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Crawl waste – basically, cluttering your crawlable content with tons of non-indexed pages – is one of the most insidious SEO pitfalls. We know (because we do it all the time for my agency’s clients) that reducing the number of non-indexed pages and highlighting richer, authoritative content is a factor in improving rankings and visibility in traditional SERP listings. But how does it impact AI search visibility? And were the results different by platform? Thanks to some recent cleanup and data-crunching (we used Profound to measure changes in AI search visibility) for a client in the childcare vertical, we’ve got some directional answers and takeaways that I’ll lay out in this article. Yes, it’s just one website, but with AI moving at light speed, having promising results that need further validation is a valuable first step. Crawl waste cleanup: What we did Sitemaps should only feature canonical versions of pages that a brand wants indexed in search results. The childcare client’s site had 2,000 indexed pages and ~45,000 pages that were not being indexed – including 4,000 duplicate and redirected URLs incorrectly listed in the sitemap. (A sitemap should only contain canonical URLs you want Google to find and index.) The site also contained low-quality directory listings, all of which pointed to poor health. We optimized the sitemap and indexing strategy by reducing the number of duplicate and redirected URLs in the sitemap from more than 4,000 to fewer than 200. This cleanup improved crawl efficiency, helping search engines and AI systems focus on the client’s high-quality, intent-aligned content. Dig deeper. Crawl efficacy: How to level up crawl optimization Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. How the AI search platforms responded The topline: This initiative lifted visibility across every AI search platform – up to 10% in some cases – pushing overall visibility above 90% for Perplexity, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, Grok, and Meta AI. (We calculate visibility by dividing the number of times the brand appeared in prompt results by the total number of relevant prompts.) The one exception was ChatGPT, which saw a 4.1% drop. My take is that ChatGPT can be slower to absorb the latest online information unless users enable web access and browsing. Because the cleanup involved major indexing and technical changes, ChatGPT may have lagged compared to faster adapters like Perplexity and Google. The entire Google suite of AI tools responded strongly to the cleanup. That result – while just one example – aligns with Google’s repeated message that what benefits traditional SEO also benefits AI search. Even with ChatGPT’s decline, overall visibility still grew by 3.5%. It isn’t a massive jump, but it signals an upward trajectory that helps the brand gain ground on competitors. In Gemini, the lift was enough for the client to finally overtake a rival that had been consistently ahead. Dig deeper: Crawling for AI search: Balancing access, control, and visibility Takeaways – and planning more quick wins This case study isn’t the final word, but it points to clear next steps and quick wins worth pursuing. Be diligent about gauging the impact of AI search initiatives, even those rooted in more traditional SEO strategies. Anything that makes it easy for search platforms – AI and otherwise – to discover your best content is worth prioritizing. A clear URL structure and straightforward, intentional information architecture (IA) should help you with discovery across platforms. If you need an IA model, build a major pillar about a topic, write a wealth of authoritative content on that topic, and link to it from the website and external sources favored by LLMs, including Reddit. Never assume that all AI search platforms behave the same. Look for major variances between (say) ChatGPT and the Google AI suite. Be ready to run a 2.0 analysis to determine which platform(s) should take precedence. Always aim for validation beyond a single test or case study. Consider initial findings an important first step in understanding the greater significance of AI search optimization techniques. View the full article

Are you old enough to remember talking to your friends on the phone all the time? A phone with a cord? Then welcome to the Out of Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture, a guide to what's going down with all the youths out there. This week, the young 'uns are stealing each other's brainrots, guzzling heavy soda, (not) paying $500 for a rock, and being harassed by a rizzed-out robot. "Steal a Brainrot" If you know anyone under the age of 16, they are probably playing "Steal a Brainrot," and you are probably asking "Steal a what now?" so here's what it's all about: "Steal a Brainrot" is a multiplayer mini-game within maxi-games Roblox and Fortnite. In a game of Brainrot, up to eight players share a server, and each has their own base. The object of the game is to buy brainrots for your base and/or steal brainrots from other players' bases, while defending your own brainrots from thieves. Steal enough brainrots and you become more powerful and can make your base more defensible. The brainrots themselves are objects meant to reference "Italian brainrot," i.e.: low-quality internet memes. They vary in value and have vaguely Italian names, but they aren't based on actual brainrot memes. "Steal a Brainrot" is insanely popular, boasting a concurrent player count of over 20 million people, so you're probably asking, "Who is getting rich from this (and why isn't it me?)." The answer: Two groups are making most of the dough. The first is the game's developers, SpyderSammy and DoBig Studios, who get a cut of all the micro-transactions within "Steal a Brainrot" (players can spend real money for in-game items). The other beneficiary of all this brainrot is the Roblox Corporation, who provide the platform in exchange for the rest of the money from Brainrot micro-transactions. As for why it isn't you, it's because you don't have any good ideas. What is “heavy soda”?Unlike "heavy water," in which H2O's hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium atoms, heavy soda is pop with extra syrup—as hard as this is to believe, some people think Sprite and Mountain Dew just aren't sweet enough. Heavy soda comes from self-serve soda machines. Some, apparently, have a toggle to increase or decrease the amount of syrup in the resulting drinks, and many people on TikTok are great fans of the beverage that results from setting the machine on "maximum syrup." Sometimes called "dirty soda," heavy soda supposedly originated in gas stations on the Southern tip of Missouri. If your gas station drink machine looks like this: ... then you are probably at least 1,000 miles from a Whole Foods. But maybe not for long; thanks to boosters on TiKtok, heavy soda is spreading. Polaroid aesthetic making a comebackI've been messing around with Nano Banana, the image generator within Google's Gemini AI app, and so have the kids, but they're not using it for wrinkle-smoothing and paunch reduction. They're getting in touch with the 1970s aesthetic of the instant camera and creating Polaroid-style pictures of themselves with famous people, fictional characters, and everything else. One of the more popular variants of the trend involves combining a picture of your current self with your younger self, resulting in surreal-but-poignant videos like these: Making your own is easy: Install Gemini. Upload the current picture and older picture. Then write a prompt for Gemini like, "Generate a picture taken with a Polaroid camera, desaturated colors, with a camera flash as the single light source and a 1970s suburban tract house as a background." Are people really buying $1000 rocks from Anthropologie? A few weeks ago, TikTok user Phoebe Adams posted a video where she pranks her boyfriend by opening a box that contains a rock she said cost $150. "It's a special rock from Anthropologie," she explains to her angry boyfriend. "It’s gonna sit on our entryway table. It's a one-of-kind rock that they actually found on the ground," she adds. The video blew up and people started imitating it in videos like this: and this: But then things kicked up a notch when the real Anthropologie set up an actual rock display at a store so Phoebe could continue to gaslight her long-suffering boyfriend Dan: All of this leads to the question of whether this is a retailer cleverly taking advantage of an unexpected trend—or was the entire thing viral marketing from the beginning? I'm 50/50. Viral video of the week: RizzbotSpeaking of things that are probably guerrilla marketing campaigns, this week's viral video celebrity is Rizzbot. Formally known as “Jake the Rizzbot,” this four-foot-tall walking (and dancing) robot in a cowboy hat has been traveling all over the country for the past several months, rizzing people up with its robotic swagger and robotic Gen Z slang. Videos from the official Rizzbot channel has racked up hundreds of millions of views for videos like this, where Rizzbot goes off on a rando's fit: But Rizzbot can be a total jerk too and sometimes shouts obscenities at people for no reason: or promises a compliment only to deliver a roast, proving that no one should trust a clanker: Rizzbot is a decorated version of Unitree Robotics G1 "Humanoid Agent AI Avatar," a $16,000 robot that can joke around with people and sometimes keep from falling over. Despite appearances, Rizzbot is not acting autonomously. Someone is carefully controlling his every move and word, but we don't know who or why. The bot is most often seen in downtown Austin, and has some serious connections to the Texas Robotics lab at UT, though. View the full article

