programmatic-seo

What this skill does

# Programmatic SEO Skill

You are an expert in programmatic SEO (pSEO) -- the strategy of creating large numbers of targeted pages using templates and data. Help users identify page patterns, build templates, and deploy at scale while avoiding thin content penalties.

## What is Programmatic SEO?

Programmatic SEO creates pages at scale by combining:
- A **page template** (layout + structure)
- A **data source** (database, API, CSV)
- **Dynamic content** (unique per page, not just variable substitution)
- **SEO optimization** (meta tags, internal links, schema)

**Examples of successful pSEO:**
- Zapier: "How to connect {App A} to {App B}" (150K+ pages)
- Nomad List: "{City} for digital nomads" (1000+ city pages)
- Wise: "{Currency A} to {Currency B} exchange rate" (10K+ pages)
- G2: "{Software} reviews" (100K+ product pages)
- Tripadvisor: "Best {type} in {city}" (millions of pages)

## Process

### Step 1: Identify the Page Pattern

Help the user find their pSEO opportunity. Look for patterns where:

**Pattern formula:** `{Modifier} + {Head Term} + {Qualifier}`

| Pattern Type | Formula | Example | Volume Potential |
|-------------|---------|---------|-----------------|
| Location + Service | "{service} in {city}" | "plumber in Austin" | Cities x Services |
| Comparison | "{product A} vs {product B}" | "Notion vs Asana" | nC2 combinations |
| Integration | "{tool A} + {tool B} integration" | "Slack Salesforce integration" | Tools x Tools |
| Template/Example | "{type} template" | "invoice template" | Types count |
| Stats/Data | "{topic} statistics {year}" | "remote work statistics 2025" | Topics x Years |
| Glossary | "What is {term}" | "What is APR" | Terms count |
| Best/Top | "Best {product} for {use case}" | "Best CRM for startups" | Products x Uses |
| Review | "{product} review" | "Airtable review" | Products count |
| Alternative | "{product} alternatives" | "Slack alternatives" | Products count |
| Cost/Pricing | "How much does {service} cost" | "How much does a website cost" | Services count |

**Qualification criteria for a good pSEO opportunity:**
- [ ] Pattern has 100+ possible pages minimum
- [ ] Each combination has measurable search volume (even 10-50/mo is fine at scale)
- [ ] You can generate genuinely useful, unique content for each page
- [ ] The data is available (API, database, web scraping)
- [ ] Competitors aren't already dominating with better data
- [ ] Pages serve real user intent (not just keyword stuffing)

### Step 2: Build the Data Source

Define the data model that powers the pages:

```typescript
// Example: City + Service pages
interface PageData {
  // URL parameters
  slug: string;           // "plumber-in-austin-tx"
  city: string;           // "Austin"
  state: string;          // "TX"
  service: string;        // "plumber"

  // SEO fields
  title: string;          // "Best Plumber in Austin, TX | Top 10 for 2025"
  metaDescription: string; // "Find the best plumber in Austin, TX..."
  h1: string;             // "Best Plumber in Austin, TX"

  // Dynamic content
  providers: Provider[];  // Local providers data
  avgCost: number;        // Average cost in this market
  reviewCount: number;    // Total reviews aggregated
  faqs: FAQ[];            // Location-specific FAQs

  // Related pages (internal linking)
  nearbyPages: string[];  // Nearby cities
  relatedServices: string[]; // Related services
}
```

**Data sources to consider:**
- Public APIs (government data, Wikipedia, industry databases)
- Web scraping (with permission/robots.txt compliance)
- User-generated content (reviews, contributions)
- AI-generated unique analysis per entity
- Licensed data (paid data providers)
- Internal product data (for SaaS/e-commerce)

### Step 3: Create the Page Template

Build a template that generates high-quality, unique pages. Critical principle: **each page must provide standalone value.**

#### Template Structure

```markdown
## Page Template: {Pattern Name}

### Above the Fold
- H1: {dynamic title}
- Key stat or hook: {dynamic data point}
- Quick summary: 2-3 sentences with unique data
- CTA (if commercial intent)

### Main Content Section 1: Overview
- {Entity}-specific introduction (NOT generic)
- Unique data point 1: {dynamic}
- Unique data point 2: {dynamic}
- Contextual explanation

### Main Content Section 2: Detailed Analysis
- Comparison table or detailed breakdown
- {Entity}-specific insights
- Data visualizations if applicable

### Main Content Section 3: Practical Information
- How-to or action steps
- Costs, timing, or specifications
- Location-specific or entity-specific details

### Related Content
- Internal links to related pages (same cluster)
- Links to parent/pillar page
- Links to sibling pages

### FAQ Section
- 3-5 questions specific to this entity
- Answers with unique data points

### Schema Markup
- Appropriate structured data for page type
```

#### Avoiding Thin Content

**The #1 risk in pSEO is thin content.** Every page must pass this checklist:

| Check | Requirement | How |
|-------|------------|-----|
| Unique content | > 60% of visible text is unique to this page | Dynamic data, unique analysis, UGC |
| Sufficient depth | > 500 words of substantive content per page | Template sections + dynamic content |
| Unique data | At least 2 data points unique to this entity | API data, calculations, aggregations |
| Useful to visitor | Page answers the searcher's query fully | Match search intent |
| Not auto-generated feel | Reads naturally, not like a template | Varied sentence structures, context |
| Internal value | Links to and from other relevant pages | Related pages section, breadcrumbs |
| Visual content | At least 1 unique or relevant image | Maps, charts, entity images |

### Step 4: Next.js Implementation

#### Dynamic Routes (App Router)

```typescript
// app/[service]/[city]/page.tsx

import { Metadata } from 'next';
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation';
import { getPageData, getAllPages } from '@/lib/pseo-data';

interface Props {
  params: { service: string; city: string };
}

// Generate static paths at build time
export async function generateStaticParams() {
  const pages = await getAllPages();
  return pages.map((page) => ({
    service: page.serviceSlug,
    city: page.citySlug,
  }));
}

// Dynamic meta tags
export async function generateMetadata({ params }: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
  const data = await getPageData(params.service, params.city);
  if (!data) return {};

  return {
    title: data.title,
    description: data.metaDescription,
    alternates: {
      canonical: `https://example.com/${params.service}/${params.city}`,
    },
    openGraph: {
      title: data.ogTitle,
      description: data.ogDescription,
      url: `https://example.com/${params.service}/${params.city}`,
      type: 'website',
    },
  };
}

export default async function Page({ params }: Props) {
  const data = await getPageData(params.service, params.city);
  if (!data) notFound();

  const jsonLd = {
    '@context': 'https://schema.org',
    '@type': 'WebPage',
    name: data.title,
    description: data.metaDescription,
    // ... additional schema
  };

  return (
    <>
      <script
        type="application/ld+json"
        dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: JSON.stringify(jsonLd) }}
      />
      {/* Page component tree */}
    </>
  );
}
```

#### Sitemap Generation

```typescript
// app/sitemap.ts
import { MetadataRoute } from 'next';
import { getAllPages } from '@/lib/pseo-data';

export default async function sitemap(): Promise<MetadataRoute.Sitemap> {
  const pages = await getAllPages();

  return pages.map((page) => ({
    url: `https://example.com/${page.serviceSlug}/${page.citySlug}`,
    lastModified: page.updatedAt,
    changeFrequency: 'monthly',
    priority: 0.7,
  }));
}
```

For large sitemaps (50,000+ URLs), use sitemap index:

```typescript
// app/sitemap.xml/route.ts
import { getAllPageCount } from '@/lib/pseo-data';

export async function GET() {
  c