The launch of the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro will without a doubt have a heavy AI focus. Google just spent an entire Google I/O talking nothing but AI and the applications they believe will arrive in the near future. There’s just no way they wouldn’t follow that up with more AI chatter around their own flagship devices. The Pixel 9 launch will also be an AI launch.

A part of that launch could be the first arrival of “Google AI,” according to a new report. Google AI will essentially be the name for all of the AI magic a Pixel can do, because underneath Google AI is Gemini, the AI that so many Android phones already have access to.

A screenshot shared by Android Authority shows this Google AI with a set of features that includes Gemini, Circle to Search, Add Me, Screenshots, and Studio. Those final 3 in the list are what may be new when Google AI launches.

What do all of these new features do? To be honest, we don’t really know, but this is what the screenshot says:

Add Me: Make sure everyone’s included in a group photo
Screenshots: Find the info you need from screenshots
Studio: You imagine it. Pixel creates it.

Because we have no other info to go on, everyone is just guessing at what these could be. The “Add Me” feature sounds like Google might cook up a way to include people in a photo that may have been around an event, yet missed out on the big group photo. That’s odd and creepy, but maybe it’ll be great? As for “Screenshots,” this could be a feature where Google looks through all of the screenshots you’ve ever taken and finds data from them, as well as related data from the time you took the screenshot to return results. And finally, “Studio” could be a built-in image or video generation tool beyond just the wallpaper maker that Pixel phones have now.

I’m still processing these ideas while not trying to get too caught up in our guesses being correct. The general takeaway here should just be that the Pixel 9 is going to introduce a blanket AI term called “Google AI.” Google can do a lot with that.

Stay tuned for August 13.

// Android Authority

Google revealed in its 2024 Environmental Report released this week that the company’s greenhouse gas emissions jumped nearly 50 percent in the last five years. The culprit? Energy-hungry artificial intelligence (AI).

The annual report details Google’s progress (or, in this case, lack thereof) toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. This year’s report revealed that Google released 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2023. That’s up 48 percent from 2019 and 13 percent higher than 2022.

“This result is primarily due to increases in data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions. As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increasing energy demands associated with the expected increases in our technical infrastructure investment,” the report said.

Of course, Google isn’t alone in this. Microsoft recently revealed that its greenhouse gas emissions had increased almost 30 percent since 2020 due to the construction of data centres. And other tech giants, including Apple, Meta and Amazon, are investing heavily in AI, which will likely see further emissions increases from those companies too. It’s not just training AI or operating data centres — using AI also consumes significant amounts of energy. As pointed out by Engadget, researchers at AI startup Hugging Face and Carnegie Mellon University found that generating a single image with AI could use as much power as charging a smartphone.

Water use is also of concern, with Google’s report highlighting that its data centres and offices used 24 billion litres of water in 2023, up 14 percent from 2022, “primarily due to water cooling needs at our data centres.”

All this raises some serious questions about the proliferation of AI. Is it really worth all this just so Google Search can tell people to put glue on their pizza or for Google’s Gemini to generate images of ethnically diverse Nazis?

Google’s report says the company expects emissions to rise (no surprise, given it plans to incorporate Google AI into the Pixel 9 series) “before dropping toward our absolute emissions reduction target.” But the company doesn’t explain why it will drop.

Distributed also on: Google Via: Engadget

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We have only a few months until September which has been officially booked by Apple to launch its iconic products, led by the iPhone lineup. I think if you are even a little bit interested in technology, you must already notice the buzz all over the internet and social media, filled with people’s predictions, guesses, early “confirmations” about Apple plans and leaks, a lot of leaks, from software updates to hardware wireframes. Yes, we love Apple but does it really love us back with such determination?

Okay, the figurative speech aside, there is a big group of people who don’t feel satisfied with what Apple does. Don’t get this wrong, they are still ready to pay more than a thousand dollars for a new iPhone, but the innovation they expect is coming very slowly, at least compared to Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival, which has already introduced its AI capabilities.

It’s important to consider the truth that Apple is not trying to impress with innovations but with safe and intuitive products, which require time to implement and then only pass to the customer. Meanwhile, someone is sitting in front of their Macbook and trying to play the latest game but gets more and more convinced that other PCs may perform way too well, for instance. So, let’s start with this part.

Let’s be real – Apple products excel in many areas, but hardcore gaming performance just isn’t one of their strong suits. I’m an Apple super-fan who loves their signature premium design and intuitive user experiences. But when it comes to running demanding game titles, even Apple’s top-tier hardware gets outpaced by custom gaming PCs.

If you wonder about the difference between Mac Vs. Windows gaming experiences, just look at the experience of playing a graphically intense open-world game like Cyberpunk 2077 on a maxed-out M1 Max MacBook Pro versus a high-end gaming device. While the $3,499 MacBook can handle the game at lower settings around 30 fps, a similarly priced $3,000 PC with an RTX 4090 GPU pumps out over 100 fps at ultra settings with raytracing enabled. You’re talking about the difference between choppy, compromised visuals and a completely immersive experience.

The reason is simple – gaming PCs are purpose-built systems optimized for these 3D workloads. They pack powerful discrete GPUs like Nvidia’s latest 40-series cards with up to 24GB of video memory, liquid cooling setups to sustain peak performance, and ultra-fast M.2 NVMe SSD storage to minimize load times. Apple’s all-in-one designs with integrated graphics simply can’t match that level of raw power.