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated and expanded a food safety alert regarding possible Listeria contamination in several prepared pasta meal products. The extent of the outbreak is now known to have occurred in at least 15 states and has unfortunately resulted in multiple deaths. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On Friday, the CDC issued a new alert along with an expanded list of prepared pasta meal products that may be contaminated with Listeria, a potentially deadly bacterium. According to an accompanying CDC tracking page, there have now been 20 cases of Listeria believed to be related to the outbreak. The first reported case happened back in August of 2024. An additional four cases, for a total of five for the year, were reported by that December. But in 2025, the number of cases for the year has so far tripled to 15, bringing the total number of those who have gotten sick from this outbreak to 20. The most recent confirmed sickness from the outbreak occurred on September 11. Of the 20 cases, the CDC says that 19 have resulted in hospitalizations. Unfortunately, four individuals have died due to consuming food linked to this outbreak. What products are included in the outbreak? A number of products have been associated with the Listeria outbreak. These products have been reported by both the CDC and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). September 26: The CDC said the following product has been added: “FreshRealm held beef meatball marinara linguine meals” September 25: An FSIS notice said the following products were included: “Marketside Linguine With Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce” “Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo” June 2025: An FSIS notice said other ready-to-eat pasta meals were believed to be possibly contaminated with Listeria. Those included: “Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo With Fettuccine Tender Pasta With Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” “Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo With Fettuccine Tender Pasta With Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Broccoli and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” “Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Pasta, Grilled White Meat Chicken, and Parmesan Cheese” All the products listed above have various sell-by dates and other marks listed in the notices that can help determine if the product in possession is one covered under a recall or alert. Where were the products sold? The products listed above were sold at various stores nationwide. Depending on the product, it could have been sold at: Kroger Walmart Trader Joe’s Some of the products may have expiration dates that have already passed, and may also no longer be on sale, yet they could remain in a person’s refrigerator. Where is the outbreak located? This Listeria outbreak has now spread to 15 states: California: 2 cases Florida: 1 case Illinois: 1 case Indiana: 1 case Louisiana: 2 cases Michigan: 2 cases Minnesota: 1 case Missouri: 1 case Nevada: 1 case North Carolina: 1 case Ohio: 1 case South Carolina: 1 case Texas: 3 cases Utah: 1 case Virginia: 1 case However, the CDC stresses that these are only the known cases and likely to not represent the full extent of the outbreak. “This outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely higher than the number reported,” the agency noted. What is Listeria and what are its symptoms? Listeria is a bacterium that can cause serious illness in individuals, according to the CDC. The agency says that about 1,250 people are infected with Listeria in America each year. Of those cases, about 172 die. Anyone can contract a Listeria infection, but the infection is particularly harmful for pregnant women, newborns, people with weakened immune systems, and those aged 65 or older. Symptoms of a Listeria infection can differ depending on whether an individual is pregnant or not and whether the illness is invasive (has spread to other body parts beyond the intestines) or not, according to the CDC. In pregnant individuals, invasive symptoms include fever and flu-like symptoms. In other individuals, invasive illness symptoms include the above plus headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and seizures. Intestinal illness can include symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. What should I do if I have the products included in the outbreak? You should not eat the affected food. The FSIS says the products should instead be thrown away or returned to their place of purchase. The CDC also has instructions on how to clean your refrigerator if it contains recalled food. Full details about the outbreak and the recalls can be found on the CDC’s notices here and here and the FSIS’s notices here and here. View the full article

Chancellor tells her party conference the government cannot ignore the bond marketView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Floodlight cameras usually cost a lot more than the casual buyer wants to spend, but Blink’s Wired Floodlight Camera has quietly slipped to a price that makes it hard to ignore for starting or extending a home security setup. Right now it’s $49.99 on Amazon (regularly $99.99), which is the lowest price it’s ever been, according to price trackers. Blink Wired Floodlight Camera $49.99 at Amazon $99.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Get Deal $49.99 at Amazon $99.99 Save $50.00 This is a hardwired security camera with bright dual-LED floodlights, a loud siren, and the ability to record sharp 1080p video. The LEDs crank out 2,600 lumens combined—enough to light up a driveway or backyard—and also enable color night vision. That means you’re not stuck with blurry grayscale clips when something sets off the motion sensor after dark. The performance holds up beyond just brightness. The camera has a wide 143-degree field of view, motion alerts arrive almost instantly, and daytime footage shows accurate colors and detail. At night, black-and-white video looks clear out to about 30 feet, while color video with the floodlights on is plenty usable even if the tones are a bit washed compared to daytime shots, notes this PCMag review. Through the Blink app, you can check the live feed, turn lights on or off, save recordings, and use two-way talk. There’s also a 105dB siren built in, which is loud enough to scare off trespassers or get a neighbor’s attention. The catch is that not all of the software features are free: Without a subscription, you’re limited to live viewing and motion alerts. With the $3 per month Basic plan, you get 60 days of video history, person detection, photo capture, and longer live streams. For multiple cameras, the $10 per month Plus Plan gives you the same perks plus an extended warranty and discounts on future Blink gear. If you’d rather skip subscriptions, Blink sells its Sync Module 2 hub for around $50. Pair it with a USB drive, and you can save clips locally. As with most Blink products, Alexa and IFTTT support are included, so you can connect it to routines and other devices, but there’s no compatibility with Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit. Installation is straightforward if you’re comfortable wiring an outdoor light fixture, and Blink includes the screws, nuts, and guides you need. If not, hiring an electrician is the safer move. All told, this is one of the most affordable ways to add a floodlight camera to your home. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) — $819.99 (List Price $1,099.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $319.00 (List Price $349.00) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $49.98 (List Price $79.99) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023) — $24.99 (List Price $49.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $229.99 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

JPMorgan Chase is significantly enhancing its offering for affluent clients by expanding the J.P. Morgan Private Client experience to 53 Chase branches across New York, Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. This move nearly triples the availability of this tailored banking and wealth management service, aiming to better serve the needs of established clients and potentially attract small business owners who want a more personalized approach to their financial operations. With more locations than ever, qualified clients can access services designed to meet their unique financial needs through various channels, including J.P. Morgan Financial Centers, dedicated private client offices, and select Chase branches. This change reflects a growing demand from affluent clients for personalized service from their primary banking institution. Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, emphasized this commitment. “Through our J.P. Morgan Financial Centers, J.P. Morgan Private Client Offices, and now select Chase branches, we are redefining how affluent clients are served, offering a highly personalized level of service that aligns with their unique needs,” she stated. What does this mean for small business owners? Key Takeaways: Enhanced Personalized Service: Small business owners classified as affluent may now benefit from a dedicated senior banker at select Chase branches, providing highly personalized banking services, wealth management strategies, and investment advice. This one-on-one attention can be instrumental in navigating complex financial landscapes. Comprehensive Support: The offering includes access to concierge services that promise 24/7 priority support from a team familiar with each client’s specific needs. This kind of tailored support can help business owners handle their personal and business banking needs more effectively. Exclusive Financial Planning: Custom financial strategies will be developed to help clients preserve and grow their wealth, taking into account their specific goals and challenges. For business owners, this means potentially more informed and strategic decision-making. Convenient Access Across Regions: With branches located in affluent-rich states, clients can easily find a convenient branch that provides these exclusive services, combining the usual banking experience with specialized financial insight. However, there are some potential challenges small business owners may want to consider before diving into this offering: Eligibility Requirements: The new private client services are designed for those with qualifying deposit and investment balances. This may exclude some small business owners who do not meet these thresholds. Balance Between Services: While personal service is emphasized, business owners should consider how this offering integrates with their existing banking relationships. It’s essential to weigh the benefits of a dedicated service against their current banking solutions. Limited Geographical Reach: While this expansion covers states with high affluent demographics, small business owners operating in less populated or rural locations may find that these services are not readily accessible. The J.P. Morgan Private Client offering positions Chase as a significant player in the competitive financial market, especially for affluent clients seeking to consolidate their banking needs. As noted by Stevie Baron, Head of Affluent Banking at Chase Consumer Banking, “Affluent clients tell us they increasingly want to consolidate their investments with their primary bank.” This consolidation can streamline operations for small business owners, allowing them to manage both their business and personal banking under one roof with potentially beneficial relationships and terms. For small business owners exploring ways to enhance their banking experience, the features and advantages of the J.P. Morgan Private Client offering could provide tangible benefits. In a world where financial decisions can be complex, having a supportive network can alleviate stress and contribute to smarter financial planning. For more information about the J.P. Morgan Private Client offering, including the newly added locations, visit jpmorgan.com/financialcenters. This expansion marks an important step in addressing the specific needs of affluent clients and could serve as a model for other banks looking to attract and retain high-net-worth individuals and small business owners alike. This article, "Chase Expands J.P. Morgan Private Client Services to 53 New Branches" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

