Category: Internet Marketing

Trick-or-Treat Yourself to These Spooktacular Halloween Must-Haves

Home Business Magazine Online

Halloween is almost here! Check out the below ghoulishly grand Halloween products from Sugar Plum Chocolates, Medical Scrubs Collection, and Manta Sleep mask. From a delicious sweet-and-salty snack tray for Halloween parties to a comfy and festive shirt for medical professionals, these essentials are so festive and fun for Halloween.  

Top Treat for Halloween Parties: Sugar Plum Halloween Boo Box

Halloween Boo Box

Boo! Surprise someone with Sugar Plum’s Halloween Boo Box, a delicious box of Halloween treats! Chocolate-covered Halloween pretzels, chocolate-covered cookies and graham crackers, caramel popcorn drizzled in chocolate, chocolate-covered pretzel balls, gummy spiders and a white chocolate ghost lollipop…a bootiful collection of sweet and salty goodies all ready for the Halloween season! Retails for $49 at https://www.sugar-plum.com/products/halloween-boo-box

Medical Scrubs Collection’s Stylish and Comfy Halloween Fashions

Medical Scrubs Collection Med Couture Women’s Print V-Neck Top in Halloween Party

halloween scrubs 2

Celebrate Halloween in style with this festive and comfy V-neck top, which features two spacious front pockets for holding your necessities and an all-over print. Retails for $27.99 at medicalscrubscollection.com

Medical Scrubs Collection Adar Universal Unisex Drawstring Scrub Set

Halloween scrubs 3

This comfy scrub set is sure to be a hit during your hospital shift and at all Halloween parties! Features a classic fit V-neck top that has 2 large pockets at the waist and side vents. The fashionable pants feature a comfort mesh drawstring closure, back hip pocket, natural-rise, and tapered leg. The set retails for $28.99 at medicalscrubscollection.com

Blurb: From breezy joggers and comfy jackets to khaki scrubs, plus size scrubs, maternity scrubs, and Dickies scrubs, Medical Scrubs Collections offers a vast array of chic fashions for all kinds of occasions.

Manta GLOW Sleep Mask

Glow mask

Halloween means all things glow in the dark! Manta GLOW Sleep Mask is the comfiest 100% blackout sleep mask glows in the dark so you can easily find it. It doesn’t put any pressure on the eyelids, is infinitely adjustable for personalized fit, and is made with soft, breathable, and durable materials. Retails for $39 at mantasleep.com

Have a safe and fun Halloween! Boo!

The post Trick-or-Treat Yourself to These Spooktacular Halloween Must-Haves appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/lifestyles/trick-treat-yourself-spooktacular-halloween-must-haves/

Google Ads serving/spending issue resolved after almost 3 days

Google has fixed the Google Ads issue with serving and spending that started on Wednesday morning and lasted almost three days.

Google posted an update at 5:28 pm ET today saying, “The problem with Google Ads has been resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support.”

The issue started on October 11th at 12:59 am ET.

What has Google said? A Google spokesperson said in a statement:

  • “We are aware of an issue affecting serving/spending for campaigns running on Google Ads.”
  • “This is an acknowledgement note to assure you that the issue is being actively investigated.”

Why we care. You may want to check your Google Ads account to see if there are any anomalies with your account and speak to Google with any necessary refunds or adjustments.

The post Google Ads serving/spending issue resolved after almost 3 days appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-serving-spending-issue-resolved-after-almost-3-days-433266

An Extra’s Story: Can you Really Make Money Being a Film and TV Extra?

When MoneyMagpie founder Jasmine Birtles suggested recently that there was work to be made as an Extra in film and TV, she was met by lots of very unbelieving comments. Some outright said, “yeah because that’s a thing” and others asked honestly how this could be done. We have covered this previously on MoneyMagpie here. But we asked filmmaker Miles Watts about the experience.

Miles Watts

Miles on set

“You may have seen the show Extras and thought, do all these people in the backgrounds of TV and films get paid to be there? The answer is yes they do. Then you might wonder, is the money good enough for me to consider trying this? 

Now, personally I’ve done a bit of extra work, and this was partly because I had nothing better to do one week a few years back, and also because I was interested – filmmaker that I am – to see what it was like from the other side of the camera: being turned into a period film extra. The fact that the TV show and film I signed up to extra in were about, respectively, a serial killer (I’d just made a movie about one) and the other one starred Alan Rickman, I thought why not? For me, being on a couple of film sets would be an invaluable experience.”

WHAT DO EXTRAS DO? 

Put simply, extras or SAs (Supporting Artists) are paid to fill out the backgrounds in TV shows or films that need crowd scenes, passers-by, pub regulars and so forth. Generally an SA won’t have a featured or speaking role: their job is to blend in and seem like they’re part of the scene unfolding in the foreground. That said, you can (and I have) gained the odd extra role with a speaking line, for which you get paid more – and more on that in a bit. 

