Programmatic SEO: Scaling to 100k Pages Without Spam

The Scale Problem

Hand-writing 5,000 location pages (“Plumber in Austin”, “Plumber in Dallas”) is impossible. But generating them with AI often leads to “thin content” penalties.

The solution is Data-Backed Programmatic SEO.

The Architecture

Instead of spinning text, we spin data.

A high-quality programmatic page is unique because the value is unique, not just the adjectives.

Example: A Real Estate Site

• Bad: “We have great homes in Austin.” / “We have great homes in Dallas.”
• Good: “Market Trends for Austin: Avg Price $500k, 30 Days on Market.” / “Market Trends for Dallas: Avg Price $450k, 15 Days on Market.”

The variable data points (Avg Price, Days on Market) make the page substantive.

Implementation Stack

1. Database: AirTable or Postgres containing your variables.
2. Generator: Astro or Next.js using Dynamic Routes ([city].astro).
3. Indexing: Submit an XML sitemap chunked by 1,000 URLs.

The “Doorway Page” Risk

To avoid the doorway page penalty:

1. Unique Value: Ensure at least 40% of the viewport contains unique data points.
2. Internal Linking: Don’t just dump them in the footer. Link them contextually.
3. User Signals: If users bounce immediately, Google will de-index the page. Design for conversion.

Programmatic is not a shortcut. It’s an architecture challenge.