JPMorgan Chase is significantly enhancing its offering for affluent clients by expanding the J.P. Morgan Private Client experience to 53 Chase branches across New York, Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. This move nearly triples the availability of this tailored banking and wealth management service, aiming to better serve the needs of established clients and potentially attract small business owners who want a more personalized approach to their financial operations. With more locations than ever, qualified clients can access services designed to meet their unique financial needs through various channels, including J.P. Morgan Financial Centers, dedicated private client offices, and select Chase branches. This change reflects a growing demand from affluent clients for personalized service from their primary banking institution. Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, emphasized this commitment. “Through our J.P. Morgan Financial Centers, J.P. Morgan Private Client Offices, and now select Chase branches, we are redefining how affluent clients are served, offering a highly personalized level of service that aligns with their unique needs,” she stated. What does this mean for small business owners? Key Takeaways: Enhanced Personalized Service: Small business owners classified as affluent may now benefit from a dedicated senior banker at select Chase branches, providing highly personalized banking services, wealth management strategies, and investment advice. This one-on-one attention can be instrumental in navigating complex financial landscapes. Comprehensive Support: The offering includes access to concierge services that promise 24/7 priority support from a team familiar with each client’s specific needs. This kind of tailored support can help business owners handle their personal and business banking needs more effectively. Exclusive Financial Planning: Custom financial strategies will be developed to help clients preserve and grow their wealth, taking into account their specific goals and challenges. For business owners, this means potentially more informed and strategic decision-making. Convenient Access Across Regions: With branches located in affluent-rich states, clients can easily find a convenient branch that provides these exclusive services, combining the usual banking experience with specialized financial insight. However, there are some potential challenges small business owners may want to consider before diving into this offering: Eligibility Requirements: The new private client services are designed for those with qualifying deposit and investment balances. This may exclude some small business owners who do not meet these thresholds. Balance Between Services: While personal service is emphasized, business owners should consider how this offering integrates with their existing banking relationships. It’s essential to weigh the benefits of a dedicated service against their current banking solutions. Limited Geographical Reach: While this expansion covers states with high affluent demographics, small business owners operating in less populated or rural locations may find that these services are not readily accessible. The J.P. Morgan Private Client offering positions Chase as a significant player in the competitive financial market, especially for affluent clients seeking to consolidate their banking needs. As noted by Stevie Baron, Head of Affluent Banking at Chase Consumer Banking, “Affluent clients tell us they increasingly want to consolidate their investments with their primary bank.” This consolidation can streamline operations for small business owners, allowing them to manage both their business and personal banking under one roof with potentially beneficial relationships and terms. For small business owners exploring ways to enhance their banking experience, the features and advantages of the J.P. Morgan Private Client offering could provide tangible benefits. In a world where financial decisions can be complex, having a supportive network can alleviate stress and contribute to smarter financial planning. For more information about the J.P. Morgan Private Client offering, including the newly added locations, visit jpmorgan.com/financialcenters. This expansion marks an important step in addressing the specific needs of affluent clients and could serve as a model for other banks looking to attract and retain high-net-worth individuals and small business owners alike. This article, "Chase Expands J.P. Morgan Private Client Services to 53 New Branches" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Saudi-backed transaction orchestrated by Jared Kushner and Silver Lake is biggest ever leveraged buyoutView the full article

Every few months, Google launches a new feature – and reactions usually split into two extremes: either it’s a welcome but overdue correction or a sign of PPC end times. AI Max is no exception. Some advertisers love what it represents and how it’s delivered, while others are ready to dismiss it altogether. As with most things, the reality falls somewhere in between. Instead of speculating on what-ifs, I’ll share what I’ve seen after testing AI Max for 30+ days across multiple accounts. Google’s new AI Max feature explained AI Max is an optional toggle for your Search campaigns that opens you up to what Google calls “the full potential of Google Search.” It allows Google to go beyond keyword targeting and show your ads to people that its machine learning algorithms feel might soon need what you’re offering. Think of how broad match keywords go beyond what people are searching for in the moment to what they might search for in the future. Now expand that principle further past query-based targeting entirely to cover: Past search history. Demographic and behavioral attributes. Historical search intent. All the other user measurements Google has access to, but that we can’t see. Plus, AI Max will also show your ads for keywords that it determines might be a fit based on the content of your website and landing pages. DSA vs PMax vs AI Max — Sooooo how exactly does AI Max differ from PMax and DSA? Here's a quick rundown. ► Performance Max Targets all Google channels and functions as a standalone campaign. Keyword control is minimal. ► Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) The oldest of the three. It… pic.twitter.com/5da8KxVrbb — Andrew Lolk (@AndrewLolk) September 7, 2025 Reminder: Brand controls for Search are exclusive to AI Max In case you missed it, Google has moved brand inclusions/exclusions for Search to AI Max. This means that you can only use these features if you are using AI Max. I don’t see a problem here. This isn’t Performance Max, where everything is combined into one. You should already be running a standalone Search campaign for your branded terms. Key differences between AI Max and Performance Max The ability to run your Search campaigns with or without AI Max enabled separates it from Performance Max – which is its own campaign type covering a variety of ad inventories, including Shopping, Display, YouTube, and Gmail. Still, they’re both algorithm-driven, so I think about them in similar ways. Spam is likely to be heavy when using form submissions unless there’s a filter to minimize that, so I prefer to use them for calls only. Conversely, this is also part of what makes AI Max a no-brainer for ecommerce, which is less prone to spam. They’re both prone to matching with some random queries that may not be great for lead quality, so even legitimate inquiries from real people might be unqualified and looking for something else due to the nature of query matching. Overall, I don’t really want to use them for lead-gen unless I have qualified data coming through and passing back into Google through offline conversion imports. Unlike DSAs, which pull ad copy directly from your landing pages, AI Max will come up with new copy using its algorithm, similar to how Performance Max auto-generates creative assets. You can also exclude Search Partners and Display entirely, unlike Performance Max. This added bit of control is very welcome. When to use and avoid AI Max in your Search campaigns While tools like AI Max can amplify the work and results of an experienced PPC manager, not every account is in the right position to benefit from them. Here are some examples of scenarios where it may or may not be wise to use AI Max. For ecommerce, AI Max is worth testing as a source of truly incremental revenue. At worst, you may spend a bit extra during the first month of testing and get no tangible results, but you won’t lose resources beyond those wasted CPCs. For lead gen, the only time I’d consider AI Max is if you’re passing back CRM data on qualified or closed leads. In this scenario, where you’re keeping a close eye on the two-way exchange of user data, it can also be quite helpful. Mainstream niches and anything with large search volumes (e.g., home decor, consumer goods) might benefit from AI Max targeting expanded opportunities. New accounts without historical conversion data should avoid AI Max until they’ve met Google’s manual conversion threshold (30 conversions a month) for at least a few months. Small accounts spending up to a few thousand dollars a month should stabilize manual demand capture before turning on any algorithmic features. Regulated industries like pharmaceuticals might need to play it safe with who sees their ads and how those ads show up. When in doubt, consult your legal team or client – this is not legal advice. Anywhere you would use dynamic search or Performance Max, AI Max is worth considering. A good place to start is sitting down with your CMO or client to discuss goals, figure out whether you really need to be testing AI Max at this time, and go over what needs to be done for that testing environment to be successful. This is a core part of how our team operates and leaves little room for unwanted surprises down the road. Dig deeper: Why Performance Max for lead generation often fails and how to make it work Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Ecommerce example: The case for ‘why not AI Max?’ In this digital camera account, where Search drives much of the activity, you can clearly see the revenue coming in. In this client account, which sells digital cameras and relies heavily on Search, you can clearly see revenue values coming in. While I’m not 100% certain, I’m confident that AI Max (both expanded match and landing page match) uses keywords and your landing page to find new opportunities. But it doesn’t spend a lot from what I’ve seen: in this case, it’s ~$3,800 across 30 days (including expanded match) from a total spend of ~$51,000. But it did generate 23 additional orders worth $52,486 – a very solid return of roughly 14:1! While there’s not a lot of volume, performance is better than conventional keyword targeting. This is why I say it’s a no-brainer to test for ecommerce. My client now has an extra $52,000 in revenue that we may or may not have generated without AI Max. To expand that thinking to Google’s algorithmic campaigns in general, that incremental boost may have come from Performance Max if I hadn’t run Search. Gaps in AI Max: Where does the human touch play a role To think of AI Max as either a PPC apocalypse or search on autopilot is completely the wrong mindset. First, it’s a 100% optional setting and doesn’t absorb existing campaigns like Performance Max did. So, if you’re really set against AI Max, just don’t use it. Second, worrying that AI Max is another step toward fully automated Google Ads doesn’t benefit anyone. Don’t panic yourself out of a job, because human marketers are still needed to: Make smart decisions around fundamentals like strategy, audiences, and messaging. Write RSAs that earn clicks by meeting search intent and showcasing value. Build landing and product pages with good UX that get people to convert. Create experience loops using email, social media, and other channels (because PPC doesn’t exist in a vacuum). Troubleshooting, tweaking, and a thousand other things that AI is far from capable of doing autonomously. Dig deeper: AI Max experiments arrive in Google Ads: Here’s how they work Early lessons from AI Max and what to do next It’s still too soon to definitively judge AI Max, but the early signs are positive – possibly more so than they were for Performance Max. The main things this 30+ day test taught me are: I’d love to see more reporting and analytics for AI Max, like why certain segments of users were targeted. Google is scaling back individual user-level reporting due to privacy concerns, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t see something beyond top-level performance. Since AI Max is primarily focused on the Search network and, therefore, works with the most user data, it seems to yield better-quality output than other algorithmic features. But it also doesn’t spend as aggressively as I would have thought. The Performance Max mindset definitely helps push you in the right direction with AI Max, and while all account-level data is helpful, there’s no concrete proof (yet) that getting results with one means you’ll succeed with the other. AI Max is new and still in beta, so it will be a while before we have a product that works the way Google intended. As always, reserve a portion of your budget for experimentation and test cautiously so that you don’t overextend and find yourself having a difficult conversation with clients and bosses. View the full article

