What Is Programmatic SEO? Examples and Ways to Find Programmatic SEO Niche

Pankil Shah
by Pankil Shah
Updated On: October 27, 2023
What Is Programmatic SEO? Examples and Ways to Find Programmatic SEO Niche

CoinChefs is a cryptocurrency converter website, and it started getting 100,000 visitors per month with the help of programmatic SEO. Programmatic SEO has a lot of potential to increase website traffic. But what is programmatic SEO and how do you get started with it?

In this article, we will delve deep into the basics and complexities of programmatic SEO. So, let’s get started!

What Is Programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO (PSEO) is an innovative approach that harnesses the power of automation to generate and publish a multitude of web pages en masse. In essence, it’s like playing a unique game of “fill in the blanks”. In this scenario, specific long-tail keywords fill the blanks, creating a plethora of unique, optimized content each time.

This method opens up a whole new realm of possibilities, enabling you to unearth SEO-rich pages custom-made to suit the needs of your business. No more wasting time wondering if your SEO investment will pay off. With PSEO, delivering a powerful punch to your business goals is plausible.

Predominantly adopted by various large-scale enterprises, programmatic SEO isn’t shy about demonstrating its prowess. Whether it’s crafting location-specific or service-specific pages, programmatic SEO does it all. By bringing to the table intricate, database-driven page structures, it capitalizes on the groundwork laid by SEO research done for long-tail keywords.

And if you thought programmatic SEO’s charm ends at creating optimized pages, think again! Consistently driving high-quality organic traffic your way, it proves to be the ace up your sleeve in powering your site’s “SEO drive” effect. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, programmatic SEO is no less than a knight in shining armor when you need to maximize your SEO ROI.

Tools at your disposal to leverage the might of programmatic SEO include Semrush and Ahrefs for keyword exploration, Outranking for AI-powered briefs and content with targeted keywords, Webflow for website templates, Airtable for database management, and Abyssale for image generation, to name a few.

Don’t take my word for it, though. A shining example of success through programmatic SEO is Airbnb. An intriguing case study showcases how Airbnb attained an impressive market cap of $84.56 billion, thanks, in large part, to a strategic programmatic SEO implementation.

Comparing Programmatic SEO to Content SEO

Comparing programmatic SEO (pSEO) to content SEO sheds light on their core differences. Content SEO, powered by manual labor, is best for crafting long-form content such as blogs or guides. This innovative approach requires robust investment in keyword research tools aimed at achieving high-impact traffic and conversion from each strategically placed keyword.

On the other hand, pSEO, fueled by automation, is ideally suited for short-form content; it is quintessentially designed for presenting lists or variable data. Despite requiring a lesser monetary investment, it harnesses volume, targeting specific search queries to compensate for individual page returns.

In essence, traditional SEO focuses on manual content creation, circling around meticulously selected head keywords crafted into informative topics and articles. Whereas PSEO adopts a more automated approach, creating content tailored to long-tail keywords. This type of content follows template structures aimed at a defined group of keywords leveraged from databases.

A significant advantage of PSEO is that it enables businesses to target the intent behind a search query, thus aligning with search intent seamlessly.

Traditional SEOProgrammatic SEO
Keyword FocusHead keywordsLong-tail keywords
Content CreationManualAutomated
StructureTopics & ArticlesKeyword Sets (Entities & Modifiers)
Content StyleText-heavyData-rich & AI-Aided
Data SourceNASQL, noSQL, Airtable

In comparison, programmatic SEO and traditional Content SEO present uniquely effective strategies for different scopes of content production, providing flexible options that cater to diverse business needs. Simply put, the choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your content strategy.

How Programmatic SEO Works: A Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1: Identifying Your Head Terms and Modifiers

Welcome to the enlightening world of Programmatic SEO! As with any journey, our first step is crucial. So, let’s delve into the concepts of ‘Head Terms’ and ‘Modifiers’, the two pillars that hold the fort of our SEO-optimized content.

Imagine ‘Head Terms’ as undisputed kings reigning over the general topics that our content revolves around. These are broad terms that command substantial search volumes such as “hotels” or “restaurants”. You might think these terms are vague, but don’t underestimate their power, for tools like Google Trends and Ahrefs can help track their popularity.

Then enter the ‘Modifiers’, the knights in shining armor, sharpening the focus of our head terms. They lock onto the head terms, forming more defined search queries. Their prowess lies in perhaps harnessing even more search volume. They come with more layers; the primary modifiers bring a unique aspect into the picture, like, say, “Italian” coupling with the head term “restaurant”. Secondary modifiers sweeten the deal with extra details, adding phrases like “near me” into the mix.

