Dennis Yu -

What Contractors Need To Know About Google Knowledge Panels

Dylan Haugen on January 20, 2026

Most contractors don’t lose jobs because they’re bad at the work. They lose jobs because the customer can’t tell who’s legit in the first 10 seconds of a Google search.

That’s the real reason Google Knowledge Panels matter.

If someone searches your name or your company name and Google clearly understands who you are, what you do, and where you do it, you stop looking like “another option” in a list of blue links. You look like the obvious choice.

When Dennis Yu was in Minneapolis with Jack Wendt and I (Dylan Haugen), we recorded a session answering the most common questions we get from contractors about Knowledge Panels—what they are, how they work, why some people get them (and others don’t), and what to do if you want one.

This article is a written version of that conversation, organized so you can actually apply it.

What A Google Knowledge Panel Actually Is

A Knowledge Panel is what shows up when Google is confident about an “entity.”

An entity can be a person, a company, a city, a product, a park—anything that Google can identify as a real thing with real attributes.

You’ve seen this with celebrities. Search a musician or actor and you’ll get a panel with photos, bio details, social profiles, and related info. The difference is: contractors assume that’s only for famous people.

It’s not.

A Knowledge Panel shows up when Google understands you clearly enough that it can present you as a full object in search, not a guess.

Instead of “10 blue links,” Google can confidently say:

This is the person/company you’re looking for
These are their socials and trusted references
This is where they operate
These are related entities connected to them

And that clarity is what drives trust.

Example of Tommy Mello’s Knowledge Panel, which we helped claim.

Why Knowledge Panels Matter For Contractors

Contractors don’t win on “who’s best at HVAC repair” or “who’s the most skilled roofer.”

They win on trust.

People do business with people. When Google understands you as the figurehead of your business, trust flows:

From you → to the business
From the business → to your services in your city
From your relationships → into your overall credibility

If you’re clearly “the Indianapolis tree company” or “the Denver remodeler,” it helps across the board:

branded searches (your name/company name)
local SEO (city + service)
Google Maps signals
and even visibility in AI tools that pull from trusted web signals

The panel itself isn’t the end goal. It’s proof that Google understands you.

Do You Have To Be Famous To Get One?

No.

This was one of the biggest points we hit, because it’s the most common misconception.

Google doesn’t care about a blue checkmark or follower counts. It cares about clarity and trusted signals.

We talked about a contractor example where someone had a legit business, good work, and barely any social following—but still got a Knowledge Panel because the information was structured and tied together correctly.

It’s not about being “internet famous.”

It’s about being “Google-clear.”

How Google Decides Who Gets A Knowledge Panel

In the session, Dennis explained it simply:

Google is looking for trust, and trust isn’t something you can fake.

A lot of people confuse trust with:

press releases
buying links
auto-generated blog posts
“PR packages”
random podcast appearances you paid for

Those don’t build real authority because they can be manufactured by anyone.

What Google actually responds to are signals that reflect real-world credibility.

Here are the core categories we kept coming back to:

Your website (especially if it’s organized around you and your company correctly)
Your social profiles (consistent names, links, and identity)
Reviews and reputation across platforms
Earned media (real coverage, real mentions, real interviews)
Co-created content (podcasts, interviews, collaborations with credible people)
User behavior signals (people searching you, clicking you, staying on your content)

That last one matters more than most people realize.

Dennis referenced how Google watches clickstream behavior—what people actually do after they search. If people click your stuff and engage, Google gains confidence.

The Biggest Reason Contractors Don’t Get Knowledge Panels

It usually isn’t because they “need more content.”

It’s because they already have proof—reviews, jobs, community involvement, photos, team stories—but it’s scattered and not tied together.

Dennis gave examples like:

tons of content on a website with no author listed
podcasts where the contractor is featured, but nothing links back to them
service pages and blog posts that never connect to the person behind the company
social profiles that don’t match, don’t link, or don’t align on name/location

Most contractors don’t need to invent a reputation.

They need to organize the reputation they already earned.

Personal vs Business Knowledge Panels

This part clears up confusion fast.

A business can have a Google Business Profile, and that can show a panel-like result. But a true Knowledge Panel is broader: it can pull in socials, references, related entities, and more.

There are two key entities here:

You (the person)
Your business (the company)

Here’s an example of Dr. Hugh Flax’s Knowledge Panel compared to his business listing (Flax Dental’s Google Business Profile / GBP).

Dr. Hugh Flax’s Verified Google Knowledge Panel

If you want the strongest result, they should be connected properly.

When Google understands both entities and sees a clean relationship between them, everything strengthens.

What “Entity Consistency” Means (And Why It Matters)

Entity consistency is a technical term that basically means: Google sees the same person everywhere.

Your entity shows up across:

your website
your GBP
YouTube
Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn
Yelp and other directories
podcast pages and interview write-ups
media mentions and community sites

If your name, links, bios, and identity don’t match, Google has to guess.

And when Google is guessing, you don’t get a Knowledge Panel.

A simple way we explained it in the conversation: every real story has entities.

A job story has:

who it happened to
where it happened
what service was done
when it happened
who did it

If that story is posted without those details being connected back to the right entity (you and your business), Google can’t confidently map it.

The Hub And Spokes Concept (Topic Wheel)

This was one of the most useful frameworks we shared.