I’m utterly obsessed with the Apple ecosystem, but there’s no denying Spotify’s streaming service seems to consistently out-innovate the music discovery experience versus Apple Music. While Apple has drastically improved their offering, Spotify’s cutting-edge data science and recommendation engines give them a decided advantage.

Take Spotify’s advanced ‘Audio AI’ features like their AI DJ or the all-new ‘AI Utterance’ voice models. These use machine learning to analyze your listening patterns, demographics, and taste profiles to craft incredibly personalized DJ commentary and seamless playlist transitions tailored just for you. It’s like having a knowledgeable music expert as your private curator.

By comparison, Apple Music’s recommendations still feel more rudimentary and standardized. Their approaches like grouping playlists by moods or genres just doesn’t achieve that hyper-personalized user experience Spotify nails so well.

The user numbers underline Spotify’s dominance too. As of Q3 2023, Spotify boasts over 236 million paying subscribers globally versus Apple Music’s estimated 93 million (as of 2024). That incredible scale means Spotify can ingest vastly more listening data to train their AI models. Industry data indicates Spotify tracks over 79 billion monthly plays across its platform versus Apple’s 35 billion.

So while both are excellent services, for music superfans craving that next-gen AI-curated experience, Spotify’s aggressive emphasis on personalization AI gives them the decided edge – at least for now.

We all saw that splashy Meta keynote video where Mark Zuckerberg threw unmistakable shade at Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Calling the $3,499 device “expensive” while claiming Meta’s $1,499 Quest Pro offers a superior extended reality (XR) experience, Zuck was clearly attempting to get out in front of Apple’s invasion into his virtual territory.

In reality, both the Vision Pro and Quest Pro represent enormously expensive bets on an as-yet-unproven consumer XR market. While Meta enjoys a significant cost advantage thanks to their content-neutral, open ecosystem approach, Apple’s track record for premium industrial design and obsessive hardware optimization could give Vision Pro’s experience a serious edge.

Take the Vision Pro’s novel aluminum and curved glass design, for example. With an internal fan, vents, and over a dozen cameras and sensors, it represents a technical marvel of miniaturization and ergonomics – hallmarks of Apple’s renowned hardware chops. The Pro’s ultra high-res displays also output at a silky 120Hz refresh rate for life-like visual fidelity.

By contrast, Meta’s plastic Quest Pro headset looks comparatively toy-ish and low-rent, with LCD panels that max out at 90Hz and less than half the number of cameras. But as always with Apple products, that seamless user experience comes at a premium cost.

Telegram is implementing a new paywall feature for content creators, allowing them to place photos and videos behind a price tag. Snaps, Telegram, snaps!

There’s more than just getting that bag for creators, though. Telegram also announced the mini app bar, with users now able to collapse mini apps into a bar at the bottom of the screen. With this, you’ll be able to respond to messages or open other mini apps, then return to a mini app without waiting for it to load again. Extremely handy.

You can view how the paywall feature works in the short video below.

Other new features for the June update (yes, June) includes the ability to search through stories based on hashtags and location, plus a new Link Widget option for stories.

There’s a bunch of goodies in there. If you use Telegram for more than messaging, I recommend you check out the full blog post by following the link below.

// Telegram

CMF by Nothing is the Nothing company’s more affordable brand, which is now offering a smartphone. This handset, called the Phone 1, is supposed to provide a more customizable and functional experience.

The engineer’s aesthetic.

CMF Phone 1 celebrates technical craftsmanship with its uniquely adaptable nature. Customisable. Functional. Yours.

Learn everything at the next Nothing Community Update on 8 July 2024, 10:00 BST. pic.twitter.com/0fqYkaf4OX

— CMF by Nothing (@cmfbynothing) July 3, 2024

CMF will show off Phone 1 on July 8th, and you can watch the reveal on YouTube.

According to leaker Ishan Agarwal, the handset will offer four swappable back plates in Black, Light Green, Orange and Blue. The Orange and Blue backings also have a vegan leather layer and come with a lanyard.

Rumours indicate the CMF Phone 1 will feature a Dimensity 7300 chipset, a 50-megapixel primary shooter, a 6.7-inch 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED panel, a microSD card slot, a 5,000mAh battery and more.

CMF will introduce the Phone 1 on July 8th alongside the Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2.

Distributed also on: CMF, Android Authority 

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Nintendo of Canada and Boston Pizza are partnering up again for a slew of video game centric promotions.

The strangest element of this crossover will only happen at select Boston Pizza locations in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec. On Sundays in September, some of these stores will allow patrons to order a Nintendo Switch from the menu that they can use while in the restaurant. The Boston Pizza press release doesn’t mention anything beyond the fact that this console will come pre-loaded with Mario games. I’d expect Mario Kart, Mario Party and maybe the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

At all Boston Pizza locations, there will be a new kids menu item featuring a pepperoni and mushroom pizza to celebrate Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom. Some locations will also have a draw that people can enter to win a Switch prize pack or some Nintendo merch.

Distributed also on: Boston Pizza

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Stock trading, from a long time now, has always been considered as one of the most complex and perhaps risky endeavors that are far better left to the large brokerage houses or… the moneyed people of the nation. This is true to an extent, but the world of digitization has opened a new way where equality is given in terms where everyone starts their financial freedom.