MY EXPERIENCE 

Bear in mind I did both the extras jobs for a bit of fun, not because I particularly needed the money or want to be a professional SA or anything. I must say though, the respect I garnered for extras after being one skyrocketed immeasurably. 

For the first job, the TV one about the serial killer, I was required for a funeral scene in a graveyard in a pleasant Yorkshire field, so I was driven by my long-suffering partner (I don’t drive… yet) to set very early in the morning, where I was stuffed into the period suit I’d been fitted for a week earlier (you get paid for that, too). That was a pleasant enough day, a bit boring, with lots of standing around while the crew set up shots (something I’m more than familiar with, so I watched and waited patiently). 

The scene involved me ushering mourners out of the church, nodding at the actor playing the vicar, who’d worked with Johnny Depp and on just about every TV show and film I’d ever seen, and shutting the door. I did that about ten times. The shot didn’t make it into the movie, presumably not because I was so awful in it but probably because the scene was too long. The camera crew will get a lot of what they call ‘coverage’, most of which they don’t need but which covers them in the edit. Come to think of it, that’s probably one of the reasons it’s called coverage. 

THE FILM 

My second extras job, with the same agency, was not as pleasant because it was in a dank, dark, cold, crumbling building, and I was a semi-featured extra (I didn’t have a speaking role but I had to tip my hat at the only other extra in the scene.) The main actor in the scene was a now-very famous British actor from TV and film (including a Spielberg movie) and she was nothing but friendly and courteous as we blocked out the scene and she ran her lines again and again.  

After a few goes through the blocking – which is where the actors and extras work out who’s standing and walking where – it was relayed to me that I wasn’t moving fast enough through the scene, then too fast, then not tipping my hat correctly, and then they gave up the idea of me doing any of the above, and made me sit in a quiet room in the dark next to a heat lamp, presumably to think about what I’d done. Or hadn’t done.

It then took about five hours for them to escort me from the set (you can’t just leave when you want), remove my itchy fake beard and set me free into the wild, where I met with my partner to enjoy a nice cold beer. Oh and Alan Rickman didn’t show up, and then later I found out the reason was that sadly, he’d succumbed to cancer. But, it was an experience, I will say that. 

THE PAY 

I did of course get paid for all of the above: for my costume fittings and for my extra time on set, and it was paid when they said it would be. But I wouldn’t say it was an easy couple of days: early starts, random locations, uncomfortable clothes… however, we did get some nice food and drink during the breaks. 

So, if you fancy having a go at being an extra (and I’ve had many offers since), here’s what to look out for. 

TALENT AGENCIES 

First off, you need to sign up with an agency, who will require photos of you and a biography, with front, side and back pictures of you with no makeup, plain enough clothes and a clear expression: sort of like taking a passport photo. This way, the talent agency will be able to see what you look like. Be honest with your photos, because you may just have the exact look they’re going for depending on the project: being the size and figure you are with the hairstyle you have (although sometimes you may be asked if you’re amenable to changing your appearance) could be exactly what they need, so don’t go changing.

Do some research into the best UK talent agencies. Some of these include: 

  • Andrea Casting 
  • The Casting Collective 
  • The Casting Network 
  • Catnap Casting 
  • Euro Kids & Adults (EKA) 
  • Extra People (this is the one I’m a member of) 
  • The Extras Dept. 
  • Greenlight Casting 

Google around and make sure the agency you apply to is legit, and adheres to the laws of talent work in the UK. As an agency worker, you have the same rights as other employees and workers to: be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, to not have any deductions from your pay that are not legal. To be paid on time and by the agreed method. 

Once you’re signed up to the agency, you’ll have to wait for opportunities to come your way, which is the shaky part of being an SA. I stayed signed on with my talent agency, mostly to keep track of the productions happening in my area, and in the past six months for example, I’ve had several emails a week asking me to try out for several big productions – we’re talking BIG Hollywood films with huge stars, and new TV shows for Netflix and the BBC.  

THE MONEY 

The money is pretty good for a side job, as I say, but not as a main career, as you’re at the mercy of whatever productions are running. Covid was disastrous for the film and TV industry but it’s slowly coming back: these days you’ll HAVE to be Covid-compliant on set, so that means masks and hand san as well as social distancing: it’s the law! 

You could make as much as £100 a day being an extra, but as mentioned before, half of that could potentially be spent on your travel costs. Plus, the schedules are often mercilessly last-minute and inflexible, so if you have a regular job or family commitments, it’s very hard to fit SA work into your monthly schedule. If you fancy it though, and you ideally have your own car, you may want to look into it.  

ESSENTIALS 

Ideally you’ll need to drive to the locations, which are usually near-ish where you live but frequently in the middle of nowhere, and the start and finish times often leave a lot to be desired. The longest extras day I did myself started at 5am and ended at 3am, for which I was paid overtime, but it was a long, uncomfortable day where I had to wear a false beard and tight suit. You’re not allowed to have your phone on set so you can’t sit around texting, and there’ll often be long periods of time where you’re sitting on set or in a trailer with nothing to do. So for God’s sake take a small book to have handy, or strike up chats with other SAs: that’ll get you through the day. Lots of interesting people work as SAs!

