programmatic-seo

What this skill does

# Programmatic SEO

Production-grade framework for building SEO page sets at scale. Covers the full lifecycle from keyword pattern discovery through template design, data pipeline construction, quality assurance, and post-launch optimization. Designed for deployments ranging from 50 to 100,000+ pages.

---

## Table of Contents

- [When to Use vs When Not To](#when-to-use-vs-when-not-to)
- [Initial Assessment](#initial-assessment)
- [The 14 Playbooks](#the-14-playbooks)
- [Playbook Selection Matrix](#playbook-selection-matrix)
- [Keyword Pattern Mining](#keyword-pattern-mining)
- [Data Pipeline Architecture](#data-pipeline-architecture)
- [Template Design System](#template-design-system)
- [Quality Control Framework](#quality-control-framework)
- [Internal Linking Architecture](#internal-linking-architecture)
- [Indexation Strategy](#indexation-strategy)
- [Launch Sequence](#launch-sequence)
- [Post-Launch Optimization](#post-launch-optimization)
- [Anti-Patterns and Penalty Avoidance](#anti-patterns-and-penalty-avoidance)
- [Decision Matrix: Build vs Skip](#decision-matrix-build-vs-skip)
- [Output Artifacts](#output-artifacts)
- [Related Skills](#related-skills)

---

## When to Use vs When Not To

**Use this skill when:**
- You have a repeating keyword pattern with 50+ variations
- You have (or can acquire) structured data to populate pages
- The search intent is consistent across variations
- Your domain has sufficient authority to compete

**Do NOT use when:**
- Each page requires unique editorial content (use content-creator instead)
- Total addressable pages < 30 (manual content is more effective)
- You lack a data source and would be generating thin placeholder content
- Your domain authority is below DR 20 and competitors are DR 60+

---

## Initial Assessment

Before designing any pSEO strategy, answer these questions. Skip nothing.

### 1. Opportunity Validation

| Question | Why It Matters | Red Flag |
|----------|---------------|----------|
| What is the repeating keyword pattern? | Defines the template structure | Pattern is vague or inconsistent |
| What is the aggregate monthly search volume? | Determines ROI ceiling | < 5,000 aggregate monthly searches |
| How many unique pages can you generate? | Scope the project | < 50 pages (too few) or > 50K without data infrastructure |
| What does the SERP look like for sample queries? | Competitive feasibility | Page 1 dominated by DR 80+ editorial content |
| Is intent informational, navigational, or transactional? | Template design | Mixed intent across the same pattern |

### 2. Data Source Evaluation

Rate your data source on this scale:

| Tier | Source Type | Defensibility | Example |
|------|-----------|---------------|---------|
| S | Proprietary first-party | Unbeatable | Your product usage data, internal benchmarks |
| A | Product-derived | Strong | Aggregated user analytics, customer outcomes |
| B | User-generated | Moderate | Community reviews, submitted content |
| C | Licensed exclusive | Moderate | Paid data feed no competitor has |
| D | Public aggregated | Weak | Government data, public APIs |
| F | Scraped commodity | None | Wikipedia rewrites, copied listings |

**Rule: Do not build pSEO on Tier F data.** Google penalizes commodity rewrites. If your only data source is public and easily replicable, invest in acquiring Tier A-C data first.

### 3. Competitive Moat Assessment

For 5 sample queries in your pattern, analyze page 1 results:

- What is the average Domain Rating of ranking pages?
- Are existing results programmatic or editorial?
- What unique data do ranking pages provide?
- What is the content depth (word count, data richness, UX quality)?

**Go/No-Go threshold:** If the average DR gap between you and page 1 is > 30 AND existing results have proprietary data, the opportunity requires either a differentiated approach or domain authority building first.

---

## The 14 Playbooks

| # | Playbook | Pattern | Example | Data Requirement |
|---|----------|---------|---------|-----------------|
| 1 | Templates | "[Type] template" | "resume template", "invoice template" | Template files + metadata |
| 2 | Curation | "best [category]" | "best CRM for startups" | Product/service reviews + ratings |
| 3 | Conversions | "[X] to [Y]" | "100 USD to EUR" | Conversion logic/API |
| 4 | Comparisons | "[X] vs [Y]" | "Notion vs Confluence" | Feature data for both products |
| 5 | Examples | "[type] examples" | "landing page examples" | Curated example collection |
| 6 | Locations | "[service] in [city]" | "coworking in Austin" | Location-specific data |
| 7 | Personas | "[product] for [audience]" | "CRM for real estate" | Audience-specific use cases |
| 8 | Integrations | "[A] + [B] integration" | "Slack Asana integration" | Integration documentation |
| 9 | Glossary | "what is [term]" | "what is churn rate" | Domain expertise |
| 10 | Translations | Content in N languages | Localized guides | Translation + localization data |
| 11 | Directory | "[category] tools" | "AI writing tools" | Tool listings + evaluations |
| 12 | Profiles | "[entity name]" | "Stripe company profile" | Entity-level data |
| 13 | Statistics | "[topic] statistics" | "SaaS churn statistics 2026" | Verified statistical data |
| 14 | Calculators | "[topic] calculator" | "LTV calculator" | Calculation logic + inputs |

---

## Playbook Selection Matrix

| If you have... | Primary Playbook | Secondary Layer |
|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| A product with many integrations | Integrations | Comparisons |
| A design/creative tool | Templates + Examples | Personas |
| A multi-segment audience | Personas | Comparisons |
| Local/regional presence | Locations | Directory |
| A tool/utility product | Calculators + Conversions | Glossary |
| Deep domain expertise | Glossary + Statistics | Curation |
| A competitor landscape to exploit | Comparisons + Curation | Directory |
| User-generated content | Examples + Directory | Profiles |

**Layering rule:** Combine up to 2 playbooks per page set. Example: "Best coworking spaces in [city]" = Curation + Locations.

---

## Keyword Pattern Mining

### Step 1: Pattern Identification

Extract the repeating structure from seed keywords:

```
Seed: "react developer salary san francisco"
Pattern: [role] salary [city]
Variables: role (200+ options), city (500+ options)
Max pages: 200 x 500 = 100,000
```

### Step 2: Volume Distribution Analysis

Not all variable combinations have search volume. Map the distribution:

| Tier | Volume Range | Typical % of Total Pages | Strategy |
|------|-------------|-------------------------|----------|
| Head | 1,000+ monthly | 2-5% | Priority indexation, highest content quality |
| Torso | 100-999 monthly | 15-25% | Standard template, full deployment |
| Long-tail | 10-99 monthly | 40-50% | Template with conditional content blocks |
| Zero-volume | < 10 monthly | 20-40% | Noindex OR skip unless data is uniquely valuable |

### Step 3: Intent Classification

For each pattern, verify intent consistency:

| Intent Type | Template Implications | CTA Strategy |
|------------|----------------------|--------------|
| Informational | Data-heavy, educational content | Newsletter, related content |
| Commercial investigation | Comparison tables, pros/cons | Free trial, demo |
| Transactional | Pricing, availability, features | Buy now, sign up |
| Navigational | Brand-specific, direct answer | Product page link |

---

## Data Pipeline Architecture

### Pipeline Design

```
[Data Source] → [Extraction] → [Transformation] → [Enrichment] → [Validation] → [Template Population] → [Quality Check] → [Publish]
```

### Data Quality Gates

Every record must pass these gates before page generation:

| Gate | Check | Failure Action |
|------|-------|---------------|
| Completeness | All required fields populated | Skip page, log for manual review |
| Accuracy | Data matches source, no staleness > 90 days | Flag for refresh |
| Uniqueness | No