Hi all,

No fear, we are here with digital marketing news and mindful ponderings for your marketing minds!

• AI Overviews help filter out low-value clicks while driving more total searches, according to Google’s Liz Reid reports in a Bloomberg podcast interview. Search queries are getting longer, more natural as people write out their whole need instead of a simplified search term. It rings up the same old marketing question, how can your brand best solve your target market’s problems?

• Open AI is now rolling out a Cost-Per-Click ad model for ChatGPT vs. the Impressions model it has been testing since February. This puts the ChatGPT ads in line with the traditional Google and Bing paid search models. The big issue for advertisers will be in determining whether the intent of people using ChatGPT is similar enough to traditional search intent to drive conversions. That said, some advertisers may just be happy with the free impressions on ChatGPT regardless of clicks.

• What do viral YouTube Shorts have in common? Modern Millie and team analyzed viral YouTube shorts and here’s what we found interesting:
  • Most have 3 or more hooks (like moving an object into frame, loud music, & zooming in).
  • While established creators did not need to use SEO techniques, SEO helped the lesser known creators gain more engagement.
  • Of the types of value videos could provide, 71% were entertaining, 12% were relatable, 11% were educational, & 6% were inspirational. Yes, entertaining videos are on top, but other value styles have a chance too.

• Meta has plans to track employee productivity to train its AI agents. Mouse movements, clicks, keystrokes, screenshots — it will all be tracked. Management says the data collected will not be used for performance reviews. That may be true but we wonder if training better AI agents may end up in reducing workforce counts.

• TMI, TL;DR — you’re familiar with these acronyms. How about TMD; NEI? Probably not because we made it up just now, inspired by this MarTech article “Too Much Data; Not Enough Insight.” Written from a B2B perspective (but easily applicable to any industry), it teaches us to leverage different layers of data to better target audiences and drive results.

Transforming the lives of foster youth is their mission. Foster Love started with one event to help one child and eventually grew into an initiative helping millions of children. From business events to donations, find ways you can help their cause: Foster Love.

My dogs are Obsessed (capital “o” for amplified emphasis) with one blue ball. 🔵

Soccer-ball-sized and crafted of hard plastic, they roll the treasured toy around the yard in a flurry of sandy noses and paws. The game has no rules, no time limit, and defensive and offensive roles are interchanged seemingly without sense.

When was the last time you were so invested that time lost its meaning? The world spun, and you were blissfully unaware, enraptured in your moment so fully.

I ask you: what brings timelessness back to your life? What is your metaphorical “blue ball”?

May you find your blue ball and the timelessness that goes with it. 

Happy Wednesday!

Natalie

Our one-and-only pun master/Flyers superfan/VP Marc Englesman’s birthday is tomorrow! 🥳

We are so lucky to have such a remarkably intelligent and wonderfully fun VP on our team — let’s give a hip hip hooray for the best VP around!

Heyo,

I am still in the boat that we can trust AI… with a human babysitter. 

And the news is constantly reiterating this point. Catch the specifics below. ⬇️

• Prompt research: the next layer of SEO and GEO. SEL shares some insights on how prompt research can identify opportunities for new content with intent-based clustering to help map your current content strategy.

• Most consumers use AI, but few fully trust it — only 13% according to a MarTech study. Sorted into four AI personas: Enthusiasts, Evaluators, Skeptics, and Holdouts. Knowing the general buckets in which your audience falls can determine SAIO strategy.

• If you’re thinking about jumping on the mass-produced, AI content bandwagon, please read this article first: “You’re Not Scaling Content. You’re Scaling Disappointment.” It includes a historical timeline of how volume-content plays have consistently failed for one basic reason: the “qualitative wall.” Quality always matters over quantity. A-L-W-A-Y-S.

• Google is testing regenerating page titles through AI in traditional search results. This could be a real eeeek if the new title doesn’t accurately represent what the article is about. If that’s the case, Google could be causing clickbait, something it has been actively fighting against with each Google Core Update.

• Meta’s content moderators are being replaced by AI. As there weren’t enough human moderators to the amount of flagged content, this makes sense in a way. This does not come without risks, as a rogue AI agent exposed sensitive Meta employee data. I’m curious to see how human oversight will be implemented, because it seems we still need that. 

