The Pocket app allows anyone to create a game. It completely bypasses traditional game development engines. Users just provide a descriptive game idea and Meta’s generative AI does the rest, providing a playable game in seconds.

Gizmos

Meta refers to these AI created games as “Gizmos.” Gizmos are optimized for the smartphone and can use the following:

• Touch controls including tapping, swiping, and dragging.
• Game effects when shaking or tilting the device.
• Sound effects, custom audio tracks, and camera access.

A New Avenue For Meta

Pocket features a discovery feed that allows users to find and play new games built by creators around the world. It also provides a Remix function that allows users adjust other user’s creations by tweaking the original game idea or adding new assets. While the app is not yet widely available in major markets like the US and UK it marks a new avenue for Meta’s AI suite.

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No matter if you’re a restaurant owner, repair shop owner or a law firm, this guide will lead you to a set of clear steps to get more visibility in your local area.

The Google Maps Marketing Context

Google Maps marketing is the technique of making your company more visible, when people look for local services on Google. It begins with your Google Business Profile—the listing that appears in the map results. Google displays a map containing a few businesses listed when a user types in the “plumber near me” query or “best pizza in town” query. The locations of those spots are not arbitrary. Google selects them according to the extent of the business description and trustworthiness.

This is different from regular SEO. You’re not simply optimizing a website. You have a real business listing for your address, hours, photos, reviews and more. All these things can affect whether or not Google displays your business or another’s.

Why Local Search Has Changed How Customers Find Businesses

People used to use phone books or ask friends for recommendations a few years ago. They now remove their phone and they search. Research has indicated that the majority of local searches take place on mobile devices, and that a significant number of mobile local searches result in a visit to a store within 24 hours. That change has revolutionized the way businesses operate locally.

Google maps is a critical determinant at times. There are 3 possibilities on the map that a customer may see. They will consider the star rating, read a few reviews, see the hours and perhaps view photos. This all takes place within one minute. Without a good “image” and ratings, they move on. If it looks good, they select you.

That’s why Google Maps marketing is not something to be considered optional. It’s a place where purchases are made.

The Local Pack and Why You Need to Be in It

This “local pack” is the pack of three businesses that Google displays at the top of local search results. This contains a little map and three listings. This section is prominent over the regular website search results and thus receives a great amount of attention.

One of the best things that a local business could do is get into the local pack. The clicks, calls and visits of the top three businesses are significantly more than those listed lower on the list. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to be there. You must have a good Google Business Profile and a solid local presence.

Below are some of the factors Google considers when identifying which business it will feature in the local pack:

•      Relevance: Do you have a business that fits with what the person is looking for?

•      Distance: How near is your business to the person searching?

•      Familiarity and trust are what’s considered as prominence.

You can impact all three of these factors. Relevance is based on your business description and the categories you select. Distance will not change but the service area can be expanded. Prominence is achieved through reviews, links and business information on the web.

Setting Up and Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is the support of your Google Maps presence. The first thing one should do, if he hasn’t already done it, is to claim it. Log in to Google Business Profile and claim your business. When confirmed, begin filling in all the sections.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

•      Business name: Use of a real business name. Avoid stuffing in keywords.

•      Category: Select the primary category that most closely matches the content of the text. Include secondary categories, if applicable.

•      Address and phone: Ensure they are identical to what’s listed on your site and any other registries.

•      Hours: Continue to update these including holidays.

•      Website link: Link to your home site or specific site.

•      Description: Your offer must be written succinctly and honestly. Use natural language.

•      Photos: Insert a picture of your location, team and products. Photos attract clicks.

A half-filled profile is a lost opportunity. Each blank area is one way that Google could have someone else ahead of you.

How reviews can contribute to the growth of local businesses

One of the most crucial components of local search ranking is reviews. They also have a direct influence on whether a customer will opt for you or not. A business that has 50 four-star reviews will nearly always be better than a business that has 5 reviews, even if the business is better defined as such.

There are no difficult steps to getting more of them. The best way to do this is to make it a friendly request to customers to leave one. This can be done by a follow-up email, text message or in person. Make it easy by providing them a direct link to your Google review page.

It’s also important to respond to reviews. By responding to a positive review, it demonstrates that you care. If you answer a poor review professionally and in a helpful manner, it demonstrates to prospective customers that you can deal with issues effectively. Google also takes review activity into account when ranking businesses.

Avoid purchasing fake reviews. Google is able to find patterns and it will penalize your listing. Even worse, it undermines trust if customers see it.

Google Posts you can use to stay active and visible

However, many business owners are not aware that they can create posts using Google Business Profile. These are short updates that will be displayed right on your listing in search results. They can be utilized for promoting offers, events, new products, or news.

Posts indicate that your listing is active to Google. An active listing will have a better performance than a stale listing. It is not necessary to post every day but a few times a month is good practice.

Keep it simple with your posts. Include:

•      Clear message on what you offer or share.

•      A picture if one is available.

•      Call to action, such as “Call now” or “Learn more”.

This will take 5 minutes and help keep your listing up to date.

Local Citations and the importance of information consistency

Any reference of your business name, address, and telephone number online is a citation. This includes sites such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, TripAdvisor, and other industry specific sites. Citations include verification that your business is legitimate and reliable from Google.

THE key is consistency. Google gets confused if your address is different on different websites. Small things such as “St.” instead of “Street” or an outdated phone number can have a negative effect on ranking. Make sure that your citations are correct and that they do not have any inconsistencies.

It is also beneficial to create additional citations. Become a member of local and industry directories. The more that your business is referenced online, the more authentic Google feels.

Google Maps Ads for Local Businesses

While organic is great, you can also afford to be in Google Maps via Local Search Ads. These ads are located at the top of map results and marked with a small “Sponsored”. They’re helpful when you’re in an area that is competitive or when you need to be seen more quickly when establishing your organic presence.

Local Search Ads are paid-for per click. You choose a budget, and Google displays your ad to those who are looking for your kind of business around your area. The ads can include your phone number, hours, and directions, which will help customers reach you immediately.

It is best to consider if your business is new, hasn’t earned a ranking organically, or if your business is in a market where there is intense competition for the local pack.

Learning to monitor performance and to identify what works

Google Business Profile comes with built-in insights providing information about your customers’ interactions with your profile and ways they find you. You can see:

•      How many customers visited your business as a result of a direct search on your business name, as opposed to a category search.

•      How many of the people that clicked for directions, called you or visited your website.

•      Any keywords that were used to link to your listing.

•      How often your photos were viewed.

These numbers give you a good indication of what works. When the call volume is not high enough, but the direction volume is, perhaps the phone number should be more conspicuous. If the photo views are not high, perhaps it’s time for better photos! The insights provide a point to focus on for improvement.

Monitor progress on a monthly basis. It takes time to get good results in local rankings, but this data keeps you on track.

When to Get Professional Help with Local SEO

It is possible to manage your Google Business Profile on your own, but it can be a time-consuming process. It’s easy to neglect things when you’re busy working on your business. Posts don’t reply to reviews, posts die and the profile goes stale.

Having a local SEO expert or agency will help make a difference. They take care of the technical things, monitor performance and keep things updated. In competitive markets, this type of assistance can frequently pay off rapidly, due to the fact that it brings in more leads and customers.