With their forces combined, head terms and modifiers create a versatile, keyword-rich empire that reigns supreme in SEO optimization. Picture this scenario: you’re the proud owner of a travel blog. Your head term could be “things to do in”, paired with modifiers like “Tokyo”, “San Diego”, or “Bangkok” providing an array of potential keyword options.

Our conversation wouldn’t be complete without visualizing our heroes. This nifty illustration demystifies the dynamic between head terms and modifiers in a simple, easy-to-understand manner.

An image explaining keywords and modifiers
The words you choose and how you modify them affect your SEO effectiveness

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So, ready to tap into the energizing power of Programmatic SEO? It starts with recognizing the formidable allies that we have in ‘head terms’ and ‘modifiers’. Yes, the pathway to SEO success is paved with well-chosen words, so tread wisely!

Step 2: Designing Your Template Page

On your journey through the cogs of Programmatic SEO, step two is where we roll up our sleeves and dive into the nitty-gritty of designing your template page. Branded as the stage that guides the layout and how the data gets served on a plate, this phase packs a punch of “make it or break it” magnitude, particularly for tech companies.

The power of a good page template has never been lost on tech veteran G2. Their sterling site templates, all serving as Plato’s Forms of high-value content, masterfully toast to the sight of pricing comparisons, software face-offs, pros, cons, and more, all in a setup that’s downright brain-candy.

A screenshot of template tools
Is your template page optimized to guide users where you want them?

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At the heart of designing your template page are two guardrails – your objective and the alignment. If your goals are content-thick, a blog-like blueprint might hit the bullseye. In contrast, a landing page might strike gold for product promotion or service-hyping.

As you tread along, deck up your template with text and images that make hearts flutter and eyes sparkle. But, dear friend, why stop there? Shine brighter by checking the box for comparison charts, reviewers’ insights, customer testimonials, pros-and-cons lists, ratings, and vivid product descriptions. Weave these elements carefully into your template—but remember, this template has grander purposes! It serves as your blueprint for auto-creating and updating your integration page, so your planning toolbelt deserves a good dust-off.

As it turns out, even tech wizards love a little spoon-feeding. Tools like Webflow and Landingi have become their go-to golden geese, helping set up conversion-hungry landing or integration pages at the speed of light. The cherry on top? You can draw buckets of inspiration from their pre-assembled site templates to turbocharge the whole deal.

But one thing to keep in mind is the quality of the templates for PSEO. If your templates are not of great quality, the resultant content or pages will be substandard too. So create your template pages carefully.

High-quality templatesLow-quality templates
Answers multiple questionsAnswers 1 obvious question
Unique data pointsScrapes other websites
More page value than traditional pipelineProvides little value but can scale quickly
Each page is uniquely valuableGateway pages created to trick Google

Well, that’s Step 2 in a nutshell. You’ve designed your trusty template page and now you’re poised for an SEO spectacle. Next stop? Integration magic!

Step 3: Collecting Your Data and Linking It to a Database

Delving into the third stage of our journey through Programmatic SEO, it’s all about the data. That elusive, essential entity. We’re hunting down the specific information that aligns with your landing page’s mission and tying it neatly into a database. Now, before you start sweating at the mere utterance of “database,” rest assured — it’s not as daunting as it might sound. Whether you opt for something as uncomplicated as a Google Sheets spreadsheet or dive straight into a sophisticated, proprietary data warehouse, it’s really about finding the right data, not about becoming a data science wunderkind.

Where does this valuable data come from, you ask? Hold your breath: government databases, API integrations, web scraping, raw user-generated nuggets, to name a few. The mosaic of data can also include structured data exports from your very own systems. The goal is clear – amass data that genuinely serves your landing page’s objectives.

A gif of how Whalesync works
See how integrating valuable data can upgrade your template page

To make this task a breeze, digital enthusiasts have an ally in Whalesync. This nifty tool deftly bridges your data with your landing page template. With Whalesync at the helm, you might even find yourself creating a snazzy documentation page with a cornucopia of data including support ticket inquiries and product reviews, transforming your brand into a unique, data-rich haven.

A screenshot of Niche Site Metrics
Are you using the best keywords to rank in searches?

You might also find valuable guidance from resources like Ian Nuttall’s Niche Site Metrics which shines a light on how to find public data for divergent domains.