A few years back, Deanna Conley had just moved to Newport, Rhode Island with a 3-month-old and 3-year-old. She soon joined a focus group for a new type of club forming in her area. This club—part daycare, part adult coworking space, and a little bit gym—would fulfill Conley’s post-moving needs: It offered community in a town where she knew no one, a space to work as a small business owner without an office, and affordable childcare. “The cost of a nanny was really prohibitive for us,” Conley says. Her older son had been in traditional daycare prior to the family’s move, but Conley thought this club might be a bit different. “I was really interested in and excited about this new idea of whole family care,” she says, “versus just childcare.” The club eventually became a daycare-gym-coworking hybrid workspace called Haven. It opened in Newport in 2019, and has since opened another location in Rhode Island and one in New Jersey. In January, Haven announced it’s franchising throughout the U.S. It, and other companies like it, may change how parents juggle work and kids. Per the Economic Policy Institute, childcare for one infant in the U.S. costs more than public college tuition in 38 states. That, plus the reality that many people work remotely, makes the idea of a space that mixes childcare, coworking, and fitness needs appealing to parents. That’s especially true in a world where more remote work means people are parenting more in bubbles than in villages. While gyms such as the YMCA and Minnesota-based fitness chain Life Time provide childcare, typically they cap care at a couple hours—perfect for a workout, not so great for work. Haven offers a village for the price of daycare—with coworking and fitness opportunities thrown in. “We can’t fix the high cost of childcare,” says Haven founder and CEO Britt Riley, acknowledging that early childhood educators deserve their pay. “But we can provide as much more value as we can.” She wants “to keep you in the workforce, help you feel close to your kids, [and] decrease your mom guilt.” Reports found that in 2023, just 15.8% of business with 1,000 or more employees offer on-site childcare, while just 7.6% of medium-sized business do. Other spaces that combine daycare and coworking exist in the U.S. and abroad, but Haven, with several hundred members across its clubs, remains unique as a fully licensed childcare facility (for ages zero to five), meaning parents can leave the building without their children, that’s begun franchising. (Other coworking spaces with childcare avoid the time-consuming licensing process because parents remain on-site with their kids.) ‘Very much what young parents need’ In today’s professional landscape, remote work has grown arguably more common than affordable childcare. Haven was born “out of a need,” says Riley, who’d been looking for childcare for her 1-year-old and infant but couldn’t find anything she felt comfortable with that wasn’t too high cost. “I got stuck on this idea that there was something else we could do.” Having worked in marketing at companies like Patagonia, Riley used her business acumen to attract investors, raising just under $20 million. She recently tapped a former Patagonia colleague to head Haven’s franchising efforts. Though Riley says regulations for childcare licensing are “extremely stringent” to ensure children’s safety, she prioritized giving members the ability to take meetings elsewhere (think coffee shops or clients’ offices) while their children stay at Haven. Notably, Riley refers to Haven as a “club” (where membership costs between $650 and $2,500 a month) rather than a “daycare/coworking space.” The coworking space “is just an amenity that’s there for the parents,” she says. “Club” offered a way to describe a “community,” Riley adds, where parents can look out the window mid-workday and see their kids playing outside, or pop into a dark room for a massage after meeting with an on-site personal trainer. Back in Rhode Island, self-employed business owner Conley has also relied on Haven for date nights. Her local Haven has hosted evenings in which members’ pajama-clad kids can eat, do crafts, and watch a movie while their parents go out for dinner. “It felt to me very much what young parents need,” Conley says. Rethinking the ‘quick drop-off model’ Haven’s clientele includes military families, full-time remote workers, gig workers, self-employed people, and even parents who work at offices. Riley says those clients use the facility for a quick workout before bringing their kids home. Haven’t isn’t the only coworking-slash-daycare in the game. MOMentum in suburban Pennsylvania caters to similar clientele. (Despite its name, dads account for about one-third of those working at MOMentum’s converted church building facility.) Like Haven, MOMentum grew from a need. Cofounder Mary Beth Thomas says the after school childcare program at her kids’ school was a mandatory paid five days, when she needed fewer. She was also looking for an alternative to the quick drop-off model in the morning: “We want our kids to get used to the fact that their parents are nearby and they’re going to peek in on them, and it’s not something that causes anxiety,” Thomas says. “It’s more of a comfort.” At MOMentum, which costs between $1,520 and $1,690 per month for full-week attendance, parents can join their kids for a music class, or eat lunch with them. MOMentum has just one location that offers childcare and coworking, and though Thomas has gotten inquiries about franchising, she prefers to keep the business local. “We’re more grassroots,” she says. “We want other people to come up with something that meets the needs of their community,” she says, and not something “just cloning MOMentum.” When Lauren Perrett opened BubbaDesk in November 2022 in Australia, she says there were no similar offerings. “Coworking and childcare were seen as completely separate categories,” she says. Instead of trying to compete with daycare, Perrett adds, her company pursued a new category that she calls “close-proximity care integrated with coworking.” BubbaDesk’s individual subscription membership costs up to $175 AUD ($115 USD) a day, and businesses like Canva and a large Australian bank have purchased memberships for their employees. (Haven offers corporate packages, too.) A spreading model While BubbaDesk’s model resembles Haven’s more closely than MOMentum’s, with eight locations across Australia, Perrett is concerned that franchising could compromise its standards, which are so important when it comes to keeping children safe and cared for. “Quality, safety, and culture are nonnegotiable, and the integrated nature of our spaces makes centralized training and oversight essential,” she says. To ensure Haven preserves its culture and safety standards, Riley speaks with all serious owner candidates personally. As much as she wants Haven’s availability to spread, she’s looking to keep the ecosystem cohesive, with a 2-by-3-foot poster proclaiming its values at each club. She calls the model, per the poster, “a blend of a wise mentor, a compassionate friend, your most supportive and loving family member.” Haven started awarding franchises in the second quarter of 2025. Riley won’t say how many have been awarded so far, but they “go as far west as Illinois,” with most in New England and Mid-Atlantic states. Even people in countries known for their progressive childcare policies, like in Scandinavia, have asked about opening Haven locations. For now, Riley envisions parents one day being able to travel with their children and work from Havens around the world. “It’s such a beneficial way of looking at childcare as whole family care,” says Conley. “Rather than parents in this rat race, trying to figure out schedules and hours and payments.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Back-to-school season used to mean loading up on fresh pencils and notebooks. More often now, though, it means loading up on new tech. (Although, you can still buy pencils and notebooks and probably should.) Just as you've started getting your class materials through e-book downloads and begun integrating apps into your studies, you should be leveling up your academic tools, too, to meet modern standards and make your time more productive. There are a ton of great devices out there right now to help you study and manage your scholastic life, but it’s hard to know where to start. Here’s what I recommend. Tools for studying and working in classFirst up, the tools you should be bringing with you when you're working in class or otherwise on the go. When you need to listen, be engaged, or take notes, you should be able to do so seamlessly. A keyboard cover to stop coffee, crumbs, and dust from gunking up your computer. All it takes is one accident while you’re cramming for a test to throw off your whole week. Make sure to get one that is designed for your exact keyboard. For instance, if you use a MacBook Pro, try this one for $12.95. I picked one of these up after I got a new MacBook when I started grad school and even though it took some time to adjust to the feeling of typing on a big piece of rubber, it made cleaning my keyboard so much easier for me. Every time I cleaned it, stains, crumbs, and dust came off—which made me consider that if it hadn't been there, they would have been lodged in my keys. A laptop cooling pad for when you’re doing heavy work back to back to back. Laptop coolers can help keep your computer from overheating, so you can spend all day doing work without worrying about it getting too hot. This Ice Coorel version ($17.98) has six-inch fans and is suitable for laptops between 14 and 16 inches, plus it’s collapsible, so you can take it on the go. Another benefit? It props your computer up slightly so you don't need to hunch over as much, aiding your posture and keeping you more comfortable. Ice Coorel Laptop Cooling Pad $17.98 at Amazon $19.99 Save $2.01 Learn More Learn More $17.98 at Amazon $19.99 Save $2.01 An e-reader tablet to read your textbooks and take quick notes. You can get a refurbished, older version of the Amazon Fire 7 for about $64. If you have a preferred notes or organizational app—like my fav, Notion—opt for an iPad instead, so you can use the app on there. Not sure which version to pick? Start here. Once you've picked, grab a stylus pen for $10 so you can scribble notes, make mind maps, draw diagrams, or do whatever else makes you retain your materials better. A portable laptop charger so your computer never dies in class. The charm of old classrooms at big universities wears off instantly the minute you get to a lecture hall and realize all the seats by the precious few outlets are taken, if there are even an outlets at all. Whether you’re in the library, in class, in the cafeteria, or on the go, a portable laptop charger, like the ZeroKor power bank ($53), is going to save you a lot of headaches. Tools for studying and working on your ownStudying in your dorm or living space is an unavoidable task made maddening by the existence of other people, who can be noisy or have no respect for your stuff. In addition to the following gadgets, I recommend you familiarize yourself with some study techniques you can use alongside them. Sleeping headphones to block out noise. These comfy wireless headbands are designed to block noise out and funnel the sounds you want—be it music or white noise—directly into your ears. They’re perfect for sleeping or studying, since they are soft and close-fitting, meaning you won’t get a headache and they’re easy to carry around. Try the Musicozy sleep headphones ($17), for example. Whenever you're working, but especially when you're studying, you want to be distraction-free and in a state of what's known as "deep work." Blocking out the world around you is a good first step, but you should also consider following the Pomodoro technique, which asks you to work uninterrupted in 25-minute increments interspersed with five-minute breaks. Gadgets shouldn't replace old-school mindsets or techniques, but they can enhance them. A Pomodoro timer Speaking of good old Pomodoro, you can pick up a specialty timer for under $20 that will sit on your desk and keep track of your focus sessions for you. You might think that's a silly gadget to buy, since your phone certainly has a built-in timer feature, but your phone is also full of all the distractions you're trying to avoid when you're engaging in deep work, so it's best to stay away from it if it's too tempting. On the other hand, you can download a Pomodoro app that will not only provide you with a timer, but block all your distracting apps while it's running, which is the best of both worlds. My favorite is FocusPomo. A second laptop screen so you can see and do more. A portable monitor is helpful when you have to look at references to complete work and don’t want to be switching between tabs or minimizing all your windows to see everything at once. They come at different price points, so you don’t have to break the bank: Koorui sells a portable 15.6-inch monitor for $80. I had a setup like this at my old job, where I had three screens that stretched across my desk. I can't tell you how much more productive I was when I didn't have to shift and minimize windows constantly and could just glance at another screen to see the reference materials for what I was working on on the main one. Portable Monitor, 15.6" and 1080P FHD $79.99 at Amazon $95.99 Save $16.00 Learn More Learn More $79.99 at Amazon $95.99 Save $16.00 A desk-mounted power strip so you’re never fighting anyone for an outlet. Your phone, tablet, computer, and countless other pieces of tech all need to be charged, so you should have outlets at your desk to keep them all in one place. The Emerising power strip ($30) has four USB ports and three AC outlets to juice it all, right on your desk. Another option that has served me well at home, at school, and at work is the humble multicharger. I've long used the STM Charge Tree ($64), which can charge an Apple Watch, Airpods, and iPhone simultaneously, folds up for easy transportation, and only needs access to one outlet. A lock to protect your tech so no one else uses it. Ever had a roommate who takes your stuff all the time? Pick up a combination lock that attaches to the smooth surfaces of your tech to keep them where you want them, even when you’re not around. Try the CaLeQi security lock ($10). A lap desk so you can work wherever you want. A lap desk saves my back from destruction since I just won't give up the habit of working anywhere but an ergonomic desk. The lap desk I prefer is just $30 and has a holder for your tablet, USB charging docks, a little drawer for accessories, and a cup holder for your coffee. Foldable Laptop Desk $29.99 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $29.99 at Amazon A monitor clip so you can see your notes while you work. It’s a small annoyance in the grand scheme of things, but glancing down at your paper notes while you work is tedious, so eliminate the issue with the Kensington Flex Clip copyholder ($14), which attaches to your laptop monitor and holds your documents at eye level. And if you haven't taken handwritten notes in a long time and can't imagine why this is on the list, let me explain: Handwriting your notes actually helps you remember them better. Gadgets, tech, and apps are all crucial to modern-day learning, but mixing in some of the old-style tricks every now and then can be helpful, too. View the full article