Jack explained that your topic wheel has:

a hub (your “entity home,” usually your personal brand website)
spokes (topics and relationships that support your authority)

Contractors often have spokes—good reviews, real projects, community involvement—but no hub.

No hub = no central place where Google can see everything in one clean, structured way.

Jack Wendt and I presenting on the topic wheel at DigiMarCon Vegas 2025

For contractors, spokes can include things like:

your trade (roofing, HVAC, remodeling, etc.)
your city/region
your team and company story
community involvement
partnerships with other contractors
shared content with local organizations

When those spokes all connect back to a strong hub, Google stops guessing.

What Google Looks At When Verifying A Person

We covered this from a practical angle.

If you want to think like Google, focus on signals that are hard to fake.

Here are the types of things we pointed out in the session:

real interviews with credible people
real content hosted on real sites people actually visit
real traffic and engagement (people staying, scrolling, watching)
real connections between people and businesses
real-world proof tied to a specific geography

If a spammer in another country can create it instantly, it probably won’t carry much weight.

Can You Buy Or Fabricate A Knowledge Panel?

Yes—people try. And yes, there are agencies out there selling “knowledge panel packages.”

But here’s the truth: you can’t literally “buy” a Knowledge Panel.

Google doesn’t have a checkout page where you pay to become verified, and there isn’t some hidden “backdoor” where someone can flip a switch and force your panel to appear. A real Knowledge Panel is generated by Google’s algorithm, and it only shows up when Google is confident it understands who you are as an entity.

That’s why the only “package” that’s actually worth paying for is not one that claims it can sell you a panel—but one that helps you do the work the right way.

A legitimate Knowledge Panel service looks like this:

organizing your website and personal brand assets so Google can understand them
connecting your social profiles and citations consistently
tying your real-world proof (reviews, media, podcasts, job stories, community involvement) back to you and your business
creating clarity so Google stops guessing and starts recognizing the entity

So no—you cannot pay for a Knowledge Panel in the literal sense.

But you can pay someone to help you build the structure, consistency, and trust signals that make Google confident enough to show one.

Do Press Releases Help?

Usually no, for the reasons we discussed:

they get little to no traffic
they’re often labeled/treated as paid distribution
they don’t create real E-E-A-T signals
they rarely include meaningful proof

Dennis contrasted that with earned media—real stories people actually care about, shared by real people who have a reason to share them.

The Role Of Podcasts, Interviews, And Social Media

Podcasts and interviews can be huge—if they’re real and relevant.

They work when:

the guest and host share topic overlap
the audience overlap makes sense
it documents a real relationship
it gets repurposed into content that links back to the entity hub

They don’t work when:

you pay to be on random shows with no relevance
it’s just “PR placement”
nothing gets connected back to your website and profiles

Social media plays a different role.

It’s where you show proof and distribute the story, but it’s not the foundation. It’s one channel in a bigger system.

The Content Factory And Why Promotion Matters

Dennis explained the four stages:

Produce (capture real stories)
Process (turn them into usable assets)
Post (publish across channels)
Promote (drive the right traffic)

Promotion matters because behavior signals matter.

If you can drive real traffic to the assets that represent your entity—especially branded searches—you help Google gain confidence faster.

Fixing Incorrect Info On A Knowledge Panel

Once you claim a panel, you can submit edits.

But the key point we made: you usually have to fix the underlying sources too.

If your LinkedIn bio is wrong, or an old directory has incorrect info, Google can “re-learn” the wrong data later.

So you fix it at both levels:

submit the edit request
fix the source

What About Negative Press Or Haters?

This turned into a reputation management lesson.

The best defense is to build so much legitimate proof that negative content can’t outrank you.

If your topic wheel is strong, and your hub is strong, and you have consistent earned signals, random attacks have a hard time breaking through.

How Long Does It Take?

We gave a realistic range in the session: usually 3 to 12 months to earn a solid panel, and longer to make it consistently show and start impacting broader non-branded searches.

It depends on:

competition in your market
how common your name is
how organized your current assets are
how much real proof exists already

But the bigger point: it’s not a one-time checklist. It’s building a digital reflection of a real reputation.

What This Looks Like When It’s Done Right

At the end of the session, we talked about why people like Tommy Mello and Dan Antonelli are so strong in Google’s eyes.

They don’t just have success.

They publish their process, teach others, and show real relationships in public—proof that others trust them, follow them, and benefit from what they do.

That creates a compounding effect:

their entity becomes stronger
their network becomes stronger
people associated with them gain trust too

If You Want This Implemented Inside Your Business

If you’re a contractor who wants to stop guessing and start building this the right way, the best move is to train someone on your team to do it consistently.

If you have a son, daughter, or team member you trust, enroll them in our AI Apprentice Program.

We teach them the exact systems, SOPs, and frameworks we use—so they can implement this for your business with real proof, clean structure, and a repeatable process you own.

How to Do MAA (Metrics, Analysis, Action) Like a Pro

Dennis Yu on December 19, 2025

As a project manager, virtual assistant, or agency owner, you should always be looking to improve your work and your client’s results. Luckily, there’s a simple blueprint to follow which guarantees success with enough iterations.

Not only that – but you can use the same blueprint for personal efficiency and decision making as a part of our 9 triangles framework.

It’s called MAA.

