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You’d like to think you can trust the people you work around, but in reality office thefts are surprisingly common. From the coworker who stole someone’s spicy food and got sick (and the epic update), to the manager who stole someone’s family heirloom, to the boss who stole an employee’s iPad, to the boss who kept stealing lunches, office thieving happens more than you’d expect. And some of the thefts are shockingly petty: • “I have a Bath and Body eucalyptus (mini) hand sanitizer next to my computer. Turns out someone has used it up, then refilled it with water so it wouldn’t look like it was used. It costs a buck.” • “I had someone steal my pyrex dish once. They dumped my lunch out into a little baggy, put that back in the fridge, and stole my dang dish. WHO DOES THAT!?” • “Someone in the office even stole a coworker’s mug! He had left it on the counter while he went to the bathroom before he got his coffee and it was gone when he came back. TWO YEARS LATER he found it soaking in the sink after the thief had used it and promptly ‘stole’ it back. He was very excited.” And then of course, there’s food theft, which could be a whole category of its own: • “My partner put a note on his milk in the fridge that said ‘I drink from the container’ thinking it would stop people from stealing it. He came in the next day to discover half of it was gone and a note taped under his with ‘I do, too!’ and a happy face.” So let’s talk office thefts — petty and not-so-petty. What have you found stolen at work? Even better, if you’ve been the perpetrator, now is the time to confess anonymously. Please share in the comments! The post stolen mugs, pilfered lunches, and missing iPads: let’s discuss office thefts appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

The unexpected drop to the slowest pace in seven months was driven by ongoing affordability constraints and is a lackluster start to the Spring selling season. View the full article

Panelists at the Mortgage Bankers Association's conference credited investors for helping create the conditions strengthening performance of non-QM portfolios. View the full article

The state's regulator said the insurer must show it will cover more homeowners, and be more transparent. Consumer advocates want more concessions, saying the insurance crisis can't be solved on the backs of homeowners. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you’ve bounced between gaming on a Switch, a PC, and maybe even your phone, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 makes a pretty solid case for itself, especially now that it’s going for $36.36 on Amazon (down from $49.99). This is the lowest it’s ever been, according to price tracking tools like Keepa. 8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller $36.36 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $13.63 Get Deal Get Deal $36.36 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $49.99 Save $13.63 It’s shaped like an old-school SNES pad but handles like a modern DualShock, complete with a pair of hall effect joysticks, full-sized grips, and back buttons you can customize. It works wirelessly over Bluetooth or via USB, and supports Windows, Switch, Android, and Mac with a physical four-way switch (meaning no weird button combos to remember anymore). For more controller options across major consoles, PCMag has a helpful roundup of alternatives. Despite the retro aesthetic, this thing is far from basic. The 8Bitdo Pro 2 features dual hall effect joysticks, a responsive D-pad, all the standard face and shoulder buttons, plus programmable P1 and P2 back paddles for added control. For players who like tweaking their setup, 8Bitdo’s Ultimate Software lets you remap nearly every button, fine-tune stick sensitivity, customize vibration intensity, and set macros—all via a wired connection, with the changes saved directly onto the controller. You also get three profile slots per system, letting you flip between layouts on the fly depending on the game. That said, if you’re using it with a Nintendo Switch, you’ll miss out on Amiibo scanning and wake-from-sleep functionality (the 8Bitdo Pro 2 doesn’t come with Joy-Con-specific perks). But you do get motion controls and a comfortable grip that rivals the official Pro Controller (at a much lower cost, notes this PCMag review). The 1,000mAh battery claims 20 hours of wireless playtime and can be swapped for AA batteries if needed. It won’t please die-hard competitive players looking for ultra-low latency or next-gen haptics, but if you just want an affordable, customizable, cross-platform controller that feels great in-hand, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 at this price is tough to beat. View the full article

PPC best practices come from a variety of places. Some of those sources are: Google Ads reps. The Help Center. Official certifications. Auto-apply and manual recommendations. Ad strength recommendations. And even automated assets to an extent. However, depending on those sources, you could end up with highly different answers. So, how do you know when to apply or be critical of a “best practice”? Many PPC professionals can relate: You see “Google” on your caller ID, and you momentarily feel a boost in ego. But reality sets in when you realize it’s often a junior Google representative or even a third-party service who needs to tick some boxes to meet quarterly goals, not necessarily tailored to your account’s context. This conflict of interest makes whatever “best practice” they recommend risky. In the end, you hang up and realize that our role as advertisers is to ensure that we deliver the highest results with the smallest budget possible, and Google Ads’ role (or any other ad network) is to get you to spend more. So naturally, our relationship with Google Ads’ best practices has to be balanced. Let’s explore the most common pitfalls and also recognize when Google Ads does a fantastic job. Leverage automated bidding There are probably only a few people left who can still successfully run manual CPC campaigns, and that’s a good thing. Look, I know the PPC community is angry at Google for raising ad prices, and some even say that automated bidding strategies are only meant to make advertisers spend more. But still, anyone who ran proper A/B tests in the past knows that correctly set-up automated bidding strategies outperform manual bidding 99% of the time. I’m happy Google Ads rolled them out and made a great tool almost 10 years ago. It’s a best practice you can apply almost every time. Why do I say “almost” though? If Google Ads could clarify optimal setups (conversion density, latency, frequency, etc.), it would be perfect. Right now, the only thing we have is: “When you have little to no conversion data available, Smart Bidding can still use query-level data beyond your bid strategy to build more accurate initial conversion rate models.” – “How our bidding algorithms learn,” Google Ads Help So if you feel like your automated bid strategy doesn’t quite perform as you’d like to, review the above parameters, but otherwise, you most probably should move away from manual CPC. Dig deeper: Top Google Ads recommendations you should always ignore, use, or evaluate Grow with broad match keywords Just like automated bidding, automated targeting (that’s pretty much what broad match is these days) is getting really good. As such, I believe Google Ads is right to push those broad match types harder. There are plenty of studies showing how broad match keywords outperform phrase match keywords. It certainly helps speed up PPC staff training and streamline campaign maintenance with lighter campaign structures. So what’s not to like? Similar to automated bidding, though, I would still caution against using such a match type blindly. For example, I strongly advise against turning on: The “Grow your Smart Bidding campaigns with broad match” auto-apply recommendation. The broad match keywords campaign setting. Why is that? Because just like automated bidding, Google Ads hasn’t shared details on optimal setups. By experience, you want to fuel your bid strategy with some initial down funnel data (purchases) before trusting Google’s AI. Otherwise, just like any AI, it will produce superficial results because it will not see past the top-of-funnel KPIs (pageviews, etc.). Another recurring theme is the progressive removal of information. As usual, these days, citing privacy allowed Google to limit search term reporting. While performance is definitely getting better with broad match keywords, visibility isn’t. This is a shame since search term reports help better inform holistic marketing decisions. Growing with broad match keywords is an interesting best practice. But you should be aware of its limitations. Dig deeper: Your guide to Google Ads Smart Bidding Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Upgrade to data-driven attribution You start to notice a theme, right? Data-driven attribution (DDA) is yet another AI-driven innovation from Google. And just like the previous best practices, it sure has value, but also limitations. Perhaps most importantly, DDA shows marketers that cross-channel journeys actually happen. By nature, distributing conversions across several audiences improves overall performance since it’s more granular and less angular. However, I believe Google strongly lacks transparency on this one (I mean, even more than for auto bidding and broad match types). Indeed, you cannot see conversion paths per user cohort. You used to be able to compare DDA to other attribution models, but that’s now gone. The only other option we’re left with is last-click attribution, which is notoriously simplistic (depending on your purchasing journey). In the end, it’s a great feature, but it shows the early signs of Google’s dark side: it doesn’t care about your context and thinks poorly of you, the advertiser. Don’t get me wrong, I love processing and automating stuff whenever possible. And AI is a fantastic tool. However, thinking that everything is measurable is a sin, even in data marketing. What if your purchasing journey isn’t correctly reflected in data available to Google Ads’ algorithms for whatever reason? What will DDA base its conversion distribution on? Your guess is as good as mine. So while I believe most advertisers should follow this best practice, I believe we should all be very much aware of its limitations – and cross-reference DDA results with other attribution or incrementality results. Adopt Performance Max campaigns This best practice aligns with broad match keywords, DDA and automated bidding. But it goes even further: the promise is to identify the perfect media mix for you, thanks to Google’s AI. The shocking part is that it can totally deliver. So why am I ranking that best practice with an orange traffic light? Because: Most advertisers are simply not ready to embrace such a tool. Tracking is too often limited to revenue for ecommerce clients and MQLs for lead gen clients – no sense of LTV or profits. Another hole in advertisers’ toolkits often can be found in data pipelines: Conversion volumes are too weak. Freshness doesn’t mean a thing to traffic managers. Frequency is a nice-to-have instead of a must-have. Ultimately, Google Ads’ Performance Max algorithms will deliver impressions approximately. Remember: their output can only be as good as the input you feed it. Do you think your setup is strong enough to feed such a beast? So when your favorite Google Ads’ rep tells you to switch everything to Performance Max, think again. Do you tick all these boxes: Do I feed Google Ads with revenue data, at the very least? Do I have a purchasing journey that’s short enough? Is my business’ current media mix mostly based on non-branded and non-retargeting traffic? Am I ready to give up on lots of valuable marketing insights? This one is less true today: Google added tons of great features to Performance Max now, such as channel reporting, search term reporting, and more. So, it’s much less of a black box than it used to be. That said, it’s still not quite as versatile as “traditional” campaign types (Search, Display, etc.), so you still need to balance those insights you’d lose with the automation and potential results you’d get. There are naturally a lot of other questions you could ask yourself, but those are the main ones to me. Adopting Performance Max is not a straightforward best practice, as you can see. Dig deeper: Google Ads optimization: What to stop, start, and continue in 2025 Being critical: Best practices vs. context Best practices work most of the time, but not all the time. Just like averaged metrics, they can hide crazy standard deviations. So, remain critical of best practices depending on your account knowledge. More often than not, that context is challenging, if not impossible, for AI to grasp fully. And here lies your true value. Let me give a few examples. Let’s say you run a gift card business. You probably know that it’s a very seasonal market, and the customer journey is crazy fast. People who are late buying Christmas gifts will Google “gift card” a couple of days before Christmas – and buy straight away. In that case, does it make sense to use DDA? Probably not. Does it make sense to use Performance Max? Probably not, either. Those prospects will use search mainly. That’s it. That’s the context driving your marketing strategy. It’s not a one-size-fits-all best practice telling you to act blindly. Here’s another example: say you run a subscription-based business. Would it make sense to retarget Website visitors and saturate branded keywords? Probably not. Those users will mostly be paying customers already. So, would it make sense to use Performance Max with a bottom-of-funnel goal (something like a subscription)? Probably not, because Performance Max would go crazy on branded and retargeting campaigns. And those would not have great incremental value. It’s crucial for advertisers to critically assess PPC strategies. Running a data marketing agency, I emphasize that strategies shouldn’t rely solely on data. Don’t feel obligated to strictly follow Google Ads or other ad networks’ best practices, especially if their main pitch is being “AI-infused.” View the full article

