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I used to treat comments like notifications I needed to just… clear. See comment > reply if I had time > move on. But when I crossed 10,000 followers on LinkedIn — a platform where genuine community building can have benefits way beyond engagement metrics — I knew I was not doing my audience (and myself) justice. Many of my creator teammates were running into similar issues, especially if they were active on multiple platforms. Replying to comments can be pretty time-consuming. You're jumping between apps, missing notifications, and losing track of conversations. Plus, you’re missing out on the powerful engagement boost that comes with actively responding to comments on your posts — that’s up to 42% more engagement. So, we built new features in Buffer to make this a whole lot easier. Now you can see and reply to comments from Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn — all in one workspace. For free. Meet CommunityCommunity is what we're calling Buffer's new engagement hub. It brings all your comments from Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky into one workspace. Our goal was to create a calm, productive space where you can easily manage all your comments. You can reply, dismiss, or turn interesting comments into new posts without switching apps. It's free for up to three channels, and it's designed to help you stay on top of conversations without the chaos of native platform notifications mixing everything together. ✨Get started with Community in 1 min →Built specifically for creators (of all stages)Most engagement tools weren't built for folks like us. They're priced for enterprises with dedicated social teams (at $500-2,000/month), which means that if you're a creator or small business, you're either paying way too much or piecing together native notifications across multiple apps. I think that's a problem. Comment management shouldn't only be accessible to big brands. So we made it free. With Buffer, you get comment management for up to three social channels across LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook, and Bluesky for free. No credit card required. No trial period that ends in 14 days. Just access to the kinds of tools that were previously locked behind pricey enterprise software. What's inside CommunityCommunity goes beyond being a simple inbox. Here are all the things you can do in the new tab. Never miss a comment againNative platform notifications mix everything together. Someone followed you, someone left a comment, you got a DM — all competing for attention in one notifications feed. And that's without adding multiple platforms into the mix! We wanted Buffer to help filter through all this noise. In Community, comments stay visible until you take action. Every comment remains accessible, never buried under follow notifications or profile views. Control your comment queue with: Notifications when new comments arriveFilters to sort by unanswered, newest, oldest, or resolvedManual dismiss for comments that don't need repliesPersistent visibility until you respond or dismissYou decide what needs a response. Comments don't just disappear — they wait for your action. Turn comments into fresh contentMy best post ideas often come from comment threads. Someone asks a question I hadn't thought of, or mentions a pain point that resonates with others, which often sparks great content ideas. On TikTok, creators have been doing this for years with the reply-to-comment feature. Instagram has Q&A stickers. The pattern is pretty clear — your audience is telling you what they want to learn about. I think most social inbox tools miss this. They treat comments as tasks to clear. Buffer treats them as content opportunities. You can create posts directly from comment exchanges in two ways: Turn your own reply into a standalone postTurn someone else's comment into a postThis closes your content creation loop. You're finding your next post idea in the conversations you're already having. Comment Insights (powered by AI) are currently in beta and coming soon. They'll help you identify themes and patterns across all your comments, like: What questions keep coming up?What topics generate the most discussion?What's resonating with your audience?You'll get data-driven content ideas directly from your audience, across all your channels in one view. Track your engagement performance with Comment ScoreComment Score is designed to help motivate you — a bit like an accountability buddy. It tracks three things: Consistency — Are you showing up regularly to reply? (Week-over-week activity matters more than one-off bursts)Reply speed — How quickly do you respond? (First 2 hours = maximum points; algorithms notice fast replies)Response rate — What percentage of comments are you engaging with?Your score starts based on your existing comment history (0-100), so you'll see how you've been doing before you even start using Community. Visual feedback shows progress — think animations when you reply, confetti when you level up. Scores above 85-90 require 2-3 consecutive weeks of consistent replies. This prevents gaming the system with one-off activity spikes. I'll be honest, it's experimental. We're still tuning the algorithm. It's a hard problem to solve. Sometimes it might feel too harsh, sometimes too rewarding. Feedback is very welcome as we iterate to find the right balance! Get a dashboard that grows with youWhether you get 5 or 500 comments per post, we wanted Community to help you nurture and grow your audience. We know that folks on the different ends of this spectrum need different things, so we tailored it to match. For beginner creators You might not have a huge volume of comments to wrangle (yet!), but Community can still give you simple tools to stay consistent. You'll get: Notifications when you get a commentA focused interface to reply quicklyComment Score to track engagement habitsFor seasoned creators You need help sorting through volume and identifying what needs immediate attention. Filters to sort by unanswered, newest, oldest, and resolvedBulk resolve commentsAI-powered replies that learn from your past writing and help you reply faster while keeping your tone consistent. You stay in control — edit, customize, or send as-is.Coming soon, you'll get: Smart AI Triage to categorize comments (i.e. Needs Review vs. Simple Replies)Custom categories to sort by keywords, questions, or sentimentAdvanced filteringWhat else is coming to Community?We're super energized about Community's potential, and we're still hard at work bringing that to life. Here's what you can expect to find in your Community tab soon: 1. More channels Available now (6 channels): InstagramFacebookThreadsBlueskyXLinkedInComing soon: TikTok (most requested)Additional platforms to reach full coverage2. Smart AI Triage Automatically categorize your comments: Needs Review: Comments with substance, questions, multiple sentences — where human connection matters.Simple Replies: One-word responses, emojis, basic reactions — less meaningful interactions.This feature will also allow you to create custom rules, like: "Questions" → Auto-sort any comment with a question mark"Product mentions" → Flag when someone mentions specific keywords"Negativity" → Identify potential negative sentiment for priority response3. Comment Insights Soon you'll be able to ask questions about your comments across all channels with natural language answers, based on your comment history. You could ask things like: What's the dominant sentiment in my comments?What percentage of comments are in other languages?What themes keep coming up?What questions am I being asked most frequently?4. @mentions support At the moment, you can see comments only on posts you published. Soon, you'll see comments on posts where you're @mentioned (even if you didn't publish the original post). 5. Superfans I'm particularly excited about this one! With our upcoming Superfans feature, you'll be able to: Identify your most engaged followersSee common characteristicsDiscover content they're creatingBuild deeper relationships with top supportersThis moves beyond comment management into relationship intelligence — understanding who's truly engaged with your content, and how you can better create value for them. Replying actually helps your posts perform betterIf you needed a little extra nudge to check out Community (and just reply to those comments on your latest post): Our data scientist, Julian Winternheimer, recently analyzed nearly 2 million posts across 6 platforms. The findings were pretty clear: replying to comments boosts engagement consistently across every platform he studied. How much? It varies: Threads: +42% engagement liftLinkedIn: +30%Instagram: +21%Facebook: +9%X: +8%Bluesky: +5%Read the full analysis here → Get Community freeI'd never have been able to keep up with the comments I get on LinkedIn (a great problem to have!) without Community. Staying engaged there has led to some amazing opportunities for me, like conference speaking invitations, professional collaborations, and some really meaningful conversations about mental health, hiring practices, and company culture. I'm just having a really great time meeting interesting people from around the world and being able to engage in real conversation. And I hope Buffer can help more people experience that, too! ✨Get started with Community in 1 min →View the full article

“If you want engagement, do engagement.” It’s probably the simplest social media advice I’ve ever seen (hat tip to Buffer’s Suzanne Kelly and Carolyn Kopprasch for coining that) — and it’s 100% accurate. Not just anecdotally, either. Replying to comments on your posts can significantly boost engagement across six major platforms, according to a massive analysis by Buffer’s data scientist, Julian Winternheimer. He pored over nearly 2 million posts from over 220,000 accounts on Threads, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Bluesky. His conclusion was a clear and consistent pattern: Posts where creators and brands reply to comments perform better almost every time. You want receipts? Let’s dig into how Julian analyzed the data, along with social media engagement results from LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. Jump to a section: The analysis How replying to comments impacts engagement Threads LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Twitter/X Bluesky Community goes both ways The analysisAcross every platform, Julian used the same basic approach. Instead of comparing one account’s engagement to another’s (which would favor larger or more active accounts), he used fixed-effects regression models to effectively compare each account to itself over time. The models also controlled for factors such as account size, location, and niche. That means we asked: “When this same account replies to comments, how does its engagement change compared to when it doesn’t?” He also used Z-score analyses to measure how each post performed relative to the account’s typical engagement, giving us a second check that the lift we were seeing wasn’t random. (If you’re interested — and want more cool graphs — check Julian’s full analyses on his blog here.) A few caveats before we get into the numbers: We can’t perfectly measure cause and effect. It’s possible that high-performing posts attract more replies (and therefore more engagement) rather than the other way around.Sample sizes differ by platform, especially for newer ones like Bluesky.These results show directional evidence, not definitive truths — but the consistency across platforms is hard to ignore.