Google has prioritized rating chatbot prompt responses above rating the quality of search results, at least for some of its contract workers, since January, Insider reports.
Why we care. Google is clearly committing a lot of resources to Bard and other AI initiatives right now. Search remains its core product – and chief money-maker – so it’s interesting to learn that Google is so heavily invested in Bard that they have reportedly taken resources away from rating search results, which could potentially impact quality.
Reviewing AI prompts, not search. Raters are given a user prompt (e.g., a question, statment or instruction), along with two possible responses generated by an AI chatbot (the name “Bard” was not used). Raters were instructed to pick the best response.
But. Raters are finding themselves guessing vs. assessing and verifying the chatbot responses. That’s because some raters said they don’t have enough time to research which answer was better, especially on technical or complex topics they may not be familiar with, according to Insider.
So much for E-E-A-T. Google’s raters have a specific amount of time to complete their tasks, which vary from 60 seconds to several minutes.
“Three hours of research to complete a 60-second task, that’s a great way to frame the problem we’re facing right now,” a rater told Insider.
Search quality raters. Google has employed human raters since at least 2005 – tasking them to rate the quality of pages, websites and search results, using an extensive set of guidelines. Google has always said the feedback from raters doesn’t directly impact organic search rankings but their feedback could be used to evaluate changes.
Love horror films? Earn £5 for watching two films.
A new study has revealed that Birmingham is home to the biggest horror lovers in the UK. People from this major city love horror more than any other region in the country. In fact, 26% of people named it their favourite genre.
The nationwide survey, conducted by Showcase Cinemas, has delved into the film fascinations of the UK. This is to celebrate a spooky set of releases coming up within the next few months.
To mark the run of freaky flicks, Insider members at showcase cinemas who watch any two (or more!) horror films between now and May 4th, will receive £5 in rewards to use during a future visit.
Horror fans will be in their element, with films such as Scream VI, Renfield and Evil Dead Rise available to watch this April.
On the other end of the scale to Birmingham, the study showed Portsmouth is home to the biggest ‘scaredy-cats’ in the UK. Just 6% of those surveyed chose horror as their favourite genre. This is less than any other area in the country!
Jon Dixon, UK Marketing Director for Showcase Cinemas said:
“Horror has always been a huge hit at the cinema, as people love for their emotions to be pushed to the limits. There are some amazing horror films coming out this year, which is why we wanted to give something back to cinemagoers who suffer a scare or two.
“We’ll be offering any Insider members who watch any two or more horror releases until early May an extra £5 in rewards, which means they can put that money towards their ticket for another horror, or maybe save it for something else if they’ve had enough scares for a while!”
To claim the reward, guests will need to be an Insider member and watch at least two of the participating horror films before May 4th. Anyone who isn’t currently a member can sign up for free via the Showcase website.
Flaming Grill are giving pub goers a challenge. The company has launched a competition on social media platform Instagram, in which it is asking people to put their wit to the test and rename a signature burger from its menu.
The best part? You could win the huge prize of £2,000 if your name is picked.
The pub chain is asking Brits to put their best puns forward to rename the Flaming Grill Signature Stinger burger. So, if you think you’re a bit punny, why not apply?
The Signature Stinger features a southern-fried chicken fillet and mouth-watering crispy chicken strips. This is then topped with cheese, a piri piri sauce kick and jalapenos for extra heat. The pun opportunities are endless.
If puns are your grill-ty pleasure, head over to the Flaming Grill Instagram account to enter. You will need to follow the page, share the pinned post and share their suggestion through a comment on the Signature Stinger burger post.
You can enter as many times are you like, with the company encouraging people to suggest the weirdest and wackiest names you can think of!
Mia Broadbent, Marketing Manager at Flaming Grill, said:
“We’re looking for a Flamin’ great new name for our Signature Stinger burger, and who better to choose the new name than the great British public?
“With a £2,000 prize up for grabs for the winning name, this is a fantastic opportunity for customers to stretch their creative muscles and potentially pick up a grand prize at the same time!”
