Caleb Ulku presents an AI-powered local SEO framework he claims has ranked over 50 businesses at the top of Google Maps without paid ads. The core argument is that most businesses fail because their website (the 'foundation') lacks consistency with their Google Business Profile — particularly around categories, H-tags, and schema markup. He walks through a step-by-step process using Claude AI to rewrite homepage content, build out category and service pages, implement a hub-and-spoke internal linking structure, and create hyper-local neighborhood pages. He also emphasizes that a few high-quality local backlinks (e.g., chamber of commerce, local sponsorships) outperform hundreds of generic links.
Google allows you to add up to 10 categories to your Google Business Profile. Most businesses only use one category, which is a major missed opportunity. Adding multiple relevant categories increases your chances of ranking for more search terms. Additionally, each secondary category should have its own dedicated page on your website to create consistency between your GBP and your site, which helps Google trust and rank you higher.
Your website acts as the foundation of your local SEO, while your Google Business Profile (GBP) is like the curb appeal. Google needs to see consistency between your GBP and your website to trust you enough to rank you. This means your primary GBP category should be used as your website's H1 tag, secondary categories should be H2 tags, and your schema markup must match your GBP exactly — including the same name, address, and phone number. Without this consistency, even a well-optimized GBP won't rank well.
Claude is the preferred AI tool for local SEO content writing, though ChatGPT can also work. The speaker uses Claude at their seven-figure agency for tasks like rewriting homepages, generating title tags, writing GBP category pages, and creating service pages. The process involves feeding Claude your existing homepage content, competitor homepage content, and People Also Ask (PAA) questions, along with specific prompts to generate optimized content.
For optimal local SEO, use your primary Google Business Profile category as the H1 tag on your homepage. All secondary GBP categories should be used as H2 tags. This creates perfect consistency between your website content and your Google Business Profile, which signals to Google that your site is authoritative and relevant for those categories. This structure is a key part of rewriting your homepage to rank in local search.
People Also Ask (PAA) questions from Google search results can be incorporated into your website content to make it more comprehensive and authoritative while keeping it highly relevant to Google search. You collect these PAA questions and include answers within your content. However, you must be careful not to overuse this technique — Google rolled out an update in late 2024 that penalized websites that simply spammed AI-generated content answering PAA questions without providing additional value. The goal is to naturally integrate these answers into genuinely helpful content.
Schema markup should only be placed on your Google Business Profile landing page — not on every page of your website. Adding schema markup everywhere confuses Google. The schema must exactly match your Google Business Profile, with the name, address, and phone number being identical. After adding schema, test it with Google's testing tool and ensure it generates no warnings or errors. If there are any issues, use an AI tool to fix them. You can ask any AI tool to write the schema markup for you.
A local business website should have significantly more than just a homepage and contact page. You need: (1) A dedicated page for each secondary GBP category — for example, a plumber might have pages for 'water heater installation' and 'drain cleaning'; (2) At least 20 individual service pages, one for each service listed on your GBP; (3) Micro location pages targeting each neighborhood or area where you want to rank. Each of these pages should be comprehensive and use AI-assisted content creation to ensure quality and relevance.
The recommended internal linking strategy uses a 'wheel' structure: (1) Your homepage links to every category page using exact match anchor text; (2) Every category page links to its related service pages; (3) Each service page links back to its parent category page. This creates a clear hierarchy that Google can easily understand. Importantly, avoid listing every page in your navigation menu, as this dilutes SEO authority. Instead, use contextual paragraph links — write naturally about your services and link key phrases to relevant pages within the body content.
To create effective location pages, avoid the common mistake of making generic pages that just swap out city names — Google can see through this tactic. Instead: (1) Go to Google Maps and zoom in until neighborhood names appear; (2) Write content specifically about your service in each neighborhood (e.g., 'water heater replacement in Park Forest'); (3) Mention specific local landmarks, neighborhoods, and local events to demonstrate genuine knowledge of the area; (4) Start with neighborhoods closest to your physical location and expand outward as you rank. If you don't know the area, AI tools can help generate locally relevant content.
Ranking in the top 3 results on Google Maps is critical because approximately 60% of all clicks go to those top three positions. If your business isn't in the top three, you're essentially invisible to most potential customers. This is why the local SEO strategies described — including optimizing your GBP categories, building comprehensive website content, creating location-specific pages, and building quality local links — are all focused on achieving and maintaining top-3 map rankings.
The most effective and affordable ways to build quality local backlinks include: (1) Joining your local chamber of commerce — membership typically costs under $200 per year and provides a link from a highly trusted, authoritative local website; (2) Sponsoring local sports leagues or non-profit organizations, which often results in additional quality local links. These types of local links are far more valuable than buying random links. For most local markets, just a few of these quality local links are enough for Google to start trusting your site and ranking it higher.
The biggest local SEO mistakes to avoid include: (1) Keyword stuffing in your content; (2) Creating location pages for cities where you don't have a physical address; (3) Trying to rank in multiple cities from one Google Business Profile (it rarely works); (4) Adding schema markup to every page of your website instead of just the GBP landing page; (5) Listing every page in your navigation menu, which dilutes SEO authority; (6) Creating generic location pages that just swap city names; (7) Buying random backlinks that have no local relevance; (8) Only having one category on your Google Business Profile; (9) Publishing AI-generated content that only answers PAA questions without providing additional value.
To leverage competitor content for your own SEO: (1) Identify the top-ranking competitors in your target location on Google; (2) Copy the content from their homepages; (3) Paste that competitor content into Claude (or ChatGPT) along with your own homepage content and PAA questions; (4) Instruct the AI to create content that is similar to but better than the competitor content. The rationale is that Google is already rewarding these competitors, so creating content that is similar in structure and topics but more comprehensive gives you the best chance of outranking them.
To write an optimized local SEO title tag using AI: (1) Open Claude or ChatGPT; (2) Input a prompt that includes the business category, location (city/state), all services offered, and key differentiators for the business; (3) Include specific requirements for how the title tag should be written; (4) Ask the AI to generate multiple options and grade each one. The best title tags will include the primary category, the city name, and trust factors (such as years in business, certifications, or guarantees) that encourage users to click on the search result.
The recommended approach for geographic expansion follows a ripple effect strategy: (1) Start by creating location-specific content for neighborhoods closest to your physical business location; (2) Focus on ranking well in those nearby areas first; (3) As you establish strong rankings near your location, create content targeting neighborhoods progressively farther away; (4) Use Google Maps to identify neighborhood names by zooming in until they appear; (5) Write specific, locally relevant content for each neighborhood rather than generic pages. This gradual expansion — like dropping a stone in water and watching ripples spread outward — is more effective than trying to target a wide geographic area all at once.
A local business website should have at least 20 dedicated service pages — one for each service listed on your Google Business Profile. Each service page should be comprehensive and detailed. The structure should follow the wheel internal linking model: service pages link back to their parent category page, and category pages link out to related service pages. For example, a plumber's water heater category page would link to separate pages for installation, repair, and maintenance services, and each of those pages would link back to the water heater category page. AI prompts for service pages are similar to those used for category pages.