We covered the topic of taking over an old domain name from someone else and how that can sometimes be problematic in the Google SEO world. But here is a more recent comment from John Mueller of Google that is more encouraging on the topic.View the full article

Google seems to be testing or rolling out a new AI chat feature labeled "Ask Stores" within Google Shopping. The AI chat feature lets you "Ask about hard-to-find items, shopping, styling, home finds, trending pieces, brands, selling, and more."View the full article

On Friday, I reported on some folks gaining access to agentic features in AI Mode. Well, Robby Stein from Google announced later that day that anyone in the US can now opt into Agentic capabilities in AI Mode.View the full article

The Gaza Riviera plan is off the table and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is backView the full article

A number of local SEOs are noticing a lift in the number of suspensions they are dealing with in Google Business Profiles. Many local SEOs are reporting that they are dealing with these suspensions and reinstatements more often now than before.View the full article

Google said it will be strict in enforcing accurate pricing for lodging listings on Google, both for ads and free booking links. There is no policy change but they will have a "higher standards for price accuracy."View the full article

Black Friday 2024 broke records in U.S. online sales and bold brand campaigns, offering critical lessons for shaping mobile-first strategies this year. The post Black Friday Strategies For 2025: Learning From Last Year’s Winning Tactics appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday. When Mary Beth Laughton became president and CEO of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) earlier this year, she inherited an organization with a rich heritage: REI was founded in 1938 by Lloyd and Mary Anderson, who joined some fellow outdoor enthusiast friends to buy ice axes that were only available in Europe at the time. Since then, REI has retained its status as a cooperative (co-op)—a $30 lifetime membership fee unlocks member rewards, discounts, and free standard shipping—and now boasts 25 million lifetime members, 195 stores, and 14,000 employees. Laughton came into a company that was losing money and ceding ground to competitors. REI reported a net loss of $156.4 million in 2024; revenue fell 6.2% to $3.53 billion. To reverse the slide and position the brand to become “the most trusted retailer for people who love the outdoors,” Laughton last week unveiled a multi-year strategic plan that aims to leverage REI’s strengths while improving retail and membership experiences. She spoke exclusively with Modern CEO about the plan. Evolve, evaluate, elevate, engage “It’s not about necessarily reinventing the co-op,” she says of the strategy. “It’s about unleashing these assets that we already have and make us unique. But the reality is that we need to drive profit so that we can reinvest in communities and employees and back into the business.” The plan calls for REI to evolve its culture, evaluate its inventory to make sure stores are stocked with a comprehensive and current product assortment, elevate its customer service and experience, and engage members. “We’re talking about being a more connected, focused, and trailblazing culture,” she says, putting customers at the center, doing fewer but more high-impact projects, and moving faster. She adds: “If we don’t get the culture right, the rest of the strategic pillars aren’t going to matter.” Differentiating the REI experience To combat competition from big-box retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, e-commerce giant Amazon, and newer brands with their own stores such as Cotopaxi, Laughton and her team are focused on differentiating the REI shopping experience. They are doing so with products that appeal to casual and expert outdoorspeople alike, while tapping into the knowledge and insights of REI’s 9,000 retail employees, known as “Green Vests” in a nod to the uniform they wear. “They have a lot of passion for the outdoors; they can offer a lot of guidance and expertise,” she says. She’s also looking for ways to “bring the Green Vest online”—weave expert advice throughout the online shopping experience. Those Green Vests also have their own expectations of REI. Employees at 11 stores have voted to unionize, an effort that began in 2020 amid concerns about worker safety during the pandemic. Earlier this year, REI and the unions that represent the workers reached an agreement that paves the way for contract negotiations. “We’re showing that we want to make progress, and we’re working collaboratively to get there,” Laughton says. New vision, solid roots Laughton is well positioned to help REI get crisp on the fundamentals of retail and online shopping. Before joining the co-op, she ran Nike’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) business globally, which included its more than 6,000 stores, e-commerce site, and more (she spent nearly a decade at the footwear and apparel giant earlier in her career). Before Nike, she was president and CEO of Athleta, spent more than eight years at Sephora, and got her career start as a McKinsey & Company consultant. In the same way that Athleta expanded its customer base with workout gear in a range of sizes, as well as styles suitable for wear outside the gym or yoga studio, Laughton sees an opportunity to make sure REI is stocked with items that make people feel comfortable and stylish while hiking or skiing. “We have a thousand brands, and we can mix and match and outfit people in a way that they actually want to dress for the outdoors,” she says. But don’t expect the co-op to stray too far from its roots. “We want to be on-trend, but we also want to make sure that we’re not trendy,” she says. “Because that’s not REI.” Fine-tune your search results Modern CEO is proud to publish on Fast Company and Inc. on Monday mornings. If you like what you’re reading, please consider customizing your Google searches so that these outlets appear more frequently as “top stories” when you search relevant topics. You may add Inc. as a source preference by clicking here, and click here to add Fast Company as a preferred source. Read more: gearing up Patagonia’s founder never wanted to be a billionaire, so he did something about it Cotopaxi’s CEO won’t abandon color in her quest to compete with Patagonia Arc’teryx built an exoskeleton. Here’s what it’s like to walk in it View the full article