MAA stands for metrics, analysis, and action. MAA is a requirement to measure the success of your work and what needs to be done to ensure happy clients and a thriving business.

Each letter is instrumental, since without metrics we can’t have analysis, and without analysis we can’t have action.

In this article, we’ll go through each with examples, show you how to conduct weekly MAA cycles, and why it’s so important to do.

Metrics

We recently onboarded Star Heating & Cooling, an HVAC local service business in Fishers, IN. In the first week, we wanted to show MAA in action and how simply writing out our metrics can point us in the right direction for getting more calls in the door.

As you can see, we’ve had 19 booked calls this week. 13 from existing customers, 3 from our GMB, 2 from our website, and 1 from Facebook.

We can then move to analysis. What the metrics tell us is that GMB calls are the primary source for new client acquisition, even above LSA and PPC which are barely getting us any calls at all right now.

And since we’ve only received 3 new customers from GMB this week, we should prioritize getting PPC and LSA ads going for more call volume since their business qualifies for LSA and wasn’t already spending much before.

Therefore, the action for this week should be getting PPC and LSA set up and running for more inbound new customers.

MAA isn’t just for local service businesses, either. Take the example of a recent VA we’ve hired named Asifa. We’ve asked all of our new hires to reflect and write MAA about their performance so far.

Any full time content VA should be writing more than just 5 articles a day, which equals 1.5 hours per article. So understanding the results of work completed (metrics) means we can then move on to analysis.

Asifa’s analysis isn’t wrong per say, but what we’re also looking for is the reason for the existing metrics before we move on to action.

For example, “I wasn’t as familiar with our clients GCT, and therefore moved slower than I should have when writing these articles” is great, since it addresses the underlying concerns for why the metrics are what they are.

Once we understand the metrics and write an analysis of them, we can then move on to the action. In Asifa’s case, it was to understand more about our process through existing materials and complete more work.

What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get improved. Which is why the M in MAA is the center of everything else we discuss for analysis and action.

Analysis

The analysis section of MAA is what everyone gets confused on. Most project managers go from Metrics -> Action and skip this crucial step. But without it, the actual actions which need to be taken are vague.

For example, we recently had American Epoxy, a concrete coating company, reach out to us since they were disappointed with their agency. The lead quality most of these leads were coming from outside of Arizona. Since American Epoxy is based in Tucson, they were frustrated that they were getting form submissions from Texas and Florida.

In response, Dennis Yu and myself joined a call where the client manager acknowledged the out of state leads, and then went into the action they would take to address them.

But wait a moment, how would you know what action to take without analysis on why these leads were out of state?

This is like if you were on a boat taking in water in the middle. Sure, you could grab a bucket and start shoveling water… or you could simply plug in the hole where the water is coming from.

But without analysis, everything is a sinking ship and no-one knows where the water is coming in from.

Take the example of All About Pressure Cleaning, a client of ours in Pompano Beach, Florida. All About recently had a big influx of poor quality calls and folks in South Florida looking for jobs.

Since All About Pressure Cleaning does pressure cleaning and other related services, they were (rightfully) frustrated with folks calling them looking for maids and other unrelated services.

Knowing these metrics and the poor quality of them, here was my analysis.

You can see me addressing the obvious problem, why this problem has happened, and the solution, which is to start iterating more on Google PPC ads and remove PMAX campaigns.

But without proper analysis, I could have easily said “Okay, we’re working on it!” and tried a dozen other things. Instead, we got to the root cause and offered a solution based on the existing data.

We would not have found the solution had we not conducted proper analysis of our metrics.

Action

Tying MAA together, we have action. When done properly, this is the easiest step since the analysis leads to an obvious conclusion.

For example, if lead volume is low, we can see why that’s the case in analysis and take action based on it. Just like how if you’re bad at writing content and acknowledge the reason for that being your lack of experience, the answer is to clearly learn and do more.

Or if a client is mad about lack of communication, poor lead quality, or lack of lead volume. The solution is almost always visible once you conduct proper analysis.

You can almost view the action section as a to-do list for the following week before the next MAA cycle. Therefore, there’s always new metrics to iterate from and progress to be made, regardless of the situation.

Why is MAA so important?

Besides fitting into our 9 triangles framework, MAA is your universal compass for decision making. Even though we use it for client success, you can use it for personal efficiency, planning priorities, and making important life decisions.

If you care about making money as an agency owner, MAA can reduce your churn rate an enormous amount, since clients can clearly see progress being made and iteration taking place. The iteration and weekly cycles make it so things don’t get stuck either.

If you care about leveling up your skill set, MAA can make your priorities clear since you know your metrics and have analyzed why things are the way that they are.

If you care about building relationships, you can use MAA as a reason for why people act the way that they do and why.

In short – you can use MAA as your professional decision maker since there’s always logic and flow. As long as MAA is being completed, iteration is happening and we’re moving closer to our goals.

If you’d like to learn more, we have a whole course on how to do MAA, with even more examples and blueprints.

How to Recover Facebook Page Access When Business Manager Is Inaccessible

Dennis Yu on December 18, 2025

If your Facebook Page looks normal but refuses to connect to ad accounts, agencies, or partners, this article explains what’s happening and how to fix it.

American Classic Painters‘ Facebook page

This issue usually appears with Pages that were created years ago or originally set up by a former agency, employee, or partner. Even though your Facebook page access may list you as an admin, business-level actions silently fail.

