attributed became “direct traffic.” While there is some truth to that, to me, direct traffic is fundamentally branded traffic. It indicates how well-known and adopted the brand has become that people simply type its domain into the browser and bypass everything algorithm-dependent (social, search, etc.). Tracking increases in LLM visibility alongside direct traffic can be a fabulous way to correlate the impact of AI brand awareness with actual consumer impact. Let’s go back to the earlier example we used with TCL and LG. Again, LG performs on a very different trend line than TCL does: And that makes good sense to a degree, because LG is simply a bigger brand. You can see this play out in the direct traffic comparisons between the two: LG (green line) is pulling in over 20M potential consumers per month via direct traffic. That’s mammoth compared to TCL. We can also see that LG is starting to pick up the amount of traffic it earns from LLMs: As this happens, and as we see LG gaining more momentum in LLMs, I would pay attention to the direct traffic metrics. If the trends of brand mentions and direct traffic start to move together in the same direction and at similar rates, that could be a positive signal that the LLM visibility is having a practical impact. (Again, you may not see the impact of LLM visibility in exactly this way, as the impact might instead appear in other metrics like increased branded search or others.) However, I would not rely on just one metric. Again, we’re creating a data picture. In this scenario, we’d have to determine if other factors (perhaps paid media) are increasing and driving direct traffic. Also, looking at other metrics like overall demand (via keyword search volumes) and branded traffic should all come together to paint that picture for you. Win every search with AI visibility + traditional SEO Built for how people search today. Track your brand across Google rankings and AI search in one place. Try free for 14 days Get started with It’s not about only one metric All I’ve done here is show you how I go about investigating and creating a narrative from LLM visibility data. This narrative is essential as it provides more depth and can be better attached to specific goals and actual KPIs. In the case illustrated here, I used search volume data, branded search data (in a very non-linear way), and some direct traffic data. But really, anything and everything can help tell your LLM-visibility-data story. Are bounce rates down in accordance with more LLM visibility? Does that help you gauge whether your audience targeting via LLM output is better than other places across the web? Whatever it may be, the idea is that there is a wealth of performance-focused search and marketing data available that you are already an expert in. You can bring that to the wider team and drive value with it. You have more insights available to you than mentions and citations. While those metrics are a great start and a huge piece of the puzzle, it’s what you do with that data and how you supplement it with the rest of your performance data stack that will provide the opportunity to showcase your expertise and added value. View the full article

Renters can now enroll in CreditClimb through Zillow to have their on-time rent payments reported to the three major credit bureaus. View the full article

Advanced Web Ranking’s Q3 2025 CTR report shows branded desktop clicks spreading across more results, while commercial and local SERPs keep tightening. The post Google CTR Trends In Q3: Branded Clicks Fan Out, Longer Queries Hold appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

So far, macOS hasn't been as big on theming and customization as I'd like, but that's changing with its newest version. In macOS 26 Tahoe, Apple's shipped a bunch of ways to customize the look and feel of your Mac's desktop, app icons, and menu bar, among other things. And there's more to it than just tweaking how Liquid Glass looks. If you're the sort of person who enjoys theming and customization, try these tips. Tweak app icons in the Dock Credit: Pranay Parab Your Mac's Dock probably has a bunch of colorful icons. I've always enjoyed those diverse colors, but others might want something more uniform. If you feel like going with a particular tint, or if you just want your app icons to use dark mode, it's just a quick tweak away. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen and go to System Settings > Appearance > Icon & widget style. Here, you can change the app icons to Dark, Clear, or Tinted. The Tinted option lets you select a single tint for all your app icons, so choose the color you like the most. Customize the clock in your Mac's lock screen Credit: Pranay Parab Once you upgrade to macOS Tahoe, you'll probably notice the new clock on your lock screen. You can tweak this to your liking, too. Just go to System Settings > Wallpaper > Clock Appearance. You can choose one of six clock styles. Don't forget to adjust the slider below the Weight option, which lets you change the font to make the clock look sleeker or more prominent. Customize the Control Center Credit: Pranay Parab With iOS 18's release in 2024, Apple started letting you customize your iPhone's Control Center. This year, that feature is finally on Mac, starting with macOS Tahoe. To use it, just click the Control Center button in the menu bar at the top of your Mac's screen, and select Edit Controls. There are plenty of controls to choose from, so take your time and add what you need. You can drag-and-drop any of the controls to move them around, or you can click the - (minus) button next to any control to remove it from the Control Center. Alternatively, you can tweak your control center under System Settings > Menu Bar > Menu Bar Controls. Add a background to the Mac menu bar Credit: Pranay Parab One of the more controversial changes to macOS Tahoe is the swap to a transparent menu bar. The clear color sometimes makes it harder to read text, but if you don't like that, you can restore a background to your menu bar. This feature is under System Settings > Menu Bar > Show menu bar background. Change folder icon colors on Mac Credit: Pranay Parab If you're tired of the default blue color for folder icons, macOS Tahoe lets you tweak this to suit your style. Go to System Settings > Appearance > Folder color and use the drop-down menu to change the color of folder icons. I'd have never thought of myself as a person who uses orange folder icons, but I suppose we all go through a tangerine season at some point in our lives. Switch Mac theme in Settings Credit: Pranay Parab macOS Tahoe also gives you limited control over your Mac's theme. If you go to System Settings > Appearance > Theme and pick a color, you'll notice that this color also applies to the cursor in writing apps, and the color of selected items in menus, too. On the same menu page, you can also choose a different color for highlighted text, which is a nice additional level of customization. It ensures that if I pick a particularly bright color for my overall theme, I can still choose a milder color for text selection. That helps me stay focused while I'm working, which is something I value a lot. View the full article

It’s a tough time to be looking for a job. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill. That’s caused many to limit new work to only a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, sizable layoffs have continued to pile up — raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs spanning from President Donald The President’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly — or, as seen with big names like Amazon, are redirecting money to artificial intelligence. Federal employees have encountered additional doses of uncertainty, impacting worker sentiment around the job market overall. Shortly after The President returned to office at the start of the year, federal jobs were cut by the thousands. And the record 43-day government shutdown also left many to work without paychecks. The impasse put key economic data on hold, too. In a delayed report released Thursday, the Labor Department said U.S. employers added a surprising 119,000 jobs in September. But unemployment rose to 4.4% — and other troubling details emerged, including revisions showing the economy actually lost 4,000 jobs in August. There’s also growing gender and racial disparities. The National Women’s Law Center notes women only accounted for 21,000 of September’s added jobs — and that Black women over the age of 20, in particular, saw unemployment climb to 7.5% for the month. The shutdown has left holes in more recent hiring numbers. The government says it won’t release a full jobs report for October. Here are some of the largest job cuts announced recently: Verizon In November, Verizon began laying off more than 13,000 employees. In a staff memo announcing the cuts, CEO Dan Schulman said that the telecommunications giant needed to simplify operations and “reorient” the entire company. General Motors General Motors moved to lay off about 1,700 workers across manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio in late October, as the auto giant adjusts to slowing demand for electric vehicles. Hundreds of additional employees are reportedly slated for “temporary layoffs” at the start of next year. Paramount In long-awaited cuts just months after completing its $8 billion merger with Skydance, Paramount plans to lay off about 2,000 employees — about 10% of its workforce. Paramount initiated roughly 1,000 of those layoffs in late October, according to a source familiar with the matter. In November, Paramount also announced plans to eliminate 1,600 positions as part of divestitures of Televisión Federal in Argentina and Chilevision in Chile. And the company said another 600 employees had chosen voluntary severance packages as part of a coming push to return to the office full-time. Amazon Amazon said last month that it will cut about 14,000 corporate jobs, close to 4% of its workforce, as the online retail giant ramps up spending on AI while trimming costs elsewhere. A letter to employees said most workers would be given 90 days to look for a new position internally. UPS United Parcel Service has disclosed about 48,000 