Just like most other website owners, you want your website to attract customers. But how can you see who visits your website? And how can you use this knowledge to increase website traffic over time? Luckily, there are loads of tools that can help you. Let’s get you started with the right one for your website without the need to become a data expert! What is website traffic? The term website traffic refers to the number of internet users visiting your website. Traffic can arrive from wide-ranging sources, such as directly typing in your website address, through other websites that link to your site, organic traffic (meaning they come to your site from the search results), paid traffic (people who click on your online ads), through your social media, and other channels. The total number of these users visiting your website combined is what we call website traffic. How to check how many people enter a website There are online tools that can help you make sense of your website traffic. These tools provide you with lots of different metrics, but we’ll go into the most important ones when it comes to website traffic. Tools to track website visits Numerous tools can help you track your website traffic. We’ll look at a few well-known tools that provide you with the insights you need. Google Analytics Google Analytics is the go-to tool for a lot of website owners when it comes to getting insights into their audience and website performance. What’s great about Analytics is that you can use it for free and it gives you loads of detailed insights. All the metrics mentioned above can be found in Analytics and give you the possibility to dive into visitor behavior and page performance. It allows you to mark key events, to track if people are performing the actions you want them to. The homepage gives an overview of data that Analytics deems relevant to you, based on your behavior in the tool. Some reports provide the metrics mentioned and much more, all focused on understanding your audience. Explorations allows you to create your own ‘reports’ to dive into one specific question you have or element you want a deeper understanding of. When you have Google Ads running, Analytics also provides insights into your ads and what actions to take there. Google’s blog You will have to connect Analytics to your website, but luckily, there are tools out there that help you with that. Also, Google explains how to do this properly in their guide for beginners, which also gives you more information on this tool. One downside of Analytics, if you can call it that, is that all the information provided there can be overwhelming for some. They do expect you to find your way and figure out what data is relevant for your website. This makes it difficult to stay focused on the right things and not get lost in the woods. Google Search Console Another tool provided by Google, free of charge, is Google Search Console. Although there is some overlap with Analytics, this tool is focused more on showing your visibility in different parts of the Google ecosystem. Similar to Semrush, it’s very helpful when working on the performance of your pages and increasing website traffic. So if increasing organic traffic to your website is a big part of your marketing strategy, make sure to add this tool to your favorites. We have a beginner’s guide to Search Console, that goes into the details and explains how to set up an account. I wanted to mention this tool as it can help you boost your website traffic when used correctly. But if you’re mainly looking for a tool that provides you insights into your current website traffic, I would recommend investing your time in another tool first (f.e. Analytics). Search Console is great for figuring out what parts of your website you should work on, but if you want to take a step back and get familiar with your website stats first, then this might be for a later time. Semrush Semrush is another online tool that shows you how many people visit your site.e. This platform is used by a lot of people working on their website visibility. To give an idea, you can use Semrush to get data on your site’s performance, but it also allows you to do keyword research and compare yourself to competitors. Like Analytics, it provides a lot of information. But it does depend on your subscription on how extensively you can use this tool. There is a free version that may get you the data you need when starting out. It offers a site audit (of 100 pages), position tracking (for 10 keywords), personal recommendations, and traffic data such as visits, conversion, and bounce rate. Semrush’s knowledge base If you want to give Semrush a try, simply create a free account and fill in your website where the tool asks for your main domain. This will give you insights right away. You will notice that not all the data is available, and getting access to some more detailed stats will require an upgrade. But especially when you want to work on your SEO, Semrush gives you a lot of relevant information. Metrics on website traffic Every tool comes with different data, but there are a few relevant metrics that you will find in most of them. I’ll explain a few of them that will help you figure out who’s visiting your website and what they’re doing while on your pages. Number of users First of all, there’s the number of users. The number of total users tells you how many people have visited your website or a specific page in the selected period. In addition to the total number, you might also see the following metrics: active users, new users and/or returning users. Active users are the number of people who engaged with your page in that date range. Then there’s the difference between new users (the number of people who are first-time visitors of your site) and returning users (the number of people who have visited your site before). Number of sessions When a user opens your website, they start a new session. All the interactions that take place during the time they spend on your website are part of that one session. There’s no limit to how long a session can last, but it typically ends after 30 minutes of inactivity. If the user interacts with the website after that time or comes back at a later time, this will count as a different session. Pageviews When you encounter the metric pageviews, it tells you how many times a page is loaded or reloaded in a browser. Each time a user visits a page, it counts as one pageview—even if they refresh the page or navigate back to it multiple times. This metric helps measure how often your content is being viewed, regardless of how many unique users are visiting. Source/medium Source/medium tells you how users arrive at your website. The source is the specific origin of your traffic (e.g., Google, Facebook.com), while medium describes the general category of that source (e.g., organic, cpc, referral). Together, they give you insight into what channels are driving the most traffic and which ones could do better. Engagement and events Engagement rate is the percentage of sessions that were actively engaged, meaning users spent at least 10 seconds on the site, had a conversion event, or viewed two or more pages. It helps measure how meaningful or valuable a user’s interaction is. Events, on the other hand, track specific user actions—like clicks, downloads, video plays, or form submissions—providing detailed insight into how users interact with your content. Metrics related to engagement and events give you an idea of whether people are engaging with your pages and taking the actions you want them to take. Other interesting metrics Those metrics give you a lot of information about your website traffic, but of course, most tools offer you other interesting metrics as well. You could also look at the bounce rate, which tells you the percentage of users that leave after viewing just one page. The average session duration shows you how much time users spend on your site. Traffic by device gives an overview of how many of your users visit your website through desktop, mobile and/or tablet. Finally, top (performing) pages tells you which pages get the most visits. Why you should know who visits your website As I touched on in the previous paragraphs, data on your website traffic gives you insight into the behavior of your website visitors. Understanding who visits your website, and how they interact with it, helps you make more informed decisions about your website. It’s not just about counting clicks or visitors. It’s about uncovering trends, identifying growth opportunities, and optimizing the user experience to increase conversions, engagement, or other goals. Are you visible on the right channels? Knowing where your visitors come from, whether that’s organic search, social media, direct traffic, referrals, or paid ads, helps you measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. For example, if you’re investing heavily in social media campaigns but see little traffic from those platforms, that might mean it’s time to reevaluate your social strategy. On the other hand, high traffic from a specific channel might indicate a strong presence you can build on. This insight allows you to allocate your time and resources more strategically. Pages that perform (or don’t) Website data shows you how people are interacting with your pages, which tells you what your top-performing pages are and what pages need improving. Your top-performing pages might show high engagement, conversions, or time on site, indicating content that resonates with visitors. Pages that underperform can show you where users are dropping off or losing interest. This insight is invaluable for identifying what content needs updating, restructuring, or even retiring to improve your overall site performance. Website performance over time Tracking your traffic trends over days, weeks, or months allows you to assess the health of your online presence. Are you seeing growth? Seasonal spikes? Or sudden drops in traffic to your website? These patterns help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and how external factors might be affecting you. It also gives you a baseline to measure the success of any changes you’ve made to your website or other marketing activities. Understanding your audience Essentially, looking at the data that tells you who is visiting your website helps you get a deeper understanding of your audience and how your website is doing. This doesn’t mean you should be obsessing over these numbers daily, but having a monthly evaluation to go over everything helps you make informed decisions. Decisions that will improve your (online) presence and attract more people to your website. Which tool is the best choice for you? These tools are just the tip of the iceberg, but they are a great starting point when you want to keep track of your website visits over time. So, which one should you start using? If you’re looking for one tool that provides you with detailed insights into your website traffic (and therefore audience), I would recommend setting up Google Analytics first. It is the tool that’s focused on tracking website traffic and has the biggest variety of data. To conclude In this blog post, we discussed the importance of gaining insight into your website traffic. This can help you understand your audience and their behaviour and it helps you make improvements to your website. There are loads of tools out there, but the ones mentioned above are a great starting point. So make sure to choose one and get a grip on your website traffic! Read more: How to measure the success of your content SEO strategy? » The post How to track website traffic: how many people are visiting your site? appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

Turn communication breakdowns into trust-building moments. Transformation Talks With Donny Shimamoto Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

Turn communication breakdowns into trust-building moments. Transformation Talks With Donny Shimamoto Go PRO for members-only access to more Center for Accounting Transformation. View the full article

Max still goes by Max for now, but the return to the original HBO Max branding is expected sometime this summer. In the meantime, the third season of HBO Original series The Gilded Age is set to drop in weekly installments starting June 22. The period drama, set in 1880s New York, stars Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, and Cynthia Nixon, among others. On the movie slate, there's A24's Parthenope (June 6), a Paolo Sorrentino coming-of-age film set in Naples and starring Celeste Dalla Porta and Gary Oldman, and Cleaner (June 13), about radical activists in present-day London who take hostages at an energy company's annual gala in an attempt to expose corruption. Max is also getting The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (June 27) and the much-hyped A Minecraft Movie, a fantasy comedy film based on the video game and starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Jennifer Coolidge. The movie debuted in theaters this spring and is listed as "coming soon" to Max. HBO Original documentaries coming in June include The Mortician, which will debut June 1—the three-episode run will dive deep into the family behind California's Lamb Funeral Home and its morally questionable practices. Zackary Drucker's Enigma (June 24) explores transgender legacy and identity through the stories of April Ashley and Amanda Lear, among others, while My Mom Jayne (June 27) follows actress Mariska Hargitay in her journey to learn more about her mom, who died when Hargitay was three. Max subscribers will also get a variety of live sports, including NHL playoff games as well as a handful of MLB and U.S. soccer matchups. Here's everything else coming to Max in June. What’s coming to Max in June 2025Available June 1A Hologram for the King (2016) A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) A Perfect Getaway (2009) Backtrack (2016) Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022) Black Patch (1957) Blues in the Night (1941) Casino (1995) Fight Club (1999) Gentleman Jim (1942) Hellboy (2004) I Am Not Your Negro (2017) Igor (2008) Illegal (1955) In the Good Old Summertime (1949) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Kid Glove Killer (1942) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) My Scientology Movie (2017) Numbered Men (1930) One Foot in Heaven (1941) Parasite (2019) Presenting Lily Mars (1943) Pride & Prejudice (2005) Public Enemies (2009) Reign of the Supermen (2019) Serenade (1956) Silver River (1948) Spaceballs (1987) Split (2017) Strike Up the Band (1940) Summer Stock (1950) Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) Superman: Red Son (2020) Superman: Unbound (2013) Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) The Death of Superman (2018) The Fighting 69th (1940) The Harvey Girls (1946) The Hunger Games (2012) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) The Match King (1932) The Mayor of Hell (1933) The Mortician (HBO Original) The Nitwits (1935) The Prince and the Pauper (1937) The Sea Chase (1955) The Sea Hawk (1940) The Sunlit Night (2019) The Verdict (1946) They Made Me a Criminal (1939) This Side of the Law (1950) Three Faces East (1930) Three Strangers (1946) Total Drama Island, Season 2 (Cartoon Network) Wagons West (1952) Words and Music (1948) You'll Find Out (1940) Ziegfeld Follies (1946) Available June 2BBQ Brawl, Season 6 (Food Network) Available June 3Bullet Train (2022) Ugliest House in America, Season 6 (HGTV) Available June 41000-lb Roomies, Season 1 (TLC) Fatal Destination, Season 1 (ID) Available June 5Bea's Block, Season 1C (Max Original) Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose, Season 1 (Max Original) Available June 6House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 201 (HGTV) Parthenope (A24) Available June 10Virgins, Season 1 (TLC) Available June 11Guy's Grocery Games, Season 38 (Food Network) Available June 12Bitchin' Rides, Season 11 Mini Beat Power Rockers: A Superheroic Night (Discovery International) Available June 13Cleaner (2025) House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 240 (HGTV) Maine Cabin Masters, Season 10 (Magnolia Network) Super Sara (Max Original) Toad & Friends, Season 1B Available June 16Hero Ball, Season 3B Available June 17Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm (CNN Originals, 2025) Super Mega Cakes, Season 1 (Food Network) Available June 19Expedition Unknown, Season 15 (Discovery) Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch, Season 5 (Discovery) Available June 20House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 241 (HGTV) Lu & The Bally Bunch, Season 1C (Cartoon Network) Now or Never: FC Montfermeil (Max Original) Teen Titans Go!, Season 9B (Cartoon Network) Available June 21The Kitchen, Season 38 (Food Network) The Never Ever Mets, Season 2 (OWN) Available June 22The Gilded Age, Season 3 (HBO Original) Available June 23Match Me Abroad, Season 2 (TLC) Available June 24Enigma (HBO Original) Mean Girl Murders, Season 3 (ID) The Invitation (2022) Available June 25Rehab Addict, Season 10 (HGTV) Available June 27House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 242 (HGTV) My Mom Jayne (HBO Original) Pati, Seasons 1&2 (Max Original) The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) Available June 29#Somebody's Son, Season 1 (OWN) Family or Fiancé, Season 4 (OWN) Available June 30 90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk, Season 11 (TLC) Truck U, Season 21 View the full article