✨Need help managing all your comments? See and reply to comments on all your platforms in a single dashboard. Get Buffer's new Community feature, free →How replying to comments impacts engagementBefore diving into each platform, here’s the big picture. Julian analyzed nearly 2 million posts from over 220,000 accounts. Across the board, social media posts with replied-to comments outperform those without — by anywhere from 5% to over 40%. Platform Engagement lift (vs. baseline) Threads +42% LinkedIn +30% Instagram +21% Facebook +9% Twitter/X +8% Bluesky +5% Let’s take a closer look in order of impact. ThreadsThreads is a platform built on conversations, and the numbers confirm it. Threads came out on top with the most significant increase — a 42% increase in engagement for posts where creators replied to comments. Julian analyzed over 128,000 Threads posts and found that engagement wasn’t just slightly higher — it was dramatically higher for those with comment replies. According to the Z-score analysis, which shows relative performance per post, controlling for differences across accounts, around two-thirds of profiles showed positive effects. Threads, a sister platform to Instagram, has a pretty unique approach to replies — so, it’s no surprise that the platform’s design rewards active discussion. In fact, replies are given the same visual weight as posts. “Elevating the reply to the same level as the original post allows for much more robust, diverse discourse,” Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said in an interview with The Verge. “Which is part of the reason we didn’t just try to shove this thing into the feed on Instagram or a separate tab.” It was a feature inspired by Twitter’s original design, but Threads has consistently leaned in on this. Mosseri has talked about the power of replies (on your own posts and others) many times. This quote from an interview with Platformer sums it up: “My advice is — and I think what a lot of people don't realize, because a lot of people are coming over from Instagram — they don't realize how important the reply game is. If you're really trying to grow your presence, you should reply much more than you post. And the sum of all your replies is about as valuable as the sum of all the value of all your posts.” Source: Threads: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Buffer Data Blog, September 2025 LinkedInSuzanne really was onto something about devoting time to engaging back on LinkedIn. The professional network saw a strong 30% lift in engagement for posts with replied-to comments. Julian analyzed 72,000 LinkedIn posts across nearly 25,000 accounts, and the results were remarkably consistent — within the same account, posts with replied comments significantly outperformed those without. Even when controlling for other factors like whether the post received comments at all, the effect held. According to the Z-score analysis, roughly 83% of profiles saw a positive difference when they replied. Anecdotally speaking, there’s another benefit to replying to comments on LinkedIn beyond your own posts. A thoughtful comment on a high-performing post can net you more followers, too. The platform now provides impression metrics for comments, which really solidifies how powerful this can be. Another Bufferoo LinkedIn creator, Simon Heaton, recently shared how a comment netted him nearly as many impressions as one of his own top-performing posts. Source: LinkedIn: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Buffer Data Blog, October 2025 InstagramOn Instagram, posts where creators replied to comments saw about 21% higher engagement on average — even after controlling for whether the post had comments at all. Julian’s fixed-effects model compared more than 700,000 Instagram posts across nearly 68,000 profiles and found a clear pattern: “When creators engage back in their comments, their posts perform better relative to their own baseline,” he concluded. Z-score analysis showed that posts with replied-to comments tended to score above an account’s usual engagement level, while those without replies sat slightly below. Around 63% of profiles showed positive effects overall. Source: Instagram: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Data Blog, October 2025 FacebookFacebook showed a smaller but still meaningful lift. Posts with comments that were replied to saw about a 9% increase in reactions, according to Julian’s fixed-effects regression model. That might sound modest, but it’s worth bearing in mind: Facebook’s engagement patterns are broader and more mature. Even a single-digit lift across a million posts is significant. Z-score analysis showed the same direction of effect — a slight but consistent bump for posts where creators engaged in the comments. About 54% of Facebook Pages performed better when they replied. Source: Facebook: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Buffer Data Blog, October 2025 Twitter/XOn X, the link between replying and engagement is more subtle. Posts where creators replied to comments saw around an 8% lift in engagement, according to Julian’s fixed effects regression model. Unlike the other analyses here, the effect is only marginally significant (p ≈ 0.097, in data science terms). That’s because Julian’s dataset included roughly 30,000 X posts from 16,000 accounts, but only about 2,100 posts had comments that were replied to — a relatively small sample size. Still, the data did align with trends from other platforms, and the Z-score analysis backed it up. Posts with replied comments sat slightly above each account’s baseline performance, with about 51% of accounts showing positive effects. One factor worth noting: X has multiple account tiers (Free, Basic, Premium, and Premium+), each with different algorithmic visibility. (Another of Julian’s recent studies uncovered that Premium subscribers tend to get around 10% more reach on their posts.) The fixed-effects model accounts for this by comparing each profile to itself — meaning the 8% lift reflects the true within-account effect of replying, not the influence of account type or audience size. Source: X: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Buffer Data Blog, November 2025 BlueskyAs for Bluesky, we’re still early in the data story. Out of 73,000 posts, only around 5,000 had comments that were replied to. But even in this smaller dataset, the trend held: posts with replies saw a 5% engagement lift. The effect was statistically significant but smaller than other platforms — likely due to the smaller sample size and the decentralized social platform’s newer, niche audience. Still, Z-score analysis suggested a similar pattern: posts with replied comments tended to sit slightly above each account’s usual engagement level. Source: Bluesky: Engagement and Replies — Julian Winternheimer, Buffer Data Blog, October 2025 Community goes both waysAcross five major platforms, the signal is pretty darn clear: Replying to your comments is strongly associated with higher engagement. Genuinely, this has to be one of my favorite Buffer data studies to date. It shows that the simple act of responding to those who took the time to engage with you is beneficial. And it’s no engagement “hack.” It’s less about gaming the algorithm and more about being… human? While we can’t yet claim direct causation, the consistency of these findings across very different social networks suggests a real behavioral effect. Help for staying on top of commentsThis advice is simple on paper, I know. Replying to all your comments as you grow can be really time-consuming — particularly if, like me, you’re actively creating across multiple platforms. If that’s your struggle, Buffer has got you. For free! We’ve just launched Community — a dashboard that pulls all your comments across platforms into a single place. And you can reply directly on there, too! Another handy feature is the Comment Score — a habit-building feature to help motivate you. The Comment Score tracks your consistency and speed over a period of time, helping you make social media engagement a ritual. ✨Get access to Community, along with all of Buffer’s planning and scheduling features, for free for up to 3 social platforms. Get started in under 1 min →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. Fire tablets have always been about stretching value, and the Amazon Fire Max 11 takes that idea further. It’s the biggest and most powerful tablet Amazon has made so far, but it stays well under the typical premium tablet price tag. Right now, a refurbished, like-new 64GB model with ads is down to $124.99 from $199.99 as an early Black Friday deal. Meaning, you’re basically getting a refreshed unit that looks new, works flawlessly, and costs a lot less. (For $65 more, you can get the 128GB version brand new and ad-free.) It came out last summer and earned PCMag’s Best Budget Tablet of the Year 2024—a solid endorsement for a device that’s meant to balance everyday use, streaming, and light work. Like-New Amazon Fire Max 11 64GB 11" Tablet (Gray) $124.99 at Amazon $199.99 Save $75.00 Get Deal Get Deal $124.99 at Amazon $199.99 Save $75.00 The 11-inch LCD is the largest in Amazon’s Fire lineup, offering a 2,000 x 1,200 resolution and 213 pixels per inch, making it sharp enough for reading, streaming, and casual sketching with the optional $29.99 stylus. It’s not as vibrant as an iPad, but it’s bright and crisp for the price, notes this PCMag review. The aluminum body gives it a sturdier, more polished feel than the plastic Fire models of the past, and the stereo speakers hold up surprisingly well for music and movies. There’s no headphone jack, which feels like an oversight, but Bluetooth 5.3 makes up for it with a stable connection for wireless headsets. Performance-wise, the octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, and the 64GB of internal storage (expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card) handle browsing, multitasking, and light gaming without much slowdown. Still, there are trade-offs. It runs FireOS 8, Amazon’s custom version of Android, which prioritizes Kindle, Prime Video, and Alexa over Google’s suite of services. It’s perfect if you’re already deep in Amazon’s ecosystem, but if you depend on Gmail, Maps, or Play Store apps, you’ll need to manually sideload them. The dual 8MP cameras perform fine for video calls and scanning, but that’s about it. Battery life realistically lasts around nine to 10 hours of typical use, and it charges over USB-C, though the included 9W charger feels slow compared to the 15W it supports. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Wireless Earbuds — $84.99 (List Price $129.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $324.99 (List Price $349.00) Shark AV2501AE AI XL Hepa- Safe Self-Emptying Base Robot Vacuum — $297.99 (List Price $649.99) Apple Watch Series 10 — $309.99 (List Price $429.00) Google Pixel 9 128GB Unlocked 6.9" OLED Smartphone (Obsidian) — $544.98 (List Price $799.00) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Sony WH-1000XM5 — $328.00 (List Price $399.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Wireless Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99) Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus 1080p Security Camera (White) — $99.99 (List Price $179.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Space weather forecasters issued an alert on Tuesday for incoming severe solar storms that could produce colorful northern lights and temporarily disrupt communications. In the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that could reach Earth Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The potential severe geomagnetic storms could disrupt radio and GPS communications, according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. How bright the auroras are and how far south they are visible will depend on when the solar bursts get here and how they interact with Earth’s atmosphere. The vibrant displays could be visible across much of the northern U.S., and as far south as Alabama and Northern California. How northern lights happen The sun is at the maximum phase of its 11-year activity cycle, making the light displays more common and widespread. Colorful northern lights have decorated night skies in unexpected places and space weather experts say there are more auroras still to come. Aurora displays known as the northern and southern lights are commonly visible near the poles, where charged particles from the sun interact with Earth’s atmosphere. Skygazers are spotting the lights deeper into the United States and Europe because the sun is going through a major face-lift. Every 11 years, its poles swap places, causing magnetic twists and tangles along the way. Last year, the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades slammed Earth, producing light displays across the Northern Hemisphere. And soon afterward, a powerful solar storm dazzled skygazers far from the Arctic Circle when dancing lights appeared in unexpected places including Germany, the United Kingdom, New England and New York City. The sun’s active spurt is expected to last at least through the end of this year, though when solar activity will peak won’t be known until months after the fact, according to NASA and NOAA. How solar storms affect Earth Solar storms can bring more than colorful lights to Earth. When fast-moving particles and plasma slam into Earth’s magnetic field, they can temporarily disrupt the power grid. Space weather can also interfere with air traffic control radio and satellites in orbit. Severe storms are capable of scrambling other radio and GPS communications. In 1859, a severe solar storm triggered auroras as far south as Hawaii and set telegraph lines on fire in a rare event. And a 1972 solar storm may have detonated magnetic U.S. sea mines off the coast of Vietnam. Space weather experts aren’t able to predict a solar storm months in advance. Instead, they alert relevant parties to prepare in the days before a solar outburst hits Earth. How to see auroras Northern lights forecasts can be found on NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center website or an aurora forecasting app. Consider aurora-watching in a quiet, dark area away from city lights. Experts recommend skygazing from a local or national park. And check the weather forecast because clouds can cover up the spectacle entirely. Taking a picture with a smartphone camera may also reveal hints of the aurora that aren’t visible to the naked eye. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Adithi Ramakrishnan, AP Science Writer View the full article