For creating content data, embrace your digital companion, Outranking, which wields its AI prowess to craft data-heavy, SEO-ready drafts thanks to its integration with WordPress and Google Docs. Remember, it’s not about stuffing your template with any data but feeding it the right data. Outranking researches and analyzes the top-ranking pages and gives you quality keywords you can use for your content. Also, Outranking is an easy-to-use tool that creates drafts in mere minutes using this technique:

Step 4: Generating Pages at Scale

Now, upon reaching step 4 in the programmatic SEO saga, we find ourselves facing the daunting task of generating pages on a grand scale. This critical juncture in the journey is pivotal among tech-savvy enterprises that seek to convert abstract concepts into living, breathing web pages.

By leveraging powerful tools like WordPress, Webflow, and Hubspot, you can summon thousands of SEO-friendly pages almost instantly. The idea here isn’t merely to sprinkle a few pages here and there, but to conjure a veritable fleet of pages in a flash.

But beware—this magic doesn’t come without its risks. Abusing this power can lead to an SEO nightmare of duplicate content and irrelevant nonsense. Thus, be vigilant with your SEO inspections, craft your keywords with care, and enforce rigorous quality control measures.

Enter SEOmatic, your steadfast comrade in the programmatic SEO realm. With SEOmatic by your side, your data gets coordinated, your keywords properly channeled, and your landing pages get the dash of charisma to set them apart.

A screenshot of SEOmatic creating content
Save yourself from SEO roadblocks with content creation tools

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Zapier is not only a tool that aids you in your programmatic SEO journey, but its application of programmatic SEO is an exemplary display of how to effectively leverage it. According to a case study, Zapier was able to achieve an annual recurring revenue of a staggering $177 million through strategic programmatic SEO execution.

Step 5: Creating a Solid Sitemap Structure

Delving into Step 5, we turn our attention to the formation of a rock-solid sitemap structure. It’s crucial to note that it isn’t merely about neatly organizing your URLs. A masterfully structured sitemap also serves as a reliable guide for both search engines and users to smoothly traverse your content. Its key role in enhancing your search rankings and boosting website impressions cannot be overemphasized.

Imbue your directories with the role of link hubs, weaving together a seamless trail of links from your Homepage right down to your Subcategory. If ignored, an unstable sitemap structure could cause your website’s unique content, dispersed over multiple URLs, to accidentally mimic itself internally, subsequently throwing a wrench in your SEO efforts.

By focusing on linking Categories and Subcategories instead of individual pages, we fashion a clear passage from your homepage to specific sub-pages. This approach expedites the search engine bots’ discovery process while simultaneously enhancing the browsing experience for your users.

Further, compile a robots.txt file at the ready and submit your sitemap to platforms, such as Google Search Console, for prompt indexing of your fresh content. Let’s serve it up right on the SERPs.

Your sitemap is more than just a basic sketch—it’s a detailed blueprint ensuring your prized content is accessible with ease, thereby multiplying your chances for higher SERP appearances.

A sitemap for website structures
Envision how your website could look after following this template

Accelerating SEO with Programmatic Approach: Key Tools and Strategies

Tools for Scaling Your Programmatic SEO Efforts

Consider a peek at some of the prime tools you could employ to escalate your Programmatic SEO initiatives:

  1. Navigating the sea of keywords: Initiating your SEO research journey should naturally gravitate towards no-code instruments namely, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and UberSuggest. With their help, the elusive wealth of long-tail keywords is within your grasp.
  2. The data hoard: Simplified data capturing for large data volumes is feasible by counting on no-code tools like SimpleScraper, Data Fetcher, and Scraper. These tools have a marked history of getting the job done.
  3. Data on the move: When it comes to transferring data to your CMS, leverage the effortless data automation and collection capabilities of no-code platforms like Zapier, syncing your CMS with your applications seamlessly.
  4. Creating your page’s blueprint: Crafting eye-catching and adaptable page templates is made hassle-free with no-code tools like WordPress, Webflow, and Softr. Innovate, and impress your audience.
  5. Steering your sitemap: SEOmatic emerges as the go-to tool for holistic control over your landing pages, keyword applications, and link-building operations.

A gentle note: Each tool has a unique role in escalating your SEO activities. Choose with care and employ them to their maximum potential.