The LA Art Book Fair returned this weekend with a new venue and a renewed sense of intention. Now in its eighth edition, the fair took over ArtCenter College of Design’s South Campus in Pasadena, California, transforming classrooms, courtyards, and even the rooftop of a Subaru Outback into vibrant hubs of independent publishing. Produced remotely by Printed Matter’s New York team, the fair was made possible through deep collaboration with LA’s creative community. Still reeling from January’s wildfires, the city’s small press scene showed up with resilience and purpose, supported by mutual aid efforts and fee waivers for affected publishers. At a time when book bans, cultural conservatism, and generative AI are reshaping the creative landscape, LAABF 2025 was a celebration of subculture, radical publishing, and the enduring power of print. Across more than 300 exhibitors from 26 countries, LAABF offered up hand-bound zines, risograph prints, speculative fiction, surreal artist books, and design ephemera, and was a welcome counterpoint to the algorithmic flattening of culture we currently view through our screens. Here’s a roundup of our favorite finds from LAABF. In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: A Jonathan Rosenbaum Reader, published by Hat & Beard Press Spanning film, literature, and jazz, this sweeping retrospective brings together 100 of Jonathan Rosenbaum’s sharpest essays from nearly six decades of cultural criticism. Published by Los Angeles-based indie press Hat & Beard, the collection reveals how these three art forms intertwine in Rosenbaum’s singular worldview. Best known for his influential film writing at the Chicago Reader, Rosenbaum also weaves in deep reflections on music and literature, building a kind of critical manifesto. Expect essays on Stanley Kubrick, Chantal Akerman, Thomas Pynchon, Duke Ellington, and beyond, all filtered through Rosenbaum’s iconoclastic lens. Cult Classic Magazine: 06 Magnetism Cult Classic issue 06 explores the unseen threads that bind creative culture. Centered on ideas of mirroring, manifestation, and momentum, the issue reflects on what draws us together, and what keeps us moving forward. With three cover variations to choose from, readers will find conversations with artists, musicians, designers, and writers who are shaping the future of culture. From underground music to indie fashion, Cult Classic continues to document the pulse of creative communities with depth, and eclectic vision. THE DOME: Throat Heart Mouth Earth, by Carly Jean Andrews; published by Secret Headquarters Secret Headquarters redefines the comic book store with a sharply curated, design-forward approach to graphic storytelling. Known for its focus on comic book culture, the shop showcases an exceptional selection of graphic novels, trade paperbacks, and monthly titles. One must-see title to debut at LAABF was THE DOME: Throat Heart Mouth Earth by LA-based illustrator Carly Jean Andrews, a kaleidoscopic, spiral-bound collection of self-portraits that blends vintage maximalist aesthetics with the artist’s signature explorations of the female form. Each copy comes with a silkscreened thong printed with one of Andrew’s original drawings in a surprise color. Time, Myth and Matter, by LD Deutsch; published by Sacred Bones Blending science, speculation, and storytelling, Time, Myth and Matter is the debut essay collection from LD Deutsch, published by Brooklyn-based record label Sacred Bones. Across five expansive essays, including revised versions of her cult zines and one never-before-published piece, Deutsch explores how we use both technology and myth to make sense of reality. Deutsch moves between the cosmic and the personal, drawing unexpected connections between consciousness, physics, and narrative. It’s a genre-defying read that sits comfortably between philosophy, pop culture, and futurism. A Toolkit for Gathering, by Rachel Berger, with Meg Bisineer, Sara Dean, and Janette Kim; published by Draw Down Books Tired of the same old conference formats? This inventive guide, created by Rachel Berger with Meg Bisineer, Sara Dean, and Janette Kim, offers a fresh take on how artists, designers, and thinkers can gather with more purpose and creativity. Originally developed during a two-day residency at This Will Take Time and later shaped through the uncertainty of the early days of the pandemic, the book is packed with tools, prompts, and strategies to help make professional meetups more meaningful, and a lot less boring. Think poetic icebreakers, alternative structures, and replicable ideas for reimagining how we come together. Newly updated with a foreword by Draw Down Books founders, Christopher and Kathleen Sleboda, this slim, beautifully designed volume is both practical and inspirational. LANDLINES: San Luis Valley (Journey Into the American West), by M12 studio; published by Spector Books Spanning a four-year engagement by M12 STUDIO, LANDLINES is a 400-page volume exploring Colorado’s San Luis Valley, a vast alpine basin shaped by diverse landscapes and layered histories. Situated over 10,000 feet above sea level between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges, The Valley has long been a crossroads of intersecting worlds: indigenous lands, Spanish and Anglo settlements, and a surprising range of religious communities, from Catholic to Amish to Hindu. Its landscapes carry traces of adobe architecture, ancient waterways, potato and cannabis farms, volcanic remnants, and folklore swirling with cryptids, UFO sightings, and folk music. LANDLINES blends research-driven storytelling with evocative imagery, offering a rare and multifaceted portrait of the rural Southwest. Organizing Power: Volume 1, by Jessalyn Aaland with Ana Fox-Hodess and Nat Naylor; published by Current Editions Organizing Power: Volume 1 is a pocket-size guide to starting a union at your workplace. Created by Jessalyn Aaland with Ana Fox-Hodess and Nat Naylor, this zine-style handbook has already helped workers organize institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Wexner Center for the Arts. Originally developed during Aaland’s fellowship at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the saddle-stitched booklet adapts trusted labor organizing resources with added insights from the authors. The risograph cover design gives a nod to the Whole Earth Catalog aesthetic, grounding the project in a legacy of DIY empowerment. BUGUE – Issue No. 1, by Liana Jegers; published by Caboose Part field guide, part personal zine, Bugue is a tender love letter to the overlooked wonders of backyard nature. Created by Liana Jegers, this debut issue zooms in on the flora and fauna just outside her door, and offers meditations on the hidden world beneath our feet. Printed on soft newsprint and filled with lush photography and hand-drawn illustrations, Bugue brings a slow, observational approach to nature writing, grounded in the hyperlocal and the everyday. View the full article

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...View the full article

Chinese automaker BYD sold more electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla for the first time, according to a report by JATO Dynamics, as an aging model lineup and CEO Elon Musk’s politics hurt demand for the U.S. EV maker’s cars. BYD, which also makes plug-in hybrid vehicles, registered 7,231 battery-powered electric vehicles (BEV) in Europe in April, while Tesla registered 7,165 units, the market research firm said. “This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022,” JATO Dynamics’ global analyst Felipe Munoz said. Demand for electric vehicles in Europe remains steady. BEV registrations surged 28% in April from last year, largely driven by Chinese car brands. Despite the EU’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, registrations of such cars increased 59% in the month from a year earlier, while carmakers from Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States recorded 26% growth. WEAK TESLA DEMAND The company reported its first drop in annual deliveries last year, and analysts expect another fall this year after a 13% decline in the first quarter. Musk said earlier this week that Tesla had already turned around sales, and demand was strong in regions apart from Europe. His political views have triggered waves of protests against Tesla in the U.S. and Europe, leading to a slump in sales. Additionally, production halts to retool factories to make the redesigned Model Y crossover globally caused a drop in manufacturing and sales in the first quarter. Analysts have also attributed lower sales to customers waiting for less-expensive versions of the new Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, to become more widely available. —Akash Sriram in Bengaluru, Reuters View the full article

Google’s newly launched AI Mode in Search isn’t passing referral data. That means it’s impossible to know how many clicks you got from AI Mode in Google Search Console (GSC) or other analytics tools. Why we care. You have no way of knowing how much traffic you’re getting from AI Mode. Google continues to tell us its AI answers drive higher-quality clicks, without proof. We have no data to verify this. Frustratingly, Google continues to take away helpful data, making it impossible for us to make data-driven decisions. Driving the news: Tom Critchlow, EVP audience growth at Raptive, first raised the issue on LinkedIn. Testing from Patrick Stox, product advisor, technical SEO, and brand ambassador at Ahrefs, confirmed that you can’t track clicks from AI Mode: Clicks on links shown in AI Mode don’t appear in Google Search Console. Analytics tools classify these visits as Direct or Unknown. The links generated in AI Mode are marked with a noreferrer attribute, which strips the referrer value that would otherwise enable attribution. Why? Lily Ray, vice president, SEO strategy and research at Amsive, shared her theory on LinkedIn, dubbing this “Not Provided 2.0” (a reference to when Google began encrypting searches and outbound clicks by default): “Google does NOT want us having access to traffic data for AI Mode, or AI Overviews for that matter, because it will reveal just how little traffic both are actually driving to external websites. It’s much more convenient to continue repeating some carefully crafted statement about how these tools ‘drive traffic to more websites than ever,’ without giving us any tools to confirm this.” Temporary or permanent? In the Measuring the performance of your site section of the AI features and your website Google Search Central help document, Google wrote: Just like the rest of the search results page, sites appearing in AI features (such as AI Overviews and AI Mode) are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console. In particular, they’re reported on in the Performance report, within the “Web” search type. When you visit the GSC What are impressions, position, and clicks? page, there is no mention of AI Mode. Only AI Overviews are mentioned. Also, Google’s newest blog post wrote seemed to be saying that we should no longer “focus too much on clicks” and more on “the overall value of your visits from Search.” What’s next. Google has not yet commented on whether AI Mode traffic might become visible in GSC or analytics platforms. Until then, we remain in the dark. View the full article