In today’s world, where one can decide to work remotely too, one can choose from thousands of applications and websites that provide ‘mainstream’ tools that help anyone who wants – a beginner or a large investor – make money properly, with appropriate knowledge, planning, and support from experts.

Let’s take a look at the top collaborative investment applications and websites, including their distinctive features, capabilities, and potential for both rookie and seasoned investors.

And if you’re seeking a structured pathway to unraveling the world of investments, look no further than Quantum AI website. This website is dedicated to bridging the gap between eager learners and investment education, without indulging in direct investing advice. Its primary goal is to connect those interested in investing with educational institutions that can lead them through their learning experience!

Now, on to the list!

1. Fidelity

Fidelity offers hundreds of stock, mutual fund, ETFs, bond selections and other investments; the favorite of customers due to an easy to navigate Website and many tools, including 15 calculators and real-time quotes. Another feature of Fidelity is the possibility to choose between many managed and self-managed medical expense accounts variable and fixed, recommended for investors independently or by the company on the basis of suitable for novices and experienced investors.

Although it also has many other enticing offers that are exclusively for its consumers, that particular company specifically specializes in the digital estate plan that assists in the protection and passing on of wealth to your loved ones. Besides, the trading commission which was not observed in the platform ensure the individual of another source through which they can make maximum profits The team of professional traders in the respective areas of stock trading also helps the individual in acquiring adequate knowledge on how to succeed in stock trading businesses from the teaming professional traders in the relevant fields of stock trading.

2. Robinhood

Robinhood has grown into a phenomenon in the realm of investment, reshaping upon its entrance the concept of wealth creation for millions of Americans. Since its aim is to bring Accessibility in the conventional investment, this app has erased the hoods in the nature common with monstrously expensive apps, where users can invest with as much as one dollar.

Because of the two funds’ collaborative design, users have access to more than 1,700 stocks researched extensively for easier decision making based on retrieved data and analyses. Besides, the opportunity to invest in cryptocurrencies also falls within the app’s framework, which opens the door to the vast world of digital assets in your investment arsenal.

3. Invstr

Should you be experiencing minimal capital investment for the first time or if you are new in investment, Invstr is that suitable investment app to mentor you. Through the user-friendly design and no-commission purchases, this tool eliminates the scary stuff, letting you try the possibilities without investing a lot of money.

The customized portfolios on Invstr are easy to create and constructed with the support of in-built professional advisers for one’s individual goals and level of risk. Whether you are targeting to trade U. S. stocks and ETFs or exploring to try fractional shares and cryptocurrencies, with Invstr you are going to enjoy your investing experience and witness your portfolios’ performance.

4. Betterment

If moving towards a collaborative investment app user environment is the way to go, then Betterment should be regarded as a pioneer of such an interface, featuring an utterly convenient investment solution enhanced by modern technologies. Betterment is well-known as one of the biggest percentiles of robo-advisors and controls your funds very efficiently, adjusting them for your level of risk and preferences in receiving income.

If you want to invest in climate change and socially responsible investments then you might want to give Betterment a shot. In representing the company’s and your ethical standpoint, it is good for both you and the potential generations as it contributes to the formation of a sustainable environment. Betterment currently provides a strong offering in cash management, combined with specialized features for goal setting; overall, this enables you to have a professionally-managed portfolio at a low cost.

5. Acorns

Acorns savings application has perfectly positioned itself as one of the most popular ones for a reason. This simplicity-free solution relieves the rather cumbersome process of saving and investing from the burden of being complicated; through this platform, users can automate the process of investment, do dividend reinvestment, meaning that, from this platform, you can be assured of your wealth increasing, through investments, consistently. 

They also provide round-up investment functionality where Acorns rounds up users’ purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the additional change into a portfolio of ETFs. What sets it apart from other more traditional types of investment is that this method is highly integrated into what you are already doing in your daily life and there is no initial hefty capital required. Also, Acorns has offered specific investment plans for the family where you can open an investment account for your children/ Stock-Back® for debit products to make sure that the whole family is on the right track to accumulating wealth.

6. Charles Schwab

This is an investment app that offers financial advice for mutual funds to new, moderate, and advance-level investors. It is most notable for their extensive database of research and education materials; they provide a wealth of actionable information for people wishing to improve their financial literacy on finance and investing.

With regards to the criteria that value different approaches to commission- and fee-based trading services, US low-cost brokerage firm Charles Schwab still provides such options as fractional shares as well as commission-free trading for stocks and ETFs that enables investors to invest every single dollar that he or she earned into the securities of one’s’ preference. Moreover, the account has a feature whereby the clients are offered a cash bonus on behalf of the platform provided that a certain minimum amount is funded on the account: an added incentive for anyone who wishes to commence their investment.

7. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

For those who are searching for the no-frills, yet quite satisfactory brokerage firm, the J. P. Morgan is a suitable choice. This investment platform is for users to invest with other people and in addition it offers a multitude of Morningstar and CFRA research tools and other researching materials.

With equal efficacy, Self-Directed Investing Portfolio Builder effectively contributes to construction of a powerful and efficient portfolio with no impediment. The no-commission model, the convenient opportunity to link all the Chase accounts enhancing spending and saving experience like the mentioned by W. L. Silvester option contributes to the demand for this service. Hence, both the new investors and the experienced ones may get benefits with the offers that J. P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers its consumers.