You’ll be answerable to firstly the Costume and Makeup Departments, where you’ll be tousled and buttoned into your outfit, then to an Assistant Director who’ll spend a lot of time speaking into a radio and ushering you back and forth from set to make sure you don’t wander off. And you can’t make a lot of noise on set between takes either, or you’ll incur the wrath of the 1st AD, who are scary by nature as theirs is one of the hardest jobs on set. 

There is the camaraderie of the other SAs however, and I made some good pals on set. I was nipped and tucked and combed and glued into my costume all day long, and my legs were killing me by the end of the day – and all for often not making it into the final cut.  

And you do get paid on time, more if you worked overtime, and it’s a reliable payment system, if not a reliable career

Did you Get any Further Offers to be a Film or TV Extra?

“Yes, after a silent patch due to the pandemic, I now get almost daily offers of work at the moment, and over the past few months I’ve had multiple opportunities to become involved at various levels of SA work on some major TV and film productions: not all of them fit around my other work, but every week my inbox buzzes with notifications about productions in or near where I live.”

 

The post An Extra’s Story: Can you Really Make Money Being a Film and TV Extra? appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/an-extras-story-can-you-really-make-money-being-a-film-and-tv-extra

How to make money from old film posters

Remember the good old days of going to your local video store and foraging through their film posters bargain box for a few new items to stick up on your wall?

Well, if you were a particularly conscientious teen and preserved those precious finds, you might just be able to make money from them today.

Here’s a quick guide to a few things you should know about buying and selling old film posters.

 

Why are old film posters so popular?

Blackmail film poster

Well, the reason is pretty simple – they were never created to be preserved. As with all advertising, these posters were simply used as a fleeting method of grabbing people’s attention.

So, it’s hardly surprising that the few saved and preserved by collectors or film buffs are now considered valuable rarities.

This is especially true for larger posters that were displayed on billboards. Unless they were salvaged, they would simply have been pasted over with the next big blockbuster. Some of these posters are so rare that less than 10 can be found anywhere in the world.

 

What are collectors after?

Balalaika film poster

There are a number of factors that influence the value of old movie posters. As mentioned above, rarity is one important aspect.

However, there are a few more things to consider:

Title

Obviously, the posters of popular and cult films are more sought-after than their B-grade counterparts. For instance, the most expensive old film posters currently listed on eBay include The All New Dracula, Oliver Twist and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Striking artwork

There are, however, cases where posters of less popular films are highly sought-after due to the quality of the poster’s artwork.

According to Sothebys.com, a relatively unknown film called New York (1927) is a case in point. The poster features a particularly beautiful impression of the Big Apple skyline that collectors fall over their feet to find.

Condition

Because having actually been in use adds value to a poster, the condition doesn’t have to be perfect. Unlike other collectibles, such as toys, collectors consider folds, stamps and slight fading part and parcel of the deal.

Most would, however, not invest in something that is badly torn, completely faded or damaged in other unsightly ways.

Origin

In many cases, European versions of movie posters are more sought-after than their American and British counterparts. The reason for this is simply that designing movie posters was considered more of an art rather than pure advertisement.

 

How much can you make?

The Mummy - Old Film Poster

Well, this depends entirely on how many of the boxes mentioned above your posters tick.

If you head on over to eBay, you’ll see that posters go for anything between £0.99 and £5,000.

The seven most expensive posters on eBay right now are:

Original Bullitt1968, Italian 4-Foglio, Film/Movie Poster – £5,000

Dracula 1958 – Original UK quad film poster – £4,999.00

Oliver Twist original UK quad film poster – £5,000

Quatermass and the Pit original UK quad film poster – £2,000.00

School for Secrets original UK quad film poster – £1,800.00

Large framed Goldfinger poster (With cast signatures) – £1,800.00

Large original Beatles Help poster – £1,550.00

So, there you have it! If you have something you think fits this bill, you could be making big bucks on eBay!

 

A strange story about finding film posters under a carpet

Old film poster under carpet

If you’re still sceptical about just how lucrative a few good old film posters can be, gather round for this crazy story published by The Guardian last year.

In 1985, two builders uncovered a stash of beautiful cinema posters dating from the 1930s and 40s under the carpet of a home they were renovating in Penarth, Wales. That’s right! Under a carpet. It all checks out, as the home belonged to a Cardiff cinema owner’s relative and the posters probably seemed like a good and easy-to-access barrier to use at the time.

Strangely enough, this seemed to have been a good way of preserving the posters, as they were all still in really good condition.

The builders were allowed to keep the posters and wisely decided to hold onto them for a couple of years.

Well, in 2017, their collection was put up for auction and sold for a whopping £72,000!