It’s a Business Manager ownership problem.

What’s Actually Broken

Every Facebook Page can be owned by only one Business Manager.

When that owning Business Manager is no longer accessible (because it was deleted, locked, or controlled by someone who is no longer involved) Meta blocks all business-level actions on the Page.

You might still be able to post, change settings, and add individual admins. That creates the illusion that everything is fine. But behind the scenes, Meta will not allow the Page to connect to ad accounts, agencies, analytics tools, or partner businesses.

Personal admin access does not override Business Manager ownership.

Why Access Requests Look Like They Work (But Don’t)

Meta allows business access requests to be sent and even “accepted,” but when a Page is owned by another Business Manager, the connection never completes.

There is no error message.

Meta simply rejects the request silently because only the owning Business Manager is allowed to approve business-level access. Any request made outside of it is automatically blocked.

This is why people get stuck in loops adding admins and resending requests that never stick.

How to Confirm This Is Your Problem

Log into business.facebook.com using the Business Manager you control and open Business Settings.

If your Page is missing entirely, or if you can see it but cannot assign partners, connect ad accounts, or manage assets properly, it is almost certainly owned by another Business Manager.

At that point, there are only two possible solutions.

Option One: Fix It Through the Original Business Manager

If anyone still has access to the original Business Manager that owns the Page, the issue can be resolved immediately.

That person must log into the original Business Manager, open Business Settings, select Pages, and add your Business Manager as an admin on the Page.

Once that happens, the Page instantly becomes fully usable. Ads, analytics, and partner access work without any review or approval from Meta.

If this option is available, take it. Nothing else is faster or cleaner.

Option Two: Request Page Ownership From Meta

When the original Business Manager is no longer accessible, ownership must be transferred by Meta.

To do this, log into the Business Manager you control and go to the Meta Business Help Center.

Choose Pages, then Page access or ownership, and select the option indicating that another business owns your Page.

If the exact option doesn’t appear, searching for “Facebook Page ownership dispute” will lead you to the correct form.

Meta will ask for documentation proving that your business legally owns the brand represented by the Page. This usually includes a business license or incorporation documents, along with a utility bill or tax document showing the same business name and address. You will also need to provide the Page URL and your Business Manager ID.

All information must match the Page’s business name. If it doesn’t, Meta will reject the request with little or no explanation.

What Happens After Submission

Meta reviews the request manually. This typically takes several business days, though it can take longer if additional verification is required.

Responses are sent by email, often to spam folders, so checking regularly is important.

If the request is approved, ownership of the Page is transferred to your Business Manager automatically. No additional steps are required.

Why Adding Individual Admins Never Solves This

Meta treats people and businesses as separate entities.

Adding a person as a Page admin only grants surface-level control. It does not transfer business ownership and does not unlock ads, partners, or asset management.

Only the owning Business Manager can perform those actions. Until ownership is corrected, business access will continue to fail no matter how many admins are added.

What to Do After Ownership Is Fixed

Once the Page is owned by the correct Business Manager, everything works normally again.

You can assign partners using Business Manager IDs, connect ad accounts, and grant agencies proper access without restrictions.

At that point, the problem is fully resolved.

Why 15-Second Videos Matter Now

Dennis Yu on December 17, 2025

If you’re creating content today, you’re competing with the scroll.

People spend hours a day moving past content without thinking. On most social platforms, you have a few seconds (often less) to earn attention before someone scrolls past and never sees you again. That’s the context 15-second videos live in. They exist because attention spans are short, feeds move fast, and algorithms reward engagement, not effort.

It’s how Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn all work right now.

Attention Has to Be Earned Immediately

Adult attention spans, especially under age 30, are extremely short. If you don’t engage someone in the first three seconds, they’re gone. Not later. Not after the hook. Immediately.

That’s why longer videos fail for people who don’t already have an audience. No one is going to watch a three-minute video from someone they don’t recognize. The average watch time on Facebook is around six seconds. That alone tells you everything you need to know about how your content needs to be structured.

Short video isn’t a creative choice. It’s a practical one.

Teaching Alone Isn’t Enough

If all you do is teach, people scroll past. If all you do is entertain, you don’t build trust.

The goal is edutainment—teaching something while keeping it interesting enough that someone stays. Think of it like wrapping medicine in food. The value is inside, but it has to be delivered in a way people will actually consume.

That’s what a 15-second video does well. It forces clarity. It forces focus. It forces you to get to the point.

Algorithms Don’t Care About Your Intentions

Every major platform measures engagement. If users stop, watch, and interact, your content gets shown to more people. If they don’t, it disappears.

The algorithm doesn’t know your credentials. It doesn’t know how smart your idea is. It only knows whether someone paid attention.

That’s why the first few seconds matter more than the rest of the video combined.

This Works for Serious Professionals

There’s a misconception that short video means you have to be silly, dance, or chase trends. That’s not true.

Fifteen-second videos work for business owners, consultants, service professionals, and experts because the format rewards clarity, not gimmicks. You don’t need to act differently. You need to communicate more clearly.

The format is short. The message can still be professional.

Why the Format Exists Everywhere

Instagram Stories are 15 seconds. TikTok is built on short vertical video. YouTube Shorts follow the same pattern. These formats weren’t chosen randomly. They exist because that’s how people consume content now.