For instance, companies that have implemented Fort Lauderdale SEO Services will frequently discover that smart incorporation of professional local SEO along with a robust Google Maps plan can result in measurable increases in telephone calls, traffic, and income. Right support gives you the ability to do this without having to do it all on your own.

There are common mistakes that harm Google Maps rankings

There are a lot of businesses that make the same mistakes that are preventing their listings from being seen. Here are the most frequently found ones:

•      When the business name is overstuffed with keywords, Google will penalize it and it doesn’t look professional.

•      Address with a PO box: Google needs a business address for most businesses.

•      Not verifying the listing: Unverified listings are not visible as much.

•      Not responding to negative reviews: It doesn’t look good on Google, nor with visitors.

•      Name, address and phone numbers should be consistent in NAP information.

•      This directly impacts on which search your business will pop up.

•      No photos: Listings without photos don’t receive quite as many clicks.

The solutions are simple and won’t take very long to complete but the potential for improved rankings is great.

The benefits of Google Maps Marketing can be felt for a long time

Google Maps marketing is not a one-time effort. It’s a continuous process. Those that are successful in local search over time are the businesses that are active in their profiles, respond to reviews, post regularly and actively develop citations over time.

The payoff is real. The more visible you are the more calls, more foot traffic, and more money you will have. You don’t need to pay to have your local presence on the website; it will not stop appearing once you stop paying. A robust Google Maps presence continues to serve you from month to month.

Get it down and dirty: claim your profile, complete all of the fields, solicit reviews, and post regularly. Then, build on that. Google Maps is at the heart of local search, one of the most profitable marketing channels for SMBs.

Final Thoughts

If local businesses don’t pay attention to Google Maps, they’re in trouble. It helps customers choose their destinations and phone numbers daily. The strong presence there means more people locate you before they locate your competitors. The path to reach the site is not difficult. Claim your profile, maintain it, earn more reviews, post regularly, and resolve any conflicts in your business data on the web.

These actions build trust with Google and with customers. Over time, that trust turns into higher rankings, more visibility, and more business. Start with what you can do today, and keep improving from there.

The post Why Google Maps Marketing Is Essential for Local Businesses appeared first on SiteProNews.

Design and Customization

The new Meta Glasses come in 26 distinct styles with various colors, lenses, and frames. Meta Glasses are also fully compatible with prescription lenses. The initial launch will offer three distinct frame styles, a classic rectangular shape called Meta Adventurer, a bolder frame design called Meta Fury, and a frame designed with Kylie Jenner called Meta Glasses by Kylie.

Muse Spark AI Features

Meta Glasses are powered by Muse Spark and developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs. The Muse Spark AI assistant is available via a dedicated button on the glasses. The AI assistant is available to help users with local recommendations, schedule management, or location questions.

Additional Hardware Features

Audio and Mic: Open-ear speakers that allow users to listen to media or take calls and the advanced mic provides built-in noise reduction that ensures quality voice calls and commands.

Hands-Free Capture: Enables users to take video or photos on the go.

Battery Life: Over 8 hours of standalone battery life, supplemented by a portable charging case that provides up to 40 hours of additional charge.

The post Meta Glasses Announces Partnership with EssilorLuxottica appeared first on SiteProNews.

A recent study from the British Medical Journal revealed that 85% of Australian children aged 12 to 15 were still actively using social media three months after the ban started. 66% of these children bypassed the restrictions by lying about their birth year or uploading a selfie that was mistaken accepted as being over 16 by an automated verification system.

The government in Australia has stated it will take legal action against the five largest social media platforms for not enforcing the ban. Some social media companies are pushing back against the ban including Reddit, who is launching a free speech challenge in Australia’s High Court.

The social media ban in Australia has shined an light on the dangers of social media for children. Parents are now more willing to monitor their children’s online activity, and social norms around an acceptable age for using social media and smartphones is changing. The world will continue to watch as Australia leads the way.

The post Australia Strengthens its Social Media Ban appeared first on SiteProNews.

The Shortage of Memory and Storage Chips

The reason for the price increases is a severe shortage of memory and storage chips. This shortage is related to the rapid growth of AI data centers, which has caused an unprecedented demand for memory. Memory manufacturers such as Samsung and Micron have been hard pressed to keep up with this demand, leaving far less supply for consumer electronics companies like Apple. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook described the rising in costs as “unsustainable” and stated that product price increases had become “unavoidable”.

Future Outlook

While Apple’s iPhone and the Apple Watch have been spared from the most recent price hikes, this is unlikely to last. It is widely expected that Apple will raise prices for its new iPhone and Apple Watch lines when the devices are announced in the fall.

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In many cases, the factors that impact replacement costs are rarely driven by a singular problem. Beyond the market conditions causing rises in labor and material prices, installation quality can also have a significant effect on a roof’s replacement cost and lifespan. If a roof is poorly installed, it can lead to serious damages to inventory, machinery, and assets sooner than expected while posing a safety hazard for workers and raising reparation costs. Another issue caused by a leaky roof is moisture penetrating the roofing system. Water that enters important sections of a roofing system and damages its structure can create a bigger repair job that leads to more expensive costs. 

Sometimes the size of the building can have a great effect on roofing expenses. Replacing a roof on a warehouse that is about 17,500 square feet will cost less than doing the same thing on a warehouse that is more than 4 million square feet. Increases in square footage means more material, labor, and time will be needed to complete the roofing work and end up hiking the price to possibly millions of dollars. 

While larger buildings are more likely to require a greater investment, replacement costs are also affected by the choice of roofing system. Even two commercial buildings that are close in size can vary quite differently when it comes to replacement costs depending on whether the roofing system is built-up roofing, single ply, or standing seam metal roofing. The specific roofing choice subsequently influences how that roof is installed. Systems can rely on different attachment methods, ranging from mechanical fastening to ballast to secure the roofing materials, with each requiring varying amounts of labor and time commitment that can affect both upfront costs and long-term maintenance costs. 

When it comes to commercial roofing for businesses, they also need to satisfy industry roofing requirements based on the operations. For example, a hospital would prefer a different roof compared to a restaurant. Industry roofing requirements influence what roofing systems and installation methods specific businesses need to use and therefore affect the final roofing price. In some cases, there may even need to be additional change orders made during the installation process if unforeseen construction challenges present, which in turn will affect the original plans and expenses. 

One way to reduce unnecessary expenses is to choose the right roofing system from the very beginning. Additionally, it is important to determine the right management plan after installation is complete. Conducting routine inspections and maintenance plays a big role in how long a system lasts and its overall costs. Keeping drains clean and removing buildup from snow or ice can further alleviate the need for expensive repairs later. But even with proactive maintenance, roofing issues cannot be completely avoided. Damage can still occur when other trades like plumbing and solar access the roof and make uncertified installs or conduct improper maintenance procedures. 

A well-maintained roof can provide even more benefits beyond an extended lifespan. When maintenance records are properly documented, they make it easier to understand a roof’s condition and reassure insurers that the property is being managed responsibly. 

Even with regular maintenance a roof can still encounter issues that lead to damage. So businesses often need additional protection in the form of warranties, which can increase upfront costs. However, a good roof warranty can last a long time while providing protection against really extensive damage and increasing the value of commercial facilities. Businesses can choose between a manufacturing warranty that typically covers defects in the roofing materials, or a workmanship warranty that addresses issues associated with the installation work. 

