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Barry Greene has spent the past three decades helping students master the art of jazz guitar, both as a professor at the University of North Florida and through his own online lesson platform. His teaching journey took an unexpected turn in 2007, when he uploaded a casual video to YouTube. What started as a fun experiment quickly gained traction. As Barry recalls, 'within months, I was teaching masterclasses overseas.' Over time, Barry built a thriving online community of guitarists who rely on his lessons to develop their technique, explore jazz harmony, and stay inspired. With growth came a challenge: keeping up with social media demands without sacrificing time for creating new lessons and staying engaged with students. In this post, we hear from Barry about how he has built a social media system that doesn't interfere with his passion for teaching. Sharing daily content on social media Barry started sharing daily clips on social media to reach his audience. “Some days I’ll record a quick 60-second video while I’m practicing. Other times I’ll go a bit longer, depending on the idea I’m sharing.” Since he's already practicing, it makes for great content. Once he has the content, it's time for content distribution. To reach his audience, Barry shares his daily clips across four platforms: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Each platform serves a different slice of his community, and each has its own quirks and requirements. Posting on social media started as a simple way to connect with students, but over time, it became a bit of a logistical headache. Posting manually to each network disrupted Barry’s creative rhythm and took valuable time away from teaching and playing. “It’s just not realistic to upload the same thing to multiple platforms every day. That kind of repetition slows you down and makes you less likely to share at all.” Simplifying his social media process Looking to simplify, Barry researched the best social media management tools, and turned to Buffer. “Being able to upload a video once and send it to all my platforms — that’s the big one. It makes everything easier.” Now, Barry manages all his content from a single dashboard, and his content process flows much more smoothly. Barry's streamlined process: Record a short, authentic video during practiceUpload once to BufferSelect all four social channels in secondsLet Buffer handle the restHe can now plan several days of content in one sitting without interrupting his teaching flow. Plus, with the added simplicity, Barry has been able to schedule out his content in advance. The efficiency boost is significant: 'I've often got five or six days of content lined up,' Barry notes. 'It's quick, simple, and I can fill out my schedule whenever I have a spare moment.' Barry has another time-saving trick: Buffer's hashtag manager. 'I've got sets of hashtags saved for different types of posts,' he explains. 'It's a small thing, but it adds up. Just press a button and they're in. It's a huge time saver.' A natural fit for the way he teachesBarry's focus is on sharing high-quality instruction in a way that feels true to his teaching style — and Buffer gives him the freedom to do just that. When longer videos need editing, he adapts his workflow to suit each platform, often uploading alternate versions with minor tweaks. Buffer’s flexibility supports this without slowing him down. “If a video runs longer than a minute, I’ll trim it down for YouTube and post the rest to the other platforms. Buffer makes that easy.” More time for what matters For Barry, Buffer has become a powerful assistant in the background, helping him reach more people without disrupting the creative flow. “Buffer gives me more time to create, to teach, and to stay focused on what matters.”Key takeawaysFor educators building online communities: ➡️ Buffer helps eliminate the busywork of posting so you can spend more time teaching and connecting with your audience. For creators reaching niche audiences: ➡️ Consistency doesn’t have to mean burnout. Buffer supports your natural workflow so you can create content that feels true to your voice. For anyone building something solo: ➡️ The right tools should amplify your creativity instead of creating more work. ➡️ Buffer adapts to your process so you can keep growing without losing your focus. Want to see Barry’s teaching in action? Check out his YouTube channel, follow him on Facebook and Instagram, or explore his full video course platform. View the full article