• Meta’s Horizon Worlds, their virtual reality social network, is shutting down on VR to be just a standalone mobile app. It seems Meta is shifting focus from the metaverse to AI. Honestly, it may have been too early to introduce Ready Player One, sci-fi concepts and may stay a dream for when VR is more readily used and available.

Habitat loss is the single largest threat to birds. For 30 years, the American Bird Conservancy has been championing the bird conservation movement throughout the Americas. They innovate and build on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Check them out: American Bird Conservatory.

Flow state – complete immersion in the moment.

If I could sum up total presentness, it would be in the band Jungle’s music videos.

From each coordinated dancer to the camera person running around to get it all in one take — they are all completely engrossed in their art.

What things in your life cause you to forget time and live mindfully? And can you do more of them?

For your viewing and listening pleasure: Busy Earnin’, Keep Moving, & Heavy California.

Sending good vibes your way, ✌🏼

Natalie

In case you’re a new Jungle fan, find more funky fun music here!

We’re back!

Thanks for tuning in to the first Perceptive Marketer of 2026! You’re pretty awesome if we do say so ourselves. Let’s dive into the digital marketing mania.

• How can you prove SEO’s value when organic search traffic gets miscategorized as direct or unassigned due to cookie consent refusals? We’re glad you asked. It’s all about traffic quality! Get the full download from our VP Marc Engelsman: “SEO Analytics Treasure Hunt: Tracking The Hidden Value of Your Organic Search Traffic.”

• What will matter in 2026? According to 10 seasoned marketers in this Think with Google article, 2026 will be about integrating AI more effectively and efficiently in your marketing strategies. The old stalwart is the importance of ✨Branding✨. “Brand matters more than ever” and “Brand is back as the growth engine, supercharged by tech but differentiated by humanity” are our quote highlights.

• “Google’s Mueller Weighs In On SEO vs GEO Debate” is the headline. The gist? Examine your referral traffic and research your audience to see how they are using AI search platforms. Oh, and Google continues to indicate that AI optimization and traditional Search optimization share similar infrastructures so “you probably don’t need a separate framework, but you do need to understand how discovery is changing.”

• Top 2026 marketing priorities, according to the UserTesting study of marketing professionals, include (1.) strengthening brand authenticity & trust, (2.) driving measurable ROI, and (3.) mastering GEO. They describe their approach to GEO as (1.) actively optimizing content for AI search/discovery and (2.) piloting GEO strategies in select campaigns. Where do your GEO (aka SAIO) priorities lie?

• The next time you post on your brand’s socials ask yourself: “Would someone who doesn’t have a clue who I am share this with a colleague?” Tom Boston, Brand Growth Manager at MySalesCoach, encourages us to ask if the content we’re producing provides enough value. This is one of the quotes from Sprout Social’s Inspiration worksheet.

• I’m not sure you’re ready for this Meta madness.… Meta is testing limiting certain Facebook users to sharing two links per month in organic posts, unless you pay for a Meta Verified account. The truth is… link posts didn’t receive much engagement in the first place. If one of your accounts has been chosen, you have a few options according to Social Media Today: choose the best 2 links per month, try posting links in the first comment, post Reels instead, pay for Meta Verified, or stop posting on Facebook.

• A large corporate brand poking fun at AI slop? Yes, please! Almond Breeze teamed up with the Jonas Brothers to develop a delightfully quirky commercial on the technology’s flaws. How can we add more levity to our content in the midst of AI’s takeover? More importantly, how can we use it to develop the brand authenticity needed to be successful in this era of business?

For farmers, it all comes down to planting technique and the quality of seeds and supplies. One Acre Fund helps small farmers across Africa increase their yields and profits to create thriving communities. Learn more about their work: One Acre Fund.

When was the last time you washed the dishes?

Last night? This morning?

Now here’s a trickier question: When was the last time you washed your dishes without thinking about anything other than washing the dishes?