When deciding on the best warranty, the best option for businesses is to get both a manufacturing and workmanship warranty from a reliable warranty provider. It is crucial for businesses to follow warranty requirements as well since failing to do so can jeopardize coverage. Unauthorized roof modifications, poor maintenance practices, and undocumented services can all affect warranty eligibility and reduce the value of the warranty leading to even greater costs. 

Commercial roof replacements do not immediately become expensive the day they need a replacement. The expenses build up over time through multiple decisions like the roofing system, installation technique, maintenance practices and warranty choice which all influence how long a commercial roof can last. While rising labor and material costs are out of our control, businesses that focus more of their attention on a long-term approach to roof management are more likely to avoid premature replacements and reduce unexpected repair expenses.

The post What is Raising Commercial Roof Prices? appeared first on SiteProNews.

Credit scores are absolutely not fixed numbers, and may differ more than people realize. Several people who compared their scores from the various reporting agencies noticed that at least one of the scores differed by about 10 points. Others had a score that differed by at least 20 points while certain cases found a score that differed by 40 points or more. This means many consumers’ credit scores could look different depending on which reporting agency’s report is used, either making their credit scores look weaker or stronger than they actually are. With the tri-merge standard, this discrepancy is reduced by using more than one data source to determine a reliable credit score that accurately portrays a borrower’s financial profile. 

It may seem like a 20-point difference in credit scores is not too important. But when considering a mortgage loan, the smallest difference in credit scores can mean putting someone within a different credit range or even tier. These changes can then affect one’s interest rates, loan pricing, mortgage insurance costs, and overall borrowing costs. And these changes are not small. A move to a different credit range can increase costs by thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. So depending on just a single data source may result in a borrower being priced incorrectly. 

Furthermore, each of the reporting agencies not holding the exact same information means some tradelines are absent from several reports, payment histories will have inconsistencies, and risk indicators might go unnoticed. Using just one reporting agency makes it highly likely that some important financial information might be missing from the final credit score. But with a complete data set, blind spots can be reduced and a more accurate evaluation of borrower risk is produced. 

A non-tri-merge standard approach creates a situation where people may gravitate towards “score shopping”, which refers to the phenomena where borrowers or originators pick the credit score that produces the best lending outcome. It is estimated that about 9% of consumers could potentially inflate their apparent credit score by 20 or more points if they use the highest available score instead of the tr-merge standard method. Unfortunately, if more people are inclined to “score shop,” this could dilute the overall risk performance and make risk assessment more inaccurate and difficult to do. 

If credit scores are no longer reliable, this could lead investors to respond unfavorably as these investors rely on accurate credit data to estimate risk, expected returns, and financial performance of borrowers. If credit scores introduce increased unpredictability, investors may view mortgages as riskier and demand higher returns to compensate for the risk. As a result, borrowers will suffer from higher interest rates. 

Some think that using fewer data sets to create a credit score could reduce costs. Although obtaining fewer reports can lower initial expenses at first, this will be short-lived. A large financial burden will be put on lenders in the form of “unrecouped fallout,” which refers to applications that enter the mortgage credit lending process but never end up closing. In these cases, lenders will have wasted time and resources evaluating loans that will lead to lost costs when the transactions do not finalize. Instead of reducing data sources, lenders can gain better savings if they use techniques such as using soft credit pulls early in the process, providing reliable cost estimates, and improving the overall borrower qualification screening. 

It is interesting to note that lower-scoring borrowers experience more of a score discrepancy between the top reporting agencies than higher-scoring borrowers. So reducing available data could significantly affect those whose credit profiles are already harder to evaluate accurately. A fuller data set can make risk evaluations more accurate for these borrowers and provide lenders with more confidence in making the right lending decision. 

When it comes to mortgage credit lending, accuracy and consistency are crucial for comprehending a borrower’s actual financial behavior. With the tri-merge standard, risk assessment can be properly perceived, loan pricing can be accurately calculated, investor confidence is boosted, and consistent lending choices are made while limiting the risk of score manipulation. Although using one data set sounds easier and lower costs in the short term, the long-term uncertainty could ultimately result in greater costs and risks later down the mortgage lifecycle.

The post Why Do We Still Use the Tri-Merge Standard in Mortgage Lending? appeared first on SiteProNews.

As with a great many other things in life, what makes a campaign successful varies from an incomplete to complete data set. Businesses who use data appending services experience higher rates of engagement, better email deliverability, and faster sales cycle times. This article explains how data appending companies work to solve this dilemma.

The Silent Cost of Incomplete Contact Data

Marketing Managers in B2B companies know the frustration. One campaign launch that everyone had hoped would be successful bounces back. Phone numbers are no good. Potential clients can’t be reached because their information is incorrect. The costs of a failed campaign are staggering.

Incomplete data creates various problems:

• A campaign falls short of its goal simply because your contact information is not up-to-date.
• Marketing automation tools flag invalid addresses, damaging sender reputation.
• Salespeople waste time validating information rather than selling.
• Without business information, lead scoring is ineffective.
• Budget allocating fails because targeting criteria are based on imperfect information.

The cost of poor B2B database management gradually builds. Let’s say a marketing administrator manages 50,000 contacts but discovers 30 percent of the contacts are missing crucial data, resulting in 15,000 lost leads. If the average deal is $50,000, that represents a lost opportunity of $750 million.

In general, company records in B2B databases degrade catastrophically due to work profile changes, relocations, mergers and acquisitions, and role transitions. This deterioration happens regardless of maintenance efforts. A recent survey cited that around 23% of email lists in B2B databases degrade and become invalid every year. Phone numbers change. Job titles evolve. Without intervention, databases become progressively less valuable.

Understanding Data Appending: Beyond the Basics

Data appending services address this issue by adding missing information to existing customer records through verifiable data sources. Unlike data cleansing that removes duplicates and errors, data appending adds new or additional data to existing customer records in databases.

Data appending companies operate differently than data acquisition providers. Instead of selling new contact lists, they enhance existing databases. An organization provides a list of 10,000 prospects. The data append company matches these records against proprietary databases containing billions of verified contacts. Missing details like direct phone numbers, mobile contact information, email addresses, and company intelligence get added to matching records.

The decision to outsource data appending services makes sense for several reasons:

• Accuracy: Data appending companies verify their information constantly.
• Scale: Appending solutions employed by outsourcing partners append millions of records within minutes, making large-scale enrichment extremely efficient.
• Compliance: Professional suppliers adhere to stringent compliance procedures during the appending process.
• Time: It would take months of internal time to append what vendors do in days.

As before, the organization submits the contact information. The data append company then performs fuzzy matching against the matched sources. Information is validated to fill the gaps. The enriched database is returned to the organization with a confidence score.

The Three Critical Gaps Most B2B Databases Share

Marketing administrators see three types of data gaps, and knowing what gaps to close helps them determine if data appending services would help them.

1. Missing Contact Details

Most visible is the absence of basic contact information such as company name and general email address, but not:

• Direct phone numbers for decision-makers.
• Mobile phone numbers for field contact.
• Personnel email addresses verified outside corporate systems.
• Correct job titles and department assignments.
• Job profiles for relationship building.