I analyzed over one million keywords across 10 industries. The average cost per click (CPC) for Google Search ads in 2025 is $8.34. And the median CPC is $4.52. Legal had the highest average CPC at $22.75. Ecommerce had the lowest, at just $0.82 per click. But there’s no flat rate for CPC. Even if two advertisers bid on the same keyword, they won’t pay the same. Costs can vary based on several factors — and CPC is just one part of the equation. Google Ads pricing also involves other expenses that can affect your total budget. In this guide, you’ll learn: How much Google Ads really cost What your budget should be How you can lower your ad costs (without hurting results) Let’s dive in. How Much Does a Google Ad Cost? Google Ads can cost anywhere from $500 to $100,000 per month. There’s no fixed rate. And CPCs can change from year to year based on competition and demand in your industry. That’s why you set the budget that makes sense for your goals. When I worked at marketing agencies, I’d see brands start with as little as $200 per month. But in most cases, that isn’t enough to generate real data to measure performance, optimize targeting, or drive consistent leads. It’s recommended to start with at least $500 a month. I asked Sam Maugans (a PPC Director and Business Owner, FourHorse Digital LLC) how much does it cost for Google Ads. He said: “Smaller companies can run remarketing campaigns for as little as $500 per month. Medium-sized businesses usually start out at around $5,000 and, with good performance, can increase their monthly budgets all the way up to $50,000. Similarly, larger businesses may start at $5,000 and over the years work their way up to $100,000 and even $1,000,000 a month.” I talked to other experts as well. Here’s what a typical monthly budget looks like, based on business size: Small business: From $500 to $5,000 per month Mid-size business: From $5,000 to $50,000 per month Large business: From $25,000 to $100,000+ per month In the end, what you spend depends on how aggressive your goals are. If you want more clicks and leads, you’ll need a larger budget to reach enough of the right people. You can’t expect to generate 100 high-quality SaaS leads with just $500 a month. That kind of reach takes more spending. And remember, not all clicks are equal. A higher CPC can still be worth it if it brings in better-quality leads that are more likely to convert. Use our Google Ads Budget Estimator to calculate your starting budget. Just plug in your CPC, lead goals, and conversion rate. What You’re Paying for With Google Ads (and Why It’s Not Fixed) Google doesn’t charge you to show your ad. You only pay when someone clicks. That’s why it’s called pay-per-click (PPC). This model mainly applies to Search ads, where you bid on keywords. But other ad formats (like Display, YouTube, and Shopping) use different pricing. Some charge you per view. Others per 1,000 impressions. (We’ll cover this when we break down campaign types later in the guide.) Still, all of them run on one thing: Google’s ad auction. Every time someone searches, there’s a lightning-fast auction to decide whose ad shows and what they pay for that click. For example: Let’s say someone searches “divorce lawyer near me.” And they click on a Google search ad. That single click could cost around $8.43 in the U.S. But if they search for something like “dog groomer near me,” that click might only cost $1.35. Same platform. Same system. Very different costs. Because the value of each click is different. But here’s the thing: You don’t always pay the amount you bid. When you run a campaign, you set a maximum bid, which is the most you’re willing to pay for a click. But what you pay is usually less. That’s because Google’s auction considers more than just your bid when deciding which ad shows up and at what price. So, what affects the cost of Google Ads beyond your max bid? Let’s break down the seven biggest factors. Factors That Impact Your Cost Per Click How much Google Ads costs isn’t set in stone. Your CPC can change dramatically depending on these seven factors: Your Industry Your cost per click depends heavily on the industry you’re in. When I analyzed over one million keywords across 10 industries, the differences were huge. Some industries consistently came in high. Because the value of a single lead is massive. Others stayed low, likely due to lower margins or less commercial intent. Here’s a breakdown of the average and median CPC for each industry in the dataset: Side note: In every industry, the median CPC is lower than the average. That means a few high-cost keywords pull the average up, but most keywords cost much less. Industry Average CPC Median CPC Legal $22.75 $8.00 Finance $11.25 $6.43 SaaS / Tech $10.14 $6.68 Home Services $8.86 $5.82 Marketing & Advertising $8.33 $6.18 Education / Online Learning $8.21 $4.87 Automotive $5.90 $2.01 Health & Wellness $5.50 $3.98 Real Estate $1.65 $0.60 Ecommerce / Retail $0.82 $0.63 To put that into perspective: A click for “dog bite lawyer san jose” costs around $229. A click for “keto diet nutritionist” costs about $0.85 That’s not just a pricing difference. It reflects the value of a lead in each industry. If you’re in a high-cost niche like legal, finance, or SaaS, you’ll need a bigger budget to compete. But if you’re in ecommerce or real estate, your clicks are cheaper. And you can start smaller. Methodology This data is based on a sample of over one million keywords pulled from Semrush’s U.S. database (July 2025.) We analyzed keywords across 10 industries, using between 7 and 35 seed keywords per industry, and extracted up to 30,000 related terms for each. (Keywords with zero search volume were removed.) The final mix of commercial, transactional, navigational, and informational search queries gave us a realistic snapshot of what businesses pay to advertise on Google Search ads. The Types of Keywords You Target Different types of keywords affect how much you pay. They vary by: Intent: Is the person ready to buy, or just looking for information? Length: Broad terms vs. long, specific phrases Match type: How closely a search needs to match your keyword Broad, generic terms like “plumber” are comparatively affordable. But, they’re less targeted. And often trigger your ad for searches that don’t match what you offer. More specific terms like “emergency plumber in Chicago” tend to cost more. But those clicks are from people who are ready to take action. Match types also affect your cost: Broad match: Your ad can show for related terms, even if they don’t match exactly Phrase match: Your ad shows when the search includes your exact phrase Exact match: Your ad only shows for that specific keyword (or close variations) Broad match usually brings cheaper clicks, but lower-quality traffic. Exact match costs more, but tends to drive better results. The more specific your targeting, the higher your cost per click is likely to be. But you’ll waste less budget and attract people who are actually ready to buy. That’s why keyword type plays a major role in how much an ad costs on Google. Further reading: 7 Steps to Selecting High-Converting PPC Keywords Location and Device Targeting Where your ad runs — and on which device it appears — can affect your cost per click. Targeting a competitive city usually means higher bids. For example, the search term “plumber near me” costs $62.67 per click in Austin, Texas. In Lincoln, Nebraska, that same keyword costs just $20.11. Why? Fewer advertisers. Less bidding. Lower CPC. Similarly, device targeting affects cost as well. Google Ads lets you set different bids for mobile, desktop, and tablet traffic. Each device type can have its own CPC, depending on competition and performance. For instance, if more advertisers are targeting mobile, clicks on mobile can cost more. Or, if desktop traffic converts better in your industry, advertisers may bid higher there, which results in higher CPC. Campaign Type (Search, Display, Shopping, YouTube) So far, I’ve focused on Search ads, where you bid on keywords and pay when someone clicks. That’s the most common format. In fact, when most people say “Google Ads,” they’re usually talking about Search. But Google Ads includes other campaign types too. And they’re priced differently. With YouTube ads, your video can appear before, during, or after another video on YouTube. You usually pay when someone watches a part of your ad. This is called cost-per-view (CPV). Display ads are shown across Google’s Display Network, which includes websites and apps that run Google ads. They’re often priced by impressions. You’re charged per 1,000 views of your ad. Even if no one clicks. Shopping ads show up in Google search results. But instead of text, they pull product images, prices, and titles from your product feed. These ads are click-based, like Search. So, you pay every time someone clicks on it. Each campaign type targets people differently. And Google Ads pricing varies depending on whether you’re running search, display, shopping, or YouTube ads. That’s why your campaign type has a direct impact on how much you’ll pay. Your Quality Score Google doesn’t just look at your bid. It also scores the quality of your ad. This is called Quality Score — a number from 1 to 10 that Google assigns to each keyword you target. It’s based on: Expected click-through rate (CTR) How relevant your ad is to the keyword Your landing page experience Each factor is graded as “Above average,” “Average,” or “Below average” compared to all other advertisers on Google Ads. These ratings combine to form your overall Quality Score. The higher your score, the less you pay for the same position. The lower your score, the more you’ll need to bid to compete. That means two advertisers can target the same keyword, but the one with the better ad and landing page might pay less per click. This shows how much Google Ads costs is influenced by far more than your bid. Your Bidding Strategy Google Ads gives you two main ways to bid: manual or automated. With manual bidding, you set the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a click. It works best when you already have historical data and know your ideal CPC. You’re in full control, but it takes more time to manage. With automated bidding, you let Google set your bids based on your goals. It tends to work better at scale, once Google has enough data to optimize toward those goals. That could be getting the most clicks, driving more conversions, or hitting a target cost per lead. Here are the most common automated strategies and when to use them: Maximize Clicks: Good for driving traffic quickly, especially in early testing Maximize Conversions: Best when your goal is to get as many leads or sales as possible within budget Target CPA: Works well when you know your ideal cost per lead or sale Target ROAS: Best for ecommerce or campaigns where revenue tracking is set up, and you want to hit a specific return If Google sees strong signals that a searcher is likely to convert, it may raise your bid automatically. Which can lead to higher CPCs. Manual gives you more control. Automated gives you speed and scale. The more control you want, the more work it takes. But giving up control may mean paying more. Either way, your bidding strategy directly impacts what you pay. And how efficiently your budget gets spent. How Your Account Is Set Up Here’s a basic structure of a Google Ads account: You create a campaign. Inside that campaign are ad groups. Each ad group includes a set of keywords, a specific ad, and a matching landing page. Why does this matter? Because Google ranks your ad based on a combination of factors, including relevance. And relevance depends on how tightly those elements match. Let’s say you run one ad group for all your services: plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. You use one ad and one landing page for all of it. To Google, that looks messy. The ad isn’t specific. The landing page isn’t focused. Someone searching for “emergency plumbing repair” sees a generic ad for “Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical Services.” They land on a page trying to cover everything at once. Relevance drops. So does your Quality Score. This results in a higher cost per click. Now take the same budget and split those services into separate ad groups. Each with its own focused keywords, ad, and landing page. Suddenly, your ads are more relevant. And Google rewards you with lower CPCs. Other Costs Beyond Your CPC Running Google Ads often comes with expenses outside of what you pay per click. These can add up quickly: Tools and software: Keyword research platforms, landing page builders, or call tracking tools can cost $50–$300+ per month, but they help improve campaign performance Creative assets: Copywriting, landing page design, graphics, or video production. High-quality creative can boost CTR and conversions, but may require a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Management fees: Whether you hire a freelancer, agency, or in-house specialist, expect to budget $100 to $10,000+ monthly, depending on scope Looking to hire a PPC agency or freelancer? Download our Google Ads Vendor Evaluation Sheet to know exactly what questions to ask and what red flags to avoid. How Much Should You Budget for Google Ads? Start with a test budget. Many small businesses begin with $500 to $5,000 in their first month. That’s usually enough to get real traffic, measure early performance, and understand what’s working. Set a number you’re comfortable testing. Then, apply that as your monthly cap inside Google Ads. For example, $900 = $30/day. But be cautious not to spread your budget too thin, says Kalo Krastev, Team Lead Performance Marketing (SEA) at ImmoScout24 “Small-budget Google Ads accounts struggle the most, because lower investment means a slower learning curve. A small business owner should plan a short, cost-intensive testing phase to figure out what works, like search terms, settings, and targeting.” Let’s say you spend $1,000 and get 250 clicks. If your site converts 1 in 25 visitors, that’s 10 customers at $100 each. If your average sale brings in $300, that’s a 3X return. If your numbers look good, increase your monthly budget by 10-20%. (That’s enough to grow your reach without overspending too quickly.) If performance is weak, don’t increase the budget. Instead, review your targeting, ad copy, and landing page to find what’s holding things back. Once your campaign is converting reliably, scaling up becomes simple. You’ll know what you’re paying to get a customer. And how much more can you spend to get more of them. As you scale, be careful not to bleed cash. Here are some signs that you’re overspending on Google Ads: Cost per lead or customer is higher than your profit margin You’re paying for clicks on irrelevant keywords Campaigns run 24/7, but most conversions happen at certain times CTR is dropping while spend stays the same or increases If you spot these, analyze your campaigns and take steps to lower the cost. Start with the tactics in the next section. Note: Download our Google Ads Budget Estimator to calculate the budget for your first Google search ad campaign. 6 Ways to Lower Your Google Ads Costs Spending more doesn’t always get you better results. In fact, most small businesses overpay for clicks without realizing it. I saw this all the time with the agency clients — campaigns wasting money on keywords or placements that had no chance of converting. The good news? You can bring your costs down without turning off campaigns or cutting corners. Here are six ways to do that: 1. Improve Quality Score Google Ads uses Quality Score to assess the quality of an ad. Improving this score can help lower your cost per click. Relevance is a big part of the equation. Your ad should match what the person is searching for — both in wording and intent. For example, someone searching for “roof leak repair” is more likely to click on an ad that says “Roof Leak Repair: Book a Local Pro” than something generic like “Plumbing and Roofing Services.” You can also make your ad more clickable by adding assets like site links, callouts, or structured snippets. These help your ad stand out in search results and attract more qualified clicks. Your landing page needs to deliver a good experience, too. It should load fast, work well on mobile, and convey the same message. If the page feels off-topic or slow, your score drops and your costs go up. When your keyword, ad, and landing page all align, it may increase your Quality Score and lower your CPC. 2. Use Negative Keywords to Stop Paying for Useless Clicks Not every click is a good click. Your ad might show up for searches that sound relevant, but aren’t. For example: You sell premium leather sofas, but your ad shows for “free leather sofa giveaway.” Someone clicks, you pay…and they bounce. Negative keywords help you block that. They tell Google: “Don’t show my ad if this word is in the search.” Before you launch, consider adding common negatives like: “jobs” (people looking for employment) “template” or “example” (informational searches) “how to” (DIY intent) “free” (no intent to buy) Here’s how adding “free” as a phrase match negative keyword blocks irrelevant searches: Take some time to identify more negative keywords that are irrelevant to your offering and may not lead to conversions. After your ads run, check the “Search terms” tab inside Google Ads. It shows a list of terms that triggered your ad. If you see anything that doesn’t match your offer, looks irrelevant, and has low conversions, add it to your negative keyword list. 3. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords with Higher Intent Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases — usually 3 to 5 words. And unlike short, generic keywords, they make it clear what the searcher actually wants. Think: “roof leak repair near me” instead of just “roofing” “tax accountant for freelancers” instead of “accountant” These get fewer searches. But they’re cheaper, have less competition, and usually convert better. Why? Because someone searching for a long-tail keyword is further along in their journey. They’re not just browsing. They’re ready to act. So, instead of going after broad, high-cost terms, focus your budget on these high-intent searches. You can use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find long-tail keywords. Open the tool, enter your seed phrase (e.g., “roof repair”), choose your target location, and click “Search.” You’ll see a long list of keyword ideas. Next, we’ll narrow it down using filters. Phrase Match: This keeps results closely related to your original phrase KD %: Set “To” as 29 to filter for low-competition keywords Advanced filters > Word Count: Set “From” as 3 to show only longer phrases Intent: Choose “Commercial” and “Transactional” to focus on buyers Exclude keywords: Remove irrelevant terms like “free” or “jobs” Now you’re looking at a refined list of long-tail, high-intent keywords. This is how you avoid broad, expensive clicks. And focus your budget on searchers who are ready to act. 4. Target Specific Locations to Lower Competition One of the easiest ways to waste money on Google Ads? Targeting a too-broad area. If you’re a local business (or serve just a few regions), you don’t need your ads to show in places you don’t operate. Running ads across a large area means more competition. But narrowing your location targeting often leads to lower CPCs and better leads. For example: Instead of targeting all of Texas, narrow it down to just the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You’ll avoid competing with advertisers in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio — who are all bidding on the same keywords. Same campaign. Same budget. Less competition. Inside Google Ads, you can target by city, region, zip code, or even a radius around your address. Start by focusing your budget where your best customers are. You’ll cut waste and make your ad spend go further. 5. Run Ads When Your Customers Are Most Likely to Convert Google’s Smart Bidding is smart, but it’s not magic. If you’re running ads 24/7, it won’t automatically stop spending at 2 a.m. — even if those clicks rarely turn into customers. That’s where ad scheduling comes in. If you run a local business or only serve customers during specific hours, you don’t want to pay for clicks when no one’s around to respond. For example: If you’re a plumber or accountant and someone clicks your ad at 11 p.m., but your office opens at 9 a.m., they’ll probably move on before you can follow up. In Google Ads, you can set your campaign to only run during your business hours. You can also use the “Hour of the day” report to see exactly when conversions happen. So you can schedule your campaign based on real performance data. Once you’ve got data, you can expand to early mornings or weekends if performance is strong. Less waste. Better timing. Same budget. 6. Test Your Landing Pages to Maximize Budget If you’re getting 100 clicks and only 2 leads, that’s not a CPC problem. That’s a landing page problem. The best ad in the world won’t help if the page people land on doesn’t convert. I’ve worked with clients where we didn’t change the ad at all. Just added a few bullet points near the top of the page. That one small tweak doubled their conversion rate. Small changes like that can make a big difference in how many leads you get from the same ad spend. For starters, you can tweak different parts of your landing page: the headline, form length, call to action, or how quickly your value is explained. Here’s a simple landing page template to capture leads: You can also add trust signals to make visitors feel safe enough to convert, like: Customer reviews Media mentions Money-back guarantees Security badges If you want to go further, create two versions of your landing page: Version A and Version B. Change just one thing between them. Then, send traffic to both and see which one gets more leads. When your conversion rate increases, your cost per lead goes down. This increases your ROI. Try Landing Page Builder from Semrush to create new landing pages and run A/B tests. Further reading: Landing Page Guide: Create Pages That Convert Super Well What to Do Before You Launch Your First Google Ads Campaign Google Ads can feel simple on the surface: set a budget, write an ad, go live. But if you skip a few key steps before launch, your budget can disappear fast. I’ve seen businesses launch campaigns without setting up conversion tracking. Some forgot to set their location targeting and showed ads in cities they don’t even serve. Others launched without a daily budget cap and burned through hundreds in a single day. Small misses like that lead to wasted clicks, high costs, and zero results. That’s why I created a pre-launch checklist. It walks you through the exact steps to take before your first campaign goes live across Search, Shopping, Display, and YouTube. Download the Google Ads Pre-Launch Checklist Ready to Create Your First Google Ad Campaign? Start with a small, focused budget. Use month one to get clicks, see what’s working, and spot what’s not. Then, improve from there based on real data. Use our Google Ads Budget Estimator to calculate your starting budget. And once you’re ready to launch, use our Pre-Launch Checklist to set up your campaign the right way. Check out this guide for the next steps: How to Run Google Ads: A 10-Step Guide The post How Much Does Google Ads Cost? (2025 Data + Insights) appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