job cuts this year as part of turnaround efforts, which arrive amid wider shifts in the company’s shipping outputs. UPS also closed daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of this year. Target Target in October moved to eliminate about 1,800 corporate positions, or about 8% of its corporate workforce globally. The retailer said the cuts were part of wider streamlining efforts. Nestlé In mid-October, Nestlé said it would be cutting 16,000 jobs globally — as part of wider cost cutting aimed at reviving its financial performance amid headwinds like rising commodity costs and U.S. imposed tariffs. The Swiss food giant said the layoffs would take place over the next two years. Lufthansa Group In September, Lufthansa Group said it would shed 4,000 jobs by 2030 — pointing to the adoption of artificial intelligence, digitalization and consolidating work among member airlines. Novo Nordisk Also in September, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said it would cut 9,000 jobs, about 11% of its workforce. The company — which makes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy — said the layoffs were part of wider restructuring, as it works to sell more obesity and diabetes medications amid rising competition. ConocoPhillips Oil giant ConocoPhillips announced plans in September to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs. Between 2,600 and 3,250 workers were expected to be impacted, with most layoffs set to take place before the end of 2025. Intel Intel has moved to shed thousands of jobs — with the struggling chipmaker working to revive its business. In July, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said Intel expected to end the year with 75,000 “core” workers, excluding subsidiaries, through layoffs and attrition. That’s down from 99,500 core employees reported the end of last year. The company previously announced a 15% workforce reduction. Microsoft In May, Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers across its workforce. And just months later, the tech giant said it would be cutting 9,000 positions — marking its biggest round of layoffs seen in more than two years. The company has cited “organizational changes,” but the labor reductions also arrive as the company spends heavily on AI. Procter & Gamble In June, Procter & Gamble said it would cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years, 6% of the company’s global workforce. The maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers said the cuts were part of a wider restructuring — also arriving amid tariff pressures. —Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP business writer View the full article

Shumeet Banerji’s departure is latest blow to the corporation View the full article

Headlines predicting another “AI winter” are beginning to emerge, and the numbers back the skepticism. MIT reports that while 80% of organizations have piloted GenAI and 40% report deployment, only 5% have reached scale, with seven of nine sectors showing no structural change. McKinsey finds the same disconnect: 36% of executives report no revenue impact, only 19% say revenues have grown more than 5%, and 87% admit growth is still years away. Adoption is everywhere, but impact is almost nowhere. But those headlines and numbers miss what’s happening inside enterprises right now. SEO leaders are being tapped to guide GEO—generative engine optimization. Not because we’re AI experts. Not because we know how every large language model works. We don’t. Much of it is opaque. We’re being asked to lead because SEO has always been about empathy—and that empathy now demands more than ever. SEO has never been just about keywords or rankings. At its core, it’s empathy on two fronts. Empathy for search engines: understanding that Google’s real goal has never been “quality content”—it’s maximizing queries and ad revenue. And empathy for users: removing friction so they can get what they want, even when the incentives of the platform weren’t aligned with theirs. Now comes a third empathy. Not for machines—they want nothing. But for the growth-at-all-costs giants building them. Their incentives are clear: maximum adoption, maximum stickiness, maximum usage. And just like Google, they’ll happily sacrifice accuracy to get it. Most SEO practitioners don’t want to admit this, but “just create good content” was always a lie. Google rewarded backlinks and its chosen favorites, nothing more. An algorithm built on patterns can’t tell garbage from great—and AI providers will be no different. Pretending otherwise is naïve. Meet our AI Visibility Toolkit Discover how you appear across LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI, and get AI-powered strategy recommendations. Explore the toolkit Get started with Capitalize on shifting incentives And this shift in incentives is already reshaping how teams inside the enterprise work together. Only weeks ago, PR blocked digital outreach requests from my team. But when I pitched a GEO pilot—using the same product descriptions across third-party sites to strengthen how generative engines interpret our offering—they were