Hence, marketing teams have to work around this gap. They spend hours on LinkedIn searching; they call their companies’ main numbers to find departments; they try out different types of emails to make sure that what they send reaches the right person. Their manual labor lessens the impact of their campaigns.

2. Outdated Company Intelligence

In another case, the company’s records may contain outdated information: the name of the company, its age, the type of business etc.

• For more detail please read the information from our previous earnings report.
• Old classifications of industries that changed.
• The old leadership teams are replaced.
• False company size estimates.
• Change in status in connection with a merger or acquisition.

Such a disconnect can be especially harmful for account-based marketing programs. Targeting criteria may become unreliable. A prospect who appears to be a “startup” may have grown to mid-market size. A company that appears unsuitable for solutions may have recently purchased another.

3. Behavioral Signals That Reveal Buying Intent

The third is actionable intelligence about buying signals. Records are missing:

• Recent job changes in target accounts.
• Information about the stack of technology for compatibility.
• Various funding announcements for growth investments.
• Industry event attendance.
• Website behavior and content consumption signals.

Professional B2B data appending firms address all three gaps by drawing upon various data sources — workforce databases, company registrations, technology tracking, and business intelligence systems — to support the appending process. This results in a real-world database that is no longer just a collection of snapshots.

Real Impact: How Better Data Changes Campaign Results

Theoretically not so important. Organizations that use data appending services see significant improvements in several metrics.

I. Deliverability Improvements

Each bounce hurts the sender’s reputation. Email service providers pay attention to bounce rates. The highest bounce rates trigger filters that send legitimate messages to spam folders. Using data appending services reduces bounce rates greatly. Organizations saw a tremendous drop in bounce rates after implementing data appending services. Email marketers are now able to run successful email campaigns that had once failed.

II. Engagement Rate Increases

Reaching the right person matters. When marketers reach decision-makers directly and not via departmental inboxes, response rates increase. Organizations report higher email open rates with an addition. If emails go to the right people, they also report higher click-through rates.

III. Faster Sales Cycles

Databases with correct contact information help an organization to accelerate sales interactions. Sales team members with valid phone numbers can connect with prospects quickly and in a big way. Salespeople with accurate job titles and descriptions understand the decision-makers and can properly match their offers to those of the company. Industrial categories or service details, such as the name of the company, can help them pitch their offerings well and close deals as soon as possible. These factors reduce sales time.

IV. Improved Lead Scoring Accuracy

Lead scoring with marketing automation tools is only possible with accurate data. Firm size, industry type, and lead-based engagements all influence the lead scoring process. Imperfect or incomplete data means poor lead scoring, as sales teams pursue low-quality leads and ignore potential leads. B2B data appending services ensure a smooth operation of the scoring algorithms.

Choosing the Right Data Append Company for Your Needs

Marketing administrators should be aware that not all data appending outsourcing services providers will provide equal quality and support. They should conduct a thorough evaluation of all vendors before signing up with them.

The following selection criteria are asked during the initial stage of the selection process:

• What data sources are used by the vendors to append data? Proprietary databases are more precise than public data repositories.
• How frequently are records updated? The data are refreshed on a monthly basis more often than every year.
• What match rates does the vendor say they achieve? Vendors should provide examples of projects or portfolios that show consistent match rates of added records.
• How does the vendor ensure the quality of the data? Be sure the team that pushed the data has gone through multiple stages of verification.
• What compliance certifications does the vendor have? GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 are the top compliance certifications in the regulated industries.
• Can the vendor connect ad-hoc data to existing marketing applications? An API connection eliminates the need for implementation.

Administrators should ask for data samples as well. A reputable vendor should offer examples of appended records to show the quality of enriched information. Ask about confidence scores. Many vendors provide levels of confidence for matches. These ratings allow teams to identify which records to trust completely.

Integrating Appended Data Into Your Marketing Stack

But this is only the beginning. Smart integration converts this data into marketing advantage.

• Prioritize Segmentation: Segment newly appended business data based on industry type, company size, revenue range, and location. Develop separate campaigns targeting specific segments with tailored messages. A mid-market manufacturing company receives different messages than a financial enterprise.
• Next, Activate Direct Contact Channels: Phone numbers and mobile contacts are valuable for outbound calling campaigns. Initiate direct calls with valuable prospects and combine email outreach with phone follow-up for greater engagement and conversion outcomes.
• Implement Progressive Profiling Through Web Forms: Rather than requesting all information upfront, progressively enrich business profiles as visitors engage. The website recognizes returning visitors and selectively requests new details, improving form completion rates while accumulating additional data points.
• Establish Measurement Processes: Monitor campaign performance before and after data appending. Evaluate open rates, click rates, and conversion rates. Document the revenue impact of improved data quality. This documentation justifies continued investment in data appending outsourcing services.

Moving Forward: Making Better Decisions With Complete Data

Marketing teams that work with a data appending service provider have a competitive advantage over the competitors in more than managing campaigns. They have also established sustainable processes for database management.

Marketing executives can plan and execute a scheduled database refresh. Rather than adding another record to your database, add to your data cycle annually or semi-annually. This keeps the database current with prospects who change jobs, move companies, or enter new markets. A rolling database refresh maintains database quality rather than degrading.

Stakeholders consider the quality of data when conducting lead capture activities. Real-time appending during form submissions. When a prospect provides a minimum amount of information, the system adds it immediately to the records for completeness, eliminating the need for marketing staff to manually enter information.

Marketers should document their internal benchmarks. Know the baseline metrics before adding them. Measure open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and conversion rates over time. These metrics will tell you how quality improvement projects affect your business.

The post How Data Appending Services Fill the Gaps in your B2B Contact Database and Expand Marketing Reach appeared first on SiteProNews.

Some view the Ivy League as a gateway to the upper echelons of society and the name on the
diploma as a golden ticket to elite investment banks, MBB consulting firms, and exclusive graduate and
scholar programs worldwide. This pretty picture of life on the other side of an Ivy League leads parents
to spend thousands of dollars on college admissions help, creating a new market for firms like Ivy
Brothers and prompting more and more competitors to pop up.

However, the outlook post graduation is very different today than it has ever been. In 2026, the
tech industry is experiencing growth unlike ever before. The AI boom is creating structural changes to
the economy parallel to the Industrial Revolution, when the steam engine and energy transformed
labor and manufacturing. Today, AI is revolutionizing cognition. With this, the learning curve to learn
a skill has been mitigated, democratizing trade specific knowledge. On one hand, this leveling out of
skillsets might put further emphasis on status and name brand colleges to help employers select
candidates. On the other hand, employers might bypass scanning the resume and intensify the
technical rigor of the interview. If this is the case, students don’t need Columbia’s core curriculum or
fancy colonial colleges. So, what really is the ROI of a prestigious degree?

Prestige will never cease to matter, but as we – allegedly – move from aristocracy to
meritocracy, there are caveats to how much it matters for job placement. The way it matters, where it
matters, and who goes to benefit most all play a role.

The “Target School” Pipeline

To find where prestige still holds its same weight, you have to look at industries where tradition
is still strong. These industries are the ones that rely on elite universities and the Bermuda Triangle of
Talent for a solid and dependable pipeline of employees. Careers in high finance like investment
banking and private equity, and management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG, all fall
under this category.