Google rolled out brand inclusion controls for Standard Shopping campaigns, a long-requested feature that gives advertisers direct control over which brands appear in their Shopping ads — without the need for complex workarounds. How it works: The new feature lets advertisers add or remove brand lists directly within the ad group targeting section of both Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns. Marketers can now define exactly which brands to include or exclude, preview the setup, and apply changes — all within the Google Ads interface. Why we care. Until now, brand targeting tools were only available in Performance Max and AI Max, leaving Standard Shopping advertisers to rely on search query scripts or intricate campaign setups to manage brand visibility. This update finally allows for direct control over which brands appear in your Standard Shopping ads—something previously limited to Google’s automated campaign types. It eliminates the need for clunky scripts or complex campaign setups, making it easier to manage brand visibility, protect budgets, and target high-value brand traffic with precision. In short, it’s a major efficiency and control win for retail advertisers. Between the lines. For retailers and ecommerce brands, the update bridges a major gap in Shopping campaign management. It allows teams to protect brand-specific budgets, control exposure in competitive categories, and eliminate wasted spend on unwanted brand traffic — all without third-party scripts or manual segmentation. First seen. This update was spotted by Senior Search Director at Spark Foundry Ryan Parks when he shared the new option on LinkedIn. The bottom line. With brand inclusions now available for Standard Shopping, advertisers finally gain the same control and efficiency enjoyed in Google’s automated campaign types — a quiet but powerful upgrade for precision retail advertising. View the full article

At the SAP TechEd 2025 event in Berlin, SAP SE unveiled groundbreaking innovations aimed at empowering developers and revolutionizing the integration of business data and artificial intelligence (AI) into real-world applications. Small business owners should take note: these advancements could provide significant opportunities for growth, efficiency, and innovation. SAP’s new offerings within the SAP Build solution are designed to enhance how developers create and automate applications. The latest features provide the autonomy to leverage popular development environments and tools, which can potentially reduce development time and costs—key considerations for small businesses with limited resources. “SAP’s announcements today give developers the tools they need to deliver at the speed of AI,” stated Muhammad Alam, a member of SAP’s Executive Board. This directive underscores SAP’s commitment to enhancing not just developer efficiency but also the overall business operations of companies that adopt its technologies. One highlight is the enhanced capabilities of SAP Build, which allows developers to use familiar tools like Visual Studio Code. A new extension for this software enables seamless integration with SAP Build, helping developers create applications directly within their preferred environments. Small businesses that utilize these development tools can build custom applications tailored to their specific needs without having to invest heavily in new software. A pivotal aspect for small businesses is the expanded data connectivity offered by the SAP Business Data Cloud. With new integrations featuring Snowflake, Databricks, and Google Cloud, businesses have the flexibility to operate their data workloads in environments they are comfortable with, ensuring they can extract valuable insights without compromising on data governance. This connectivity also streamlines the customer experience, as small businesses can create more personalized and responsive services. In addition to enhancing how businesses use data, SAP introduced SAP-RPT-1, a first-generation relational pre-trained transformer that helps companies predict key business outcomes, such as delivery delays and payment risks. This predictive capability is invaluable for small businesses that need to anticipate issues and strategize accordingly, allowing for proactive management that can lead to significant savings and improved service delivery. SAP’s AI assistants are another advancement that can benefit small businesses. These assistants can manage complex workflows and automate routine tasks across departments, from finance to human resources. This reduces the burden on small teams, enabling them to focus on growth and customer interaction rather than getting bogged down in repetitive tasks. However, despite the promising benefits, there are potential challenges that small business owners should be aware of. Transitioning to these new tools and technologies may require upfront investment in training and system updates. SAP has pledged to equip 12 million people worldwide with AI-ready skills by 2030, indicating an emphasis on upskilling employees. For small business owners, aligning this educational commitment with their own workforce training programs is essential to fully capitalize on these innovations. Moreover, as businesses increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, small companies must consider the balance between leveraging advanced technologies and the associated requirements for data privacy and security. As they adopt new tools, small businesses need to remain vigilant about compliance with regulations that govern consumer data and AI usage. In summary, SAP’s innovations at TechEd 2025 promise to provide small businesses with powerful tools to harness AI and data effectively. By leveraging these technologies, entrepreneurs can drive transformation, enhance operational efficiency, and improve customer service. However, thoughtful implementation and ongoing training will be essential to navigate the complexities accompanying these technological transitions. Small business owners interested in exploring these opportunities can find more detailed information at the SAP News Center to stay informed on how these advancements may reshape their operational landscapes. Image via Google Gemini This article, "SAP Unveils AI Innovations to Empower Developers for Fast Business Impact" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

At the SAP TechEd 2025 event in Berlin, SAP SE unveiled groundbreaking innovations aimed at empowering developers and revolutionizing the integration of business data and artificial intelligence (AI) into real-world applications. Small business owners should take note: these advancements could provide significant opportunities for growth, efficiency, and innovation. SAP’s new offerings within the SAP Build solution are designed to enhance how developers create and automate applications. The latest features provide the autonomy to leverage popular development environments and tools, which can potentially reduce development time and costs—key considerations for small businesses with limited resources. “SAP’s announcements today give developers the tools they need to deliver at the speed of AI,” stated Muhammad Alam, a member of SAP’s Executive Board. This directive underscores SAP’s commitment to enhancing not just developer efficiency but also the overall business operations of companies that adopt its technologies. One highlight is the enhanced capabilities of SAP Build, which allows developers to use familiar tools like Visual Studio Code. A new extension for this software enables seamless integration with SAP Build, helping developers create applications directly within their preferred environments. Small businesses that utilize these development tools can build custom applications tailored to their specific needs without having to invest heavily in new software. A pivotal aspect for small businesses is the expanded data connectivity offered by the SAP Business Data Cloud. With new integrations featuring Snowflake, Databricks, and Google Cloud, businesses have the flexibility to operate their data workloads in environments they are comfortable with, ensuring they can extract valuable insights without compromising on data governance. This connectivity also streamlines the customer experience, as small businesses can create more personalized and responsive services. In addition to enhancing how businesses use data, SAP introduced SAP-RPT-1, a first-generation relational pre-trained transformer that helps companies predict key business outcomes, such as delivery delays and payment risks. This predictive capability is invaluable for small businesses that need to anticipate issues and strategize accordingly, allowing for proactive management that can lead to significant savings and improved service delivery. SAP’s AI assistants are another advancement that can benefit small businesses. These assistants can manage complex workflows and automate routine tasks across departments, from finance to human resources. This reduces the burden on small teams, enabling them to focus on growth and customer interaction rather than getting bogged down in repetitive tasks. However, despite the promising benefits, there are potential challenges that small business owners should be aware of. Transitioning to these new tools and technologies may require upfront investment in training and system updates. SAP has pledged to equip 12 million people worldwide with AI-ready skills by 2030, indicating an emphasis on upskilling employees. For small business owners, aligning this educational commitment with their own workforce training programs is essential to fully capitalize on these innovations. Moreover, as businesses increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, small companies must consider the balance between leveraging advanced technologies and the associated requirements for data privacy and security. As they adopt new tools, small businesses need to remain vigilant about compliance with regulations that govern consumer data and AI usage. In summary, SAP’s innovations at TechEd 2025 promise to provide small businesses with powerful tools to harness AI and data effectively. By leveraging these technologies, entrepreneurs can drive transformation, enhance operational efficiency, and improve customer service. However, thoughtful implementation and ongoing training will be essential to navigate the complexities accompanying these technological transitions. Small business owners interested in exploring these opportunities can find more detailed information at the SAP News Center to stay informed on how these advancements may reshape their operational landscapes. Image via Google Gemini This article, "SAP Unveils AI Innovations to Empower Developers for Fast Business Impact" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google is expanding access to incrementality testing, rolling out major updates designed to help advertisers of all sizes measure the true, causal impact of their ads — what’s driving results and what’s not. Driving accessibility and accuracy. Google has slashed the minimum spend for incrementality tests from around $100,000 to just $5,000, dramatically lowering the barrier for smaller advertisers to measure ROI with scientific precision. Marketers can now run controlled experiments to isolate the lift generated by their campaigns and optimize budgets accordingly. At the same time, Google says it has improved the methodology behind incrementality testing through new statistical models that deliver up to 50% more conclusive results. The update aims to give marketers clearer, more reliable insights — and fewer inconclusive tests that stall decision-making. Faster insights, faster action. Google is also speeding up reporting and adding customization options for experiment design. Advertisers can now set custom test sizes, pick their preferred confidence levels, and view results directly in the interface. Faster turnaround means marketers can act on learnings more quickly — even when performance differences are subtle — to refine campaigns in near real time. A more complete measurement framework. Incrementality is now positioned as one piece of a broader measurement ecosystem alongside Marketing Mix Models (MMMs) and Attribution. MMMs show the big picture across channels and external factors. Incrementality provides causal data on specific campaigns. Attribution connects touchpoints to outcomes. Together, these tools create a holistic measurement strategy, helping brands calibrate models and gain a clearer view of what truly drives growth. Why we care. In a year where marketers are under more pressure than ever to justify spend, these updates make advanced incrementality experiments — once reserved for enterprise budgets — far more accessible and actionable, helping teams clearly link ad investments to revenue growth. The bottom line. With lower costs, better data, and faster reporting, Google’s incrementality updates make it easier for every advertiser — not just large ones — to prove what’s working, optimize spend, and strengthen confidence in marketing ROI. View the full article