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The post How to make money from old film posters appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/how-to-make-money-from-old-film-posters

Long Way from Home: Cloud Computing Reaches New Heights in Aviation

Home Business Magazine Online

Since 2020, cloud computing has been brought to the forefront of many business sectors. Today it remains one of the tools responsible for changing how people work. Most commonly, this happened by facilitating working from home to the benefit of employers, employees, and small business entrepreneurs. Now aviation is expanding their cloud computing technology, which travelling entrepreneurs and digital nomads can also benefit from.

Aviation Cloud Technology

The tech multinational Infosys is behind one of the latest cloud developments – the Infosys Cobalt Airline Cloud. While cloud computing has been used in aviation in the past, it’s typically to bolster basic functions and make vital communications more efficient or fail-proof. The ICAC is aimed specifically at commercial airlines, with a goal to improve customer journeys via digitization.

It should come as no surprise that airlines are adapting to keep up with other industry cloud services. It’s a tech-heavy, high-profile industry, and most experiencing international travel through the world’s airlines. They’re the modern face of aviation, which has always inspired other fields in ways nobody would expect. Aerospace tech has influenced computing and simulation gaming a lot, including iGaming. This can be seen with the Aviator betting game at Paddy Power, where the slot is themed after a plane takes off from a runway. Now it’s aviation’s turn to be influenced by the data and entertainment industries, as cloud computing aims to make flights more enjoyable for its passengers.

Infosys’ biggest claim when launching the ICAC is that it can reduce lost luggage by 50%. This would be done with digitally tagged check-in points at every gate when bags are getting transferred. Other parts of the Cobalt suite include transitioning older computer workloads to the cloud, cutting down on cost, along optimizing route planning on land and in the air. Both of these cut down costs for airlines, meaning flight costs could be lowered as a result. Integrating cloud computing with the day-to-day functions of an airline also leaves the door open for AI implementation as it gets more sophisticated. Though still early in the ICAC rollout, Infosys counts Air Canada, AirAsia, and Qantas as current customers.

Cobalt Expansion Is Good for Entrepreneurs

While the ICAC is new, Infosys Cobalt first launched in 2020. It started by bringing 14,000 cloud assets to the table for business applications in cloud and edge computing, IoT, 5G, and AI. Since then, it has become Cobalt 2.0 and become a consultant and managed services partner for Amazon Web Services. It has been used for SaaS and other popular entrepreneurial pursuits over the past three years.

The expansion of Cobalt and similar cloud services is good news for digital nomads. As leveraging the cloud becomes the norm for many industries, it’ll be easier for nomads to work seamlessly while on the move. Using cloud storage also means that laptops or handheld devices won’t have to bear the burden of storing an entrepreneur’s hard work. In this case, the ICAC’s proposed benefits also help digital nomads by making travel more efficient and less costly for them.

Of course, many of those benefits can apply to entrepreneurs running a business from home. The cloud is always a valuable resource in preventing your computer’s storage from getting filled up. Using the data centers of a cloud service provider tends to be more secure than home-based cybersecurity, explained here by Tom’s Guide. This is particularly the case for entrepreneurs who are just starting out, where their home office rig is more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Wider applications of cloud computing technology should also lower upkeep costs across the board, making it cheaper for those relying on it. However, these are long-term benefits that won’t be impacted by the arrival of Infosys’ Cobalt for aviation. In the meantime, Infosys is bringing cloud computing to some of the world’s largest travel and transport companies.

The post Long Way from Home: Cloud Computing Reaches New Heights in Aviation appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/technology-management/cloud-computing-reaches-new-heights-aviation/

Google testing more subtle Search Generative Experience design

Google is testing a toned-down, more subtle version of the Search Generative Experience. Some are calling this version the lite SGE, where Google is showing a couple of lines of text from the AI-generated snapshot with the ability to expand that answer to see more.

What it looks like. Here are screenshots that Glenn Gabe provided on social media:

Alphabet Inc.

Here are more screenshots:

Normal SGE. Compare this to what we normally see for SGE results, with a big answer, that takes up the whole screen real estate and sometimes more:
artificial intelligence

Why we care. Some might prefer this “lite” version of the SGE results. Instead of it overtaking all the search results, the ten blue links and other elements, it is a smaller, more subtle answer at the top of the page that can be expanded upon user choice. Searchers can easily scroll past it to the the traditional search results, unlike the original SGE interface.

The post Google testing more subtle Search Generative Experience design appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-testing-more-subtle-search-generative-experience-design-433046

Google-Extended does not stop Google Search Generative Experience from using your site’s content

Google-Extended, the new standalone product token, to tell Google through your robots.txt to not use your site content for Bard and Vertex AI and other AI projects does not work for the AI-answers and snapshots provided in the Search Generative Experience.

Google told us that Google-Extended does not work for SGE. “SGE is a Search experiment so website administrators should continue to use the Googlebot user agent through robots.txt and the NOINDEX meta tag to manage their content in search results, including experiments like Search Generative Experience,” a Google spokesperson told us.