In these specific sectors, the concept of “target school” still thrives. They dedicate their
recruiting efforts to a select group of universities, holding panels and networking events on campus. It’s
a way of actively courting students for their jobs. There is also the virtuous cycle where many Ivy
League alumni end up at these firms, so current undergraduates can connect with them, get the same
jobs, and then coffee chat with the next cohort.

It’s possible that you can still break into one of these firms coming from a non-target school,
but it requires aggressive networking, more cold emailing, and, at the end of the day, some luck that
your resume gets read by a real person and not filtered out because the wrong school is in your
education section.

Globally, JP Morgan receives 630,000 applicants for only 4,000 spots. Since these firms have an
abundance of inbound applications, they streamline their process by using elite universities as a
pre-screening mechanism.

The Tech Industry Equalizer

In Silicon Valley, the scale tips away from the Ivy League. The Valley has prided itself on being
a meritocracy, with an ethos that code speaks louder than credentials. The interviews for software
engineering and high-growth startups are centered around grueling technicals. It’s not uncommon to
see a LinkedIn post where a founder’s only qualification is that a person is smart.

Having deep, specialized expertise and projects to go alongside it is crucial for these developer
roles. While it may be naive to imagine that a T20 computer science degree might help get your foot in
the door, for startups, where the teams are small, a good personality and skillset can be just as effective.

One important stipulation is that tech jobs have more of a corporate side. This could be
FAANG or startups that have moved far past the seed phase. Here, traditional credentialism can come
back, especially for non-technical roles like strategy, operations, and venture capital.

The Value of the Network

The degree isn’t everything, but the people you meet are. Connections are everything. The
same career-accelerating mechanism that allows nepotism to work can be enlisted by building
friendships with future titans of industry. Horizontal networking is one of the greatest benefits to the
Ivy League. Powerful people make sure their kids get into Ivies, but you’ll also find yourself
surrounded by self-starters.

Elite universities also have unparalleled access to world-class professors and research facilities.
The clout from an .edu email can also help lock down speakers or conversations with people who may
otherwise ignore cold messages.

This, however, is something that goes untapped by a lot of students at these schools. People
who hyperfocus on the degree can miss out on the thing that propels them the most from attending
one of these schools. The network is a quieter benefit to the Ivy League, but arguably the most
game-changing.

The Final Verdict

Does prestige matter in 2026?

Yes. It is a reliable way to open doors for students. It boosts students up by putting their
resume on top or securing them an email response from top executives. However, the opportunity can
be fumbled. It is increasingly secondary to your actual skills, your portfolio, and your ability to execute
your ideas in the real world. When those who got in forget the work that comes after, students from
any school can fill that place.

A degree from Yale will amplify your hard work, but relying on the name of your school alone
without the specialized expertise to back it up is a strategy that is rapidly losing its effectiveness in 2026.

The post Does Prestige Matter for Job Placements in 2026? appeared first on SiteProNews.

The move marks the end of password-based authentication for the browser’s built-in manager and a broader shift toward passwordless authentication across the Microsoft ecosystem. Users will now be required to use device-based authentication methods, such as Windows Hello (PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition) to access their saved passwords in Edge. It’s the latest move in Microsoft’s offensive against passwords, pushing the world toward a passwordless future of passkeys and biometrics. If you haven’t set up Windows Hello yet, you should act now.

Ignas Valancius, VP of engineering at the cybersecurity company NordPass, comments:

“By disabling the master password in Edge, Microsoft isn’t just changing a setting — they’re forcing a change in habit. While biometrics and passkeys are considered more convenient and secure than passwords, this ‘cold turkey’ transition might become unpleasant for users who prefer to hold on to their passwords.

“And there absolutely are people who prefer passwords, because we’re creatures of habit. We can all relate to that feeling of being in a comfort zone and not wanting to change anything. Users who want to stick with a master password can easily find alternatives in third-party password managers. But personally I think a push toward passwordless authentication is a positive development.

“When people manage too many passwords, they tend to reuse them or create simple variations, such as changing a single letter or number. This practice creates significant vulnerabilities — if one of these accounts is breached, all other accounts sharing the same or a similar password become compromised.

“Microsoft began phasing out password authentication last year, starting with its Authenticator app. Passwords and autofill features were moved to the password manager built into the Microsoft Edge browser (similar to how the Google Chrome manager works).

“At the end of February 2026, the company removed support for master passwords in the browser. While it was no longer possible to create a new master password, existing ones continued to function — until now. After June 4, 2026, legacy master passwords will stop working entirely, and users will be able to access the password manager via device authentication only.

“Such steps taken by Big Tech companies have likely helped reduce the number of passwords people juggle. Our recent research shows that the average number of passwords an individual manages dropped from 168 in 2024 to 120 in 2026, with work-related passwords seeing a similar decrease from 87 to 67.

“Users are increasingly opting for the convenience of logging in through single sign-on (SSO) with their primary account, such as Google, Apple, or Facebook. The growing adoption and promotion of password alternatives like passkeys, Apple Face IDs, Windows Hello, and WebAuthn are contributing to this long-awaited decline. Our own offering of passkeys may also have played a role in this trend.”

The post Microsoft Pulls The Plug On Passwords appeared first on SiteProNews.

Because of AI-generated summaries, many users turn to zero-click searches, as they no longer need to click through results page links. In this article, we discuss how AI-powered search engines select what content appears in their results and how to adapt both classic SEO concepts and new GEO tactics to optimize content for AI search.

How AI Has Changed Modern Search

To better conceptualize how search engines choose what content appears in their answers, you first need to understand how AI has shifted the way that modern search engines function. The main focus of classic SEO strategies was to optimize content through keyword placement, internal linking, technical SEO, and related tactics to get a site’s webpages to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs).

The main objective of generative engine optimization (GEO) is to optimize content and data so they can be mentioned and cited in AI-generated summaries. Although your site’s content still needs to be understandable to your human audience, it also has to be highly digestible and easily summarized by large language models (LLMs) that power AI-powered search engines.

What Is Retrieval-Augmented Generation?

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is the core mechanism behind AI search engines. This process starts with the traditional setup: a user submits their query, and the program retrieves relevant and authoritative source documents via a standard search index.

What makes RAG so unique is that it creates a prompt that combines the user’s original query with relevant indexed sources and instructs a large language model (LLM) to generate a synthesized answer that fully covers the topic. The final step of the process is the mechanism that provides citations linking back to supporting sources, so the user knows where each unique piece of information originated.

Adapting to AI-Friendly SEO Tactics

Because modern search engines now work so differently, businesses have to evolve their SEO strategies to stay relevant. Thankfully, some SEO fundamentals that worked for past search algorithms remain important for GEO, including keyword placement, backlinking, technical SEO, and mobile optimization. 

There are, however, distinct ways to optimize these aspects to help content be seen and chosen by AI search. Effectively combining traditional SEO with new GEO concepts is the best way to rework your content and create new content that is likely to appear in AI-generated answers.

Traditional SEO Tactics that Still Matter

Some AI visibility beginners might think that classic search engine optimization tactics no longer matter, but there are several that help get your webpages included in the traditional index that AI search engines give to their large language models before generating an answer to the user’s query.

