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Running PPC campaigns isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re constantly juggling dashboards, tweaking campaigns, and fielding requests from clients who wanted performance reports yesterday. That’s why the best PPC tools don’t just offer features. They help you move faster. In this guide, I’ve curated this list of the best PPC tools marketers swear by, organized by use case. The goal? To help you quickly find what fits your workflow and skip the ones that don’t. What Are the Best PPC Tools? PPC Tool Best for Price Semrush Advertising Toolkit All-in-one PPC campaign management Starts at $139.95/month. 14-day Pro trial available. Spyfu Competitor research Starts at $39/month. Free limited account available. Google Ads Editor Bulk editing & offline ad campaign management Free Optmyzr Enterprise-level PPC automation and tracking Starts at $249/month. 14-day trial available. Adalysis Ready-to-go ad automation and tracking Starts at $149/month. 30-day free trial available. Google Looker Studio Ad campaign visualization and reporting Free ChatGPT Ideation, ad copywriting, and campaign analysis Starts at $20/month. Free plan available 1. Semrush PPC Advertising Toolkit Best for all-in-one PPC campaign management Tired of switching between five tools just to manage your paid search campaigns? Call in the Semrush PPC Advertising Toolkit. It covers everything from keyword research to competitor tracking for full campaign lifecycle visibility. Perfect when you’re knee-deep in data but need insights fast. Like onboarding a new client or cleaning up a messy account. Find High-Value PPC Keywords Fast Keyword research shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. Semrush’s Advertising Toolkit makes it simpler. Start with the Keyword Magic Tool. Type in a general term like “indoor planters.” You’ll get a full list of related long-tail keywords, complete with cost-per-click (CPC) and search volume. Within seconds, you’ll find high-potential keywords that fit your budget. Now, if you want to know what your competitors are bidding on, use the Keyword Gap tool. Let’s say you’re running campaigns for plantologyusa.com. Add a few competitor URLs — like mygardyn.com and thesill.com — and Semrush will show keywords they’re targeting, but you’re not. Plus, terms they’re outranking you for. Instead of reinventing your keyword list, you see what’s driving results for others. And where you may be leaving money on the table. Bonus: You can easily export your keyword lists from Semrush into Google Ads. Or, use them as the base for Meta campaign planning. Side note: Google Keyword Planner also offers keyword data straight from Google. It’s solid for search volume, but it lacks Semrush’s competitive context. Reverse Engineer Your Competitors’ PPC Strategy Want a fast, clear read on what your competitors are spending in paid search? Head to Semrush’s Advertising Research Tool and plug in their domains. For example, if you’re running PPC for Toolstation, you might want to analyze Screwfix’s paid search strategy. Enter “screwfix.com” and you’ll instantly see: Their top-paid keywords Landing pages tied to those keywords Other domains bidding on the same terms A timeline of their ad activity That timeline is gold. If you notice their ad spend consistently increases every April, it’s likely tied to seasonal demand. Or, a major promo push. You can respond by launching earlier to capture traffic before everyone starts throwing money at the same keywords. Or shift bids to lower-cost, related keywords that still convert. (So you don’t get caught in a who’s-got-the-deeper-pockets contest.) See What Ads Your Competitors Are Running There’s no need to guess what copy your competitors are using to get clicks. Go to the Ads Copies tab under Advertising Research. You’ll see years of PPC history, including the keywords that triggered each ad, estimated CPC, and the exact ad copy. From there, look at what benefits they lead with. Free delivery? Next-day shipping? A 10% discount if you act by Thursday? You’ll start to see patterns like how they position their offers, how they build trust, and where your own messaging might be falling short. Sure, AI can create ad copy now. But nothing beats learning from real ads that have been tested in the wild. Especially ones that have been running for months. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Convinient for larger businesses that want to see how PPC performance connects to SEO, content, and broader marketing strategy Overkill for teams that only need a basic keyword tool or simple ad monitoring Price Semrush’s PPC Advertising Toolkit is included with a Semrush subscription. Pro: $139.95/month. Best for freelancers and small teams. Guru: $249.95/month. Ideal for agencies and mid-size businesses. Business: $499.95/month. Built for large agencies and enterprise teams. Note: Get a free Semrush account and start optimizing your PPC campaigns now. 2. SpyFu Best for competitor research SpyFu is one of the longest-running PPC tools. The platform’s foundation lies in this question: “What are your competitors doing, and how well is it working for them?” With up to 15 years of historical data, you get a full market view of paid search trends. This allows you to evaluate what’s effective (and what’s not) in your competitors’ strategies so you can plan your own campaigns with a lot less guesswork. Get Detailed Insights Into Your Competitors’ PPC Campaigns SpyFu’s PPC Research tool gives you a full breakdown of any of your competitor’s paid search strategies. All you need is their domain. Let’s say Salesforce is a competitor. Enter its domain and you’ll instantly see: The keywords they’re bidding on Estimated monthly clicks and ad spend Variations in their ad copy The landing pages linked to each campaign This kind of competitive intel helps you see what’s working in your niche. And what your competitors are betting on. If you see that Salesforce has consistently targeted the keyword “customer service apps” for over a year, it’s not a test. It’s likely delivering strong results. With that context, you can build campaigns around keywords with proven performance. Plus, refine your messaging based on how your competitors are framing the same offer. Track Multiple Competitors at Once Manually checking competitors one by one is tedious. Plus, you’re bound to miss patterns. SpyFu’s PPC Kombat tool makes it easier. Enter a few competitors’ domains into the Kombat tool, and SpyFu gives you a side-by-side comparison. Let’s say you’re managing PPC for Monday.com. Enter salesforce.com, pipedrive.com, and zoho.com, and Kombat will show you: A Venn diagram of shared vs. unique keywords The “Core Keywords” all three are bidding on “Potential Ad Waste,” which are keywords you’re paying for but no one else is It’s one of the fastest ways to identify keyword gaps and wasted spend. Plus, you’ll see where competitors are doubling down. (And if you’re managing client accounts, it’s one of the fastest ways to deliver data-backed insights that make you look like the expert that you are.) Pros and Cons Pros Cons Affordable alternative to pricier PPC tools. Great for small agencies that need competitors’ insights without enterprise-level costs. It’s easy to rely too heavily on competitor data. And when you do, you stop spotting new trends and start sounding like everyone else. Price SpyFu offers two plans: Basic: $39/month with limited searches and exports. Best for occasional use. Professional: $79/month with unlimited access, full history, and API. Ideal for agencies and power users. Free limited account available 3. Google Ads Editor Best for bulk editing & offline ad campaign management Google Ads Editor is a free desktop app. You can use it to work on your campaigns offline and make bulk edits faster than the standard web interface allows. If you’re managing large Google Ads accounts with lots of campaigns and hundreds of ads, this tool will keep you sane. Work on Campaigns Offline Once you install the editor, download your Google Ads account to your computer. From there, you can build, edit, and review campaigns even without Wi-Fi. You can: Create or pause ads Edit ad copy, targeting, bids, or URLs Add new keywords or remove underperformers Review performance data and account structure Then, when you’re ready, hit “Post.” And the updates go live. Just like that. It’s a great option if you’re on the go or stuck with bad Wi-Fi. Or, if you just want to batch edits without Slack pinging you every 11 seconds. Save Time with Bulk Edits Making one change inside the Google Ads interface? No problem. Making 100? Use the Google Ads editor. Instead of tweaking each ad one at a time, you can apply changes across multiple campaigns, ad groups, or entire accounts. All in one go. One standout feature: Search and Replace. It lets you update ad copy, URLs, headlines, or any other text-based field across your entire account. Need to swap “Spring Sale” with “Summer Sale” in 150 ads? Do a quick search to find the ads, apply the change in bulk, and move on. You can also import bulk changes using a spreadsheet. Or, update bids, budgets, keywords, and schedules without the usual click-edit-repeat routine. It’s a real time-saver for teams managing large accounts or agencies juggling multiple clients. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Saves hours on large-scale edits Has a bit of a learning curve, so it’s best for intermediate and advanced users Price Google Ads Editor is free to use. 4. Optmyzr Best for enterprise-level PPC automation & tracking Get Optmyzr when you’re ready to scale your campaigns without scaling your workload. This platform gives you the tools to automate PPC campaigns for Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Ads. If you’re constantly chasing budget issues or fixing the same problems every week, Optmyzr helps you automate the checks, alerts, and tweaks that eat up your time. So, you can finally stop doing all the repetitive stuff and make room for more important work. Like watching that YouTube video you’ve had open in a tab since Tuesday. Automate Campaign Management and Catch Problems Early Optmyzr helps you eliminate tedious PPC tasks so you can stop doing things a robot would happily handle. (And save your brainpower for decisions that actually need it.) Use the Rule Engine to set up custom automation using if/then logic. You can pause underperforming keywords, flag return on ad spend (ROAS) drops, or trigger emails when daily spend spikes. You can also automate trend monitoring, clean up low-CTR ads, and optimize ad groups for better conversions. The Rule Engine is highly flexible. But it’s not plug-and-play. You’ll need to be comfortable defining your own logic and setting up workflows. The advantage? That level of customization makes it especially powerful for high-stakes accounts where fast, automated reactions can protect performance and budget. Find the Root Cause of Any PPC Performance Drop When performance dips, your first question is usually: Why? (After the panic and checking multiple dashboards a few too many times, that is.) Optmyzr’s PPC Investigator helps you answer that fast with a visual cause-and-effect breakdown. Pick a top-level metric like Conversions or ROAS. Then, use the “Why did [X] change?” dropdown to compare time periods (e.g., last 30 days vs. previous period). The chart updates instantly to show how the other related metrics changed. For example, if conversions dropped, PPC Investigator might show that clicks actually increased. But, your budget was reduced during the same period. Now, you’re not viewing the conversion dip in isolation. You’re seeing the bigger picture. Instead of guessing, you can identify which metrics changed at the same time and start connecting the dots. It won’t hand you the answer, but it gives you a starting point for figuring out what’s really going on. And that makes digging into the “why” a whole lot easier. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Highly customizable, making it perfect for agencies and enterprise teams that want tailored workflows and automation Steeper learning curve for PPC teams unfamiliar with rule-based logic or scripting Price Optmyzr starts at $249/month for accounts spending up to $10K/month. Plans scale with ad spend. 14-day trial available. 5. Adalysis Best for ready-to-go ad automation and tracking If your PPC systems are already up and running, Adalysis helps keep them healthy. It acts as a performance-monitoring layer for your Google and Microsoft Ads accounts with 100+ built-in audits. You’ll get early alerts when performance is subpar. Plus, practical recommendations to fix issues. Perfect for teams managing large accounts who want automation that’s ready to go. Not something they have to build first. Get Alerts the Moment Your KPIs Go Sideways Adalysis keeps a constant watch on your campaigns, scanning for issues before they turn into expensive surprises. It flags issues the moment your metrics start drifting off course. You can set alerts for: CPA rising above target Conversions dipping Budgets maxing out too early Campaigns suddenly losing impressions So, what does that actually mean? It means you won’t be caught off guard by issues that could have been flagged days earlier. Like lost conversions. You’ll know right away while there’s still time to fix it. Automate Budget Adjustments Manually adjusting budgets across dozens of campaigns is a time suck. Worse, one mistake can throw off your entire month. Adalysis gives you two ways to manage your budget. Manual pacing with alerts Full automation based on performance goals With manual pacing, you can set daily or monthly spend targets and monitor progress in a visual dashboard. Color-coded indicators show whether you’re overspending, underspending, or on track. You can also set alerts — or auto-pause campaigns — when spending crosses custom thresholds. Prefer a hands-off approach? Switch to Full Automation, and Adalysis dynamically adjusts budgets based on your goals. Whether that’s more conversions, a better CPA, or higher ROAS. Just set your budget and goal, and the system takes care of the rest. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Significantly reduces time spent on PPC management, making it ideal for high-volume campaigns or managing multiple accounts It leans on its built-in structure, which may not offer as much flexibility as some advanced users want Price Adalysis starts at $149/month for up to $50K in monthly ad spend. Pricing increases in tiers based on ad spend. Free trial available. 6. Google Looker Studio Best for ad campaign visualization and reporting If you’re managing multiple accounts across platforms, reporting can eat up your entire week. Google Looker Studio helps you build reporting dashboards using data from Google Ads, GA4, Search Console, BigQuery, Google Sheets, and more. The result? One central place where your team (and your clients) can track campaign performance. See the Full PPC Picture Google Looker Studio’s biggest strength is turning raw data into clear visual dashboards. So, you can stop sending spreadsheets to numbers-averse clients. And start telling a story they can follow. You can pull in data from Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Facebook Ads (via partner connectors). Then, layer in insights from Google Analytics, your CRM, ecommerce platform, or email tools. This gives you a single view of your paid campaigns. Plus, how they connect to everything else happening in the funnel. Create Shareable, Client-Ready Reports in Minutes Whether you’re a freelancer, agency lead, or in-house PPC manager, someone always wants to “see the numbers.” Google Looker Studio makes it easy to turn Google Ads data into interactive reports that highlight performance and campaign impact. Once you’ve set up your dashboard, you can: Share it via a link or scheduled email Embed it into webpages, client portals, or internal platforms Set access permissions (view-only, comment, or edit) Pros and Cons Pros Cons Completely free to use with no limits on users, reports, or connected platforms Some PPC connectors (like Facebook Ads) require paid third-party tools Price Google Looker Studio is free to use. 7. ChatGPT Best for ad copy and campaign analysis ChatGPT is quickly becoming a must-have for PPC marketers. You can use it to brainstorm headlines, write ad copy, refresh underperforming creative, and even analyze landing pages. The catch? It’s only as good as your prompt. But once you know how to guide it, the possibilities open up fast. Generate Creative Ad Copy Faster Need new ad copy ideas? ChatGPT can help you brainstorm faster than you can type “A/B test.” You can ask it to: Write multiple ad variations in seconds Refresh underperforming copy with a new tone Explore different angles or CTAs But the real magic happens when you feed it your brand’s data. If you’re on the Pro Plan, you can create a project and upload your brand voice and tone guide, product descriptions, audience insights, offers, and more. Once those are added to your Project files, ChatGPT starts responding like it actually knows your business. Goodbye lifeless B2B buzzwords. Break Down Competitor Messaging for Strategic Insights ChatGPT can help you reverse-engineer competitor landing pages and ad copy so you can learn from them. Here’s how: First, find a competitor’s ad or landing page. Next, use a tool like WebtoPDF to convert the page into a PDF. Upload that file to ChatGPT. From there, it’s all about how you prompt it. Skip the generic “analyze this” request. Instead, ask for specifics: What benefit is this page emphasizing most? What emotional triggers are being used? What objections are they trying to overcome and how? This turns ChatGPT into a strategic analyst. It helps you understand what’s working for others and how you can do it better. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Extremely versatile. Whether you’re writing ad copy or planning campaigns, ChatGPT adapts to what you need You’ll still need to double-check tone, facts, and fit. Especially for client-facing work Price ChatGPT has three tiers: Free Plan: Includes GPT‑4o mini with limited features Plus Plan: $20/month with access to its most advanced models Pro Plan: $200/month for unlimited access to all models and much higher usage limits Note: Never used ChatGPT before? I’ve put together an in-depth guide on “How to Use ChatGPT” with practical tips to help you get started right away. And if you’ve been using it for a while, you’ll still find a few advanced tricks you probably didn’t know it could do. Find the Right PPC Tool for Your Goals The fastest way to waste money on ad tech? Choosing a tool that doesn’t solve your specific problem. Whether you’re trying to outsmart competitors, automate time-consuming tasks, or finally get reporting off your plate, the best PPC tool depends on what you’re trying to fix. Choose the statement that sounds most like you to find the best tool for your needs. Use the table below to quickly find the PPC tool that fits your needs. Just look for the challenge you’re facing and see the tool that can help you solve it. You can pick one or a few, depending on what you need most. PPC Pain Point Recommended Tool(s) I want to see what my competitors are doing Semrush: Find missed keywords + ad history SpyFu: Spot keyword gaps + spend patterns My ad copy is getting stale ChatGPT: Rewrite fast + extract insights Bonus: Combine with Semrush/SpyFu for real campaign ideas Managing campaigns eats up my time Optmyzr: Automate tasks + flag metric shifts Adalysis: KPI alerts + budget pacing I need to make changes quickly Google Ads Editor: Offline, bulk edits at speed I need client-ready reports Looker Studio: Live dashboards, easy to share I’m on a tight budget SpyFu Free: Basic keyword + competitor data ChatGPT Free/$20: Low-cost copywriting help Ads Editor + Looker: Free tools for edits + reports The Best PPC Tools Are Just Step One. Here’s Step Two. You’ve got the tools. You know what they’re best at. Now, it’s time to make them work even harder. Before you launch your next campaign or tweak your bids, make sure you’re not throwing money at overpriced keywords. This PPC keyword cost guide shows you how to find high-intent keywords that convert. It’s the next step if you want smarter results from the tools you’re already using. The post The 7 Best PPC Tools for Your Goals, Budget, and Workflow appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

