Is programmatic SEO good? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. Should your business be doing it? Maybe. Here’s what you need to know about the ins and outs of pSEO…
You’ve read about the hype, heard stories about how brands like Canva used pSEO to go from zero to $40 billion in less than 9 years, and now you’re ready to drink the Kool Aid.
But is programmatic SEO a good fit for you business?
In most instances, yes – pSEO is usually always beneficial.
I say, usually, because anything programmatic is risky if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Disasters CAN and DO happen with programmatic SEO.
Think about it: you’re adding, potentially, hundreds or thousands of pages to your site.
If you screw up just one detail, one line of code, that’s thousands of pages that need fixing – or have problems.
And to make matters worse, if you don’t spot or address these problems, the knock-on effects can be potentially catastrophic to your overall rankings and visibility.
Google hates spam, and pSEO done incorrectly (or without care, planning and careful consideration) is indistinguishable from spam.
Scared? You should be. This ain’t no cakewalk; it’s a hard path that requires a multidiscipline approach to SEO and content production.
Here’s everything you need to know about the good and bad aspects of programmatic SEO as well as a breakdown of the most common problems you’ll experience.
The Good: Why Programmatic SEO is a Game-Changer
Programmatic SEO is all about using automation and data to increase your presence in search engines, the places where 99.9% of people still find things.
It’s about getting more organic traffic – that’s free traffic, by the way – so you spend less on ads and marketing.
Done correctly, pSEO is like jet-fuel to your rankings and brand’s visibility in the SERPs.
For smaller businesses, this approach can be a lifesaver because it means you spend less money on customer acquisition.
Free traffic is the best traffic because it compounds over time, all without you having to do anything.
Backlinks are earned, pages are shared, your traffic and rankings grow and you make more money.
All of a sudden, the initial investment you made in programmatic SEO starts to look like chump change.
Scalability and Efficiency
Most startups and SMEs run small teams. Overheads walk on two legs and cash is ALWAYS tight.
With programmatic SEO, the big advantage is that, with a little planning and data-mining, you can output masses of content without the usual costs associated with a team of writers.
Let’s break it down with a simple example:
In traditional content production – blogging, copywriting, technical writing – a single article can take anywhere from an hour or two to a day or two to complete.
And that’s fine; traditional blogging and writing ALWAYS has its place. This post is NOT programmatic, for instance – it’s a blog post and it was written by me and it took time and effort to do it.

How long did it take from start to finish? Maybe three hours. But I’m fast at content; I’ve been doing this for 14+ years.
But the point remains the same: traditional content creation, even with AI, takes time. The more you do, the longer the time frame.
How long would it take to create, say, 300 targeted landing pages? Or, 1000? Or 10,000?
The answer: bloody ages.
Programmatic SEO solves this by allowing you to deploy hundreds or even thousands of pages with a single template, some data, and some coding know-how.
The net result? Your content production costs drop massively and the scale you’re outputting at goes through the roof.
Boosted Search Engine Visibility
Of course, not ALL content can be programmatic. In fact, I’d argue that only certain types of content should be done programmatically.
What types of content are these? Landing pages, promotional stuff, service pages, and anything to do with what your business sells.
Anything informational, anything that requires a little more nuance or detail, should be handled by a skilled content writer or copywriter.
And you’ll want to go after low-competition keywords too, long tail ones.
You’ll want to target specific user intents as well; this is why Canva was so successful with its approach to pSEO.
If someone is searching for “downloadable ebook maker” and you’re targeting it, your page – programmatic or otherwise – needs to be a tool that creates downloadable ebooks.

