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In an ideal world, guarding your most valuable asset, your brand, would be effortless. But take off those rose-tinted glasses, and you wake up to the reality that competitors are posing threats to your brand in search every day of the week.

You’ve risen to the top of the search rankings. Hurray! But realize your trademarks and brand equity aren’t protected in search. Booo! Thus, competitors can steal valuable clicks from you, diminish your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and threaten future budgets.

Does this sound familiar? Are you finding it hard to fend off brand infringements?

You are not alone. Many companies find it increasingly difficult to fend off rivals using their branded terms, trademarks and ad copy in search. For example, software company Sage had over 89,000 infringements from one single partner in one year. The repercussions were more than undesirable, as they inflated CPCs and impressions and damaged the brand. The results tend to be synonymous among all industries.

This article will cover how you could automatically monitor all infringements, guard against competitors and maximize ROAS. Sounds good, right?

Before we get into the technicalities, let’s dive into the problems you may be struggling with in more detail.

What seems to be the problem, marketer?

Adthena’s customer research has revealed that search marketers are experiencing countless challenges in controlling the use of their trademarks.

Two common themes are:

• “The process of controlling trademarks is tedious and time-consuming.”
• “The practical difficulty of finding real-life trademark infringement examples is too difficult to do manually.”

Our research shows that you could waste around eight hours a month on collecting and processing the trademark violation data required to send to Google, as it takes around five minutes to fill out each Google complaint form.

However, there is a way to automate the aggregation and submission of specific infringements across devices at scale, allowing you to confidently protect your brand and save time and effort to boot.

We can sense you edging to the front of your chair, so let’s get to the fun part.

What’s the solution?

Automation is at the forefront of the world of paid search, with Google’s Performance Max solution heading the charge. New products are continually being developed, including a new tool from Adthena called Auto Takedown.

It allows you to map and monitor all competitive and partner activity around your brand terms. You can efficiently respond to trademark infringements and report those examples directly to Google for removal. All with the push of a button inside the Adthena app. Time and effort: saved.

 

What value does Auto Takedown bring to the table?

The tool adds value in three key ways:

1. Automatically monitoring your brand trademark search terms at scale, 24/7.
2. Submitting evidence of trademark violations directly to Google for you. Adthena will also keep track of the responses from Google and communicate this to you if there are any questions or resolutions.
3. Saving you up to 8 hours per month in manual monitoring, allowing you to focus on strategy and growth instead.

After just five days of using Adthena’s Auto Takedown, Sage saw a 75% decrease in CPCs for brand terms and a 33% decrease in partner impression share.

Protect your trademark today

When the clicks are down, and you know why, take back control and fend off unwanted competitors to protect your valuable assets.

Check out this easy guide, Brand Crashers: 5 steps to optimize your brand in search to get started.

The post Guard your most valuable asset against pesky competitors appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/guard-your-most-valuable-asset-against-pesky-competitors-389754

As 2022 winds down, marketers are being asked to focus on efficiency and “do more with less.” The most successful have leveraged tools such as calculated metrics, artificial intelligence and real-time insights.

In this webinar, learn how a financial institution with over 21 million active customers connects its customer data, segments audiences faster and delivers personalized experiences in real time.

Join Salesforce in this free webinar and learn real use cases on finding success and business results by sending fewer communications that are more relevant and targeted.

Register today for “Do More with Less: Connect Customer Data to Drive Marketing Efficiency,” presented by Salesforce.

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Click here to view more Search Engine Land webinars.

The post Webinar: Do more with less to get ahead in 2023 appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/webinar-do-more-with-less-to-get-ahead-in-2023-389840

Home Business Magazine Online

Test data management (TDM) is critical for any data-driven organization to consider. Companies are increasingly adopting rapid application development techniques to deploy new applications or make significant enhancements while minimizing time and cost.

However, the lack of data management procedures in a rapid application development environment can result in data quality issues. With proper knowledge and planning, companies can avoid such problems.

We cover the basics of test data management to help you develop test plans that support your organization’s efforts.

What Is Test Data?

Test data is any set of test values designed for a test scenario. It provides how a tester can determine if the underlying application works as designed and coded.

Test data is different than production data, which is any set of real-world data that an application uses.

What Is Test Data Management?