all in. That’s the difference: the same function that resisted collaboration suddenly leaned in when the frame moved from SEO to GEO. And empathy doesn’t stop at visibility. When someone finally does land on our site, the question isn’t “did we optimize for a keyword?” but “did we optimize for the journey?” Do they see the right message, the right next step, delivered with minimal friction? We used to call this conversion rate optimization. Is it SEO? Honestly, I don’t even know what SEO is anymore. What I do know is that to drive enterprise value, we need to evolve. The job isn’t about defending a label—it’s about aligning with outcomes. Speak the language of your (internal) audience This isn’t abstract. Here’s how I’ve been orchestrating at Adobe. Instead of optimizing for marginal traffic gains, I work across teams to align what really matters: With Product Marketing, that means using visuals to show, not tell. With Comms and Client Success, pulling case studies that speak directly to buyer needs. With PR, enforcing consistency on third-party sites so GEO doesn’t fragment. With Account Executives, digging into account conversations—who the contacts are, what objections surface, what prospects actually want. And, just as importantly, why they chose us over competitors. That intelligence feeds straight back into content and positioning. And this is only the content layer. The next frontier is data—curating our own ontology to unify how the enterprise describes itself, so every team—and every system—speaks the same language. Create the clarity everyone is looking for This is why enterprise teams are turning to us. Product, PR, Analytics, Compliance—they’re all looking for clarity now. And the uncomfortable truth is this: If we stay in our comfort zones, GEO will be claimed piecemeal by other functions. Product will optimize for features, PR will chase reputation, analytics will drown in dashboards—and the enterprise will end up with a patchwork of disconnected tactics. SEO should be the one to drive GEO because empathy is our core skill. We’ve always balanced platform incentives with user needs, turning ambiguity into alignment. That’s exactly what GEO requires. Without that orchestration, enterprises risk noise instead of clarity, activity instead of outcomes. Become the leader your team needs SEO isn’t dead. But it is unrecognizable from what it used to be. And it demands leadership now. Leadership means admitting we don’t know everything about LLMs, but we know how to orchestrate the right people into the room and align them on outcomes. Here’s the litmus test: If your reporting still begins and ends with traffic, rankings, or visibility dashboards, you’re already behind. The enterprise doesn’t need more proxies. It needs orchestration. And maybe that’s the point. Whatever we call this discipline, it’s not about optimization anymore. It’s about using empathy to orchestrate clarity—across platforms, across teams, across journeys. That’s the mandate. And if SEO doesn’t own it, no one will. So I’ll ask you—is SEO dead, or is it finally something bigger? View the full article

The controversy over Apple removing ICE tracking apps from its App Store isn’t over. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights group, has filed suit to compel the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to release documentation of their communications with Apple and other tech platforms that led to the app removals. It began in October when Apple first removed an app called ICEBlock, which allows users to report Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in their area. Attorney General Pam Bondi took credit for the takedown, telling reporters, “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store—and Apple did so.” The Attorney General’s office claimed the apps presented “safety risks” for ICE agents. In the days that followed, Apple removed several other similar apps, explaining that they could potentially be used to target law enforcement officials. The company says the apps violate section 1.1.1 of its app store guidelines, which prohibits “[d]efamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about … targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate or place a targeted individual or group in harm’s way.” Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information. And it wasn’t just Apple. Meta removed a Facebook group with 80,000 members called ICE Sighting-Chicagoland at the request (or demand) of the government. Chicago residents had been using the apps to warn neighbors when the masked federal agents were near area schools, grocery stores, and other community locations. Google removed an ICE tracking app called Red Dot from its Google Play store, saying the app violated its policy against apps that share the location of what it describes as a “vulnerable group.” Bondi vowed to “continue engaging tech companies” on the issue. But how the government engages matters, explains Mario Trujillo, one of the EFF attorneys who filed the lawsuit. “This has a lot of first amendment issues, and there’s this narrow line between permissible government persuasion and then impermissible unconstitutional coercion,” Trujillo says. “To really understand whether or not the government violated the first amendment, you really have to analyze the actual conversations.” Trujillo says the language and tone used by the government also matters. “Was there an implicit threat or the threat of consequences if they didn’t do something?”