8. M1 Finance

M1 Finance is a feature-rich money management software that appeals to both self-directed traders and those looking for automated investing solutions. It offers a wide range of services. From fractional shares and commission-free trading in stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, to user-friendly interfaces and expert-designed portfolios, M1 Finance has something for every investor.

One of the standout features of this collaborative investment platform is its ability to balance multiple financial needs. Whether you’re seeking hands-on trading experience or prefer to let the experts handle the heavy lifting, M1 Finance provides a seamless solution. With low minimum deposit requirements and no extra fees for standard accounts, this platform empowers you to take control of your financial future without breaking the bank.

9. Ellevest 

While Ellevest started with the mission of closing the gender gap in investing, it has since evolved into a platform that welcomes and empowers individuals of all backgrounds, including non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals. This collaborative investment app is a true game-changer for those seeking personalized plans for individual investment and retirement accounts. 

With automated IRA and 401(k)/403(b) rollovers, as well as one-on-one sessions with certified financial planners, Ellevest offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to your unique needs. Furthermore, the personalized suggestions provided by the platform, which are derived from longevity data and gender-specific wage curves, guarantee that your investments are geared towards long-term financial security and growth.

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving world of investing, the best collaborative apps and websites have emerged as game-changers, democratizing access to wealth-building opportunities and fostering a supportive community of investors. From user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive educational resources to advanced trading tools and real-time market insights, these platforms cater to the diverse needs of investors at every level.

Whether you’re a seasoned investor seeking advanced trading tools or a newcomer looking to dip your toes into the waters, the collaborative investment landscape offers a wealth of opportunities to grow your wealth, learn from others, and stay ahead of the curve.

So, embrace the power of collaboration, engage with like-minded individuals, and let these best collaborative investment apps and websites be your trusted companions on the path to financial freedom.

As a part of the Samsung reserve system for the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung is informing some customers of the total savings they’ll receive once pre-orders open. They initially gave us a vague $1,500+ number, but emails telling folks to “Reserve now. Save later.” have broken out the exact savings from each area.

In our initial write-up of the $1,500 number, we guessed that Samsung would give you at least $1,000 for trades and up to$150 as a value for a double-storage promo. As it turns out, Samsung is going higher on both numbers.

Here’s the breakdown of that full $1,500+ number that gets you the best Galaxy Z Fold 6 pre-order deal.

$1,200 TRADES FOR GALAXY FOLD 6: An email from Samsung suggests you could get up to $1,200 with an eligible trade-in for pre-ordering a Galaxy Z Fold 6. While we don’t know for sure, the likelihood of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy S24 Ultra being the only devices to fetch that number are pretty high. There is a chance others will get you there, though. For Fold 5 pre-orders, Samsung offered a full trade-in price for several devices.

$240 DOUBLE STORAGE FREEBIE: Samsung is also going to double storage for you and that is apparently valued at $240. Does that mean a bump from 512GB to 1TB? Typically a bump from 256GB to 512GB is not worth $240 and typically only costs anywhere from $100 to $150. We’ll watch the storage options closely, but this could be a really big value add.

FREE SAMSUNG CARE+: As an added bonus ($156 value), Samsung might toss in Samsung Care+ for 12 months, which means more protection for your foldable device. Care+ offers you unlimited repairs, same-day cracked screens for $29, coverage for theft and loss, access to 24/7 support, and more. This could be a sneaky good service to have that most of us would rather not have to pay for.

Of course, all of this starts with a reservation, where Samsung is giving you $50 for sharing your name and email.

Samsung Reserve Link

This week’s Ask An SEO question comes from Nicolò, who asks:

“What are the best resources to learn SEO and who are the best people to follow online for good advice?”

This is a great question that goes to the heart of what a lot of people struggle with when learning SEO. There is a lot of information online.

There are a lot of SEO “experts.”

Often, there is a lot of contradictory advice.

So, how do you sort the truth from the fiction – the opinionated from the experienced?

People To Follow

The issue in the SEO industry is that we are often left in the dark. Google and the other search engines offer us morsels of information, and we run wild with speculation.

Unfortunately, this can then become “fact.”

The rumor spreads. Pretty soon, you’ll hear it discussed in agency pitches and incorporated into brand strategies, all without it being properly questioned.

Finding the truth amid all of this noise can be tricky. Essentially, you are asking me, “Who and what can I trust?”

Really, the answer is to find SEO pros to learn from who are constantly testing their own assumptions.

I’m not going to list names here. I don’t want to risk putting you off following an SEO on social media purely because I haven’t included them in my list.

There are a lot of highly accomplished SEO pros who I don’t know.

Instead, I’ll suggest some ways of identifying those people who are digging into SEO and drawing conclusions from data.

Conferences And Publications

Start by attending SEO conferences and taking note of the speakers who are bringing something new to the table.

These are the people who are conducting experiments or backing up their claims with their own case studies.

Similarly, look for authors writing in reputable SEO publications – like Search Engine Journal – read their work and follow those constantly looking to question conventional wisdom and prove or disprove it with data.