Twelve states on Wednesday urged a federal court to strike down President Donald The President’s sweeping taxes on imports, saying he had exceeded his authority, left U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos. They are challenging tariffs that The President imposed last month on most of the countries in the world in an effort to reverse America’s massive and longstanding trade deficits. They are also targeting levies the president had earlier plastered on imports from Canada, China and Mexico to combat the illegal flow of immigrants and the synthetic opioids across the U.S. border. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on Wednesday heard arguments in the states’ case. Last week, the trade court held a hearing in a similar challenge to The President’s tariffs brought by five small businesses. The court specifically deals with civil lawsuits involving international trade. Its decisions can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington and ultimately to the Supreme Court, where the legal challenges to The President’ tariffs are widely expected to end up. At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of The President’s trade policy. Declaring that the United States’ trade deficits add up to a national emergency, The President invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) and rolled out 10% tariffs on many countries on April 2—“Liberation Day,” he called it. He imposed stiffer “reciprocal” tariffs of up to 50% on countries that sell more goods to the United States than the U.S. sells them. (The President later suspended those higher tariffs for 90 days.) The states argue that the emergency economic powers act does not authorize the use of tariffs. Even if it did, they say, the trade deficit does not meet the law’s requirement that an emergency be triggered only by an “unusual and extraordinary threat.” The U.S. has run a trade deficit with the rest of the world for 49 consecutive years. “This is not an unusual problem,” Brian Marshall, an Oregon state attorney, told the judges Wednesday. The The President administration argues that courts approved President Richard Nixon’s emergency use of tariffs in a 1971 economic crisis. The Nixon administration successfully cited its authority under the 1917 Trading With Enemy Act, which preceded and supplied some of the language used in IEPPA. Brett Shumate, the assistant U.S. attorney general representing the administration, argued Wednesday that only Congress, and not the courts, can determine the “political” question of whether the president’s rationale for declaring an emergency complies with the law. That argument led Judge Jane Restani to ask if courts were helpless to block the president’s emergency declarations no matter how “crazy” they were. The President’s Liberation Day tariffs shook global financial markets and led many economists to downgrade the outlook for U.S. economic growth. So far, though, the tariffs appear to have had little impact on the world’s largest economy. The 12 states pursuing the case are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. —Paul Wiseman, AP Economics Writer View the full article