Your sitemap is exactly what it sounds like: a map of your site’s pages. A good sitemap organizes all your most important pages logically, and it can help Google crawl and understand your site. Free template: Want to create your own visual sitemap like the example above? Download our free Canva template here. Below, I’ll go through 19 example sitemaps and explain the key best practices to help you build your own. Beyond XML, HTML, and visual sitemaps, I’ve categorized the examples below by site type. This way, you can find examples of sitemaps from websites like yours. We’ll cover sitemaps for: Blogs Local businesses Ecommerce stores Large sites SaaS sites Corporate sites Note: If you haven’t created a sitemap yet, or you want to learn more about optimizing them, check out our dedicated sitemap guide first. Which Type of Sitemap Do You Need? (XML vs. HTML) Before jumping into examples, you need to know which type of sitemap is right for your website. There are two main types: XML and HTML. Each one serves a different purpose. Note: I’ll also provide an example of a visual sitemap below, but XML sitemaps (the kind you submit to Google Search Console) are the focus here. XML Sitemap Examples XML sitemaps are designed specifically for search engines, not humans. They use a structured format that tells Google and other search engines about the pages on your site and when they were last updated. (This means they can affect your site’s SEO.) You’ll usually find them at URLs like “yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml” or “yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml” (if you have multiple sitemaps). XML sitemaps won’t directly improve your rankings. But they can help search engines find and then index your content. Important: You don’t need an XML sitemap. But honestly, as long as you set it up properly, there’s no reason not to have one. There are a few ways you can implement XML sitemaps. Below are three examples showing the most common styles you’ll come across. HTTPStatus.io Sitemap URL: https://httpstatus.io/sitemap.xml The sitemap for HTTPStatus.io is fairly simple. The site offers a tool for checking the HTTP status of your URLs. But it also has some pages explaining integrations and what different status codes mean. Beyond the main tool and some knowledge base style articles, there aren’t that many pages on the site to map. If you also have a simple site, don’t overcomplicate your sitemap. Forbes Sitemap URL: https://www.forbes.com/sitemap_index.xml Forbes uses an XML sitemap index, found at forbes.com/sitemap_index.xml. This is an index of multiple sitemaps, like /forbes_2008_sitemap.xml and /news_sitemap.xml. In this case, the 2005 sitemap contains URLs published in 2005: While the news sitemap contains news-themed URLs: You’ll see that Forbes includes various different attributes in its sitemap. Most of these aren’t essential. Google also ignores many of them, like <changefreq> and <priority>. But if you use the <lastmod> value and it’s “consistently and verifiably accurate,” Google may use it to understand how often to crawl your pages. In other words: don’t use this to try and pretend you’ve significantly updated your content when you’ve just changed the date. Backlinko Sitemap URL: https://backlinko.com/sitemap_index.xml We’ve used Yoast (a WordPress plugin) to create our sitemap index. That’s why it looks like a more styled page than the previous two examples. If you have a WordPress site, plugins like Yoast and RankMath can create sitemaps for you. In our case, we’ve split our sitemap up into different categories like posts, pages, tools, and hub resources. Here’s what the /post-sitemap.xml looks like: Best Practices for XML Sitemaps Follow these best practices when creating your XML sitemap: Each sitemap file should contain no more than 50,000 URLs and be smaller than 50MB (for larger sites, use multiple sitemaps and a sitemap index) Don’t include duplicate content, redirected pages, or non-indexable pages in your sitemap — this can confuse search engines and waste crawl budget Only adjust the “lastmod” attribute when you make significant updates to pages (and don’t use it to “fake” content freshness) Configure your CMS or server to automatically update your sitemap when you make content changes Note: Many content management systems like WordPress, Shopify, and Wix automatically update your sitemap when you add, move, or adjust pages. HTML Sitemap Examples HTML sitemaps, unlike XML sitemaps, are designed for your human visitors. These are actual pages on your website that list all your content in a hierarchical structure. You’ll typically find them at URLs like “yourdomain.com/sitemap” (although it can vary depending on the site’s URL structure). They help visitors find what they’re looking for when they can’t access what they need via your navigation menus. However: Your users should be able to find what they need via your navigation menus and internal links. An HTML sitemap is not a substitute for good UX design. (But it can supplement it.) You should consider creating an HTML sitemap if: Your website has deep content hierarchies You run an ecommerce store with many product categories Users frequently search for specific pages on your site Your website caters to less tech-savvy audiences who might need navigation help You don’t need to choose between XML and HTML sitemaps. You can use both simultaneously. Forbes Sitemap URL: https://www.forbes.com/sitemap/ I showed you Forbes’ XML sitemap above, but the site also has an HTML sitemap for users. The HTML sitemap sorts Forbes’ main pages into categories like Newsletters, Leadership, and Lifestyle. These don’t cover all of Forbes’ categories though, which you can see in their navigation menu: So this is an example of a site likely just using their HTML sitemap to highlight specific important pages. Lovevery Sitemap URL: https://lovevery.com/pages/sitemap Lovevery’s HTML sitemap sorts its products into categories like Play Kits and Course Packs. It also highlights two of their main products right at the top: The Play Gym and The Montessori Shelf. It also subdivides the Play Kits by age. This makes it easy for users to find products they need for their child. Best Practices for HTML Sitemaps Here are best practices to follow if you want to create an HTML sitemap: Logically structure your HTML sitemap to mirror your site’s actual architecture Use anchor text to describe the linked page and avoid generic labels like “click here” or “read more” Use consistent indentation, typography, and spacing to show hierarchies Place a link to your HTML sitemap in your site’s footer so it’s accessible from every page Update your HTML sitemap when you add or remove content Visual Sitemap Example Visual sitemaps represent your site’s architecture graphically. They use shapes, colors, and lines to show how pages are connected. They’re helpful during site planning and development, but you won’t submit these to Google, and your users won’t see them either. Here’s an example of a visual sitemap for a website that sells coffee products: Don’t forget: You can try our free Canva visual sitemap template to map out your own website’s pages. Best Practices for Visual Sitemaps Follow these tips to create a useful visual sitemap: Limit your visual sitemap to core pages and pathways to avoid clutter Establish a clear key for what each shape, color, and connector represents (like categories and products, or levels in the hierarchy) Cluster similar pages together visually to show content relationships (and opportunities for internal links) Show the intended user pathways through your site to identify potential navigation issues before they become problems Share your visual sitemap with team members and clients early — it’s much easier to revise a diagram than to restructure a fully-built website Next, I’ll go through examples of XML sitemaps for different types of websites. While HTML and visual sitemaps have their place, it’s your XML sitemap that matters most for SEO. Blog Sitemap Examples A well-structured blog sitemap ensures all your content remains discoverable. This includes older posts that may have fallen off your main navigation or recent posts list. For sites that regularly publish new content, an automatically updating blog sitemap can help maintain your search engine visibility across your entire content archive. Cup of Jo Sitemap URL: https://cupofjo.com/sitemap_index.xml Cup of Jo’s sitemap is generated by Yoast. It organizes the blog’s pages into the following categories: Posts (with 8 individual sitemaps covering posts going back 10+ years) Pages Products Authors But there are also some extra sitemaps in there that I wouldn’t recommend you include. For example, there’s a sitemap for affiliate links… …that just links to pages with a single image on them: (This one’s URL was /pillow/, but the image is a jacket.) Your sitemap should contain only your important pages you want Google to index. So you should avoid including any links to pages that don’t add value for users. NerdWallet Sitemap URL: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/wp-sitemap.xml NerdWallet has a main sitemap at /wp-sitemap.xml. It contains further sitemaps of posts, reviews, other types of posts, authors, and more. But there are also other sitemaps for specific region versions of the site: /uk/sitemap.xml /ca/sitemap.xml /ca/p/sitemap.xml /au/sitemap.xml While NerdWallet generates its main sitemap either via a custom setup or plugin, it generates its region-specific ones with Yoast: All of these sitemaps follow a simple structure, listing the URL and date it was last modified. (The Yoast ones also include the number of images on the page — a small and not super important detail.) Considering NerdWallet has tens of thousands of pages and multiple regional versions of the site, this is an impressively straightforward example of a blog sitemap. Best Practices for Blog Sitemaps If you have a blog, follow these best practices for your sitemap: List your blog posts in reverse chronological order (newest first) to highlight your most recent content Group posts by their primary categories to create logical content clusters that search engines can understand If you substantially update a post, reflect this in your sitemap’s “lastmod” parameter (WordPress plugins like Yoast often do this for you) Unless your category and tag pages contain unique content, keep them out of your sitemap to avoid duplicate content issues Ensure the URLs in your sitemap exactly match the canonical URLs of your published posts Related article: Top 8 Sitemap Generator Tools Local Business Sitemap Examples A well-structured sitemap for your local business website can help Google find and index all of your location pages and other important content. This is especially true for businesses with lots of locations or complex service offerings. The Wild Rabbit Sitemap URL: https://thewildrabbit.co.uk/sitemap_index.xml The Wild Rabbit is an inn with one single location in the UK. It uses Rankmath, another popular WordPress SEO plugin, to generate its sitemaps. Its sitemap index is fairly straightforward, with further sitemaps for: Posts Pages Events Menu Categories If you also have a single location with a simple website, a clean sitemap like this is a good example to follow. Las Carettas Mexican Restaurant Sitemap URL: https://www.lascarretasmexicanrest.com/pages-sitemap.xml Las Carettas Mexican Restaurant’s sitemap is as simple as it gets. The sitemap just contains all of the site’s URLs within one single sitemap file. Pimlico Plumbers Sitemap URL: https://www.pimlicoplumbers.com/sitemap_index.xml Pimlico Plumbers is London’s largest independent plumbing company. But even with lots of service areas all around the city, Pimlico’s sitemap is simple and organized. The most notable sitemap here is the location-sitemap.xml file: This is a useful way for Pimlico to organize all of its locations in an easy-to-find way. This potentially helps Google find and index its location pages. Best Practices