Conference organizers and publication owners perform a certain level of due diligence, which means you are a little bit safer following the people they have chosen to showcase than following strangers on the internet.

Follow Who They Follow

A good next step to expand your list is to look at who the people you identified above follow.

If the same names pop up on the social media profiles of these conference speakers and article writers, you can be reassured that they are bringing useful insight to the platform.

Try to identify who they are discussing SEO with on social media. Snoop on those conversations and see who your trusted list of people to follow are also having informed discourse with.

It’s okay, too, if the SEO professionals you follow do not necessarily agree with what’s being said by the other people, as long as those other people are bringing rational, data-backed opinions. Sometimes, we learn best through hearing both sides of an argument!

Ask For Recommendations

It’s also perfectly acceptable to ask for recommendations of who to follow online like this Reddit user did.

To avoid getting back the same small list of famous SEO professionals each time, consider reaching out to some of your “trusted” SEO pros from the list above and ask them who they would recommend for specific areas of SEO.

For example, are you looking to learn more about local SEO or ecommerce SEO?

Ask for recommendations of who they would turn to if they had a question in that field.

Be Part Of The Discussion

SEO is constantly evolving, and no single SEO expert has all the answers. We learn from each other and from discussing ideas and opinions.

It’s never too early in your career to take part in those discussions.

Join In The Conversation

Look for conversations that are happening on SEO topics and join in the discussions. For example, @MordyOberstein’s #SEOChat over on X or the Google Search Central Help Community 

Try some of the Reddit subreddits about SEO, like r/TechSEO and r/bigseo. There will be a lot of discussions (I mean arguments, really) that will give you some quick insight into what practicing SEO pros make of particular ideas or approaches.

You can simply read through questions and replies, or you can take part. Give your own thoughts and ask for critiques and opinions. Engaging in discourse and learning from others can help you to sharpen your knowledge.

Start A Conversation

Perhaps, if you’re feeling brave, you can start your own conversations in these forums.

There is always the risk that you might be met with answers by people who haven’t really practiced SEO that much. The great/awful thing about the internet, however, is there are always people waiting in the wings to argue and say an opinion isn’t valid!

Ask a specific question and crowd-source the answer. Wait for the arguments to be presented and countered, then use it as an opportunity to learn how to validate others’ SEO opinions.

Conferences And Meet-ups

As already mentioned above, seeing who is speaking at events can give you an idea of some reputable people to follow, but let’s explore that a bit more.

Learn Something New

Something I recommend to SEO pros, both experienced and new, is to attend SEO talks that don’t interest them. That might seem counterintuitive, but it can actually be extremely eye-opening.

The chances are that the aspects of SEO you find exciting are the ones you will actively seek to learn more about.

If you are interested in the technical side of SEO, you will likely look for talks on cutting-edge experiments, advances in load speed and rendering, or case studies about complicated migrations.

But you possibly already know a lot about that as you are already interested in it. Every once in a while, set out to attend the talk you are least interested in.

If you are a digital PR at heart, attend a tech talk or two. If you are an in-house SEO, attend a talk about client management.

By doing this, you have a high chance of learning something completely new that will enhance or complement your existing skill set. For example, the in-house SEO will be able to apply skills discussed in the agency talk to their own stakeholder management issues.

Some good conferences to start with include BrightonSEO (Brighton, UK, and San Diego), WTSFest (Philadelphia, London, Berlin), MnSearch Summit.

Read more: The Best SEO Conferences For 2024-2025

Look Outside Of SEO

A good way to expand your knowledge of SEO is to not just attend SEO conferences. Go to events where a more holistic digital marketing approach is spoken about.

Or, if you are feeling really inclined, go to one that discusses adjacent disciplines like PPC and email marketing. This way, you may well learn more about the context of SEO in the digital landscape and how to better implement it within a complicated marketing system.

There are several specialist conferences that cover marketing subjects like paid media, social media and content marketing available, including ADWorld Experience, Hero Conf, and Content Marketing World.

There are also large multi-discipline conferences that cover a wide range of digital marketing topics, including Moz Con, State of Search, INBOUND, and the Growth Marketing Summit.

Go To Panels

A conference talk is, by design, very one-sided (heckling aside!). The speaker presents the material how they want to and goes into as much depth as they feel appropriate.

Due to this, you don’t have any opportunity to hear other peoples’ views on the subject or even their challenges to the assertions made.

Panels, however, are more collaborative and discussion-focused. Many events that have traditional workshop or presentation formats will also have the occasional panel or fireside chat.

These are your opportunities to hear the views of multiple SEO pros, perhaps even disagreements on a subject.

Listening to more than one view of a topic will help you discern what you agree or disagree with and ultimately form your own opinion. It is a good way of preventing yourself from just agreeing with whoever you have heard speak on the subject most recently.

Participate In Webinar Q&As

Webinar question and answer sessions are another way to hear multiple SEO pros give their opinions on a topic. They will also allow you to ask your own questions to the participants.

For example, the Good Signals “SEO Office Hours” webinar hosted by Michael Chidzey and Jo Juliana Turnbull is a weekly webinar that allows viewers to submit their questions in advance or ask questions during the event itself.

Then, a panel of SEO practitioners will discuss their thoughts on the questions.

Similarly, if you want to hear directly from the horse’s mouth, you can participate in Google’s “SEO Office Hours” asking your questions directly to Googlers from the Search Quality team.