Thich Nhat Hanh talks about this in his book The Miracle of Mindfulness. When was the last time you were fully present to experience just this moment, instead of mulling over moments previous or upcoming?

Mindfulness seems like a momentous goal, but really it is just practice of steps… steps like washing the dishes and focusing solely on that.

I hope you (respectfully) continue kicking butt and taking names in 2026.

Happy Wednesday,

Natalie

ChatGPT scraped its knowledge base to motivate us in 2026. Here are my favorite lines:

• You don’t need to have it all figured out—you need to stay adaptable.
• Progress matters more than certainty.
• You are allowed to change directions.

The full response is here.

Hey friends,

Let’s jump into the digital marketing extravaganza!

• This article flips the coin on AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), saying only 2.1% of ChatGPT queries are related to purchasable products. AI platforms are a way people research and learn. Yes, ecommerce is an end goal, but now AEO/GEO/SAIO is an awareness play, a competitive advantage as AI platforms gain popularity. Like billboards and magazine ads, you’re putting your brand out there without full, 360-degree knowledge of how it’s working for you.

• Look up! Was that a comet? 🌠 No, not the viral 3I/Atlas comet, but Perplexity’s Comet browser. Responding to the previous bullet, more people shopping on AI is closer than you think.

• Google’s VP of Search, Elizabeth Reid, recently spoke with The Economic Times about AI, Search, SEO, and more. Here are a couple of quotes from Search Engine Roundtable’s coverage that offer perspective on how AI and Google Search complement each other:
  • “Publishers should focus on creating high-quality, detailed content that offers a unique perspective rather than shallow, manufactured content. Since users are getting quick facts from AI Overviews, they’ll click on links to go deeper, so the goal is to optimize for a great user experience on the landing page.”
  • “Liz states that LLMs and Google Search can coexist and grow together. She notes that many people use LLMs and then come to Google to fact-check the information, which contributes to overall growth in searches. Google also aims to match key features like conversational context and personalization.”

• Let’s dive into more discussions on the role of SEO for increasing brand visibility.… Search Engine Journal talked about the Experience part of E-E-A-T as an important element in building brand authority and visibility. It also notes that 34.8% of people surveyed (in its annual State of Search Survey) answered the “What are your most improved outcomes?” by saying “brand visibility had increased.” We bet this won’t be the last time you hear about this….

• • …because here’s an article from Econsultancy that reinforces both concepts above: how AI searches lead to Google searches and how your content should align accordingly and how “brand visibility is the ‘new version of ranking on page one.'”

• YouTube is continuing to dominate AI citations over other video platforms. If YouTube is in your marketing plan, make sure to optimize your videos for SEO. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and TubeBuddy can help find the best keywords.

• Meta using your chats with its AI to hypertarget ads? Sounds about right on target for a  company that makes its money from ads and data. We should go in with the mindset that nothing on Meta is truly private.

• Threads on track to exceed X usage? That’s what Similarweb is seeing.

“… We’re not just talking about mental health when there’s a crisis, we’re talking about mental health everyday,” Alison Malmon, Founder & Executive Director of Active Minds.

Originally named “Open Minds,” the organization was created to spread the word that seeking mental health help is a sign of strength, not shame. Now 20 years later, Active Minds has chapters on over 1,000 campuses and communities. Their goal is to support young adult mental health and create change for future generations: Active Minds.

Have you been outside today?

If you answered:

• Not yet. ➡️ Go outside!
• Yeah, a little while ago. ➡️ Sweeeeet – you should do it again.
• Why, Natalie, I’m outside right now, breathing in the lovely fresh air. ➡️ Woohoo – you should stay there!

We all need a bit more nature in our lives. 🍃 🙂

You’re pretty awesome… just sayin’!

Natalie

Found some fun soup recipes in my position as head chef a mi casa. Here are the faves:

• Wild Mushroom Soup: If you crave savory mushrooms, start here. 🍄
• Chicken Shaksuka: Is shaksuka really soup? My response.
• Butternut Squash Curry: Cauliflower, squash, and coconut milk? Nom Nom. 😋
• Pumpkin Soup: What is it about the orange food that makes them so sweet? Bell peppers, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots… my mouth is watering! Anyway, it’s pumpkin season, y’all. 🎃
• Tahini Ramen Jars: So easy I could cry (joyful, umami-flavored tears). 🍜
  • Looking for vegan meals on a budget? Check out Plant You Scrappy Cooking!