The competition is open anyone to anyone who has an Instagram account and will be live until 23:59 on Monday 24th April. Jack Rear, Telegraph Lifestyle reporter, will then shortlist the ten most creative contenders, before opening it up to the public to decide the winner via an Instagram poll.
In ecommerce SEO, ranking category, product or brand pages should be the main focus of most efforts.
Sitewide conversion rates for ecommerce hover around 2-3%, but product pages can reach over 30% (average of 7%) in the right scenario.
But getting links directly to these pages can be time-consuming for many in-house SEOs.
This article covers six effective link building tactics for ecommerce brands today.
Image by author using Bing Image Creator
Ecommerce link building: Challenges and solutions
For ecommerce sites, driving traffic to category, brand and product pages can lead to greater returns.
But earning links to these pages is complicated as many of the highest quality publishers prefer to link to informational content.
Many ecommerce sites also don’t build long-form, helpful content because blogs and content hubs tend not to yield direct sales and often take months to rank.
In addition, affiliate sites with robust link profiles to long-form content frequently outrank established brands.
But SEOs have found ways to overcome common ecommerce link building hurdles.
Content-led link building coupled with internal linking for ecommerce provides links to your target pages indirectly. This is important because long-form content generates up to 70% more links than short-form content.
Building homepage links or profile image links through guest posting, podcast guest appearances, PR, and webinars. Typically, you can get the site or podcaster to link to the homepage of your site and even a link to your headshot hosted on your website.
Paying for links is just as common now as it has ever been, but it’s important to note that it’s against Google’s link spam guidelines
Build and maintain a list of relationships with publishers. Cold email campaigns typically have a reply rate of under 10%, so having a contact that knows you will save a lot of time with a higher response rate.
Find content that already mentions your brand or the brands you sell with unlinked brand mentions.
Let’s explore these ecommerce link building techniques in depth.
1. Unlinked brand mentions
An unlinked brand mention is an existing article or webpage that mentions your brand name, the brands you sell or team members’ names but doesn’t have an active link pointing to your site. These options work to secure links to the homepage or brand pages.
You can find unlinked brand mentions using Google Alerts or Ahrefs.
Set up Google Alerts
Start by setting up Google Alerts for your brand name and variations of it. This will send you an email notification whenever your brand is mentioned online.
You can then check if the mention includes a link to your website and, if not, reach out to the site owner to request a link.
Use Ahrefs Content Explorer and Batch Analysis tool
Ahrefs’ Content Explorer can help you find unlinked mentions of your brand or the brands you sell.
Just follow these steps:
Log in to your Ahrefs account and click on “Content Explorer” in the top menu.
Type in your brand name in the search bar and press Enter.
Apply the “One article per domain” filter to avoid multiple results from the same website.
Export the list of articles mentioning your brand.
Go through the exported list and manually check if each mention has a link to your website. You can use the “Find” function in your browser (Ctrl + F or Command + F) to search for your brand name and check if it’s linked.
Once you have a list of URLs with unlinked brand mentions, you can use Ahrefs’ Batch Analysis tool to gather more information about each website.
This will help you prioritize which websites to contact for link building opportunities.
Go to “More” in the top menu of Ahrefs and click “Batch Analysis.”
Paste the list of URLs with unlinked brand mentions and click “Start Analysis.”
Once the analysis is complete, you can see metrics like Domain Rating (DR), Ahrefs Rank (AR), and the number of referring domains for each website. Use these metrics to prioritize which sites to contact for link building opportunities.
2. Reverse product image link building
Reverse image link building involves finding websites using your images without proper attribution or a link.
Finding images that are not properly attributed is relatively simple but still time-consuming.
Identify your original images
Choose the images on your website that are original and unique, such as infographics, custom illustrations, or high-quality and custom photographs.
Perform a reverse image search
Use a reverse image search engine like Google Images or TinEye to find websites that have used your images.
Analyze the results
Manually review the list of websites and check if they have provided proper attribution and a link to your site.
Gather contact information
Find the contact details of the website owners or content creators on each site, such as email addresses or contact forms from the site.
Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.
function getCookie(cname) {
let name = cname + “=”;
let decodedCookie = decodeURIComponent(document.cookie);
let ca = decodedCookie.split(‘;’);
for(let i = 0; i <ca.length; i++) {
let c = ca[i];
while (c.charAt(0) == ' ') {
c = c.substring(1);
}
if (c.indexOf(name) == 0) {
return c.substring(name.length, c.length);
}
}
return "";
}
document.getElementById('munchkinCookieInline').value = getCookie('_mkto_trk');
3. Resource page link building
A resource page is a webpage specifically designed to list and link to valuable resources, tools, or content related to a particular topic or industry.
The process of resource page link building typically involves the following steps:
Identify your link-worthy content
Start by identifying or creating high-quality, valuable, and informative content on your website that would fit resource pages well.
This could include blog posts, articles, tutorials, guides, infographics, tools, or other content types that provide users value.
Find relevant resource pages
Search for resource pages in your niche or industry that might be interested in linking to your content. You can search Google for queries like these (replace “keyword” with your target keyword or niche topic):
“keyword” + “resources”
“keyword” + “useful links”
“keyword” + “helpful resources”
“keyword” + “links”
Evaluate the resource pages
Analyze the quality and relevance of the resource pages you find. Look for pages with high domain authority, good user engagement, and relevant content.
Craft a personalized outreach email
Write a polite, personalized email to the website owner or editor explaining who you are and why you believe your content would be a valuable addition to their resource page.
Be sure to mention the specific benefits your content provides and how it would be helpful to their audience.
4. Build a database of publishers
Plenty of tools can help you prospect lists of sites, but not all allow you to upload your own list and then manage outreach to the contacts.
I’ve found that Pitchbox works well for this, but you can also use tools like Buzzstream, which is much cheaper.
Pitchbox is an outreach and link building tool that simplifies finding potential websites to connect with, automating outreach, and managing relationships.
Here’s how you can build a database of sites using Pitchbox:
Set up a new campaign
In the Pitchbox dashboard, click on the “Campaigns” tab and select “Create New Campaign.”
Enter a name for your campaign and choose your desired campaign type (such as “Blogger Outreach” or “Link Building”).
Configure your campaign settings
Customize your campaign settings, such as the email account you’ll use for outreach and the domains you want to exclude (e.g., competitors or sites you’ve already connected with).
Conduct a prospect search
In your campaign’s “Prospects” tab, click “Add Prospects” and select a method for finding potential websites to include in your database.
You can use Pitchbox’s built-in search, import a list from another tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, or manually add websites.
If you choose Pitchbox’s built-in search, enter your target keywords and select your desired search method (such as “Blogger,” “Resource Page,” or “Guest Post”). Pitchbox will then generate a list of relevant websites for your campaign.
If you prefer to import a list of websites, export the list from your preferred SEO tool in CSV format and then upload the file to Pitchbox.
Review and filter your prospects
Once you have a list of potential websites, review the list and filter out any irrelevant or low-quality sites.
You can use Pitchbox’s built-in metrics, such as domain authority (DA), to help evaluate the quality of each website.
Click the checkbox next to each website you want to include in your database and click “Add Selected Prospects.”
5. Podcast interviews
You can use simple podcast directories to pitch your own or find a podcast booking service. Preparing for a podcast can consume a lot of time, so you’ll want to find a few targeted podcasts that are hyper-relevant to your niche.
Try searching through Stitcher, Podbean, or TuneIn and building custom outreach.
Identify your niche
Determine the niche you want to reach and the goals you want to achieve by appearing on a podcast.
Research podcast directories
Look for podcast directories that are relevant to your niche or industry, and make a list of potential podcasts that you want to pitch.
You can use the examples provided earlier or do a Google search to find additional directories.
Listen to episodes
Before pitching, listen to a few episodes of the podcasts to better understand the show’s format, style, and tone.
Develop your pitch
Craft a compelling pitch highlighting why you would be a valuable guest on the podcast.
Be sure to include a brief introduction of yourself, your area of expertise, and why you would be a good fit for the show. Also, mention any relevant topics you could discuss or offer a unique perspective.
