Month: February 2023

Google will begin to accept and run ads for online horse racing in the following states:

• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Virginia

The Google Ads Gambling and games policy for United States country-specifics will be updated in February 2023.

Advertisers must apply for certification. Application for certification will be open to advertisers who wish to promote online gambling content in the above states on February 22, 2023.

The Gambling and games policy page will be updated when the policy goes into effect.

Why we care. If you or your clients are involved in sports betting, or your brand is in this field, will soon have the opportunity to advertise on Google and target users in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, thereby expanding your reach to potential customers.

The post New updates to Google’s gambling and games policy appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/new-updates-to-googles-gambling-and-games-policy-392998

Google is updating its Lighthouse 10 tool to remove one of the overall Core Web Vitals metrics, Time To Interactive (TTI).

Google will be assigning the TTI weight to Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which will give CLS a total of 25% of the overall performance score.

TTI is not a Core Web Vitals metric used in Search Console or ranking, but it was used in Lighthouse, Google’s developer tool.

What Google said. Google posted on its Chrome developer blog:

“The venerable Time To Interactive (TTI) metric is being removed in Lighthouse 10, concluding the deprecation process started in Lighthouse 8. TTI’s 10% score weight is shifting to Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which will now account for 25% of the overall performance score.”

– Brendan Kenny, What’s new in Lighthouse 10

Does it matter for ranking? Technically, this might have zero impact on overall rankings in Google Search. Core Web Vitals is a minimal ranking factor in general and the current Core Web Vitals includes largest contentful paint (LCP), first input delay (FID), and cumulative layout shift (CLS). TTI is not included.

John Mueller from Google confirmed this change does not impact rankings, as we originally reported:

Lighthouse 10 changing. Just the Lighthouse tool is changing. The scores you see in Google Search Console specifically likely won’t change related to TTI being removed. Now, Lighthouse 10 will assign the weights as follows:

• Total blocking time 30%
• Cumulative layout shift 25%
• Largest contentful paint 25%
• Speed index 10%
• First contentful paint 10%

What are Core Web Vitals? It is a set of metrics Google introduced in 2020. Google defines it as:

“The subset of Web Vitals that apply to all web pages, should be measured by all site owners, and will be surfaced across all Google tools. Each of the Core Web Vitals represents a distinct facet of the user experience, is measurable in the field, and reflects the real-world experience of a critical user-centric outcome.”

The current set of Core Web Vitals focuses on three aspects of the user experience – loading, interactivity, and visual stability – and includes the following metrics (and their respective thresholds):

LCD, FID and CLS. Here are the thresholds for largest contentful paint, first input delay and cumulative layout shift:

• LCP: measures loading performance. To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.
• FID: measures interactivity. To provide a good user experience, pages should have a FID of less than 100 milliseconds.
• CLS: measures visual stability. To provide a good user experience, pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1.

More details. Google has a help document for this specific report.

Google said that this report is based on three metrics: LCP, FID, and CLS. If a URL does not have a minimum amount of reporting data for any of these metrics, it is omitted from the report. Once a URL has a threshold amount of data for any metric, the page status is the status of its most poorly performing metric.

Status metrics are evaluated against the following boundaries:

Why we care. I asked Google if there will be any changes related to rankings with this change but it seems unlikely. It is worth noting that Google, in general web development, does not care about TTI anymore but does care more about CLS.

So if you see these changes in Lighthouse, just keep these in mind.

John Mueller from Google confirmed this change does not impact rankings, as we originally reported:

The post Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) may gain more weight in overall Google Core Web Vitals or maybe not… appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/cumulative-layout-shift-cls-may-gain-more-weight-in-overall-google-core-web-vitals-or-maybe-not-393000

Home Business Magazine Online

Business spending can be a major source of overhead for companies, especially when it comes to large-scale decisions like hiring and purchasing new equipment. By streamlining your business spending, you can reduce costs while still maintaining quality and creating an efficient workflow.

Here are eight ways to streamline business spending.

1. Understand Your Needs

Before making any purchase or hiring decision, take the time to really understand what your business needs. Ask yourself questions like: What problem am I trying to solve? Is this a one-time purchase or an ongoing expense? Will this help me save money in the long run?

Then you can take a look at where you’ve been spending the most money in the past, and consider what changes could have been made to reduce those costs. This will give you an idea of how to better manage future expenditures, and come up with a solution that meets your needs.

For example, if you want to control daily expenses, using prepaid debit cards is an effective way to maintain oversight and control of your budget while avoiding unnecessary spending.

2. Make Smart Negotiations

Negotiating with vendors and suppliers can be a great way to get better deals on services, products, and even labor costs.

Take the time to research who you’re dealing with before jumping in headfirst — companies with similar pricing structures or experience may have more wiggle room for negotiation.

You may also consider working with third-party companies that specialize in negotiating prices and contracts.