Why not for SGE. Google explained that SGE is part of the Google Search experience; it is a search feature and thus it should work as how normal search directives work. “The context is that AI is built into Search, not bolted on, and integral to how Search functions, which is why robots.txt is the control to give web publishers the option to manage access to how their sites are crawled,” Google told us.

SGE AI-answers. There are examples of SGE showing AI-generated answers, with website cards, from sites that have specifically directed Google not to use their content for AI purposes.

Glenn Gabe posted a screenshot of VentureBeat.com that specifically has Google-Extended disallowed in its robot.txt file, being used in the AI-generated answer in SGE:

Alphabet Inc.

Why we care. If you thought using Google-Extended would prevent Google from using your content for SGE AI-powered answers, then you were wrong. Google-Extended it for Bard and Vertex AI and other non-search-specific products.

If you don’t want your answers in SGE, then you would need to block Googlebot completely, which most of you do not want to do.

The post Google-Extended does not stop Google Search Generative Experience from using your site’s content appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-extended-does-not-stop-google-search-generative-experience-from-using-your-sites-content-433058

Behind the Scenes of BDD Testing: What Really Happens in the Test Automation Process

Home Business Magazine Online

Assuring that the program works as intended and satisfies user expectations, software testing is a crucial stage in the software development lifecycle. Behavior-driven development (BDD) testing is a particularly successful strategy for ensuring that a piece of software acts appropriately from the perspective of the user in the field of software testing. Although the idea of BDD is well known, few people are aware of the inner workings of test automation. Today, we’ll dig into the inner workings of BDD testing, illuminating the complexities and phases that underpin its accomplishment.

Defining Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) Testing

What is BDD testing, you may be wondering — BDD is fundamentally a method of software development that prioritizes user behavior and anticipated results. It centers on the notion of creating scenarios in clear language that explain how a piece of software ought to act in certain circumstances. The “Given-When-Then” pattern is used in these cases, where:

  • Given: Describes the system’s original context or condition.
  • When: Identifies an event or activity that causes a behavior.
  • Next: Specifies the anticipated result or outcome.

BDD scenarios act as a common language that unites technical and non-technical stakeholders, promoting cooperation and ensuring that everyone is aware of the software’s behavior.

The Anatomy of BDD Test Automation

Now, let’s dissect the intricate process of BDD test automation:

1. Scenario Authoring:

Writing a scenario is the first step in the trip. Product managers, business analysts, and testers must work together cross-functionally throughout this phase. They create scenarios together that represent different facets of the behavior of the program. Throughout the development process, these scenarios act as both living records and reference points.

2. Framework Selection:

Picking the appropriate BDD testing framework is essential. Cucumber, SpecFlow, Behave, and other solutions are popular choices. These frameworks offer a systematic setting for converting plain-language scenarios into workable tests.

3. Step Definitions:

The next step after having scenarios is to develop step definitions. Step definitions serve as a link between scenarios written in simple language and the underlying automation code. For each scenario step, they specify what should be done (the “When”) and what to anticipate (the “Then”). Testing professionals and developers work together to create step descriptions.

4. Test Automation:

The scenarios should now be automated. The actual test scripts that will imitate user interactions with the product are written by automation engineers or testers with coding skills. These scripts adhere to the step definitions’ logical explanations. Automated testing guarantees speed and repeatability when confirming program behavior.

5. Execution:

The automation scripts can be run against the software being tested after they are finished. The program is acted upon during execution in accordance with the established scenarios. The automated tests verify if the observed behavior agrees with the anticipated results described in the scenarios.

6. Reporting and Analysis:

BDD testing frameworks frequently include thorough information on how the tests were executed. These reports detail any problems observed during testing as well as which scenarios succeeded and which failed. During the analysis phase, these reports are examined to find errors, regressions, or differences between desired and actual behavior.

7. Debugging and Refinement:

The debugging and refining phase is activated when testing is unsuccessful or problems are found. To identify and fix errors’ underlying causes, testers and developers collaborate. The software is designed in an iterative method to match user expectations.

8. Continuous Integration:

In contemporary software development methodologies, BDD tests are frequently included in CI pipelines. As a result, anytime code modifications are submitted to the version control system, automated tests are automatically run. BDD tests are made to be an essential component of the development process thanks to CI integration.

9. Maintenance and Updates:

BDD tests should change as the software does. Scenarios, step definitions, and automation scripts must be updated to reflect the software’s current status when new features are introduced or old ones are changed. The constant process of maintaining tests helps to keep them useful and efficient.

10. Collaboration and Communication:

Collaboration and communication among team members are essential throughout the whole BDD testing process. BDD scenarios act as a unifying framework that unifies everyone’s perceptions of software behavior. It makes it easier to have talks, get things straight, and share responsibility for quality control.