“We didn’t plan to build a 100-person firm. We just wanted to work for ourselves.” Big 4 Transparency By Dominic Piscopo, CPA For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Dominic Piscopo. View the full article

“We didn’t plan to build a 100-person firm. We just wanted to work for ourselves.” Big 4 Transparency By Dominic Piscopo, CPA For CPA Trendlines Go PRO for members-only access to more Dominic Piscopo. View the full article

Claude chatbot maker signs partnership with UK-based Fluidstack to boost computing powerView the full article

If there’s one area of Google Ads that often baffles even seasoned practitioners, it’s audience targeting. Within audience targeting, there’s a special option called custom segments that allows us to build our own audiences using Google’s proprietary data. While custom segments can be immensely powerful, they are also immensely confusing. What is a custom segment in Google Ads? A custom segment lets you build a targeted audience based on the content a user has recently interacted with. Think of it this way: instead of saying, “I want to show an ad on a website about running shoes,” you’re saying, “I want to show an ad to a person who has recently shown interest in running shoes.” The way I like to explain it is that you are turning content targeting into audience targeting. How to build a custom segment in Google Ads You can build a custom segment from Audience Manager, or within the Audiences section of any compatible campaign. After naming your segment, you have the option to give it up to four different inputs: Interests: People with specific interests or purchase intentions. Search Terms: People who search for certain things on Google properties, like Google Search and YouTube. Websites: People who browse certain types of websites. Apps: People who use certain types of apps. If you would like to use multiple inputs, I recommend creating multiple custom segments rather than lumping them all together. That way, you can see in your audience segments reporting if, for example, the “search terms” or “websites” perform better. The best way to use custom segments in Google Ads In my experience, the most useful type of custom segment is one based on search terms. Note that “your ads will reach people who search for those and similar terms” – so consider these to be Exact Match close variants rather than pure Exact Matches. Here’s how to get started: Get your data: Go into your existing Search, Shopping, or PMax campaigns and pull the Search Terms report. Grab your top 20 to 30 non-branded search terms, either your best converting, or the ones you wish you were getting more impressions and clicks on Build the segment: Create a new custom segment and use those top 20-30 search terms as your only input, as “People who searched for any of these terms on Google”. Target in Demand Gen: Apply that custom segment to a new Demand Gen campaign, ensuring that optimized targeting is turned off. Why Demand Gen? Search term-based custom segments only work as intended on Google-owned properties. If you use this segment in a Demand Gen or Video campaign, with Display network/Video partners turned off, then your ads are only serving on networks that Google owns (YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps), so Google knows who the user is and what they’ve recently searched for. But if you try to apply the same segment to a Display campaign, which shows ads on millions of websites and apps that Google doesn’t own, Google won’t know who all of those users are, so it treats your “search terms” as “interests” instead. You could still reach a relevant audience, but you lose that critical search intent that makes the search term segment so valuable. Why is this the best strategy? Same intent, low cost. By using a search term-based custom segment in Demand Gen, you’re reaching the exact same person you’re trying to reach in Search or Shopping, as they’re doing other things online. For example, Google knows that they just searched for “best small business CRM.” Showing an ad on Google Ads would likely cost you $20+ per click. But now, they’re checking their email or scrolling their YouTube home feed. You can show them an ad, and if they click, it will likely cost you closer to $1 per click. That’s like a 95% discount for the exact same user! I prefer to execute this strategy in Demand Gen rather than YouTube campaigns because you can use click- or conversion-based bidding, and you don’t need video assets. Website and App targeting: custom segments vs. placements If you decide to build a custom segment using website URLs or apps, remember the important distinction here: You are not necessarily showing ads on those specific websites or in those specific apps (that would be placement targeting) You are not necessarily showing ads to people who have visited those exact websites or apps (only the owners of those websites or apps can do that via retargeting) Instead, you’re showing ads to people who visit websites similar to those you listed, or people who use apps similar to those you listed. It’s a subtle but critical difference. Don’t avoid this feature, but make sure you understand what you’re really doing (and not doing) before putting a big budget behind it. This is why I prefer search term-based custom segments, because I know exactly what I’m getting from an audience perspective. Custom segment campaign compatibility & name changes Shakespeare tells us, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Similarly, a custom segment by any other name still smells as sweet – but it does go by many different names! Here’s your cheat sheet: Demand Gen & Display campaigns: A custom segment can be built using interests, search terms, websites and/or apps. “Search terms” only works as intended in Demand Gen, not in Display Video campaigns: A custom segment can be built using interests, websites and/or apps, and it will be called a “custom interest” instead of a “custom segment.” To build a custom segment based on search terms, look for a targeting option called “custom search terms.” Performance Max: As with Video campaigns, a custom segment can be built using interests, websites and/or apps, and it will be called a “custom interest” instead of a “custom segment.” Remember that this is just an audience signal, not true audience targeting. Instead of a custom segment based on search terms, PMax offers the “search themes” signal option. Search & Shopping campaigns: Custom segments are not compatible with Search-based campaigns Custom segments are a fantastic entry point for audience targeting in your Google Ads strategy, especially if you haven’t ventured outside of Search before. Start simple, use your search data to inform your targeting, and watch how that high-intent audience performs when you catch them in a different part of their day. This article is part of our ongoing Search Engine Land series, Everything you need to know about Google Ads in less than 3 minutes. In each edition, Jyll highlights a different Google Ads feature, and what you need to know to get the best results from it – all in a quick 3-minute read. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. If you've got the funds and the need for more than one computer on your desk, then you may well want to use the same mouse and keyboard for both of them. It's more convenient if you're switching between systems, and it means you can find a keyboard and mouse combination you love and stick to it throughout. This is particularly helpful if you're working on a laptop and a desktop in tandem. Even the best laptops tend to have cramped keyboards, just through the limitations of the form factor, and a mouse is often preferable to a trackpad for several tasks (such as detailed image or video editing). Sharing your mouse and keyboard between computers is actually easier than you might think—and certainly a lot easier than it was several years ago. You've got different options available depending on the different platforms you're dealing with, and these are the tools for the job I'd recommend right now. If you're on Windows, use Mouse Without BordersMouse Without Borders is an official Microsoft program, but one of those official Microsoft programs that's more like a side project. It lets you control up to four computers using the same mouse and keyboard, as long as they're all running Windows. You don't need any complicated cabling or software setup: You just need the application installed on all the Windows computers you want to connect, and a mouse and keyboard plugged into one of them. On the first computer you set up the tool on, you'll be able to generate a code you can use to connect other computers. Mouse Without Borders on Windows. Credit: Lifehacker The main configuration screen lets you set the layout for your various Windows machines, which is important—to move from one system to another, you just drag the mouse cursor off the edge of one screen and on to another. The mouse and keyboard will interact with whatever computer the mouse cursor is currently active on. Mouse Without Borders also lets you create a universal, shared clipboard across every computer it's installed on, for easy transfer of files, text, and images. Note that Mouse Without Borders is also available as part of Microsoft PowerToys, a bundle of utilities that gives you a plethora of additional features and tweaks for Microsoft's operating system. If you're on macOS, use Universal ControlIf you're using two or more Macs together, Universal Control is the way to go for your keyboard- and mouse-sharing needs. The functionality is built right into macOS (and iPadOS), and works pretty seamlessly out of the box. Plus, it includes a lot more than the sharing of input devices. All you need is the latest version of macOS installed across your computers, the same Apple account linked to them all, and the mouse and keyboard you want to use as your main controllers. All your devices must have wifi and Bluetooth turned on, and your computers have to be fairly close together (as in, in the same room). Universal Control on macOS. Credit: Lifehacker You can find the relevant settings for this part of Universal Control by opening the Apple menu (top left), then choosing System Settings > Displays > Advanced—for best results, make sure every option here is enabled. With this done on every Mac, all that you need to do is push the mouse cursor through the left or right edge of the screen on your current Mac to switch control to the other one, depending on how they're positioned. This positioning can be tweaked via System Settings > Displays > Arrange, if needed. Universal Control goes beyond peripheral sharing, too—you can drag files across the screen edge border to transfer them between computers. You'll also find there's a shared clipboard available across your linked devices—so you can copy on one computer, and paste on the other. If you're on both Windows and macOS, use SynergyFor those bold enough to try and use both Windows and macOS machines on a regular basis, Synergy is the most comprehensive mouse and keyboard sharing software that I've come across. Once you've got it installed on every computer you want to connect, you can share a mouse and keyboard between all of them. When you've got the desktop client up and running, you're greeted with a straightforward interface that lets you manage all of the various options the program offers: You can set up how your computers are positioned in relation to each other, for example, and configure how the shared clipboard will work across different systems. Synergy on Windows. Credit: Lifehacker The Synergy app should be able to automatically add other computers with Synergy installed that are on your network, but you can do this manually too. Via the Screen layout tab you can customize how your screens are positioned, and designate the primary computer (connected to the keyboard and mouse you want to use). You can then just move the mouse cursor across your screens to switch between systems. Synergy will cost you (though there is a free trial available): It's a one-off fee of $29 for the standard software, which supports up to three computers. You can also pay a one-off fee of $49 for the Ultimate edition of Synergy, which works across as many as 15 different machines, and gives you other bonus extras such as custom hotkeys. If you prefer, use a keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switchThere's one more option here, which is to use a traditional keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch. It's a device you plug your keyboard and mouse into, and then connect to both your computers. As the name suggests, it lets you share a single monitor between two systems as well, if you need to. Nowadays you'll sometimes see this described as a hub, which is a more modern term for it. These hubs often come built into high-end monitors, so you plug your keyboard and mouse into the monitor, and then the monitor connects to your various computers through its multiple display ports—and you use controls on the monitor to jump between your systems as needed. A 4K KVM switch Credit: Mleeda More advanced KVM switches or hubs have support for multiple monitors, and other accessories and peripherals on top, but the more features you want the more money you're going to have to spend. A basic one for two computers will set you back around $30, while a more advanced one with support for four computers and its own remote is going to be more like $105. A Bluetooth keyboard/mouse comboThe $35 Logitech K480 will work with just about anything that supports Bluetooth, including computers, smartphones, and tablets. With this, switching among devices is as easy as turning a dial on the side of the keyboard. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. Google will fix its Google Discover fake AI news problem. Google is now showing search ads, not just shopping ads...View the full article

Google is rolling out two new AI-powered assistants — Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor — built on its latest Gemini models to help advertisers manage campaigns and uncover insights faster. The tools, which begin rolling out to all English-language Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts in early December, are designed to turn complex campaign management and data analysis into simple, conversational experiences. Ads Advisor: optimization and automation in one place. Ads Advisor serves as an in-platform AI partner that helps advertisers manage, troubleshoot, and scale their campaigns. It learns from user interactions to deliver increasingly personalized guidance over time. Key features include: Performance optimization: Provides tailored recommendations for Performance Max and Search campaigns and can apply approved changes directly — such as adding sitelink extensions or adjusting targeting for seasonal events. Creative generation: Suggests new keywords, assets, and ad copy based on website and campaign data, helping marketers maintain fresh, relevant creative. Performance diagnostics: Answers natural-language questions like “Why did my campaign performance drop?” by pinpointing causes and suggesting fixes. Policy troubleshooting: Identifies ad disapprovals, explains root causes, and in some cases, suggests or even applies approved policy-compliant fixes. Analytics Advisor: instant insight from complex data. Analytics Advisor brings conversational AI into Google Analytics, acting as an always-on analyst that interprets performance data and recommends next steps. Core functions include: Fast, comprehensive insights: Answers broad or specific queries such as “How is my site performing?” or “What are users doing this month?” with dynamic visualizations and tailored summaries. Root cause analysis: Explains traffic spikes or drops by analyzing drivers most relevant to business goals, helping marketers quickly understand the “why” behind performance changes. Actionable recommendations: Suggests data-backed strategies to re-engage high-value users or capitalize on performance trends, turning analytics into tangible outcomes. Why we care. These new AI advisors make managing and optimizing campaigns far easier and faster. Instead of manually analyzing reports or guessing at performance issues, marketers can now ask direct questions and get data-driven answers in seconds. The tools not only diagnose problems but also recommend — and in some cases apply — solutions, helping advertisers boost performance, save time, and turn analytics into immediate action. Between the lines. By embedding Gemini-powered assistants directly into Google Ads and Analytics, the company is taking another step toward Agentic AI — tools that act autonomously to identify, explain, and execute improvements across the ad ecosystem. For marketers, that means less time digging through data and more time acting on it. However, whether that will lead to positive results is not certain. The bottom line. Google’s new Ads and Analytics Advisors promise to make campaign optimization and performance analysis as simple as having a conversation — transforming how advertisers plan, measure, and act in real time. View the full article

Sean Doyle’s appointment comes 18 months after retailer’s chair commented on X about what he saw as airline’s deteriorationView the full article

A little more than a year ago, Ryan Sprankle welcomed President Donald The President to one of the three grocery stores his family owns near Pittsburgh. The President was on the campaign trail; they talked about high grocery prices, and the Republican nominee picked up a bag of popcorn. But these days, Sprankle would have a different message if The President or any lawmakers visited his store. He wants them to know that delayed SNAP benefits during the government shutdown hurt his customers and his small, independent chain. “You can’t take away from the most needy people in the country. It’s inhumane,” Sprankle said. “It’s a lack of empathy and it’s on all their hands. The The President administration froze funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at the end of October, impacting food access for some 42 million Americans. On Monday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would reopen the federal government and replenish SNAP funds, but the U.S. House of Representatives still must consider the bill. It’s unclear when SNAP payments might resume if the government reopens. In 2024, SNAP recipients redeemed a little more than $96 billion in benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. The majority — 74% —was spent at superstores and supermarkets, a category that includes big chains like Walmart and Kroger but also some independent stores like Sprankle’s. Around 14% was spent at smaller grocery and convenience stores, businesses often tucked into neighborhoods and more easily accessible to SNAP beneficiaries. A stalled economic engine Etharin Cousin, a former director of the United Nations World Food Program and founder of the nonprofit Food Systems for the Future, said the cutoff of SNAP benefits had immediate impacts on grocers and convenience stores of all sizes, most of which operate on slim profit margins of 1% to 2%. “SNAP isn’t just a social safety net for families. It’s also a local economic engine,” Cousin said. “SNAP benefits flow directly into neighborhoods, stores, regional distributors and community jobs.” Walmart declined to comment on the impact of the SNAP funding lapse but noted that it has been lowering prices and donating to local food banks. Kroger also declined to comment. Shoppers not receiving their food benefits affects all retailers but becomes “a big problem more quickly” at small chains, Sprankle said. His Kittanning, Pennsylvania, store gets 25% of its revenue from SNAP, but customers who don’t get government assistance also are worried about the shutdown, according to Sprankle. They’re spending less, trading down to cheaper goods or heading to food banks, he said. Sprankle said lower sales cut into the overtime he can offer to the chain’s 140 employees. Many are worried about losing their jobs, he said. “They have families to feed, they have kids for buy gifts for,” he said. “If I have to sell my truck, we’re going to give Christmas bonuses.” Liz Abunaw, the owner and operator of Forty Acres Fresh Market in Chicago, recently saw a customer putting back a full cart of groceries because she couldn’t afford them without SNAP. Abunaw opened the supermarket in September after years spent selling produce at pop-up markets and in delivery boxes. Only about 12% of Abunaw’s revenue comes from SNAP benefits right now, she said. But without it — or if SNAP recipients spend less money in her store — it will slow Forty Acres’ growth and make it harder to pay the workers, suppliers and farmers who depend on her, she said. “SNAP is currency. I get money I then use in this economy. It’s not a food box,” Abunaw said. “The economic impact of SNAP is larger than the dollars spent.” From neighborhood shops to food pantries The suspended food aid also had an immediate impact on Kanbe’s Markets, a nonprofit that stocks produce in coolers at 110 convenience stores around Kansas City, Missouri. Kanbe’s distributes a mixture of donated food and food purchased from wholesalers to keep prices low, founder and CEO Maxfield Kaniger said. Kanbe’s also distributes free food to 50 food pantries and soup kitchens around the city. Kaniger said some of the convenience stores he works with saw their sales drop 10% in the days after Nov. 1, when SNAP benefits weren’t paid. At the same time, the food pantries he supplies asked for double or triple their usual orders. Because it’s giving away more food than usual, Kanbe’s has to spend more buying produce for the coolers it stocks. It’s frustrating for Kaniger, who must make decisions quickly before food spoils. “It should be enough that people are going without food. Period, end of sentence. People going without food is wrong,” he said. Babir Sultan sells berries, lemons, potatoes, bananas and other produce from Kanbe’s at his four FavTrip convenience stores in the Kansas City area. His stores are in food deserts, far from other groceries or big retailers, he said, so it’s important to him to stock fresh produce for those neighborhoods. Sultan said foot traffic at his stores fell 8% to 10% in early November after SNAP funding ceased. He decided to offer $10 of free produce to SNAP beneficiaries but said he’s also happy to help out other customers who might be struggling right now. “If you’re in need, just ask, we’ll take care of you,” Sultan said. “Everybody is affected whenever the customer is feeling the pinch.” Durbin reported from Detroit. Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady in Philadelphia contributed to this report. —Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Business Writer View the full article

Circle Internet Group released its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, November 12, announcing a 66% jump in revenue and reserve income year-over-year (YOY). The $740 million figure stemmed, in large part, from a 97% increase YOY of average USDC in circulation. USDC, Circle’s flagship cryptocurrency stablecoin, is pegged to the U.S. dollar. It’s also one of the largest stablecoins in the world. In August, Circle announced Arc, a public blockchain designed specifically for stablecoins, such as USDC. In the earnings report, Circle claimed that over 100 companies are taking part in the launch of Arc public testnet. Jeremy Allaire, cofounder, CEO, and chairman at Circle, said the test was “met with extraordinary enthusiasm from partners across traditional and digital finance—evidence of the deep and diverse ecosystem forming around open, programmable money.” Furthermore, Circle reported a net income of $214 million, a 202% improvement YOY. Notably, this is only Circle’s second earnings report after going public in June. All YOY figures are reported by Circle based on private earnings during quarter three 2024. CRCL takes a tumble in premarket trading Despite impressive revenue and net income growth, Circle shares (NYSE:CRCL) still took a tumble. After already closing 5.57% down on Wednesday, the drop continued in premarket trading on Thursday, falling more than 5%. One factor could be Circle raising its expected 2025 adjusted operating expenses from between $475 million and $490 million to $495 million and $510 million. Circle blamed the updated outlook on “growing investment in building our platform, capabilities and global partnerships to meet the accelerating market interest and opportunity, as well as higher payroll taxes anticipated from option exercises.” New York-based Circle Internet Group’s IPO was one of the most high-profile listings of the year. After shares were priced at $31, they reached a high of close to $300 less than a month after their market debut. But the stock price has swung wildly since then. It’s down roughly 28% over the last month as of Tuesday’s close. View the full article