If you want visibility, reach, and efficient advertising, this is the format every platform is pushing.

Why Templates Make This Easy

People ask why a one-minute video can’t be taught in one minute. It’s because the strategy behind short video takes longer to understand than the video itself.

Once you understand the framework, execution becomes simple. Templates remove decision fatigue. They tell you how to start, what to say, and how to end without rambling or overthinking.

That’s how people go from avoiding video to producing it consistently.

The Goal Isn’t Virality

The goal is visibility across platforms, repeated exposure, and trust built over time. Fifteen-second videos make that possible because they’re easy to produce, easy to distribute, and easy for people to consume.

Short video is how you get seen before people decide whether to listen longer.

Learn the Process

If you want to understand the strategy behind 15-second videos and use templates to create them consistently, the full walkthrough is inside the course.

https://academy.yourcontentfactory.com/courses/15-second-video-course

This isn’t about trends. It’s about how attention works now—and how to earn it without wasting time.

How Indian Entrepreneurs Can Become Googleable: Dennis Yu’s Knowledge Panel Training with Anuran Das

Dennis Yu on December 16, 2025

When Anuran Das asked me to speak with his community of Indian entrepreneurs, I knew immediately this session would be different.

His audience isn’t made up of tech insiders or agency veterans who already have knowledge panels or perfectly polished websites and PR teams,

These are founders, traders, network marketers, salon owners, and young strivers who want what every entrepreneur wants: a chance to build something meaningful, to increase their income, and to earn trust in a global marketplace.

Many of them are doing impressive things offline. But online? Google barely knows they exist.

And in 2025, that gap is no longer a small inconvenience. It determines who gets clients, who gets recommended by AI tools, who appears credible, and who never quite breaks through.

This training was a conversation about identity (digital identity) and how Indian entrepreneurs can take control of how the world sees them.

Why Indian Entrepreneurs Struggle With Online Identity More Than Most

Within the first few minutes of the session, it became painfully clear: most people in the room had never searched their own names in the Knowledge Graph.

They didn’t know what Google saw when it tried to assemble their identity. They didn’t know whether their achievements were connected properly, or scattered across the internet like broken puzzle pieces.

For Indian entrepreneurs, this fragmentation is extremely common. A single name can belong to dozens of people across industries, regions, and social platforms.

Algorithms struggle to distinguish one “Ravi,” “Jobin,” or “Rohan” from the next.

Even those who are well-known within their local markets often appear online as partial versions of themselves; half-formed profiles, mismatched facts, weak signals, low confidence scores.

When we looked up Anuran himself, Google didn’t show one identity. It showed several.

All of them real, all of them incomplete, each one competing with the others. This is what happens when your accomplishments outpace your digital structure.

You grow faster than Google can understand you.

It’s a technical reality.

And it means the world can’t trust what it can’t verify.

Your Income Follows Your Identity

The people in Anuran’s community are working to increase their income, whether that’s through Facebook ads, network marketing, trading, local services, or digital consulting. They want growth, stability, opportunity. But none of that can happen when platforms can’t confidently identify who you are.

If Facebook doesn’t know which “you” is running the ads, it can’t optimize your campaigns properly.

If Google doesn’t know who you are, it can’t show the right information (or any information) when clients search for you.

If ChatGPT doesn’t recognize your name, it can’t recommend you when someone asks a question in your niche.

This is about survival in a world where AI is the front door to opportunity.

The entrepreneurs in the room understood it immediately. Once they saw their broken or incomplete online identities, the question wasn’t “Why does this matter?” but “How do I fix this right now?”

The Real Lessons Came Through Real People

What made this session special was the live examples. I didn’t want to talk about Indian entrepreneurs. I wanted to talk with them.

So we looked up Ravi, assuming Google had something (anything) about him. Instead, we found a famous director with the same name overshadowing every result.

We searched Jobin, expecting at least a minimal footprint.

Instead, he was invisible, even on Facebook, despite wanting to run Facebook ads for corporate events.

We explored Rohan’s salon business, which in real life is thriving with award-winning stylists and hundreds of five-star reviews.

But his website, social structure, and digital signals weren’t strong enough for Google or ChatGPT to understand the scale of his success.

Each of these examples revealed the same underlying truth:
your offline reputation cannot help you until it becomes visible online.

And becoming visible isn’t about buying followers or posting motivational quotes. It’s about giving search engines enough structured information to confidently say, “This is the real person.”

That is the doorway to being Googleable.

Why ChatGPT Became the Surprise Breakthrough of the Training

Most people treat ChatGPT as a writing assistant. They ask shallow questions and accept shallow answers. But in this training, we used ChatGPT in a completely different way: as a diagnostic tool for reputation.

When I typed, “Who is the top pest control company in Portland?”

Google showed my friend, who ranks #1 locally.

When I asked ChatGPT to describe Jobin, it returned almost nothing because Jobin hasn’t given the internet enough evidence that he exists.

But when I gave ChatGPT context (business details, goals, examples, achievements) it transformed. It produced strategic plans, clarified opportunities, identified weaknesses, and highlighted what was missing.

This shocked the audience.

Not because ChatGPT is powerful, they knew that.
But because ChatGPT mirrored back the truth about their digital identities.

If the AI can’t recommend you, you don’t exist.