In response to the letter earlier this week about a company that announced it would no longer clean out office fridges, we talked about how cuts that save only minor amounts of money can be a harbinger of more significant problems to come. Today, let’s talk about what other signs of financial trouble you’ve seen at work — the early signs that foretold something worse. Some examples shared in the comments: “This was back in the financial crisis of 2008. One morning we get a company wide email with the subject line ‘Milk.’ Went on to say that we since we had been spending so much money on it, the company would no longer provide milk for coffee/cereal (they kept the non-dairy creamer). Sure enough a few months later — massive layoffs.” “A company I worked at modified all the paper towel dispensers in the bathrooms to use smaller paper towels. Like, they actually installed a bracket inside of each one. They also sent out an email that plastic spoons would no longer be provided in the break room (but kept the knives and forks). Definitely a harbinger for cost cutting.” “My partner’s employer removed all living plants from the building in a cost-saving effort.” “My indicator was when they locked two of the stalls in the ladies room and all but one in the men’s room to cut down on cleaning costs. The place closed a year later.” “I observed the CFO rifling through desk drawers throughout the building looking for extra pens. Later, doling out office supplies one at a time.” “Drastically increasing the price of parking; changing free electric charging to pay-for chargers; changing plain visitor parking to paid parking through an app; increasing ID replacement costs; changing rules around reimbursements for various things to be much more onerous; no more dishwasher detergent for dishwashers provided; changing toilet paper from regular to cheap one-ply; requiring justification for using any vendors not on a suddenly created, very short list that doesn’t include vendors historically used for years upon years previously … There are so many ways a company can start nickel-and-diming their employees if things get tighter. Some might make sense as a one-off, but if you get a lot of them all together…” Please share your own examples in the comment section. The post let’s talk about signs of financial trouble at work appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Students push for networking, compensation clarity, and creativity. Accounting ARC - Student-Led Conversations With Chayton Farlee Center for Accounting Transformation Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

Students push for networking, compensation clarity, and creativity. Accounting ARC - Student-Led Conversations With Chayton Farlee Center for Accounting Transformation Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