Send your pitch
Contact the podcast host or producer via email or Twitter. Keep your pitch concise, personalized, and professional.
6. Rank curated statistical pages
This is one of my favorite approaches to securing links for ecommerce sites.
Ecommerce sites don’t always have a ton of resources to do unique studies, so a simple way to execute this is by curating statistical pages.
Curate a list of statistics from government data websites or primary data studies and spend time aggregating them for the reader so they don’t have to.
As you can see in the screenshot below, this list of 50 crazy stats and facts ranks for “promotional product statistics,” and as a result, will secure links naturally as journalists and bloggers search for statistics to reference.
Conclusion
Ranking category, product, or brand pages in Google search results is essential for ecommerce businesses to drive high conversion rates. However, securing high-quality backlinks to these pages can be challenging due to the nature of ecommerce.
To overcome these challenges, you can combine content-led link building, strategic internal linking and creative outreach techniques.
By employing these strategies, ecommerce businesses can overcome the challenges associated with ecommerce linking and improve their search engine visibility.
Are you a brand looking to take advantage of the explosive growth of TikTok and its wide audience? DISQO has just released a report that provides answers to your most pressing questions about the platform.
With data from 28,139 adult consumers, DISQO’s TikTok Ad Effectiveness report provides an in-depth look on how U.S. consumers engage with brands on TikTok and how ads impact buying behavior.
Learn who uses TikTok, what they’re looking for, and how to measure your ad effectiveness. Get the insights you need to create effective campaigns and measure their impact on perceptions and buying behaviors. Learn:
How TikTok usage vary across demographic cohorts
What TikTok users think about efforts to market to them on the platform
How brands can effectively engage the TikTok audience, from creating content that fits with what users love about the platform and leveraging the platform’s native formats.
The use of Artificial Intelligence is very much in the news at the moment, with the tech wizards pushing all kinds of AI on us, from programs that make art to ones that write screenplays.
But these geniuses have already started rapidly back-tracking as they realise we should probably proceed with caution, before computers start removing humans from strategic decisions and creating a Terminator-type scenario where it’s humans versus machines.
That may seem on the alarmist side, but AI really is a new thing and anything that powerful and unknown should be treated with extreme caution. For example, the ‘art’ and ‘writing’ AI bots aren’t coming up with new ideas (they’re mining the ever-unreliable internet for content) or being ‘creative’ (merely creating an amalgam of work already done by others.)
There is little to no accountability for AI programs that use any of this data, even if it breaches copyright or puts people out of jobs, which is already happening worldwide in many industries.
So where does that leave us with using AI to generate money-making ideas? We looked into both aspects of this: first of all, the use of AI to make money for your business or yourself; and second, using AI to come up with money-making ideas, to see if AI could outperform the human mind.
AI-powered chatbots can provide 24/7 support and assistance to customers, and you’ve probably already used one – on a banking app, for example. These bots can answer questions, help with purchases, or even help you track your orders.
Predictive Modelling
You can use AI to create predictive models that help you make financial predictions, which can then be sold on to investors, financial institutions and other companies.
Content creation
AI can generate a LOT of content, based on algorithms and data, which may enable a business to scale and personalise their content BUT beware: the quality of the generated content is highly variable and you’ll still need to personally fact-check the content generated for inaccuracies or unusual wording.
e-commerce
AI analyses customer behaviour and preferences, to personalise the shopping experience for each individual customer by recommending products, target customers with tailored marketing campaigns, etc.
Trading using AI and Machine learning algorithms
AI and Machine learning algorithms can potentially earn you passive income, but again, you have a to do a LOT of studying up on the subject first, as it’s a highly nuanced and complicated field.
Generating AI Content
The most-used methods to monetise content is to put advertisements on your blog posts or website, or publish sponsored social media posts, BUT you need to create unique and engaging content regularly to really see some money come in.
Using AI for Web Design
Running your own website is an excellent medium by which to reach more audiences and online customers.
Using AI to come up with money-making ideas
We wanted to use an AI program to come up with a list of ways to make money. Does this rival our own human brainstorming sessions, we wanted to know.