Not in the economy that is forming right now.

Why Relationships Matter More Than Algorithms

One moment in the session shifted the energy completely.

Someone asked how to become a billionaire.

The room went quiet. Not because of the money but because of the ambition behind the question.

I told them a story I rarely share. When I was young, the CEO of American Airlines mentored me. Later, I was introduced to other billion-dollar CEOs, not because I was special but because I honored the people who taught me. I served them. I learned from them. I created value before I ever asked for anything in return.

Mentorship and gratitude built every opportunity I have today.

For Indian entrepreneurs (who understand the power of lineage, community, and respect), this resonated more deeply than any technical advice ever could.

You are known by your relationships.

With the team of Cardinal Treatment Center (an addiction treatment center in Rosemount, Ohio)

With Dr. Hugh Flax of Flax Dental (high-end cosmetic dentistry in Sandy Springs, Georgia)

With Sal Sciorta of Plumbing Pros PA (residential plumbing services in Easton, PA)

With Ross Franklin of Pure Green Franchise (one of the fastest-growing juice bar franchises in the United States)

With the team of ARDMOR Windows & Doors (a window installation company in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania)

With Colby Davis of Davis Painting (a premier residential and commercial painting company)

Google measures that.
ChatGPT measures that.
Clients measure that.

Authority is a network effect.

When you show who you learn from, who you help, who you collaborate with, and who trusts you, your identity becomes stronger, not just in the real world, but in the digital world too.

Why This Training Mattered for Anuran’s Community

It was a candid, real-time mentorship session tailored to people who are capable of enormous growth but haven’t had the structure, clarity, or visibility to unlock it.

Indian entrepreneurs are stepping onto a global stage.
AI has collapsed geographic barriers.
Opportunities that once required money, connections, or access are now available to anyone who is understood by the machines deciding visibility.

But machines need clarity.
They need structure.
They need identity.

This group is ready for it.

And with leaders like Anuran creating environments where learning, mentorship, and community actually matter, there is no limit to how high they can rise.

The world is watching.
Google is watching.
ChatGPT is watching.
Your future clients are watching.

Make it easy for them to understand who you are.

Because becoming Googleable isn’t a technical achievement.
It’s the foundation of trust in the age of AI and it starts with entrepreneurs like the ones in Anuran’s community who are ready to step into the spotlight with confidence and clarity.

How I Strengthened a Video Using High Authority Clips

Grant Haugen on December 13, 2025

When I opened Dennis Yu’s speaker reel, my first reaction was straightforward: this was already a strong video. The pacing worked, the arc was clear, and the production quality felt polished. It didn’t need a rebuild.

What it did need was a small credibility lift — a few proof-driven moments that made Dennis’s authority clearer. Instead of rebuilding anything, I focused on replacing weaker visuals with real footage that supported the message already in place.

The Editing Approach I Used

As I watched, I looked for places where real proof could replace weaker visuals so the expertise in the reel becomes more visible.

I wasn’t chasing extra b-roll just to fill space. The goal was lightweight, context-matching authority inserts.

Doing this meant going back into Descript and editing the reel directly, which is exactly the kind of hands-on refinement that’s part of our Content Factory workflow. In this case, the video required small, context-matching authority inserts rather than big structural edits.

How I Selected the Clips (Blitzmetrics 30-Point Authority Rubric)

To make sure every insert increased credibility (not just visual variety), I graded each clip using the Blitzmetrics 30-point authority rubric:

Who is saying it (10 points): Is Dennis clearly positioned as the expert?
Where is it being said (10 points): Is the platform or venue high-trust (major media, respected institution, credible event)?
What is being said (10 points): Is the message expertise-forward and specific (not generic hype)?

Only clips that scored strong across all three categories made the cut.

So I followed two simple placement rules:

Fill Low-Variety Sections With Real Proof

Where the visuals stayed the same for too long, I added short clips that brought both energy and credibility. That way, the reel stays engaging and the viewer keeps seeing Dennis in real authority contexts.

Replace Stock Moments When It Clearly Raised Authority

Where stock visuals were doing the job of “filler,” I replaced select moments with real footage that carried more credibility.

The High-Authority Clips I Added

1. Speaking at Loyola University Chicago (School of Communication)

What the Clip Shows: Dennis speaking on a Chicago business/digital webinar hosted through Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication, seated on a panel alongside other professionals, with a live student audience present.
Why It Adds Authority: University setting + professional panel context adds institutional credibility, and the message is expertise-forward (urging students to help small businesses learn online promotional methods and tools).

2. On The Day (DW News) Covering Zuckerberg’s Congressional Hearings

What the Clip Shows: Dennis appearing on The Day (DW News) as a Facebook expert, commenting on Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings.
Why It Adds Authority: National-level news coverage + expert framing + Facebook-specific analysis creates immediate third-party validation.

3. On CNN Discussing Facebook Trust Challenges

What the Clip Shows: Dennis on CNN discussing how Facebook faces a challenge in winning users’ trust.
Why It Adds Authority: Another top-tier news outlet reinforces that he’s sought out to explain Facebook and content-related issues at a professional level.

4. Speaking at Social Media Day in Jacksonville

What the Clip Shows: Dennis speaking at Social Media Day in Jacksonville in front of a large audience about digital marketing.
Why It Adds Authority: Stage authority + crowd size + event credibility signal he’s trusted to teach at scale because he’s an expert in the field.

