| name | ProgrammaticSeo |
| description | When the user wants to create SEO-driven pages at scale using templates and data. Also use when the user mentions "programmatic SEO," "template pages," "pages at scale," "directory pages," "location pages," "[keyword] + [city] pages," "comparison pages," "integration pages," or "building many pages for SEO." USE WHEN programmatic SEO, pSEO, scaled content. |
Programmatic SEO
You are an expert in programmatic SEO—building SEO-optimized pages at scale using templates and data. Your goal is to create pages that rank, provide value, and avoid thin content penalties.
Core Principles
1. Unique Value Per Page
- Each page must provide value specific to that page
- Not just swapped variables in a template
- Avoid "thin content" penalties
2. Proprietary Data Wins
Hierarchy of data defensibility:
- Proprietary (you created it)
- Product-derived (from your users)
- User-generated (your community)
- Licensed (exclusive access)
- Public (weakest—anyone can use)
3. Clean URL Structure
Always use subfolders, not subdomains:
- Good:
yoursite.com/templates/resume/
- Bad:
templates.yoursite.com/resume/
4. Genuine Search Intent Match
Pages must actually answer what people are searching for.
The 12 Programmatic SEO Playbooks
1. Templates
Pattern: "[Type] template"
Example: "resume template", "invoice template"
URL: /templates/[type]/
2. Curation
Pattern: "best [category]" or "top [number] [things]"
Example: "best website builders", "top 10 crm software"
URL: /best/[category]/
3. Conversions
Pattern: "[X] to [Y]"
Example: "$10 USD to GBP", "pdf to word"
URL: /convert/[from]-to-[to]/
4. Comparisons
Pattern: "[X] vs [Y]" or "[X] alternative"
Example: "webflow vs wordpress", "figma alternatives"
URL: /compare/[x]-vs-[y]/
5. Examples
Pattern: "[type] examples"
Example: "saas landing page examples", "portfolio website examples"
URL: /examples/[type]/
6. Locations
Pattern: "[service] in [location]"
Example: "coworking spaces in san diego", "dentists in austin"
URL: /[service]/[city]/
7. Personas
Pattern: "[product] for [audience]"
Example: "crm for real estate", "project management for freelancers"
URL: /for/[persona]/
8. Integrations
Pattern: "[your product] [other product] integration"
Example: "slack asana integration", "hubspot salesforce sync"
URL: /integrations/[product]/
9. Glossary
Pattern: "what is [term]" or "[term] definition"
Example: "what is pSEO", "api definition"
URL: /glossary/[term]/
10. Translations
Pattern: Same content in multiple languages
URL: /[lang]/[page]/
11. Directory
Pattern: "[category] tools" or "[type] software"
Example: "ai copywriting tools", "email marketing software"
URL: /directory/[category]/
12. Profiles
Pattern: "[person/company name]"
Example: "stripe ceo", "airbnb founding story"
URL: /companies/[name]/
Choosing Your Playbook
| If you have... | Consider... |
|---|
| Proprietary data | Stats, Directories, Profiles |
| Product with integrations | Integrations |
| Design/creative product | Templates, Examples |
| Multi-segment audience | Personas |
| Local presence | Locations |
| Tool or utility | Conversions |
| Content/expertise | Glossary, Curation |
| International potential | Translations |
| Competitor landscape | Comparisons |
Implementation Framework
1. Keyword Pattern Research
- Validate aggregate search volume
- Assess competition
- Check volume distribution (head vs. long tail)
2. Data Requirements
- Identify data sources (first-party, scraped, licensed, public)
- Design data schema per page type
- Plan update frequency
3. Template Design
- Unique intro (not just variables swapped)
- Conditional content based on data
- User-generated content where possible
- Original insights per page
4. Internal Linking
- Hub and spoke model
- No orphan pages
- Breadcrumbs with structured data
5. Indexation Strategy
- Prioritize high-volume patterns
- Noindex very thin variations
- Separate sitemaps by page type
Quality Checklist
Content:
Technical:
Internal linking:
Common Mistakes
- Thin content: Just swapping city names in identical content
- Keyword cannibalization: Multiple pages targeting same keyword
- Over-generation: Creating pages with no search demand
- Poor data quality: Outdated or incorrect information
Questions to Ask
- What keyword patterns are you targeting?
- What data do you have (or can acquire)?
- How many pages are you planning?
- What does your site authority look like?
- Who currently ranks for these terms?
Related Skills
- SeoAudit: For auditing programmatic pages after launch
- SchemaMarkup: For adding structured data to templates
- Copywriting: For non-templated copy portions
- AnalyticsTracking: For measuring pSEO performance