So we tried Anyword, an AI site that generates ideas in various ways. We used the Prompt feature to come up with the following list of ways to make money at home, to see if it generated a list of great ideas.
What it came up with, and bear in mind this was its first attempt based on our simple premise of ‘come up with ten ways to make money at home’, with this list:
1. Start a Blog: Use your knowledge, skills and experience to start a blog and generate income through ads, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts. 2. Become a Virtual Assistant: Leverage your skills to help others in completing tasks from the comfort of your own home. 3. Do Freelance Work: Whether it’s writing, graphic design, programming or another skill, take advantage of opportunities for freelance work. 4. Take Paid Surveys: Share your opinion with companies who pay you for it. 5. Create an Online Course: If you are an expert on a subject, why not share it with others by creating an online course? 6. Publish an eBook: There are plenty of online marketplaces available where you can share your work with others. 7. Sell Photos Online: If you are a budding photographer, selling photos online can be a great way to generate income. 8. Become a Tutor: Tutoring is a great way to share your expertise with students. You can teach virtually, in-person, or both. 9. Create an App: Tap into the power of the mobile app market and create your own app. 10. Create a Drop-shipping Store: Drop-shipping stores allow you to create your own e-commerce store without having to keep inventory or ship orders.
Now, the above are all ideas we’ve discussed plenty of times on MoneyMagpie, and they’re pretty good. But they’re nothing new, and simply based on a skim of the internet to collect ideas to make a list.
Pros and Cons of AI and Money Making
The pros are that each of these could be further researched, as is true of most things: don’t trust the internet to come up with all your answers, or for those answers to be 100% accurate or reliable.
The cons of this kind of AI is that, if your goal is to take the effort and time out of thinking and researching such things as looking for ways to make money, you may be limiting your own search by relying on a computer to do it for you. Part of the brilliance of the human brain is in thinking laterally – using personal experience and unique thought processes that just can’t be mined by computer intelligence.
Using BOTH of these techniques seems to be what pro-AI companies are pushing right now: use the AI as a kicking off point that then starts conversations and ideas in your own mind or within your own team to generate ideas. It’s certainly given us a lot to think about!
UK’s cheapest supermarket revealed – and it may surprise you
Consumer experts Which? has revealed the UK’s cheapest supermarket for March (excluding Aldi and Lidl), and it may just surprise you. Coming in at a whopping £20 less than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose, the cheapest supermarket is Sainsbury’s.
This supermarket undercut its rivals Asda, Tesco and Morrisons.
41 grocery items cost an average of £72.54 across the month at Aldi. This is compared to a total of £92.55 in Waitrose. The same items would cost £72.79. Comparing another 96 items, a total of 137 including the original 41, including branded products such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese, and not including Aldi and Lidl, found Asda was the cheapest, costing £343.91.
Sainsbury’s was the next cheapest, costing £9.25 more. Waitrose was £41.83 more expensive than Asda. With many people considering Sainsburys a more expensive option, these finding are a pleasant surprise. These findings demonstrate shoppers can make considerable savings on their groceries by shopping around.
However, Which? said many of the major supermarkets still have not done enough to support their customers during this time of high inflation and living costs.
Retailers should make sure affordable basic ranges are available in all supermarket branches, including smaller convenience stores.
Which? list of cheapest supermarkets
Which? Retail editor Ele Clark said:
“We know people are suffering through the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades and the price of food and drink has skyrocketed no matter where you shop. However, our monthly supermarket analysis shows you could save £20 on a basket of everyday groceries at the cheapest supermarket compared to the priciest one.
“Supermarkets aren’t currently doing enough to help customers. Which? believes the big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”
Since its introduction to commercial markets in the early 20th century, plastic has revolutionized the ways we live. But ever since its environmental impact has been studied and measured, we’ve found that plastic remains one of the single most devastating modern design flaws.
Despite this, modern industries are still creating more single-use plastic than ever. And while some countries and US states are establishing their own targets to reduce plastic usage, many companies simply can’t envision a different solution that wouldn’t drastically disrupt their current business model.