Strategies for Building Effective Landing Pages

Crafting effective programmatic landing page strategies can be quite the puzzle. But not to worry, we’ve compiled our best tips to guide you:

  1. User-Centric Content: It’s crucial that every page you produce adds value to the user. When building a website using a platform like WordPress, prioritize addressing the user’s needs before immersing in SEO considerations.
  2. Website Builder Insights: Webflow, a widely used no-code website builder, is a blessing for programmatic SEO. It offers features like identifying broken links and duplicates, making content editing a breeze.
  3. Mobile Optimization: With a majority of search engine traffic being mobile users, it’s crucial to have mobile-friendly landing pages. A study reveals a whopping 86% of top landing pages are mobile-friendly, while half of total landing pages follow suit.
  4. Swift Load Times: AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) that load quickly can reduce bounce rates and hold visitors’ attention effectively. It’s worth noting that a one-second delay in page loading can lead to an 11% drop in page views.
  5. Enticing Content Creation: AI tools such as Outranking facilitate the creation of engaging, keyword-rich blog posts, improving your domain authority and topical authority. This GPT-4 powered tool ensures your content is well-researched, well-written, well-edited, and full of relevant stats, media, and links, and makes sure to optimize it for on-page SEO to the fullest!
  6. Multimedia Content: Embedding compelling images, videos, and infographics can enhance the user experience. Use tools like Placid for custom bulk image generation.
  7. Personalization: Adding a personal touch to your pages through crafted blog posts or layout adjustments in your website builder can significantly boost conversion rates. Interestingly, pages lacking personalization can frustrate 74% of customers.
  8. Clear CTAs Using Apps: Your call-to-action (CTA) buttons need to be inviting and guide users to a form or conversion page. Facilitate this with apps like Whalesync which allows you to create internal links between blog posts and main web pages. Research has shown that custom CTAs can significantly increase visitor conversions.
  9. App-Based Automation: Improve productivity with tools such as AppsScript. It facilitates custom menu creation and automation, enhancing workflow efficacy.

Let’s remember that success with landing pages lies in prioritizing users over algorithms.

Examples of Programmatic SEO in Action

Analyzing Success Stories to Understand Programmatic SEO

A thorough examination of successful case studies is a dependable method to unveil the secrets of effective programmatic SEO utilization. It’s crucial to perceive SEO not just as a tool but as a valuable add-on to your overarching digital marketing game plan.

  1. The Epic of Nomad List: By crafting an unwavering focus on long-tail keywords such as “best cities for digital nomads”, Nomad List staged unique pages for every city under its banner. This novel SEO exercise brought into play dynamic factors like weather patterns, living costs, WIFI speed, and safety measures.
  2. The Saga of Booking.com’s SEO: Jumping on the bandwagon of sound keyword strategy, Booking.com spun individual landing pages for each city to facilitate accommodation reservations. What made each of these pages stand apart was the unique blend of dynamically inserted data on hotels, customer reviews, and local attractions.
  3. Canva’s SEO Chronicle: With an eye on multiple SEO categories, Canva executed programmatic SEO by hosting a dedicated page for each design type, in the process, etching a remarkable digital footprint.

The key lesson? An appropriate administration of Programmatic SEO across varied SEO categories has the potential to exponentially amplify site traffic, thus proving its worth as a valuable SEO investment.

Pros and Cons of Programmatic SEO

Distinct Advantages of Programmatic SEO

Deep diving into the distinct advantages of programmatic SEO paints a promising picture:

Winning Keywords at Scale

Programmatic SEO stands out for its expansive reach in driving a massive number of impressions. In this high-speed digital race, it’s a game changer, capable of winning keywords at scale, a strategy that ultimately draws enormous traffic from a myriad of long-tail keywords, thereby boosting your search rankings seamlessly.

Accelerated Content Production

Say hello to speedy and efficient content production. Programmatic SEO, upon activation of a solid template and data, can rapidly generate engaging, in-depth content. It’s like having a tireless, super productive, content-generating robot at your service, capable of churning out hundreds of fresh pages in a blink, interesting, isn’t it?

Low Engineering Lift

Who doesn’t love to save time, effort, and costs? Well, battle the engineering costs with programmatic SEO. As it’s code-driven, it minimizes manual tasks, giving a comfortable, reduced engineering lift. Time to compartmentalize the work into two primary SEO categories and…relax!

Quick Result Generation

Tired of the tedious waiting game in traditional SEO marketing? Embrace programmatic SEO for it promises speed. It remarkably hastens the process of achieving fruitful results, serving the outcomes on your table faster than a cheetah can sprint!

The benefits of using programmatic SEO
Programmatic SEO takes your website to new heights!