Read more: Top 17 SEO Podcasts For 2024

Communities

Many communities have been set up to help with learning SEO. Some are region – or demographic-specific to help with more nuanced questions or support those traditionally less supported in the industry.

These communities are designed to facilitate a safe space to ask questions and get answers from others in the industry.

This sort of networking isn’t just useful for increasing your practical knowledge of SEO, they can also help with job opportunities. There are a lot available but here is a selection:

Location-specific Meetups include:

Create Your Own

If there isn’t a community that serves your specific need, or you’d prefer something smaller, consider creating your own.

It could start off as regular meet-ups at local cafés where you get to know other SEO pros in your area.

Or perhaps, an online call once a month where you can just bring questions to each other.

Maybe you have met some other SEO pros you feel you could learn from. You might be able to invite them to participate in a Slack or WhatsApp group.

Create A Forum

Another way to create a community that uses existing infrastructure and is, therefore, much easier to create is through Reddit or other forums.

You could set up a “subreddit” for a particular aspect of SEO and share it on other SEO subreddits. That way, you can encourage a much wider range of people to participate without you needing to know and invite them all personally.

Resources

To finish, let’s return to the question I discerned at the beginning: “Who and what can I trust?” There are already a lot of resources online about SEO, some less helpful than others!

Newsletters

Other than online blogs like Search Engine Journal, there are newsletters that can round up breaking industry news and case studies.

For example, Aleyda Solis’s “SEOFOMO Newsletter” sends a weekly summary of interesting articles and webinars from the SEO industry.

Nikki Halliwell’s “Tech SEO Tips newsletter” offers news and tips designed to help solidify your tech SEO knowledge.

Tom Critchlow’s “SEO MBA” newsletter focuses on the career and management side of SEO.

Women in Tech SEO also has a newsletter for everyone in the industry to learn SEO from, summarising interesting articles that have been recently released.

Training Courses

There are a lot of SEO training courses out there, paid and free.

Some that have been highly recommended to me in the past are the Hubspot Academy, Semrush Academy, BrightLocal Academy, Blue Array Academy, and the BrightonSEO short courses.

Sometimes, though, you may want to go more in-depth into new areas of SEO. Perhaps you don’t really know where your skills gaps lie. For this, I would strongly recommend looking at Aleyda Solis’s LearningSEO.io.

It is a free and highly comprehensive roadmap of SEO concepts. It runs from beginner to advanced, with reliable free resources accompanying each.

Summary

There is a lot of information about SEO online. It’s an ever-evolving subject and that means more content will be produced on it all the time.

With that amount of information available, it can be overwhelming to know who or what to trust.

Use the suggestions and resources above to start to curate your own list of trustworthy material and people to learn from. That way, you can keep expanding your knowledge in a safe and helpful way.

More resources: 

Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal

Successful ecommerce websites remove as many obstacles as possible between users and the products they’re looking for.

This list of features and policies was chosen based on their impact on user experience. Each removes friction from purchasing journeys to keep users engaged on your website.

29 Essential Ecommerce Website Features1. User-Friendly Navigation With Breadcrumbs2. Internal Site Search3. Product Filters4. 5. Product Videos6. Product Comparisons7. Product Reviews8. Generous Return Policy9. FAQ For Products10. Simple Checkout11. Multiple Payment Options12. SSO Integration13. Support/Help Center14. Order Tracking15. Mobile App16. Email & SMS Opt-In17. Push Notifications18. Chatbots19. Coupon Codes20. Special Offer Programs21. Wishlists22. Gift Registries23. Multilingual Support24. Loyalty Program25. Carousels26. Local Store Information27. Personal Data Policy28. An Affiliate Program29. A TikTok Shop30. Conclusion

1. User-Friendly Navigation With Breadcrumbs

The key to helping customers find the products they need quickly is to offer a user-friendly navigation system. Products should be logically categorized, with the most popular categories listed first.

Sephora knows how customers like to shop.

Some specifically seek out products by brand, while others shop by category. The navigation bar reflects this organization, along with quick links to value sets and current sales.

To help the user get back to the main page or product categories, Sephora also implements breadcrumb navigation throughout its site.

Navigation features should be tested rigorously on mobile devices to ensure that customers used to the desktop website can just as easily find what they want to purchase.

2. Internal Site Search

In addition to user-friendly navigation, site search is a feature found on most of the top ecommerce sites.

It allows customers to bypass the navigation and search for exactly what they want.

Nordstrom offers a site search with suggestions for popular brands and products matching your entry.

This site search even includes popular searches and trending searches near the customer.

3. Product Filters

For stores with a large selection of products, product filters can help customers quickly find the product needed based on features, size, availability, and other pertinent information.

Walgreens offers customers an item availability filter to sort products based on pickup, same-day delivery, shipping, or in-stock availability.

In addition, many product categories have filters related to specific types of items, separating medicines from cosmetics.

Have you considered the best way to utilize your website’s footer to help customers find your top products?

Try a list of links to the top products, services, and information that customers want to find.

T-Mobile uses its footer to direct customers to its social media profiles, English and Spanish sites, featured phones and plans, support, and company information.

The footer effectively includes links to everything the company wants customers and search crawlers to discover from any page on its website.

5. Product Videos

Adding video to your product pages can increase conversions.