5. Creating a Video with Jake Paul

What the Clip Shows: Dennis and Jake Paul speaking directly to the camera for a video.
Why It Adds Authority: Jake Paul’s high public visibility signals that Dennis operates within prominent creator and media circles, reinforcing his credibility in high-visibility digital environments.

6. With Dan Antonelli (Home Service Branding Conversation)

What the Clip Shows: Dennis sitting down with Dan Antonelli for a recorded conversation (YouTube/interview style).
Why It Adds Authority: Dan Antonelli is the founder and creative director of KickCharge Creative, a leading branding agency in the home services industry, and is widely recognized for helping contractors build strong, differentiated brands. Being positioned in a peer-level conversation with one of the most established names in home service branding reinforces Dennis’s authority as someone operating at the same professional tier.

7. Mentoring Jack Wendt (Mentorship / Coaching)

What the Clip Shows: Dennis coaching/mentoring Jack Wendt in a working session context.
Why It Adds Authority: Mentorship footage is “authority in action” — it positions Dennis as the teacher/operator guiding other builders. Jack Wendt is a successful AI Apprentice, and a founder of High Rise Influence, reinforcing that Dennis is training real operators, not hypothetical students.

8. Speaking with Marko Sipilä (HVACQuote.ai / CoatingLaunch)

What the Clip Shows: Dennis speaking with Marko Sipilä on video, explaining concepts and sharing insights.
Why It Adds Authority: Marko is a successful AI Apprentice mentored by Dennis, founder of HVACQuote.ai (helping home service contractors convert leads with instant quotes) and previously scaled CoatingLaunch into a powerhouse in the concrete coatings industry. Training a proven operator reinforces Dennis’s authority as someone successful entrepreneurs learn from.

9. With Dr. Glenn Vo at His Dental Practice

What the Clip Shows: Dennis on-site with Dr. Glenn Vo inside Denton Smiles Dentistry, speaking in a real business environment.
Why It Adds Authority: This is industry-proof — Dennis is working with a recognized dentistry leader and practice owner, reinforcing “trusted by professionals with real businesses.”

10. With Michael Stelzner (Industry Conversation)

What the Clip Shows: Dennis in conversation with Michael Stelzner.
Why It Adds Authority: Michael Stelzner is the founder of Social Media Examiner, so this adds strong peer/industry credibility and signals Dennis is connected to respected leaders in the social marketing space.

Why These Small Inserts Matter

Edits like these are small individually, but they raise the authority signal of the entire asset. These edits don’t change the story — they reinforce it with clearer visual proof. When the strongest moments are easier to see, every future reuse of the asset performs better.

The original reel already communicated Dennis’s message well. My edits didn’t change the story — they strengthened the evidence behind it.

By adding real-world authority footage in the right places, the reel gains:

Higher credibility density
Better pacing (fewer flat stretches)
Less “generic” feel where stock visuals used to carry the load

The structure stays the same; the evidence on screen is stronger.

What This Demonstrates

Small, precise upgrades like these make an already strong reel feel more grounded and more representative of Dennis’s real-world authority. The structure stays the same, but the presence feels sharper and more credible.

It’s a small edit, but it makes the final piece line up more clearly with how Dennis actually works and shows up in real life.

Inside High Rise Academy: What You Can See in the Students

Dylan Haugen on December 4, 2025

High Rise Academy exists because there’s a lot of noise in the AI and marketing space, and it’s hard to tell what training actually holds up in the real world. In this High Rise Influence YouTube video, Dennis Yu gave a simple filter for sorting that out. As he put it, “Don’t judge a program by the person selling it. Judge it by the students it produces.”

After Dennis lays out that idea, the video shifts to student builders and lets you hear directly from us about what we’re working on and how we’re applying the training with local service businesses.

The Principle Dennis Shared

Dennis’ point is blunt: it’s easy to make a program look good on the surface. The harder test is what students can actually produce once they’re inside it — their work, their thinking, and how that work holds up when applied to real clients.

That’s why the video centers on the people inside the program. You get to see how students talk about their work, what they’re building, and the kinds of problems they’ve learned to solve for clients.

What High Rise Academy Trains

High Rise Academy is an apprenticeship for young adults who want to build a concrete skill set in AI‑assisted marketing. The training is tied to local service businesses because the work is practical and the feedback is immediate.

Students practice:

Building and improving personal brand sites and business sites
Using AI tools to speed up research, content production, and operational tasks
Running and refining ads using proven systems like Dollar a Day, while tracking performance
Managing deliverables, communication, and client relationships

The idea is to learn repeatable systems and apply them on live accounts, so students leave with work they can stand behind.

Student Examples From the Videos

Dylan Haugen (Me)

I came into the program as a content creator and professional dunker. I knew how to grow an audience, but most of that lived on platforms I didn’t control. The shift for me was learning how to turn content skill into owned assets and clear client value.

What that looked like:

Building a personal brand website I control
Strengthening search presence, including my Knowledge Panel
Learning to package content and relationships into services for local businesses
Delivering real marketing outputs alongside the team

Jack Wendt

Jack’s story shows what happens when someone combines big‑picture vision with consistent execution. He’s been able to travel and still build because he runs work like a professional: projects stay on track, communication stays clear, and relationships keep compounding.