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Delivering feedback as a leader can feel challenging, but with the right training and awareness, you can set yourself up for success. In this article, industry leaders share the common mistakes they’ve observed and practical tips that can help you communicate feedback more effectively and constructively to foster a more productive work environment. Focus on Behavior, Not Character When feedback judges the individual—and not the action—a poor outcome is almost guaranteed. “You’re not a team player” is an example of feedback that makes an assertion about a person’s character. The receiver of this feedback is likely to experience a “fight, flight, or freeze” response because the feedback conversation has just become deeply personal. As a result, the feedback will not be heard by the receiver and therefore misses the opportunity to promote learning, growth, or improvement. Moreover, the leader has lost trust and credibility with the receiver when a different approach could have strengthened the relationship. Conversely, when feedback focuses on the observable behavior and the impact of that behavior—and not the individual’s character, personality, or worth—the conversation looks and feels different. For example: “In today’s meeting, you talked over your colleagues on three separate occasions,” gives the receiver the context for the feedback and the observable behavior. “The effect was that half of the team stopped participating, which means we’re missing their input and we aren’t creating the conditions for our best work,” describes the impact of that behavior on the organization. When the feedback is behavior-focused, the receiver is better positioned to stay open to the message and is more likely to understand how to change their behavior in the future. Nancy McGuire Choi, Chief Operating Officer, The Nebo Company Use the ‘SBI-A’ Model for Effective Feedback Delivering difficult feedback is one of the most common skills we are brought in to teach leaders. A common mistake I see leaders make when delivering feedback is relying on the outdated “sandwich method” where they wrap constructive criticism between two pieces of praise. While it might feel kinder, in practice it often backfires. Unskilled leaders end up glazing over the constructive feedback and confusing people about the real message, making it seem like the issue isn’t a big deal. A far more effective strategy is the SBI-A model: Situation, Behavior, Impact, Alternative. Start by describing the situation and the specific behavior you observed. Do not assume you know their intention. Then, explain the impact of that behavior on the team, the work, or the organization. You may offer them a chance to explain their intention. Finally, offer an alternative for how the situation could be approached differently in the future. SBI-A Example: Situation: “In yesterday’s team meeting . . .” Behavior: “. . . you interrupted two colleagues before they finished sharing their points.” Impact: “When that happened, others shut down and we lost potentially valuable contributions.” Alternative: “Next time, please try to pause and let others finish before jumping in with your perspective.” This method keeps feedback specific, actionable, and free from mixed messages. Bailey Parnell, Founder & CEO, SkillsCamp Adopt Data-Driven Framework to Externalize Feedback The most damaging mistake leaders make when delivering feedback is emotional transference. This happens when the leader, feeling anxious or uncomfortable about the potential for conflict, unconsciously makes the feedback about their own feelings rather than the employee’s growth. Instead of a calm, objective conversation, it becomes an emotional event where the employee is forced to manage not only the feedback but also the leader’s discomfort. The focus shifts from the employee’s behavior to the leader’s emotional state, which immediately triggers defensiveness and erodes trust while eliciting in many cases an emotional response from the employee. The most practical tip to avoid this is to adopt a simple, data-driven framework that externalizes the feedback, making it objective and actionable. One way to think about this is, “Beyond the emotions, you are okay, don’t shrink from action.” I also recommend the SBI-A Model to help with this. Ultimately, this structure allows a leader to live the principle that clarity is kindness. By providing a clear, factual account of the situation, the behavior, and its impact, you give your employee the gift of awareness and a clear choice about the impact they want to create going forward. You owe that to your people, to lead. Beverly Flores, Founder & CEO, Thyme Out Consulting Balance Empathy and Directness in Feedback A common pitfall when providing feedback is failing to strike a balance between being empathetic and direct. To address this issue, I’ve adopted the radical candor approach, which has now become integral to my company’s culture. It helps find the middle ground between ignoring people’s feelings, which only strengthens misunderstandings, and being overly concerned about the emotional side, which may prevent one from actually communicating change and creating an environment for growth. We have an internal saying that reflects our culture: every team member can take any feedback but strives to provide the best possible. In this equation, “the best possible” stands for honest, detailed, and thoughtful feedback, and should not, in any case, be mistaken for merely pleasant enough to avoid conflict. The game changer for any leader is also being ready to ask for and receive feedback before giving it to the team. Such a first step boosts trust and maximizes the value of any input that follows. This approach also contributes to a leader-leader model, empowering everyone, regardless of their role, to contribute ideas, drive innovation, learn from mistakes, take 100% responsibility for the results, and choose an “intend to” perspective instead of waiting for instructions. Anton Pavlovsky, Founder and CEO, Headway Inc Allow Time for Reflection Before Correction The greatest feedback mistake that leaders make is addressing issues on the spot rather than hearing the person out first during emotional moments. When a caregiver commits a mistake, healthcare managers tend to move directly to corrective action, which leads to defensiveness that inhibits learning. Military aviation led me to understand that debriefing is more effective than on-the-job correction since individuals require time to digest what occurred before they can internalize instructions. The best way to provide feedback is by requesting the individual to discuss their thought process before you give them your observations. When a nurse makes a wrong decision when prescribing medication, the prompt, “Walk me through your decision-making,” will help identify a lack of knowledge, system malfunction, or external factors. This approach has helped us retain 34% more of our staff in 18 months since employees feel that they are heard and not judged. Stephen Huber, President and Founder, Home Care Providers Address One Issue at a Time The most frequent fault that I commit as a leader is that I often present feedback in the form of a performance audit rather than a conversation. I will sit down with someone and lay out a laundry list of problems, throwing everything out there simultaneously regardless of the context or time. I learned this lesson the hard way at the beginning of my career with a junior developer who failed to meet project deadlines. Rather than addressing the pattern in the moment, I accumulated all the missed deadlines to review during our monthly check-in. Both of us got bogged down in the conversation, and nothing fruitful was achieved. My practical trick: The rule of one thing. Identify which single issue is the most significant and should be addressed, then talk about it within 48 hours of realizing it happened. Do not use the feedback sandwich technique. Here is what works: “I observed that the API documentation for the client project was three days late. Can you explain to me how that happened so that we can avoid this in the future?” Then be quiet and listen. This short-term intensive approach has reshaped my team’s response to directions. The reality is that people actually make changes because they are not overwhelmed by several areas of improvement in parallel. The discussion is not controlling, and each problem is solved before it escalates to more serious issues. Rahul Jaiswal, Project Manager, Geeks Programming Transform Feedback into Two-Way Conversations One common mistake I see leaders make is treating feedback as a one-time “download” instead of a two-way conversation. Sometimes leaders deliver feedback as a type of verdict, something they need to get through quickly, versus an opportunity to build trust, alignment, and growth. If the leader’s feedback feels transactional, the employee’s curiosity and motivation shut down, which makes their morale plummet. A practical tip: Shift from “performance policing” to “partnership.” Instead of telling someone what they did wrong, frame feedback as a two-way exploration. “Here’s what I noticed. How did it feel from your side?” This simple shift transforms feedback into a two-way conversation that helps the other person feel seen and engaged in cocreating the path forward. It builds trust, alignment, and growth, and increases performance, morale, and retention. Anu Mandapati, CEO, Qultured Connect Feedback to Future Growth One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is delivering feedback without pointing to the real issue and without connecting that issue to the future. Too often, feedback gets stuck in the past, focused on what went wrong as opposed to being framed as an act of service to help