The task of search engine optimization, content marketing and management, as well as social media may appear daunting to the small business owner. Even for the seasoned professional, there is always something on the “To Do” list when it comes to marketing. UpCity.com has come up with an easy solution – create a walk through system that allows you to check off completed tasks. These tasks all work together to achieve higher search engine rankings and on page conversion.
Let’s take a look. When you sign up, you are taken to a start-up page where you need to fill out a form and include target keywords you wish to rank for. Click “Next” and you are on your way to site optimization. Yet, the real magic of the program starts with the Task tool sets.
Using a systematic approach to what is effective in online marketing, UpCity takes the user through five main categories, each delving into more in-depth actions.
The five areas UpCity covers are:
- Optimize Your Presence
- Manage Your Reputation
- Become an Authority
- Convert
- Retain & Grow
I was really impressed to see the category of Retain & Grow. Too often in SEO world, we focus on getting traffic to the site and the word “Retain” is forgotten.
First, let’s cover the basic elements that are a part of each of the task screens, and then we will dive deeper in to each area.
Once you start on the tasks you’ll notice the Effort and Impact boxes on the right of the screen. I think the expected time is a good guide, yet I want to draw your attention to the impact and point value. One, if you are pressed for time on projects, or need to know what you should be focusing on, this would be an excellent guide. Find the tasks with the least effort for the biggest impact.
Also, these points are important because they will begin to add up. As you check off completed tasks you’ll see your efforts and points add up in the left hand toolbar.
The way your points are calculated by finishing each task and marking it as completed.
UpCity’s system will also scan some of the tasks for you to let you know if they are already completed. If you see the green statement, UpCity has verified this task done and marked it complete. On the flip side, some of the tasks had a red mark, stating the the suggested action could not be verified.
You are also able to record notes with each task which is highly beneficial when working with a team.
There is a “How To” tab that when clicked offers more guidance on how to successfully complete that specific task.
On to the task modules:
Optimize Your Presence
As you may have guessed, this section will walk you through the basics of SEO, onsite optimization, and social media account creation. Now, even though I just used the word Basics, don’t glaze over if you’ve been at SEO for a while. The interesting thing about this system is that it’s a systematic approach to SEO. And, when you get past the basics, the section has an Advanced optimization checklist that gives other possibilities.
Manage Your Reputation
Currently this task has one area. According to the notes, they will be releasing the Ongoing Rep Management section that speaks about Social Listening. I’m eager to see the task set in this category. Yet, for now there is a lot of value in the Word-Of-Mouth: Endorsement section.
UpCity.com takes you through reaching out to LinkedIn connections to asking customers for reviews as well as a few other ideas.
Become an Authority
I have to say this is a really enjoyable module. The headings covered social networking, basic blog writing, image and video sharing, and ongoing authority development.
Again, the steps in here include suggested actions such as joining relevant groups on LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as some other interesting ideas. The point system will let you know how much time you can expect to spend on these tasks and the weight completing them may have on your rankings.
The Blog Writing section offered quite a few ideas that could be used repeatedly. Even though some of the ideas are ones content writers may use on a daily basis, these ideas can also be assigned to team members as tasks.
In each module, UpCity offers a section that covers the basics and then offers an advanced module. It’s these advanced sections that I feel offer something of value both to the seasoned marketer, as well as the beginner.
Convert
This section has less to do about website placement and more to the real basics of conversion. However, I still feel like it has value to make sure all your “t”s are crossed.
Retain and Grow
Like the convert category, Retain & Grow is a basic overview of a complex topic. Yet all the tasks listed need to be done to do just that: turn visitors into repeat customers. This task list is a fantastic start. Also, since UpCity allows for white-labeled reports to the client, it’s an excellent action list to let your clients know you are working for their ongoing success.
Reporting
After you complete the task checklist, UpCity generates a clean and in-depth SEO report card. This is an overview of your score, rankings, onsite optimization.
A useful feature with UpCity.com’s reporting is that you can easily toggle between search engines when looking at keyword reports.
Who is UpCity For?
Without a doubt, if you are a small business owner or a one person marketing team for your company, this program is extremely helpful. Hands down, this will save you time and a ton of guess-work. I haven’t mentioned yet that UpCity.com also includes local optimization – which would be a highly beneficial task if you have a brick and mortar location.
If you are an agency or SEO firm, UpCity is a fantastic way to stay organized, share activity reports with clients and track ranking progress.
I want to point out another feature that may appeal to agencies as well. UpCity offers a lead generation feature for SEO firms. Simply configure the form and place it on your site to offer a free SEO report card, much like the one you will see for your own site.
Spoiler Alert! UpCity will be adding more features here in January to its Reputation management section. This will have a 20+ site list, such as using Yelp to help promote a positive reputation. They are also building out the Tasking abilities, which means agencies with teams will be able to assign specific tasks to team members for follow-up.
Overall, I feel like I got a personal walk through from an online marketing veteran. This program brings together so many elements that really equal online success. By combining an intuitive interface, clean reports, and a comprehensive task manager, UpCity.com has honestly managed not only to make SEO easy, but enjoyable. Hands down a must have for those seeking higher rankings for their websites.
[“source-searchenginejournal”]