As a marketer, you might have heard that Gen Z prefers TikTok, Instagram is trendier and so on. But Facebook is far from flailing. It’s the biggest social network in the world — by a large margin. Gen Z prefers TikTok, Instagram is trendier, and new platforms are emerging to capture attention. But the data says different: Facebook isn’t merely hanging on, it’s the biggest social network in the world. With over 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook sits at the center of Meta’s ecosystem and is one of the most important channels for marketers thanks to its highly effective ads. Its user base spans nearly every demographic and region, making it a platform that businesses can’t ignore, even as newer apps dominate headlines. This roundup covers who uses Facebook in 2025, what performs, and how it shows up in consumer behavior and creator campaigns. Facebook’s user base is massive (and more diverse than you might think)Despite endless debates about whether Facebook is “for older generations” or “losing relevance,” the numbers don’t lie: Facebook is the biggest social platform in the world. Facebook still dominates with over 3 billion monthly usersAccording to Statista, as of Q2 2024, it had 3.07 billion monthly active users — nearly 40% of the global population. Scale matters here — no platform can match Facebook's reach and demographics. And if you zoom out to Meta’s family of apps (the parent company of Facebook), the numbers get even larger. An estimated 90% of social media users worldwide have a Facebook account, and across Meta’s family of apps — including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp — 3.48 billion people log in daily, according to Statista, 2025. So if you’re wondering whether your audience is on Facebook, the answer is likely: yes. Facebook’s global audience skews slightly maleAccording to Statista, 2025, 56.8% of Facebook’s audience identifies as male, while 43.2% identifies as female. If you’re tailoring content to a specific audience, this skew is worth keeping in mind — especially compared to more balanced platforms like Instagram. 💡Note: The data we have access to only includes binary gender options (male and female). No additional gender identities were captured or reported.Millennials make up Facebook’s core audienceFacebook’s largest demographic is men aged 25–34, who account for 18.5% of users, as shared by Statista, 2025. In fact, millennials between 25 and 44 make up just over half of the platform’s audience — a reminder that the group who first fueled Facebook’s rise are still highly active. But younger audiences aren’t absent. Men aged 18–24 are the second-largest user group, showing that Facebook continues to play a role in Gen Z’s digital mix (even if they spend more time overall on TikTok or Instagram, as shared by DataReportal, 2023). At the other end of the age spectrum, only 6.1% of users are over 65, despite Facebook’s reputation as the “boomer app.” The average social media user spends 36 minutes per day on FacebookFor the average social media user, Facebook is still part of their routine — nearly 19 hours a month, according to DataReportal, 2023. That puts it behind apps like TikTok (33 hours, 38 minutes) and YouTube (27 hours, 26 minutes), but it’s far from being “checked once in a while.” Image SourceThis doesn’t mean that you need to add Facebook to your strategy. But if you’re marketing to millennials, Gen X, or even older groups, Facebook still commands meaningful daily attention. India leads the world in Facebook usersFacebook may be global, but its audience isn’t spread evenly. India tops the list with 383 million users (more than the entire U.S. population), according to Statista, 2025. To put it in perspective, if India’s Facebook audience were a country, it would be the third largest in the world. Other major markets include the United States (196.9 million), Indonesia (122.3 million), and Brazil (111.65 million). Together, these four countries make up a massive share of Facebook’s active audience and highlight where the platform has the most reach. This means Facebook isn’t just a Western platform — its influence is strongest in large, mobile-first markets. If you’re looking to grow internationally, these countries are where your campaigns could see the biggest impact. How people use FacebookKnowing who’s on Facebook is only half the picture — the real insight comes from how people actually use it. While the platform may not influence cultural conversation at the same scale as TikTok or X, Facebook is still deeply woven into daily routines. For the creators, business owners, and marketers who rely on the platform, that mix of habitual use and massive reach means Facebook isn’t fading into the background. It’s just being used differently than it once was. Facebook is still one of the most visited sites in the worldDespite how long it's been around — or maybe because of that — Facebook remains a daily habit for billions. According to Similarweb, it’s the third most-visited website globally, behind only Google and YouTube. That puts it ahead of newer heavyweights like TikTok and Instagram. This ranking shows that even if people spend less time per session than on other platforms, they keep coming back — often multiple times a day. Most people use Facebook only on their phonesLike every major social platform, Facebook has gone mobile-first. Today, 81.8% of users access Facebook exclusively through their phones, while just 1.5% use desktop only, according to Statista, 2024. The rest split their time between the two. That dominance of mobile matters for both creators and brands. Content needs to be designed for vertical scrolling, grabbing attention in the first few seconds, and encouraging interactions. Stories draw half a billion daily usersEven as Meta shifts its content focus toward reels, across its platforms, Facebook Stories haven’t faded. According to the platform, more than 500 million people use stories every day, making it one of the platform’s most consistent features. Image SourceStories thrive because they’re quick, casual, and mobile-native. They don’t require polished production or long watch times — they’re designed to disappear, which makes them feel more authentic. That’s also why advertisers love them: stories provide a way to meet audiences in the flow of their daily scrolling without demanding too much attention. 💡Learn more here: A Complete Guide to Posting on Facebook StoriesContent performance and engagementNot all Facebook posts perform the same. It’s vital to know which content types perform best and capture attention on the platform. Facebook posts have one of the highest average engagement rates across social platformsAccording to Buffer’s 2025 engagement rate study, Facebook posts average a 5.07% engagement rate — the second-highest across major social platforms, behind only LinkedIn (6.50%). That puts Facebook ahead of TikTok (4.86%), YouTube (4.41%), and Instagram (1.16%). Notably, engagement on Facebook has held steady. While its siblings, Instagram and Threads, saw major swings in interaction patterns, Facebook held strong at around 5.45%. Much of this comes down to how its core audience uses the platform and Meta’s continued investment in new content and monetization features. Photos and albums outperform other post typesDespite Meta’s big push into video, photos are still the strongest performers on Facebook. In our 2025 analysis, pictures earned 35% more engagement than text posts and nearly 44% more than videos, making them the clear winners on the feed. Text posts came in second, edging out video by about 6.7%, while posts with links landed firmly in last place. This ranking makes sense: Facebook’s feed has always rewarded quick, scroll-stopping visuals. A single photo or carousel is easier to consume than a video that requires sound or a link that pulls users out of the app. Even as Facebook Reels gain traction, images remain the format most likely to spark visible interactions. In other words, on Facebook, simple visuals still punch above their weight. Video is still a breakout format on FacebookStatic visuals may top the charts for engagement, but video remains one of Facebook’s fastest-growing formats. Forty percent of all time spent on Facebook and Instagram is dedicated to watching videos, according to eMarketer. And when it comes to short-form specifically, Facebook Reels now reach an estimated 616.8 million people — nearly a third of the platform’s ad inventory, according to DataReportal, 2023. Meta has been explicit about its focus here: Reels are reshared 3.5 billion times every day across Facebook and Instagram (Meta Creators, 2025). That combination of reach and shareability has quickly made video the platform’s most dynamic content type, even if photos still dominate the feed. The best time to post on Facebook is early morningIf you’re wondering when to post to get eyes on your content, early mornings can help you stand out. Buffer’s 2025 analysis of more than 1 million posts shows that the single best time to post is 5 a.m. on Monday, with other strong slots on Tuesday at 5 a.m. and Thursday at 7 a.m. Why so early? It comes down to behavior. Facebook’s largest demographic is adults aged 25–34, followed closely by 35–44 — groups most likely to check their feeds before work or right as they wake up. Even if your post isn’t seen immediately, early-morning publishing lets it percolate in the feed so it’s waiting when users log on. Wednesday is the best day to post on FacebookWhen it comes to days of the week, mid-week wins. Posts shared on Wednesday see the highest overall engagement, edging out Thursday and Tuesday. On the flip side, weekends lag behind — posts on Sunday average 15% less engagement than those shared mid-week. While the difference between weekdays is small, the pattern is clear: Facebook thrives when people are in their workweek routines, not when they’re switching off. If timing is part of your strategy, aim for mid-week mornings to give your posts the best chance of landing. Posting more doesn’t mean more engagementIt’s tempting to think that more posts equal more traction, but Facebook’s data tells a different story. RivalIQ’s 2024 benchmarks show that posting frequency has little impact on engagement rates. Across industries, the median posting frequency on Facebook is 4.69 posts per week, and the median engagement rate is just 0.063%. The brands in the top 25% for engagement post almost the exact same amount — 4.6 posts per week — but see engagement rates three times higher (0.19%). The state of creators and brands on FacebookWhile TikTok and Instagram tend to dominate influencer conversations, Facebook still plays a surprisingly big role in creator marketing. Brands post an average of 43 times per month on FacebookAcross industries, the median posting frequency on Facebook works out to about 43 posts per month — roughly 1.5 posts per day (Socialinsider, 2024). That cadence reflects the platform’s rhythm: steady enough to stay visible in the feed, but not so frequent that it overwhelms audiences. Still, frequency alone doesn’t guarantee engagement. Some brands see better results by posting less often but focusing on higher-quality content. Others thrive with daily posting because their audiences expect a constant flow of updates, promotions, or community news. In practice, it’s about balance. Think of the 43-post benchmark as a starting point — then layer in timing, content mix, and quality. The brands that succeed on Facebook don’t just keep up a steady stream; they make each post worth stopping for. Nano- and micro-influencers provide the best ROIAccording to Shopify, here are the average cost per post for different influencer tiers: Nano: $100 to $1,500Micro: $1,000 to $6,000Mid: $1,000 $15,000Macro: $5,000 $40,000Mega: $10,000+For brands with tighter budgets, nano- and micro-influencers offer the strongest ROI. Their audiences may be smaller, but they’re often more engaged and more niche, making campaigns feel authentic rather than forced. What these Facebook statistics mean for your strategy in 2025With more than 3 billion monthly users and a role in everything from daily habits to shopping and influencer marketing, Facebook remains the backbone of social media. The platform’s integration into the everyday lives of social media users places it in an interesting position compared to its peers. It’s where discovery, connection, and commerce quietly overlap. You don’t need to treat Facebook like TikTok or reinvent your content to fit in with it. Instead, lean into the formats that perform and match your posting rhythm to your audience’s habits. Sources https://www.statista.com/topics/751/facebook/ https://datareportal.com/essential-facebook-stats https://www.businessofapps.com/data/facebook-statistics/ https://www.shopify.com/ng/blog/facebook-statistics https://www.socialinsider.io/social-media-benchmarks/facebook https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/good-engagement-rate-facebook/ View the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. No one in my company will give direct feedback I joined my current firm almost two years ago. It was an industry switch post-masters degree. The firm is well-regarded, albeit fast-paced and challenging. After joining, I learned that they have a truly bizarre approach to feedback: you don’t give feedback to people directly, you tell their manager. About six months in, someone went to my manager to say they felt I was not as communicative about a deliverable as they wanted. She never said anything to me when I was working on the deliverable, just took the deliverable when I handed it off (on time), said it looked good, and moved on. At the time, my manager told me that if it kept coming back as feedback it would affect my performance review. Then it happened again this spring. I was, as I understood, supporting content creation for a program (per my manager’s guidance). Then the program leads complained to her that they wanted me to create structure and be more of a PM for them and I wasn’t doing that. But they had never discussed this with me directly so I had no idea that they were looking for that from me. My manager, again, made me feel like I had to make up for weak performance, and didn’t acknowledge that she’d given me conflicting guidance. In both cases, I was emphatic to my manager that she please tell people I want direct feedback (and I mean it!). In one case, the person did schedule time to speak with me 1:1 and we clarified what she wanted. In another, the person told my manager they did, but they didn’t. (Both are two levels above my seniority in org hierarchy). It’s really hard to feel secure if people want me to make a change but won’t tell me directly, particularly when they’re in a senior position. I’ve taken to sending emails outlining discussions to cover myself if someone’s feedback doesn’t align with what we’ve discussed and I kick off collaborative work with a “ways of working” discussion for the whole team to indicate how they want to get feedback. But I can’t read minds. And now when I work with these people, I’m afraid that they’re sitting in silent judgement of my performance and I won’t know until later. I’ve talked with colleagues with different managers who have experienced similar things (totally blindsided by negative performance reviews or just being told so-and-so doesn’t like their work) and it just seems to be a part of how people operate here, particularly senior employees. I am looking to leave because I’m burned out and leadership shared that layoffs weren’t out of the question, but in the meantime how do I stay sane and keep up my confidence? Yeah, that’s a weird culture. One thing you can do is to ask people explicitly while a project is still ongoing whether they’re getting everything they need from you and whether there’s anything it would help for you to do differently. That’s more likely to elicit direction from them than just telling them at the outset that you want feedback or holding “ways of working” discussions. Just go to people as the work is progressing to check in and ask if there’s something more or different that would help from you. They still may not tell you in this weird culture, but you’re more likely to hear it with that approach … and then if criticism does come up later on, it better positions you to tell your manager that you directly asked the person mid-project whether they wanted you to do anything differently. 2. I have to do a 30/60/90 day plan because I took a screenshot of myself during a meeting I received a written warning today from my supervisor for taking a screenshot of myself during a recorded zoom. I will admit it was dumb of me but the only reason I believe it rose to the level of a write-up is because a senior VP saw it. I figured it would be a Mortification Week story for next year vs a step on a PIP. Alas, I was wrong. I have been asked to come up with a 30/60/90 day plan to “prevent behavior like this from happening again.” I just don’t know how to write one that would be quantifiable. I can guarantee I will be extremely careful on recorded zooms from now on, but besides that I’m not sure. Any considerations as I write up this plan? I asked the supervisor (who hadn’t watched the video at the time of the write-up) about the reasoning, and he said it was because it was disrespectful to the coworker who was talking. I am happy to own my boneheaded move, but the punishment didn’t seem to fit the crime. I suspect this was my team’s leadership being able to say they did something or to continue the paper trail. I had an annual review last month with this same supervisor that was positive. It’s possible they wouldn’t mind me leaving on my own, based on some other things that have occurred in the last month, but nobody has come out and said that. I am actively applying for jobs since I can tell this is not a long-term fit. This is a wild overreaction! I can’t see how taking a screenshot of yourself during a zoom is a big deal at all, but even if it was somehow disruptive, the appropriate way to handle it would be to tell you not to take screenshots of yourself during meetings again. If they thought there was a larger issue about you not being engaged or not paying attention, they could talk to you about that too. But a 30/60/90 day plan for this? That’s absurd. 30/60/90 day plans make sense when you’re working on learning new skills or working toward specific achievements. They make no sense for “don’t take screenshots of myself during meetings.” What could you possibly say for day 60 that would be different from day 30? Is there any chance there’s more to this, like it’s part of a pattern of you seeming checked out, and so they’re looking for something to address that larger picture? That’s the only way this would make sense. If not, though, then as for what to say in it, write it around being engaged and focused and ensuring that speakers have your full attention. Include monthly check-ins with your manager for feedback on how things are going. But your manager is deeply ridiculous. 3. My boss wants more women on our team — and is flat-out rejecting men My team at work is very male. My boss has about a dozen reports, only one of whom is female, and he wants to fix that balance, which seems reasonable to me. That being said, we’ve struggled to hire more women. We’ve had several women reject offers recently and one man accept an offer, skewing the balance even more. It’s not a great situation, and I agree with my boss that we should try to improve it. The tricky part comes with referrals. I’ve referred several qualified candidates for roles on our team, nearly all of whom are male — the industry skews male and these are the people who have reached out to me. However, when I flag the applications to my boss, he very explicitly states that he will pass on them because he wants more women on the team. I want a more diverse team too, but rejecting candidates without screening them based on their sex seems ethically wrong and potentially a legal liability. What’s the right approach here? It’s not just potentially a legal liability; it’s flat-out illegal. Federal law is very clear that employers cannot take sex into consideration in hiring. They can undertake efforts to build a more diverse candidate pool (for example, attending “women in X industry” events, advertising jobs in places women are likely to see them, even including language in ads like “we’re working to support women in X industry and encourage you to apply even if you’re not a traditional candidate for the role”), but they cannot factor sex into any individual hiring decision. Your boss is breaking the law when he says he’s passing on candidates because they’re not women. Can you point that out to him? Ideally you’d say very matter-of-factly, “I looked into this more, and we cannot legally take sex into consideration when considering candidates. We can do things to try to get more women to apply, like XYZ, but federal law is really clear that we can’t reject people based on sex (or race, or any other protected characteristic), and we could get into trouble if we do that.” 4. My severance payments stop if I get a new job I was laid off yesterday after 14 years due my company’s largest client discontinuing our services. I’m to get 14 weeks of severance, one for each year, payable over 14 weeks on the normal payroll schedule. My severance agreement states that if I get employment of any kind before my severance is fully paid out, I must notify the company, at which time they will send me a lump sum of 50% of the remaining severance, then nothing else. This sucks, right? If I take a temp job to get some extra cash, I lose a ton of money. I know severance is not something a company is required to do at all, but the only other time I’ve been laid off there were no employment conditions attached to severance. Yeah, it sucks. The majority of severance agreements pay you without regard to when you find new employment (in part because it’s in exchange for you signing a general release of any legal claims, and plus on a practical level it’s pretty difficult to monitor and enforce anyway). But when employers do condition continued payouts on you not having a new job, typically it’s triggered by “comparable employment” and not a low-paying or temp job. It’s worth reading the agreement carefully to make sure there aren’t caveats like that in there. 5. Who should initiate a LinkedIn request? This is a small question but in a chain of command, is there a preferred direction for LinkedIn connection requests to flow? I don’t initiate connection requests for people who are in my reporting structure because I don’t want them to feel obligated to connect with their boss. On the flip side, I get anxious about connecting with people more senior than me so I often don’t initiate those connections either. I don’t feel this dilemma connecting with colleagues from other departments or other organizations. Outside of occasionally messaging a colleague, I am not an active user of LinkedIn anyway so I’m probably really overthinking this. I do think you’re overthinking it, but I can understand why; whenever you have power dynamics involved in something, it can feel fraught. But this particular thing doesn’t need to be fraught: if you want to connect with someone on LinkedIn, go ahead and send them a connection request. Someone who really doesn’t want to be connected to their boss can ignore the request … but it’s a business networking site so it’s not a faux pas for you to initiate it. The post no one in my company will give direct feedback, boss won’t hire men, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Top Trends, Benchmarks, Transactions By CPA Trendlines Research Cornerstone Report Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

Top Trends, Benchmarks, Transactions By CPA Trendlines Research Cornerstone Report Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