If you can apply this to your business, you can win with programmatic SEO.
The key is finding the low competition keywords and satisfying the user intent.
It doesn’t matter about words on the page, the word count, or how many semantic keywords you get on your pages – it’s ALL about the hitting the user intent.
And when you do this, and apply it at scale to hundreds of thousands of long tail keywords associated with your business and its services, you will quickly start to dominate in the SERPs.
Your traffic will increase, your leads, you’ll get more sign-ups, more enquiries – all that good stuff.
And the beauty of all this? You can apply the same principles to different regions too.
If your products are digital or you ship globally, you can build out multi-language versions of your pages and get them ranking in country-specific versions of Google as well.
It’ll Force You To Become A Data-Loving Geek
If you’re going to do programmatic SEO, you’re going to have to get good at data.
Or, hire someone that is.
And by good, I don’t mean just opening up Google Analytics and looking at it. You need to be interpreting it and then making decisions based off it, pivoting things if needs be.

With hundreds or thousands of pSEO pages in the wild, data is crucial. It is your best friend, the thing that helps you spot what’s working and what isn’t.
If one of your templates is doing much better than another one, you need to find out why.
- Is it the keyword your targeting?
- Is it the content on the page?
- Are you using a different CTA?
- Is one template more detailed (content-wise) than the other?
When you know (because you have the data) why one template is better than the other, you can make changes to the weaker one and then, you guessed it… track it!
Did it improve? If it did, great. Now you know what works better.
This is called A/B testing and it is essential.
Why is this in the “good” section when it sounds terrifyingly hard to do?
Simple: data makes life easier.
If you’re scared of getting your hands dirty with data, spreadsheets and tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush, running a pSEO campaign will FORCE you into action.
And you know what? After a month or two of being a data-geek, you’ll wonder how you ever did your job / ran your business without it.
So, yes: this is a good thing.
Done Right, pSEO Can 10x User Experience
If you do everything right, target the right keywords, build gorgeous templates, and your product and CTAs are on point, you know what happens?
Users – people coming from search – start to love your site.
They click through, find exactly what they were looking for, and then either interact with the page, buy something, or sign up for more information.
Give yourself a pat on the back. You just satisfied user intent.

That’s just one person, though.
But when you extrapolate this out a thousand times, 10 thousand times, or 300,000 times, you know what happens?
Google takes note.
Its algorithm, which literally tracks everything you do, even when you’re NOT on Google, notes that people seem to really like your pages.
This sends a message to the main algorithm and a boost is applied to your site.
Your rankings go up, and all of a sudden keywords that were on page 4 are now on page 2, and keywords that were on page 2 are now on page 1.
I call this compounding and with pSEO, providing you get it right, it is one of the fastest and most effective growth tools for SMEs and startups.
It Gives You A MASSIVE Competitive Edge Over Your Competitors

Steve Jobs started Apple in a garage, back when he only owned one pair jeans and did acid.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Jimi Hendrix only played guitar for 12 years.
And later today, someone will found a startup that will be worth $100 billion by the end of the 2040s.
But everything has to start from zero, from nothing.
Even the greats like Hendrix, at one point, had no idea what they were doing.
Now, you could be there, just starting out with the business or the idea for a business, or you could already be running a successful business.
You’re probably worried about costs, the price of scaling, of keeping up with the Jones’ – whatever.
I run a business, I know what it’s like: there’s always someone better, someone bigger, someone with better people.
Forget all that for now. Instead, focus on what matters, what all business need to stay alive.
Growth. It’s that simple. If you’re growing, regardless of size, you’re winning.
For me, this is the #1 benefit of programmatic SEO – done right, it is like jet-fuel for growth.
And unlike advertising, whereby how much you spend dictates how much of the market you take, or traditional marketing, which is hard to pin a true ROI on, it is completely egalitarian.