The Benefits of BDD Test Automation

Now that we’ve unveiled the intricacies of BDD test automation, let’s explore why it’s worth the effort:

  • Clarity and Transparency: BDD scenarios provide a transparent and lucid means of describing and expressing expected behavior. They act as a point of reference for all parties involved, ensuring that there is consensus.
  • Efficiency and Repeatability: Automating the testing process makes it more repeatable and efficient. Regression testing takes less time and effort when performed quickly and reliably using automated tests.
  • Early Issue Detection: BDD tests identify problems before they become serious ones. You can uncover errors and regressions as soon as they happen by describing anticipated behavior in advance and automating testing, which lowers the cost of repairing them.
  • Collaboration and Alignment: BDD promotes cross-functional team cooperation and the alignment of business goals with software behavior. It guarantees that each person’s viewpoint is taken into account during the testing process.
  • Continuous Integration: By including BDD tests in CI pipelines, a continuous testing culture is promoted. Every time a piece of code is changed, tests are automatically executed, giving developers quick feedback and preserving the integrity of the project.

BDD testing automation is a secret weapon that makes sure software functions as users would anticipate it to. It involves a planned process that includes creating step definitions, choosing frameworks, writing scenarios, automating tests, running them, reporting the results, and working together continuously. Software development teams can benefit from BDD testing automation in terms of clarity, efficiency, early issue discovery, cooperation, and a dedication to ongoing quality assurance. Not only testing is important; software delivery that satisfies user needs and promotes business success is as well.

The post Behind the Scenes of BDD Testing: What Really Happens in the Test Automation Process appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/home-office/computers-and-software/bdd-testing-test-automation-process/

Future-proofing digital experience in AI-first semantic search

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration into search engines is reshaping how businesses and consumers interact with digital platforms. 

This article will share specific steps to future-proof your customer experience across various channels and touchpoints. 

Understanding AI-first semantic search 

Semantic search represents a quantum leap in the world of search engines. Unlike traditional keyword-based search, semantic search focuses on comprehending the context and intent behind a user’s query, leading to more accurate and contextually relevant results. 

This is achieved through natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) techniques, making it an essential aspect of AI-driven search. 

With AI-first semantic search, search engines are no longer confined to merely matching keywords. They can now comprehend the nuances of language, interpret user intent, and provide answers rather than just links. 

This is why brands must adapt and provide a more intuitive and personalized digital experience for users across all channels and touchpoints.

Dig deeper: How to future-proof your digital presence in the era of AI-powered search

Strategies for future-proofing your digital experience

To remain competitive in this AI-first semantic search landscape, businesses must proactively adapt their digital strategies. 

Here are some key strategies and initiatives to consider as you create a roadmap for a future-proof experience in 2024. 

  • Content orchestration: Omnichannel presence and connected customer journey. 
  • Personalization: Tailoring user experiences based on individual preferences and behaviors.
  • Semantic search and embracing entity-rich topical content.
  • Multi-modal search capabilities: Text, voice, image, core business information.
  • Page experience and Core Web Vitals for site speed, responsiveness and visual stability. 
  • Tech stack: Flexible, scalable, customizable, decoupled architecture.
  • Performance optimization: CDN, caching and lazy loading.
  • Technical SEO and structured data.  
  • UI/UX and workflows. 
  • Safe and secure: Governance and compliance. 

Content orchestration

Content-Orchestration-Omnichannel-Presence-Connected-Customer-Journey

Maintaining a consistent and connected customer journey and experience across all channels is ta challenge for most brands.

To achieve this, centralizing core digital assets, brand USP, and essential attributes is crucial. Once this information is centralized and improved, digital platforms like DAM, CMS, and CRM can deliver consistent content across all channels and touchpoints seamlessly. 

Personalization

Personalization-Tailored-User-Experiences

Tailoring experiences based on individual preferences and behaviors enhances user engagement and drives better conversion rates. 

This requires securing, segmenting customer data and personalizing digital journey based on user variables such as location, interest, and demographics. 

Brands must leverage the right CMS, CDP and CRM for personalizing user experiences.

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Semantic search and entity-rich topical content 

artificial intelligence

Semantic search understands the context and intent behind user queries. 

Businesses must understand the intent behind questions customers are asking and should provide comprehensive answers for the most accurate search results. 

An entity-first strategy for creating content is essential and is a competitive advantage in AI-powered search. Entities, when connected using schema, help in surfacing search results in semantic search. 

By embracing entity-rich content, businesses can provide more relevant and accurate search results. 

Dig deeper: 8 steps to a successful entity-first strategy for SEO and content

Multi-modal search capabilities

cloud solutions

Multimodal search uses various types of information about businesses to provide the most comprehensive search results. 

Google sees big potential in multimodal search, combining text, images, and video to surface the most relevant search results.

Google Lens and Bard play an increasingly important role here, enabling users to search and create content easily by leveraging images, text, videos and all other forms of content. 

To futureproof a digital presence, the most critical step is to ensure core information about your brand is discovered across all channels. 