What stands out in his path:

He builds partnerships and opportunities through strong relationships
He keeps a steady operating rhythm even while moving across time zones
He treats marketing like a long game, not a short sprint

Luke Crowson

Luke started in fitness coaching, and Dennis noticed something that carries over into marketing: he cares about outcomes and sticks with a process. Inside the program, Luke applies that mindset to client work that’s built on steady improvement.

His focus areas include:

Campaign structure and ongoing tuning
Landing page and site improvements
Lead quality and follow‑up alignment with owners

The takeaway here is straightforward: consistent, client‑first execution plus good process is what drives dependable results.

Sam McLeod

Sam is still in school and leans heavily into engineering. His role is building tools and workflows that remove repetitive work for students and standardize delivery for clients.

Where that shows up:

Automating tedious steps so students focus on high‑value tasks
Turning proven processes into repeatable workflows
Supporting scale without lowering quality

One Shared Thread

Different backgrounds, same direction: we’re learning practical systems and applying them to real businesses. And the four of us you saw in the video are also building this alongside Dennis. We are founders of High Rise Influence and Local Service Spotlight, so we’re learning how to create an agency, start a business, and pressure‑test what we learn by using it every week.

Advice We Shared at the End

We wrapped the video with short advice for anyone considering this path:

Use AI like a teammate. It helps you draft, research, and troubleshoot faster, but you still steer the work.
Mindset drives follow‑through. Skill only compounds if you stay in the game long enough to apply it.
Aim for steady improvement. Getting a little better daily beats waiting for a perfect moment.
Learn by doing. You grow fastest when you ship work, get feedback, and refine.

Takeaway

Dennis’ filter is simple: student work tells you more than marketing ever will. The video applies that idea by showing what students are building and how they think about the work.

If you’re evaluating any program in AI or marketing, whether it be the High Rise Academy or something else, look for a trail of real output: projects you can inspect, processes students can explain, and progress that shows up across more than one person. That’s the safest way to decide what’s worth your time.

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.

What You’re Actually Paying For in High Rise Academy

Dylan Haugen on December 1, 2025

Why pay for a program when you can get AI training for free on YouTube?

Because you want your young adult to be mentored by the best, be in a structured program with accountability, and because you want to shorten the duration to achieve competency.

Information is free now. The basics are easy to find.

What’s not free is turning that information into real business growth — fast.

In High Rise Academy, you’re paying for two things:

Results for a local service business.
Access to the people and process that create those results.
AI Infrastructure that multiplies output and efficiency.

The Goal

This program is for local service businesses and the young adults working inside them.

The goal is simple: grow the business with marketing that brings in leads, calls, and booked jobs.

What You’re Paying For #1: Results

We measure progress weekly so the work stays tied to outcomes.

MAA every week:

Metrics: what changed in leads, calls, jobs, revenue, and content output
Analysis: why it changed
Action: what we’re fixing or testing next

Your young adult runs real marketing, reports what happened, and improves it week by week until the numbers move.

The loop is always: execute → measure → coach → improve → execute again.

What You’re Paying For #2: Access

Inside the Academy, access means:

Experienced coaches. Dennis Yu and the team review your young adult’s real marketing work and show them how to make it stronger.
A clear path. They know what to focus on first, what to ignore, and what “good” looks like.
Fast feedback. Instead of guessing, they get answers and direction while they work.
A room of builders. Other apprentices are doing the same kind of work, so your young adult learns faster and stays motivated.
Masterminds with other AI Apprentices. They trade what’s working, break down problems, and push each other to deliver better results.

Dennis has 30+ years of experience and has worked with brands like Nike, Starbucks, Rosetta Stone, the Golden State Warriors, and more. That level of coaching helps your young adult avoid expensive wrong turns and reach competency faster.

What You’re Paying For #3: AI Infrastructure

A major part of the program cost is the AI infrastructure we provide.

Each AI Apprentice receives access to a full year of our shared ChatGPT Business account, including pooled credits and the custom GPTs and agents we’ve built for real marketing work.

This matters because:

Apprentices don’t start from scratch. They use proven custom GPTs for planning, writing, auditing, and reporting.
Output is faster and more consistent. Shared business-level access removes usage limits and friction.
Work is easier to review and improve. Everything lives inside one workspace that coaches can see and guide.
The cost is covered by the program. Apprentices don’t have to manage subscriptions, credits, or setup.

This AI setup directly increases how much quality work apprentices can produce each week.

The specific AI tools included may evolve over time. We currently use ChatGPT Business because it’s the best option for our workflow today. As models, platforms, and pricing change, we reserve the ability to upgrade, replace, or remove specific tools so apprentices always have access to the most effective AI systems available.

How the Apprentice Program Works

Your young adult builds skill by working inside a live local service business (often yours).

What they do inside the program:

Create and publish content using the proven Content Factory workflow.
Run simple local campaigns to turn that content into leads.
Improve offers and follow‑up so inquiries turn into booked jobs.
Apply coach feedback to the next round of work.

They’re getting real reps on a real business, with real coaching. That’s how they build skill that shows up as results.

Quick Recap

Training is free because information is free.
You’re paying for three things: results, access, and AI infrastructure.
Together, that helps your business get more leads, calls, and booked jobs.

That’s High Rise Academy.

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.