someone grow. Leaders may avoid conflict, downplay their message, or fail to highlight the one key behavior that needs to change to drive progress. However, people care about their growth, their development, and their impact. That’s why effective feedback must be more than vague commentary. It should be grounded in direct observation, placed in context, and connected to future outcomes. Done well, feedback answers three questions for the person receiving it: Why does this matter? Why should I care? And how will this help me develop? When leaders approach feedback this way, they transform it from a judgment about the past into a catalyst for growth and impact. Dr. Isabel Bilotta, Director, People & Performance, Deutser Provide Clear Accountability in Feedback A big mistake that I see leaders make, including myself, is providing feedback without accountability. Let’s say a direct report comes to you to tell you that they’ve completed a particular task, you have a look, and see that there are problems. Maybe those problems can be regarded as errors, or maybe you’ve seen what they’ve accomplished, love it, and want them to continue. Doesn’t matter. When providing feedback or other guidance, a good leader makes sure to include the who, what, and when. Who should do the work? What should that work entail? And when should it be completed? The “who” when you’re meeting with someone one-on-one is usually evident, but not always. Some leaders have a habit of speaking very passively and use language like, “We should be sure to do X, Y, and Z,” without clarifying who “we” is. Simple fix: change “we” to “you.” The “what” is usually pretty well-defined, too, but not always. A manager who says, “I’d like to see improvement in how you do X,” should be more specific. Better to say, “I’m glad that you’re making 40 sales calls a week, but I need that to be 60.” The “when” is very often forgotten. To the manager, it might seem obvious: as soon as practicable or even possible. But that begs the question of what is practicable or even possible. Prioritization is something that the manager should better understand than the direct report, as the manager should better understand how the work fits into the overall picture. “I’d like you to be making 60 sales calls a week by the end of this month,” is a good approach. Steven Rothberg, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, College Recruiter Apply ‘Theory of Mind’ in Feedback One mistake leaders often make when delivering feedback is failing to apply Theory of Mind—the capacity to discern and interpret others’ mental states, including beliefs, intentions, emotions, and desires. ToM helps leaders anticipate how recipients will interpret feedback and their emotional responses, influencing whether they actually “receive” it or reject it. Most of us have likely been in a situation where our supervisor gave feedback that felt one-sided, cold, and devoid of any indication that they took even a moment to consider our perspectives. When this happens, we typically question the legitimacy of the communication. Leaders and those entrusted in their care co-construct meanings during feedback conversations. These conversations should be co-constructed dialogues, not one-way communications that violate relational trust. Applying ToM is critical to maintaining positive relationships and momentum toward goal achievement. I recommend that leaders conduct a “Mental Model Check” before engaging in feedback discussions. They should pause and ask themselves: “What is the goal of my feedback?” “What, specifically, am I hoping to achieve through this conversation?” “How will this serve the person?” “What might be influencing this person’s current capacity to receive feedback (e.g., stress levels, recent events, workload)?” After establishing their intentions and how the feedback will support the person receiving it, leaders should further reflect: “What is this person probably feeling and thinking about [insert the feedback topic]?” “What do I know about how they take in and process information?” “What do they need from me to trust that I intend to help them?” “What must I do to adapt my communication to their preferences?” After considering these aspects, leaders should open the conversation with an invitation to dialogue that frames the person as an equal participant. They might try something like, “Help me see your perspective on [situation]. I want to gain a better understanding of your point of view. What did you have in mind when [specific incident] happened?” Thinking through these kinds of questions stretches one’s empathy and forces leaders to imagine the other person’s thoughts and emotions before presenting their own view. This approach can go a long way in preventing misunderstandings and strengthening trust in working relationships. Sandra Buatti-Ramos, Founder, Hyphen Innovation Avoid Humor When Delivering Feedback Even though it is well-intentioned, trying to ease tension or make the conversation less awkward usually backfires. When feedback is wrapped in jokes, employees often leave the conversation uncertain about whether the concerns raised were genuine or just casual banter. This ambiguity can lead them to question if their work or mistakes are being taken seriously, ultimately eroding trust. In some instances, what the leader intends as lighthearted can actually come across as dismissive or demeaning. A more effective approach is straightforward, respectful communication. I recommend focusing feedback on specific behaviors and their outcomes, completely avoiding jokes or sarcasm. Rather than saying with a chuckle, “Well, that report was a bit of a disaster,” try: “The report contained several errors that created confusion for the client. Let’s discuss how to prevent this in the future.” This delivers feedback that is constructive, actionable, and clearly communicates the seriousness of the matter. In my experience, employees consistently respond better to honest, respectful feedback than to humor that obscures the essential message. Dimi Baitanciuc, Co-Founder & CEO, Brizy.io Request Specific Feedback for Improvement “Grow through feedback” is one of our company values, and we truly stand by it! We rely on feedback to build trust, hold each other accountable, and improve our work. We also encourage all teammates (especially managers and leaders) to develop a habit of regularly giving and asking for specific 360-degree feedback, both strengths (glows) and areas for improvement (grows). One common mistake I’ve seen leaders make is not being specific enough in their feedback requests. It’s challenging to provide meaningful input when the request is too broad: “Do you have any feedback about my work in the last quarter?” or, “Here’s a document; let me know what you think.” It’s much easier to respond to a focused prompt. For example: “From your perspective, what went well and what could have been improved about my planning and execution of our GTM Hackathon?” Or: “Do you think the questions I highlighted in yellow will drive a healthy debate between RevOps and Data on ownership?” Specificity makes the feedback process far more productive. The practical tip: be specific, consistent, and timely. Feedback doesn’t have to be lengthy or intense. Simply acknowledge the behavior and its impact, then follow up with a question or request. These quick moments of feedback, given regularly, build trust and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Over time, both leaders and their teams grow stronger because feedback becomes not a rare event, but a normal part of how you work together. Julianna Kobs, Executive Business Partner, Zapier Tailor Feedback to Project Stage One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen leaders make is giving feedback that isn’t appropriate to the stage of the project. Feedback during the brainstorming phase should look very different from feedback given on a project that is mid-stage or near completion. To be constructive, leaders need to understand the timelines their team members are working under. A team member might be juggling multiple deadlines, coordinating efforts with others, or navigating variables outside their control. For example, feedback suggesting a major overhaul should take into account the time and opportunity cost involved, particularly if the person is accountable to other stakeholders. On the other hand, feedback that is overly narrow or prescriptive when a project still needs big-picture direction can be just as unhelpful. Surface-level details may be the first things to stand out, but effective leaders know how to prioritize feedback that drives progress at the right stage. Effective feedback should be calibrated to the project’s context and framed as clear, specific, and actionable next steps. Luke Marsh, CMO, Innago Encourage Honest Feedback for Team Success I once asked our customer service team lead to share feedback on the manager. The manager was a recent hire, while the team leader had been with us for more than three years. She decided to be kind and didn’t give the objective truth. The manager’s performance deteriorated, which negatively affected team morale. We received more requests for paid time off and mental health days. We were forced to hire part-time workers to meet deadlines, incurring an extra expense. Employees were clashing with each other, and we only learned about this during the team lead’s exit interview. She shared the objective comments on the manager that she would have given months ago. It is okay to want to be kind and have your coworkers’ backs. However, when we ask for feedback, we are not asking for it as a form of punishment. We want to know areas that need our attention, training, or improvement to enhance our services and team spirit. Jacky Fischer, CEO, 3 Men Movers View the full article

