How Our YouTube Optimization and Boosting Process Works

Dennis Yu on December 8, 2025

How the Boosting & Access-Onboarding Process Works

When we take on a YouTube channel, especially one with solid content but limited traction, the first thing we do is get inside the machine.

Below is the exact process we follow once you add us as managers to your channel and connect the channel to our Google Ads account.

Gaining Manager Access

Once you add us as a channel manager, we can:

Clean up the channel structure.
Fix metadata and playlists.
Create geo-relevant signals Google actually recognizes.
Connect the channel to Google Ads.
And most importantly, start boosting videos.

Without manager access, none of that happens. We can advise, but we can’t execute.

Establishing the Baseline

Before touching anything, we benchmark the channel.

In the case of American Classic Painters:

102 videos were jammed into only 3 playlists.

Titles, descriptions, and end cards had no geographic signals.

Engagement was near zero, because there was no traffic.

Which meant the videos couldn’t rank, because YouTube had nothing to learn from.

Classic chicken-and-egg problem:
No traffic → no engagement → no distribution → no growth.

Boosting is how we break the loop.

Channel Optimization

While boosting gives us initial momentum, optimization is what lets the channel grow organically after the paid push.

Our optimization process includes:

✓ Creating properly themed playlists

Playlists should follow your “topic wheel,” not be a dumping ground of everything you’ve ever uploaded.

Playlists of Dennis Yu‘s YouTube channel

✓ Adding geo-relevant cues

City + service data in titles, descriptions, and end cards tell YouTube:
“This content is for people in this location searching for this type of provider.”

YouTube videos of ARDMOR Windows & Doors

✓ Improving metadata that YouTube actually reads

This includes:

Tags.
Captions.
Default upload templates.
Thumbnails.
Cards & endscreens.

None of this is glamorous, but it works. It’s the SEO of video.

Optimization is ongoing, not a one-time sweep; just like tuning a car before every race.

Boosting YouTube Videos

If the client wants us to run direct boosting from our side, they can fund it at Power Hour.

What we do with the boost:

Promote selected videos

We intentionally choose:

Videos with strong messaging.
Clear calls to action.
Relevance to your local market.
Content that best represents you as the expert.

We don’t boost everything; only what deserves amplification.

Build remarketing audiences

Most channels start with zero audience data.

Boosting gives us:

Viewers.
Clickers.
Engagers.
People who hit 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% watch time.

Those signals allow us to create remarketing pools we later use across platforms.

Train the algorithm

By forcing initial traffic, we teach YouTube:

Who watches to completion.
Who skips.
What geographic areas respond.
What interest profiles match your content.

This is crucial, because YouTube’s algorithm is basically a giant “lookalike engine.”
It can’t find your perfect viewers until it sees who your actual viewers are.

Weekly Reporting & Iteration

As boosting runs, we monitor:

Cost per view.
Average view duration.
Viewer retention at key moments.
Geo performance.
Playlist contribution.
Watch time growth.
Rising vs. falling videos.

The project manager posts MAA in the appropriate updates thread:

What Happens After the Boost

The boost gives us:

Data.
Momentum.
An initial audience.
Watch time.
Engagement signals.
A trained algorithm.

From there, the channel becomes far easier to grow organically.

We keep optimizing thumbnails, playlists, descriptions, and continue adding geo-relevant content.

This is a “build authority and traffic predictably over time” strategy.

Why Our Follow-Up Sequence Exists — and How It Fits Into the AI Apprentice Program

Dennis Yu on December 7, 2025

The weekly MAA (Metrics → Analysis → Action) report is the heartbeat of the AI Apprentice program. It’s the mechanism that ensures apprentices are actually doing the work, learning from the data, and driving real performance for their local service business clients.

When apprentices fail to submit their MAAs, they’re flying blind. And if they’re flying blind, we are flying blind. No coaching, no troubleshooting, no accountability, no progression through the program.

This is exactly why we needed a clear, layered follow-up sequence; one that blends automation, human accountability, and operational discipline.

Jack, as program lead, oversees the standards and expectations. Operations team drives compliance. And the automation is there to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

This article explains the logic, purpose, and flow of the follow-up sequence so all coaches, staff, and apprentices understand how it works and why it exists.

Why Weekly MAAs Matter

The AI Apprentice program is built on three pillars:

Real clients, real work

Every apprentice operates like a mini-agency. They’re responsible for driving measurable results: phone calls, leads, cost per lead, content production, and ranking improvements.