Sponsored Post Key Takeaways Instagram’s Importance: Instagram is a vital platform for small businesses, offering opportunities for brand visibility and customer engagement among over a billion users. Effective Content Strategies: High-quality visuals, engaging stories, and user-generated content can significantly enhance a small business’s marketing presence on Instagram. Community Building: Fostering connections through community engagement and networking can build customer loyalty and create mentorship opportunities. Performance Metrics: Regularly tracking engagement rates and content performance helps optimize strategies for better results and targeted marketing efforts. Niche Relevance Matters: Follow accounts that align with your industry to gain insights and inspiration that can aid in targeted marketing and growth strategies. Top Accounts to Follow: Influential accounts like @garyvee and @entrepreneur offer valuable tips and industry insights that can guide small business owners on their entrepreneurial journey. In the bustling world of social media, Instagram stands out as a powerful platform for small businesses to showcase their brand and connect with customers. With over a billion active users, it’s a treasure trove of inspiration and potential growth. But with so many accounts out there, how do you find the best ones that can guide you on your entrepreneurial journey? Discovering the right Instagram accounts can spark creativity and provide invaluable insights into effective marketing strategies. From eye-catching visuals to engaging storytelling, these accounts not only highlight successful tactics but also foster a sense of community among small business owners. Ready to elevate your Instagram game? Let’s dive into the best accounts that can help you thrive in the competitive landscape of small business. Overview of Instagram for Small Businesses Instagram serves as a powerful tool for small businesses, providing unique opportunities for brand exposure and customer engagement. With over a billion active users, it’s essential to develop a compelling presence that resonates with your target audience. Use its features to showcase your products or services effectively. You can leverage Instagram for marketing in several ways. You can share high-quality visuals to highlight your offerings, engage with potential customers through stories, and encourage user-generated content to promote your brand organically. Investing time in content marketing through well-crafted posts can significantly boost your visibility. Building a strong community on Instagram fosters connections that drive customer loyalty. You can connect with fellow entrepreneurs, potential collaborators, and industry influencers, creating opportunities for networking and mentorship. Engaging regularly with your followers enhances interactions and encourages repeat visits to your account. Tracking performance metrics is crucial for refining your marketing strategy. Monitoring engagement rates helps you identify what resonates with your audience and adjust your approach accordingly. By understanding insights like reach and impressions, you can optimize your content for better results. When you utilize Instagram as part of your growth strategy, consider integrating it with your overall business plan. Align your social media efforts with your broader marketing goals, ensuring your brand message is consistent across different platforms. Developing a cohesive online presence across social media and your website strengthens brand recognition. Embrace innovation on Instagram by experimenting with new features and trends. Utilize tools like Instagram Shopping to streamline the purchasing process directly from your posts, enhancing customer experiences and driving sales. By staying adaptable, you can keep your business relevant and thriving in a competitive marketplace. Incorporating Instagram into your overall strategy is essential for boosting customer acquisition. Use targeted marketing techniques to reach your desired audience effectively. With diligent planning and execution, Instagram can become a vital part of your small business toolkit. Criteria for Selecting the Best Accounts Identifying the best Instagram accounts requires assessing a few key criteria. Focus on engagement metrics, content quality, and niche relevance to enhance your small business’s marketing strategies. Engagement Metrics Assess accounts based on high engagement rates that include likes, comments, saves, and shares. These metrics indicate how well content resonates with the target audience. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) and Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) exemplify high engagement rates, driven by interactive and valuable content that attracts attention. Track follower growth rates as well; accounts with consistent increases often demonstrate effective engagement and robust content strategies. Content Quality Examine the quality of content shared. High-quality visuals and professional posts attract and retain followers. Brands like Gucci (@gucci) and GoPro (@gopro) succeed due to their polished content and engaging behind-the-scenes posts. Prioritize accounts that deliver visually appealing and relevant content that speaks to your industry to enhance your brand’s image. Niche Relevance Select accounts that align closely with your niche. Relevant content fosters connections with your target audience and positions your brand within the right market space. Determine areas of common interest, such as startup innovation, digital marketing, or e-commerce strategies. Engaging with accounts that cater specifically to your niche can provide valuable insights and inspiration to drive your own business goals. Top Instagram Accounts for Small Business Discovering effective Instagram accounts can provide small business owners with insights and inspiration. Here are two standout accounts to follow for valuable content. Account 1: Highlights and Strategies Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur and marketing expert. His Instagram account is filled with practical business tips and motivational content. Gary emphasizes the power of engagement through Instagram Live, often hosting Q&A sessions that create direct connections with his audience. His stories and posts reflect authenticity, showcasing real experiences in business growth and branding. Following Gary can enhance your understanding of digital marketing strategies and customer acquisition techniques. Account 2: Highlights and Strategies Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) Entrepreneur Magazine’s Instagram account offers an array of content tailored for small business owners. You’ll find success stories, essential business tips, and industry news that help you navigate challenges. The account emphasizes market research insights and features valuable information on business registration and funding options. This consistent delivery of relevant content supports your entrepreneurial journey and helps you develop effective growth strategies. Account 3: Highlights and Strategies Small Business Administration (@sbagov) The Small Business Administration’s Instagram account focuses on resources and support for small businesses. The highlights include information on legal structure, financing methods, and guidance on how to start a business. You’ll also find updates on grants, loans, and other funding opportunities. Their educational posts assist you in understanding the essential elements of a solid business plan, enabling you to approach entrepreneurial challenges with confidence. Tips for Leveraging Instagram for Your Small Business Maximize your Instagram presence by implementing key strategies tailored for small businesses. A proactive approach enhances customer acquisition and brand recognition. Building a Strong Brand Identity Cultivate a unique brand identity by maintaining a consistent visual style on your Instagram. Select a color palette, typography, and imagery that reflect your brand’s personality. Use your bio to convey your business model succinctly, including your products or services and target audience. Showcase high-quality images of your offerings, ensuring visual appeal attracts potential customers. Incorporate relevant hashtags to increase visibility and engagement with your posts. Align your content with your marketing goals to establish a recognizable presence in your niche. Engaging with Your Audience Engage with your audience regularly to foster relationships that drive loyalty. Utilize Instagram Stories and polls for real-time interactions, creating a sense of community among followers. Respond to comments and direct messages quickly, demonstrating your commitment to customer service. Share user-generated content, encouraging followers to showcase their experiences with your products. Leverage insights to understand your audience’s preferences better and refine your marketing strategies accordingly. Collaborate with influencers or other small businesses to extend your reach and tap into new customer segments, enhancing brand awareness within your industry. Conclusion Embracing Instagram for your small business can transform your marketing strategy and enhance customer relationships. By following the right accounts and implementing effective practices, you can gain valuable insights and inspiration to elevate your brand. Remember to engage authentically with your audience and leverage the platform’s unique features. As you explore the best accounts to follow, keep refining your approach based on what resonates with your audience. With dedication and creativity, Instagram can become a powerful ally in your entrepreneurial journey, driving growth and fostering a loyal community around your brand. Frequently Asked Questions Why is Instagram important for small businesses? Instagram is crucial for small businesses due to its vast user base of over a billion active accounts. It offers an excellent platform for brand visibility, customer engagement, and community building. By sharing high-quality visuals and interacting with followers, businesses can enhance their marketing efforts and connect better with potential customers. How can small businesses leverage Instagram effectively? Small businesses can leverage Instagram by maintaining a consistent visual style, using high-quality images, and engaging with their audience through stories and polls. Sharing user-generated content and collaborating with influencers will also help boost brand awareness and customer loyalty. What are key criteria for selecting Instagram accounts to follow? When selecting Instagram accounts to follow, consider engagement metrics like likes and comments, content quality, and niche relevance. Accounts with high engagement rates and professional visuals provide valuable insights and inspiration to help enhance your marketing strategy. Which Instagram accounts should small business owners follow? Small business owners should follow accounts like Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) for motivational business tips, Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) for industry news and advice, and the Small Business Administration (@sbagov) for resources and support tailored to small businesses. How do performance metrics impact Instagram marketing strategies? Tracking performance metrics helps businesses understand which content resonates with their audience. Analyzing likes, comments, and engagement rates allows small businesses to refine their marketing strategies and create content that drives customer acquisition and brand recognition. What role does user-generated content play on Instagram? User-generated content plays a significant role in fostering trust and engagement. Sharing customers’ photos and experiences enhances brand authenticity and loyalty, as it encourages community involvement and showcases real-life uses of products or services. How can small businesses build a community on Instagram? To build a community on Instagram, small businesses should engage regularly with their audience by responding to comments, sharing stories, and hosting interactive polls. Collaborating with other brands and participating in discussions can further enhance connection and loyalty among followers. What innovative features should small businesses use on Instagram? Small businesses should embrace innovative features like Instagram Shopping and Stories to enhance user experience. Utilizing these tools allows businesses to showcase products, engage customers, and drive sales effectively, making the shopping experience seamless for users. Image Via Envato This article, "Top Instagram Accounts Every Small Business Owner Should Follow for Success" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Sponsored Post Key Takeaways Instagram’s Importance: Instagram is a vital platform for small businesses, offering opportunities for brand visibility and customer engagement among over a billion users. Effective Content Strategies: High-quality visuals, engaging stories, and user-generated content can significantly enhance a small business’s marketing presence on Instagram. Community Building: Fostering connections through community engagement and networking can build customer loyalty and create mentorship opportunities. Performance Metrics: Regularly tracking engagement rates and content performance helps optimize strategies for better results and targeted marketing efforts. Niche Relevance Matters: Follow accounts that align with your industry to gain insights and inspiration that can aid in targeted marketing and growth strategies. Top Accounts to Follow: Influential accounts like @garyvee and @entrepreneur offer valuable tips and industry insights that can guide small business owners on their entrepreneurial journey. In the bustling world of social media, Instagram stands out as a powerful platform for small businesses to showcase their brand and connect with customers. With over a billion active users, it’s a treasure trove of inspiration and potential growth. But with so many accounts out there, how do you find the best ones that can guide you on your entrepreneurial journey? Discovering the right Instagram accounts can spark creativity and provide invaluable insights into effective marketing strategies. From eye-catching visuals to engaging storytelling, these accounts not only highlight successful tactics but also foster a sense of community among small business owners. Ready to elevate your Instagram game? Let’s dive into the best accounts that can help you thrive in the competitive landscape of small business. Overview of Instagram for Small Businesses Instagram serves as a powerful tool for small businesses, providing unique opportunities for brand exposure and customer engagement. With over a billion active users, it’s essential to develop a compelling presence that resonates with your target audience. Use its features to showcase your products or services effectively. You can leverage Instagram for marketing in several ways. You can share high-quality visuals to highlight your offerings, engage with potential customers through stories, and encourage user-generated content to promote your brand organically. Investing time in content marketing through well-crafted posts can significantly boost your visibility. Building a strong community on Instagram fosters connections that drive customer loyalty. You can connect with fellow entrepreneurs, potential collaborators, and industry influencers, creating opportunities for networking and mentorship. Engaging regularly with your followers enhances interactions and encourages repeat visits to your account. Tracking performance metrics is crucial for refining your marketing strategy. Monitoring engagement rates helps you identify what resonates with your audience and adjust your approach accordingly. By understanding insights like reach and impressions, you can optimize your content for better results. When you utilize Instagram as part of your growth strategy, consider integrating it with your overall business plan. Align your social media efforts with your broader marketing goals, ensuring your brand message is consistent across different platforms. Developing a cohesive online presence across social media and your website strengthens brand recognition. Embrace innovation on Instagram by experimenting with new features and trends. Utilize tools like Instagram Shopping to streamline the purchasing process directly from your posts, enhancing customer experiences and driving sales. By staying adaptable, you can keep your business relevant and thriving in a competitive marketplace. Incorporating Instagram into your overall strategy is essential for boosting customer acquisition. Use targeted marketing techniques to reach your desired audience effectively. With diligent planning and execution, Instagram can become a vital part of your small business toolkit. Criteria for Selecting the Best Accounts Identifying the best Instagram accounts requires assessing a few key criteria. Focus on engagement metrics, content quality, and niche relevance to enhance your small business’s marketing strategies. Engagement Metrics Assess accounts based on high engagement rates that include likes, comments, saves, and shares. These metrics indicate how well content resonates with the target audience. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) and Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) exemplify high engagement rates, driven by interactive and valuable content that attracts attention. Track follower growth rates as well; accounts with consistent increases often demonstrate effective engagement and robust content strategies. Content Quality Examine the quality of content shared. High-quality visuals and professional posts attract and retain followers. Brands like Gucci (@gucci) and GoPro (@gopro) succeed due to their polished content and engaging behind-the-scenes posts. Prioritize accounts that deliver visually appealing and relevant content that speaks to your industry to enhance your brand’s image. Niche Relevance Select accounts that align closely with your niche. Relevant content fosters connections with your target audience and positions your brand within the right market space. Determine areas of common interest, such as startup innovation, digital marketing, or e-commerce strategies. Engaging with accounts that cater specifically to your niche can provide valuable insights and inspiration to drive your own business goals. Top Instagram Accounts for Small Business Discovering effective Instagram accounts can provide small business owners with insights and inspiration. Here are two standout accounts to follow for valuable content. Account 1: Highlights and Strategies Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur and marketing expert. His Instagram account is filled with practical business tips and motivational content. Gary emphasizes the power of engagement through Instagram Live, often hosting Q&A sessions that create direct connections with his audience. His stories and posts reflect authenticity, showcasing real experiences in business growth and branding. Following Gary can enhance your understanding of digital marketing strategies and customer acquisition techniques. Account 2: Highlights and Strategies Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) Entrepreneur Magazine’s Instagram account offers an array of content tailored for small business owners. You’ll find success stories, essential business tips, and industry news that help you navigate challenges. The account emphasizes market research insights and features valuable information on business registration and funding options. This consistent delivery of relevant content supports your entrepreneurial journey and helps you develop effective growth strategies. Account 3: Highlights and Strategies Small Business Administration (@sbagov) The Small Business Administration’s Instagram account focuses on resources and support for small businesses. The highlights include information on legal structure, financing methods, and guidance on how to start a business. You’ll also find updates on grants, loans, and other funding opportunities. Their educational posts assist you in understanding the essential elements of a solid business plan, enabling you to approach entrepreneurial challenges with confidence. Tips for Leveraging Instagram for Your Small Business Maximize your Instagram presence by implementing key strategies tailored for small businesses. A proactive approach enhances customer acquisition and brand recognition. Building a Strong Brand Identity Cultivate a unique brand identity by maintaining a consistent visual style on your Instagram. Select a color palette, typography, and imagery that reflect your brand’s personality. Use your bio to convey your business model succinctly, including your products or services and target audience. Showcase high-quality images of your offerings, ensuring visual appeal attracts potential customers. Incorporate relevant hashtags to increase visibility and engagement with your posts. Align your content with your marketing goals to establish a recognizable presence in your niche. Engaging with Your Audience Engage with your audience regularly to foster relationships that drive loyalty. Utilize Instagram Stories and polls for real-time interactions, creating a sense of community among followers. Respond to comments and direct messages quickly, demonstrating your commitment to customer service. Share user-generated content, encouraging followers to showcase their experiences with your products. Leverage insights to understand your audience’s preferences better and refine your marketing strategies accordingly. Collaborate with influencers or other small businesses to extend your reach and tap into new customer segments, enhancing brand awareness within your industry. Conclusion Embracing Instagram for your small business can transform your marketing strategy and enhance customer relationships. By following the right accounts and implementing effective practices, you can gain valuable insights and inspiration to elevate your brand. Remember to engage authentically with your audience and leverage the platform’s unique features. As you explore the best accounts to follow, keep refining your approach based on what resonates with your audience. With dedication and creativity, Instagram can become a powerful ally in your entrepreneurial journey, driving growth and fostering a loyal community around your brand. Frequently Asked Questions Why is Instagram important for small businesses? Instagram is crucial for small businesses due to its vast user base of over a billion active accounts. It offers an excellent platform for brand visibility, customer engagement, and community building. By sharing high-quality visuals and interacting with followers, businesses can enhance their marketing efforts and connect better with potential customers. How can small businesses leverage Instagram effectively? Small businesses can leverage Instagram by maintaining a consistent visual style, using high-quality images, and engaging with their audience through stories and polls. Sharing user-generated content and collaborating with influencers will also help boost brand awareness and customer loyalty. What are key criteria for selecting Instagram accounts to follow? When selecting Instagram accounts to follow, consider engagement metrics like likes and comments, content quality, and niche relevance. Accounts with high engagement rates and professional visuals provide valuable insights and inspiration to help enhance your marketing strategy. Which Instagram accounts should small business owners follow? Small business owners should follow accounts like Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) for motivational business tips, Entrepreneur Magazine (@entrepreneur) for industry news and advice, and the Small Business Administration (@sbagov) for resources and support tailored to small businesses. How do performance metrics impact Instagram marketing strategies? Tracking performance metrics helps businesses understand which content resonates with their audience. Analyzing likes, comments, and engagement rates allows small businesses to refine their marketing strategies and create content that drives customer acquisition and brand recognition. What role does user-generated content play on Instagram? User-generated content plays a significant role in fostering trust and engagement. Sharing customers’ photos and experiences enhances brand authenticity and loyalty, as it encourages community involvement and showcases real-life uses of products or services. How can small businesses build a community on Instagram? To build a community on Instagram, small businesses should engage regularly with their audience by responding to comments, sharing stories, and hosting interactive polls. Collaborating with other brands and participating in discussions can further enhance connection and loyalty among followers. What innovative features should small businesses use on Instagram? Small businesses should embrace innovative features like Instagram Shopping and Stories to enhance user experience. Utilizing these tools allows businesses to showcase products, engage customers, and drive sales effectively, making the shopping experience seamless for users. Image Via Envato This article, "Top Instagram Accounts Every Small Business Owner Should Follow for Success" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own. I’m nearly positive the first biscuit iteration I ever ate was a Bisquick drop biscuit. While my mom was a well-practiced savory cook, she usually baked from boxes. That was just fine by me and my brothers. But as I grew fond of baking myself, I was pretty surprised when I learned that baking biscuits from scratch was not quite like Bisquick. Simple? Sure. But only where the ingredient list is concerned. In fact, the simpler the ingredient list, the more difficult some types of foods are to make. Biscuits are a great example of the illusion of ease in baking. There’s a balance to strike between shortening gluten and strengthening gluten, adding richness and maximizing lift, and then there’s the question of what to eat it with. This week’s cookbook spotlight shines onto Still We Rise, a cookbook that contains every type of biscuit—from those that can suffice as a butter-slathered side dish to others that are a vital source of comfort. A bit about the bookStill We Rise dropped in 2023 from the owner and chef of Bomb Biscuit Company, Erika Council. You might think to yourself: How many recipes for biscuits could there possibly be? A lot, in fact. There are over 70 recipes in this book—yes, for different types of biscuits, but also for jams and spreads, as well as recipes for savory, stacked biscuit sandwiches. Aside from serving as a collection of easy-to-follow biscuit recipes for you to enjoy, you’ll find anecdotes and one-page personal stories related to the recipes that follow. Council uses this cookbook as a place to tell the stories of accomplished female chefs, of her family, their experiences as Black people living in America in the 1940s and onward, and how the food cooked and shared by Council's family members has played a crucial role in how she connects to her past and present. The recipe I made this weekWhen I first chose the recipe I wanted to make this week, I was expecting a routine biscuit preparation. I chose the Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits, so I made sure to have flour ready, sour cream, green onions, and plenty of cold butter. I stretched my hands and prepared myself for several minutes of “cutting in” butter. That’s a process where you break cold butter into tiny pieces to eventually flatten them so they bake into flaky layers. You’ll see it often in pie crusts too. It’s like a hyper-lazy version of laminating dough, which you see in croissants and puff pastry. To put it bluntly, it’s pretty annoying, but biscuits taste good, so it’s worth it. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I started mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl and scanned the page for the butter sequence. I scanned again. Where was the butter? Oh, there’s no butter—there’s no butter? (Well there was, but only a couple tablespoons for brushing on at the end.) This recipe uses sour cream and a splash of full-fat buttermilk to lend richness to the dough, and that’s it. No breaking up butter or shredding it with a grater? For those who don’t know off-hand what this news means in a practical sense, this recipe would potentially only take about 10 minutes to prepare. And it did. It was so easy to make. Too easy to make? I was suspicious at first, but the smell wafting from the oven dispelled my fears. The first thing I noticed when I bit into one was the hydration. This biscuit wasn’t your typical towering, flaky specimen, but instead a fluffed and tender oniony morsel. It wasn't wet or cake-y by any means, but it was nowhere near in danger of being a dry biscuit. I should have made a double batch because the sour cream prevented the biscuits from becoming hard or stale even after they had been sitting out for a day. A great cookbook for biscuits that fit your situationIt’s obvious that this is a biscuit cookbook; don’t come here looking for a pizza recipe (though there are pancakes in here). What’s special about this book is that there seems to be a biscuit for every possible need, limitation, or random craving. It speaks to more than simply a variety of toppings or mix-ins. There are recipes that don’t have butter in them, ones that use alternative fats like duck fat, biscuits with regular milk and some with buttermilk, recipes for sweet occasions, savory needs, quick and low-lift recipes, and more complex ones. I can easily see myself thinking, today I don’t have buttermilk and I need savory biscuits ready in 1 hour, so what can I make?—and finding a biscuit that matches my current pantry inventory and time needs. How to buy itI always recommend a jaunt to the local bookstore, but seeing as I couldn’t do it this week, I can’t blame you for ordering online either. I selected the hardcover this week, but if your cookbook bookshelf is getting tight, you can download the ebook for a steal. I’ll be keeping my copy right in the kitchen for strawberry and peach season. (There’s a Honey Roasted Peach Biscuit recipe in here that I have my eye on.) Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes $4.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $4.99 at Amazon View the full article