for Local Business Sitemaps Sitemaps for local businesses don’t require too much in the way of dedicated best practices. But you should: Include your location pages if you have multiple If you have lots of locations, you may want to categorize them in a separate sitemap file Make sure to update any key page URLs and add a “lastmod” parameter when you do Ecommerce Store Sitemap Examples With potentially thousands of products, categories, and filters, ecommerce sites can end up with pretty complex sitemaps. But with a bit of logical organization, you can ensure your sitemap helps (rather than hinders) your ecommerce site’s SEO. Gymshark Sitemap URL: https://www.gymshark.com/sitemap.xml Gymshark’s sitemap is a useful example to follow for ecommerce sites. Its sitemap index splits URLs across pages, collections, and products. Here’s what the collection sitemap looks like: And since Gymshark is a global brand, there are also sitemaps for hreflang and the Spanish-speaking US variants of the site’s pages: Then, on Gymshark’s region-specific domains, there are separate sitemap files. Like this one for the French version of the site: Ruggable Sitemap URL: https://ruggable.com/sitemap.xml Ruggable offers thousands of products. But its sitemap index just consists of four simple individual sitemaps covering: Products Pages Collections Blog posts Here’s what the extensive product sitemap looks like: This single sitemap contains 1,000+ individual product URLs. This creates a simple overall sitemap setup, while still being well below the limit of 50,000 URLs per sitemap. Best Practices for Ecommerce Sitemaps Follow these best practices for your ecommerce sitemap: Every available product should have an entry in your sitemap Remove or deprioritize permanently discontinued products to avoid wasting crawl budget Exclude filter combinations that create duplicate content issues (like sorting options or non-essential URL parameters) If you serve multiple countries or languages, include hreflang attributes to help Google understand which version to show users in specific regions For stores with thousands of products, consider creating separate sitemaps for different categories and linking them with a sitemap index Large Website Sitemap Examples Large websites with thousands or millions of pages face unique challenges when it comes to sitemaps. Sitemaps have a URL limit of 50,000 per individual sitemap. So it’s often impossible to keep every page within just a single file. This means sitemap indexes and automated updating are essential for larger websites. Weather.com Sitemap URL: https://weather.com/en-US/sitemaps/sitemap.xml Weather.com is a HUGE site. Like 50+ million pages huge. (This is just Google’s estimate and it’s not always that accurate. But there’s no doubt there are A LOT of pages on Weather.com.) The site will tell you the weather pretty much anywhere on earth with its own dedicated page. So it needs a robust sitemap setup that goes beyond simple categories. In fact, it needs several sitemaps: /en-US/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /pt-PT/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /de-DE/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /fr-FR/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /es-US/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /es-ES/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /en-IN/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /en-GB/sitemaps/sitemap.xml /en-CA/sitemaps/sitemap.xml Within each of these, there are yet more sitemaps: These categorize URLs by things like: Videos News Articles Forecast types (ten-day, weekend, today etc.) And within these, there are individual URLs: This leads to an extensive but essentially well-organized sitemap that covers millions of potential locations. Note: For obvious reasons, I can’t verify if Weather.com’s sitemap contains every one of its indexable URLs. For sites at this scale, what’s key is just ensuring your sitemap contains all of your most important pages. eBay Sitemap URL: https://www.ebay.com/lst/BROWSE-0-index.xml The eBay marketplace is home to 2+ billion live listings. So it’s no surprise that the site needs a massive sitemap. So massive in fact that eBay needs to compress its many sitemaps. You can tell because its sitemap URLs end in .xml.gz, with .gz referring to “gzip” (a compressed file format). You need to download these and then decompress them to view them. But when you do, you’ll find they often have 40K+ URLs in them. I downloaded a few just out of curiosity, and I found 48K URLs in one of the “browse” sitemaps: Another had 40K URLs, so the average is likely somewhere between those numbers. On the .com domain, I found at least 1,600 individual sitemaps in total across: /PRP-0-index.xml (this contains links to individual listings) /VIS-0-index.xml (this contains individual listing links along with image links) /NGS-0-index.xml (this contains all the store pages) /BROWSE-0-index.xml (these links are for search pages — hence “browse”) If they all have at least 40K URLs in them (I’m not manually verifying that), we can assume there are at least 64 million URLs in eBay’s sitemap in total. But I imagine it’s more like 70-80 million. And that’s just the .com domain. There are similar sets of sitemaps for its regional domains: So this is an example of a truly massive sitemap. And you can see eBay sorts it into just four broad sitemap indexes, each one with hundreds of individual, compressed sitemaps. Best Practices for Large Site Sitemaps Follow these best practices for large sitemaps: Use a sitemap index file to organize multiple child sitemaps, keeping each under the 50,000 URL and 50MB size limits Configure your system to automatically generate and update sitemaps when content changes, as manual management becomes impossible at scale Only include canonical versions of pages Consider compressing your sitemaps to save bandwidth if you have lots of large sitemap files SaaS Sitemap Examples A well-structured SaaS sitemap encourages Google to index your most important pages. SaaS websites are often complex, and so sitemap indexes are usually the go-to for this kind of website. ClickUp Sitemap URL: https://clickup.com/sitemap.xml ClickUp’s sitemap is clean and simple — even though the SaaS site has tens of thousands of pages and 10+ regional versions. ClickUp’s main sitemap index splits into: /sitemap-landing.xml: Landing pages /blog/sitemap.xml: Blog posts /sitemap-next.xml: Various types of pages, including feature pages, events, and resources /sitemap-programmatic.xml: Pages ClickUp has generated programmatically Then there are a bunch of sitemaps for templates, more programmatic pages, and region-specific blog posts. Like this one for Spanish speakers in Spain: It’s worth noting that many of these sitemaps exist on a cdn.web.clickup.com subdomain. (The individual URLs within the sitemap aren’t on this subdomain.) This might provide a small performance boost in terms of how fast Google can crawl the sitemaps, along with a bit of server load reduction. But I don’t imagine it would be a game changer for most sites. It’s also not something you absolutely need to do for large sitemaps. But it could still be worth considering. Further reading: Page Speed and SEO Docusign Sitemap URL: https://www.docusign.com/sitemap.xml Docusign’s sitemap index contains individual sitemaps for things like blog posts and PDFs. But what makes it an interesting sitemap example is the way it implements hreflang for its language and regional variants. For example, here’s the /en-gb/ sitemap for English speakers in the UK: But this actually highlights one of the reasons many site owners stick with just one form of hreflang implementation (often putting it in each individual page’s code). When you have lots of URLs and different language versions of them, it can be tough to keep them updated. (Even Google warns that this can become an issue.) Including hreflang attributes in multiple locations (like the page’s source code and in your sitemap) means you have two sets of alternate URLs to manage. Let’s look at the first example in the screenshot above (/docusign-iris-agreement-ai). We see the sitemap tells search engines there are five variants of the URL: en-au en-ca en-gb en-sg en-us But the page’s source code (see below) suggests there is also a variant for Spanish speakers in Mexico (es-mx): And in fact it doesn’t explicitly include en-us. Instead it opts for just en for the English/US version (/blog/docusign-iris-agreement-ai). Perhaps the sitemap or page code just hadn’t updated yet (other pages don’t all show the same issue). But if you have widespread cases like this, it could lead to Google having trouble knowing which versions of your site to serve to users. Or it might ignore your hreflang tags altogether. Best Practices for SaaS Sitemaps If you run a SaaS site, do the following to optimize your sitemap: Prioritize feature and landing pages that target your primary conversion keywords Include your knowledge base and technical documentation Organize pages based on where they fit in the customer journey, from awareness to consideration to decision Exclude pages like dashboards that are behind a login Remove tracking parameters and unnecessary URL variations to prevent duplicate content issues Consider implementing hreflang if you target a global audience — but make sure you don’t create any conflicts Corporate Sitemap Examples A well-designed corporate sitemap makes it easier for Google to index high-value pages. These could include pages about investor relations and press releases, along with leadership profiles. TSMC Sitemap URL: https://www.tsmc.com/english/sitemap.xml Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, is Taiwan’s largest company. It’s also one of the world’s most important manufacturers of computer chip components. So it’s no surprise that it has sitemaps covering important pages like: Annual reports Business contacts Policies Declarations TSMC uses Drupal to create its sitemap. This automatically adds change frequency and priority values, but Google ignores these. Deloitte Sitemap URL: https://www.deloitte.com/sitemap_index.xml Deloitte is another major firm with a huge global presence. Its sitemap index primarily contains sitemaps for all of its regional variants. Like this German variant: These sitemaps contain everything from staff profiles to services and events. Best Practices for Corporate Sitemaps If you’re creating a sitemap for a corporate or business website, follow these best practices: Include important quarterly reports, annual statements, and shareholder information pages to make them more discoverable for search engines like Google Prioritize press releases, media kits, and company news to support your PR efforts and media visibility If you have a large global presence, consider using different sitemaps for each regional variation Don’t include any internal portals or pages that are behind a login How to Find Issues with Your Sitemap Putting together a sitemap is fairly straightforward. But it’s still easy to make mistakes (as some of the examples above show). To make sure your sitemap is valid, use a sitemap validator, like this one: But just because your sitemap is valid doesn’t mean it’s error-free. To check for the most common sitemap issues, use a tool like Semrush’s Site Audit. Just enter your domain, run the audit, and head to the “Issues” tab. Then type “sitemap” into the search bar: The tool will highlight issues like: Sitemap formatting errors Incorrect pages in your sitemap (like pages with redirects, non-canonical URLs, or URLs with errors) Sitemap files that are too big Missing sitemaps Sitemaps missing in your robots.txt file Unsecure URLs in your sitemap Orphaned pages in your sitemap Note: Use Semrush Site Audit to find issues with your sitemap by using this link to access a 14-day trial on a Semrush Pro subscription. The post 19 Sitemap Examples for Any Type of Website (+ Best Practices) appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