Test data management is creating, planning, designing, and storing testing methodologies, tools, and processes. It includes the extraction, transformation, and loading of data from source systems into staging environments and the maintenance, management, cleansing, auditing, and archiving of test data.

The specific activities for test data management will vary by organization, but each organization must have a strategy to manage its test data.

3 Approaches to Test Data Preparation

You can manage test data effectively in a variety of ways. The following three approaches are practical in different situations:

Cloning Production Databases

Cloning is a simple approach to test data management. It involves duplicating production databases in staging environments and swapping them with test data programs. This approach works for organizations where You can easily clone the production databases or those with low data volume.

Generating Synthetic Test Data

Synthetic test data involves database simulation tools or scripts that generate random data and test values to create a database. This approach requires a highly skilled database administrator with a profound understanding of the database schema.

Because it is usually resource-intensive and more time-consuming, this approach works for organizations that need a high degree of control and scripting capabilities.

Subsetting Production Databases

Subsetting involves selecting a portion of a production database to copy, modify, and maintain. This approach is suitable for organizations that have moderate data volumes. It, however, still requires highly skilled resources or an automated solution.

Why Is Test Data Management Important?

Test data management is a critical but often overlooked development process. The lack of effective test data management can negatively affect an organization’s bottom line.

These six reasons demonstrate why test data management is essential:

Improved Test Data Coverage

TDM begins with proper test design and planning. The better the test data management, the higher the coverage you can achieve for a given test. Lack of test designs, poor test approach matching, and inconsistent or poor test coverage degrade a company’s ability to measure its testing efficiency and effectiveness.

Finding the Bugs Early

If you are testing with real-world data, you risk including bugs not discovered in development. Creating and storing test data separately from production environments will enable companies to know how well the application works before deployment. It also allows organizations to set up a strategy for handling future changes to those database structures.

Data Compliance and Security

With the number of data breaches rising regularly, organizations must include test data management as a critical component of their security strategy. Properly managed test data will help to ensure that test data is adequately protected from unauthorized access and minimize risk.

Reduced Copies of the Data

Test data management can be an effective way to reduce costs by reducing the redundancy of test data. You won’t need to store multiple copies of production data in staging environments or scripts.

Depending on the size of your company, this can result in significant cost savings.

Enhances Customer Trust

Organizations must enhance the user experience as they transition from traditional to agile development approaches. Customers want to know that their data is protected and you will resolve any issues with the quality promptly.

Using test data management in your processes helps prove that you’re committed to building quality in the application for your customers.

Test Data Management Challenges to Consider

It is crucial to consider the following when developing a test data management plan:

Data Validity and Consistency

The quality of the test data is affected by its validity and consistency. Data validity means that all data should be relevant for the tests. This consistency means that all data should be structured and formatted to facilitate testing.

Tests with incorrect test data may not illuminate real-world issues.

Compromised Data Privacy

In today’s highly regulated environment, data privacy is of paramount importance — conduct test data management in a secure environment to prevent unauthorized access. Create an environment where data cannot be accessed or changed by people outside of the organization.

Data Selection and Sub-setting

Data selection involves determining which records to include when preparing the test data. Subsetting is selecting test data records used for testing. The wrong combination of data may result in a distorted view of the underlying database.

Complex Data Tools and Expertise

Test data management requires sophisticated tools and expertise to ensure accurate results. You can achieve better results with the right combination of tools, technology, and workforce. However, acquiring them may be a challenge for small organizations.

Data Security Compliance

Consider the regulatory environment and changing requirements from various governing bodies. If a company does not have a well-established data security program might not meet the regulatory requirements for data privacy or protection.

5 Test Data Management Strategies

The following strategies can help you achieve the desired test data management outcomes:

Discover and Understand Test Data

The process of understanding test data requires a thorough analysis of all incoming test data. It should include defining the test objectives, identifying the causes of the defects, and determining which should consist of data in the test suite.

Subset Production Data from Multiple Sources

Select and test data from multiple sources. This process involves creating a master table with various sources, such as production databases. Compare and trigger the test data from each source to validate the integrity and accuracy of the entire data set.

Mask Sensitive Test Data

You might divulge test data in the event of unauthorized access. Masking sensitive test data can mitigate this risk and is especially helpful for compliance and regulatory requirements.