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Programmatic SEO is your magic wand to propel you toward your intended results in record time. It’s the powerful blend of AI-powered SEO and sheer efficiency that unlocks potential growth. So, buckle up and make yourself comfortable in the driver’s seat of programmatic SEO!

Understanding the Drawbacks and Risks of Programmatic SEO

Just like two sides of a coin, programmatic SEO, despite its merits, carries certain drawbacks and risks.

  1. The first issue you might encounter is thin content. A scenario where programmatic SEO becomes a double-edged sword. While automating content creation, one might end up with content that lacks depth and engagement, leading to fewer shares, comments, and backlinks. Thus, it’s paramount to strike a delicate balance between automated content production and quality control.
  2. Another possible pitfall lies in the risk of duplication. There’s a chance that your programmatic SEO strategy might create duplicate pages in your database, inviting potential penalties as per Google’s webmaster guidelines. This fact underlines the importance of detailed SEO research to avoid such missteps.
  3. Thirdly, programmatic SEO’s strategy is heavily reliant on data. Without access to suitable data, the reach of your SEO project might be limited.
  4. Last but not least, there are the crawl budget concerns. The mass production techniques employed in programmatic SEO can exhaust your crawl budget quickly, possibly leading to indexing issues.
Four challenges of programmatic SEO
Be sure to avoid these mistakes when leveraging programmatic SEO

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But, despite these potential risks associated with programmatic SEO, careful planning can serve as a solid safety net. To prevent these pitfalls and ensure your SEO project lures high-quality traffic to your website, comprehensive pSEO research is the key.

Remember, programmatic SEO is not just about creating abundant random content, it’s about producing relevant content that aligns with your users’ needs. It’s about using an efficient database and delivering significant value.

Frequently Asked Questions About Programmatic SEO

When is it Best to Use Programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO proves its mettle when your web domain boasts a broad thematic alignment, ripe for dissection into an intricate web of interrelated search queries. Spanning diverse search intents, Programmatic SEO morphs into a content creation powerhouse, catering to a fluctuating spectrum of target intents. Like a wizard waving his wand, the magic truly comes to life when the tapped content theme commands a significant search volume. Additionally, your keyword research should highlight a majority of long-tail keywords with low keyword difficulty – a critical factor in tipping the SEO scales in your favor.

If you’ve set your sights on unveiling hundreds or even thousands of web pages using a headless CMS, Programmatic SEO might be your knight in shining armor. This approach comes in handy, especially if acquiring data for each landing page is as easy as tweaking the search query for a single template.

For ventures operating across multiple locations, Programmatic SEO morphs into a valuable asset, paving the way for unique web pages for each business hub. In doing so, it addresses the high-intent search queries of each demographic efficiently.

Who Can Benefit Most from Programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO is a game-changer for numerous businesses, with its benefits extending to organizations both big and small. However, certain enterprises stand to gain profoundly from leveraging this powerful tool. Here’s a snapshot of such businesses:

  1. Large Retailers and E-commerce Sites: An e-commerce platform often juggles multiple product pages across various categories. The efficient setup of these many unique pages can be an uphill battle. That’s where Programmatic SEO swaggers in to automate the process with the cool precision of an e-commerce page setup.
  2. Real Estate Companies: Imagine generating a unique page for every property in your portfolio, much like extracting data from an e-commerce platform. Programmatic SEO does precisely this, giving your search visibility a notable boost.
  3. Travel Blogs/Companies: A sturdy online presence is paramount for entities like TripAdvisor. Programmatic SEO can help carve out dedicated pages for myriad travel destinations, each equipped with a specific head term decorated with relevant modifiers.
  4. Job Portals: With countless roles, locations, and companies to account for, creating unique pages can quickly turn into a long-drawn task. Programmatic SEO shines in situations like these, automating the job as efficiently as large commerce and aggregator platforms would.

Businesses with readily available data at hand are the ideal beneficiaries of programmatic SEO. This commercial approach is not just a heavy-duty time-saver but also offers space to direct efforts toward enhancing consumer interaction and crafting high-quality content.

SEO vs. Programmatic SEO
See how programmatic SEO goes above and beyond regular SEO practices

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Scaling Your Business With The Best Quality Content?

If you are thinking of using pSEO to scale your business, having great quality content is a must-have. For this purpose, Outranking is a great software for all of your content analysis, writing, and optimization needs. Previously, Outranking has helped over 20,000 businesses scale their content and this content is neither duplicate nor thin. All while improving these website’s traffic and clicks by 1,000%!

Grow Your Business Today 📈

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Outranking today and watch your business expand!