Hey y’all,

I’m fresh back from the digital marketing grapevine — here’s what I got for ya!

• It’s funny how the universe sends the same message twice — this time about B2B sales leads. The first story: “B2B Marketers’ Lead Quality Assessment” presents survey results showing only around 35% of B2B marketers are fully confident in their lead data. The exception cited in the story is that confidence level in leads generated via content syndication are high, with 68% rating lead quality as exceptional or very good. Naturally, we automatically made the connection between content syndication and SEO that help searchers find that content. And then this story popped up: “The B2B SEO Trap: Why High-Intent Visibility Can Still Underperform.” Note the underperformance is in immediate sales, not in terms of visibility that enhances brand performance in the long term. SEO is still considered a very valuable tool for helping B2B marketers drive sales that typically have longer customer journeys.

• Search Engine Land published a summary of a study done under the banner “Generative AI is changing search, but Google is still where people start.” Before you get too excited, the survey consisted of remote usability with just nine participants in North America and the UK. Two conclusions are worth noting though: 
  • 1. Google is a habit and users still rely on it in addition to AI search. No one in the survey relied solely on AI for information needs. 
  • 2. Some users are starting to refer to ChatGPT as simply “chat.” Not sure “chat” will become the verb “google” has for search but we at DBE are calling ChatGPT the “Google” of AI search bots due to its dominance in driving visitors to client websites.

• A few days ago our team was wondering where the little “SearchGPT” button went on the ChatGPT page. Lo and behold, this article comes out: ChatGPT is sending less traffic to websites – down 52% in a month. Though, reddit traffic is up (makes sense because it uses Google rankings and we all know how Google is diggin’ on Reddit). Check out the LinkedIn post from Josh Blyskal.

• The latest Meta whistleblow? A former Meta employee: Meta artificially boosting Shops Ads Performance but counting shipping and taxes as sales and subsidizing auctions in the U.K. Without the fees and taxes, Shops Ads perform no better than traditional ads. Food for thought.

• Hashtag limits? Oh yeah. TikTok has that now. Only 5 per post.

Being connected to nature reduces stress for most people. For kids, the outdoors can be a place of possibility, play, and imagination. OAK’s mission is to advocate for equitable and readily available opportunities for children, youth, and families to connect with the outdoors. Learn about their cause and how you can support them: Outdoors Alliance for Kids.

Tussling and maneuvering swiftly about my office, my dogs are in a playful kerfuffle over a toy. 

They keep jamming into the backs of my legs (by accident) as I work at my standing desk.

Watching them run their 27th circle around my office chair, I notice something. If I push it back three feet, they don’t swipe me nearly as much. 

Are there any office chairs in your life? And can you move it 3 feet to make things a little easier on yourself?

I’m not sure if you know this, but you’re pretty great. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Natalie

The short answer? A seemingly unending amount. Here’s a list of the ones we think are legit:

SAIO/SEO Glossary.

Hiya!

📢 Who’s ready for some digital marketing?

Alright, alright, hold the applause everyone. I know — it’s exciting, but we need quiet to read!

• “One of the biggest misconceptions in marketing is the belief that organic visibility will remain steady without ongoing SEO investment. In reality, the opposite is true. Neglecting SEO leads to declining organic visibility, a trend that has only accelerated with recent developments” in AI Search Platform usage. This Search Engine Land article says SEO is as much a defensive tactic as it is a growth tactic. At DBE, we see SEO as a growth strategy first while ongoing services both protect gains and expand visibility to drive exponential growth. 

• Domain Authority is considered an influencing factor for citations in GenAI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, according to SEJ and XFunnel. What drives increased Domain Authority and visibility? 🤔 Ding, ding, ding — it’s SEO!
  
  The article and report support the complementary mix of SEO and SAIO strategies we’ve discussed before. Namely, user-generated content citations in AI often come from platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn. We found this link early in our AI platform research and have been recommending leveraging these channels for SAIO ever since.