. The EFF says people have a protected First Amendment right to document and share information about law enforcement activities performed in public. If government officials coerce third parties into suppressing protected activity, the group says, this can be unconstitutional, as the government cannot do indirectly what it is barred from doing directly. In October, the EFF submitted a Freedom of Information Act request with the DOJ, the DHS agencies (including ICE) asking for the communications with the tech companies. None of the agencies responded, so EFF filed suit to compel the release of the records, Trujillo says. Trujillo adds that it’s likely that other advocacy groups or media outlets have submitted similar FOIAs. Whoever succeeds in getting the communication records will make them public. If the communications reveal that the government coerced or threatened the tech companies, the stage may be set for a First Amendment lawsuit against the government. The developer of the ICEBlock app, Joshua Aaron, believes the removal of his app is a violation of his First Amendment rights, and intends to fight Apple’s decision in court. Attempts to contact Aaron weren’t immediately successful. “The app was thoroughly vetted for three weeks by Apple’s legal and senior officials before approval,” Aaron told Decrypt. “It’s been fine all this time. For them to do it now, that’s why I say I’m so disappointed.” View the full article

After being cold-shouldered in 2018, the crown prince is once again being embraced by governments and investorsView the full article

Latest Ukraine peace plan presented by the US would be a capitulation to Moscow View the full article

Jonathon Heard, Industry Head, Insurance at Google, spoke at Simply Business headquarters in London yesterday and told the audience that Google Search will soon route complex queries entered into the Google Search box directly into AI Mode, bypassing Google Search completely. Plus, he also said that Google is indeed working on breaking out better reporting in Google Search Console for AI Mode and AI Overviews. Bypassing Google Search. Jonathon Heard said, “with Gemini 3, we’re gonna auto route complex queries through to AI mode automatically. So they’re live in the US at the minute they’re being tested.” An audience member then asked Jonathon Heard, “When you say auto group, do you mean if somebody searches for a query in normal Google search, could it automatically be go into AI Mode?” Jonathon Heard confirmed by saying, “Yeah, absolutely.” In which that audience memeber replied, “Okay. So the, That’s quite a big, That’s quite a big change.” Heard replied that Google announced this with the Gemini 3 launch. Google did write, “And in the coming weeks, we’re also enhancing our automatic model selection in Search with Gemini 3. This means Search will intelligently route your most challenging questions in AI Mode and AI Overviews to this frontier model.” Google once hinted this before, when Google AI Mode may become the default Google Search. But then Google said no, this is not happening and backtracked some of those comments. Robby Stein of Google told us then, “wouldn’t read too much into this. we’re focusing on making it easy to access AI Mode for those who want it.” AI Mode & AI Overview Search Console data. Simon Schnieders, Founder of Blue Array, who was moderating the panel, asked Jonathon Heard of Google, “Did. I, did I miss He, by the way, you think that we’re gonna be getting, uh, AI mode AI, sorry, AI mode, AI views split out in Search Console at some future stage.” Right now, Google lumps AI Overviews and AI Mode data directly into Search Console’s overall web search data. Making it impossible to see how well a site performs within AI Mode, specifically, or in the AI Overview feature. Heard replied that Google is looking at it and later explained that the only way forward, based on the changes to Google Search and the interfaces, is to provide new data. Heard said, “You are not allowed to ask questions. Sure. That so that was so bad. We’re looking at it. Okay. Yeah, We’re looking at it as a minute.” Simon Schnieders responded, “Okay. That’s good to, because you are the first Googler that’s ever mentioned that, so yeah. I’ll write that down.” Heard replied: “Yeah, yeah. It’s moving really, really fast. Clearly, clearly, as we experiment with this stuff, we’re also gonna have to change the reporting structure. It’s moving really, really fast. Clearly, clearly, as we experiment with this stuff, we’re also gonna have to chan that sits underneath it. And so, you know, AI Mode is launched here, is powered by Gemini 2.5 at the minute, once we start to auto route some of those queries. And I think that that’s then an interesting question for what