The process of masking sensitive data involves hiding the identity or other sensitive attributes of the data. For example, you can mask sensitive data with fictional data to ensure its appropriateness for testing.

Refresh Test Data

Refreshing test data involves creating a new copy of the original test data to keep it updated and protected. This process helps streamline testing and allows you to maintain a consistent, manageable test environment.

Perform Automated Tests

Automate test scripts, such as SQL queries, to execute manual tests seamlessly. These automated tests require minimal involvement from team members and can expedite execution and analysis.

Automated tests also allow you to skip unnecessary steps in the testing process and help identify problems.

The Bottom Line

Test data management determines the quality of testing and hence, the quality of the finished product. Test data must be accurate and well-organized to ensure that a product delivers the required results.

The key is to develop a successful test data management strategy consistent with your organization’s goals and objectives.

The post Test Data Management for Dummies appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/technology-management/test-data-management-dummies/

Home Business Magazine Online

People who work from home can sometimes feel as though they’re never off the clock. For entrepreneurs, especially those in the early stages of getting a business off of the ground, this can come as a huge detriment to both their home life and their work life. Even entrepreneurs working in traditional offices can find it difficult to balance their passion for business with their love for their family, and having both of these things located in the same space can seriously increase stress.

At the same time, however, working from home provides an added level of autonomy that many entrepreneurs would not trade for the world. For some, the ability to take a more flexible approach makes working both more enjoyable and productive.

However, even those who have created a routine that has been proven to work well for them are still at risk of encountering mental blocks and burnout. As much as we would like to avoid them, these unpleasant states are just part of the risk that comes with the immense responsibilities every entrepreneur takes upon themselves.

Entrepreneurs at all stages of their careers experience these episodes, and they can sometimes feel insurmountable. For those who work from home, these problems can carry over into their personal lives and relationships in a way that is especially unpleasant for everyone involved. Learning to identify the signs of an impending burnout and respond effectively is paramount for entrepreneurs who work from home.

Fortunately, entrepreneurs have an especially large toolkit at their disposal when it comes to getting past mental blocks. Below are some time-tested and innovative strategies that are essential for anyone building and maintaining a business from home.

Clear your mind

When a person is overwhelmed with anxieties and responsibilities, taking a moment to pause is often the last thing they want to do. This is especially true for entrepreneurs, who are often extremely passionate about their work and feel a sense of urgency, as they are ultimately responsible for the entire business. Being unproductive is often the cause of a lot of entrepreneurs’ feelings of frustration or inadequacy, so taking a break can seem like a completely counterproductive solution.

However, research has shown time and time again that stepping back from a difficult task is the best way to break the cycle of negativity that keeps entrepreneurs feeling stuck. The notion that breaks are “unproductive” is one that business leaders would do well to unlearn: it is much more helpful to think of them as being productive in a different way. For instance, a walk or a short burst of exercise might not directly contribute to the task at hand, but they can help you clear your head and release endorphins that improve your mood and problem-solving ability, ultimately making the work easier to do.

One of the great benefits of working from home is that you have more autonomy over how and when you take your breaks. Some powerful stress relievers, like lying on a couch and listening to some music, simply are not possible in an office setting. Being at home generally allows for more varied and creative break options, which is a massive boon, as introducing variety into your routine is one of the best ways to avoid feeling stuck.

Work often requires us to exert one part of our brain for an extended period of time, which, as with our muscles, can result in tiredness and strain. Taking a break from work to do something that engages a different part of your brain helps keep you sharp while preventing you from overexerting yourself. Research has shown that activities such as adult coloring books and even certain types of video games can be great for boosting your mood while also providing you with a sense of mastery that makes you feel more ready to tackle other kinds of problems.

A change of scenery

Another core way entrepreneurs can combat mental blocks is by making changes to their working/living space. Many entrepreneurs have trouble getting out of “work mode” already, and working from home can dramatically worsen this. It’s important to be very careful and intentional about how you set up working space and how you differentiate it from living space.

One of the benefits of being at home is that you own or rent the space yourself, giving you far more agency over how it looks and feels. It’s a good idea to take full advantage of this by curating everything from your desk, chair, and screens to the color of the walls and the temperature of your thermostat, and continually adjusting the environment until it feels conducive to doing your best work.