“There has to be a better way to do this.” That frustration is at the heart of many workflows. It happens when you need to copy data from one tool into another. It happens when a deliverable you’re waiting on to start your work falls through the cracks. It happens when projects go over budget because essential tasks ended up requiring much more work than anticipated. Workflow automation won’t eliminate all that frustration, but it can make a good chunk of it disappear. Whether you’re drowning in manual data entry, constantly switching between disconnected tools, or looking to scale your team’s productivity, workflow automation can transform the way you work. This guide covers the essential tools and implementation strategies you need to succeed in 2025. What is workflow automation? A workflow is a map for getting routine work done efficiently. It’s a system that standardizes important work so it’s completed in a consistent way. Workflow automation uses software to execute these systems automatically, eliminating repetitive manual tasks that can slow teams down or introduce errors in important work. Workflow automation software can include the following: Automated data synchronization between business applications, which keeps information up to date as your teams work in multiple tools. Smart triggers that initiate individual automations based on specific, pre-determined conditions. Intelligent routing, which sends tasks to the appropriate team members with little or no input from human contributors. Real-time updates across all systems involved in your workflow. AI-powered optimization, which improves automations over time. Basic automation tools — like IFTTT — can allow individuals to automate basic tasks, but they pale in comparison to dedicated workflow automation tools. Tools like Zapier allow users to chain up several automations, essentially automating across an entire workflow. Two-way sync platforms like Unito build relationships between work items throughout your workflows, effectively automating your work in all directions. Why workflow automation? Beyond just the satisfaction of eliminating tedious manual work, workflow automation comes with some serious benefits: Productivity gains: Manual work and data entry can completely choke up your workflows, creating bottlenecks for important projects. With workflow automation, your teams can hand off routine work and focus on the tasks that truly need their input. Error reduction: Manual process like data entry can accidentally introduce errors into your workflows. Some of these errors can have a massive impact on the latter stages of your workflow. Automation helps to eliminate these. Enhanced collaboration: Workflow automation leads to fewer dependencies and stronger communication, as updates and data are automatically sent to the people who need them. This not only improves existing collaboration but can unlock new opportunities. Scalability: Automation is essential for building workflows that scale with your needs. When adding more tasks doesn’t add an equivalent amount of manual work, you’re free to squeeze as much value out of every workflow as you can. More resources: By getting rid of dull manual work and other inefficiencies, you’re freeing up time and effort that your team can put towards other tasks. Better compliance: Some workflows can handle a bit of variance; others absolutely can’t. When it comes to workflows with any kind of legal or compliance requirements, automation can ensure that you stay within the lines every time. Best workflow automation tools for 2025 Workflow automation tools can vary widely in their functionality and the types of workflows they can support. Basic automation tools can handle short chains of simple tasks, while others are suited to even the most complex workflows. Here are some of the best tools on the market right now. Unito: Best two-way sync platform Unito is a two-way sync platform with enterprise-grade security and no-code simplicity. Unlike tools that create one-way automations, Unito creates a true connection between individual work items (think a task or a spreadsheet row), allowing changes to flow back-and-forth across over 60 integrations. Perfect for: Cross-functional teams needing real-time collaboration across project management tools, CRMs, and other productivity tools. Why Unito leads the market True two-way sync. Deploy integrations in days, not months. Enterprise-grade security, including SOC 2 Type II certification. Field-level mapping and custom field support. Historical data support. Want to see what Unito can do? Get a free demo with our product experts. Talk to sales Zapier: Most connectors Zapier is one of the leading providers of one-way automations capable of handling everything from the simplest projects to the most complex workflows. With thousands of potential connectors, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a system that Zapier doesn’t support. Best for: Organizations that need robust, one-way automations. Key limitation: No two-way sync. Microsoft Power Automate: Best robotic process automation tool Microsoft Power Automate is a popular RPA (robotic process automation) platform, which allows users to pre-program robotic agents that automate the actions a person might take throughout a workflow. These agents can interact with the systems you use independently, clicking through them exactly like you would. Best for: Organizations already heavily invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem. Key limitation: Significant technical knowledge required to deploy. Make: Powerful visual workflow builder Make’s visual workflow builder allows teams to turn individual automations into a single, cohesive workflow. With no code required to build and a simple, drag-and-drop interface, these automations can be deployed by teams with limited technical resources. Best for: Complex, multi-step automations Key limitation: One-way automations. How to implement workflow automation tools Step 1: Identify automation needs Not all workflows can, or should, be automated, especially if your organization doesn’t have experience setting these automations up. Whether you’re starting a pilot project to explore a potential tool or getting a list of requirements ready for that exploration, begin with processes that are: High volume and repetitive: If you find yourself doing the same tasks over and over again, it’s a sign that you’re dealing with a process that could be automated. Rule-based with clear triggers: If you can map clear triggers and actions for a workflow, then it might be a good candidate for automation. Messy workflows, like some creative processes, might not be initially suited for automation. Time-consuming but low-value: You shouldn’t start with high-value, high-risk workflows when testing a new workflow automation solution. The right workflow should involve significant manual work so you can see the impact of an automation, while not being too central to your organization. Error-prone when done manually: Workflows with a high risk of potential errors, such as data entry mistakes from transferring information back and forth between systems, are good candidates for automation. Step 2: Choose the right platform Not every automation platform is suited for every organization. When looking for the right platform, you should draft a list of requirements that you can match up against platforms you consider for your organization. This list should include: The type of automation you need: A two-way sync platform has very different functionality than a one-way automation provider like Zapier. You should explore your options to know what kind of automation you need. The systems you need to support: Platforms like Zapier support thousands of connectors, meaning most (if not all) of your systems will be supported. Other platforms may only support a few dozen systems, meaning they’re only suited for some workflows. Scalability needs: Are you only planning to automate a few workflows? Or will you be scaling automations aggressively after deploying your chosen platform? Make sure that the platform you choose can support the scale of automation you’re looking for. Technical aptitude required: Some platforms are rather straightforward to deploy, even without any technical knowledge. Others might require coding, meaning IT or development teams need to get involved. Pricing: How much are you willing to pay for a workflow automation platform? How long can you afford the cost before you see a return on your investment? Step 3: Start small and scale When you first deploy an automation platform, start with just one or two workflows. Make sure your process is easily testable and repeatable at every point. The goal is to see the impact of a given platform on a process that won’t put your organization’s main priorities in jeopardy, so you can roll back any changes you made if things don’t go as planned. Pick a period over which you want to measure the impact of your chosen automation platform, and determine the metrics you’ll use for this. KPIs (key performance indicators) like time saved, money saved, or errors made can give you a sense of the ROI you’re getting from a tool. When your test period has elapsed, look over these metrics. If you see an improvement, try rolling out your automation platform to more workflows, test its impact, and repeat. Team-specific applications Marketing teams Marketers need to work across multiple channels, initiatives, and campaigns. These all add up to a ton of repetitive manual work. By using a workflow automation solution, marketers can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to launch a new campaign, adjust their paid advertising initiatives, and do what they need to do in order to bring in more leads. Sales teams Is your sales team still sitting in the boiler room making endless cold calls? Workflow automation can be just the tool you need to pull them out of the 80s. That’s because your salespeople are at their best when they’re capitalizing on opportunities, not blindly dialing numbers from a list sold by sketchy online dealers. With the right solution, you can automate reach-outs, tailor sales campaigns on the fly, and create opportunities your salespeople can leverage rather than continually butting up against gatekeepers. Customer support teams Customer success depends on speed and timeliness. That means having a team of well-trained people that’s large enough to meet the organization’s needs. But workflow automation can also help, here. Many customer support processes can be automated, from answering common questions to automatically escalating support tickets that need input from other experts. Operations teams Business operations work is full of processes that beg for automation, especially since they can become unwieldy as an organization scales. Spreadsheets, data entry, and compliance requirements are part and parcel of operations workflows. That makes automation especially important for these teams. Transform your workflows and eliminate manual work Workflow automation is essential for staying competitive. Most organizations are adopting intelligent automation in one way or another, meaning the question isn’t whether you should or shouldn’t automate. It’s how you can do it successfully. Want to know more? See how Unito can eliminate manual work throughout your organization. Talk to sales Recent updates September 10th, 2025: Made significant editorial improvements. Improved listings for workflow automation tools. Added a guide to implementing workflow automation tools. View the full article

A reader writes: I recently made a hire for a mid-level job in my organization, and hired someone I was extremely excited about. We clicked in his interview and I had some warm personal recommendations. His experience in our field was light, and there were a few red flags in the application process, but I felt that he was teachable and worth taking a chance on. Four months later, I can conclude I was disastrously wrong. He has struggled to grasp the material of the job, to arrive at work on time (with a few near no-shows thrown in for good measure), to demonstrate professional courtesy to colleagues, and to pick up on company culture. We are nearing the point of termination. The problem is, I feel responsible for getting this guy into this mess by hiring him despite the red flags and relative lack of experience, almost a sense of “you break it, you bought it.” I know the professional world doesn’t operate like that, but I wonder what your perspective is after all these years. It’s hard to say without knowing exactly what you saw in the hiring process that made you want to take a chance on him, and exactly what red flags you were seeing in the process too. If you hired him because you liked him on a personal level (or he reminded you of yourself or similar), that’s a common type of bias that leads to bad hiring decisions and which managers really need to be mindful of. It also tends to be heavily linked to demographics that shouldn’t influence hiring decisions, like race and age. If you think, in retrospect, that that was part of it, the lesson to take forward is the importance of assessing candidates against on a clear list of must-have’s for the work, so you can’t easily be sidetracked by personally liking someone. On the other hand, if you hired him because, although he didn’t have experience doing the work, you saw genuine evidence in his history that he’d excel at it, and you had reason to believe you could coach him on the parts he didn’t know, that might be more reasonable. It still might not have been the right decision, if other candidates were objectively stronger — but sometimes trying this out and getting it wrong is how you get better at hiring. And of course, sometimes it works! If your bet had paid off, this would all look different in hindsight. All that said, I do think there’s an obligation to tell someone when you’re putting them in that situation — to explain where they’re going to have a learning curve and how you’re prepared to support them, with the caveat that they’ll need to work to learn XYZ — so they can make an informed decision for themselves about whether it’s a risk they want to take on. The post I took a chance on an under-qualified candidate and it’s not working out appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Last year, the federal government was poised to ban non-compete agreements for most U.S. workers, saying they stifle wages. However, right before that change in the law was supposed to take effect in September 2023, a judge in Texas blocked the rule, saying the agency lacked the authority to issue it, and it’s been in limbo ever since. Last Friday, the FTC announced it will end its appeals of the case, which ends all the remaining litigation over the rule … and means the proposed noncompete rule is null and void. Non-competes still remain banned in California, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, and 11 more states and Washington, D.C. prohibit them for hourly wage workers or workers below a salary threshold. Targeted cases could also challenge specific noncompetes — but the federal protection a lot of people were excited to get is now dead. The post non-compete agreements aren’t illegal after all appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

As of yesterday, Apple's first in-house developed Wi-Fi chip is a thing. Here's our take. The post Apple finally ditches Broadcom and launches new “N1” Wi-Fi 7 chip to power iPhone 17 & Air – but how well will it work? appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article

You should be selective. Here’s how. By August Aquila MAX: Maximize Productivity, Profitability and Client Retention Go PRO for members-only access to more August J. Aquila. View the full article

You should be selective. Here’s how. By August Aquila MAX: Maximize Productivity, Profitability and Client Retention Go PRO for members-only access to more August J. Aquila. View the full article

Profits don’t mean anything if they’re not backed. By Ed Mendlowitz 77 Ways to Wow! Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

Profits don’t mean anything if they’re not backed. By Ed Mendlowitz 77 Ways to Wow! Go PRO for members-only access to more Edward Mendlowitz. View the full article

These are the 100 most cited domains, along with their number of mentions. The top most cited domains in ChatGPT for the U.S. are Reddit, Wikipedia, Amazon, Forbes, and Business Insider. ChatGPT seems to prefer authoritative sites, especially well-known publications,…Read more ›View the full article

Want the full story? Read on. As you probably already know, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving your website so it appears higher in Google, Bing, or other search engine results when people search for topics related…Read more ›View the full article

