Training
SEO Foundation
SOP: SEO Foundation Training (New Hire Onboarding)
Section titled “SOP: SEO Foundation Training (New Hire Onboarding)”Last Updated: 2026-03-26 Version: 1.0
Purpose
Section titled “Purpose”Comprehensive onboarding reference for new team members. Covers SEO philosophy, how Google ranks local businesses, AI’s role in modern SEO, and the Tekton Growth workflow and tech stack.
How to use this: Complete this SOP your first week. Read sequentially, take notes, ask questions in Task Tracker. Complete onboarding checklist before first client work.
Part 1: SEO Philosophy & Core Principles
Section titled “Part 1: SEO Philosophy & Core Principles”What SEO Actually Is
Section titled “What SEO Actually Is”SEO is making your client’s business the most relevant, authoritative, and trustworthy answer for their ideal customer’s search intent.
When someone searches for a service in their area, Google asks:
- “Which business is most relevant to what they’re looking for?”
- “Can I trust this business to deliver?”
- “Is this business nearby and available right now?”
Our job: Answer those questions louder and clearer than competitors.
Core SEO Principles at Tekton Growth
Section titled “Core SEO Principles at Tekton Growth”1. User-First, Always
- Search intent comes first
- User experience on site matters (speed, mobile, navigation)
- User experience with business matters (reviews, response time, accuracy)
- Optimize for users; Google rewards that
2. Local Intent Dominance
- Most searches have local intent (“plumber near me”)
- Google Local Pack (3-pack on Maps) beats organic for local intent
- Location is a ranking signal (distance, proximity, geographic relevance)
- GBP is the most important ranking factor for local search
3. Compounding Value
- SEO is a long game (Month 1 = foundation, Month 3 = traction, Month 6 = momentum)
- Every blog post, citation, backlink compounds over time
- Authority builds slowly but stays
- Consistent effort beats sporadic effort
4. Ethical, Sustainable Approach
- No PBNs, link schemes, content scraping
- No keyword stuffing, cloaking, redirects
- No review manipulation or fake citations
- Win by being genuinely better
The Tekton Growth Difference
Section titled “The Tekton Growth Difference”Advantage 1: Claude Code + AI
- Generate high-quality content at scale (service pages, blogs, schemas)
- Analyze data faster (keyword trends, competitor gaps, opportunities)
- Optimize for AI Overviews and ChatGPT (emerging ranking signals)
- Speed and quality manual-only firms can’t match
Advantage 2: Cloudflare Workers Speed
- Inject schema and optimize performance at the edge
- Solve speed issues without rebuilding client sites
- Speed is a ranking factor with enterprise-level leverage
Advantage 3: Local SEO Specialization
- Focus on local and multi-location businesses (high intent, high conversion)
- Understand unique challenges (GBP, citations, review velocity, geotagging)
- Playbooks built for local, not adapted from national
Part 2: How Google Ranks Local Businesses
Section titled “Part 2: How Google Ranks Local Businesses”The Three Pillars of Local Rankings
Section titled “The Three Pillars of Local Rankings”Pillar 1: Relevance “Is this business what the user is looking for?”
GBP Relevance Signals:
- Business categories (must match service)
- Business description (keywords, services)
- Services list (attribute details)
- Service areas (locations served)
On-Page Relevance Signals:
- Title tags and H1s (keyword-rich)
- Service page content (depth, specificity)
- Location pages (if multi-location)
- Schema markup
- Internal linking
Action: Ensure GBP categories match actual service. Include target keywords in service page titles. Use specific, local language.
Pillar 2: Distance “How close is this business to where the user is searching?”
Distance Signals:
- Your business address (must be current, verified)
- User location (IP, device location, “near me” in query)
- Service area (can you serve their location?)
Action: Verify address in GBP. Use location pages for multi-location. Set service area accurately on GBP.
Pillar 3: Prominence “How well-known and authoritative is this business?”
Prominence Signals:
- Review count and rating (more reviews = more prominent)
- Review recency (recent > old)
- Backlinks (links from authority sites)
- Citations (mentions on directories: Yelp, YellowPages, etc.)
- Social signals (followers, engagement, brand searches)
- GBP activity (posts, Q&A, photos, interactions)
Action: Generate reviews. Create citations. Build backlinks. Post weekly to GBP. Engage with Q&A.
Part 3: AI’s Role in Modern SEO
Section titled “Part 3: AI’s Role in Modern SEO”Content Creation at Scale
Section titled “Content Creation at Scale”Traditional: 1 SEO specialist writes 1-2 blog posts/month
AI Solution: Use Claude Code to generate content in batches. One specialist manages 8-12 blogs/month. Better content, faster turnaround, lower cost.
Process:
- Research keywords and audience avatars
- Feed research to Claude Code with detailed prompts
- Claude generates service pages, blogs, FAQs, schema
- Review, edit, fact-check, add brand voice
- Publish (WordPress, Squarespace, GHL)
Output Quality: AI content requires 30-40% editing, saves 60-70% writing time.