If you’re a frequent eye drop user, now’s the time to check your medicine cabinet: The pharmaceutical lab BRS Analytical Service, LLC has issued a voluntary recall of five different ophthalmic solutions, including some eye drops and artificial tears, due to concerns that the products may be of “unacceptable quality.” Here’s what to know: What is the reason for the recall? According to a notice published by the distributor AvKare, the recall was initiated when a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) audit found “manufacturing cGMP deviations” in the production of the five eye products. CGMP, or Current Good Manufacturing Practice, refers to the required manufacturing process guidelines set by the FDA for a certain item. Per the AvKare notice, “Health Hazard to the user is unknown, cGMP deviations may lead to products of unacceptable quality, and it is not possible to rule out patient risks resulting from use of these products.” Separately, an FDA enforcement report surrounding the five products notes that there was a “lack of assurance of sterility” found during the agency’s audit. BRS Analytical Service voluntarily initiated the five recalls on April 23. On May 6, the FDA classified each as a Class II, meaning it is considered a situation in which exposure to the product may cause “reversible adverse health consequences,” or where the probability of serious health consequences is “remote.” Which products are being recalled? The recall encompasses five products, totaling over 75,000 cases of ophthalmic solution, shipped over a two-year period: May 26, 2023, to April 21, 2025. The products include: NDC# 50268-043-15 Artificial Tears Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0404-2025 NDC# 50268-066-15 Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium Ophthalmic Gel 1%; recall number D-0405-2025 NDC# 50268-068-15 Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0406-2025 NDC# 50268-126-15 Lubricant Eye Drops Solution; recall number D-0407-2025 NDC# 50268-678-15 Polyvinyl Alcohol Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0408-2025 Detailed lots numbers and specific expiration dates can be found here. Where were the products sold? According to the FDA, the items were distributed nationwide in the U.S., though specific states and stores were not listed. What should I do if I have one of the recalled products? If you have a recalled eye solution, do not use it. Instead, AvKare requests that you follow the instructions listed in its notice to alert the company that you received the recalled product, and then ship the affected items back to its headquarters. With any follow-up questions, AvKare’s customer service email is customerservice@avkare.com. View the full article

