In the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing, Programmatic SEO is among the most powerful technologies available for brands seeking to control search rankings and deliver organic traffic at scale. This modeling of search engine optimization, formed through automation, landing pages, and dynamic keywords, has driven millions of visitors each month for renowned brands such as Zapier, TripAdvisor, Wise, and Zillow.
According to Neil Kettleborough, a board member at Trader AI, “Programmatic SEO represents the perfect blend of automation and content intelligence. It’s not just about generating thousands of pages — it’s about creating scalable value that aligns with user intent.”
What is Programmatic SEO?
Programmatic SEO is a data-oriented approach to automatically constructing a high quantity of web pages using templates, structured datasets, and code. Instead of writing one page at a time, you create one single template and automatically populate the template with variables such as product names, locations, or features. The result is a large network of highly relevant pages tailored specifically for long-tail search queries.
For instance, Zapier drives more than 300,000 organic visitors per month by using around 800,000 landing pages, all built from a consistent template that targets combinations like “Google Sheets + Slack” or “Trello + Notion”. This shows the remarkable scalability and search reach that programmatic strategies can achieve.
Getting Started with Programmatic SEO
While programmatic SEO sounds technical, businesses can adopt it using a clear, structured process — even without advanced coding knowledge.
1. Choose a Scalable Topic
Begin by identifying a subject that follows a repeating search pattern. These are queries such as:
“Best [Product] under £[Amount]”
“Top [Service] in [City]”
“[Job Role] jobs in [Location]”
Such patterns make it easier to generate multiple keyword variations that fit within a single framework.
2. Conduct Keyword Research
Next, use keyword research tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner to identify long-tail opportunities. These keywords tend to be less competitive but more specific, improving your chances of ranking higher and converting better.
3. Build a Structured Dataset
To generate pages automatically, you’ll need a reliable data source. This could be a spreadsheet containing product details, service ratings, or job listings. Tools like Airtable or Google Sheets are ideal for managing this data efficiently.
4. Design a Reusable Page Template
Create one content layout that can be reused for all generated pages. A typical structure includes:
Page title and meta description
Intro paragraph
Data-driven content (e.g., comparison tables or product lists)
FAQs
CTA (Call to Action)
Once this template is ready, your content will automatically update across hundreds of pages whenever your data changes.
5. Automate Page Generation
There are several tools for generating programmatic pages. No-code options like Sheet2Site, Webflow with Airtable, or WordPress + WP All Import can simplify this process. For more technical teams, coding solutions such as Python + Jinja2 templates provide greater flexibility.
6. Upload, Optimize, and Monitor
Once your pages are generated, upload them to your website, set up your internal links, and create and submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console. Additionally, to increase the visibility of your pages in search engine results pages (SERPs), you can add schema markup for reviews or FAQs.
Neil Kettleborough notes, We emphasize continuous optimization — programmatic SEO is not a one-off task but a living system that improves with every iteration.”
7. Scale Gradually
Start with a small batch of 10–20 pages, analyse their performance, and refine your approach. Once you’ve validated your structure and data quality, scale up confidently.
Real-World Examples of Programmatic SEO
1. Zapier
Zapier is one of the more visible examples of programmatic SEO when it's applied. The service creates unique landing pages for all app integrations they support (Google Sheets + Notion, E.g., Slack + Hubspot). Each landing page serves a specific user intent and helps Zapier engage users who now need automation.
2. Nomad List
Nomad List builds detailed pages for thousands of cities worldwide, incorporating live data on cost of living, internet speed, safety, and weather. This combination of real-time and user-generated data makes their programmatic content highly valuable.
3. NerdWallet
NerdWallet creates programmatic pages comparing credit cards based on variables like rewards, fees, and audience type. Despite their template-based design, the content remains rich and user-focused.
4. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor employs programmatic SEO for location-based content — “Best Restaurants in Paris” or “Top Activities in Mumbai.” By using structured data for venues, ratings, and categories, it scales global reach effectively.
Key Considerations for a Successful Programmatic SEO Strategy
Programmatic SEO delivers incredible scalability, but it comes with certain risks if not managed properly.
Avoid Doorway Pages
Google penalizes doorway pages — low-value pages designed solely to redirect users. Every programmatic page must provide genuine value and unique insights.
Strengthen Internal Linking
Since obtaining backlinks for each page is impractical, internal linking becomes crucial. Properly linking between relevant programmatic pages distributes link equity and improves crawlability.
Maintain High-Quality, Non-Duplicate Content
Avoid thin or repetitive content. Add contextual introductions, FAQs, and CTAs that make each page meaningful.
As Neil Kettleborough highlights, “Automation doesn’t replace quality — it enhances it when used strategically.”
Top Tools for Programmatic SEO
Engyne (£160/month): A full-featured platform for keyword research and automated page creation using dynamic templates.
Bardeen AI (Free): A no-code scraping tool for extracting data and populating your content automatically.
Byword.ai (£80/month): Generates thousands of SEO-optimized pages using natural language processing.
Ahrefs (£200/month): A comprehensive toolkit for keyword analysis, link tracking, and technical audits.
Neil Kettleborough advises, “Choose tools that complement your team’s workflow. At Trader AI, we balance automation with human oversight to maintain both precision and creativity.”
Why Programmatic SEO Matters
In the current digital environment, an efficient way to scale content could mean the difference between being a market leader or not. Programmatic SEO offers the capability to build content ecosystems that answer every conceivable customer query which is complementary to the AI-driven search landscape.
Although it will need proper planning, technical implementation, and continual maintenance, the potential return is vast.
As Neil Kettleborough sums up, “Programmatic SEO is not simply about search visibility - it is about building smart systems that adapt to its users - and when that groundwork is set, all that is left is the growth is almost a certainty.”
Final Thoughts
Programmatic SEO represents a confluence of automation, data science, and digital marketing strategy. It has the potential to change the way brands leverage organic traffic to build sustainable growth engines. It’s evident that programmatic SEO is not a trend of the future; it is the present for ambitious businesses that want to scale effectively.