When to use AI:
- Service pages, blog posts, meta descriptions, FAQ content
- GBP post calendars, review response templates
- Schema markup, outreach emails
When NOT to use AI:
- Client strategy documents, relationship-building communication
- Anything needing 100% original thought
Data Analysis & Keyword Research
Section titled “Data Analysis & Keyword Research”Manual: Days of research
AI: Minutes
Process:
- Upload competitor websites and keyword lists to Claude
- Request analysis: traffic opportunities, keyword gaps, content clusters
- Get structured recommendations (prioritized by difficulty vs. volume)
- Act immediately
AI Overviews & ChatGPT Optimization
Section titled “AI Overviews & ChatGPT Optimization”Trend: AI Overviews and ChatGPT are becoming discovery mechanisms
Opportunity: If your content answers AI questions well, AI tools cite you
What Works:
- Comprehensive answer content (not just snippets)
- Structured data (FAQ schema, HowTo schema)
- Unique data and studies
- Expert credentials (author bios, certifications)
- Multiple perspectives
Our Approach: Optimize blog content specifically for AI discovery (longer, more comprehensive, answer follow-ups)
Part 4: The Tekton Growth Workflow
Section titled “Part 4: The Tekton Growth Workflow”Core Tech Stack
Section titled “Core Tech Stack”| Tool | Purpose | Used By | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Atlas | GBP posting, review mgmt, social | GBP Specialist | Weekly/Daily |
| BrightLocal | Citation research, verification | SEO Specialist | Monthly |
| Local Dominator | Rank tracking, competitor monitoring | SEO Specialist, CSM | Weekly |
| Claude Code | Content creation, data analysis, schema | SEO Specialist | Daily |
| Cloudflare Workers | Schema injection, redirects, performance | SEO Specialist | Per project |
| GHL | CRM, lead tracking, client communication | CSM | Daily |
| Client Sites | Content publishing (WordPress, Squarespace, GHL) | GBP Specialist, SEO Specialist | Per schedule |
The Workflow: Research → Strategy → Creation → Implementation → Deployment → Monitoring
Section titled “The Workflow: Research → Strategy → Creation → Implementation → Deployment → Monitoring”Phase 1: Research (Week 1)
- Competitor analysis (top 5 Google results)
- Keyword research (volume, difficulty, intent)
- Audience avatar creation (ideal customer)
- GBP audit (optimization status)
- Technical audit (speed, mobile, crawl errors)
- Citation audit (which directories list business)
Phase 2: Strategy (Week 1-2)
- 90-day content plan (topics, keywords, cadence)
- GBP optimization roadmap
- Citation and backlink targets
- Technical fixes prioritized by impact
- Success metrics (how we measure success)
Phase 3: Content Creation (Week 2+)
- Service page copy (Claude + SEO Specialist)
- Blog post research and outline (Claude + SEO Specialist)
- Meta descriptions and title tags (Claude batch)
- GBP post calendar (Claude + GBP Specialist)
- Review response templates (Claude + GBP Specialist)
- Schema markup (Claude + Cloudflare Workers)
- Backlink outreach emails (Claude templates)
Phase 4: Technical Implementation (Week 2-3)
- On-page optimization (title, H1, internal links, schema)
- Site speed improvements (Cloudflare, image optimization, caching)
- Mobile optimization
- Citation creation and verification
- GBP optimization
- Schema deployment
Phase 5: Deployment (Week 3+)
- Content goes live
- GBP posts scheduled and published
- Social posts pushed to Search Atlas
- Backlink outreach emails sent
- Citations created/updated
- Tracking set up
Phase 6: Monitoring & Optimization (Ongoing)
- Weekly rank tracking (Local Dominator)
- Monthly traffic analysis (GA4, GBP Insights)
- Review monitoring and response (daily)
- GBP engagement monitoring (questions, actions)
- Competitive tracking
- Technical health monitoring
Part 5: The Tekton Growth Technology References
Section titled “Part 5: The Tekton Growth Technology References”Platform Stack
Section titled “Platform Stack”- Local Dominator: Keyword rank tracking, competitive analysis, local pack monitoring
- Search Atlas: GBP management, review responses, social posting, local SEO insights
- BrightLocal: Citation building, verification, local SEO health checking
- Claude Code: AI-powered content creation, data analysis, schema generation
- Cloudflare Workers: Schema injection, performance optimization, edge computing
- GHL: CRM, website builder, lead tracking, phone integration
- WordPress/Squarespace/GHL: Client site platforms (where content lives)
Claude Code Skills Pipeline (seo-ops-skills)
Section titled “Claude Code Skills Pipeline (seo-ops-skills)”The Claude Code seo-ops-skills project contains 11 core skills:
- seo-crawl — Crawl client site, identify technical SEO issues
- seo-gap-analysis — Analyze competitor keywords, find content gaps
- seo-geo-strategy — Multi-location geo-content strategy
- seo-optimize-page — Optimize existing page for target keyword
- seo-links — Backlink prospecting and outreach
- seo-data — Analyze ranking data, traffic trends, forecasting
- seo-report — Generate branded Tekton Growth monthly reports
- seo-write-page — Write optimized service page from scratch