You need a product and / or service, some data, and a template. That’s it. From here, the sky’s the limit with what you can do.
That is exactly what Canva did, and look how THAT turned out.
Between 2012 and 2024, it grew exponentially, topping out earlier this year with a $40 billion valuation.
And Canva did it ALL with the strategies we’ve discussed here: long tail keywords, killer products, and brilliantly designed templates.
Could your business do this too? You bet your ass it could.
In terms of manpower, you don’t need many people at all to put together a killer pSEO campaign. You need someone that is good with coding, a copywriter, and a designer – that’s it.
Or, you could just hire us to do it all for you.
It ain’t free, of course, but it is a damn sight cheaper than running a content department or a six figure advertising campaign.
And the real kicker? Programmatic SEO goes after and attracts ORGANIC search (free traffic) and once a page is ranked, it tends to stay put for years on end.
That’s like having thousands of free adverts for your business in Google for years and years on end.
Still think ads are the way to go?
The Bad: Common Pitfalls to Watch Out For
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations – you have an attention span longer than 90% of your peers.
You’re probably feeling pretty pumped about programmatic SEO right now, right?
You should be; pSEO is one hell of a powerful tool. But as with anything in life, you cannot have the sweet without the sour…
The ying needs its yang, and the darkness needs the light.
And for all of pSEO’s benefits, there are plenty of downsides that you DEFINITELY need to know about before you start.
This section covers off all the possible things that can (and all too often do) go wrong with poorly designed or poorly implemented programmatic SEO campaigns.
Low-Quality or Thin Content
Thin content sucks. Thin content is the worst. Google hates. Users hate it. And it is something you will have to deal with when doing programmatic SEO.
Here’s the crux of the problem:
Programmatic content, by its very nature, is automated, built from data, there’s no “human input” on the page, as there is with traditional forms of content.
This means you have to get very creative with your template.
You have to NAIL the user intent and this means you HAD to have done a good job on your keyword research.
This is why pSEO tends not to work on editorial blogs; people want nuance on a blog, not automated content.

Conversely, this is WHY programmatic content works so well on business pages – stuff where you’re buying something.
You see, thin content isn’t about the sheer volume of words on the page, that doesn’t matter…
It’s about making sure your template satisfies the search intent, what the user wants. If it doesn’t do this, the user will bounce and this tells Google the page is weak.

