Frequently asked questions about working with upMention

upMention helps organizations understand where growth is being left on the table, choose what will make the biggest difference right now, and then execute it. We bring together information from your organization, your customers, your market and your results. That lets us see whether the next step lies in strategy, marketing, software or the way the work itself is organized.

You can also engage us for a single, clearly defined service such as SEO, AI visibility, online advertising or software development. In that case we run a short check to confirm that this really is the right next step.

Yes. You can engage us for SEO, AI visibility, online advertising or software development on its own. A broader strategy engagement is not required.

We do run a short check that matches the size of your question. That way we both know whether the requested service really is the right next step, or whether a smaller intervention would make more difference.

We start with a short introduction call. We listen to your goal, what is in the way and what you have already tried. From there we do a compact analysis and share a proposal with direction, approach and investment.

If it fits, we typically start within a few weeks. If you are still exploring, a conversation without any obligation is also fine.

When a marketing question is really connected to your offer, follow-up, capacity, collaboration or responsibilities. More campaigns will not fix that.

In those situations we first make visible where the real issue sits. Then we choose the smallest intervention that can make the biggest difference. We only scale up marketing once the basics are in order.

You get a single point of contact and a team that matches your question. Depending on the work, specialists join in for strategy, SEO, AI visibility, campaigns or software development.

For larger engagements we agree upfront who decides and who is responsible for what, on our side and on yours.

We work with a steady rhythm of short updates and regular meetings. We agree the frequency together, in line with the size and pace of the partnership.

In between you are welcome to call or email. Per partnership we keep a shared space where choices, planning and results stay visible.

We mostly work with ambitious SMEs and larger family-owned businesses, in both B2B and B2C. What they share is a serious growth ambition and a willingness to look honestly at what works and what does not.

We do not work on assignments that are only aimed at short-term tricks or surface-level visibility without a clear purpose.

upMention Intelligence is the way of working and the environment we use to bring together information from your organization, your customers, your market and your results. We keep it visible where information comes from and whether something is a fact, an assumption or an open question.

AI helps us organize and compare. Our people decide what the information means and which choice is sensible. The result is a clear priority, a plan and visible follow-through, not just a report.

We combine what is happening inside (offer, capacity, follow-up, results) with what is happening outside (customer demand, market, competition, search and AI behaviour). We hold that up against your goals.

The most valuable first step is usually where the potential is large and the resistance is small. We make that concrete.

Then we say so. More campaigns will not fix an unclear offer, poor follow-up, overloaded teams or unclear responsibilities.

We first make visible where the issue really is. Then we choose the smallest intervention that can make the biggest difference. We only scale marketing once it reinforces something that is sound at the core.

We look at four areas: your organization, your customers, the market and the results you are already getting. From those we extract facts, assumptions that still need to be tested and information that is missing.

• Organization: offer, capacity, roles, follow-up
• Customers: needs, behaviour, feedback, channels
• Market: demand, competition, positioning
• Results: numbers, patterns, campaigns, channels

For a focused question we usually run a compact analysis in two to four weeks. For a broader growth question we plan for four to eight weeks.

We work in steps so you can already make choices along the way instead of waiting until everything is finished.

A clear picture of where you stand, what the main opportunities and blockers are, and which next step can make the biggest difference. That comes with a work list in order of priority and a proposal for execution.

You are not locked in. You can continue with upMention, with another party, or on your own.

We work on how well your organization is found in Google and other search engines, and on what visitors do after they arrive. We combine technology, content, structure and trust into one coherent whole.

SEO is not a standalone activity for us. We align it with your offer, your audience and what actually needs to come out of it in terms of results.

We start with a healthy foundation: speed, structure, indexation and logical page architecture. Then we build content that fits what people actually search for and the questions your customers have.

Technology without good content produces little, and good content without a working foundation does not get found. That is why we run them in parallel.

The first visible improvements often appear within a few months. Structural results on important search queries usually take six to twelve months.

The timeline depends on your starting point, the competition, the size of your site and the pace at which we can execute together.

Often both, in the right balance. Online advertising delivers fast reach and clear measurement. SEO builds a position that is cheaper and more stable over the long term.

We help decide where to invest first, given your goals, budget and time horizon.

We track positions, traffic, on-site behaviour and, above all, what comes out of it commercially: enquiries, customers, revenue or whichever goals matter to you.

We report in plain language and show what we did, what happened and what the next step is.

No. Nobody can honestly promise that, because Google itself decides what to show for each search.

What we can do: show honestly what is achievable, where the opportunities are and what effort is needed to capture them. Then we show along the way what the work is producing.

AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot answer users' questions directly. AI visibility means that your organization is one of the sources that gets named or used in those answers.

This is sometimes called GEO, short for generative engine optimization. We prefer the plain name: AI visibility.

SEO is about being found in classic search results, with ten blue links. AI visibility is about the answers AI systems give directly, in which only a few sources tend to be cited.

There is overlap, but the way you structure and present information differs. We work on both, tuned to where your audience asks questions.

We make sure information about your organization is clear, consistent and easy to find: clear names, topics and facts that AI systems can understand and use.

In parallel we build content that truly answers questions, technical structure that helps AI find the right pieces, and mentions in places that AI systems take seriously.

We structurally test whether your organization gets mentioned in relevant AI answers. We look at the questions that matter for your audience and track how those answers evolve.

Measurement in AI is younger than in classic SEO. We are honest about what we can and cannot know for sure.

Mainly: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI answers, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Which ones matter for you depends on where your customers and prospects ask their questions.