Structured accountability

The program is not babysitting. It’s an apprenticeship. Apprentices learn by doing, reporting, and iterating.

The weekly MAA is the mechanism that:

Tracks KPIs.
Surfaces issues (declining calls, rising CPC, broken assets).
Shows progress through the Content Factory process:

Demonstrated mastery

Apprentices “graduate” by proving competence, not by waiting out a calendar year.
Their MAAs are the evidence: the logbook of a pilot, the surgical report of a resident, the notebook of a chef.

So when apprentices stop submitting MAAs, the entire apprenticeship model breaks.

The Problem: MAA Compliance Is Low

Most apprentices are not submitting their weekly MAAs.

That triggers two questions:

RCA (Root Cause Analysis): Why are they failing?
RCF (Root Cause Fix): How do we eliminate the cause, not just patch the symptom?

Automation alone does not solve the problem. Left alone, automated emails get ignored faster than a gym membership reminder.

We need a layered system:
Automation → Human follow-up → Escalation

The Follow-Up Sequence: Logic & Structure

The follow-up system is designed to:

Remind apprentices ahead of time.
Notify them at the deadline.
Escalate when they fail.

Here’s the logic behind each layer.

Phase 1 — Automated Reminders

These reminders exist so humans don’t have to nag.

Purpose: Prevent “I forgot” and train proactive behavior.
Details:

Tells them MAA is due Friday.
Links directly to the process.
Reinforces expectation: “If you’re traveling or unavailable, submit early.”

Phase 2 — Human Follow-Up

Once automation has done its job, the human layer begins.

This is where the operations team comes in.

Why human follow-up matters:

People ignore bots, but rarely ignore a real person.
Human tone communicates care instead of cold automation.
Humans can ask real questions and uncover real barriers.
Human contact reinforces the culture: you matter, your work matters.

In trades, apprentices who repeatedly miss required logs or hours don’t advance.
Same here.

Phase 3 — Escalation

If an apprentice misses multiple MAAs, the issue moves beyond operations.

Jack, as program lead, steps in to:

Clarify consequences.
Re-align expectations with the apprentice and parent (if applicable).
Determine whether the apprentice is still a fit for the program.
Recommend remediation pathways.

This keeps the program strong and prevents weak links from dragging down the group.

How the Sequence Fits Into the Apprentice Program Culture

The follow-up process reinforces the values the program is built on:

Apprenticeship, not classrooms

You learn by doing, reporting, and improving, not by memorizing.

Accountability, not babysitting

Support exists, but progress requires personal responsibility.

Community learning

Missing MAAs deprives both the apprentice and the group of insights.

Data-driven coaching

We can’t coach what we can’t see.

Preparing apprentices for real agency life

Clients expect updates.
Real marketers live by numbers.
Reporting is not optional.

Closing Thought

Most apprentices who fail to submit MAAs are lost.
The follow-up sequence is our way of pulling them back onto the path.

Automation handles the reminders.
Humans handle the growth.
Leadership handles the standards.

And together, this structure ensures the AI Apprentice program remains what it was designed to be:
A hands-on, accountable, real-world training ground that turns young adults into capable, confident agency operators.

Identifying and Eliminating Passive Voice

Dennis Yu on December 2, 2025

“The donut was eaten.”

Notice how we can’t tell who ate the donut. That’s called passive voice.

Being clear about who is doing what and when (the 3 components of a task) is critical for getting things done. Direct, clear and concise communication is essential in the professional world.

It’s imperative to ensure that your writing is as understandable to your readers as it is to you. Just because it makes sense to you doesn’t guarantee others will interpret it the same way. Most people never learn to write clearly.

How can you recognize passive voice? When people use passive voice, they omit the “doer.”

This is often subconscious, but the effect is the same—it becomes harder to figure out what’s happening and who is responsible. The result of using passive voice is a message with unclear action.

Importance of eliminating passive voice in professional environments

Remember, every task and action must have a clear owner. Compare “I moved this” with “This was moved,” or “Dennis and I are recording” versus “Recording is happening.”

It is a little tough to catch it all the time, but in a business setting, we must eliminate all usage of passive voice– especially when coordinating a project or speaking with a client. Every action must have a clear owner that comes first, and each project needs someone responsible for completing a task- adhering to the RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) model.