we do about how we help businesses understand where the traffic is going and what the sources of those are. So we are looking at it, as I said, it’s a, it’s a constant conversation. We’ve not announced anything publicly yet, but you can sort of see that the reporting structures that have existed for a while would have to adapt for the new world that we’re moving into.” Here is the video of the event: Why we care. When Google bypasses Google Search and send people directly to Google AI Mode, that will change the searcher experience in a massive way. It will also change how searchers find your websites, content, products and services. Plus, Google has been avoiding talking about AI Mode and AI Overview data in Search Console since it demo’ed SGE, the previous name for AI Overviews. View the full article

The The President administration announced on Thursday new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems, as President Donald The President seeks to expand U.S. oil production. The oil industry has been seeking access to new offshore areas, including Southern California and off the coast of Florida, as a way to boost U.S. energy security and jobs. The federal government has not allowed drilling in federal waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which includes offshore Florida and part of offshore Alabama, since 1995, because of concerns about oil spills. California has some offshore oil rigs, but there has been no new leasing in federal waters since the mid-1980s. Since taking office for a second time in January, The President has systematically reversed former President Joe Biden’s focus on slowing climate change to pursue what the Republican calls U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. The President, who recently called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” created a National Energy Dominance Council and directed it to move quickly to drive up already record-high U.S. energy production, particularly fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. Meanwhile, The President’s administration has blocked renewable energy sources such as offshore wind and canceled billions of dollars in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects across the country. The drilling proposal drew bipartisan pushback in Florida, where a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said the The President administration should reconsider and Republican Sen. Rick Scott said the state’s coasts “must remain off the table for oil drilling.” California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent The President critic, called the administration’s plan “idiotic.” Tourism and access to clean beaches are key parts of the economy in both states. Plans to allow drilling off California, Alaska and Florida’s coast The administration’s plan proposes six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030 in areas along the California coast. It also calls for new drilling off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico at least 100 miles from shore. Drilling leases would be sold in the newly designated South-Central Gulf region, adjacent to the central Gulf’s thousands of wells and hundreds of drilling platforms. The new designation distinguishes the targeted area from the Eastern Gulf where drilling is prohibited under a moratorium The President signed in his first term. Industry representatives said the change was aimed at addressing concerns from Florida officials who oppose drilling near their tourism-friendly coasts. The five-year plan also would compel more than 20 lease sales off the coast of Alaska, including a newly designated area known as the High Arctic, more than 200 miles offshore in the Arctic Ocean. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in announcing the sales that it would take years for the oil from new leases to get to market. “By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come,” Burgum said in a statement. The American Petroleum Institute called the new plan a “historic step” toward unleashing more offshore resources. Industry groups point to California’s history as an oil-producing state and say it already has infrastructure to support more production. Opposition from California and Florida Scott, a The President ally, helped persuade officials in The President’s first term to drop a similar offshore plan in 2018 when Scott was governor. Scott and Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody introduced legislation this month to maintain the drilling moratorium from The President’s first term. Newsom, who often touts the state’s status as a global climate leader, said in response to Thursday’s announcement that California would “use every tool at our disposal to protect our coastline.” California has been a leader in restricting offshore drilling since an infamous 1969 Santa Barbara spill helped spark the modern environmental movement. While no new federal leases have been offered since the mid-1980s, drilling from existing platforms continues. Newsom expressed support for greater offshore controls after a 2021 spill off Huntington Beach and has backed