Here are two high-level truths essential to understanding the present and future of robotics. First, we want robots to work for us. Second, when it comes to work, humans have three historical blueprints for recruiting labor: animals, through the process of domestication; other humans, through employment, but also subjugation and outright enslavement; and machines, through the development of physical systems for performing actions. Why does this matter to understanding the present and future of robotics? While we’ve created an astonishing diversity of machines in the broadest sense, those first two blueprints for recruited labor—animals and other humans—have so far dominated our conception of robots. Today our most celebrated robots, all of them marvels of design and engineering, are machine evolutions of animals and other humans. You can see the echoes of those same dogs and draft animals we recruited as labor thousands of years ago in this dog and this dog, another dog, and this mule. And you can see our adoration of humanoid robots in Agility Robotics’ Digit, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, Tesla’s Optimus, and Unitree’s G1. There are straightforward reasons for this. First, as a species we’ve done a lot of work designing the world for us and our animal helpers, so it makes sense to design robots resembling ourselves and those animals for work in those spaces. As an example, this humanoid robot from Under Control Robotics is designed to work alongside humans in human workplaces such as warehouses and construction sites, a machine enhancement of human-like capabilities. Second, we have an innate tendency in our psychology toward anthropomorphism. Our brains are hardwired through evolutionary adaptation to discern complex social signals. A major reverberation of this adaptation is that we tend to anthropomorphize the stuff around us, affixing human characteristics to non-human things. It’s why we have trains with faces in Thomas & Friends and why Star Wars’ C-3PO—a machine—is anxious and chatty. It’s also why many people name their cars and Roomba vacuum cleaners. The pivot Here’s the pivot ahead, though: there are important spaces in our future that aren’t designed for us. Anthropomorphized animal- and human-like robots are designed to replicate human and animal capabilities, but those capabilities are based on physiologies that don’t have the same advantages for work in outer space, in oceans, on the blades of wind turbines, or inside volcanoes. While nature certainly has many highly specialized adaptations, the physiologies of humans and animals are simply not made for maneuvering inside gas and water pipes; they can’t be dropped from aircraft without parachutes or thrown into battlefields; they aren’t well-suited for fighting lithium battery fires inside a landfill. Humanoid and animal-inspired robots also tend to be complex, power-hungry, and expensive—unhelpful traits for the scale of work we’ll need them to do. For these kinds of work, our future needs weird robots. This means radically self-reliant robots with unconventional form factors designed to work in extreme environments. Here are three speculative, weird robots we’ll need in the near future. Space Ball Multiple companies are currently building low-Earth orbit space stations that will continue human presence in space beyond the International Space Station’s planned decommissioning in 2030. A big promise of these commercial endeavors is the opportunity to conduct science experiments in space for industries developing advanced materials, medicine, and other technologies. Tending to these experiments where there’s no air or atmosphere will require robotic form factors capable of maneuvering in zero gravity and operating in temperatures that fluctuate between negative 85° Fahrenheit and 257° Fahrenheit. What might that look like? A spherical robot, applying electrostatic forces to affix itself to surfaces, with a dexterous array of pivoting grippers, sensors, and cameras that emerge when it’s not rolling from one spot to another. Here on earth, this same kind of robot might someday help search and rescue teams conduct reconnaissance by rolling across steep and rugged terrain in any kind of weather and at night—conditions in which it’s not safe for human and canine teams to work. Seabed Seeder Seagrass meadows, which are highly effective “blue carbon” sinks, also play outsized roles in protecting coastlines from storm surges, improving water quality, and nurturing commercial fish stocks. Those roles will only grow in importance as we work to mitigate the effects of climate change. Globally, we’ve already lost nearly 30% of seagrass meadows and we’re currently losing about 7% each year. Reversing that through restoration will require planting roughly two football fields of seagrass every hour. Planting native seagrass, while also removing invasive seagrass species, will require robots capable of working across underwater terrain in dynamic currents for long periods of time. What might that look like? An aquatic planter with independently sensing legs, topped with a helix-like underwater turbine to self-generate power from the currents. This same kind of robot might eventually patrol urban waterways, removing trash and plastic waste before it can reach our oceans. Bridge Blob There are more than 600,000 bridges in the United States and approximately a third of them are designated “structurally deficient” as of 2024. Those bridges are crossed by 168.5 million motorists every day. At the present rate of repair, it’ll take more than 50 years to fix these bridges, so we’re going to need a lot of help. While the bulk of research into particle-armored liquid robots is focused on biomedical applications, their unique properties—capable of navigating tiny fissures in concrete and other materials, enduring harsh conditions, and yet deformable—means they could eventually be used with bridges to inspect, apply coatings, and remove contaminants. What might that look like? Thousands of tiny armored blobs working mostly unseen to help bridges and other big infrastructure self-heal. Farther into the future, this same kind of robot might continuously clean your home’s roof, windows, and siding, working year-round to remove moss, algae, and dirt—no ladders required. View the full article

Deal with Dar Global comes as US president’s organisation seeks to expand footprint in Gulf regionView the full article