Competitive insights are learnings about rival businesses that help you make better business decisions. View the full article

Google's updated image SEO best practices recommend using consistent URLs for images across your site to preserve crawl budget. The post Google Updates Image SEO Best Practices: Use Consistent URLs appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Rich Diviney spent 21 years as a Navy SEAL, leading and operating on missions around the globe. In that time, he completed multiple combat deployments and had the honor of serving as the Commanding Officer of a SEAL Command. One of his most pivotal roles was running a specialized Selection and Assessment program for one of the most elite SEAL units. He also spearheaded the SEALs’ “Mind Gym” to train soldiers’ minds to perform better under stress. Today, he teaches optimal performance to thousands of business, athletic, and military leaders. What’s the big idea? What makes someone able to thrive in conditions of extreme stress, challenge, and uncertainty? Why do some people falter when the pressure rises, while others step forward with clarity and strength? High performance under pressure isn’t limited to Navy SEALs. It’s not about being fearless or superhuman. It’s about tapping into human capabilities that we all possess—capabilities that can be trained, honed, and applied in any environment. Below, Rich shares five key insights from his new book, Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team. Listen to the audio version—read by Rich himself—in the Next Big Idea App. 1. Uncertainty is the only certainty. On May 2, 2011, a SEAL team launched one of the most daring missions in modern history: the operation to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. They trained relentlessly. They built a replica of the compound. They rehearsed every move, down to the second. The moment they got on target, everything changed. One of the helicopters crashed. Timelines shifted. Entry points failed. All that preparation didn’t mean much—unless they could adapt. That mission succeeded not because they had a perfect plan, but because they knew how to perform inside the chaos. That’s what Masters of Uncertainty is about. Peak performance is a myth. It depends on perfect conditions, and life is rarely perfect. What matters more is optimal performance: showing up with the best you have in that moment, no matter what that best looks like. In the book, I show you how to develop a fluid kind of performance that is resilient and real. Uncertainty isn’t a curveball. Uncertainty is the game. Once you stop chasing perfection and start learning to thrive inside the unpredictable, you unlock your true edge. 2. The Mastering Uncertainty Method. High performers don’t have superpowers. What they do have is a system that allows them to take the raw chaos of a moment and make it work in their favor. That system is what I call the Mastering Uncertainty Method. I built it by observing elite SEALs, world-class athletes, and business leaders who consistently perform under pressure. What I noticed was that they weren’t calm by accident. They practiced something specific, something trainable. “These steps are rooted in how humans are wired.” The first part of the method—Move Horizons—is what you do when the world is swirling. You anchor in the present and ask, “What do I know? What can I control?” Like George, an ultrarunner who started his journey at 450 pounds. Day one: he bought the shoes. Day two: he put them on. He moved horizons—one mailbox, one street corner at a time—until he ran a marathon. Then there’s Keep Going, learning to set meaningful goals that trigger the brain’s dopamine system. And Stay Cool, the art of modulating your stress response to stay focused and clear-headed. These steps are rooted in how humans are wired. Once you train them, you’ll discover you were built for uncertainty all along. 3. Attributes, Identity, and Purpose drive behavior. When everything’s spinning, we like to believe we’ll rise to our training—to our values, our beliefs. But the truth is, we don’t rise. We revert to our instincts and core wiring. That’s why understanding your Attributes, Identity, and Objectives is vital. I’ll never forget one SEAL candidate during assessment who, on paper, was a rock star. He was physically gifted, razor-sharp, and highly trained. But when things got murky and unpredictable, he couldn’t make decisions. He lacked the attributes we couldn’t teach: adaptability, resilience, situational humility. In that moment, it wasn’t his skills that failed him. It was who he was underneath them. This part of the book is about helping you discover who you are when things aren’t going according to plan—when the tools fall away and only instincts remain. You’ll learn to identify the traits that drive you, reshape the beliefs that hold you back, and root everything in a sense of purpose that doesn’t crack under pressure. In uncertainty, the person you are matters far more than the roles you play. 4. Dynamic Subordination and trust in teams. I love to ask teams, “When the plan falls apart, who leads?” Because in high-stakes environments, it’s not always the person with the rank. It’s the person with the clarity. We call that Dynamic Subordination. It’s a principle we lived by in the SEAL Teams. Leadership flowed to the person with the most relevant expertise in the moment—not the most stripes on their sleeve. That only works in a culture built on trust. “Leadership flowed to the person with the most relevant expertise in the moment—not the most stripes on their sleeve.” I remember one mission where our comms guy—normally the quietest person in the room—stepped up mid-operation and made a call that saved lives. He wasn’t the senior guy. He wasn’t the loudest. But he had the best information, and we trusted him enough to follow. Most teams say they want adaptability, but they don’t build the trust required to make it real. I teach how to build trust, implement dynamic subordination, and create a culture where leadership is a function of moment, not title. When uncertainty hits, rigid hierarchy cracks. Trust flexes. Flex wins. 5. Stress as a performance enhancer. Most of us treat stress like the enemy—something to fight off, push down, or escape. But stress isn’t the problem. Misused stress is. Your stress response—what scientists call autonomic arousal—is built to help you. It gives you energy, alertness, even clarity. It’s what helped me stay sharp jumping out of planes, navigating combat zones, or stepping onto a keynote stage. The challenge is knowing when to turn the dial up and when to turn it down. This chapter is about rewiring your relationship with stress. I’ll teach you the same breathwork, visual cues, and mental framing used by elite performers. Once you stop fearing stress and start partnering with it, you unlock performance you didn’t know was possible. Stress isn’t the villain. It’s the voltage. You just have to learn how to use it. Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere. It’s not something we can out-plan, out-muscle, or outrun. But we can learn to meet it with strength, clarity, and purpose. Whether you’re leading a team, navigating change, or just trying to show up better in your life, the ability to move forward in the unknown is a trainable skill. One that starts with awareness, grows with intention, and gets stronger every time you choose to lean in rather than pull back. Learn to master the moment you’re in. That’s where your power lives. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission. View the full article

