The Core 30 Method for Local SEO

Most local businesses are invisible on Google Maps. Not because the algorithm is unfair—because they haven't done the basics. Caleb's Core 30 method fixes that.

This framework comes from managing SEO for nearly a hundred businesses. When you run the same playbook at that scale, you see what actually moves the needle.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Local SEO

Your website doesn't exist to rank. It exists to help your Google Business Profile rank.

That's a mindset shift most business owners miss. They obsess over blog posts targeting keywords that show up in regular search results—but those keywords don't trigger the map pack. If there's no little map with pins when someone searches your keyword, you're optimizing for the wrong thing.

60-70% of clicks on local searches go to the top 3 map pack positions. If you're not there, you're fighting for scraps.

What Is the Core 30?

The Core 30 is a systematic approach to building the content and signals Google needs to rank your business locally. It covers:

1. Profile completeness — Fill out every single box in your GBP
2. Category optimization — Use 3-5 relevant categories (Google allows up to 10)
3. Service listings — Add 20-30 services (most businesses have zero)
4. Content velocity — Post at least weekly
5. Photo optimization — 20-30 photos, geo-tagged, refreshed regularly
6. Website structure — Pages that support your GBP categories and services

When you nail these fundamentals, you're ahead of 90% of your competition. Not because the strategy is secret—because most businesses simply don't do the work.

Categories: More Than You Think

Google lets you choose up to 10 categories for your business. Most businesses pick one and stop.

Use 3-5 categories minimum—all genuinely relevant to what you do. Each category is a ranking opportunity. A plumber might use:

• Plumber (primary)
• Water heater repair service
• Drain cleaning service
• Emergency plumber
• Bathroom remodeler

Your website should have dedicated pages for each category. The homepage links to category pages, category pages link to service pages. This creates the content hierarchy Google needs to understand what you actually do.

Services: The Missed Opportunity

Most businesses list zero services in their GBP. This is like leaving money on the table.

Add 20-30 services. Every service you provide should be listed with a description. Each one creates another opportunity for Google to match you with searcher intent.

Don't just add services to your GBP—create corresponding pages on your website. Service page → links from category page → links from homepage. This is the Core 30 content structure.

Posts: Weekly Minimum

Google Business Profile posts are underutilized. Most businesses post sporadically or never.

Post at least once a week. Here's the trick: use ChatGPT or Claude to generate 52 posts at once. Create a prompt that understands your business, your services, and your voice. Generate a year's worth of content in one session, then schedule them out.

Post types that work:

• Updates — What's happening in your business
• Offers — Promotions, seasonal specials
• Events — Community involvement, open houses
• Products/Services — Highlight specific offerings

The goal is activity signals. Google notices when profiles are maintained versus abandoned.

Photos: Geo-Tagged and Fresh

Upload 20-30 photos minimum. Then add at least one new photo per week.

What to photograph:

• Team members at work
• Completed projects (before/after)
• Equipment and vehicles
• Office/shop interior and exterior
• Happy customers (with permission)

Geo-tag everything. Before uploading, add location metadata to your images. Tools like GeoImgr can do this. The coordinates should match the areas you want to rank in—not just your office location.

This creates geographic relevance signals that help you rank beyond your immediate physical location.

Fill Out Every Box

Google gives you boxes. Fill them out.

• Business description — Use all 750 characters. Include keywords naturally.
• Services with descriptions — Don't just list them; describe them.
• Products — If applicable
• Q&A — Seed your own questions and answers before competitors do
• Attributes — Every relevant checkbox
• Hours — Including special hours for holidays

Completeness is a ranking signal. A fully completed profile outranks a sparse one, all else being equal.

The Website Structure

Your website exists to support your GBP. Here's the hierarchy:

Homepage → Links to all category pages (with 50-70 words per category) ↓ Category Pages → Links to all service pages under that category (with 50-70 words per service) ↓ Service Pages → Detailed content about each specific service (1,000+ words)

This creates approximately 30 pages (hence "Core 30")—enough content depth to establish topical relevance without bloating your site with thin pages.

Each service page should target: [service] + [city] Each category page should target: [category] + [city] Homepage targets: [primary category] + [city]

What About Blog Posts?

Blogs are great for keywords that trigger regular search results. But if you're a local service business, most of your traffic should come from the map pack.

Before writing a blog post, search your target keyword. Does a map appear? If yes, that's a GBP optimization opportunity, not a blog opportunity. If no map, then a blog post makes sense.

Most local businesses have this backwards. They churn out blog content while their GBP sits incomplete and their Core 30 pages don't exist.

The 90% Advantage

Here's why this works: your competition isn't doing it.

Run a quick audit of the top 3 businesses in your market:

• How many GBP categories do they have?
• How many services are listed?
• When did they last post?
• How many photos do they have?

Most local businesses have 1 category, 0 services, haven't posted in months, and have 5 blurry photos. Completing your Core 30 puts you ahead of almost everyone.

Learn More

Caleb teaches the complete Core 30 methodology in his AI SEO Mastery Pro community on Skool. You get the prompts, the templates, and direct access to ask questions.

Want the full framework? Join AI SEO Mastery Pro →

For a deeper look at how Caleb applies these principles to a real business, watch our live SEO audit where he breaks down the methodology step by step.

See Also

• Google Business Profiles — The foundation this all builds on
• SEO Audit With Caleb Ulku — Live walkthrough of the Core 30 in action
• AI SEO Mastery Pro — Caleb's Skool community
• LocalFalcon — Track your map rankings across your service area
• HighLevel — Automate review requests and track calls from GBP

---