We choose together where to focus rather than doing a little bit everywhere.

First effects can appear within a few months, but the playing field changes fast. What works today may look different six months from now.

That is why we work in rhythm: improve, test, adjust. Not one big push, but consistent attention.

We set up and run campaigns on search engines and social channels. From strategy and setup to daily optimization, measurement and reporting.

We start with your goal and your customer, not with a channel. Only then do we choose where to spend the budget and how to build it up.

Among others Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), YouTube and, where useful, others. The choice depends on your audience, your offer and your goal.

Better to do one or two channels well than a little bit of everything.

That varies. For smaller local campaigns we sometimes start from a few hundred euros per month in media budget. For B2B or competitive markets sensible budgets are usually higher.

We advise what we think is realistic given your goal. Too little budget mostly produces fragmentation.

For what comes out of it commercially: relevant enquiries, customers, revenue and margin. Not just clicks or impressions.

Where possible we work with cost per enquiry (CPL, cost per lead), cost per customer (CPA, cost per acquisition) and return per ad euro (ROAS, return on ad spend). We agree upfront which of these fit your situation.

With online advertising you often see the first signals within a few weeks. To know what works structurally we usually need a few months to test, learn and adjust.

Quick wins are nice. Durable results take rhythm.

We offer software development as a monthly partnership with a dedicated team. We call this Developer as a Service, or DaaS.

Together we keep one clear plan and decide which work has priority. The team develops, tests and ships in steps. Each month we adjust based on real use, feedback and new insights. That way you are not stuck with a predefined feature list that may be outdated before it is even built.

Yes. We build new software and we continue work on existing systems. For existing software we usually start with a short technical and functional review.

From there we build a work list in order of priority, with a balance between improving, maintaining and building new.

Depending on your question: developers, a tech lead, a designer and someone who watches over collaboration and planning. For larger engagements the team is extended with additional specialists.

You have a single point of contact and work with the same people who truly know your project.

We keep a work list in order of priority. Each month we look together at what should move to the top, given real use, feedback and your goals.

That leaves room to respond to new insights, without letting the whole thing lose balance.

You do. The code lives in a repository you own or have full access to.

We also document design, decisions and accounts in a way that lets you continue the work with another party at any time.

If you want a strictly bounded project with a predefined feature list, a fixed price and a fixed end date, this way of working fits less well. We believe software grows better with rhythm and continuous adjustment.

In that case we prefer to help you honestly with advice or a referral.

In organizations strongly led by an owner or founder, that person's choices and behaviour influence pace, culture and responsibility. A strength that helped the company grow can later also become a bottleneck. For example when nearly every decision keeps landing on one person's desk.

We only investigate this when it clearly connects to the business question. The outcome always has to lead to a concrete choice about roles, decisions, collaboration or direction.

What makes a company small and fast can also make it larger and slower. Being involved in everything helps in the early days but slows things down as more people and customers come in. Fast decisions work, until they routinely bypass others.

We make visible which patterns still help and which are now getting in the way, without judging the person.

Then that person often becomes the bottleneck of the organization. The team waits, initiative fades and growth ends up being limited by available attention rather than by substance.

We help name who decides and is responsible for what, so work can move on without needing to pass through one person.

Yes. An entrepreneur may already be preparing for a next phase (succession, sale, new role) while the organization is not yet set up for it. Or the other way around: the organization is ready for a next step, but the picture at the top stays the same.

That gap makes choices about structure, roles and investments extra important. We help have that conversation.

Yes, when it fits the question. A constellation makes visible in a short time how roles, tasks and relationships sit in relation to each other. Underlying patterns that are otherwise hard to discuss often surface.

We only use this with a clear business purpose and always in agreement. It is never a required part of the work.

No. We are not coaches or therapists. Our approach is commercial: we want to understand what stands in the way of your growth and help you make sensible choices about it.

When we notice a question is better suited to a coach, therapist or other specialist, we say so and refer on.

Into agreements about who decides and is responsible for what, into changes in structure or roles, into a different way of meeting and deciding, or into choices about succession, handover or investments.

In short: into things you can act on Monday morning. Not into a report that ends up in a drawer.

Partnerships start from €2,500 per month, excluding VAT. The exact investment depends on the expertise, capacity, execution and technical responsibility required.

Media budget, licences, hosting and other external costs are stated separately in the proposal.

No. The partnership can be adjusted or ended each month.

We do work with a direction for 30, 90 and 365 days. That lets choices build on each other and allows results to be judged fairly, without tying you to a long contractual period.

The time of the people who work on your partnership: strategy, execution, discussions, measurement, reporting and adjusting. Each proposal describes which roles are included.

For larger technical engagements we spell out separately how much goes into development, design, testing and maintenance.

No. Media budget (for Google Ads, LinkedIn, Meta and similar) is separate from our fee. That keeps it clear what goes to advertising and what goes to the people who build and run the campaigns.

We advise what we think is realistic given your goal, but you decide the budget.

We invoice monthly, at the start of the month, with a payment term of fourteen days. All prices are excluding VAT.

Where possible we have external costs such as media budget, licences or hosting invoiced directly to you, so you keep a transparent view of where money goes.

Yes. Each month we can adjust the size of the partnership. That can be useful around a new phase, a peak in the work, or a quieter period.

We align adjustments in advance so the team and planning can move with them.

A short message or call is enough. You briefly share what you are up against or what you want to achieve, and we schedule an introduction call. From there we come with a proposal that fits your question.

A first conversation carries no obligation.