"Do you believe that the person who worked with you on this job could run this job next year?" By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. View the full article

"Do you believe that the person who worked with you on this job could run this job next year?" By Alan Anderson, CPA Transforming Audit for the Future Go PRO for members-only access to more Alan Anderson. 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. Pelotons are the most popular indoor exercise bike, but they're notoriously expensive and don't go on sale often. Luckily, they're on sale right now, and while they're still expensive, the discounts are historically good, according to price tracking tools. To sweeten the deal, Amazon is also offering free professional assembly in any room of your house (click the option under "Purchase options and add-ons"). The original Peloton Bike is currently at $1,145 (originally $1,445), matching the lowest price of 2025. The Peloton Bike+, Peloton's best exercise bike, is seeing a higher discount of $495, and is currently going for $2,000 (originally $2,495). Special Feature: Adjustable Seat, Color: Black, Power Source: Corded Electric. Original Peloton Bike $1,145.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,445.00 Save $300.00 Get Deal Get Deal $1,145.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,445.00 Save $300.00 Special Feature: Adjustable Seat, Color: Black, Power Source: Corded Electric. Peloton Bike+ $2,000.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $2,495.00 Save $495.00 Get Deal Get Deal $2,000.00 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $2,495.00 Save $495.00 SEE -1 MORE If you're choosing between the two models, Lifehacker Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki breaks down their differences in detail here. Essentially, the Peloton Bike has all the important features, like the touchscreen you can use to follow along classes, see scenic routes, and even watch Netflix while you exercise. The Bike+ has everything the Bike has, plus a larger screen and resistance that automatically adjusts when you’re following along with a class. The touchscreen is also on a swivel, allowing you to do yoga and strength classes on the floor next to your Bike+. (Whichever you choose, you might as well get the free professional assembly installation, including hauling all of the trash away, since it's being offered free of charge right now.) If you're considering buying a used Peloton instead, here is what you can expect. Keep in mind there's a $95 fee (plus some other costs you might want to consider) that you'll need to pay Peloton in order for the machine to trade hands—and you'll still need a $44 per-month “All Access” membership to use all of the Bike’s features. View the full article

By CPA Trendlines Research Sometimes a client just isn’t worth the effort. Both CPA and client might be better off if they part ways. MORE Listicles here Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today. But … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

By CPA Trendlines Research Sometimes a client just isn’t worth the effort. Both CPA and client might be better off if they part ways. MORE Listicles here Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today. But … Continued Go PRO for members-only access to more CPA Trendlines Research. View the full article

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a policy directive rescinding scores of standing guidance documents, interpretive rules and advisory opinions in a bid to reduce compliance costs. View the full article

Fashion designers from across North America are bringing together inspiration from their Indigenous heritage, culture and everyday lives to three days of runway modeling that started Friday in a leading creative hub and marketplace for Indigenous art. A fashion show affiliated with the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market is collaborating this year with a counterpart from Vancouver, Canada, in a spirit of Indigenous solidarity and artistic freedom. A second, independent runway show at a rail yard district in the city has nearly doubled the bustle of models, makeup and final fittings. Elements of Friday’s collections from six Native designers ran the gamut from silk parasols to a quilted hoodie, knee-high fur boots and suede leather earrings that dangled to the waist. Models on the Santa Fe catwalks include professionals, dancers and Indigenous celebrities from TV and the political sphere. Clothing and accessories rely on materials ranging from of wool trade cloth to animal hides, featuring traditional beadwork, ribbons and jewelry with some contemporary twists that include digitally rendered designs and urban Native American streetwear from Phoenix. “Native fashion, it’s telling a story about our understanding of who we are individually and then within our communities,” said Taos Pueblo fashion designer Patricia Michaels, of “Project Runway” reality TV fame. “You’re getting designers from North America that are here to express a lot of what inspires them from their own heritage and culture.” Santa Fe style The stand-alone spring fashion week for Indigenous design is a recent outgrowth of haute couture at the summer Santa Fe Indian Market, where teeming crowds flock to outdoor displays by individual sculptors, potters, jewelers and painters. Designer Sage Mountainflower remembers playing in the streets at Indian Market as a child in the 1980s while her artist parents sold paintings and beadwork. She forged a different career in environmental administration, but the world of high fashion called to her as she sewed tribal regalia for her children at home and, eventually, brought international recognition. At age 50, Mountainflower on Friday presented her “Taandi” collection — the Tewa word for “Spring” — grounded in satin and chiffon fabric that includes embroidery patterns that invoke her personal and family heritage at the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in the Upper Rio Grande Valley. “I pay attention to trends, but a lot of it’s just what I like,” said Mountainflower, who also traces her heritage to Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. “This year it’s actually just looking at springtime and how it’s evolving. … It’s going to be a colorful collection.” More than 20 designers are presenting at the invitation of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Fashion plays a prominent part in Santa Fe’s renowned arts ecosystem, with Native American vendors each day selling jewelry in the central plaza, while the Institute for American Indian Arts delivers fashion-related college degrees in May. This week, a gala at the New Mexico governor’s mansion welcomed fashion designers to town, along with social mixers at local galleries and bookstores and plans for pop-up fashion stores to sell clothes fresh off the fashion runway. International vision A full-scale collaboration with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week is bringing a northern, First Nations flair to the gathering this year with many designers crossing into the U.S. from Canada. Secwépemc artist and fashion designer Randi Nelson traveled to Santa Fe from the city of Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon to present collections forged from fur and traditionally cured hides — she uses primarily elk and caribou. The leather is tanned by hand without chemicals using inherited techniques and tools. “We’re all so different,” said Nelson, a member of the Bonaparte/St’uxwtéws First Nation who started her career in jewelry assembled from quills, shells and beads. “There’s not one pan-Indigenous theme or pan-Indigenous look. We’re all taking from our individual nations, our individual teachings, the things from our family, but then also recreating them in a new and modern way.” April Allen, an Inuk designer from the Nunatsiavut community on the Labrador coast of Canada, presented a mesh dress of blue water droplets. Her work delves into themes of nature and social advocacy for access to clean drinking water. Vocal music accompanied the collection — layers of wordless, primal sound from musician and runway model Beatrice Deer, who is Inuit and Mohawk. Urban Indian couture Phoenix-based jeweler and designer Jeremy Donavan Arviso said the runway shows in Santa Fe are attempting to break out of the strictly Southwest fashion mold and become a global venue for Native design and collaboration. A panel discussion Thursday dwelled on the threat of new tariffs and prices for fashion supplies — and tensions between disposable fast fashion and Indigenous ideals. Arviso is bringing a street-smart aesthetic to two shows at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts runway and a warehouse venue organized by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, from the Siksika Nation. “My work is definitely contemporary, I don’t choose a whole lot of ceremonial or ancestral practices in my work,” said Arviso, who is Diné, Hopi, Akimel O’odham and Tohono O’odham, and grew up in Phoenix. “I didn’t grow up like that. … I grew up on the streets.” Arviso said his approach to fashion resembles music sampling by early rap musicians as he draws on themes from major fashion brands and elements of his own tribal cultures. He invited Toronto-based ballet dancer Madison Noon for a “beautiful and biting” performance to introduce his collection titled Vision Quest. Santa Fe runway models will include former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland of Laguna Pueblo, adorned with clothing from Michaels and jewelry by Zuni Pueblo silversmith Veronica Poblano. —Morgan Lee, Associated Press View the full article