Thinking in passive voice significantly reduces your effectiveness and accountability. It’s more serious than mixing up “your” with “you’re” or using “ums” in speech. Passive voice strips actions of ownership, making it difficult to trace who did what, hence leading to confusion.

Here are a few real-world examples we’ve picked from emails, with corrections:

1. “Call has already been booked.” vs. “I booked the call, it’s Thursday at 10.”

Who booked the call? I booked the call.

2. “This email is to confirm that this account is at inbox zero.” vs. “This is Bob confirming that this account is at inbox zero.”

Who sent this email? Bob sent the email.

3. “More updates to come as these get closed out.” vs. “I will provide more updates as these get closed out.”

Who should we expect updates from? I will send them.

4. “This thread was moved here” vs. “I moved the thread to here.”

Who moved the thread? I did.

This is less about being picky with grammatical rules and more about being action-oriented.

Passive voice often comes from a mindset of unaccountability, where it’s someone else’s fault, and we don’t step up as owners of our actions.

Do you now see how using direct language ensures everyone is on the same page?

Why Your Follow-Up Is Slowing Things Down

Dennis Yu on December 2, 2025

We all want things done quickly. But in our workflow, repeated follow-ups do not speed things up. In fact, they slow everything down.

The reality

I get over 1,000 emails per day. When you follow-up, which is not necessary with us, you actually slow things down.

The reason why is that we process via first-come, first-served via Boomerang. So when you follow-up, you become the latest request.

Think of it like standing in line at the DMV; if you keep stepping out of line to “check in,” you’re not getting called sooner. You’re starting over.

Why this matters

Following up without reading prior instructions means:

The same explanation gets repeated.
We waste time fixing things that could have been correct the first time.
The burden shifts from solving your request to rescuing it from repeated mistakes.

When you skip steps or ignore the process, you’re effectively saying:

“My time is more valuable than everyone else’s, so I can skip the line.”

That’s not how we work here.

The root cause? Often, it’s about not understanding what a process or system actually is, and how to work within one. This is why we’ve written extensively on:

If you understand these principles, you won’t need to follow up unnecessarily because you’ll know how to get things right the first time.

The correct way to get things done

Read the instructions fully, even the parts you think you already know.
Follow the documented process exactly.
Send it once; with all required details and correct formatting.

A VA not following instructions and repeating the same mistakes

A simple test before you hit “send”

Have I re-read last message and followed everything in it?
Have I checked for typos, missing names, or skipped steps?
Am I sending this only once, with everything needed?

If you can answer “yes” to all three, send it.
If not, fix it first.

Following up multiple times may feel proactive to you. But here, it’s like repeatedly pressing the elevator button, it doesn’t make it come faster. It just makes the ride bumpier for everyone.

Let’s keep things moving smoothly by doing it right the first time.

The Hidden Cost of Mindless “Reply All”

Dennis Yu on December 2, 2025

That you shouldn’t reply all unless it’s actually valuable to everyone.
The more people you’re replying to, the more careful you should be.

Jensen Huang, founder of Nvidia — one of the world’s most valuable companies — has a saying:

“If you send it, I will read it.”

We operate the same way. But we only want to read things that help push the ball forward.

If you’ve ever opened your inbox to find a 25-message thread you didn’t need to be on, you already know: the “Reply All” button can be dangerous.

But it’s more than just a minor annoyance– it’s often a symptom of a deeper issue: a team that lacks clarity around roles.

Specifically, who’s Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed— in other words, a team without clear RACI alignment.

As someone managing over 1,000 emails per day, I spend a huge chunk of my time filtering: What needs my input? What can be delegated? What should just be deleted? All of this wastes valuable time I could be using to build cool things.

Let’s break down what’s really happening here — and how to fix it.

When Reply-All Becomes a Crutch

A new team member recently CC’d the entire company to ask for login info to a specific tool — something only our Ops lead could’ve answered.

Well-intentioned? Sure. Productive? Not at all.

So why do people hit “Reply All” when they don’t need to?

Often, it’s driven by fear or insecurity:

“I want people to know I saw this.”
“What if they think I’m slacking?”
“Better to say something than be silent…”

But in reality, this behavior slows down decision-making, clutters inboxes, and creates a false sense of momentum.

Here’s the kicker: most people don’t realize they’re doing it. They mistake visibility for value.

A RACI Refresher (and Why It Matters)

When roles aren’t clear, everyone feels the need to say something — or worse, no one acts at all. That’s where RACI brings clarity:

Responsible: The person doing the work.
Accountable: The one who signs off.
Consulted: People whose input is needed.
Informed: People who should be kept in the loop.