3. Automate or Outsource Tasks 

In today’s digital age, there are plenty of technological tools available that make it easy to track expenses, generate reports, and conduct cost analyses.

Investing in software solutions can save time, money, and valuable resources by automating tedious tasks and giving you real-time insights into what’s happening with your budget.

Also, when possible, try to outsource tasks like bookkeeping or marketing. Not only will you save money on wages and benefits, but you’ll also be able to focus on the core of your business.

4. Implement Budgeting Systems

Developing specific budgeting guidelines or policies helps keep track of all current and future costs and ensure they stay within limits. Consider creating fixed budgets as well as variable ones depending on your company’s needs.

This is particularly helpful for reducing waste. For example, office supplies and materials can quickly get out of hand if not monitored closely. Investing in reusable items such as refillable pens, durable storage containers, or adjustable paper trays can help reduce waste and keep costs down.

5. Take Advantage of Tax Breaks

Many businesses qualify for tax breaks depending on their size, industry, and location — take advantage of these opportunities when they arise!

Ask your accountant what kinds of deductions are available to you; they may be able to help you maximize your overall savings.

6. Save on Office Space and Storage 

Moving away from traditional office space and opting for digital solutions like remote work can reduce overhead costs substantially.

In addition, switching from physical servers to cloud-based storage solutions is an excellent way to reduce costs on hardware purchases and maintenance fees.

Not only does it provide scalability for future growth, but it also reduces downtime and increases security — making it a viable investment for any business looking to streamline spending.

7. Reassess Your Insurance Policies

Insurance policies are meant to protect your business, but they can also eat into your budget if you’re not careful. Especially if you’ve made some of the changes suggested above, like moving offices.

Take the time to reassess your current policies and make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Shop around for better prices or look for discounts by bundling services together.

8. Invest in Your Employees

Training your employees can help them be more efficient and productive, which will ultimately save you money in the long run. Investing in ongoing education and development can also boost morale, resulting in a happier team that’s more likely to stay loyal to your company.

Finally, investing in your team can help streamline spending over time. Providing them with incentives like bonuses, raises, and other perks can keep morale high and prevent costly turnover. Taking care of employees is an effective way to show appreciation while simultaneously encouraging loyalty and dedication.

In Conclusion

By utilizing these strategies, businesses of all sizes can reduce their overhead and enjoy greater savings over time. Streamlining spending doesn’t have to be difficult — with a little planning and effort, your company can operate on a leaner budget without sacrificing quality or results.

The post Eight Easy Ways to Streamline Business Spending appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/money/cutting-costs/eight-easy-ways-streamline-business-spending/

Home Business Magazine Online

If sewage spills on your property, you must have it cleaned up as soon as possible. But you should not do this yourself. Instead, hire professional cleaners to remove all traces of the sewage and decontaminate the affected area.

ICE Cleaning is a specialist cleaning company that offers sewage cleaning services. Its trained biohazard specialists can clear and clean up the sewage, and then sanitise the property. They are available 24/7, 365 days a year, wherever you are in the UK.

Read on to hear from the experts why only professionals should clean sewage.

Sewage is a dangerous substance

It normally consists of wastewater, faeces, and urine, and is full of harmful bacteria and viruses like E. coli, Norovirus, and Salmonella. If you touch sewage, accidentally ingest it through hand-to-mouth contact, or inhale the vapours it emits, you can become seriously ill.

When you clean it up, you come in much closer contact with the sewage and are more likely to breathe in the vapours or touch it. Without personal protective equipment like masks and gloves, your health is at risk.

It is very difficult to clean it up

To make your property safe again you must make sure all the sewage is removed. Unfortunately, standard cleaning products, including bleach, can’t properly clean it up and decontaminate the area.

Should any be left behind, your health will be in danger and there may be an unpleasant odour. Or, if you don’t clean it fast enough and allow it to sit, the contaminants can become airborne, the bacteria and parasites could multiply, and mould might grow.

Professional sewage cleaning can quickly restore your property

Biohazard cleaners, like ICE Cleaning’s technicians, have the training, experience, and equipment to efficiently remove sewage. They will be fully aware of the local regulations for cleaning up, transporting, and disposing of sewage, and know how to follow them.

They can take care of the water damage that tends to come with sewage spills, as well. Cleaners will have dehumidifiers and drying equipment to remove all the moisture from the property, minimising damage and reducing the chances of mould.

They can also neutralise any lingering sewage odours with specialist deodorisation equipment to ensure your home is clean and fresh-smelling. Throughout the entire cleanup process, professionals will wear full PPE to keep themselves safe.

ICE Cleaning’s sewage cleaners can make your property a safe environment, again. They will provide any additional services, such as mould remediation and water damage restoration, if required. They can be on site in a matter of hours in an emergency.

You can find out more about its wide range of services here.

The post Who Is Responsible for Cleaning Up Sewage? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/business-spotlights/who-responsible-cleaning-up-sewage/