A reader writes: My boss is INCREDIBLY verbose, a disorganized speaker, and consequently pretty terrible at running meetings. If we’re doing five-minute check-ins, his will take 20. If he’s presenting on a topic, his presentation will take most or all of the meeting and will be crammed with irrelevant details and tangents, to the point where it’s genuinely difficult to pull the relevant details out (He never has slides. He might have a giant spreadsheet.) If he’s running a meeting, which he does for our weekly team meetings, he’ll spend about 75% of that meeting monologuing. He clearly loves to talk; he is palpably joyful when chatting. I also think he uses our meetings to organize his thoughts. As a fellow verbal processor, I am sympathetic, but it’s not a good use of my or my colleagues’ time, and more importantly it makes him incredibly hard to follow when he’s talking. For example, instead of an organized description of the plan for the next quarter, we’ll get every single thought he has about our upcoming events and workflows in no particular order and with a lot of random musings. Sometimes when he talks, I can feel my brain hit capacity, and the extra words start dripping out of my ears. I’m missing important information and action items because he lost me 10 minutes ago when he was debating whether his budget column was blue or purple. (It was bluish purple and that was 10 minutes my colleagues and I will never get back.) He’s an otherwise decent boss and I like him as a person. Is there a tactful and kind (and appropriate as his direct report) way to say, “Please organize your thoughts before you speak, and consider which details your audience needs to know”? I’ve suggested our meetings have agendas, which has often resulted in two 20-minute monologues instead of one 45-minute monologue (a genuine improvement! still a terrible meeting!). I’m struggling to find a way to describe the problem that doesn’t feel like I would be critiquing his personality. My coworkers share my feelings, but pushing back as a group on this seems mean. There are a couple of things that you can try, but realistically you’re also probably going to have to lower your expectations about how much you can change him. This sounds like a very deeply-rooted communication style that isn’t likely to change without significant work on his side and some pressure from above. But yes to agendas! Keep pushing to use them. Your first experiment with them helped, and you should keep going. Ideally you’d circulate a written agenda ahead of time, and quickly summarize that agenda at the start of each meeting — like, “We need to cover X, Y, and Z today, and we have 45 minutes before Jane and I have a hard stop. Can we plan on roughly 15 minutes for each of those?” And then all of you should be assertive about jumping in when your boss is rambling; try to move things along with statements like, “I want to be mindful of the time since we also need to cover Y and Z” and “Since Jane has to drop off shortly, it sounds like the action items will be ABC — does that sound right?” Beyond that, what’s the dynamic of your relationship with your boss like? Do you have the type of relationship (and does he have the receptiveness to feedback) where you could say, “I’m struggling with how many directions our meetings sometimes go in. You and I are both verbal processors and I’ve noticed I’m missing action items because so much is coming at me. If there’s a way to do shorter and more focused meetings, at least some of the time, it would really help me.” You could even potentially raise this with the whole group at a future team meeting, framing it as, “This is something I’m struggling with / I wonder if others feel the same.” Just touch base with your coworkers ahead of time and ensure that they’ll be willing to jump in and agree with you. Also, do you have opportunities to give feedback about your boss to his manager? Because this is your boss, you’re limited in the amount of pressure you can apply from below, but a good manager would want to know if someone working for them was struggling with this. If your boss’s boss seems like a decent manager, they’ll be better positioned than you are to give very direct feedback and coaching about this. The post can I tell my incredibly verbose boss he talks too much? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