If you want to close more deals, comprehending effective sales strategies is essential. Start by actively listening to your customers and addressing their specific pain points. Highlight your product’s value with testimonials, and learn how to differentiate yourself from competitors. Use visuals to improve your message and be prepared to overcome objections with empathy. By grasping what motivates your customers, you can encourage decision-making. Explore these seven secrets to boost your sales success. Key Takeaways Actively listen to customers to uncover their true pain points and tailor your approach accordingly. Use empathy to address objections, validating concerns while reinforcing the product’s value and benefits. Share testimonials and case studies to build credibility and demonstrate successful outcomes relevant to the customer. Craft a unique selling proposition that highlights your offering’s distinct benefits and addresses overlooked pain points. Encourage decisive actions by guiding customers towards making clear decisions, fostering trust and strengthening relationships. Secret #1: Listen. Ask Questions. Use Your Ears How can you truly understand your prospects and their needs? Start by actively listening. This vital skill helps you uncover their true pain points and allows you to tailor solutions that resonate with their specific challenges. Use open-ended questions to encourage prospects to share more information, revealing their motivations and concerns. Employing a consultative selling approach nurtures trust and positions you as a knowledgeable peer. Techniques like “peeling the onion” help you explore deeper into their problems, identifying underlying issues. This effective listening not just boosts customer engagement but also increases your chances of closing deals. For the best sales advice, remember these sales tips for success: listen, ask questions, and truly use your ears. Secret #2: Demonstrate Your Value With Other Customers One effective way to build trust with potential customers is by demonstrating your value through the success of other clients. Sharing testimonials and case studies can help prospects visualize the benefits your product or service offers. Highlighting specific results, like increased sales percentages or improved efficiency, reinforces your credibility. This kind of sales advice is invaluable, as it showcases the tangible value of your offering. Utilizing social proof, such as client success stories, alleviates fears about making a change, showing evidence of successful outcomes from similar businesses. Incorporating third-party endorsements can further bolster trust, as comparisons with competitors clarify what sets your offering apart. These strategies are among the top sales tips to improve your effectiveness in closing deals. Secret #3: Differentiate Yourself To stand out in a competitive market, you need a unique selling proposition that directly addresses your prospects’ pain points. Crafting compelling messaging that highlights these specific needs will resonate more effectively with your audience. Unique Selling Proposition In a competitive marketplace, effectively differentiating yourself hinges on a well-articulated unique selling proposition (USP) that clearly communicates how your product or service solves specific problems that others may overlook. A compelling USP not only sets you apart but additionally resonates with potential customers. To craft an effective USP, consider these key elements: Identify specific pain points your competitors miss. Highlight the unique benefits and value your offering provides. Use actionable messaging that speaks directly to your target audience’s challenges. Reinforce your USP through testimonials and case studies for improved credibility. Research shows that businesses with a defined USP are 64% more likely to attract attention, increasing the chances of closing more deals. Address Pain Points After establishing a unique selling proposition that differentiates your offerings, the next step is to address the specific pain points of your prospects. Tailor your messaging to resonate with their unique challenges and needs, highlighting how your product or service meets unrecognized requirements that competitors overlook. Create a strong first impression by demonstrating a clear comprehension of their issues and explaining how your solution adds value to their situation. Utilize testimonials and case studies that directly relate to your target audience’s pain points, reinforcing the credibility of your offerings. Finally, continuously refine your approach based on feedback and insights from prospects, ensuring your messaging remains relevant and impactful in addressing their concerns effectively. Compelling Messaging Strategies Differentiating yourself in a competitive environment is essential for capturing the attention of potential customers, as a unique message can set you apart from others in your industry. To effectively communicate your uniqueness, focus on the following strategies: Identify specific pain points your product addresses, ensuring your message resonates with prospects. Highlight unique features that distinguish your offering from competitors, especially those that meet unrecognized needs. Share testimonials and case studies to provide social proof, reinforcing the credibility of your solutions. Deliver your message in an engaging and concise manner, creating urgency and prompting prospects to act. Secret #4: Use Visuals To Convey Your Message Using visuals can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your sales presentations. High-quality images, videos, and infographics elevate message clarity and retention, making it easier for prospects to grasp your solutions. By creating a compelling narrative with visuals, you engage your audience, increasing their interest in your product or service. Effective visuals can likewise evoke urgency, prompting quick decision-making by contrasting options and highlighting key benefits. Here’s a quick comparison of visual types: Visual Type Benefits Images Elevate clarity and retention Infographics Simplify complex concepts Videos Create engaging narratives Integrating professional-grade visuals reinforces your credibility and illustrates complex ideas in relatable ways. Avoid low-quality visuals to maintain trust. Secret #5: Overcoming Objections in Sales When a prospect raises objections, it’s actually a sign of their interest and engagement with your proposal. By responding with empathy and comprehension of their concerns, you can build trust and tailor your approach to meet their needs more effectively. Furthermore, using factual information and customer testimonials can help alleviate doubts, reinforcing the value of your offering and boosting the prospect’s confidence in their decision. Understanding Buyer Engagement Buyer engagement often reveals itself through objections, which can indicate that your prospect is seriously considering your proposal. Comprehending these objections is essential for closing deals effectively. To address them, consider the following strategies: Demonstrate value: Clearly communicate how your offering meets the prospect’s needs to justify the cost. Provide factual information: Align your product benefits with the buyer’s specific concerns to alleviate doubts. Showcase success stories: Use testimonials and case studies to build credibility and reduce fears of change. Validate concerns: Show empathy toward the buyer’s objections to build trust and rapport, making them feel heard. Responding With Empathy Objections are a natural part of the sales process, and how you respond to them can make a significant difference in your success. Responding with empathy is essential, as it helps you understand and address customer concerns effectively. Start by actively listening to their objections and validating their feelings; this builds trust and rapport. When you show empathy, you can reframe objections as opportunities to highlight your product’s value, leading to higher closing rates. Research shows that empathetic communication boosts customer satisfaction, making clients more likely to engage with you in the future. By grasping the emotional drivers behind objections, you can tailor your responses to resonate with prospects, ensuring they feel heard and valued during the conversation. Building Trust Through Success Building trust is essential in sales, especially as you navigate the common challenges of overcoming objections. When prospects voice their concerns, view it as engagement; it’s an opportunity to build credibility. Here are some effective strategies: Address price objections by highlighting the value your product offers. Use empathy to understand and validate their concerns, reinforcing that you’re listening. Share past customer successes and testimonials to alleviate fears and demonstrate proven results. Redirect the conversation to solutions that align with their needs, clarifying benefits. Secret #6: Understand What Motivates Your Customers Grasping what motivates your customers is fundamental for effective sales. Invest time in learning their needs, challenges, and fears, as this insight can create mutually beneficial outcomes. Recognizing pain points is significant since customers engage more when they see how your solution addresses their specific issues. Tailoring your offerings to meet unique needs improves the perceived value, increasing your chances of closing the deal. Moreover, educating customers about the benefits of your product builds trust, moving them further along the sales funnel. Engaging with customers in a way that aligns with their motivations not just improves rapport but also raises the likelihood of repeat business, making it essential to focus on their driving factors during the sales process. Secret #7: Push for a Decision During the course of guiding the sales process, it’s crucial to push for a decision, as this can greatly reduce uncertainty for both you and your customer. Aiming for a clear “yes” or “no” helps move things along. Here are some key points to remember: Always ask for a decision rather than just a purchase, clarifying the customer’s stance. Recognize that any decision, positive or negative, moves the sales process forward. Prioritize scheduling the next step; a follow-up meeting shows commitment. Driving conversations in the direction of decisions nurtures stronger relationships, increasing trust and engagement. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 7 C’s in Sales? The 7 C’s in sales are crucial for effective communication. They include Clarity, ensuring your message is easily grasped; Conciseness, which keeps your information brief and engaging; Consistency, building trust through aligned messaging; Correctness, emphasizing the importance of accurate information; Completeness, providing all necessary details; Courtesy, maintaining a respectful tone; and Consideration, comprehending your prospect’s perspective. Utilizing these principles can greatly improve your sales conversations and increase your chances of success. What Are the 7 Keys to Sales? The seven keys to sales are crucial for improving your effectiveness. First, understand the sales process to guide your approach. Next, identify decision-makers to target your efforts. Qualifying prospects guarantees you focus on the right leads. Use a consultative selling approach to tailor solutions, and pitch effectively to convey value. Implement follow-up strategies to maintain engagement, and create urgency to encourage quicker decisions. These keys can improve your overall sales performance considerably. What Are the 7 Essential Selling Skills Every Sales Person Should Know? Every salesperson should master vital skills to succeed. First, comprehension of customer needs is critical; it allows you to tailor solutions effectively. Second, effective questioning uncovers deeper insights into prospects’ pain points. Third, demonstrating value through testimonials boosts credibility. Fourth, you must develop strong follow-up strategies to nurture leads. Fifth, handling objections gracefully can turn challenges into opportunities. Finally, continuous learning and adaptability keep you ahead in an ever-changing sales environment. What Are the 7 Steps to Successful Selling? The seven steps to successful selling are essential for achieving sales goals. First, you start with prospecting to identify potential customers. Next, you qualify leads to guarantee they fit your target market. Then, you present solutions customized to their needs. After that, you handle objections by listening and addressing concerns. Closing the sale follows, where you finalize the agreement. Finally, you follow up and nurture relationships to encourage repeat business and referrals. Conclusion In conclusion, applying these seven sales tips can greatly improve your ability to close deals. By actively listening and comprehending customer motivations, you can address pain points effectively. Demonstrating your value through testimonials and differentiating yourself from competitors is essential. Utilizing clear visuals helps convey your message, whereas overcoming objections with empathy cultivates trust. Finally, encouraging decision-making through commitments and follow-ups will streamline the sales process, ultimately resulting in more successful outcomes in your sales efforts. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Top Sales Tips – 7 Secrets to Close More Deals" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you want to close more deals, comprehending effective sales strategies is essential. Start by actively listening to your customers and addressing their specific pain points. Highlight your product’s value with testimonials, and learn how to differentiate yourself from competitors. Use visuals to improve your message and be prepared to overcome objections with empathy. By grasping what motivates your customers, you can encourage decision-making. Explore these seven secrets to boost your sales success. Key Takeaways Actively listen to customers to uncover their true pain points and tailor your approach accordingly. Use empathy to address objections, validating concerns while reinforcing the product’s value and benefits. Share testimonials and case studies to build credibility and demonstrate successful outcomes relevant to the customer. Craft a unique selling proposition that highlights your offering’s distinct benefits and addresses overlooked pain points. Encourage decisive actions by guiding customers towards making clear decisions, fostering trust and strengthening relationships. Secret #1: Listen. Ask Questions. Use Your Ears How can you truly understand your prospects and their needs? Start by actively listening. This vital skill helps you uncover their true pain points and allows you to tailor solutions that resonate with their specific challenges. Use open-ended questions to encourage prospects to share more information, revealing their motivations and concerns. Employing a consultative selling approach nurtures trust and positions you as a knowledgeable peer. Techniques like “peeling the onion” help you explore deeper into their problems, identifying underlying issues. This effective listening not just boosts customer engagement but also increases your chances of closing deals. For the best sales advice, remember these sales tips for success: listen, ask questions, and truly use your ears. Secret #2: Demonstrate Your Value With Other Customers One effective way to build trust with potential customers is by demonstrating your value through the success of other clients. Sharing testimonials and case studies can help prospects visualize the benefits your product or service offers. Highlighting specific results, like increased sales percentages or improved efficiency, reinforces your credibility. This kind of sales advice is invaluable, as it showcases the tangible value of your offering. Utilizing social proof, such as client success stories, alleviates fears about making a change, showing evidence of successful outcomes from similar businesses. Incorporating third-party endorsements can further bolster trust, as comparisons with competitors clarify what sets your offering apart. These strategies are among the top sales tips to improve your effectiveness in closing deals. Secret #3: Differentiate Yourself To stand out in a competitive market, you need a unique selling proposition that directly addresses your prospects’ pain points. Crafting compelling messaging that highlights these specific needs will resonate more effectively with your audience. Unique Selling Proposition In a competitive marketplace, effectively differentiating yourself hinges on a well-articulated unique selling proposition (USP) that clearly communicates how your product or service solves specific problems that others may overlook. A compelling USP not only sets you apart but additionally resonates with potential customers. To craft an effective USP, consider these key elements: Identify specific pain points your competitors miss. Highlight the unique benefits and value your offering provides. Use actionable messaging that speaks directly to your target audience’s challenges. Reinforce your USP through testimonials and case studies for improved credibility. Research shows that businesses with a defined USP are 64% more likely to attract attention, increasing the chances of closing more deals. Address Pain Points After establishing a unique selling proposition that differentiates your offerings, the next step is to address the specific pain points of your prospects. Tailor your messaging to resonate with their unique challenges and needs, highlighting how your product or service meets unrecognized requirements that competitors overlook. Create a strong first impression by demonstrating a clear comprehension of their issues and explaining how your solution adds value to their situation. Utilize testimonials and case studies that directly relate to your target audience’s pain points, reinforcing the credibility of your offerings. Finally, continuously refine your approach based on feedback and insights from prospects, ensuring your messaging remains relevant and impactful in addressing their concerns effectively. Compelling Messaging Strategies Differentiating yourself in a competitive environment is essential for capturing the attention of potential customers, as a unique message can set you apart from others in your industry. To effectively communicate your uniqueness, focus on the following strategies: Identify specific pain points your product addresses, ensuring your message resonates with prospects. Highlight unique features that distinguish your offering from competitors, especially those that meet unrecognized needs. Share testimonials and case studies to provide social proof, reinforcing the credibility of your solutions. Deliver your message in an engaging and concise manner, creating urgency and prompting prospects to act. Secret #4: Use Visuals To Convey Your Message Using visuals can dramatically improve the effectiveness of your sales presentations. High-quality images, videos, and infographics elevate message clarity and retention, making it easier for prospects to grasp your solutions. By creating a compelling narrative with visuals, you engage your audience, increasing their interest in your product or service. Effective visuals can likewise evoke urgency, prompting quick decision-making by contrasting options and highlighting key benefits. Here’s a quick comparison of visual types: Visual Type Benefits Images Elevate clarity and retention Infographics Simplify complex concepts Videos Create engaging narratives Integrating professional-grade visuals reinforces your credibility and illustrates complex ideas in relatable ways. Avoid low-quality visuals to maintain trust. Secret #5: Overcoming Objections in Sales When a prospect raises objections, it’s actually a sign of their interest and engagement with your proposal. By responding with empathy and comprehension of their concerns, you can build trust and tailor your approach to meet their needs more effectively. Furthermore, using factual information and customer testimonials can help alleviate doubts, reinforcing the value of your offering and boosting the prospect’s confidence in their decision. Understanding Buyer Engagement Buyer engagement often reveals itself through objections, which can indicate that your prospect is seriously considering your proposal. Comprehending these objections is essential for closing deals effectively. To address them, consider the following strategies: Demonstrate value: Clearly communicate how your offering meets the prospect’s needs to justify the cost. Provide factual information: Align your product benefits with the buyer’s specific concerns to alleviate doubts. Showcase success stories: Use testimonials and case studies to build credibility and reduce fears of change. Validate concerns: Show empathy toward the buyer’s objections to build trust and rapport, making them feel heard. Responding With Empathy Objections are a natural part of the sales process, and how you respond to them can make a significant difference in your success. Responding with empathy is essential, as it helps you understand and address customer concerns effectively. Start by actively listening to their objections and validating their feelings; this builds trust and rapport. When you show empathy, you can reframe objections as opportunities to highlight your product’s value, leading to higher closing rates. Research shows that empathetic communication boosts customer satisfaction, making clients more likely to engage with you in the future. By grasping the emotional drivers behind objections, you can tailor your responses to resonate with prospects, ensuring they feel heard and valued during the conversation. Building Trust Through Success Building trust is essential in sales, especially as you navigate the common challenges of overcoming objections. When prospects voice their concerns, view it as engagement; it’s an opportunity to build credibility. Here are some effective strategies: Address price objections by highlighting the value your product offers. Use empathy to understand and validate their concerns, reinforcing that you’re listening. Share past customer successes and testimonials to alleviate fears and demonstrate proven results. Redirect the conversation to solutions that align with their needs, clarifying benefits. Secret #6: Understand What Motivates Your Customers Grasping what motivates your customers is fundamental for effective sales. Invest time in learning their needs, challenges, and fears, as this insight can create mutually beneficial outcomes. Recognizing pain points is significant since customers engage more when they see how your solution addresses their specific issues. Tailoring your offerings to meet unique needs improves the perceived value, increasing your chances of closing the deal. Moreover, educating customers about the benefits of your product builds trust, moving them further along the sales funnel. Engaging with customers in a way that aligns with their motivations not just improves rapport but also raises the likelihood of repeat business, making it essential to focus on their driving factors during the sales process. Secret #7: Push for a Decision During the course of guiding the sales process, it’s crucial to push for a decision, as this can greatly reduce uncertainty for both you and your customer. Aiming for a clear “yes” or “no” helps move things along. Here are some key points to remember: Always ask for a decision rather than just a purchase, clarifying the customer’s stance. Recognize that any decision, positive or negative, moves the sales process forward. Prioritize scheduling the next step; a follow-up meeting shows commitment. Driving conversations in the direction of decisions nurtures stronger relationships, increasing trust and engagement. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the 7 C’s in Sales? The 7 C’s in sales are crucial for effective communication. They include Clarity, ensuring your message is easily grasped; Conciseness, which keeps your information brief and engaging; Consistency, building trust through aligned messaging; Correctness, emphasizing the importance of accurate information; Completeness, providing all necessary details; Courtesy, maintaining a respectful tone; and Consideration, comprehending your prospect’s perspective. Utilizing these principles can greatly improve your sales conversations and increase your chances of success. What Are the 7 Keys to Sales? The seven keys to sales are crucial for improving your effectiveness. First, understand the sales process to guide your approach. Next, identify decision-makers to target your efforts. Qualifying prospects guarantees you focus on the right leads. Use a consultative selling approach to tailor solutions, and pitch effectively to convey value. Implement follow-up strategies to maintain engagement, and create urgency to encourage quicker decisions. These keys can improve your overall sales performance considerably. What Are the 7 Essential Selling Skills Every Sales Person Should Know? Every salesperson should master vital skills to succeed. First, comprehension of customer needs is critical; it allows you to tailor solutions effectively. Second, effective questioning uncovers deeper insights into prospects’ pain points. Third, demonstrating value through testimonials boosts credibility. Fourth, you must develop strong follow-up strategies to nurture leads. Fifth, handling objections gracefully can turn challenges into opportunities. Finally, continuous learning and adaptability keep you ahead in an ever-changing sales environment. What Are the 7 Steps to Successful Selling? The seven steps to successful selling are essential for achieving sales goals. First, you start with prospecting to identify potential customers. Next, you qualify leads to guarantee they fit your target market. Then, you present solutions customized to their needs. After that, you handle objections by listening and addressing concerns. Closing the sale follows, where you finalize the agreement. Finally, you follow up and nurture relationships to encourage repeat business and referrals. Conclusion In conclusion, applying these seven sales tips can greatly improve your ability to close deals. By actively listening and comprehending customer motivations, you can address pain points effectively. Demonstrating your value through testimonials and differentiating yourself from competitors is essential. Utilizing clear visuals helps convey your message, whereas overcoming objections with empathy cultivates trust. Finally, encouraging decision-making through commitments and follow-ups will streamline the sales process, ultimately resulting in more successful outcomes in your sales efforts. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Top Sales Tips – 7 Secrets to Close More Deals" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Sometimes, determining which projects you should devote your time and energy to first takes energy you don’t have to spare (which is why I have tips for how to do it). But even when you know what tasks need to be done, you still need to figure out how to prioritize them, so you can tackle them in the right order while giving each the amount of attention and resources they actually need. Here's where you can use the 3-3-3 method. What is the 3-3-3 method?This technique comes from Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. He advocates planning each workday around a 3-3-3 model: First devote three hours to deep work on your most important project. Next, complete three other urgent tasks that don’t require three hours of focus. Finally, do three “maintenance” tasks, like cleaning, answering emails, or scheduling other work. Other productivity techniques, like the pomodoro method, call for you to engage in deep work, or completely uninterrupted work with no distractions, so consider tapping into one of those first three hours if you want to make the most of a 3-3-3 approach. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman $11.82 at Amazon $19.00 Save $7.18 Shop Now Shop Now $11.82 at Amazon $19.00 Save $7.18 To figure out which of the above categories a task fits into, I recommend a prioritization method like the Eisenhower matrix, which involves using a quadrant system to divvy up your responsibilities by urgency and importance. You'll want to consider not only how timely the things you need to do are, but also how many resources they'll consume. Remember not to overestimate the amount of time your tasks will take you—the longer you give yourself to work on something, the more you'll naturally drag out your work, which hampers productivity. Be firm with yourself when deciding how long to allot for a major, resource-heavy task. If you don't consider yourself a morning person and aren't sure you can jump into a heavy workload right away in the day, it's not necessarily a problem. I've written about the value of eating the frog—or, rather, tackling your biggest task of the day right away when you get up, which is a part of the traditional 3-3-3 structure—and though I've tried it myself, I'm just not that kind of person. It doesn't mean I can't work within a 3-3-3 framework, so don't feel like you can't, either. Play around with the technique, maybe by starting later in the morning and pushing your lunch back. I find this approach helpful because, truthfully, I really only buckle down around 10:30 every day. Because I am a slower person in the morning, I rearrange my 3-3-3s, tackling maintenance tasks earlier in the day, which keeps me feeling motivated and productive—getting things like answering emails out of the way clears my mind so I can focus on my bigger tasks more easily later. The key to succeeding with a technique like this isn't forcing yourself to fit a mold, but molding the method to your own best working habits, giving yourself a little extra structure, within reason. The goal here is to be discerning about what you take on in a day and work in the right order to maximize productivity, but you have a little wiggle room, so try a few approaches to your schedule to see what works. Why the 3-3-3 method worksWhat distinguishes this method from other productivity hacks are those three hours of deep work. Usually, jumping into them first means you’ll be fresh, focused, and more likely to be able to focus on a task without getting distracted. Regardless of if you stick to the traditional structure of doing three hours of deep work first in your day or mess with the 3-3-3 schedule, make sure to keep those three hours free of emails, texts, chit-chat, or other menial duties, to the best of your ability. Deep work yields major productivity, so you’ll get a lot accomplished if you commit to it, but you can’t stay in that mindset forever. You’ll top out after about three hours, so it’s best to have those three other, smaller tasks lined up and ready to go so you can stay productive even while downshifting into less demanding responsibilities. After three hours in the zone, you should find that those tasks are easier. Finally, your maintenance tasks give you a chance to get things done while giving your brain a rest. Use your maintenance time to prepare for the following day’s work, put finishing touches on whatever you were working on during those three hours of intense focus, or, like me, get the most boring things over with so you can think about something else. You can use this technique to tackle seven different tasks of varying urgency levels or to break one major project down into smaller chunks, depending on what your day needs. Just be sure to stick with the process. View the full article

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The Alpha Beta account structure was the gold standard of paid search. Over the past several years, PPC marketers have adapted to Google’s push into automation and AI by first tweaking Alpha Beta – built on single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) – and eventually moving away from it altogether. SKAG maintenance and buildout are no longer ideal for paid search in 2026 and beyond – but that transition isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. Existing SKAGs still hold valuable data and insights you can carry into a more consolidated setup. This article covers the benefits of SKAG consolidation and best practices for building a structure that sets your campaigns up for success. Why consolidate your SKAGs As a control-loving performance marketer who’s reluctant to let Google’s AI take the reins if I can help it, I understand the appeal of SKAGs. The precision of custom bidding, tailored ad copy, and specific landing pages is hard to give up. The challenge is that “precision” isn’t what it used to be. With Google’s looser match types, we have to accept that controlling every query – even the highest-converting ones – is no longer possible. At the same time, Google now rewards data density and streamlined account structures. Its interface makes consolidation easier, and its algorithms improve faster when fed with more robust data. While results will vary, it’s reasonable to expect a modest lift in efficiency – around 10% – when consolidation is done right. The controls that still matter lie elsewhere: Enhanced conversions. Strategic use of offline conversion tracking (OCT). Negative keywords. Ad copy that reflects a deep understanding of the user. I’ve found it’s a far better use of my team’s time to optimize with those levers – and to strengthen tracking and measurement both within Google and across channels. That focus delivers far more value than the manual, time-consuming process of SKAG buildout and maintenance. If you consolidate your SKAGs effectively, it’s very possible you won’t suffer the initial drop in performance we’re all used to seeing from major account restructures. At my agency, we’ve managed to consolidate a range of accounts without seeing a big negative impact – and from there, the data density feeding the algorithm can get to work. Dig deeper: When to restructure your Google Ads account – and how to do it right Best practices for SKAG consolidation To make consolidation work, focus on building a structure that balances data density with control. Avoid over-segmentation Remember: Google’s algorithm likes data density. Transitioning from SKAGs to two-keyword ad groups won’t accomplish much, and we still inherit accounts with hundreds of ad groups that need further consolidation. Sprawling, over-segmented set-ups lead to very concrete issues: Inefficient budget allocation across campaigns. Data cannibalization and reduced visibility into true performance. Time-intensive management that slows optimization and reporting. Gaps in ad coverage and messaging consistency. Consolidation saves significant time you can redirect toward higher-impact work – and it’s also shown real business gains. In one SaaS account we took over and began consolidating in June, efficiency in cost per opportunity improved by 6% in the first month and 27% in the second, while maintaining opportunity volume. Those gains can’t be explained by seasonality. Dig deeper: 7 PPC mistakes hiding in your ad accounts Avoid over-consolidation We also take over accounts with hundreds – sometimes thousands – of keywords in a single ad group. That setup often leads ads to serve for irrelevant queries and gives Google far too much freedom to prioritize its own revenue over yours (more on that below). Over-consolidating also limits the insights you can draw from performance. For example, if you group dissimilar geos – states, countries, or regions – in the same ad group, you’ll lose visibility into which areas drive efficient growth and which drain budget without meaningful return. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Segment strategically (don’t give Google any loopholes) Google is masterful at finding the path of least resistance to hit your goals – and too often, that works against your bottom line. When consolidating, avoid these common pitfalls. Clumping brand and non-brand keywords Google will serve branded queries all day because those users are already deep in the funnel and likely to convert. But those conversions are also the least incremental. Keep brand and non-brand separate and make Google work harder to convert people who don’t already know your brand. Clumping products with widely different price points Give Google a tCPA target and a mix of products at different price points, and it’ll go straight for the easiest – usually lowest-priced – conversions. Using tROAS helps a bit, but it’s better to group products with similar price points so you don’t give Google unnecessary flexibility. Clumping keywords without considering lead quality If you’re using enhanced conversions and OCT, you already know which keywords drive higher-quality leads. Don’t undermine that by mixing low- and high-quality keywords in the same ad group. Google will fill your funnel with cheap, low-value leads. Instead, balance volume and quality in high-value ad groups by: Setting a realistic volume target (around 20-30 per month). Optimizing toward the deepest-funnel action that supports that level – like SQLs or opportunities. Use negative keywords Consolidated ad groups open the door to plenty of irrelevant queries, so be aggressive with negative keywords. You’ll never catch every search, but think directionally and aim for broad coverage to protect your budget from waste. Beyond performance: Why consolidation really matters You’ll likely – though not certainly – see a modest performance lift if you consolidate effectively. But that’s not the main benefit. The real value lies in the time you save by building a simpler structure and letting Google’s algorithm do its job – and in clearing the mental hurdle of giving up query-level control to focus on smarter ways to differentiate your campaigns. View the full article