Most ecommerce platforms allow retailers to add videos and images to their product pages.

Apple uses video to highlight features of its latest iPhone on its sales page. The high-quality product images and videos help sell its products online and in-store.

6. Product Comparisons

If you have a large selection of products to choose from in any category, let customers quickly compare the main features of each.

REI allows customers to do this with products like hiking bags.

When customers go to the comparison screen, they receive a detailed description of each product, ratings, reviews, and pricing.

7. Product Reviews

Product reviews and ratings are the most popular form of user-generated content on ecommerce sites.

This section of an ecommerce product page is crucial to providing social proof to shoppers that a product will fit their needs.

Amazon allows customers to add photos and videos to reviews, marking relevant reviews as verified.

Amazon has also experimented with AI-generated customer review summaries on some products.

While generative AI features are increasingly present in the ecommerce landscape, retailers should proceed cautiously, as AI content can be inaccurate.

8. Generous Return Policy

Want to increase consumer confidence in the products you sell? Offer a generous return policy and include it on your product page.

Better yet, make your return options as easy as possible.

Zappos does both by giving customers 365 days to return or exchange products and an additional way to return items with minimal hassle.

9. FAQ For Products

Another way to incorporate user-generated content into your ecommerce store is by adding a section of customers’ most frequently asked questions.

This section can help your store in some ways.

Increase the number of sales by answering your customer’s top pre-sales questions about your products.
Reduce the time your customer service has to answer product questions before and after the purchase.

Magic Spoon offers an FAQ section after customer reviews of its cereal.

When potential customers click on view more FAQs, they discover an organized section of answers for shipping, orders, and other inquiries.

10. Simple Checkout

The last thing you want to do before a customer is about to enter their credit card information is frustrate them.

Make sure that customers can easily find the shopping cart to check out. Urban Outfitters does a great job by adding a little checkout popup each time you add a new item to the shopping cart.

On the checkout page, you can see details about the items in your cart and can checkout quickly using PayPal or continue for more options.

You are also reminded of items you’ve saved for later and items that complement what you are about to purchase.

You can sign in or checkout as a guest on the following page.

11. Multiple Payment Options

Another way to make the checkout process easier is to offer customers multiple payment options instead of an account sign-up.

Online retailers like Xena Workwear let customers checkout using Shop Pay from Shopify, PayPal, and Venmo.

Customers using these payment methods on other sites will automatically be comfortable with the process.

12. SSO Integration

To help users create new accounts and sign in faster, integrate single-sign-on for your customers.

This allows customers to create an account and sign in quickly with their Google, Microsoft, Apple, LinkedIn, or another often-used account.

eBay is one of many major shopping destinations that offer this option.

Reducing friction during the signup and sign-in could improve your store’s sales volume.

13. Support/Help Center

In addition to the FAQ for your product pages and store, consider adding a help center.

This should cover any general questions people may ask about online privacy, security, payments, shipping, returns, and other shopping concerns.

Etsy offers help for many of the top support issues customers face in its help center, as well as help for sellers on the network.

This saves the Etsy support team from having to answer general questions and gives them more time to solve complex issues.

14. Order Tracking

Once your customer places an order, the top question on their mind is: When will my order arrive?

Make it simple for customers to check their current order status on your website.

AutoZone has an order tracking page that doesn’t require customers to log in.

Customers simply enter their email address and the order number they received in their order confirmation email.

The page is easily discoverable throughout the website in the footer.

Ecommerce brands on Shopify can also encourage customers to use the Shop App for easy order tracking, social posts, and review reminders.

15. Mobile App

In addition to having a mobile-friendly website that shoppers can access from any device, consider having a mobile app for your store.

Mobile apps allow you to keep your brand in customers’ minds by placing your app icon/logo on their smart devices.

You don’t have to wait for customers to open up a browser or another app for social media or email to get your latest sales messages.

You can push those promotional updates through your app to any customers with notifications as Home Depot does with its app.

16. Email & SMS Opt-In

Having a revenue-generating email list is a must-have for retailers.

If you can’t get visitors to purchase on your website, one of the next best conversions for your store would be to attain the visitor as a subscriber on your email list.

This would allow you to reach them with future sales and email promotions.

Another way ecommerce retailers can capture email addresses is by adding an opt-in form with a special promotion in the header and footer of their website.

Betabrand uses an introductory offer popup for new customer discounts via email and SMS.

A regular reminder for others is included in the website’s footer, product review highlights, and an order status page.

17. Push Notifications

If you want to bypass spam filters and social media algorithms, push notifications will be the next best way to capture your ecommerce store visitors as subscribers.

Push notification services allow visitors to subscribe to your latest updates in their browser.

When you have a promotion you want to notify subscribers of, you can send a message that will be delivered to their notification center via their browser.

Shein is one of many ecommerce brands that allows visitors to subscribe to push notifications.

Once subscribed, visitors will see the latest messages from the brand in their desktop notifications.

18. Chatbots

One of the benefits of running an ecommerce website is its ability to generate revenue 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year. That also means providing support to your customers during those hours as well.

Many ecommerce stores use chatbots to assist online shoppers with basic questions and navigate them to a specific product or support page.

Lowes uses “Leo,” an automated assistant with specific prompts for visitors to choose from when looking for a specific answer, finding a specific product, or solving a basic customer service inquiry.

