The UpSearch SEO System
A structured knowledge base that teaches SEO the way it actually works.
Hey, I'm Colin — I built UpSearch. Before I started this, I spent way too long trying to figure out SEO from scattered blog posts, YouTube videos, and tools that gave me data but never explained what any of it meant. It was genuinely overwhelming. I kept thinking: there has to be a simpler way to learn this stuff.
So I built this. The SEO System is the resource I wish existed when I started — a structured, no-fluff guide that walks you through how SEO actually works, in plain language, in the right order. No jargon for the sake of jargon. No 10,000-word articles that could have been three paragraphs. Just the things that matter, explained clearly.
It's for anyone who runs a website and wants to understand what's going on under the hood — whether you're a founder, a small business owner, a marketer who got handed “the SEO stuff,” or just someone who's tired of feeling lost. You don't need to be technical. You just need to be curious.
1. Start Here
Get oriented with UpSearch and the SEO System.
2. How Search Actually Works
Understand search mechanics before optimizing.
3. Technical SEO Engine
Architecture, crawling, rendering, and indexing.
4. Content and Topical Authority
Topic maps, content decay, and authority signals.
5. Trust, Authority and Signals
Links, brand signals, and EEAT.
6. AI and LLM SEO
How AI assistants source answers and how to earn visibility in them.
7. Execution Playbooks
Step-by-step playbooks for common scenarios.
8. Diagnostics and Fixes
Triage checklists and diagnostic frameworks.
9. SEO Anti-Patterns
Myths, traps, and mistakes to avoid.
10. UpSearch Tools and Data
How UpSearch scoring, suggestions, and chat work.
11. Change Log
Updates to the SEO System.