• Are Google Search results getting worse? We see 42% of people say Google Search is becoming less useful. This seems to be, in part, a by-product of the distrust of large tech companies in general. Some people seem to be flocking GenAI chatbots to avoid cluttered Google results, but we know that each engine offers their own perks. I think we are going to get better at finding the best search engine for our queries.

• ⚠️ Lawsuit Alert: Chegg vs. Google AI Overviews. Chegg, the online education company, is the first known company to file against Google AI Overviews for stealing content and posting unverified answers. The questions are: how will students creatively use AI to help them with their studies and how may it hurt their learning?

• Will Instagram and Reels break up? 💔 Insta has been flirting with the idea of launching its own TikTok-inspired Reels app, separate of Instagram. Social Media Today thinks this may be too big a risk for Meta to take… and I agree with them. They shifted to a Reel-dominant platform, despite negative feedback. Now, the app’s audience is accustomed to the short videos flooding their feeds. Changing it again will definitely draw a negative clapback.

• More Meta news… Meta fired about 20 employees for leaking information about unannounced product plans and internal meetings. There are a wide range of perspectives on this situation, including whether this was considered whistleblowing. Learn more from LinkedIn.

• The Marketoonist created this “AI Low Hanging Fruit” cartoon influenced by Gartner’s 2024 Hype Cycle finding that GenAI has passed the “Peak of Inflated Expectations” phase and is now entering the “Trough of Disillusionment.” Be sure to read or scroll through the story behind the cartoon to see other AI cartoons that may provide a moment of relief from hype.

• What is connected commerce? Think of it as integrating technology for a seamless online and offline shopping experience. It requires stealthy creativity. How can you push the boundaries of traditional retail without being extraordinarily invasive? It’s a great question that every retail brand should be asking.

• 🏈 Superbowl ads with characters performed better than celebrities for customer appeal, brand recognition, and commercial impact. Isn’t that a fine kettle of fish? I don’t know about you, but a character provides so many possibilities. They are whatever you make them. Sappy. Sassy. Scintillating. Check out this cast of characters that are rockin’ brand trust and building brand engagement.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Is there something boring plaguing your life?

Perhaps it’s a part of your job or chores at home. Whatever it is… think about what makes it boring. Then flip it… what could make it better? 

Can you put a reward in place? Gamify the task? Do the work in chunks and take mental breaks between? Experiment, because there might be something fun hidden in the task that you may not see yet.

Have a nice week, y’all!

Natalie

Singing doesn’t have to be conscripted to musicians and Will Ferrell in an elf costume…. It can be for anyone who wants stress relief.

No, you don’t have to sing for an audience. Your venue can be your car or your room by yourself. Doesn’t matter if you think you’re good. In fact, it’s more fun when you let go of what you think is supposed to sound like!

Read the benefits of singing in Healthline. 🎶

HAPPY 2025!

A new year of updates, obstacles, learnings, and successes. I am grateful you’re here! 🙂

Let’s jump into the digital marketing news!

• 🎥 SEO Strategy for 2025… where have we been and where are we going? Find out in our latest DBE update video! Topics include:
  • 2024 GenAI Evolution
  • Things to Watch in AI for 2025
  • Search Ads
  • Technical Strategy
  • Social Signal Strategy
  • Content Strategy

• The new year is always a good time to look back and look forward. Take an SEO look-back with the Top 15 SEO Stories of 2024.

• Google Core and Spam Updates hit us in December 2024. Here are our findings in a fun, carousel format. If you want more depth, here’s the specific update from Search Engine Journal and the 2024 update overhaul from Search Engine Land.

• EMARKETER takes a look back at marketing trends over the past 25 years. It highlights the impact of the internet, mobile devices, and AI as a driver of industry change. When asked to look ahead 25 years, marketing leaders’ responses coalesced around three themes: 
  • connecting more with consumers, 
  • leveraging data collection to improve more effective/efficient personalized marketing, and 
  • the continued integration of AI as a tool to improve marketing performance overall. 