Enter: AeroFlexx. This company aims to become the go-to solution for businesses looking to meet their sustainability goals by promising less plastic, less waste, less mess, and even long-term financial benefits for brands and consumers alike.
An alternative liquid packaging industry
AeroFlexx is a full-service liquid packaging company that provides a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic products. The company envisions a future where there is “no compromise” when it comes to an enhanced consumer experience, brand value, and — most importantly — the planet.
By combining the best attributes of both rigid and flexible packaging into a single solution, the AeroFlexx Pak can work in the same way a normal squeezy bottle or a resealable pouch does, but “uses up to 70 percent less plastic than traditional bottles, resulting in 73 percent less water consumption and 81 percent less waste that would otherwise end up in landfills,” according to its CEO, Andrew Meyer.
AeroFlexx’s packaging is versatile, lean, flexible, and fully customizable for edge-to-edge artwork, meaning companies don’t have to compromise on an eye-catching design. “At AeroFlexx, we take a holistic approach to drive real results and make a meaningful impact,” Meyer recently told the Los Angeles Tribune. “The AeroFlexx Pak enables manufacturers to succeed for the benefit of society and future generations.”
The science
AeroFlexx utilizes technology that allows customization based on specific needs, which it says lets users enjoy characteristics “never seen before in any liquid packaging.” Along with using 50 to 70 percent less plastic compared to rigid bottles, it doesn’t require molds and can incorporate up to 50 percent recycled content, eliminating 85 percent virgin plastic compared to a traditional rigid bottle. Once empty, it is also curbside-recyclable where all plastic bottles are accepted.
From production to usage and disposal, AeroFlexx’s innovative packaging has a lower carbon footprint. Its patented airframe technology ensures structural rigidity through the entire lifecycle, and its one-step “easy tear” seal provides greater accessibility to consumers. Likewise, the packaging’s “drop by drop” precision technology allows dose control with a squeeze of the hand, and the inclusion of a self-sealing valve means it won’t spill or leak — even if dropped.
“Consumers value sustainably sourced and manufactured products, so much so that these items enjoy 2.7 times faster growth,” Meyer added to the Tribune. On top of all this, the AeroFlexx Pak can be stored and transported flat, eliminating the need for excess packaging and numerous delivery vehicles. The company estimates that, by adopting this technology, companies can save approximately 196.2 million pounds of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills and reduce overall CO2 emissions by 51.4 million pounds.
The benefits
When it comes to the product itself, AeroFlexx says its innovative packaging still protects the inside just like any traditional plastic product, with flexible packaging designed to act like a traditional plastic bottle. Because of this increased brand value, they say, it enables top-line growth and bottom-line efficiency. The company also insists that, based on consumer experience, its packaging is even preferred over rigid bottles.
Above all else, though, the main benefit AeroFlexx seeks to offer companies is a faster means to a more sustainable business model, while at the same time “demonstrating environmental responsibility” to consumers. The company predicts that, based on projections of 2.5 billion product units across a five-year window, it could help save 980.8 million pounds of waste, 256.8 million pounds of CO2, and 65.3 million gallons of gas.
“In 2023, we are going to be a preeminent solution for this type of consumer-friendly packaging,” Meyer said in a press statement. “We have an unwavering obligation to society and future generations to do our part without compromise. Companies that are using AeroFlexx proprietary liquid packaging will achieve or perhaps accelerate their sustainability goals and like us, benefit the most as being the leaders in the industry.”
The US unemployment rate remains low, and companies continue to struggle to hire and retain talented employees. This problem has persisted for so long that many business leaders now recognize the necessity of changing business practices and experimenting with new solutions.
One such innovative solution is outsourcing tasks to virtual assistants. This approach not only helps businesses solve their labor shortages, but also saves them valuable time, energy, and capital.
Kinds of Work Virtual Assistants Can Do
Many business leaders are astonished by the range and complexity of tasks that virtual assistants can handle. While virtual assistants can act as administrative assistants by answering the phones, responding to correspondence, doing data entry, and coordinating interviews, they can also do a lot more.