a congressional effort to ban new offshore drilling on the West Coast. A Texas-based company, with support from the The President administration, is seeking to restart production in waters off Santa Barbara damaged by a 2015 oil spill. The administration has hailed the plan by Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. as the kind of project The President wants to increase U.S. energy production. The President signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to reverse Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts. A federal court later struck down Biden’s order to withdraw 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development. Environmental and economic concerns over oil spills Lawmakers from California and Florida warned new offshore drilling would hurt coastal economies, jeopardize national security, ravage coastal ecosystems, and put the health and safety of millions of people at risk. “This is not just a little bit offshore drilling. This is the entire California coast, every inch of Alaska, even the eastern Gulf of Mexico,” said California Rep. Jared Huffman. “Basically, everywhere Big Oil has been salivating to drill for decades.” Rep. Jimmy Patronis of Florida led a group of Republican lawmakers who asked The President in a Thursday letter to withdraw some parcels off the Florida coast from leasing. They warned that oil exploration could interfere with a training area for nearby military airbases. Allowing the parcels to go forward “would have a chilling effect on the military’s ability to test new munitions, including hypersonic and counter drone weaponry,” they wrote. The state is also still recovering from the environmental and economic havoc caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, which fouled coasts across the Gulf, said Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor. A Santa Barbara group, the Environmental Defense Center, formed in response to the 1969 California spill, said the plan puts at risk the Santa Barbara Channel off Southern California, an important feeding ground for endangered blue, humpback, and fin whales. “There is no way to drill for oil without causing devastating impacts,” said Maggie Hall, deputy chief counsel at the advocacy group. “The risk is unacceptable.” —Matthew Daly and Matthew Brown, Associated Press Associated Press reporters Julie Watson, Sophie Austin, and Kate Payne contributed to this report. View the full article

Intuit Inc. has partnered with Cherry Bekaert, a significant player in the advisory, assurance, and tax sectors, to deliver a new solution aimed at small and mid-market businesses grappling with the complexities of growth. The initiative focuses on the Intuit Enterprise Suite—an AI-powered enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to streamline operations and enhance profitability. For small business owners, this collaboration highlights the increasing importance of adopting advanced technologies to maintain competitiveness. Intuit’s solution promises to alleviate common pain points experienced by growing businesses, such as managing multiple software applications and facing the high costs associated with outdated ERP systems. As Simon Williams, Vice President of Intuit’s accountant segment, states, “This partnership enables Cherry Bekaert to continue to meet the needs of its scaling clients with Intuit Enterprise Suite to streamline workflows and deliver proactive, data-driven insights that drive faster decisions and fuel profitability.” The Intuit Enterprise Suite aims to simplify financial management for mid-market businesses by consolidating essential functions—like financial reporting, payroll, and marketing—into a singular, cloud-based platform. This integrated approach helps businesses avoid fragmented tech stacks where multiple applications create data silos. Consequently, business owners can benefit from improved visibility into their operations and make more informed, data-supported decisions. Practical applications of the Intuit Enterprise Suite are clear. For instance, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, using this suite, has streamlined its finances and reporting processes. As Joseph Edwards, Executive Vice President of Cojeaux Cinemas, remarked, “Intuit Enterprise Suite streamlines our finances and reporting, delivers insights that guide operations, and allows us to spend less time in the back office, so we can focus on what matters most: our team members and our guests.” Such examples illustrate how the ERP system not only simplifies administrative tasks but also enhances overall business focus. However, adopting new technology can be met with challenges. Small business owners should consider the potential learning curve associated with implementing the Intuit Enterprise Suite. Transitioning to a new system often requires time and training, potentially diverting attention from day-to-day operations. Additionally, the costs associated with integrating an advanced ERP solution may initially appear daunting, even if the long-term benefits suggest savings in both time and money. Intuit and Cherry Bekaert plan