• UNLEASH THE KRAKEN… I mean, META AI PROFILES! 🤖 Meta will be deploying millions of generative AI profiles on all its apps. It will increase engagement and followers for users (which even if it’s artificial will make many users happy). BUT, brands should see what percentage of followers are real people before making influencer marketing deals.

• X will be focusing on entertaining content… which is a change up from Elon Musk’s original stance. Musk stated he wants platform content to be more “positive, beautiful, or informative,” so if X is in your social plan for 2025, keep that in mind.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Story time! 📖

Many of the blurbs in this section are also themes for my yoga classes.

On Sunday, a student thanked me for advice I shared a while back. (The advice was about embracing the perspective that you get to experience things instead of having to do them. You don’t have to drive your car… you get to drive your car.) She said she’s been using it in her day-to-day life.

This piece of advice passed through a long chain of ears…. I heard it from our CEO & President, Niki Fielding.

The point is… you never know how your words will impact others.

How can you spread more inspiration into 2025?

Peace ☮️

Natalie

It’s actually translucent — light reflecting on it only makes it look white.

The Inuit have 50 words or snow, while the Scots have 421!

Snow forms around a single particle — whether it’s dust, pollen, sleet droplets. 

Get to snow more interesting fun facts from BBC!

Howdy!

Digital marketing news coming in hot! 🔥🔥🔥

• Is anyone else feeling ghosted 👻 ? Recent research from BrightEdge reports that Google AI Overviews are showing up less than 7% of the time. This is a drop from 11%. Search intent has been playing a role in whether AI Overviews appear. For example, if you include “best,” “what is,” “how to,” and “symptoms of,” you are more likely to see them than if you include “vs” or brand-/product- specific queries. We think that Google is figuring out how much is too much. In the meantime, we can enjoy seeing results higher on the page. Lots of easy to digest data in this piece, definitely check it out.

• On that note, Advanced Web Rankings did an AI Overviews study on 8,000 keywords. Some quick facts include: the average overview is about 169 words long, overviews appear with Featured Snippets 7.4% of the time, and 46.5% of URLs in overviews don’t rank in the top 50 organic results. All these facts point to the need of a balanced SEO and SAIO strategy.

• Wordstream offers “200+ Best AI Prompts Any Business Can Use” that covers many digital marketing channels including website copy, ad copy, SEO keyword optimization and content, social media, email, and more. Whether these are truly “the best, Jerry the best” (Seinfeld reference) remains to be seen but we give Wordstream props for trying to optimize the article for “best AI prompts.” 

• Here’s a quick AI and content tidbit: The New York Times is testing and training AI to write headlines that meet its rigorous style guide. It’s an ironic twist given its battles with Open AI and Microsoft over use of its content for training models.

• Y’all must know by now how much I appreciate a creative ad campaign… So, here are 6 of them! My fave is Lays… watched the whole 4-minute clip without wanting to pause it! Let me know if you have a favorite. 🙂

Sneaky, sneaky… both to Apple and Meta. Meta outlined how to avoid paying Apple service fees on ads purchased through iOS. Is Meta really looking out for you or just looking for more of your money? You can choose.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Are you doing things “because of” something or “in order to”?

I couldn’t explain this better. Check out the clip from career advice educator Erin McGoff.

Let’s empower ourselves to make beneficial decisions by pushing forward (in order to) rather than looking back (because of).

Have a great day!

Natalie

See the power of selective attention in this test from Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris!

Guess what?

… our favorite day of the workweek! We’re super excited to give you this week’s edition of Perceptive Marketer. Let’s goooo!

• How do Perplexity searches differ from Google? This article could have used Google SGE examples for a more ai-pples-to-ai-pples comparison (pun courtesy of Marc Engelsman). However, you quickly see the stark (and welcome) difference of Perplexity’s ad-free environment. Time will tell if Perplexity will show ads for revenue.

• What is the top impacting factor on a person’s perception of brands on social media? Would you be surprised if I said content? A recent study by Sprout Social supports this. Content ranked over how fast the brand responds and how personalized the responses are. So whatever you post – make it worthy of your audience’s time!