- seo-batch — Run batch operations (crawl, optimize, analyze multiple clients)
- seo-monthly — Monthly recurring workflow (reporting, optimization, content queue)
- seo-master-v1 — Master orchestration skill (coordinates all other skills)
Core 30 Content Strategy Framework
Section titled “Core 30 Content Strategy Framework”The “Core 30” is our foundational content strategy for local SEO clients:
Structure:
- 5 primary service pages (in-depth, keyword-targeted)
- 20 supporting blog posts (long-tail keywords, intent variations)
- 5 location/geo-variant pages (if multi-location)
Outcome: 30 pieces of optimized content covering 80% of search intent in client’s market
Deployment: 6-8 weeks to publish all 30 pieces (roughly 1 month of content calendar)
AI SEO Mastery Training Content
Section titled “AI SEO Mastery Training Content”Key training modules new hires complete:
Module 1: Local SEO Ranking Factors
- Trust (reviews, citations, business history)
- Relevance (keyword usage, content specificity)
- Proximity (location signals, service area)
- Local search fundamentals
Module 2: GBP Importance (60-70% of Local Clicks)
- How much of local search traffic comes from GBP vs. organic
- Why GBP is priority #1 for first 4 weeks
- Photo upload strategy, post calendar, Q&A management
Module 3: Content Strategy (Core 30 framework)
- How to plan 30 pieces of content for maximum coverage
- Keyword targeting and topic research
- Content-to-keyword mapping
Module 4: AI Content Generation
- Using Claude Code prompts effectively
- Quality standards for AI-generated content
- Fact-checking and brand voice alignment
Module 5: Technical SEO at Scale
- Using Cloudflare Workers for schema injection
- Core Web Vitals optimization
- Site speed improvement without rebuilding site
Part 6: Onboarding Checklist
Section titled “Part 6: Onboarding Checklist”Week 1: Learning & Setup
Section titled “Week 1: Learning & Setup”- Read Parts 1-5 of this SOP
- Install Claude Code:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code - Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in shell profile
- Create ~/tekton-growth/ directory structure
- Log into all tools (Search Atlas, BrightLocal, Local Dominator, Cloudflare, GHL)
- Spend 30 min exploring each tool’s interface
- Read 00-client-lifecycle-playbook.md
- Read your assigned role SOP (01-role-seo-specialist.md, etc.)
- Join team Slack/Discord, intro yourself
Week 2: Hands-On Practice
Section titled “Week 2: Hands-On Practice”- Request access to 2 active client accounts
- Audit one client’s GBP
- Run a competitor analysis using Claude Code
- Create a blog outline using Claude Code
- Set up one per-client Claude project
- Pull one month of data from Local Dominator and GA4
- Draft 1 practice monthly report
- Shadow CSM on 1 strategy call (listen only)
- Ask 3 questions in team channel
Week 3: Foundation Quiz
Section titled “Week 3: Foundation Quiz”- Take self-graded foundation knowledge quiz
- Score 80%+ to move to advanced training
- Schedule 30-min debrief with manager
Post-Onboarding
Section titled “Post-Onboarding”- Complete AI SEO Mastery advanced modules
- Get access to 1 client account independently
- Publish first blog post (with review)
- Lead first strategy call (with CSM present)
- Participate in weekly team learning call
Frequently Asked Questions
Section titled “Frequently Asked Questions”Q: I’m not technical. Can I do SEO? A: Absolutely. Claude Code handles technical work. You need strategy, communication, and data analysis skills.
Q: How long before results? A: GBP results: 2-4 weeks. Organic rankings: 3-6 months. Leads: 2-3 months for quality.
Q: What if I make a mistake on a client site? A: Tell your manager immediately. We fix it. Transparency matters more than perfection.
Q: How do I know if content is good enough to publish? A: Would you share this with a friend? If yes, it’s good.
Q: What’s different about Tekton Growth? A: We combine AI (Claude Code) for speed, infrastructure (Cloudflare) for performance, and local SEO focus for ROI.
Q: Can I publish content without review? A: Not in first month. After 3-4 publications with feedback, graduate to self-publishing with spot checks.
Q: What’s your position on AI content? A: AI is a tool, not cheating. Raw AI output is a starting point. We publish “AI-enhanced” content, not “AI-generated.”
Related SOPs
Section titled “Related SOPs”- 00-client-lifecycle-playbook.md — Full client journey
- 01-role-seo-specialist.md, 01-role-gbp-specialist.md, 01-role-csm.md — Role-specific SOPs
- 02-sop-gbp-management.md — GBP deep dive
- 03-sop-technical-seo.md — On-page and schema details
- 04-sop-offsite-seo.md — Citations and backlinks
- 05-sop-ai-chatgpt-optimization.md — AI Overviews optimization
- 10-client-deliverables-reporting.md — Client deliverables
- 12-ai-tool-setup.md — Technical setup
- 13-ai-prompt-library.md — Prompts to use daily
Version Control:
- v1.0 (2026-03-26): Rewritten with Claude Code skills pipeline reference, Core 30 framework, AI SEO Mastery content references, Task Tracker communication, updated role list (LSA Specialist added)
- v1.1 (TBD): [Updates as process refined]