Orlin Roussev was one of six who engaged in espionage View the full article

Google's John Mueller explains that Hreflang tags act as suggestions, not directives. Learn how canonical tags impact international SEO and what adjustments your strategy needs. The post Google Reminds That Hreflang Tags Are Hints, Not Directives appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Handover of Edan Alexander comes ahead of Donald The President’s trip to the GulfView the full article

Prime minister claims victory after ceasefire but warns New Delhi has ‘only paused’ military operationView the full article

Republicans in Congress are expected this week to reveal whether they are willing to go ahead with President Donald The President’s suggestion to raise taxes on the rich, which would break with decades of party orthodoxy. After weeks of closed-door talks, the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee is due to unveil full details of tax-cut legislation that would be the centerpiece of a sweeping budget package that also would raise spending on the military and border security. The legislation would build on a measure enacted during The President’s first presidential term that lowered tax rates, especially for the wealthiest. Late on Friday the panel made some details public, but without providing the outcome on the thorniest matters under debate within Republican ranks. Still unknown is whether the legislation will deliver on The President’s promises to discontinue taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security retirement benefits, and whether the bill would increase the deduction for state and local taxes. That is an issue particularly important to moderate Republicans, mainly in coastal states, as well as to Democrats. The President has indicated a willingness to raise taxes on the wealthiest in what would be a stark departure from a red line drawn by Republicans for many years. These questions might be answered as soon as Tuesday, when the House committee plans to debate the complex legislation. Republicans did unveil provisions for increasing the child tax credit to $2,500 through 2028, from $1,000. The President’s presidential term ends on Jan. 20, 2029. The House Republicans’ bill also would reduce some taxes for multinational companies and unincorporated businesses. Republicans also have been at odds over spending cuts to safety-net programs — mainly the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor and disabled — to offset some of the costs. The President has privately urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the tax rate on the wealthiest Americans, sources say, though publicly he has been more ambivalent. Some on the party’s right flank have come out in favor of it. Johnson has told some Republicans that he might have to scale back the tax cut package by $500 million to $4 trillion. House fiscal hawks are pushing for deep spending cuts of up to $2 trillion to allow for deeper tax cuts. But some moderates are resisting cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, the crucial food assistance program. Democrats are warning that Republicans could put other social service programs on the chopping block. “Their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals’ greed by abandoning vulnerable children, starving seniors, and cutting off families in need,” a group of Democratic senators said in a letter on Friday. Republicans aim to extend The President’s signature 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Some of its provisions are due to expire at the end of this year. “He’s wanting to help the blue-collar worker,” Representative Kevin Hern, a Republican tax writer from Oklahoma, said. “So we’re going to make that happen.” “This is where the rubber hits the road for tax writers, who will be challenged to preserve President The President’s first-term legacy at a fiscal cost that is acceptable to the conference,” said Mimi Bair, a former Republican tax staffer now at McGuireWoods Consulting. “We’re all eager to see the tax committee shed more light on how they will strike that balance.” Meanwhile, a handful of Republicans from high-tax states like New York, New Jersey and California are pressing for a higher deduction amount for state and local taxes. The Ways and Means committee is expected to offer a $30,000 limit for these state and local taxes, up from the current $10,000, according to a Republican aide. However, these Republican lawmakers have said that is not enough. “Either we’re going to have a bill that has a fix that assuages the concerns of constituents like mine, or we won’t have a bill and the tax cuts will expire,” Representative Nick LaLota, a New York Republican, told reporters last week. That could sink the budget bill in the House, which Republicans control by a narrow 220-213 margin. —Bo Erickson, Reuters View the full article

The deadline for obtaining a REAL ID has come and gone. If you're planning on flying or entering a federal building, you'll need a driver's license or state identification card that complies with the Department of Homeland Security's new requirements (or an alternative like a passport or Trusted Traveler card). There are plenty of people who still need to upgrade to a REAL ID for upcoming travel—in some states, fewer than half of residents have a compliant license and may encounter long lines to obtain one. And where there's urgency, there's opportunity for scammers to strike. Here's what to know about REAL ID scams and how to avoid them. How REAL ID scams workScammers have been targeting REAL ID for several years, as the deadline has been pushed back multiple times. According to the AARP, most of these frauds are in the form of phishing: emails, texts, or calls that appear to be from the DMV or DHS with links to fake websites that promise to help you apply for a REAL ID or update your personal information to complete the process. These sites actually collect your data, which can be used maliciously, or force you to download malware to your device. One early version of this scam targeting residents in Illinois offered a "driver's license waiver," which doesn't exist. The Better Business Bureau is currently warning consumers about scams that promise to help you get your REAL ID online, which isn't possible—the REAL ID process requires a visit to the DMV. While you may be able to start the application online in some states, you can't complete it without going in person. How to spot REAL ID scamsIf you already have a REAL ID, you do not need to do anything, and you can ignore any messages indicating otherwise. Licenses issued in recent years—either new or upon renewal—are already compliant, so just check for a gold or black star in the corner. There's also no hurry if you don't have air travel planned: A valid regular ID is sufficient in most other cases, and you can use REAL ID alternatives to fly if you have them. If you still need to upgrade to a REAL ID, know that neither the DMV nor DHS will contact you out of the blue to request personal information. Be skeptical of unsolicited texts, emails, and calls—some obvious signs of a scam are area codes that don't match your location and email addresses that end with .com rather than .gov. Official automated texts usually come from five-digit numbers, not full phone numbers or email addresses. Never click links in messages from unknown senders. You should also ignore any services that claim to provide REAL IDs online, letting you skip the DMV trip. These are scams. You also should not need to provide bank account or credit card numbers when completing online applications—REAL IDs do require a fee, but this is paid in person at the DMV. View the full article