to kick off their partnership with a series of informational events targeting CFOs, controllers, and business owners in various U.S. cities. Designed to showcase financial strategies for scaling businesses, these events will cover how to streamline operations using Intuit’s solutions and Cherry Bekaert’s advisory services. Matt Brady, Chief Growth Officer at Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC, encapsulates the vision behind this collaboration: “Intuit Enterprise Suite is reimagining ERP software with a disruptive platform solution that meets the needs of complex businesses with end-to-end financial management and workflow automations.” Ultimately, the partnership between Intuit and Cherry Bekaert represents a strategic step towards modernizing the financial landscapes of mid-market businesses. As the industry evolves, small business owners have a unique opportunity to leverage AI-driven technology tailored to their specific needs. For more detailed information, you can view the original press release on the Intuit website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Intuit Partners with Cherry Bekaert to Launch AI-Driven ERP Solution" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Intuit Inc. has partnered with Cherry Bekaert, a significant player in the advisory, assurance, and tax sectors, to deliver a new solution aimed at small and mid-market businesses grappling with the complexities of growth. The initiative focuses on the Intuit Enterprise Suite—an AI-powered enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to streamline operations and enhance profitability. For small business owners, this collaboration highlights the increasing importance of adopting advanced technologies to maintain competitiveness. Intuit’s solution promises to alleviate common pain points experienced by growing businesses, such as managing multiple software applications and facing the high costs associated with outdated ERP systems. As Simon Williams, Vice President of Intuit’s accountant segment, states, “This partnership enables Cherry Bekaert to continue to meet the needs of its scaling clients with Intuit Enterprise Suite to streamline workflows and deliver proactive, data-driven insights that drive faster decisions and fuel profitability.” The Intuit Enterprise Suite aims to simplify financial management for mid-market businesses by consolidating essential functions—like financial reporting, payroll, and marketing—into a singular, cloud-based platform. This integrated approach helps businesses avoid fragmented tech stacks where multiple applications create data silos. Consequently, business owners can benefit from improved visibility into their operations and make more informed, data-supported decisions. Practical applications of the Intuit Enterprise Suite are clear. For instance, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, using this suite, has streamlined its finances and reporting processes. As Joseph Edwards, Executive Vice President of Cojeaux Cinemas, remarked, “Intuit Enterprise Suite streamlines our finances and reporting, delivers insights that guide operations, and allows us to spend less time in the back office, so we can focus on what matters most: our team members and our guests.” Such examples illustrate how the ERP system not only simplifies administrative tasks but also enhances overall business focus. However, adopting new technology can be met with challenges. Small business owners should consider the potential learning curve associated with implementing the Intuit Enterprise Suite. Transitioning to a new system often requires time and training, potentially diverting attention from day-to-day operations. Additionally, the costs associated with integrating an advanced ERP solution may initially appear daunting, even if the long-term benefits suggest savings in both time and money. Intuit and Cherry Bekaert plan to kick off their partnership with a series of informational events targeting CFOs, controllers, and business owners in various U.S. cities. Designed to showcase financial strategies for scaling businesses, these events will cover how to streamline operations using Intuit’s solutions and Cherry Bekaert’s advisory services. Matt Brady, Chief Growth Officer at Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC, encapsulates the vision behind this collaboration: “Intuit Enterprise Suite is reimagining ERP software with a disruptive platform solution that meets the needs of complex businesses with end-to-end financial management and workflow automations.” Ultimately, the partnership between Intuit and Cherry Bekaert represents a strategic step towards modernizing the financial landscapes of mid-market businesses. As the industry evolves, small business owners have a unique opportunity to leverage AI-driven technology tailored to their specific needs. For more detailed information, you can view the original press release on the Intuit website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Intuit Partners with Cherry Bekaert to Launch AI-Driven ERP Solution" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article