AI is already reshaping how buyers discover and choose brands. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google AI Mode about your category, two things happen: Brands are mentioned in the answer Sources are cited as proof Most companies get one or the other. Very few win both. And that’s the problem. According to the latest Semrush Enterprise AI Visibility Index, only a small fraction of companies appear in AI answers as both seen (mentions) and trusted (citations). That gap is the opportunity. We’re proposing the Seen & Trusted (S&T) Framework — a systematic approach to help your brand earn mentions in AI answers and citations as a trusted source. Do both, and you multiply visibility, trust, and conversions across platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. SEO remains the foundation. But AI doesn’t just look at your site. It pulls signals from review platforms, Reddit threads, news coverage, support docs, and community discussions. When those signals are fragmented, your competitors will own the conversation. This guide shows you exactly how to fix that with two playbooks: Get Seen: Win favorable mentions in AI answers Be Trusted: Earn citations as a reliable source Run them together and you give AI no choice but to recognize, reference, and recommend your brand. Ready to Build Your AI Search Strategy? Analyze your current AI visibility. See how often your brand is mentioned and cited in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and more. Check Visibility Why AI Search Strategy Isn’t Just SEO’s Job Your SEO team can optimize every page on your site and still lose AI visibility to a competitor with weaker rankings but stronger brand signals. Why? Because AI systems pull signals from everywhere, not just your website. When AI generates responses, it mines: Review platforms for product comparisons Reddit threads for pricing complaints Developer forums for implementation details News sites for company credibility Support docs for feature explanations The challenge is that these signals live across different teams. For instance, your customer success team drives customer reviews on G2 and Capterra. But if they’re not tracking review quality and detail, AI has nothing substantive to cite when comparing products. Similarly, your product team controls whether pricing and features are actually findable. Hide everything behind “Contact Sales” forms, and AI will either skip you entirely or make assumptions based on old Reddit threads. Your PR team lands media coverage and analyst reports. These third-party mentions build the trust signals AI systems use to determine authority. Your support and community teams shape what gets said in forums and Discord servers. Their responses (or silence) directly influence how AI understands your product. SEO and content teams own the site structure and content creation. But that’s just one piece now. Without coordination, you get strong performance in one area, killed by weakness in another. To grow AI visibility, you need synchronized campaigns — not just an “optimize for AI” line item tacked onto everyone’s OKRs. That’s where the Seen & Trusted Framework comes in. It gives every team a role in building the signals AI depends on. Note for enterprises: Cross-departmental coordination is challenging. Fortunately, any progress each team makes in their area directly improves AI visibility. Better reviews? You win. More transparent pricing? You win. Active forum engagement? You win. It all compounds. This guide can be your internal business case. Forward the data on AI visibility gaps to stakeholders who need to see the competitive threat. Solve this, and you’ll gain a big edge over competitors who are stuck in silos. Playbook 1 – How to Get Seen (The Sentiment Battle) Getting “seen” means showing up in AI responses as a mentioned brand, even without a citation link. When a user asks ChatGPT, “What are the best email marketing tools?” they get names like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and MailChimp. These brands just won visibility without anyone clicking through. But here’s a challenge: You’re fighting for favorable mentions against every competitor and alternative solution. This is the sentiment battle. Because AI doesn’t just list brands. It characterizes them. You might get mentioned as “expensive but comprehensive” or “affordable but limited.” Like here, when I asked ChatGPT if ActiveCampaign is a good option: In some cases, the response could be more negative than neutral. Like this: These characterizations stick. So, how can your brand get more mentions and have a positive sentiment around? There are four main sources that AI systems mine for context. Pro tip: Track how AI platforms perceive your brand using Semrush’s Enterprise AIO sentiment analysis. It shows whether mentions across ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLMs are positive, neutral, or negative. Step 1. Build Presence on the Right Review Sites AI systems heavily weigh review platforms when comparing products. But not all reviews are equal. A detailed review explaining your onboarding process carries more weight than fifty “Great product!” ratings. AI needs substance, like specific features, use cases, and outcomes it can reference when answering queries. G2 is one of the top sources for ChatGPT and Google AI Mode in the Digital Technology vertical, according to Semrush’s AI Visibility Index. The platform gives AI everything it needs: reviews, features, pricing, and category comparisons all in one place. Slack ranks among the top 20 brands by share of voice in AI responses for the Digital Technology vertical. Share of voice is a weighted metric from Semrush that reflects how often and how prominently a brand is mentioned across AI responses. Part of that success comes from their G2 strategy. When I ask ChatGPT, “Is Slack worth it?” it cites G2 as one of the sources. Look at Slack’s G2 reviews and you’ll see why. Its pricing, features, and other information are properly listed and up-to-date Users write detailed reviews about channel organization, workflow automation, and integration setups. G2 isn’t the only platform that matters. For B2B SaaS: G2, Capterra, and GetApp For ecommerce: Amazon reviews For local/service businesses: Yelp and Google Reviews In my experience, the depth of the review matters just as much as the platform — if not more. You’ll see many very detailed product reviews as a source in AI answers from sites with low domain authority. So, what does this mean in practice? You need reviews from customers. And your review strategy needs four components: Timing: Email customers after they’ve used your product enough to give meaningful feedbac, but while the experience is still fresh Templates: Provide prompts highlighting specific features to discuss. “How did our API save you development time?” beats “Please review us.” Incentives: Reward detail over ratings. A $XX credit for reviews over 200 words can generate more AI-friendly content Engagement: Respond to every review. AI systems recognize vendor engagement as a trust signal. Step 2. Participate in Community Discussions Community platforms are where real product conversations happen. And AI systems are listening. Reddit threads comparing alternatives Stack Overflow discussions about implementation Quora answers explaining use cases These unfiltered conversations shape how AI understands and recommends products. Reddit and Quora consistently rank among the top sources cited by ChatGPT and Google AI Mode across industries. Like in the Business & Professional Services vertical here: Online form builder Tally is a great example of dominating community discussions and winning the AI search. AI-powered search is now their biggest acquisition channel, with ChatGPT being their top referrer. This is their weekly signup growth of the past year, driven by AI search: How are they doing this? Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally, writes: “Inclusion of web browsing is turned on by default, which made forums, Reddit posts, blog mentions, and authentic UGC part of the AI’s source material… We’ve invested for years in showing up in those places by sharing what we learn, answering questions, and being human.” Here’s Marie talking about her product on Reddit: And answering users’ questions: And partaking in ongoing conversations: This authentic engagement creates the context AI needs. So, when I ask ChatGPT what’s the best free online form builder, it mentions (and recommends) Tally. Big brands like Zoho take part in Reddit discussions as well. To answer questions, address concerns, and control their brand sentiment. Like here: Zoho ranks among the top brands by share of voice in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode responses. Just behind Google. The community platforms like Reddit, Overflow, Quora, and even LinkedIn matter a lot in AI visibility: Your community and customer success teams should be active on these platforms. But presence alone isn’t enough. Your strategy needs authenticity. How? Answer questions even when you’re not the solution Address common misconceptions about your product (don’t let misinformation take over threads) Share your actual product roadmap, including what you won’t build Give detailed, honest responses to user complaints, even if it means acknowledging past mistakes Encourage your product, support, or founder teams to answer technical or niche questions directly AI systems can detect promotional language. They prioritize helpful responses over sales pitches. The brands winning community presence treat forums like customer support, not marketing channels. Don’t Let Competitors Own the AI Conversation Enter your domain to see the signals AI platforms use today. Then apply the Seen & Trusted Framework to start winning visibility. Check Visibility Step 3. Engineer UGC and Social Proof User-generated content and social proof create a feedback loop that AI systems amplify. When customers share their wins on LinkedIn When users post before-and-after case studies When teams document their workflows publicly …all of this becomes training data. Brands with strong community engagement and visible social proof see higher mention rates across AI platforms. Patagonia is a fitting example here. When I ask ChatGPT about sustainable outdoor brands, Patagonia dominates the response. In fact, Patagonia holds the highest share of voice in AI responses for the Fashion and Apparel vertical. They consistently appear in discussions around “ethical fashion” and “sustainable brands.” Not because they advertise, but because customers evangelize. And that advocacy is visible everywhere. Customers regularly mention their positive experience with Patagonia’s exchange policy. There are countless positive articles written on third-party platforms about their products. And on social platforms like Instagram. These real-world endorsements are the kind of social proof AI recognizes and amplifies. No wonder Patagonia has a highly favorable sentiment score (according to the “Perception” report of the AI SEO Toolkit). So, how do you get people creating content (and proof) that AI pays attention to? Encourage customers to leave ratings on trusted third-party sites Partner with micro-influencers to share authentic product stories, tips, and reviews in their own voice Invite users to post before-and-after results or creative use cases Design features or experiences users want to show off (like Spotify Wrapped) Reward customers who share feedback or use cases publicly (early access, shoutouts, or swag) Reply to every public mention or tag because AI recognizes visible engagement The mistake most brands make? Asking for just testimonials instead of conversations. Don’t ask customers to “share their success story.” Ask them to help others solve the same problem they faced. The resulting content is authentic, detailed, and exactly what AI systems look for. Step 4. Secure “Best of” List Inclusions Comparison articles and ‘best of’ lists are key sources for AI citations. When TechRadar publishes an article on top “Project Management Tools for Remote Teams,” that article becomes source material for hundreds of AI responses. When Live Science reviews running watches, those comparisons train AI’s product recommendations. These third-party validations carry more weight than your own content ever could. In fact, sites that publish “best of” listicles consistently appear as top sources for AI platforms — including Forbes, Business Insider, NerdWallet, and Tech Radar. Garmin is a perfect example. Their products appear in virtually every “best GPS watch” article across running, cycling, and outdoor publications. Like in this Runner’s World article: Or this piece in The Great Outdoors: But what makes their strategy work is consistency across platforms. Yes, the specs are the same by nature. But what stands out is how consistently those specs, features, and images appear across independent sites. That repetition reinforces trust for AI systems, which see the same details confirmed again and again. So, when I ask ChatGPT, “Which is the best GPS watch?” it mentions Garmin. And it doesn’t stop there. It highlights features that other third-party articles emphasize, like battery life, accuracy, solar charging, and water resistance. This consistency across independent sources is why Garmin holds one of the highest shares of voice in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode responses for the Consumer Electronics vertical. So, how do you land in these “best of” lists? It starts with a great product. Without that, no list will save you. That aside, you need to make journalists’ jobs easier. Most writers work under tight deadlines and will choose brands that provide ready-to-use assets over those that make them hunt. So build a dedicated press kit page with specs, pricing, high-res images, and other assets. Like Garmin does here: Next, reach out to journalists and niche publications. Don’t wait for them to find you. Timing matters a lot as well. Most “best of” lists update annually. So, pitch your updates a few months before refreshes. Also, don’t just target obvious lists. Focus on category expansion. For instance, Garmin doesn’t just appear in “best GPS watch” roundups. They also feature in broader outdoor and fitness lists that cover running, cycling, and multisport gear. That reach multiplies the mentions AI systems can cite. The bottom line: AI visibility favors the brands that keep showing up in independent comparisons. Secure those “best of” inclusions, and you increase your chances of being mentioned in AI answers. From SEO to AI Search Strategy Audit your site for the mentions, citations, and trust signals that AI platforms look for — then turn insights into action. Check Visibility Playbook 2 – How to Be Trusted (The Authority Game) Getting mentioned is half the battle. Getting cited is the other half. When AI systems cite your content, they’re not just naming you. They’re using you as evidence to support their answers. Look at any ChatGPT or Google AI Mode response. At the bottom or side, you’ll see a list of sources. These citations are what AI considers trustworthy enough to reference. According to Semrush’s AI Visibility Index, certain sources dominate AI citations across industries. Like Wikipedia, Reddit, Forbes, TechRadar, Bankrate, and Tom’s Guide. They have achieved, what I call, the “Citation Core” status. Citation core (n.): A small group of sites and brands that every major AI platform trusts, cites, and uses as default sources. Why do these platforms get cited so often? AI systems trust sources with verified information, structured data, and established credibility. They need confidence in what they’re citing. This is the authority game. You’ve earned mentions through the sentiment battle. Now you need to build the trust that also earns you citations. This is how you maximize your AI visibility. Here are five ways to build that authority. Step 1. Optimize Your Official Site for AI AI platforms can only cite what they can crawl, parse, and understand. If your details aren’t exposed in clean, readable code, you’re invisible. No matter how good your content is. Use semantic HTML to structure your content. That means marking up pricing tables, product specs, and feature lists with tags like <table>, <ul>, and <h2>. Don’t tuck information inside endless <div>s or custom layouts that hide meaning. Also, avoid relying on JavaScript to render your main content. AI crawlers can’t read JavaScript. If your pricing or docs load only after scripts fire or buttons click, those details will be skipped. Almost every top-cited site in AI answers passes the Core Web Vitals assessment, which signals that the page loads fast, stays stable, and presents content in a clean structure. Like Bankrate — the most cited source in Google AI Mode for the Finance vertical: Or InStyle — the 8th most cited source on ChatGPT in the Fashion & Apparel vertical. These sites consistently surface in AI responses because their pages are easy to crawl, fast to load, and simple to extract structured information from. A lot of what you’ll do to optimize your site for AI is SEO 101. Structure all key information in native HTML elements (no custom wrappers) Keep important content visible on initial load (no tabs, accordions, or lazy-loaded sections) Use schema where it reinforces facts: pricing, product, FAQ, organization Run regular audits with JavaScript disabled to see what AI sees Minimize layout shifts and script dependencies that delay full render For page-by-page analysis, you can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights. To check your entire site’s health and performance, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool. Get a detailed report showing technical issues on your website and how you can fix them. At the end, you want a fast, stable, and easy-to-parse website. That’s what earns AI citations. Step 2. Maintain Wikipedia + Knowledge Graph Accuracy AI systems rely on public data sources to build their understanding of your brand. If that information is wrong, every answer AI generates about you will be too. Wikipedia is one of the most cited sources on ChatGPT for all industries covered in Semrush’s AI Visibility Index. Interestingly, Google AI Mode leans heavily on its Knowledge Graph to validate facts about companies and products. When your Wikipedia page contains outdated info — or your Knowledge Graph shows old details — those inaccuracies get baked into AI responses. That hurts trust, sentiment, and your chance of being cited in the long-term. So your job is twofold: Make sure your brand exists in these systems Keep the data clean and current Start with your Wikipedia page. If you have one, audit it quarterly. Fix factual errors, like outdated product names, revenue ranges, or leadership bios. Support every edit with a credible third-party source: news coverage, analyst reports, or industry publications. Wikipedia doesn’t allow brands to directly promote themselves. And promotional edits get removed. But updates to fix factual errors usually stick. As long as you provide solid citations. You can use the “Talk” page of your Wikipedia entry to propose corrections. If you don’t have a Wikipedia page, you’ll need to meet notability guidelines. That typically means coverage in multiple independent, well-known publications. Once that’s in place, a neutral editor (not on your payroll) can create the page. Next, fix your Knowledge Graph. Google pulls its brand facts for its knowledge graph from multiple sources. Like Wikidata, Wikipedia, Crunchbase, social profiles, and your own schema markup. Start by “claiming” your Knowledge Panel. This means a knowledge panel already exists for your company when you search its name. You just have to claim it by verifying your identity. If you don’t see one, you’ll need to feed Google more structured signals. Start by adding or improving your Organization schema on your homepage. Then, make sure your company has a proper Wikidata entry. Google may use this to build its Knowledge Graph. Note: Adding your company to Wikidata is much easier than getting a full Wikipedia entry. But you still need to follow the guidelines. Stick to neutral language, avoid any promotional tone, and cite credible third-party sources. A strong Wikipedia page and Google knowledge panel shape how AI understands your brand. Get them right, and you build a foundation of factual authority that AI systems can trust. Step 3. Publish Transparent Pricing Hidden pricing creates negative sentiment that AI systems pick up and amplify. When users can’t find your pricing, they turn to Reddit and LinkedIn. And the speculation isn’t always favorable. For instance, Workaday doesn’t show its pricing. And the Reddit comments aren’t helpful to its potential customers. According to Semrush’s AI Visibility Index, when enterprise software hides pricing behind “Contact Sales,” AI uses speculative data points from Reddit and LinkedIn. And it often links that brand with negative price sentiment. Because AI systems are biased toward answering, even if it means citing speculation. They’d rather quote a complaint from third-party sites about “probably expensive” than admit they don’t know. Without clear pricing, you’re also excluded from value-comparison queries like “best budget option” or “most cost-effective for enterprises.” Publishing transparent pricing creates reliable data that AI trusts over speculation. Now I understand this isn’t always possible for every brand. Whether to show pricing depends on various other decisions and strategies. But if you want to build trust for higher AI visibility and positive sentiment, transparent pricing is important. Which means: Include tier breakdowns with feature comparisons Spell out annual vs. monthly options List any limitations or user caps Update your pricing on G2, Capterra, and other review sites When reliable sources like your pricing page and G2 have clear information, AI stops turning to speculation. That transparency becomes part of your brand identity and authority. Step 4. Expand Documentation & FAQs Your support docs and help center often get cited more than your homepage. Because AI systems look for detailed, problem-solving content. Not marketing copy. Apple holds one of the highest shares of voice in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode responses for the Consumer Electronics vertical. Its support documentation appears consistently in AI citations across tech queries. When I ask ChatGPT how to fix an iPhone issue, it cites support.apple.com. Product documentation dominates citations in technical verticals. Why? Because it answers specific questions with step-by-step clarity. Your product documentation is a citation goldmine if you structure it right. Start by creating dedicated pages for common problems. “How to integrate [Product] with [Product]” beats a generic integrations page. For example, Dialpad has dedicated pages for each app it integrates with. And each page clearly explains how to connect both apps. Next, write troubleshooting guides that address real user issues. (You can learn about these issues from your sales teams, account managers, and social media conversations.) Also, build a comprehensive FAQ library that actually answers questions. Not marketing-friendly softballs, but the hard questions users really ask. Make sure every page is crawlable: Use static HTML for all documentation Create XML sitemaps specifically for docs Implement breadcrumb navigation Add schema markup for HowTo and FAQ content The goal is to become the default source when AI needs to explain how your product works. Not through SEO tricks, but by publishing the most helpful, detailed, accessible documentation in your space. Step 5. Create Original Research That AI Wants to Cite Original research gives AI systems something they can’t find anywhere else. Your data becomes the evidence they need. Take SentinelOne as an example. It’s a well-known brand in cybersecurity. They regularly publish threat reports, original data, and technical insights. This is one of the reasons they often get cited as a source in AI responses. In the intro, I said very few brands are both mentioned and cited by AI. Remember? SentinelOne is one of those brands that has built dual authority. According to Semrush’s AI Visibility Index, it’s the 15th most cited and 19th most mentioned brand in the Digital Technology vertical. Because it publishes original insights that aren’t available anywhere. And AI systems want: verified data, industry insights, and quotable statistics. But not all research gets cited equally. Annual surveys with significant sample sizes (think: 500+) carry weight. But “State of [Industry]” reports based on 50 responses might not. Benchmark studies comparing real performance data become go-to references. But thinly-veiled sales pitches disguised as research might get ignored. You can use your proprietary data to create original research reports. Or team up with market research companies like Centiment that can help you collect data through surveys. When creating these reports: Lead with key findings in bullet points Include methodology details for credibility Provide downloadable data sets when possible Add structured data markup for datasets Also, promote findings through press releases and industry publications. When Forbes, TechCrunch, and other leading publications cover your research, AI systems are more likely to notice. Like this SentinelOne report covered by Forbes: The compound effect here is powerful. Your research gets cited by news outlets → which gets cited by AI → which drives more coverage → which builds more authority. That’s how you go from being mentioned to being the source everyone (including AI) trusts. Pulling It All Together – Running Both Playbooks You’ve seen the framework. Now it’s time to execute. Step 1. Audit Your Current AI Visibility Start by understanding your baseline. Run test queries in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode. Search for your brand, your category, your product, and the problems you solve. Note where you’re mentioned (in the answer itself) and where you’re cited (in the source list). Screenshot everything. If you’re using Semrush’s Enterprise AIO, you can use Competitor Rankings to see how often your brand shows up in AI answers compared to your competitors. Step 2. Build Parallel Campaigns Both playbooks need to run simultaneously. You can’t wait to be “seen” before building trust. Playbook 1 (Seen): Customer success drives review campaigns. Community managers engage in forums. PR pushes for “best of” list inclusion. Playbook 2 (Trusted): Product publishes transparent pricing. SEO and engineering improve site structure. Support expands help content. Marketing creates original research. The key is coordination. Create a shared dashboard to track each team’s contributions to AI visibility. Step 3. Monitor and Iterate AI visibility shifts fast. What worked last month might not work today. Track your mentions and citations monthly. Use an LLM tracking tool like Semrush or a manual prompt list to see how you’re showing up (and how often). Further reading: 5 LLM Visibility Tools to Track Your Brand in AI Search Watch for imbalances. Strong mentions but weak citations? Focus on authority signals from Playbook 2. Cited often but rarely mentioned? Ramp up your community and sentiment work. Also: watch your competitors. When someone jumps in AI visibility, reverse-engineer what changed. New PR coverage? More reviews? A pricing update? The brands winning AI search aren’t waiting for perfect strategies. They’re testing, learning, and adjusting faster than their competition. The AI Visibility Window is Open In addition to listing your brand, AI platforms influence what buyers see, trust, and choose. And right now, AI visibility is anyone’s game. Only a few brands in each industry have cracked the code of being both mentioned and cited. That means even established giants can be outmaneuvered if you move faster on AI strategy. So while competitors debate whether AI search matters, you can build the presence that captures tomorrow’s buyers. The Seen & Trusted Framework gives you the direction. Run both playbooks. At once. The post AI Search Strategy: The Seen & Trusted Brand Framework appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I tell a coworker I dislike him? Is it ever safe to tell a coworker you dislike them on a personal level? There’s a colleague I find very annoying. He hasn’t done anything wrong, but his personality is extremely different from mine. He’s far more optimistic and cheerful than I am. The disparity in our attitudes comes partly from me hating my job. Even though there are all sorts of ways in which it could backfire, I think I would very much enjoy telling this person I don’t like him, even if only via email. If not while we’re in the same workplace, maybe on the day one of us moves elsewhere (I’m applying for other jobs at the moment). What do you think? Don’t do that under any circumstances. It’s a bad idea on a practical level — anyone who hears about it is likely to think of you as a jerk after that — and it’s pretty mean on a human level. People are allowed to be different from you; that doesn’t warrant randomly informing them that you don’t like them. Why does he need to know? Just to make him feel bad? Think about why you want that; it’s almost certainly about something going on with you, not him (and “the disparity in our attitudes comes partly from me hating my job” might be a clue to what that is). You’re allowed to dislike people. You’re not allowed to be gratuitously cruel to them as a result. Also, for what it’s worth, doing it in email makes it an even worse idea. That email is highly likely to be forwarded. (That doesn’t mean you should do it in person! Don’t do it at all.) These are thoughts to keep to yourself or vent to friends at happy hour. 2. Having to take religious holidays as flex days My company offers three flex holidays per person with about a dozen choices of when to use them. Most are bank holidays like Veterans Day and President’s Day, but Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are included. Maybe because the High Holidays fell partially over weekends the last few years I wasn’t so bothered, but this year I’m feeling a little extra bitter about having to use two of my flex holidays for religious reasons while my coworkers are using theirs for long weekends. Am I off-base? I might just be grouchy about all things work-related these days — I work in an industry greatly affected by the tariff situation and it’s definitely making some things that I’d normally not be bothered about feel like mountains instead of molehills. FWIW, I’m definitely not the only Jew in the office, but we are (of course) the minority and not all are observant. I don’t think I have anyone else who would join me to push back as a group as I’m imagining you advising. This is actually very normal (and better than what many companies offer), and there’s not really anything here to push back on. After all, what would you be asking for — for some people to receive extra days off on top of what everyone else gets? Right now you all get the same number of days off, because your company recognizes that not everyone celebrates the same holidays . Yes, you have to use some of those days for religious observance, but that’s the same thing that other people who are religiously observant do. (I suppose you could argue that people who celebrate Christmas get a “free” holiday that they don’t have to use any of their flex days for, but you’re also getting that same day off to do whatever you want with.) 3. We upset our boss by organizing stuff I’m part of a small organization and we host lots of events throughout the year. Our office is small and we don’t have much storage space, but we need things for different types of events (canopy tents for street fairs, centerpieces for fancy tables, etc.) so we rent a storage unit. The storage unit, being off-site (though not far), is inevitably a pain to go to, so it tends to be a “catch-all” where one big trip is made and stuff is thrown in there post-event. This results in quite a mess of unorganized bins, boxes, bags, etc., where the events coordinator (Rachel) has to struggle through the mess to find what she needs for the next event and the chaos snowballs. With another event coming up, Rachel was dreading the next trip to the unit. I had some spare time so we decided we’d go together and take a couple hours to organize it all (put things in labeled bins, put bins for the same event type on the same shelves, throw away torn/unusable items, that kind of thing). Our boss, Monica, said that was fine, and we did it! It made a big difference and we’re proud of what we accomplished (and Rachel is relieved to have a system going forward). Later, Monica had a conversation with Rachel where it turned out she didn’t know we were moving anything around, she thought we were just gathering the stuff for the event like usual (which we also did in the process). While Monica hasn’t yet been to the storage unit, she’s apparently really unhappy that we “changed things.” Rachel and I are both baffled as to why what we did is a problem, so we’re not sure what to do now other than going back in time and making sure we were clear enough in talking to Monica beforehand. We were trying to make life easier for Rachel, who is the main person who needs to use the unit, but neither of us considered that it could upset Monica. Monica is a lovely person and is already under stress during a highly difficult time for our org, and we definitely didn’t want to add to that with something we did to be useful! We can’t exactly put it back how it was, nor would that make sense to do, but we both feel bad about upsetting her. Since we’re just confused about what the problem even is, is there some obvious perspective you, as a third party and a manager, can see that we missed? We’d like to apologize and make sure this isn’t adding to her already-full plate, but we’re not sure the best way to approach or solve it. My guess is that it’s about her stress level more than anything else. She’s stressed, something changed that she didn’t fully realize was changing, and now she feels stressed about that too. She may be picturing something different than what you did — in her head, the reorg might have made it harder for her to find things there now than it used to be, or she might worry things were thrown away that she wanted the chance to weigh in on first — and when you’re already stressed, that sort of thing can feel like it’s just adding to the chaos pile. She might feel quite differently once she sees it, or even once this particular period of stress has passed. If you want to go back and address it, you could say, “We wanted to apologize — we thought we had your sign-off for organizing the storage unit and didn’t realize we hadn’t clearly conveyed that that’s what we were going to do.” You could add, “It’s a lot easier to find things now though so hopefully when you get a chance to see it, you’ll agree!” 4. Not getting a referral bonus because the candidate was hired as a freelancer instead of an employee A few months ago, a former colleague of mine applied for a full-time position at my wife’s Fortune 50 company. Both of them made official mention that my wife had referred him to the position. Last month, after three rounds of interviews, this person’s future direct manager told my wife that he was being offered the job. Excellent! Three hours later, their grand-boss (the person who would sign off on the hire) quit, with no notice. In the chaos, the powers-that-be decided they would no longer hire for the permanent position my colleague had applied for; instead, they would offer a freelance position and figure out the company’s needs from there. My old colleague, whose severance was running out, decided he needed to take the job. So: bad circumstances, but good person gets employed, and that’s something of a win. But this company offers a $1,000 bonus to employees who recommend candidates for a job if they are hired for that job. My wife would have received that bonus, but since the company changed the position from full-time to freelance and the candidate had to re-apply, she is apparently no longer eligible. This seems ludicrous to us — our acquaintance was hired freelance because all of the groundwork had been laid. Is it worth it for my wife to go to HR to lay all of this out? She probably won’t see the money. But it has certainly left a bad taste in her mouth after 14 years of solid service. She should let it go. If they end up converting him to an employee, she could make the case for the referral bonus at that point — but it’s very unlikely that they’re going to pay it out for a freelancer. I’d also argue it shouldn’t leave a bad taste in her mouth! Yes, she referred him, but it’s reasonable for them to only pay out employee referral bonuses for employees … and just referring someone isn’t really a lot of work. If she’d done a huge amount of work to recruit him to work with the company and had to woo him for months or something similar, I could see being more aggravated. 5. Should I disclose my FMLA to the people I manage? I’m working on intermittent FMLA for myself. I’m personally comfortable disclosing this, but didn’t know if I should share as a supervisor. Is it okay to let my employees know? Yes. I’d probably wait until it’s finalized so you have something specific to share, but there’s no reason you can’t share it and it will give people useful context to understand why you’re suddenly out more than they’re used to. If you want, you could add, “I don’t want my sharing this to make anyone feel they’d need to share their own use of FMLA with the team in the future; it’s fine to work with me to keep that private if you prefer.” The post can I tell a coworker I dislike him, we upset our boss by organizing stuff, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Here are my top ten deep work techniques to help you eliminate interruptions, boost productivity, and stay focused on your most important tasks. Find out what works best for you and your work habits so you can get more done in less time. The post 10 Deep Work Techniques To Help You Focus appeared first on The Digital Project Manager. View the full article