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A reader writes: I just completed the fourth and final interview for a newly created role at my company. It’s within my current division but with a different team. The process has dragged on for about three months, but up until now it’s been entirely positive. My first three interviews couldn’t have gone better. The hiring manager was supportive and communicative during a two-month lag, proactively informing me on where things stood in the process, and even sharing that I was on the shortlist of candidates. The hiring manager’s boss was also encouraging — instead of grilling me, he spent our interview helping me prep for my next interview. I have a strong sense that I’m the preferred candidate. This role would be a stretch for me. I don’t possess every skill listed, but I’ve proven myself to be very capable, a fast learner, and have a very strong track record at my company. My first three interviewers seemed to recognize that and said they had no reservations about me as a candidate (a question I always ask at the end of each interview). But my final interview — with the president/head of my division — really threw me off. The president emphasized how critical the role is and said that because I don’t yet have the full skillset, I’d likely need to work significantly extra hours for a couple years while learning the ropes. Then they said, “You may be expected to work 50, 60, or even 70- or 80-hour weeks at first. Do you see that being a problem?” I was shocked by the question and just said something to the effect of, “I believe in being a team player, I wouldn’t leave important work undone at the end of the day just because it was 5 pm and I’m willing to put in extra work as needed by the role and by the team, especially as I’m getting up to speed.” This was the first time in the interview process that anyone had mentioned anything close to those kinds of hours. The hiring manager (who’s currently doing this work) is indeed overloaded, which is why the new position was created. But the broader culture at my company (a bank) is very balanced — people generally don’t work extended hours unless it’s end-of-quarter, and I never thought to ask about it based on my experience at the company and the hours I see my would-be colleagues putting in. The job description states the role’s schedule as 40 hours/week. This final interview left a sour taste in my mouth, to the point where I’m questioning whether this is the right job for me. The president oversees a division of 120 people but doesn’t directly oversee this team and could be a bit removed from the day-to-day. So now I’m wondering: Was this a genuine heads-up? A test of my commitment? A scare tactic? Or just an out-of-touch leader mischaracterizing the role? This is a mid-level management job, not investment banking or private equity. Of course I’d expect to put in extra hours and effort while I’m learning, but being told by the president that I could expect to put in as many as 70–80 hours a week for the first couple years feels extreme. I would not accept an offer if that was truly the expectation. Any insights? Or thoughts on how I can best raise this with the hiring manager, should I receive an offer? What the hell?!! Just casually tossing out of 80-hour weeks, which no one else had thought relevant to mention? And expecting you to work those hours for several years? I do think there’s a very strong chance that the president is just wrong about this, if the job description lists it as a 40 hour/week job, no one else mentioned anything to the contrary, and you’ve seen with your own eyes that the rest of that team doesn’t work those hours. He might just be wildly out of touch with what the work entails and with what will be needed for you to get up to speed. But you definitely can’t take the job without finding out for sure. If you get an offer, talk to the hiring manager and say this: “I’m very interested in the job, but I wanted to check with you about something Ron said when I met with him. He said that he’d expect I’d need to work long hours for the first couple of years while learning the ropes, and specifically said I’d be expected to work 50-80-hour weeks at first. That was the first I’d heard of that and it wasn’t the sense I’d gotten previously, so I wanted to ask if that would indeed be the expectation.” If she says that that’s not correct, you should say, “That was my sense as well! But I’m nervous about accepting if that’s what he’s envisioning. Is there a way to formally clarify the hours with him to ensure it won’t pop up later as an issue, before I accept?” The post I wasn’t told until my final interview that I’d need to work 80-hour weeks appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Innovation has stalled in a globalised era dominated by state-sponsored national championsView the full article

TikTok announced a $1 million ad credit program for U.S. small businesses as part of its celebration of Small Business Month. The move comes as TikTok tries to show its value to the U.S. economy while facing a U.S. ban. By spotlighting its support for small businesses, TikTok is making the case that it helps American entrepreneurs and its U.S. operations shouldn’t be shut down. Driving the news. Starting May 15, TikTok will launch a weekly webinar series offering expert-led guidance and campaign strategies tailored to small business owners. It will also hit the road with Small Biz Fest events in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin to offer in-person education and community-building opportunities. Why we care. TikTok’s $1 million ad credit program offers a low-barrier entry point for small businesses to test and scale their presence on one of the largest social platforms. With added access to expert-led webinars and in-person events, businesses can gain valuable insights and tools to optimize their campaigns, increase visibility, and drive meaningful engagement with TikTok’s massive U.S. user base. The big picture. TikTok is an effective discovery tool for small businesses looking to reach new audiences, especially among younger consumers. The platform’s focus on storytelling and virality has helped level the playing field for local brands. What they’re saying. “At TikTok, we believe small businesses fuel more than the economy—they shape our culture and community on the platform and beyond,” the company said in a statement. What’s next. Small businesses can access the ad credits, webinars, and event registration starting mid-May, with ongoing resources available throughout the year. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Before I moved to Portland, I didn’t understand how passionate people can be about strawberries. But once I started growing strawberries, I came to understand that a disproportionate percentage of berries I grew would be lost to bugs, wildlife, and disease. Since summer is short, I’ve worked hard to minimize my losses, and I have suggestions for protecting these precious garden jewels. Keep strawberries off the ground This is how most people grow strawberries—on the ground. Credit: Amanda Blum Strawberries are a ground cover, spreading through runners, which create the next generation of strawberry plants. Each plant grows berries at the ends of stems, and those berries usually make contact with the ground. There, they are exposed to prolonged moisture from the soil, are easy picking for bugs, and are harder for you to spot for picking. So the obvious answer is to prevent contact with the ground. By planting vertically, I have room for tons of plants, and they're not exposed to the wet soil Credit: Amanda Blum There are plenty of options, including the classic strawberry planter. There are many versions of this traditional terra cotta planter with multiple portholes for berry plants, and you simply plant one in each porthole. In recent years, I’ve seen Pinterest boards inundated with strawberries growing in gutters so you can elevate them above ground. I created a vertical planter, and all of these solutions have some common benefits and challenges. Because you’re not planting in the ground, your plants have less soil to root in, and that soil dries out faster. You’ll need to be conscious of this and ensure you’re using a soil that has additives to hold onto moisture, like potting soil, which usually includes vermiculite and perlite. Make sure that soil has the right fertilizer (strawberries like a slightly acidic soil) and consistent watering systems, so they always have moisture in the soil (but are not soaking wet). This lack of soil protection means your plants lack insulation from winter’s cold, so it’s unlikely your plants will survive from year to year; expect to replace them each spring. That said, I argue it’s worth it, because each plant has excellent exposure to sun, and the berries hang, where they have air flowing around them and are out of reach to soil-bound pests like pill bugs. The berries are easy to spot, and get sun exposure for ripening. This all makes for easy picking. Not for nothing, I love freeing up the ground for other plants. Modern lightweight strawberry planter $27.20 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $59.99 Save $32.79 Shop Now Shop Now $27.20 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $59.99 Save $32.79 3 tier strawberry self watering planter $27.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Shop Now Shop Now $27.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Tall strawberry tower $45.99 at Amazon $59.99 Save $14.00 Shop Now Shop Now $45.99 at Amazon $59.99 Save $14.00 SEE 0 MORE If you can’t go vertical with your berries, and you’re stuck with ground cover, strawberry supports may be the answer. These trellises are like a small platform your berry plant grows through, and they loft your plant enough to keep berries off the ground. The key is to get your the supports on your plant early in the season while the plant is quite small. The nice thing is that there’s nothing particularly advanced about these supports; you can grab them from all sorts of providers, and even 3-D print them yourself. If you grow on the ground using these supports, you should still consider additional pest protections. If nothing else, plant berries at the edge of raised beds, so they'll grow over the edge, and be elevated off the ground. Credit: Amanda Blum How to protect strawberries from pestsIf you’re not going to go vertical, you’ll need to do some work to beat the pests to your harvest. For common strawberry villains like pill bugs, spreading around diatomaceous earth (a silica-based powder commonly called DE) is effective, but it requires multiple applications. DE is popular because it’s “non-toxic” and won’t hurt earthworms or your fruit. Slugs are another berry killer, but DE can’t kill slugs; for effective slug control, you need Sluggo (a slug and snail treatment), which will also require multiple treatments (after rain, etc). The difference is that Sluggo is iron phosphate based, and it can build up in soil; so while it is effective, you don’t want to overuse it. Following the directions is important. The redness of strawberries makes them perfect picking for rodents and birds, and while you can’t fake out a rat (effective rat traps are your only bet), you can fake out birds. Gardeners sometimes paint rocks the approximate size of strawberries the same red color and lay them among the berry plants. Birds will peck the rocks and eventually be trained to leave the berry patch alone. While this one sounds suspect, I’ve been doing it for years, and have seen it work. View the full article

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