Lenovo has unveiled a new lineup of AI-powered desktop PCs and business monitors aimed at boosting workplace productivity, multitasking, and scalability across industries. The announcement, made on May 14, 2025, introduces the ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 desktops and ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors—both built to meet the increasing demand for AI-ready computing environments. The ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 includes towers, compact desktops, and all-in-one (AIO) systems designed to deliver scalable power and enterprise-level security for businesses of all sizes. Each desktop is engineered to support AI workloads such as model training, data analysis, and 3D visualization. Powered by Intel® Core Ultra 9 Processors, with configurations supporting Intel vPro® Enterprise, the M Series Gen 6 offers top-end TOPS (trillions of operations per second) performance and up to eight expansion slots in tower models like the M90t Gen 6. “Nearly half of businesses believe that AI-powered devices boost employee productivity, and 90 percent of those are already piloting, planning or exploring AI-powered PC rollouts,” said Johnson Jia, senior vice president of Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group. “Our latest ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 desktops and ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors power businesses of all sizes with scalable performance to unlock next-gen AI productivity and creativity.” For businesses with limited workspace, Lenovo offers a compact 1L form factor—ideal for sectors like healthcare, finance, and retail. Models such as the ThinkCentre M90q Gen 6 deliver full-size AI performance in a space-saving design, support up to four displays, and include an optional 30 TOPS discrete NPU for secure on-device AI processing. The ThinkCentre M90a Gen 6 AIO brings an immersive edge-to-edge display and clutter-free setup to the table. Designed for industries requiring 3D rendering and data visualization, it delivers up to 260 TOPS of AI processing, and features a 23.8” near-edgeless FHD display, 99% sRGB color accuracy, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Certified with EyeSafe® and IP55 water/dust resistance, it combines design and durability. These desktops come preloaded with Lenovo’s AI tools, including: Lenovo AI Now: a personal assistant designed to enhance workflow automation AI Turbo Engine: dynamically allocates system resources to optimize performance ThinkShield Security: includes dTPM 2.0 encryption, BIOS-level USB protection, and customizable port disablement Complementing the desktops, Lenovo’s ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors offer energy-efficient, high-resolution displays ranging from WQHD to UHD, featuring 99% sRGB & BT.709 color accuracy and variable refresh rates from 48-120Hz. These displays include modern connectivity options such as USB-C® single-cable docking, and select models support up to 100W of power delivery, AI-powered VoIP tools, and modular conference hardware. Lenovo also emphasized its sustainability efforts. The new ThinkVision monitors use 95% post-consumer recycled plastic, are packaged plastic-free, and meet leading environmental certifications including ENERGY STAR®, TCO, and EPEAT Gold. For IT teams, Lenovo Display Fleet Manager (LDFM) allows centralized asset management and fast firmware updates to reduce downtime. Pricing and availability for the new lineup is as follows: Desktops: ThinkCentre M90t Gen 6: $1,039 ThinkCentre M90q Gen 6: $989 ThinkCentre M90a Gen 6: $1,399 Additional M70 and M90 models range from $959 to $1,719 Monitors: ThinkVision T24-40: $268 ThinkVision T27QD-40: $483 ThinkVision T34WD-40: $623 Other models range from $268 to $608 Image: Lenovo This article, "Lenovo Launches AI-Enhanced ThinkCentre Desktops and ThinkVision Monitors for Modern Workplaces" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Lenovo has unveiled a new lineup of AI-powered desktop PCs and business monitors aimed at boosting workplace productivity, multitasking, and scalability across industries. The announcement, made on May 14, 2025, introduces the ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 desktops and ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors—both built to meet the increasing demand for AI-ready computing environments. The ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 includes towers, compact desktops, and all-in-one (AIO) systems designed to deliver scalable power and enterprise-level security for businesses of all sizes. Each desktop is engineered to support AI workloads such as model training, data analysis, and 3D visualization. Powered by Intel® Core Ultra 9 Processors, with configurations supporting Intel vPro® Enterprise, the M Series Gen 6 offers top-end TOPS (trillions of operations per second) performance and up to eight expansion slots in tower models like the M90t Gen 6. “Nearly half of businesses believe that AI-powered devices boost employee productivity, and 90 percent of those are already piloting, planning or exploring AI-powered PC rollouts,” said Johnson Jia, senior vice president of Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group. “Our latest ThinkCentre M Series Gen 6 desktops and ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors power businesses of all sizes with scalable performance to unlock next-gen AI productivity and creativity.” For businesses with limited workspace, Lenovo offers a compact 1L form factor—ideal for sectors like healthcare, finance, and retail. Models such as the ThinkCentre M90q Gen 6 deliver full-size AI performance in a space-saving design, support up to four displays, and include an optional 30 TOPS discrete NPU for secure on-device AI processing. The ThinkCentre M90a Gen 6 AIO brings an immersive edge-to-edge display and clutter-free setup to the table. Designed for industries requiring 3D rendering and data visualization, it delivers up to 260 TOPS of AI processing, and features a 23.8” near-edgeless FHD display, 99% sRGB color accuracy, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Certified with EyeSafe® and IP55 water/dust resistance, it combines design and durability. These desktops come preloaded with Lenovo’s AI tools, including: Lenovo AI Now: a personal assistant designed to enhance workflow automation AI Turbo Engine: dynamically allocates system resources to optimize performance ThinkShield Security: includes dTPM 2.0 encryption, BIOS-level USB protection, and customizable port disablement Complementing the desktops, Lenovo’s ThinkVision T Series Gen 40 monitors offer energy-efficient, high-resolution displays ranging from WQHD to UHD, featuring 99% sRGB & BT.709 color accuracy and variable refresh rates from 48-120Hz. These displays include modern connectivity options such as USB-C® single-cable docking, and select models support up to 100W of power delivery, AI-powered VoIP tools, and modular conference hardware. Lenovo also emphasized its sustainability efforts. The new ThinkVision monitors use 95% post-consumer recycled plastic, are packaged plastic-free, and meet leading environmental certifications including ENERGY STAR®, TCO, and EPEAT Gold. For IT teams, Lenovo Display Fleet Manager (LDFM) allows centralized asset management and fast firmware updates to reduce downtime. Pricing and availability for the new lineup is as follows: Desktops: ThinkCentre M90t Gen 6: $1,039 ThinkCentre M90q Gen 6: $989 ThinkCentre M90a Gen 6: $1,399 Additional M70 and M90 models range from $959 to $1,719 Monitors: ThinkVision T24-40: $268 ThinkVision T27QD-40: $483 ThinkVision T34WD-40: $623 Other models range from $268 to $608 Image: Lenovo This article, "Lenovo Launches AI-Enhanced ThinkCentre Desktops and ThinkVision Monitors for Modern Workplaces" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The fundamentals of SEO haven’t changed. You still need technical access, content clarity, and external credibility. But the requirements inside those pillars are evolving fast. AI-driven discovery systems are now shaping how your brand is surfaced, trusted, and recommended. And for many enterprise teams, the response has been: A content brainstorm. A wait-and-see approach. Or nothing at all. That’s not a strategy gap. It’s an execution problem in the making. Is your company preparing for what’s coming after ‘SEO’ fades away? Your SEO team may be running efficiently – protecting rankings, publishing content, and salvaging what they can from Google traffic. But has the SEO team focused on AI visibility? Is your brand ready for Google Gemini to start being the new SERPs page? Have you prepared your brand for visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and others to become entry points for discovery? When SEO fades away, it will morph into AI optimization. Your teams need to adapt to this. What’s the timeline? Sooner than you think We don’t know when AI usage will surpass SEO usage, but it’s likely sooner than you expect and hope for. There are plenty of studies on the topic, all speculation. Here’s what executives need to know. At any moment, Google could make its AI mode the default view. Then, boom, users would be using AI instead of a “search engine.” Think that’s not happening soon? Google is testing it now. Notice the screenshot below that shows AI Mode as the first tab in the search results, which is traditionally the default view users see Most companies haven’t answered fundamental AI optimization questions Most companies are not prepared. And that’s a real risk AI-driven discovery is accelerating, and a single platform shift could render your traditional high organic rankings obsolete overnight. Few companies have conducted a thorough AI visibility audit to answer foundational questions like: Which templates, modules, or content blocks are unreadable to AI crawlers, even if Google can read their content. Which internal links are invisible to simplified crawlers and bots. What AI systems are currently saying about your brand, products, and services. What AI systems are not saying – and whether those omissions are costing you visibility. Which personas AI associates with your offering. How you’re positioned against competitors in synthesized comparisons. What misinformation or hallucinations are surfacing about your company. Fewer companies have started operationalizing AI optimization Across organizations, AI optimization has not been accounted for in day-to-day workflows. Common execution gaps include: PR and SEO teams haven’t collaborated to align on the citations and external signals needed to inform LLMs about your brand, products, and services. SEO teams haven’t begun structured entity research or gap analysis – a critical distinction between traditional SEO and AI optimization. No AI-specific technical training for dev, QA, or product teams to understand which JavaScript patterns break visibility for non-Google bots. No content updates for specificity, where marketing and content teams are still optimizing for message rather than machine-parsable clarity. Developers, product managers, QA testers, and related roles haven’t been trained on lowest-common-denominator, bot-friendly coding practices. The JavaScript that works fine for Google and Bing is often unreadable to less sophisticated AI crawlers, but your teams likely aren’t aware of the discrepancy, nor are they working to address it. Marketing managers and content stakeholders haven’t been briefed on how much more specificity and technical detail is required in content to support AI understanding, beyond traditional messaging frameworks. Every team – from SEO to product – has yet to treat LLMs like the brand advocates they’ve quietly become. Your sales team is trained on product intricacies, specs, personas, and real-world applications. LLMs, by contrast, are often trained on surface-level marketing language. For many companies, that means AI may not know enough to represent your brand accurately – or at all. I see this mostly for high-end products, particularly in the B2B sector, where you want the sales team to lead the sale. This is about to become a widespread execution problem. Yes, there’s a strategic gap – but the real risk is operational. Most organizations haven’t made the necessary adjustments for AI optimization, and they’re already behind. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Thinking you can coast because you’re a big brand? Domain authority, scale, and strong backlink profiles always helped enterprise visibility in Google SERPs, but that’s no longer guaranteed. For some markets, the AI marketplace resembles the earliest days of SEO. In those days, big brands were losing out to small, agile competitors who optimized faster and with more precision. That’s happening again. AI systems don’t inherently favor big brands. They favor: Clarity. Structure. Comprehensiveness. Citations. Smaller, more focused players are already surfacing more reliably in AI responses because their content is: Highly specific. Entity-rich. Reinforced by third-party citations. Easier to crawl and synthesize. Large brands, on the other hand, tend to rely on legacy authority – assuming their visibility will carry over. But AI doesn’t reward assumptions. It rewards structured knowledge and trustable signals. This is the executive reality check. If your brand hasn’t defined itself clearly, and if no one has tested what AI systems actually “know” about you, your scale may not be enough to keep you in the conversation. The playing field has changed. Visibility is no longer inherited. It’s earned through precision, reinforcement, and cross-functional alignment – the kind that makes it inevitable your teams deliver what AI crawlers and LLMs need to recognize, trust, and recommend your brand. Now, let’s look at how AI is forcing teams across your entire organization to morph. The new demands on the same SEO pillars Let’s be clear: This isn’t about abandoning what works in traditional SEO. It’s about recognizing that AI-powered visibility introduces new criteria for being findable, relevant, and referenced – criteria that most enterprise teams still struggle to operationalize for SEO. Let’s look at a few traditional SEO pillars for success: Content SEO: Optimized with keywords and semantic signals. Technical SEO: Coded so that Google and Bing crawlers can access all links and content. External links: Earned from third parties that mention and link to your brand. Conversions: Balancing visibility with business impact. Each still matters. But AI changes what execution within each pillar now requires. Content SEO changes: From keywords to entity clarity and coverage Traditional content SEO focused on targeting keywords and including semantically related phrases to signal topical relevance. But AI systems don’t evaluate relevance the same way search engines do. AI systems synthesize answers based on how well they understand entities – people, products, companies, categories, and associated attributes – and how those entities relate to one another. To be visible in an AI-generated response, your content must: Define your products, services, and brand entities clearly and consistently. Explain who each offering is for and why it fits their needs. Reinforce attributes like features, specs, use cases, benefits, and differentiators. Cover these entities completely across multiple pages and content types, and ideally in third-party citations. Most SEO teams have not created an entity map tied to business priorities. They have also not audited content to see whether key entities are: Missing. Under-defined. Inconsistently reinforced. In a nutshell, while they understand the keyword content gap analysis, they don’t understand the entity content gap analysis. Because of this, in most organs, content briefs still optimize for keyword clusters, not for building the structured, detailed entity coverage that LLMs depend on. Technical SEO changes: JavaScript rendering to old-school technical SEO Most enterprise teams believe they’ve already handled technical SEO. Pages render. Links crawl. Templates pass Core Web Vitals. But here’s the blind spot: AI systems don’t crawl like Google. Furthermore, most companies haven’t tested what’s actually exposed – or what’s hidden – when these systems attempt to interpret your site. AI crawlers crawl less than Google This means there is little to no margin of error. Vercel reported that AI crawler activity is significantly lower than Googlebot activity, meaning every missed opportunity counts (or costs). Source: Vercel Most AI crawlers do not render JavaScript Most AI crawlers do not render JavaScript, Vercel’s study also found. Crawlers are fetching a high volume of 404 pages This isn’t theoretical. It’s what I’m seeing with a current enterprise audit. LLMs crawl and source URLs that return 404s, indicating they may lack the logic to remove URLs returning a 404 status from their knowledge bases. Vercel’s study found that AI crawlers are fetching a lot of 404 pages. This matches and audit I’m doing for a client, where they’re sourcing URLs that return 404 errors. This shows they’re not all sophisticated enough to pull the 404 status URL from the recommendation knowledge base. These are just a few examples of why we need to revisit bot-friendly simplicity. We must actively examine how AI crawlers interact with our sites and resolve the issues they encounter. These are verifiable gaps – but only if you audit for them. If you haven’t taken meaningful steps toward AI optimization, it’s likely that LLMs know far less about your site, brand, products, and services than Google/Gemini does. This is where technical SEO must pivot. SEO teams need to go back to the fundamentals and run an AI-specific technical audit. Identifying crawl inefficiencies and surface-level rendering failures that affect AI systems, even if everything appears fine in Google Search Console. Miss this step, and you’re effectively putting a sales rep into the field without proper training. LLMs are now your front-line brand advocates, and right now, they may be operating with critical knowledge gaps. Every team across the organization, including PMs, developers, and QA testers, needs to consider this when making coding and testing decisions. External links: From backlinks to machine-readable trust In traditional SEO, backlinks were the currency of credibility. But AI systems don’t rely on link equity. LLMs evaluate what’s said about your brand, and by whom. These systems synthesize answers from multiple sources, looking for consistent, detailed, and structured references to: Your brand. Your products. Your use cases. Your differentiators. That means: A single backlink may carry little weight if the surrounding content says very little, even if it’s from a highly authoritative website. If third-party sources that don’t explain what you do (or worse, explain it incorrectly) will result in lower visibility, or worse, inaccurate knowledge. If LLMs can’t find enough external detail to reinforce what your site says, they either omit you – or make it up. This is where most companies fall short. No one is monitoring: Which third-party pages describe your offerings, and what they say. Whether those descriptions are accurate, up to date, and entity-rich. How well your brand is represented in the content AI tools are most likely to synthesize. The facts vs. inaccuracies that LLMs “know” about you. And importantly, no team owns these citations. PR isn’t briefed on what LLMs need to fuse them into PR messaging. SEO doesn’t track citations beyond backlinks. Likely, no one is correcting inaccurate statements made by third parties. Likely, there is no governance on allowable vs. unallowable inaccuracies on the Internet to determine which a TBD resource contacts to get corrected. If third-party sources aren’t echoing the right information, LLMs will either misrepresent you or exclude you altogether. LLMs use machine-trustable signals – and unless you audit those signals, you won’t know whether you’re being reinforced or forgotten. Conversions: From persuasion to precision They need facts. They need specificity. They need to understand the structure and substance of what you offer. This is where most organizations fall short. Their best content (the kind that converts) is often too vague, too polished, or too marketing-driven for an AI system to extract reliable facts. LLMs don’t summarize intent like search engines. They summarize data. This is a fundamental disconnect from how most SEO teams approach conversion pages today. CTAs, slogans, and benefit-led messaging may work for humans who come to your site. But LLM users won’t likely come to your site at first. They’ll learn about you only when the AI system mentions you, and then they ask for more information in follow-up prompts. LLMs who talk about you need: Clear inputs: product types, features, comparisons, use cases, and specs. Then, they’ll synthesize based on what they clearly know as facts about your brand, not persuasion messaging. If your website does not include concrete details about what you do, who you serve, and how your offering fits into the broader ecosystem, AI systems can’t confidently surface you. I foresee this to be a bigger issue with high-end products and services, especially in the B2B space. I look at my B2B clients’ content and they say very little about what they offer, and LLMs? They don’t really understand what they do to the extent required to speak on behalf of the brand in prompt responses. This isn’t about rewriting content to be robotic. It’s about adding a layer of machine-readable, factual precision so that AI systems can recognize your brand as a credible source, not just a polished one. Most SEO, UX, content, and marketing teams haven’t accounted for this shift. They have built pages optimized for conversion, not machine understanding. If you don’t give LLMs the details of what you offer, they can’t represent you accurately. And if they can’t represent you, you’re left out of the answer. This is the conversion gap most teams have yet to realize, and it won’t fix itself. Why this work isn’t getting done Most SEO teams are already stretched. Proactive AI visibility work? It doesn’t have a deadline. It doesn’t come with alerts. And in most orgs, it hasn’t been assigned with accountabilities. This isn’t a day or two of work. It involves extensive research to understand what they’ve been building for years, but your organization has not yet studied it. You have three major pillars discussed above that require in-depth research and actionable next steps. Then, workflows need refinement, teams need training, and more. That’s why it slips. It’s a lot of work. To be successful, AI optimization must be institutionalized across the organization. And that is a lot of work. Those who try it miss quite a few steps. How do I know? I see what they did with SEO, and the result is other teams creating SEO problems. This isn’t about reinventing SEO strategy You don’t need a new AI task force or a platform overhaul. But you do need a really thorough audit and tweaks to current workflows to make producing the signals AI systems need inevitable – and for it to keep happening, week after week, month after month. This is operational work: Testing how your content renders to AI agents. Defining what entities you must be known for. Mapping where those concepts live (or don’t) across your site. Identify which teams influence third-party validation. Build processes to close the gaps over time – without distracting from revenue-driving SEO. Training development, product, UX, and QA testing teams on how to account for less sophisticated crawlers in all their tickets, designs, code, and test scripts. None of this replaces your SEO current strategy – because the SEO channel is still driving millions in revenue that you want to keep and maximize. However, if you skip the AI optimization steps, you’ll be optimizing for visibility in an ecosystem that’s already shifting away from how it used to work. Final thoughts AI didn’t change the pillars of SEO. It changed what those pillars need to deliver. If no one has audited how your site structure, content, and credibility translate to responses in AI prompts for potential customers, then your visibility is relying on assumptions, not evidence. In high-stakes environments like AI prompt responses, that’s not acceptable. AI visibility isn’t just a content problem. It’s an execution problem. Solve it now – before it shows up in your performance metrics later. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For a property owner, paint is an incredibly powerful tool. It’s a cheap and effective renovation in a can, a fun way to add some personality to your home, and a project that can be wrapped up in a weekend. Best of all, if you mess up your paint job, you can just paint over your mistakes. But the power of paint goes way beyond aesthetics. Paint can be formulated in different ways, with different effects, making it an easy, low-cost solution to a host of problems you might experience in your home—and I'm not talking about covering them up to pretend they aren't there. Choosing the right kind of paint can often be the most affordable solution, and is worth considering before you start taking out home equity loans to pay for a more invasive, disruptive fix. Here are eight problems that you might be able to take care of with the right paint. Slippery floors and stairsWhen I first moved into my current home, I slipped on our narrow, steep old stairs. I didn’t get seriously hurt, unless humiliation and emotional damage counts—but I could easily imagine a different outcome. Since changing the rise of the stairs was out of the question and my wife and I weren’t into carpeting, we decided to paint them with anti-slip paint. The stairs that tried to kill me, now coated in anti-slip paint. Credit: Jeff Somers It worked perfectly. Not only did the paint job turn out great, making the stairs look new, the slight grit the paint added to the surface means I haven’t slipped on those stairs in years. Anti-slip paint can be used indoors or outdoors (on slippery deck planks, for example), and on just about any surface—companies even make additives you can mix into any exterior or interior paint to transform it into anti-slip paint. If there are places in your home where you constantly worry about slipping and falling, a coat of anti-slip paint can take care of them. Cosmetic imperfectionsYou might think that covering imperfections like minor scratches, stains, or that hideous green color the previous owner used is the whole point of paint, and you would be right. But if the wall in question is especially problematic and you want to avoid re-doing the drywall or plaster or the tedious work of adding a skim coat, you might be able to hide those imperfections with a high-opacity trade paint. A trade paint is a professional formulation of paint that’s designed to be thicker and more opaque while offering better coverage and durability (you might see this referred to as “obliterating paint,” especially outside the U.S.). The paint you buy in the store is retail paint, and it’s usually formulated to keep costs down. Trade paint is for the professionals, and it costs more, but will do a much better job of covering up the sins on your walls because of its thickness, matte finish, and opacity. NoiseIf the problem in your house is noise—whether from inconsiderate neighbors or roommates from hell—a sound-deadening acoustic paint will definitely help. These paints are formulated to be thick and spongy when they cure, absorbing sound and reducing echo—no need to attach all kinds of foam baffles to every surface. Sound deadening paint won’t block all sound, especially if it’s only applied on one side of a wall. But it will reduce the level of noise that makes it through, and if you apply it to both sides of shared walls in sufficient thickness (you usually need at least three coats for maximum effectiveness) it will make an audible difference. Fire riskYour house burning down would definitely fall under the category of a “house problem.” Believe it or not, paint can help with that. Choosing a fire-retardant paint for your next interior paint project can turn your walls into firebreaks that will slow down a house fire. When these paints encounter fire, they quickly char over, forming a protective layer that resists the flames. It won’t completely stop the spread of a fire in your house, but it will buy you time to get your family to safety and call in the firefighters—and in a house fire, time is the most important factor. High utility billsIf your house is crazy expensive to heat or cool (or, if you’re really lucky, crazy expensive to heat and cool), you can make the situation a little better with paint in two ways: Paint your roof. Painting your flat roof with an appropriate roof coating can not only extend the lifespan of your roof, it can help bounce the sun’s rays away, lowering the temperature of your roof and reducing the heat that’s transferred to your home as a result. (Choosing a white paint for this job will be the most effective in cooling things down.) Use an insulating interior paint. Insulating paint is designed to augment existing insulation in your home—you can’t just slap a coat of it on an uninsulated wall or ceiling and get results. But it can help reduce temperature transfer and fluctuation inside your home if it’s applied correctly and in multiple coats (the more coats, the better it will work). If you’ve tried everything else to get your utility bills under control, throwing some insulating paint on the walls might help. Too-small roomsIt happens: You buy a house with loads of charm, and once you’re living in it you realize that the rooms are actually small and dark, because the people who built it were short and afraid of the Sun. Or something. If that’s your problem, you can try a bunch of different strategies to get more natural light into a room (or fake it), and one of the tricks you can try is paint: By choosing the right color intensity, saturation, and finish for your walls and ceilings, you can turn a small, dark space into a brighter one that at least seems larger. No, paint won’t suddenly make that huge armoire fit into your tiny bedroom, but it will at least make it feel possible. Moisture and moldIf you’re worried about a damp room and mold, or have a bathroom that isn’t well-ventilated and is thus susceptible to mold infestations, paint can help you out in two ways: Waterproofing paint or primer can help block moisture from seeping into the room in the first place. This isn’t magic—it’s not going to stop flowing water, and if you don’t take steps to mitigate flooding or poor drainage in or around your house no amount of waterproofing paint is going to help. But it can be very effective at reducing moisture in a room if applied correctly. Mold-resistant paint in damp areas like bathrooms, basements, or any room where the humidity is a concern can then help prevent mold from taking root. These paints have antimicrobial properties, so if you start off with a mold-free room and take steps to reduce moisture, using a mold-resistant paint will make a huge difference going forward. View the full article