Listed below are some traditional SEO tactics that still help improve AI visibility:

• Internal Linking
• Backlinking
• Keyword placement
• Indexability
• Technical SEO
• On-page SEO
• Mobile optimization

Internal Linking

Internal linking helps organize your site’s content so that AI systems can crawl it more efficiently. The bots and LLMs do not view each webpage in isolation but rather as part of a comprehensive whole, and a well-organized website should have major landing pages linked to supporting cluster pages.

Internal links help the AI systems behind modern search engines contextualize how different topics and subtopics are related to one another. AI search engines aim to provide users with the most comprehensive answers to their queries, so a deep, contextual understanding of your site increases the likelihood that it will be mentioned or cited.

Backlinking

Getting other sites to link back to your site’s webpages used to help traditional search algorithms decide how high a piece of content might rank in SERPs, but the indirect value of backlinking is now to increase domain authority.

Websites linking to your webpages signal to AI search engines that your brand is authoritative and trustworthy, and these backlinks are even more valuable if they come from larger, more reputable websites relevant to your industry. Backlinks tend to result from comprehensive,  accurate content; they help drive referral traffic and can help form relationships with other brands.

Keyword Placement

Before they give the user’s query and relevant indexed sources to the large language model, search engines first have to go through the basic process of identifying the most relevant keywords in the user query and finding content that utilizes those keywords. It is also important to ensure that keywords are naturally incorporated into the content (rather than keyword stuffing).

Any business that wants its content to appear in AI answers should focus first on the most important keywords in its industry. Long-tail keywords are a helpful focus here because users often type longer, more complex phrases into search engines, and those need to be included as well. Businesses can even hire SEO agencies to identify long-tail keywords and other factors to refine their current content strategy.

Indexability

Your site’s indexability remains paramount to AI visibility because LLMs draw from and cite indexed sources in their synthesized answers. AI search engines use bots to crawl the internet for the sources they use to generate answers, so you need content that can be reached, rendered, and stored.

Brands that want to ensure their site is indexable need to ensure that major AI systems (e.g., Google, ChatGPT, Yandex AI) are not blocked in their robots.txt files. This can happen accidentally, so double-check that your site’s content can be reached. Businesses also need to fix technical issues such as broken internal links, redirect loops, or duplicate content.

Technical SEO

Improving your site’s technical SEO helps create the conditions for AI systems to retrieve information and interpret it accurately. The bots that AI-powered search engines use must quickly crawl your webpages to gather the information they need for AI-generated summaries.

Technical SEO starts with fixing any loading issues or errors and removing content clutter or messy coding to maintain high crawlability and speed. Every website should also have a clean infrastructure with machine-readable data formats, AI bot permissions, entity disambiguation, etc.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is about optimizing individual webpages so that they are easily read and understood by both humans and machines. The objective here is to have content with clear meaning, simple, clean formatting, and consistent context, rather than endless paragraphs stuffed with target keywords.

To improve each webpage’s on-page SEO, ensure all content is well-structured with descriptive headings. Use title tags, headers, subheaders, meta descriptions, and other logical hierarchies to help a page both rank in indexed search and be cited by popular AI systems.

Mobile Optimization

Major AI search engines, especially Google, tend to use mobile-first indexing when they are crawling the web. This means that the mobile version of your site is the primary version that is both crawled and indexed.

The basics of mobile optimization start with avoiding images that affect loading times, using large fonts, and avoiding buttons that are hard to click. Having webpages fully optimized for mobile devices also makes your content more legible to AI systems and serves as an indirect signal of authority.

New GEO Concepts to Utilize

Once you’ve gotten all of the SEO basics down, it is time to incorporate some new concepts based on generative engine optimization (GEO) so that you can make sure your site is completely AI-friendly.

Listed below are new GEO concepts that can majorly help improve your site’s AI visibility:

• Intent
• Citation
• Structure
• Schema markup
• Authority and trustworthiness
• Content freshness

Intent

One of the most unique things about AI-powered search engines is that they look for the intent behind a user’s query rather than just focusing on keywords. These LLMs are trained to focus on meaning, context, and how different topics connect so that a user’s question can be fully understood and then answered.

For example, Google’s AI Mode uses a query fan-out method, breaking the user’s query into several subtopics and running multiple queries at once to achieve a deeper understanding than a traditional search engine would. As a result, these new AI systems are looking for content that comprehensively covers and understands a range of topics and subtopics.

Citation

AI search engines also tend to include content that can expertly cite the sources behind its information. They especially prefer specific and verifiable data over more vague statements, meaning. For example, a webpage dedicated to the rising literacy rates among young adults should include exact percentages over periods of time, using reputable sources.

Using citations naturally makes AI systems consider your content more authoritative and thus more citation-worthy. Try to add sources whenever mentioning specific data or facts, add statistics wherever applicable, and include expert quotations. These new models want content that is dense with specific information in addition to having the right keywords and quality backlinks.

Structure

How content is structured helps AI search engines decide whether or not to include it in their summarizing answers. The visual organization of each webpage must be clean and consistent, with direct questions paired with clear answers, so that AI systems can use them directly in answers to similar user queries.

AI systems use your on-page HTML formatting to understand your content’s structure, so you can help guide them by focusing on headings, bulleted lists, and other essential structural elements. Include relevant FAQs at the bottom of webpages, especially landing pages, and break content into smaller, focused sections rather than cramming it into a single long paragraph.

Semantic Chunking

Semantic chunking is the GEO-focused process of turning content into information that has standalone clarity. Every definition, statistic, or concept needs to be presented in a form that AI systems can extract without much surrounding context. To put it another way, make it easy for these models to lift facts and figures from your webpage without having to read the rest of it.

Definition-First Content

Part of your site’s organizational structure should emphasize definition-first content. Webpages that open with a clear, direct definition of the topic currently being discussed are much more likely to be cited by AI-powered search engines. Focus less on using traditional narrative-style formatting with keyword placement and instead get straight to the most relevant answer to a user’s related queries before expanding further.

Schema Markup

Schema markup is an incredibly technical GEO concept that refers to how data is structured on your site. A schema is a type of code that helps AI-powered search engines understand your content by providing unique labels that identify plain text as reviews, products, FAQs, etc.

FAQPage, HowTo, and QAPage are the most popular examples of GEO-focused schema markup because they structure your content as direct answers to unique questions. If these AI systems can easily contextualize the information on each of your webpages, they easily convert said information into quick answers to user queries.

Authority and Trustworthiness

AI search engines also tend to only include content from authoritative and trustworthy sources. For example, Google has explicitly mentioned that its AI systems use a framework called E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Sites that want to end up in a Google AI Overview need high-quality content that signals these specific characteristics.

To improve your site’s brand authority, prioritize accuracy by using facts and citing high-quality sources whenever you provide specific data and statistics. Quality backlinking also signals your authority, as does forming strategic partnerships with more established names in your specific industries.

Content Freshness

Content that has been recently published or updated is also more likely to be cited by AI search engines. The bots and LLMs behind these new systems tend to index and include content published or updated within 3 months of the user’s query submission date.

To maintain content freshness, keep a regular publishing schedule and post unique, relevant content. Keep tabs on emerging trends within your industry and update your content frequently. To help AI search engines determine that your content is fresh, display “last updated” dates at the top of each webpage.

AI Visibility Success Metrics

Since the implementation of AI has changed how content appears in search engine results, sites need to adopt new success metrics. Some standard SEO-related metrics like clicks, impressions, and search volume are still important to track, but they don’t give the entire picture of how your site’s content is being included in AI search.

