The Napoleonic Build Plan

Phase Order Rationale: Build English content base first (Phases 1-4). Google indexes new pages gradually. While indexing happens, we deepen and refine. Spanish and State versions (Phases 5-6) are adaptations of existing content—they require the base content to exist first and can be done as batch operations once the core is mature.

NEW: Workbench Architecture (Dec 2025)
Generator Engine: Standalone modular tool at /generator/ — supports 6 states (CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, Other) with URL params ?state=california&situation=unpaid-wages. Contains all situation modules (form fields + letter templates) and state modules (statutes + penalties).
Pillar Guide Pages: Full 7-tab SEO pages: Overview, Legal Basis, Checklist, Damages, Sample Language, Generator (iframe), Next Steps. Each is a standalone HTML file with unique content that embeds the shared generator via iframe.
Workbench: Dev shell at /workbench/ for quick preview via toggles (situation, state, side, language).
How They Connect: Pillar pages → embed generator iframe → generator handles the actual letter creation. Pillar = SEO content, Generator = tool.
Benefit: Generator handles all 6 states automatically. Build CA pillar pages first; other states get generator functionality immediately without separate pages until Phase 6.

PAGE TYPES: Old vs New Approach

OLD: Simple Generator Pages
Just a form that generates a letter. Minimal content, poor SEO value. Example: a page with just "Fill in your details → Get letter"

NEW: Comprehensive Pillar Guide Pages
Full educational experience with 7 tabs of unique content. The generator is ONE tab (embedded via iframe). User gets:
• Overview — What this claim is, key stats, when to use
• Legal Basis — State statutes, case law citations, elements to prove
• Checklist — Evidence to gather, interactive checkboxes
• Damages — How to calculate what you're owed, sample calculations
• Sample Language — Copy-paste paragraphs for DIY letters
• Generator — Embedded tool (iframe to shared generator engine)
• Next Steps — What to do if they pay/don't pay, resources

WHY THIS IS BETTER FOR SEO:
• More content = more keywords = better rankings for related queries
• User spends more time on page (engagement signal)
• Answers questions Google users are asking ("how do I calculate waiting time penalties?")
• Natural internal linking opportunities
• Each pillar page can rank for 10+ related keywords instead of just 1

THE BUILD STRATEGY:
1. Build ONE shared generator engine (already done) with all situations + all states
2. Build pillar guide pages for each situation (CA first) — these embed the generator
3. Generator handles multi-state automatically via URL params — no need for separate state pages until Phase 6
4. Result: 1 pillar page + 1 generator = coverage for 6 states immediately

⚠️ INTERPRETING THE PHASES BELOW

All "pages" listed in Phases 1-4 should be built as Pillar Guide Pages (7-tab format with embedded generator), NOT simple generator pages.

PRODUCTION URL STRUCTURE (NOT WORKBENCH!):
Pages must go directly to production paths for Google to index them:
/Demand-Letters/[Category]/[situation-name].html

Examples:
• /Demand-Letters/Insurance/bad-faith-claim-denial.html
• /Demand-Letters/Employment/unpaid-overtime-wages.html
• /Demand-Letters/PI/rear-end-collision.html

CA-FIRST STRATEGY (Low Risk, High Authority):
Build CALIFORNIA-ONLY pillar pages first. Avoids Google duplicate content flags for a new domain.

Why CA-Only First:
• You're a CA-licensed attorney = strongest moat, highest E-E-A-T
• New domains need trust - general + state pages look like thin content farming
• CA pages can rank for BOTH "california X demand letter" AND "X demand letter"
• Generator handles all 6 states automatically via URL params - no separate pages needed yet

Per situation, you build:
• 1 situation module in /generator/ (form fields + letter template + statutes for ALL 6 states)
• 1 California pillar page (CA statutes, deadlines, case law, penalties)
= 1 high-authority CA page per situation

PHASE 6+ (FUTURE): General/all-states pages after CA pages are indexed and ranking.

SAFE PARALLEL AGENT BUILD ORDER:
Agents editing the same file will conflict! Use this safe pattern:

Step 1: ONE agent adds situation modules to generator (sequential)
Step 2: Wait for Step 1 to complete
Step 3: Launch parallel agents for CA pillar pages (each agent = different file)

Example for 10 situations:
• Agent 0: Add 10 modules to generator/index.html (one agent, sequential)
• Agents 1-10: Build 10 CA pillar pages (parallel, each creates different file)
= 10 production pages from one batch

✓ COMPLETED (Dec 27, 2025):
• 48 California Pillar Pages built:
  - PI: 24 pages (9 Car-Accidents + 13 root-level + 1 Dog-Bites + 1 Premises-Liability)
  - Employment: 6 pages (wages, overtime, harassment, discrimination, wrongful-term, personnel-file)
  - Insurance: 2 pages (bad-faith, property-damage)
  - Home-Services: 2 pages (contractor-abandonment, home-warranty)
  - Consumer: 2 pages (CLRA, defective-product)
  - Landlord-Tenant: 2 pages (habitability, security-deposit)
  - Real-Estate: 2 pages (earnest-money, seller-nondisclosure)
  - Automotive: 2 pages (lemon-law x2)
  - Medical: 1 page (malpractice)
  - Others: 5 pages (breach-of-contract, anti-slapp, government-claims, premises x2)
• PI Category Index Pages: Car-Accidents, Dog-Bites, Other-PI, Premises-Liability, Transportation
• Pillar page template: mega header, sidebar nav, cards, accordions, Sample Language sections

⚠️ GENERATOR STATUS (DEFERRED):
Generator only supports 4 situations: unpaid-wages, breach-of-contract, security-deposit, unpaid-invoice.
Pillar pages use Sample Language sections instead of embedded generator.
Generator module expansion moved to Phase 6.

REQUIRED: Breadcrumb Navigation
Every pillar page MUST include breadcrumb navigation at the top:
<nav class="breadcrumb"> <a href="/Demand-Letters/">Demand Letters</a> → <a href="/Demand-Letters/Insurance/">Insurance</a> → <span>Bad Faith Denial</span> </nav>
This improves SEO, user navigation, and site structure signals.