“Reply All” spirals usually happen when everyone starts acting like they’re Consulted — even if they’re just Informed. Or worse, when no one knows who’s truly Responsible.

For example, imagine we need to launch a Facebook Dollar-a-day ad campaign for a client. The team member who’s responsible (R in RACI) should be the one launching it and letting the accountable person know.

But when the accountable team-member isn’t accountable, we have situations where it’s a free-for-all at best, and nothing gets completed at worst.

What It Should Look Like

Let’s say someone sends an update about a project delay.

Here’s how a functional RACI team handles it:

The Accountable person makes sure timelines adjust.
The Responsible replies (in-thread or privately) with next steps.
The Consulted offer insights only if asked.
The Informed? They stay silent — and stay informed.

What happens instead?

A flurry of “Thanks!” “Got it!” “Let me know if I can help!” — well-meaning noise that adds zero value.

Think of it like a school project where in a group of 5, two people do all the work while the other three look busy in front of the teacher. Meanwhile, they’re unintentionally slowing down the productivity of the two classmates.

How to Break the Reply-All Habit

Reply-alls and private messages are a tell-tale sign that someone isn’t used to working in a team. It isn’t just a communication problem — it’s a competency problem from us not following RACI etiquette.

Here’s how to fix it:

Set communication norms. If you’re Informed, don’t feel pressure to chime in. Silence is not neglect — it’s discipline.
Make RACI roles explicit. Before any task or project kickoff, define who fits where.
Pause before replying. Ask: Does this move the task forward? Does everyone need to see this?
Use better tools. Slack channels, project boards, or dashboards are better for FYIs than a sprawling email thread.

While overusing “reply all” clogs inboxes and creates noise, the opposite behavior – messaging only Dennis – is often a bigger mistake.

It bypasses the team, creates bottlenecks, and forces Dennis to manually loop others back in. This breaks the system of team accountability and visibility.

Here’s why messaging only Dennis is almost always a mistake.

The Real Problem Isn’t Email

Reply-all is just a symptom. The real issue? A team that lacks competency, structure, and trust.

One of our worst reply-all threads last year involved seven people, two time zones, and three missed deadlines — all because no one knew who owned the task. That mistake cost us a client meeting and a lot of internal friction.

If we want to work with A-Players, we have to communicate like them. That means trusting each other, staying in our lanes, and speaking only when it actually helps.

You don’t need to be loud to be effective. Silence isn’t passive — it’s elite communication, provided you don’t need to be involved.

You just need to be clear and reliable– which is what actually moves projects along.

Why People Shouldn’t Solo Message Me

Dennis Yu on December 2, 2025

If you’re working with our team, whether as a teammate, vendor, contractor, or collaborator, this is for you.

The temptation to DM

I get it. It’s easy to solo message me. I usually reply fast. It feels like the shortest path to an answer. But what seems efficient in the moment often ends up breaking the system we’ve worked hard to build.

We’ve structured things so that communication flows through the right people, not just through me.

I’m not the switchboard

It’s not that I don’t care or don’t want to help. I do. But I get 800+ messages a day, and if everyone treats me like the team’s shortcut, everything slows down.

It’s better, for you and the team, if you go directly to the person responsible. That’s who can actually get it done. You don’t need me as the middleman.

Think like a team

Imagine a hospital where every patient tries to talk directly to the top surgeon for every appointment, follow-up, or billing question. That system breaks immediately. Not because the surgeon doesn’t want to help, but because the whole operation collapses when one person is overloaded.

Same goes here. We built a team for a reason. Everyone has a role, and we need to respect that if we want to move fast and stay sane.

We created the Level 1 Guide to make this easier for new folks, virtual assistants, and anyone unfamiliar with how a high-functioning team operates.

Clients are the exception

Of course, clients can reach out directly. They’re not expected to navigate our internal structure. But internally, we have to hold the line.

We can’t afford to spend time coaching teammates one-on-one when the answers already exist in our training or belong with someone else on the team.

Use RACI

We follow the RACI framework:

Responsible – Person doing the task.
Accountable – Person answerable for the result.
Consulted – People giving input.
Informed – People who just need to know.

Most direct messages to me fall into the “I” bucket. That means I don’t need to be asked; I just need to be looped in. And if I’m not the “R” or “A” in the situation, you’re better off messaging someone else.