Mentions refer to how often your specific brand is mentioned in AI-generated answers, and citations refer to how often your specific brand is authoritatively cited in those same answers. To deepen the context, brand sentiment helps explain how those brand mentions were perceived, and competitive share of voice reflects your site’s percentage of mentions and citations relative to competitors.

Share of Model

Share of model is a new AI visibility metric that measures how often your brand is mentioned or cited across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. To properly track the share of the model, you have to determine how often your brand appears and is cited in AI-generated answers while also tracking citation sentiment, share of voice across different AI platforms, and AI-referred traffic (through GA4 attribution).

Key Takeaways

Modern search engines function very differently from how they did before the implementation of AI. If your site wants its content to be selected as answers by AI search engines like Google or Yandex, your content strategy needs to be updated accordingly. Certain traditional SEO tactics, such as quality backlinking and mobile optimization, remain useful for getting webpages indexed by AI systems.

Businesses also need to incorporate new GEO-focused concepts, including query intent, schema markup, brand authority, and content freshness. Sites that achieve both SEO and GEO success are more likely to have their content included in AI-generated answers, and these instances can be measured using new metrics such as brand sentiment and competitive share of voice.

The post How Do AI-Powered Search Engines Choose What Content Appears in Answers? appeared first on SiteProNews.

In my experience working on many acquisitions, currently in EdTech at Banyan Software, I’ve seen deals that worked out well for founders and some that didn’t. The difference usually comes down to how prepared the founder was before the process began.

Founders who succeed in a sale process share a common trait: they have done their homework in a few key areas of their business. I have outlined my top five below.

1. Set clear goals before you start

Know what you want to accomplish by selling your company. Define a clear, prioritized set of objectives for the sale process. These goals might include maximizing purchase price, de-risking your personal balance sheet, finding a buyer that can accelerate growth, or preserving the culture you’ve built with your team and customers. These goals aren’t always compatible, and in my experience, founders who enter a process with clear priorities tend to find the right buyer rather than defaulting to the highest bid.

2. Deliver a compelling elevator pitch and growth story

Confidently articulate an elevator pitch that explains why your company is a valuable, defensible business. Following that, be prepared to detail your company’s value propositions and key differentiators, the segments of the market you serve, and your ideal customer profiles. Put simply: why do customers choose you, why do they stay, and where do the most compelling growth opportunities lie? The founders I’ve seen succeed in a sale process can tell that story with conviction and specificity, generating genuine excitement among would-be buyers.

3. Understand the risks and opportunities of AI

AI would not have made my list six months ago. Today, it presents perhaps the most important threat and set of opportunities a vertical SaaS business faces. In every conversation you have with a buyer, they will want to understand how you’re using AI to improve operations, accelerate product development, and deliver more value to customers, all in measurable terms. They will also want to know you’ve thought seriously about the risks: competitive disruption, the cost of execution, and how AI may shift what your customers need from you. Founders who can speak to both fluently stand out. Founders who can’t raise questions about how the business will compete going forward.

4. Know your numbers, your P&L, and your sales pipeline

Be prepared to speak to the details of how your company makes money and how it spends, because buyers will dig into every key metric and underlying detail. Understand KPIs such as EBITDA, net revenue, GAAP vs. cash accruals, new logo pipeline, and net revenue retention, as you will be expected to speak to each with authority, backing your company’s financial projections with data. We, buyers, will also closely monitor your execution against projections during the sale process itself. Knowing your numbers and hitting targets in the lead-up to close will put you in a great position to secure a fair, firm valuation.

5. Understand deal structure and buyer type, not just headline price

The terms of a deal and the operating model of the buyer will shape what your life looks like after the transaction closes, sometimes more than the price itself. I’ve seen founders focus entirely on valuation and end up in a structure that didn’t serve them or their team well. Understand how a buyer approaches company leadership post-acquisition, where they typically invest, and where they cut costs. On the financial side, examine whether earnout targets are realistic or structured in a way that’s unlikely to pay out. Consider how their strategic vision aligns with yours. There are different buyer types: permanent capital, growth-focused PE, and strategic acquirers. Each has fundamentally different answers to these questions. Banyan Software, for example, acquires businesses with the intention of holding them permanently, which shapes everything from how we approach leadership transitions to where we invest post-close. Understanding which model fits your goals is as important as understanding valuation.

The founders I’ve seen complete a sale process successfully are well prepared from the outset. They are clear on their goals, have a compelling growth story, and are fluent in their numbers. That preparation allows them to find the right buyer and get a deal done faster, with less stress, and with the legacy of their business intact.

The post Five Keys to Successfully Selling a Founder-Led SaaS Business appeared first on SiteProNews.

For Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report, we surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners to understand their concerns and strategies around marketing for 2026. While they see the current economic hurdles loud and clear, the vast majority are refusing to hit the brakes. Instead of cutting back, they’re doubling down.

Instead of shrinking their marketing budgets, small businesses are hitting the accelerator: 68% of small business owners expect their marketing budgets to increase in 2026, while 74% expect the time they spend on marketing to increase this year.

The message is clear: the winning strategy isn’t to hide out until the storm passes. It’s to invest your time and money into the growth driver of your business — your marketing — to come out stronger on the other side.

Investing in What Already Works

So where is all that investment going? It’s flowing directly into the proven, high-impact digital channels that small businesses believe in most.

When we asked which channels they expect to provide the most value this year, the answer was decisive: 68% expect social media (both organic posting and paid ads) to be their most valuable channel, with email marketing following at 41%.

The takeaway is simple. The smartest businesses are concentrating their efforts on a powerhouse duo of social media and email — channels they trust to deliver measurable results.

AI Becomes a Practical Growth Tool

And there’s a new tool in the toolbox helping them do more with less. Fifty-four percent of small businesses are already using AI and another 27% plan to start this year, relying on it for tasks like analyzing trend data (45%), writing emails or other content (44%), and creating images (40%). Businesses aren’t replacing their strategy — they’re enhancing it.

Your 2026 Playbook: How to Double Down the Right Way

You’ve seen what other small businesses are doing. Here’s how to turn those insights into your own action plan.

Tip #1: Master Your High-Value Channels to Be Seen

Small businesses are putting their faith in social media and email marketing because they believe these channels will deliver the most value. The move isn’t just to use them — it’s to master them.

Don’t just post — connect. Don’t just send emails — build relationships. This is where your marketing investment will work the hardest, so make every dollar (and every minute) count by focusing your energy on what works and get your business seen.

Tip #2: Make AI Your New Assistant

One of the biggest hurdles for any small business owner is the never-ending need to create fresh content. We know the pain of staring at a blank page when you have a million other things to do.

Consider joining the 81% of small businesses that are already embracing or planning to use AI this year, and use it to tackle the “blank page” problem for good.

Ask it to analyze trends to find out what your audience wants to hear about. Or let AI compose a first draft of your next email newsletter, turning an hour of work into 10 minutes of editing.

Think of AI as your assistant freeing you from time-consuming manual tasks so you can focus on big-picture strategy.

Tip #3: Put Your Marketing on Autopilot

Working harder isn’t the answer; working smarter is. With 50% of small businesses prioritizing efficiency, the goal is to get more done with less manual effort.