Note that the chatbots for ecommerce stores are not necessarily the same as AI chatbots, like ChatGPT.

It’s important to research chat features before implementing them into an ecommerce store.

Even if the chatbot offers inaccurate information, your company may have to honor the information it provides customers, as Air Canada found out in a recent case where it had to pay a refund that its chatbot initiated.

19. Coupon Codes

We know that consumers often search for coupon codes on Google when presented with a coupon or discount box on a checkout page.

In the United States, 88% of consumers use coupons when shopping, using coupon sites like slickdeals.com, groupon.com, and retailmenot.com.

If you want to keep customers on your website throughout the checkout process, give them great deals via your own coupon codes.

Victoria’s Secret has an offer codes page to compete with coupon sites and publishers with coupon sections that double as affiliate revenue generators.

20. Special Offer Programs

Does your ecommerce store have special discounts for students, military, first responders, and others?

Ensure your product pages highlight those offers – especially for high-ticket items.

Samsung does a great job of doing this for new website visitors.

21. Wishlists

Add wishlist functionality to help customers find the items they wanted during previous visits.

The Nintendo Store makes it easy for logged-in users to save an item to their wishlist – they just click or tap the heart.

This will ensure they know exactly what they want the next time someone needs a birthday present idea or wants something for themselves.

22. Gift Registries

If you search gift registries on Google, you will find dozens of well-known brand retailers.

Target, Amazon, Walmart, Crate & Barrel, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond are just a few that appear on the first page of SERPs.

Why are gift registries important to driving sales? Let’s just look at wedding registries for a moment.

CNBC reported findings from Baird’s 2022 survey that Amazon leads as the top wedding registry provider with 45% listing penetration.

Walmart offers gift registries for babies, weddings, and classrooms. You can also create a custom registry to celebrate any occasion you choose.

23. Multilingual Support

If your ecommerce store caters to customers in a specific region, you have two options to support the top languages spoken in their region:

Depend on Google Translate to help customers translate your website into their language.
Create multiple versions of your website for specific languages.

Xfinity uses English on the www subdomain and Spanish on the es subdomain.

24. Loyalty Program

Do you want to increase customer retention? Offering a loyalty program is one way to encourage people to shop from your e-commerce store again.

These are typically free or paid programs where customers get private or early access to the best deals.

Many allow customers to accrue points per purchase, leading to rewards such as a specific dollar amount off your next purchase or a free product.

Ulta is one of many brands offering a free rewards program for loyal customers.

Customers can join for free and earn points redeemable for products and services online and in-store.

25. Carousels

While marketers may disagree on the value of homepage image and video carousels, many ecommerce brands use them.

Major retailers such as Walmart, eBay, Home Depot, Samsung, Wayfair, Lowes, Costco, Sam’s Club, and Kohls have carousels with their latest promotions and sales.

Chewy is another ecommerce brand that features a carousel on the homepage. This carousel promotes discounts for auto-ship orders, healthy pet food, flea & tick medications, pet bedding, and more.

26. Local Store Information

If your ecommerce brand also has physical store locations, you can boost offline sales by adding details for the nearest store to your website’s header.

This would allow customers to shop online, reserve for in-store pickup, or browse their local store inventory before making an in-store purchase.

Brands like Hobby Lobby ask about website visitors’ location to bring them more from their nearest store.

27. Personal Data Policy

Depending on where your ecommerce store is based and the customers it serves, your site may need a policy that notifies visitors of the data collected about them on your website using cookies from the website and other analytics tools.

Michael’s ecommerce store displays a popup advising visitors about cookie usage to enhance user experience and analyze website traffic.

Visitors then have the option to accept the policy, learn more about it, and adjust cookie preferences.

28. An Affiliate Program

Offer an affiliate program to get more content creators talking about your product.

This lets your top customers monetize their content by promoting their favorite products.

Major retailers like Target offer an affiliate program and creator network to create more brand ambassadors.

29. A TikTok Shop

Having an established presence on social media is a given. However, some brands have extended their ecommerce selection to TikTok Shop.

TikTok offers Shop products in a dedicated feed, allowing brands to partner with content creators on the platform for influencer marketing content.

Brands like OtterBox have even added vertical videos and branded hashtags to their websites to promote social commerce further.

Conclusion

Building a successful ecommerce website requires focusing on what you know about your customers, their journeys, and their needs. Then, you need to make those journeys as easy as possible to follow on your website.

The following principles apply as you build ecommerce shopping experiences:

Prioritize a seamless user experience for all devices and platforms.
Make navigation intuitive, search functions intelligent, and information readily accessible across all site sections.
Product descriptions should be detailed and immersive, featuring user-generated content like reviews and customer photos. In the near future, expect technologies like augmented reality (AR) to revolutionize how customers interact with products online.
Blend your online presence with brick-and-mortar locations, allowing for convenient options like buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) or in-store returns for online purchases.
With growing concerns about data privacy, clearly outline your personal data policy and emphasize secure payment options.
Make a strong commitment to transparent customer service and simple return procedures. This fosters a sense of confidence crucial for long-term brand loyalty.

The success of any ecommerce website ultimately depends on exceeding customer expectations.

Stay current on the latest trends with new technologies, and strive to deliver an exceptional online shopping experience.

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