When people default to messaging me, it creates confusion about who’s actually responsible. It also creates delays, since I’m often not the one doing the work.

How to email like a pro

Need to keep me in the loop? Great. Cc me. That’s all.

But if you need a decision, update, or action, send it to the right person. I’m not ignoring you; I’m making sure the team functions without me needing to play firefighter on every task.

Don’t do this:

Email me only, asking for updates or input.

Do this instead:

Send the message to the person doing the work. Loop me in as “Informed” only if needed.

Kill the “Reply All” monster

The other common mistake? Hitting reply all like it’s a team sport.

Copying everyone on every message doesn’t help. It muddies the waters and makes it harder to track who’s actually responsible. If everyone’s on the thread, no one’s owning the task.

Before you hit send, ask:

Who needs to take action?
Who just needs to know?
Who doesn’t need to be included?

That’s how high-performing teams communicate on purpose, not on autopilot.

Bottom line

If you’ve been DM’ing me by default, don’t worry, lots of folks start that way. But now you know.

Follow the process. Respect the roles. Use the systems we’ve built. That’s how we scale.

We built the Level 1 VA course to make this easy. Read it. Use it. Become the teammate others want to work with.

Why You Should Add a 301 Redirect Instead of Just Trashing an Article

Dennis Yu on November 30, 2025

When you find an empty, outdated, or broken article on your site, your first instinct might be to delete it. But before you send it to the trash, pause. If that URL has ever been published, indexed, or linked, you’re throwing away valuable SEO equity.

What happens when you delete a Page

When you hit “Trash,” WordPress sends that URL into oblivion. Anyone visiting the old link, whether from Google, social media, or someone’s bookmark, will now get a 404 (Page Not Found) error.

That means:

You lose all the SEO authority that page built up over time.
Users hit a dead end, which kills trust and increases bounce rates.
Google eventually drops it from the index, which can weaken your site’s overall structure.

Why a 301 redirect is the smart move

A 301 redirect tells search engines and browsers, “This page has permanently moved.”

It passes nearly all of the link equity from the old URL to the new one keeping your SEO value intact.

It’s also good UX. Instead of landing on an error page, visitors are automatically taken to a relevant page that still helps them.

In the case of the article https://blitzmetrics.com/highriseinfluence-net/, which was empty, we didn’t just delete it. We redirected it to the AI Apprentice program page, a live, relevant destination that keeps traffic flowing instead of wasting it.

When to use a 301 redirect

Use a 301 redirect whenever:

The page is outdated or replaced with a new version.
You’ve merged multiple articles into one.
The URL structure changes (e.g., rebranding, domain migration).
The content no longer exists but there’s a related topic that fits.

How to add a 301 redirect

If you’re on WordPress:

1. Use a plugin like Rank Math, Redirection, or Yoast SEO Premium.

2. In the plugin’s Redirects section, enter:

— Source URL: the old page (e.g., `/highriseinfluence-net/`)

— Target URL: where you want it to go (e.g., `/ai-apprentice-program/`)

3. Save the redirect and test it.

That’s it, your link equity and user experience are safe.

Final thought

Never delete a page that’s been published without adding a 301 redirect first. Think of it like forwarding your mail when you move; it’s common sense, it keeps people from getting lost, and it preserves everything you’ve built.

Why You Should Never Use Stock Art

Dennis Yu on November 28, 2025

We have a chronic problem in our materials, and it’s not subtle.
It’s stock art.

You know exactly the species:

Stick-figure crowds that look like they escaped from ClipArt rehab.
Fake-smiling business people who have clearly never run an actual business.
Random gradients someone tossed in because “the page needed something.”

Stock art isn’t just inauthentic; half the time it’s not even relevant. It’s visual filler. And despite calling it out in threads, updating training, and telling people loudly not to use it, stock art keeps sneaking back in like a raccoon raiding the dumpster behind Applebee’s.

But there’s a deeper issue. And it has nothing to do with design skills.

The real problem: No experience = no expertise

Stock art shows up when someone doesn’t actually understand what they’re trying to communicate.

It’s easier to paste a cute icon than it is to:

Map out a funnel from a real campaign.
Show the real metrics.
Pull real screenshots.
Explain the real logic behind the system.

And this is where we run headfirst into EEAT, specifically the first E: Experience.

Google rewards content grounded in firsthand proof. So do real users. When you throw in stock art, you’re broadcasting the opposite: “I don’t have anything real to show you.”