That means having a system that works for you even when you’re not working. Use a single platform that can streamline and automate your high-value channels. Instead of jumping between tools, manage your social media and email marketing in one place.

Then use automation to handle repetitive tasks. Set up a welcome series for new subscribers, automatically send abandoned cart reminders, or schedule a month’s worth of social posts in one sitting.

Realism Meets Strategic Resolve

While small businesses are feeling economic pressure, they aren’t just hoping for the best; they’re actively planning for success. Fifty percent are prioritizing “improving efficiency,” and 36% are creating or refining their marketing strategy to ensure they succeed in the year ahead.

What does this tell us? Small business owners have a healthy dose of realism — but an even bigger dose of strategic resolve. They know the environment is tough, but they’re betting on their ability to work smarter in order to succeed.

2026 Is Not a Year to Sit on the Sidelines

The message from small businesses is loud and clear: 2026 is not a year for sitting on the sidelines. Despite economic challenges, the overwhelming strategy is investing strategically instead of pulling back.

If you’re feeling the pressure of rising costs, know you’re not alone. But more importantly, know that you’re in good company when you choose to face these challenges head on and invest in your business’s growth.

The post In the Current Economic Uncertainty, Small Businesses Are Investing in Marketing appeared first on SiteProNews.

New survey data from Tech.co has revealed that AI productivity is giving 1 in 4 business leaders a full workday back every week.

AI reclaims back a full workday for 1 in 4 business leaders

Over half (54%) of SMB leaders have seen a productivity boost since implementing AI. But according to Tech.co’s recent survey, nearly a quarter (22%) of SMB leaders report that AI saves them 6 to 10 hours of work in an average week. 

This highlights a clear productivity boost experienced by business leaders who leverage AI in their daily tasks, as these leaders are able to reclaim a full workday every single week thanks to artificial intelligence. 

Greater AI spend means more time saved

A correlation emerged between the amount of money spent on AI tools and the amount of time it can save. 

The majority of businesses spending $1,001–$2,500 save 6–10 hours, buying back a full day of productivity through this investment.

But those spending under $100 per month on AI typically save less than 2 hours of work weekly.

This suggests that the more money spent on AI tools, the greater the time it can save on daily tasks, as there is a limit to the level of productivity entry-level AI tools can achieve.

Top 7 tasks business leaders are automating:

(by most popular response)

1. Writing tasks: 29%
2. Research: 26%
3. Customer support: 19%
4. Taking meeting notes: 16%
5. Scheduling & calendar management: 16%
6. Money & bookkeeping: 15%
7. Staffing & team admin: 13%

Greater reliance on AI for time-consuming tasks

According to Tech.co’s findings, more time-consuming tasks such as writing and research were found to be the most popular use of AI among business leaders, whereas typically quicker admin tasks such as team admin and calendar management were at the lower end of the AI-use scale.

This data signals business leaders are beginning to rely more heavily on AI for longer time-consuming tasks, not just quicker admin work.

Customer support sees the greatest AI productivity boost 

80% of business leaders who replaced customer support with AI saw improvements in productivity. 

This could mean more businesses may be at risk of losing human-first communication when dealing with customer support issues.

Businesses appear to be prioritizing the speed and efficiency that AI-enhanced customer support can offer.

Tech.co’s Editor, Jack Turner, comments:

“Our latest research at Tech.co has cut through a lot of the noise around AI and shown that there are real, tangible benefits, which could make huge differences to companies that adopt the tech.

With 22% of SMB leaders saying AI saves on average 6 – 10 hours a week, it makes the promise of a four-day week ever closer.

In addition, the value of this time at between $1,001–$2,500 is likely to make AI-sceptics sit up and take notice.“

The post AI Productivity: AI Gives 1 in 4 Business Leaders a Full Workday Back Every Week appeared first on SiteProNews.

Last week’s Canvas cyberattack led to a finals-week nightmare for thousands of students across North America, locking them out of exams, assignments, and coursework – all while putting them face-to-face with the notorious ShinyHunters ransomware gang – something most students would never have expected. 

With threats to release stolen data belonging to 275 million students and teachers tied to the e-learning platform, Canvas by Instructure announced over the weekend it paid off the seasoned hackers, alongside a “digital confirmation of data destruction” from ShinyHunters themselves. 

The undisclosed ransom demand was reportedly paid to ShinyHunters as part of an agreement intended to prevent an imminent leak affecting schools, from kindergarten classrooms to universities worldwide. 

But now the breach is becoming something much bigger: a test of whether the more than 8,000 schools caught up in the hack can trust a hacker group’s word that stolen student data was actually destroyed.

Paying hackers does not erase the risk 

While it may have been enough to stop an immediate leak, it does not erase the larger problem – once student data is stolen, control is gone.

If we look back to the December 2024 breach of edtech software provider PowerSchool, the lesson apparently has not been learned.

After PowerSchool allegedly forked over a $60 million ransom demand, the 19-year-old attacker later turned to extorting the 15,000 North American school districts using the platform – despite earlier promises to delete the stolen data. 

Fast forward to the Canvas breach. The company says there is no evidence the stolen information was publicly leaked or retained after the payment agreement. 

Canvas revealed compromised data included full names, email addresses, student IDs, course and enrollment data, plus “billions of private messages” exchanged on the platform. 

And while passwords, Social Security numbers, financial information, grades, coursework submissions, and student files were not exposed, cyber experts say once student data falls into the hands of criminal actors, “the implications for identity theft, targeted social engineering, and even safeguarding are serious and long-lasting.”

Despite historical evidence that ransomware groups lie, students, parents, and schools are still being asked to accept that these cybercriminals will honor their end of the deal.

Criminal promises are still promises from criminals 

To be fair, there is a reason extortion groups sometimes do. ShinyHunters and groups like it operate for profit. Their entire business model depends on victims believing that payment can reduce damage, prevent leaks, or stop further extortion. 

If hackers routinely take the money and leak the data anyway, future victims have less incentive to pay.

In that sense, even criminal groups have a reputation to protect.

But that does not make their promises trustworthy. Data can be copied. Affiliates can retain files. Archives can resurface months later.

The PowerSchool breach already showed how difficult it is for schools and families to know whether stolen student information has truly disappeared after a cyber extortion incident.

That is why the Canvas case matters beyond a company apology and a single ransom agreement.

One platform, millions of students 

The attack also exposed how dependent modern schools have become on centralized cloud platforms to function at all. 

Canvas is no longer just a homework portal. For many schools, it is the classroom, gradebook, assignment tracker, messaging hub, exam platform, and student records pipeline all rolled into one.

When initial negotiations failed, ShinyHunters upped the ante, defacing Canvas login pages with threats and turned to targeting individual schools for extortion. 

With the system down, frustrated students and teachers lost access to key classroom tools, while school officials scrambled to contain the damage, with some schools forced to cancel final exams altogether.

It is the same uncomfortable lesson seen in the infamous AWS and CrowdStrike disruptions from years past: when one widely used platform fails, entire industries can grind to a halt all at once.

The answer is not for schools to abandon cloud platforms altogether. That’s unrealistic. But cyber insiders have long warned that institutions need real backup plans before outages happen – not improvised workarounds after the systems have already been disabled.

Because when the world’s classrooms run on a single platform, a cyberattack is no longer just an IT problem – it becomes an education crisis.

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