A reader writes: My fiancé and I just broke up after 6.5 years together. The underlying factors contributing to the split had been percolating for a long time, but the actual break-up happened very suddenly and unexpectedly, and I’m in a lot of pain right now. I was wondering if you had any scripts for how to broach this subject at work. I’ve talked about my partner, his career, our upcoming wedding, etc. a lot to my coworkers, and many of them have met him. I don’t know how to now announce that we broke up without trauma-dumping, but obviously I can’t just pretend that we’re still together. I’m sorry! You don’t need to make a big announcement at all. You can simply stop mentioning him and if it comes up organically (like if someone asks a question about him or is otherwise says something that clearly assumes you’re still together), you can say, “Oh, we’re not together anymore.” The person might look sad and say they’re sorry to hear it, and you can say “thank you” and quickly pivot to a different topic. That’s really it! People at work aren’t likely to be expecting you to go into the details, and it’s perfectly fine to just deliver the news when it’s directly relevant and not let the conversation get mired in it. If at some point it gets weird that people are clearly still assuming your wedding is approaching, you can always address it more proactively (“I’d mentioned I’d be out in November for my wedding and honeymoon, but Ray and I actually split up so unfortunately that’s no longer the plan”) but the same principles apply — don’t dwell on it, don’t give details, just deliver the basic fact of it and leave it there. The post how should I let coworkers know my fiancé and I broke up? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The latest Wi-Fi news from around the world - enjoy. The post Roundup: Enterprise WLAN market grows 16%, Tokyo installs Passpoint, and Purple lights up city Wi-Fi in Newcastle appeared first on Wi-Fi NOW Global. View the full article