MNTN Inc, the advertising technology company that counts Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds as its chief creative officer, is expected to make its market debut on Thursday, in a closely watched initial public offering (IPO) that will test investor appetite for the rapidly growing segment of ad-supported streaming television. The Austin-based company priced shares at $16 on Wednesday, the higher end of its expected range, in an offering led by Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Evercore ISI. The stock will list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the “MNTN” ticker symbol. Based on its IPO share price, MNTN—it’s pronounced Mountain—has an approximate valuation of $1.2 billion. Advertising finds a way The listing comes as streaming platforms are seeing strong growth in their ad-supported tiers, despite the friction that has caused with viewers who now often have to pay a premium to weed ads out. Netflix, the streaming leader and a longtime advertising holdout, recently said its ad-supported tier has 94 million active users and boasts more younger viewers than any traditional TV network. Amazon, meanwhile, announced a suite of new features for advertisers earlier this month at its Prime Video Upfront presentation. According to market research firm Antenna, 46% of streaming subscriptions are now for ad-supported tiers on services that offer them, representing growth of almost 33%. During that same period, subscriptions on ad-free tiers declined 0.1%. MNTN sees a big opportunity here, pinning its hopes on a “self-serve” platform it calls Performance TV, or PTV, which offers ad targeting and measurement capabilities to small- and medium-size businesses. In filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), MNTN says it had more than 2,225 PTV customers in 2024, compared to only 142 in 2019. PTV drove $205.3 million in revenue last year, the company says, an increase of 35.5% from the year before. “The relationship between consumers and content was completely transformed with the introduction of streaming television,” CEO Mark Douglas said in the company’s prospectus. “Cable guides and DVR’s are almost hard to remember how. However, the relationship between TV advertisers and the streaming networks has remained largely unchanged. We launched MNTN Performance TV to bridge that gap, bringing small and medium-sized businesses into the streaming TV ecosystem at scale.” MNTN reported total revenue of $225.6 million last year, with a net loss of $32.9 million, narrowed from a net loss of $53.3 million in 2023. Stock listings heat up again after tariff-related caution Some companies had reportedly postponed their IPO plans this year in the wake of uncertainty over tariffs and President The President’s erratic trade policies, but that hesitation may be easing, according to PitchBook, citing a high-profile listing earlier this month from digital broker eToro. Hinge Health, a digital health startup, is also expected to make its market debut on Thursday. Meanwhile, Klarna, Discord, Chime, and others are all said to be planning IPOs this year. View the full article