However, the most crucial step is to ensure that you are differentiating your home and work spaces as clearly and definitively as possible. While it might seem tempting to take advantage of being at home by spending some time working from your kitchen table or living room couch, doing so can cause your brain to associate these comfortable spaces with the stresses of work. Instead of trying to relieve stress by doing the same thing in different spaces, try, as far as possible, to ensure that different areas of your home remain associated with different mental and emotional states.

Move forward

In addition to reevaluating where you work, it’s also important to try to reframe how you work. Many of the strategies that work in the office work just as well at home, such as tackling the largest and most complex parts first to get them out of the way, or rattle off some quick-win tasks to get your creative juices flowing. You can never go wrong with identifying the specific problems that are causing you to feel a mental block and breaking them down into more workable parts.

You can also apply this concept to your career more broadly. If entrepreneurship is starting to feel like a chore, or like something that provides more stress than purpose, it might be time to consider new goals or challenges. Maybe it’s time to try to give back, either by spending time as a volunteer out in the community, or by mentoring new entrepreneurs or even ambitious staff members.

Finally, consider talking to friends, family or colleagues about the mental blockage and what’s causing it. They may have surprising insight into the condition and their own tips to provide, as people with less specific knowledge can often identify big-picture problems that you might ignore by hyper focusing on specific technical problems. Beyond that, the simple act of vocalizing a problem to someone else can help you reframe it in your own mind and discover more productive ways to approach it.

Ultimately, there’s no one strategy that will always break you out of a funk; instead, it’s better to think of it as a network of strategies that provide different benefits depending on the specific situation at hand. While working from home can add new hurdles to your working life, it can also offer you new solutions to help overcome those hurdles. By taking the time to experiment with different strategies and find out what works best for you, you might discover that working from home allows you to be the best entrepreneur you can be.

About Zain Jaffer

Zain Jaffer is a tech entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Zain Ventures, an investment firm that invests globally in start-ups, real estate, stocks, fixed income, hedge funds, and private equity.

The post For Some Entrepreneurs, Working from Home Can Create Mental Hurdles — Here’s How to Overcome Them appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/lifestyles/how-to-guides-lifestyles/entrepreneurs-working-home-create-mental-hurdles-how-to-overcome-them/

Home Business Magazine Online

What is the GHG protocol? The GHG protocol is a set of guidelines that are used to determine the level of GHG emissions in an area and how much GHG it takes to produce one kilogram of carbon dioxide. In 1948, these standards were developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and have been updated several times since then.

Effective GHG Guidelines 

These guidelines have been modified to include new energy efficiency and emissions reduction standards. The guidelines also guide on using renewable GHG protocols in three areas: Scope 1, 2, and 3. Scope 1 is choosing the right product to buy and minimizing your impact on the environment.

Scope 2 is reducing what you do to the environment and creating less waste (using reusable grocery bags instead of plastic bags). Finally, Scope 3 is donating your extra time and money to organizations that are trying to preserve the planet for future generations.

GHG Protocol Scopes 1, 2, and 3

These are the three scopes of the GHG protocol and how you can choose your path.

The First Scope

The goal of this protocol is to reduce GHGs by 80% from 2010 levels by the end of 2050. The GHG protocol will achieve this goal through a combination of reducing emissions from the energy sector, increasing energy efficiency, and increasing the uptake of renewable energy.

The way scope 1 works is by identifying and characterizing GHG sources, sinks, and greenhouse gas effects. Subsequently, it aims to measure the concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere and determine their effect on global warming. Finally, it then predicts how long it will take to reach a given level of global warming if the level of CO2 emissions continues to increase. This will be followed by an estimation of how bad the problem will get if steps are not taken.

The Second Scope

An ideal protocol must include a mechanism for reporting and managing progress toward meeting the goals of Scope 1. This scope describes the second phase of work in the development of a protocol for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from businesses.

Scope 2 of the GHG Protocol (environmental management practices) guides how to integrate an aspiration to reduce GHGs into existing programs and processes. This scope includes recommendations regarding the integration of greenhouse gases (GHG). It also addresses reduction through other sustainability objectives, such as land use and biomass production, renewable energy development, climate resilience, and economic development.

The Third Scope

The GHG Protocol is a customizable, actionable framework to enable organizations as they attempt to identify, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. It is designed to be simple to use yet powerful enough to help organizations see the big picture.