• Meta introduced new AI-powered tools for the Creator Marketplace and Advantage+ creatives in ad campaigns. The improved Image Expansion feature is said to allow more natural-looking image ads on the platform. As with any new feature, please check all creatives as thoroughly as possible.

• Does B2B have to be the “boring” sibling to B2C? Liam Moroney poses this thought in MarTech. If you look at B2B with the perspective of quick sales, many opportunities for awareness and audience-building are missed. Marketing and sales are their own separate channels that require their own objectives and finesse.

• Speaking of B2B, how can you utilize AI-powered tools to find and engage the right decision makers? Ruth Stevens describes how to use Demandbase, Anteriad, and 6sense. Check it out!

• After debate between Elon Musk and the X team, they decided to decrease the impact of blocking users. If a blocked user replies to your post, you will be able to see it and report/respond to it. Andrew Hutchinson from Social Media Today has an interesting opinion as to whether it will last because some people want to be fully separated from select profiles.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

When was the last time you really looked out a window?

Every time you look out a window, it’s a little different. Leaves on a tree are rearranged. Different people may be walking, running, or riding bikes. The sunlight is shining on the Earth at a slightly different angle today than yesterday. 

The point is… there’s always something new and different to appreciate. Like the window, each day, there is something new and different to appreciate. We just have to be open and present to look.

Happy Wednesday!

Natalie

Excel at Excel with these hacks!

Hey y’all!

We want to thank you for being readers of our newsletter. 😊 We get lots of questions about Search AI Optimization (SAIO), so we created a comprehensive SAIO strategy guide that overviews how it differs from Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It includes our research with links to resources! 

In the words of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the movie Moana, “What can we say except you’re welcome?” Here it is:

• Google is starting to feel the competitive search “heat” from OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and other AI ventures. Machines for Gen AI are expensive and there are fewer new devices coming into the world to use them. Prabhakar Raghavan, the head of Google Search, said “it’s not like life is going to be hunky-dory, forever” and told his team to “meet this moment” and “act with urgency.” Sounds a little like a coach of a losing team challenging his players to work harder, no?

• Ever get frustrated with a less-than-ideal AI chatbot response? How are you prompting? Tech influencer, Jeff Su, explains an AI prompt formula in this short video. Warning: he speaks quickly, so you can put on subtitles or slow down the video if needed!

• It happened. The TikTok ban has been signed. Before the freak out happens, there are still a few things in the air. TikTok currently has 9 months to find a buyer, but plans to take the Biden administration to court first. If you’re looking for a quick run through, try Inc. If you’re looking for a more detailed story, try NPR.

• It’s astounding how a huge company, like Meta, can provide such little support to the creators who’ve built businesses around Meta. A recent example of this comes from fashion influencer, Lauren Holifield. Holifield was locked out of her Instagram account and faced social media managers’ dread… contacting Meta support. Trying to find a human customer service rep is incredibly difficult… so much so that some people sell their support rep contacts to others. SMH.

• Speaking of social media influencers, here’s a list of some of the top social media influencers by followers from Search Engine Journal. Most of these people crossover into different types of fame. They’re not just musicians, they’re actors and activists. They’re not just based in one country, they have world renown. They’ve tapped into so many types of audiences.

DBE Perspectives 💬

Nature gives us an intuitive feeling of relaxation and renewal. Imagine bringing that clear mindset to work. That’d be pretty sweet, right? Delve into the benefits of nature in the office and learn how to greenify your workspaces in our latest POV.

Natural Workplaces: Integrating the Outdoors into the Office

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

We can time travel, in fact, we do it every day.

No, we don’t physically travel in DeLoreans with mad scientists. (If you do, please invite me!) It’s much more subtle than that.

We travel through our thoughts. You could be sitting at your desk and be thinking about the last time you called your mom. You could be walking the dog and thinking about what you’re getting at the grocery store later. 

Time travel is a skill that helps us learn and keeps us safe in some cases. But what can we uncover if we paused that skill for a while? How can we change moments of our lives if we focus on being fully present now? I’ll leave you with that question.

Have a lovely week,

Natalie

Psstt, don’t leave without your free SAIO guide!