And when this happens a few thousand times, a very unpleasant macro effect starts to kick in…
The bad signals send a signal to Google’s algorithm, it performs tests, your pages don’t pass muster, and then ALL of your pages – programmatic or otherwise – start dropping.
To avoid this, it’s essential to implement quality control measures.
This might include human reviews or utilizing advanced AI tools to ensure each page offers unique insights and valuable information that stands out from the competition.
Ignore User Intent AT YOUR PERIL…
We touched on this above, but it is so important it is worth going over twice.
When you’re doing programmatic SEO, search intent is KING.
You do everything for it, every template, every idea, every word on the page is designed to serve the king, search intent.
When you’re doing your keyword research, you’re doing it not only with your business and its products / services in mind, but also SEARCH INTENT.
Any keyword that you cannot nail the search intent for goes in the bin, any that you’re not 100% sure about goes in the bin.
Whether the intent behind the keyword is commercial, transactional, or navigational, you need to understand the intent behind it.
If you’re unsure what the intent is, throw it in Google and check. The top pages will be satisfying that particular search intent, see what they’re doing and then do it better.
And never, ever go after keywords or target topics or subjects that have no relation to your business. It’s a waste of crawl budget and your own, precious resources.
You DO NOT fuck about when it comes to search intent, not these days with Google’s HCU algorithm doing the rounds.
Poor URL Structure
A messy or confusing URL structure can hinder both user experience and search engine crawling.
Overly complex URLs make it difficult for users to navigate your site and for search engines to index your pages effectively.
Adopt SEO-friendly URLs that are clean, descriptive, and follow a logical hierarchy.
Consistency across your site not only helps with crawl efficiency but also enhances the overall user experience.
Duplicate Metadata
Automatically generating meta titles and descriptions without ensuring their uniqueness can lead to duplicate metadata across multiple pages.
This confuses search engines and dilutes the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
Use dynamic metadata templates that incorporate unique elements from each page, such as specific keywords or location names, to create personalized and relevant meta descriptions.
Neglecting Mobile Optimization
With Google’s mobile-first indexing, failing to optimize for mobile can severely impact your SEO performance.
Non-mobile-friendly pages lead to poor user experiences and lower rankings.
Ensure your content employs responsive design principles, adapts seamlessly to various devices, and loads quickly to provide a smooth experience for all users.
Overlooking Technical SEO
Technical aspects like crawlability, page speed, and proper indexing are often overlooked in programmatic SEO.
Ignoring these can result in crawl issues, slow load times, and improper indexing, which negatively affect your site’s performance.
Maintain accurate XML sitemaps, manage your robots.txt effectively, and regularly use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to optimize your site’s technical health.
What Most People Get Wrong About Programmatic SEO 🚫
Despite its potential, there are several misconceptions about programmatic SEO that can lead to ineffective strategies and missed opportunities.
It’s Set-It-And-Forget-It ⚙️
Misconception: Once you set up programmatic SEO, it runs on autopilot.
Reality: SEO is an ongoing process. Regular monitoring and adjustments are necessary to keep up with algorithm changes and market trends.
More Pages Are Always Better 📄
Misconception: Flood search engines with as many pages as possible.
Reality: Quality trumps quantity. High-quality, valuable content is more effective than a large number of mediocre pages.
Automation Replaces Humans 🤖
Misconception: Let automation handle everything.
Reality: Human oversight is crucial for maintaining quality, strategic decision-making, and adapting to nuanced changes in the digital landscape.
Only for Big Websites 🏢
Misconception: Programmatic SEO is only beneficial for large-scale websites.
Reality: SMEs and startups can leverage programmatic SEO just as effectively to scale their efforts and compete in their niches.
Instant Results ⚡
Misconception: Programmatic SEO delivers immediate improvements in rankings and traffic.
Reality: SEO is a long-term strategy. While programmatic SEO can accelerate certain aspects, patience and consistency are key.
It Neglects User Experience 👤
Misconception: Automated SEO processes focus solely on search engines, ignoring user experience.
Reality: Effective programmatic SEO integrates user-centric design and content strategies to enhance both SEO performance and user satisfaction.
All Tools Are Equal 🛠️
Misconception: Any programmatic SEO tool will do the job.
Reality: Different tools offer varying features and capabilities. Choosing the right tool that fits your specific needs is critical for success.
Wrap-Up
Did you make it to the end? I’m impressed. This is one of the longest articles we have on OPTIMALSAUCE.
It’s 3084 words, in case you were wondering.
But it’s long for a reason: the information we’ve shared is very important.
There’s far too many shills online, pumping pSEO like it’s the complete magic bullet.
Just buy their tool, follow their course, and, BOOM… you’re the next Canva / Nomad List / blah blah blah…
But this is NOT the case.
pSEO is hard, it takes work, a love of data, attention to detail, and razor-sharp SEO skills to pull off.
You can’t just decide one morning to do it and then, a week later, you have a campaign running.
Like coding an application or writing software, it requires specialist knowledge and, importantly, experience.
I wanted to detail everything in one post: the good, the bad, the things you need to keep in mind before embarking on a programmatic project.
If you liked this post, please take a second to share it on your social channels.
The internet is chock-full of fluffy, bullshit content about all the benefits of pSEO and none of the downsides.
And this kind of nonsense is dangerous, especially when it is applied – without proper care – to an already established business.
By now, you know more than 99.9% of people on earth about programmatic SEO. Feels good, right?
What you do with this information is up to you. Programmatic SEO is a brilliant tool for rapid growth and super-charging your most important KPIs.
But it is HARD to do right, and this is why most that attempt it tend to fail.
If you want to have a proper discussion about how pSEO can be used in your business, let’s chat – just hit us up using the form below.
👇
Done-For-You Programmatic SEO? No Problem, Let’s Chat…
Programmatic SEO isn’t something just anyone can jump into; it requires time, finesse, and extensive expertise.
Mastering it demands a strong grasp of data analysis, coding skills, and the ability to interpret thousands of data points.
If that feels overwhelming, we’re here to assist. We’ve successfully designed and executed numerous programmatic SEO campaigns across a wide range of industries.
Interested in taking your project to the next level? Just click the button below and fill out the form—we’ll be in touch shortly.