Each individual virtual assistant’s particular interests have an impact on the kinds of tasks they can take on. For example, some are adept with financial matters. These virtual assistants can assist with many activities related to accounting, such as tracking accounts payable and receivable, creating invoices, reaching out to customers whose bills are due, and conducting necessary purchasing for the company.
Other virtual assistants take an interest in marketing and social media. These workers are a natural fit for businesses that need help with their online presence or seek to reach their target market better.
Many are highly effective writers and editors. Not only can they proofread copy, but also they can generate it themselves. They often serve as a first line of preparation for meetings, compiling profiles of participants, summaries of agenda topics, and possible follow-up questions so that you walk into every encounter on the best possible footing.
Virtual assistants can even help busy business leaders balance their work and personal obligations. They can keep track of children’s activities and needs so that baked goods or equipment never go lacking or a bill never goes unpaid.
With the help of a virtual assistant, it really is possible to have it all, even if one can’t do it all. The important thing is to identify the particular roles you need to fill.
Finding a Trustworthy Virtual Assistant
Engaging a virtual assistant can be as easy or as difficult as you choose. On one hand, you can look for a virtual assistant on your own, which launches an entire hiring process. This option would require you to solicit resumes, review them, schedule interviews, conduct them, and possibly even do more than one round of meetings. You would also need to vet the candidates fully to ensure they are as highly qualified and educated as their materials suggest. In taking this approach, it would be advisable to develop relevant assignments for them to complete, as well as evaluate their work.
On the other hand, virtual assistant companies can do these tasks for you. If you do go with a virtual assistant company, then make sure they have a rigorous vetting process in place. These providers should ensure their virtual assistants are skilled in the necessary tasks, speak fluent English, and have college degrees, as well as screen their candidates extensively by conducting background checks and contacting their references. These companies should also provide dedicated teams that ensure your virtual assistant is completing the tasks you have assigned in a timely and appropriate manner.
Choosing to go with a virtual assistant company brings other advantages as well. Your provider will be responsible for their employment taxes, employee benefits packages, and training. If you find you no longer need your virtual assistant, you can let them go without guilt, confident in the knowledge that their company will simply assign them to a different client.
Virtual assistants can help a wide range of businesses address their labor needs. As a result, business leaders will be able to put staffing worries aside and return to what they do best: building their businesses.
People who rushed to download the Microsoft Edge browser to try out the New Bing Chat experience – ironically – ended up using Google Search on Edge, according to new data from enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge.
Why we care. We’re watching closely for any data indicating whether the New Bing is starting to chip away at Google’s massive lead in search. What we see here is more evidence that Microsoft is driving more traffic to sites – in a twist, they’re doing it via Edge instead of Bing.
What the data shows. Google fairly consistently sent more than 3 million visits to websites since the start of 2023. Starting around Feb. 19, however, there is a noticeable uptick in Google traffic coming from the Edge browser. That number grew to roughly 3.7 million visits by the week of March 12.
Meanwhile, traffic from Bing in Edge also showed some growth since the start of the year (from just over 5 million to about 5.5 million as of the week of March 12), but the data seems to show that as more traffic started coming from Google in Edge, less came from Bing in Edge.
For its analysis, BrightEdge examined more than 600,000 million visits to websites across all major industries, comparing U.S. traffic from Google and Bing, by browser (Chrome vs. Edge).
Google gains an Edge. More than 1 million people signed up within the first 48 hours to try out the new Bing in February, but ended up stuck on a waitlist, in some cases for weeks.
So all those people who downloaded Edge stuck with it. But when it came to searching, rather than using Bing, many started using Google Search on Edge.
One big question we will be better able to answer months from now is whether limiting the integration of GPT-4 into Bing Chat solely on the Edge browser was a missed opportunity. We just don’t have that data yet.
“It is still early to predict how Google and Bing will evolve and if there is a significant market dominance shift,” said Lemuel Park, BrightEdge co-founder and CTO. “However, Bing will undoubtedly increase in popularity as more and more people experiment with its new capabilities.”
More data. The new Bing making (small) gains on Google Search has some additional data, including page visits on Bing rising 15.8% and Bing becoming a more significant referral source for some publishers.