Update Thursday, 2:13 p.m.: MNTN Inc, the advertising technology company that counts Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds as its chief creative officer, made its market debut on Thursday, in a closely watched initial public offering (IPO) that is testing investor appetite for the rapidly growing segment of ad-supported streaming television. Shares in the Austin-based company were up more than 14% in midday trading to over $24, after opening at $21. On Wednesday, the stock was priced at $16 a share, the higher end of the company’s expected range, in an offering led by Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Evercore ISI. The stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the “MNTN” ticker symbol. Based on its IPO share price, MNTN—it’s pronounced Mountain—had an approximate valuation of $1.2 billion before its debut. Advertising finds a way The listing comes as streaming platforms are seeing strong growth in their ad-supported tiers, despite the friction that has caused with viewers who now often have to pay a premium to weed ads out. Netflix, the streaming leader and a longtime advertising holdout, recently said its ad-supported tier has 94 million active users and boasts more younger viewers than any traditional TV network. Amazon, meanwhile, announced a suite of new features for advertisers earlier this month at its Prime Video Upfront presentation. According to market research firm Antenna, 46% of streaming subscriptions are now for ad-supported tiers on services that offer them, representing year-over-year growth of almost 33%. During that same period, subscriptions on ad-free tiers declined 0.1%. MNTN sees a big opportunity here, pinning its hopes on a “self-serve” platform it calls Performance TV, or PTV, which offers ad targeting and measurement capabilities to small- and medium-size businesses. In filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), MNTN says it had more than 2,225 PTV customers in 2024, compared to only 142 in 2019. PTV drove $205.3 million in revenue last year, the company says, an increase of 35.5% from the year before. “The relationship between consumers and content was completely transformed with the introduction of streaming television,” CEO Mark Douglas said in the company’s prospectus. “Cable guides and DVR’s are almost hard to remember how. However, the relationship between TV advertisers and the streaming networks has remained largely unchanged. We launched MNTN Performance TV to bridge that gap, bringing small and medium-sized businesses into the streaming TV ecosystem at scale.” MNTN reported total revenue of $225.6 million last year, with a net loss of $32.9 million, narrowed from a net loss of $53.3 million in 2023. Stock listings heat up again after tariff-related caution Some companies had reportedly postponed their IPO plans this year in the wake of uncertainty over tariffs and President The President’s erratic trade policies, but that hesitation may be easing, according to PitchBook, citing a high-profile listing earlier this month from digital broker eToro. Hinge Health, a digital health startup, is also expected to make its market debut on Thursday. Meanwhile, Klarna, Discord, Chime, and others are all said to be planning IPOs this year. This story is developing and was updated to include MNTN’s stock price after its market debut. View the full article

Agentic SEO introduces a more efficient, AI-assisted way of working, without losing the human insight that drives real results. The post Explaining Agentic SEO To The C-Level appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article