Multi-Location Core 30 Structure

What

This is Tekton’s current approved multi-location Core 30 operating SOP. It is the operational translation of AI SEO Mastery Pro for GBP landing-page assignment, URL preservation, location stacks, services, schema, NAP, internal linking, and geographic expansion. It supersedes the former multi-location Wiki doctrine. AI SEO Mastery remains the governing methodology, and verified client evidence controls client-specific decisions.

Canonical Google Doc: Multi-Location Core 30 Structure SOP - Current - AI SEO Mastery Aligned

Who owns it

The Website / SEO Specialist owns the page map, evidence gate, implementation recommendation, and final approval of ranking tradeoffs. SEO QA blocks conflicts between current training, this SOP, and client evidence.

Steps

1. Authority

AI SEO Mastery Pro is Tekton’s governing source for SEO strategy and methodology. This SOP converts the training into an operating workflow. It cannot override the current training.

Use these labels:

• Training-backed rule: Directly supported by a current lesson or transcript.
• Tekton convention: An internal implementation, navigation, documentation, approval, or QA standard that does not conflict with training.
• Client-specific decision: Controlled by verified services, GBP data, existing URLs, rankings, links, conversions, competition, and approved client facts.

If a Tekton rule conflicts with current training, preserve ranking assets, stop the affected implementation, and correct the internal rule before proceeding.

2. Training-Backed Multi-Location Rules

2.1 Rank-map and URL-preservation gate

Before changing any GBP website URL:

1. Record the current website URL attached to every GBP.
2. Run a local rank map for every GBP and its important categories/services.
3. Preserve a landing URL that is already ranking well.
4. Do not move a ranking GBP away from the homepage or another established URL merely to create a cleaner structure.
5. Document any expected ranking tradeoff before implementation.

2.2 One location normally gets the homepage

The homepage is usually the domain’s strongest URL and should remain the primary local money page for one location. It is not merely a shared brand router.

• For a net-new site, assign the homepage to the primary or hardest-to-rank location.
• For an established site, current rankings, links, conversions, URL history, and existing GBP alignment override architectural symmetry.
• Additional locations may receive dedicated GBP landing pages that function as mini homepages.

2.3 Additional locations receive location-specific stacks

Each additional GBP landing page targets that location’s primary GBP category and city and acts as a mini homepage.

A genuine location stack may include:

• The homepage or a dedicated GBP landing page
• Location-specific parent category pages for categories offered there
• Location-specific child service pages for services offered there
• Supporting topical and geographic content when evidence calls for it
• Local proof and contained internal linking

A business with three GBPs can scale toward a Core 90, but this is a structural concept, not an exact page quota.

2.4 Core 30 is flexible, not a literal quota

The training describes a typical local structure of roughly three to five category pages, 20 to 30 service pages, plus essential business pages. The right total may be below or above 30.

Do not add thin pages or omit justified pages merely to hit an exact count.

2.5 Match every location stack to the corresponding GBP

Each location stack must use verified location-specific facts:

• Business name
• Address
• Phone
• Primary and secondary categories
• Hours
• Service area
• Description
• Website URL

Every GBP needs its own valid phone number under Caleb’s stated method. A call-tracking implementation is a Tekton exception and must preserve the distinct GBP number and NAP consistency.

2.6 LocalBusiness schema belongs on the matching GBP landing page

Place the location’s LocalBusiness schema on the corresponding GBP landing page and make the data match the GBP. Do not place conflicting sibling-location LocalBusiness entities throughout every service or service-area URL.

Service, FAQ, breadcrumb, article, or other appropriate schema may be used where it accurately describes the page, but it must not misrepresent location identity.

2.7 URL folder patterns are implementation choices

AI SEO Mastery does not require every site to use /location/category/service/.

Location pages may live under a locations section or be promoted directly from the homepage. Preserve proven existing URLs when possible. Hierarchy, intent, GBP alignment, and internal linking matter more than forcing one folder pattern.

2.8 Geographic relevance follows topical relevance

1. Build enough category and service coverage to establish topical relevance for the location.
2. Re-run local rank maps.
3. Prioritize geographic pages where positions, often around 4–6, suggest a realistic opportunity to enter the top three. This is a prioritization signal, not an absolute eligibility rule.
4. Use genuine neighborhoods, landmarks, parks, lakes, or major intersections.
5. Give each page real local differentiation through projects, conditions, directions, or other useful local information.
6. Link geographic content through the relevant location or service-area hub and support each published article with an external link.

3. Required Wadescapes Decision Gate

Do not change the Clinton or Knoxville GBP landing URLs or restructure the live site until the following are recorded:

• Current website URL attached to the Clinton GBP
• Current website URL attached to the Knoxville GBP
• Current local rank map for both GBPs
• Ranking strength and URL history for Clinton versus Knoxville
• Verified location-specific phone numbers
• Verified addresses, categories, hours, service areas, and services for each location
• Existing ranking URLs, backlinks, traffic, conversions, and index state for pages proposed for replacement or redirect

The evidence decides whether Clinton or Knoxville retains the homepage. Do not automatically move both GBPs to /clinton/ and /knoxville/.

4. Approved Architecture Model

4.1 Shared pages

Tekton convention: A multi-location site may share global company and utility pages, such as:

• About
• Contact
• Gallery
• Policies and legal pages

The homepage is not automatically global-only. It normally belongs to one GBP/location.

4.2 Location stacks

For every genuine location, build only the categories and services the business actually offers there.