Nothing demolishes credibility faster.

Stock art = evidence of no actual doing

Here’s the pattern we see all the time:

We talk about performance benchmarks.
We break down funnels.
We show TikTok metrics.
We emphasize real examples, real screenshots, real campaigns.

Then someone uploads… a blue stick-figure holding hands with 11 of its closest stick-friends.

Why?

Because stock art gives the illusion of completion without demonstrating any experience.

And without real experience, you don’t have expertise. Without expertise, you can’t teach. That’s the whole point of Learn → Do → Teach. The order matters.

What belongs in our materials instead

Only things that reflect real work done by real practitioners:

Authentic screenshots.

Real campaigns.
Real dashboards.
Real funnels drawn from real data.
Simple diagrams that match how the system actually works.

These aren’t decorations. They’re evidence.
Evidence of experience. Evidence of understanding. Evidence of actual EEAT.

A simple rule:

If you wouldn’t show it to a paying client, don’t put it in our training.

Why stock art hurts our brand

Let’s be blunt:

❌ It destroys authenticity.

People can smell generic content a mile away. It instantly lowers trust.

❌ It’s usually irrelevant.

Stock art rarely reinforces a concept. It’s just visual noise.

❌ It signals “I don’t understand this.”

This is the killer. When someone fills space instead of providing clarity, the entire training degrades.

❌ It hurts our EEAT.

Google prefers content with real images/video because it demonstrates firsthand experience.
Stock art does the exact opposite.

❌ It links us to low-quality sites.

Right-click search any stock image and you’ll find it on:

crypto scams.
random spam blogs.
some guy’s homemade “entrepreneur motivation” poster from 2012.

Not the company we want to keep.

How we fix this, permanently

The answer isn’t “find better art.”

The answer is do real work, then document it.

If you’re contributing to training, you’re not a decorator. You’re a practitioner teaching from experience. That means:

If you can’t explain the metric, don’t include an image
If you don’t know where something belongs in the funnel, ask
If you’re unsure whether an image fits, it doesn’t
If you feel tempted to use stock art… shut the laptop, take a breath, and delete it

Our materials must come from actual experience — not Shutterstock and not AI-generated Web 1.5 clip art.

The bottom line

Stock art has no place in materials meant to build trust, teach systems, or prove competence.

Use real images.
Use real video.
Use real proofs of work.

Not because it “looks nicer.”
Because it satisfies the first E in EEAT — Experience.
Without that, nothing else matters.

Our brand deserves better.
Our training deserves better.
And the people learning from us deserve materials that are accurate, authentic, and grounded in real experience.

Let’s publish content so real, so credible, and so obviously practitioner-driven…
that nobody ever reaches for stock art again.

Congrats — You Just Earned a High Rise Influence Link

Dennis Yu on November 27, 2025

If you’ve landed on this page, it’s because we featured you in one of our articles which means you just picked up a high-quality, contextually relevant backlink from HighriseInfluence.net.

Nice work. Most sites never get even one legit mention.

About our site (and why this link matters)

HighriseInfluence.net is still growing (our Domain Rating is DR7 at the moment) but don’t let the number fool you.

In SEO, context and relevance often beat raw power.

Our site sits squarely in the personal branding, authority building, and reputation growth space.
We publish content tied to entrepreneurs, local service pros, agencies, and thought leaders.
Every outbound link we give is intentional and topic-aligned, not random spam or profile links.

That means the link pointing to you is:

✔ Do-follow.
✔ Clean and natural.
✔ Surrounded by relevant content.
✔ Coming from a real brand with real activity.

And yes, Google notices that.

Why a DR7 link still helps

Would you rather get a DR63 backlink? Sure. Who wouldn’t?

But here’s the reality most SEO “gurus” won’t tell you:

A single contextually aligned link often moves rankings more than a higher-DR link that’s off-topic.

Your new link from Highrise Influence passes:

Topical authority.
Entity association (your name/business connected to ours).
Relevance (Google loves niche-aligned sources).
Trust signals from a legitimate business publishing original content.

These help your site’s SEO no matter what your current DR is.

How to see the impact

If you use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or MOZ, you’ll notice:

New referring domain.
Increased backlink count.
Potential movement in your keyword rankings over the next few weeks.
Stronger entity signals for your brand.

If your site is under DR20, every high-quality backlink is a big deal. The early ones move the needle the most.

Share the win

You earned a legitimate feature; don’t keep it quiet.