Adopting a data-driven approach to assess the quality and relevancy of all assets helps in SERP dominance. 

All digital assets such as images, videos, PDFs, forms, and FAQs should use enhanced schema for discovery and use Google NLP and various AI models to score high on quality and relevancy. 

Page experience and Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of user-centric metrics that Google uses to quantify key aspects of user experience in the real world.

Optimizing for Core Web Vitals is critical for ensuring a good page experience. 

Google is set to replace the metric First Input Delay (FID) with Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which irepresentas a more accurate measure of a page’s responsiveness. These changes show that Core Web Vitals remain important user-centered metrics to measure experience. 

Tech stack

A flexible, scalable, customizable, and decoupled architecture ensures that businesses can adapt to customers’ changing needs. 

With the content separated from its presentation, it becomes easier to push the same content to multiple channels (websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, etc.) without duplicating. 

It is important to decouple the presentation layer of your website from the content and data and ensure content and data are stored in separate databases. 

Decoupled CMS and a flexible platform allow businesses to adapt to new technologies and integrations, ensuring brands are always ready at the forefront of digital innovation.  

Performance optimization

Core

Optimizing a website’s performance is crucial for both user experience and business success.

Enhancements in infrastructure, including CDNs, CI/CD and DevOps practices, cloud solutions, microservices architecture, and containerized hosting, contribute to the robustness of the deployed tech stack. 

Lazy loading best practices can drastically reduce load times, ensuring users remain engaged with the website and have a good site experience. 

CDNs store cached versions of your website on multiple servers worldwide, enabling users to access content fast by delivering it from the nearest server based on the user’s geographical location.

Cloud solutions are easy to scale based on the demand of business. 

Technical SEO and structured data

Digital marketing

Delivering quality user experience is an important goal for search. Google tries to predict page quality when crawling any site and has given guidelines for businesses to follow. 

Low-quality content, broken links, wrong URL directives, nonrelevant images, confusing deep site architecture, schema with errors, and site coding practices.

They all impact quality and experience metrics for any website. Most businesses spend time fixing technical foundations rather than investing time in building.

When you have a proper data structure, it helps in the discovery of content and creating a knowledge graph for your business.

A solid technical foundation for websites enables search engines to crawl, index and render content easily. 

UI/UX

Google

An intuitive user interface and efficient workflows are crucial for user retention.

A few essential practices brands must follow include:

  • Keeping site design simple and uncluttered.
  • Maintaining consistent messaging and design.
  • Engaging users by sending notifications and confirmation messages after submitting a form. 

As you begin thinking about futureproofing your experience, ensuring the platform and website are designed for scalability and growth is critical. Our UI-UX workflow must take the user journey, touchpoint, and experience into account.

This includes designing a library of reusable design components to ensure consistency and establishing a design system that includes web-safe fonts, typography, spacing and other elements. It is critical to follow these best practices to ensure a seamless, frictionless and enjoyable experience. 

Safe and secure 

Google Search

Google has offered best practices for developers to ensure website users’ experience is secure and a safe browsing experience. This includes:

  • Using HTTPS.
  • Establishing regular cadence for any security updates on the server and multi-factor authentication.
  • Establishing best practices for securing and encrypting user data and activities
  • Establishing layers of safe and secure infrastructure. 

By following these guidelines and best practices, website owners can provide a safer and more secure web experience for their users, fostering trust and confidence in their platform. 

It is important to set up the process to regularly review security and safety policies, including user activities, log analysis, API failures, alert systems, etc.

As the digital realm continues to evolve, businesses must stay ahead by adopting strategies that ensure a future-proof digital experience. Embracing AI-first semantic search and its associated strategies will be pivotal in achieving this goal. 

The post Future-proofing digital experience in AI-first semantic search appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/future-proofing-digital-experience-ai-first-semantic-search-432949

How to use AI to refresh old blog content

Unique, quality and intent-focused content remains a key element of any digital marketing strategy. But in today’s rapidly changing landscape, it’s easy for your once-promising blog content to become stale and outdated.

Gone are the days when you’d publish a blog post and forget about it. As the web gets inundated with new content daily, it’s even more crucial to consider your content’s fresh and relevant.

This article explores an AI-assisted process to help you revisit, refresh, and rejuvenate your old blog posts and keep them informative and useful to your users.

Understanding the importance of refreshed content

Search engines tend to prefer fresh and relevant content. When users ask questions, search algorithms aim to give accurate and up-to-date answers. 

And while your old blog post might have valuable insights, some parts could be outdated.

Updating old content improves its value for readers and shows search engines that our content is always current, evolving and rank-worthy.

Dig deeper: Creating new content vs. optimizing old webpages: Which is better for SEO?

The role of AI in a content revamp

Traditional content audits can be time-consuming, particularly with large blog libraries. While blogs help us establish scale and authority, maintaining their long-term effectiveness becomes increasingly challenging.

So, where does AI come into the picture?