Example after the homepage assignment is supported by evidence:

Homepage assigned to Location A
├── Location A parent category
│   ├── Location A child service
│   └── Location A child service
└── Location A parent category
    ├── Location A child service
    └── Location A child service

Location B GBP landing page
├── Location B parent category
│   ├── Location B child service
│   └── Location B child service
└── Location B parent category
    ├── Location B child service
    └── Location B child service

Do not mirror a service into a location that does not offer it. Verify location exceptions through onboarding, the client, the website, and live GBP evidence.

5. Internal Linking

Training establishes location-specific mini-homepage and category/service hierarchy. The exact menu and link implementation below is a Tekton convention:

• The location landing page links to that location’s parent category pages.
• Parent category pages link to their relevant child service pages.
• Child service pages link back to their parent and to relevant sibling pages when context supports it.
• Keep location-specific child pages inside their location silo.
• Do not cross-link sibling-location child pages casually.
• Use natural contextual links, not only cards or buttons.
• The homepage may link directly to a small number of critical services when ranking and business evidence justify the exception.

6. Navigation, Footer, Maps, and Service Areas

The following are Tekton implementation conventions, not universal AI SEO Mastery requirements:

• Global header with clear location routing
• Location-specific footer sections or columns
• Clean nested location/service folders
• State abbreviations in selected service-area slugs
• Assigning a service-area page to one primary serving location when duplicate pages would compete
• Map placement on location-specific pages
• A shared Services or Service Areas hub

Apply these only when they improve usability, entity clarity, and crawl paths without replacing proven URLs or creating thin/duplicate pages.

A map is not required on every service page by the training. If maps are used, make sure each map matches the location discussed on the page.

A non-overlap policy for service-area pages is a Tekton cannibalization safeguard, not a quoted training rule. If two locations serve the same market, decide the page owner through intent, proximity, ranking evidence, and architecture rather than inventing duplicate city pages by default.

7. Existing URLs and Consolidation

Preserve established assets by default.

Before changing, merging, or redirecting a URL, review:

• Current rankings
• Backlinks
• Organic traffic
• Conversions
• GBP landing-page usage
• Search intent
• Index state
• Internal-link equity

Redirect only when evidence shows the page is redundant, thin, unsupported, or strategically harmful and the destination matches intent. Update internal links before the redirect and verify the old URL leaves the sitemap/output while the keeper remains reachable.

8. Definition of Done

The multi-location structure is ready for implementation when:

• Every GBP and current website URL is documented.
• Current local rank maps are available.
• The homepage assignment is evidence-backed.
• Valuable established URLs are preserved unless a supported change is approved.
• Every location stack contains only verified categories and services.
• Every GBP has a distinct verified phone number or a documented Tekton call-tracking exception that preserves NAP consistency.
• LocalBusiness schema is limited to the corresponding GBP landing page and matches that profile.
• URL patterns are treated as implementation choices, not training mandates.
• Tekton conventions are labeled separately from training-backed rules.
• Geographic expansion follows adequate topical relevance and rank-map review.
• No thin, duplicate, unsupported, or city-name-swapped pages are included.
• The final page map and any ranking tradeoffs are approved by the Website / SEO Specialist.

9. Direct Training Sources

What Is the Core 30?

• Classroom module: 73adfe6ff12047f5b015b608c193f868
• Video: https://www.loom.com/share/9e1a62e8488c459188490f2185a39a81
• Supports flexible category/service architecture rather than an exact quota.

Structure for Multiple Locations

• Video: https://www.loom.com/share/ea44debfa73c43ec93761116c0d07977
• Rank map before changing landing URLs and preserve ranking URLs: 0:30–0:42
• Every GBP needs its own phone number: 2:08–2:10
• Location folders are optional: 2:10–2:25
• Homepage normally belongs to one location: 2:52–3:11
• Generic non-city navigation/service layer is optional: 3:50 onward

How to Structure the Core 30

• Classroom module: e64641a74ba146208b675d47f569c09b
• Video: https://www.loom.com/share/6657820a871c4ac0844b0fd7e16c14f8
• Homepage normally serves as the single-location GBP landing page and targets primary category + city in the title and H1: opening through about 0:45
• Three GBPs can scale toward a Core 90: 4:46–5:02

Building More Geographical Relevance

• Video: https://www.loom.com/share/c125cc361eee4fa2ba67d80053ec0fbf

AI Content Prioritization: Geographic Relevance

• Classroom module: 82487a41afb1469786ee7940c70e9558

Local Business Schema

• Classroom module: 9094b3b0a1844b718737c41a830bd2ff
• Video: https://www.loom.com/share/fd58f3f6cb55443880f9842c7776b922
• LocalBusiness schema belongs on the matching GBP landing page rather than every URL: 0:48–1:06

10. Change-Control Rule

When new or corrected AI SEO Mastery training changes a Tekton SEO rule:

1. Save the lesson title, URL/module ID, and timestamp or transcript excerpt.
2. Update the affected Tekton skill/reference.
3. Label any remaining internal addition as a Tekton convention.
4. Run SEO QA for downstream conflicts.
5. Do not implement the disputed rule until governance is aligned.

Definition of done

The implementation is ready only when every item in Section 8, Definition of Done passes, the final page map and ranking tradeoffs are approved by the Website / SEO Specialist, and no live GBP URL, redirect, canonical, indexing, schema, DNS, or production change has occurred without the required approval.