Post on your social channels, tell your audience you were mentioned, and link back to the article. Not only does it help your SEO even more, it amplifies your authority.

Keep rising

Congrats again on being featured.

Keep building, keep showing up, and keep stacking wins like this.

How to Create Your Invoice as an Independent Contractor

Dennis Yu on November 27, 2025

Our accounting team processes payments every two weeks as long as your invoice is submitted within two days after the pay period ends.

Use this guide to create your invoice correctly and avoid delays.

1. Turn off your TimeCamp timer

Invoices aren’t billable. If your timer is still running, you’re basically charging for filling out the invoice.

2. Identify the pay period

Visit payroll schedule.

Each pay period spans 14 days, starting on a Friday and ending on a Thursday.

Examples:

Feb 16 – Feb 29, 2025.
Mar 1 – Mar 14, 2025.

Confirm the exact dates before you do anything else.

3. Don’t create your invoice during the pay period

If the pay period ends on March 14, wait until March 15 to make your invoice. Creating it early risks missing entries that haven’t synced.

4. Filter your TimeCamp report

1- Log into TimeCamp.

2- From the left navigation, hover over Reports → choose People by tasks.

3- Under Date range, choose Custom range and enter the full pay period.

4- Click Apply.

5- Under People, select your name.

6- Under Projects, select All Projects.

7- Under Active/archived, select Active and archived tasks.

8- Under Billable status, choose All.

9- Note your total hours.

This number will go in your invoice.

5. Make sure no time is missing a task

Search the page with CTRL+F / CMD+F for:

No results? Move on.
Found one? Fix it before continuing:

How to fix unassigned time

Identify the date of the bad entry.
Open TimeCamp in a new tab.
Navigate to that date.
Assign the correct task to anything showing “select task”.
Refresh your report tab.
Repeat until the report is clean.

6. Download the report as PDF

Hover over Export → Download PDF.

7. Convert the PDF to JPG

Visit any PDF-to-JPG converter (e.g., “Convert PDF to JPG”).
Upload your report.
Choose Convert entire pages.
Download and unzip the JPG images.

8. Convert the PDF to JPG

Open the Invoice Template.
Go to File → Make a copy.
Save it to My Drive.
Close the original to avoid editing the wrong one and crying later.

9. Complete the first page of your invoice

Rename the file using this format:

Invoice_{Name}_{Month Day, Year Start}_{Month Day, Year End}

Examples:

Invoice_Juan Dela Cruz_February 16, 2024_February 29, 2024
Invoice_Jane Doe_March 1, 2024_March 14, 2024

Make a copy of the invoice template.

Update the fields:

Your name, address, and email.
Invoice date and invoice number.
Hours worked (convert minutes to decimals: 15 mins = 0.25).
Your hourly rate.
Total amount for the period.

Payment Details

If NOT paid through Upwork:

Write “No” beside “Pay Through Upwork:”
Enter your bank name, routing number, account number, etc.

If paid through Upwork:

Write “Yes”
Delete the bank account fields.

Final Check

Remove all yellow highlights.

10. Add your TimeCamp JPGs

Scroll to page 2.
Click the empty area.
Insert → Image → Upload from computer.
Select all JPGs you unzipped earlier.

11. Download your invoice as a PDF

Go to File → Download → PDF.

12. Email your invoice

Send an email to accounting@blitzmetrics.com, CC your team lead, using the invoice file name as the subject line.

If you’re paid on Upwork, wait for hours to be approved, then add them.

13. Include your MAA (Metrics, Analysis, Action)

Every invoice must include an MAA section. This is your mini “doctor’s report” about your work.

Metrics

List tasks completed and only tasks that passed QA and were published.
Also include your cost per completed item:

Analysis

Explain what the numbers mean.
Real insights only.

Action

What did you do or what will you do to improve results based on your analysis?

This section is how we track progress and help you grow.

Payment methods

We don’t use PayPal or Wise.

Use one of these:

1. Zelle (Preferred)

Provide U.S. phone or email.
Instant, no fees.

2. Venmo

Provide your username.

3. ACH (U.S. banks only)

Routing + account number.

Backup Options

If you can’t receive payments, you may designate someone you trust to receive it for you. Many contractors do this.

Last Resort: Upwork

We don’t recommend it:

Client pays +10%.
You lose 10% to Upwork fees.
Basically, everyone cries.

Only use Upwork if absolutely necessary.