There are a number of AI tools that can scan your content, identify outdated information, suggest relevant updates, and even pinpoint where user engagement dropped. 

This isn’t about replacing the human touch but enhancing it. By offering data-driven insights, AI can guide your revamp strategy, ensuring that your efforts are effective and efficient.

For instance, AI-driven tools can:

  • Analyze keyword trends to suggest the inclusion of newer, relevant terms.
  • Identify broken links or outdated references that need replacements.
  • Gauge reader sentiment and feedback, highlighting sections that might benefit from more in-depth explanations or updates.
  • Provide examples of similar content that is performing well to enable you to compare and ultimately improve your own.

Human creativity meets AI efficiency

The essence of good content remains rooted in human creativity and understanding. While you should use AI tools to help speed up the content audit process, it should not be relied on 100%. 

It’s down to that invaluable human understanding to review any suggestions and make a judgment call based on the individual’s SEO expertise and experience. 

AI only provides the data. It’s up to us humans to craft the narrative.

Dig deeper: How to do a content audit as painlessly as possible

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Rewriting and refreshing old blog posts with AI assistance

Now that we have identified those blogs that need improvement, we have two options: 

  • A refresh.
  • A complete rewrite.

Refreshing existing content

Giving your blog posts a refresh can breathe new life into their performance. 

If you have a blog that drives a lot of traffic already or used to drive traffic but that traffic is starting to fall, then this is the perfect time to give those blog posts a refresh. 

By taking the time to update any factual information and ensure relevancy, you can help to ensure you’re your blog posts continue to attract new visitors.

Here’s a framework you can follow.

Identify outdated information

  • Action: Review the blog post to pinpoint outdated facts, data, references, or perspectives.
  • How AI helps: Advanced AI tools can cross-reference your content with a vast database of current information, highlighting discrepancies or outdated sections in your blog post.

Content enhancement and expansion

  • Action: Look for areas that can benefit from added depth or breadth. This may involve elaborating on points briefly touched upon or introducing new, relevant sub-topics to make the post more comprehensive.
  • How AI helps: By analyzing current top-performing content on similar topics, AI can suggest areas where your post could be enhanced or expanded to match the depth of top-ranking articles.

Tone and style consistency

  • Action: Ensure the entire blog post maintains a consistent tone and style, especially if new sections are added or substantial edits are made.
  • How AI helps: AI-driven writing assistants can evaluate the overall tone and style of a piece, ensuring that any additions or revisions match the original voice of the article.

Semantic analysis

  • Action: Ensure that the message remains consistent and that updates don’t unintentionally change the original meaning of sections.
  • How AI helps: AI tools can understand context and semantics. They can provide insights into whether the revised content maintains its original intent and meaning.

Visual content update

  • Action: If the blog contains outdated diagrams, charts, or images, these must be updated or replaced to align with the refreshed content.
  • How AI helps: AI-driven design tools can enhance images, suggest new visual content, or even generate basic infographics based on the updated text.

Readability and engagement

  • Action: Review the flow of the article. Ensure that the updates haven’t disrupted the readability and that the content remains engaging from start to finish.
  • How AI helps: There are AI tools that can score the readability of content, suggest improvements to enhance flow, and provide metrics on potential user engagement based on text analysis.

Feedback incorporation

  • Action: If users have left comments or feedback on the original post, consider incorporating relevant insights or addressing common questions in the refresh.
  • How AI helps: By analyzing user comments to extract common themes or questions, providing a summarized view of areas the refreshed content should address.

The need for rewriting

If you have a blog post that used to perform but now gets little or no traffic, it might be time for a complete rewrite.

Using AI tools, you can meticulously scan and analyze old content to understand its tone, style, and overall sentiment. This understanding then becomes really useful in guiding the rewriting process.

One of the remarkable strengths of AI lies in tone matching. It ensures that the refreshed piece retains the unique voice of its original – be it professional, casual, humorous, or authoritative. This can be especially useful when rewriting old blog posts originally written by someone else.

Beyond preserving the original tone, AI also excels in identifying areas for content expansion. By staying attuned to current trends and common user queries, AI can suggest where more detail or context might elevate the piece. 

Alternatively, you can feed in these expansion points, and AI can ensure that this is written in a way that fits in with the rest of the blog post.

Dig deeper: 17 tips to improve your AI-assisted content creation process

Balancing AI and human touch when refreshing your content

When using AI to refresh or rewrite content, the goal should be to harness its insights, aid in content expansion, and maintain a concise structure. Yet, the core message, tone, and perspective must remain rooted in human expertise.

To stand out in the crowded marketplace, we must use these tools to enhance our existing content creation process and improve efficiency. 

The optimal content refresh strategy blends AI’s analytical capabilities with the authenticity and depth only a subject matter expert can provide. 

Striking this balance ensures that our blog content remains cutting-edge and relatable, meeting our audience’s needs without losing our unique voice.

The post How to use AI to refresh old blog content appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/use-ai-refresh-old-blog-content-432945