In some cases, only specialized tools or consultants can offer this service. The Scope 3 GHG Protocol provides a comprehensive range of metrics covering 16 energy classes. These energy classes include natural gas, propane, electricity, heat, cooling, heating, and refrigerant in general-purpose gasses. It also includes hydrocarbons in petrochemical industries and fuel oil.

Three life cycle phases (product life cycle, operational maintenance, and disposal), and five end-of-life stages (resource depletion) are also put into consideration.

Bottom Line 

Now you know the three Scopes of the GHG protocol. Adhering to them and implementing them is vital for healing the earth. This would help make the environment better and drastically reduce the rate at which nature deteriorates.

The post GHG Protocol Scope: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/go-green/ghg-protocol-scope-everything-need-know/

Home Business Magazine Online

Collaborating with a development team can be a daunting task. Experts like Jason DeLano in Bethesda, MD, understand it is essential to understand the process and what is expected from both parties to ensure a successful outcome. We will explore some tips for collaborating with development teams.

Establish Clear Lines of Communication from the Start

When starting any kind of project, it is essential to establish clear lines of communication from the outset. This will help ensure everyone involved is on the same page and aware of what needs to be done. One way to do this is to create a detailed project plan that outlines each stage of the project and the tasks that need to be completed.

Jason DeLano says this should be shared with all the team members involved in the project so everyone knows their responsibilities. In addition, regular progress updates should be provided so that everyone knows how the project is progressing. By ensuring that lines of communication are open from the start, you can avoid misunderstandings and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.

Be Patient – It May Take Time for Developers to Understand Your Requirements

Developers are used to working with specific requirements and timelines. When you approach them with a new project, they’ll likely want to know all the details before getting started. However, it’s essential to be patient and give them time to understand your vision. It may take a few iterations for them to grasp what you’re looking for, but eventually, they’ll be able to translate your ideas into a working product.

In the meantime, try to provide as much guidance as possible and be available to answer any questions they have. Being patient and communicative can help ensure that your project turns out exactly as you imagined.

Be Prepared to Make Compromises

You will inevitably need to compromise with your development team as a project manager. While it is essential to have a clear vision for the project, there will be times when the team will need to make changes to meet deadlines or budget constraints.

In these situations, it is essential to be flexible and willing to negotiate. Keep in mind that the goal is to complete the project on time and within budget, so avoid making unreasonable or impossible demands. By being prepared to compromise, you can ensure that the project stays on track and is thriving.

Provide Accurate and Concise Documents

Jason DeLano says when requesting help from development teams, it is essential to provide accurate and concise documents. This will help ensure they can quickly understand your problem and provide a solution.

In addition, it is also helpful to include any relevant supporting documentation so they can quickly reproduce the issue. By preparing accurate and concise documents, you can save time and ensure that your problem is resolved soon.

Ensure That You Have a Clear Understanding of the Problem

Before requesting help from development teams, it is essential to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the problem. This will help them avoid wasting their time and ensure they can provide an effective solution. In addition, it is also helpful to have a general idea of how you would like the problem to be resolved. By taking the time to understand the problem, you can save time and ensure that the team can provide an effective solution.

Try to provide a test case or example that reproduces the issue. This will help ensure they can quickly understand the problem and provide a solution. In addition, it is also helpful to include any relevant supporting documentation so they can quickly reproduce the issue. By preparing accurate and concise documents, you can save time and ensure that your problem is resolved soon.

Ensure That Everyone Is on the Same Page

Jason DeLano says that before starting work on a project, it is essential to ensure everyone is on the same page. This means clearly understanding the project goals, deadlines, and budget. In addition, it is also necessary to agree on who will be responsible for what tasks. By ensuring everyone is on the same page, you can help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

Final Thoughts

Working with development teams can be challenging, but it is also gratifying. Being patient, flexible, and communicative will help ensure that your project turns out exactly as you imagined. In addition, by providing accurate and concise documents, you can save time and ensure that your problem is quickly resolved. By taking the time to understand the problem, you can also help to ensure that the team can provide an effective solution. Finally, by ensuring everyone is on the same page, you can help avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the project is completed successfully.

The post Jason DeLano Shares Tips for Collaborating with Development Teams appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/success-tips/jason-delano-shares-tips-collaborating-development-teams/