Running an online business can be really competitive. It's hard to get people to visit your website, especially if you're a solo entrepreneur with a limited budget.
But what if I told you there's a way to get hundreds of visitors to your site every day, without spending any money on marketing or needing a huge audience? It's called programmatic SEO (pSEO).
Programmatic SEO is a powerful strategy that uses programming to help your website rank for a group of related keywords. These are usually longer, more specific keywords (called "long-tail" keywords) that are connected to one main keyword.
In this article, we'll show you how you can use pSEO to drive free traffic to your startup's website. This can work even if you're just getting started, have no followers, and don't have a marketing budget.
The key is leveraging programming to make your content rank higher in Google searches. This can bring you a steady stream of visitors who are already interested in what you offer.
Understanding programmatic SEO
Programmatic SEO is a marketing approach that combines search engine optimization (SEO) with the power of programming. The goal is to create a website structure that targets a group of specific, long-tail keywords related to one main keyword.
By using programming to build a "skeleton" of webpages and fill them with optimized content, you can create a network of pages that rank well on Google for those targeted keywords.
The benefits of programmatic SEO
The biggest advantage of programmatic SEO is that it can generate a steady stream of traffic to your website on autopilot, without needing constant maintenance or updates.
Once you've built and optimized your website for the right keywords, you can sit back and watch the visitors come in. This strategy has proven to be highly effective, as shown by websites like BooksCalculator, GamifyList, and WorkbookPDF, which have collectively attracted over 29,000 visitors through programmatic SEO alone.
The key is using programming to create a scalable, self-sustaining website structure that targets a wide range of long-tail keywords related to your main focus. This allows you to capture traffic from many different search queries, without having to constantly create new content or campaigns.
Finding the right keyword
Okay, let's break down the process of finding the right keyword for a programmatic SEO strategy:
Step 1: Choosing the main keyword
When selecting a keyword, there are two key things to look for:
- Keyword difficulty (KD) - You want a KD under 20, which means it would only take about 10 backlinks to rank for that keyword on Google.
- Search volume - Aim for at least 500 searches per month in one country, or 1,500 searches per month globally.
Let's use the example of a directory of "beaches".
Using a tool like Ahrefs, we can see that the keyword "beach" meets both criteria.
Step 2: Finding related long-tail keywords
Once we've identified the main keyword, the next step is to find numerous long-tail keywords related to it.
In the beach example, we might see a lot of searches for "best beaches in [city]." These long-tail keywords have lower competition and can form the basis of our website structure.
The key is finding a set of long-tail keywords that are all tightly connected to the main "beach" keyword. This will allow us to create a network of pages that can all rank well on Google.
By focusing on the right main keyword and related long-tail variations, we can set the foundation for an effective programmatic SEO strategy.
Step 2: Building your webpages
To capitalize on the long-tail keywords, we want to create one web page per keyword. Assuming there are 333 cities with beaches and approximately 1,000 beaches, our website structure would look like this:
- / (main welcome page): 1 webpage
- /[city]/ (best beaches in [city]): 1 skeleton, 333 webpages
- /beach/[beach name] (individual beach page): 1 skeleton, 1,000 web pages
1. Creating a skeleton:
A skeleton is essentially an HTML template that serves as a mold for your webpages. By injecting data into the skeleton, you can generate unique webpages for each long-tail keyword.
For instance, the skeleton for the /[city] route (the 333 webpages showcasing all beaches in a specific city) could include elements like:
- H1: "The [total] best beaches in [city]"
- Description: "Explore [city]'s top beaches! Find the perfect spot to smash away stress and relax. From [district_1] to [district_2], we've got you covered. Let the fun begin!"
The key is to build as many valuable pages as possible, considering the end-user's experience. Put yourself in the shoes of someone searching for a beach in New York. What information would you want to see? Perhaps a list of beaches sorted by Google Maps ratings, the price per hour, the types of objects available for smashing, and a booking button.
By identifying patterns and crafting a user-centric experience, you can create three HTML skeletons that generate 1,334 webpages, all optimized to rank on Google.
2. Collecting data:
To populate your skeletons and create valuable webpages, you need rich data. In our beach example, we would require information such as:
- City names
- City photos
- Popular districts
- Business names
- Starting prices
- Reviews
Much of this data can be obtained through the Google Maps API. However, to enhance the richness of your data, consider outsourcing the collection process for a few hundred dollars or leveraging tools like ChatGPT for specific elements, such as meta descriptions.
3. Optimizing for SEO:
With your skeletons filled with rich data, it's time to optimize your webpages for SEO. Ensure that the long-tail keyword is prominently featured in the title and <h1> tags. Include alt text for images, ensure they are appropriately sized and lazy-loaded, and add titles to links and buttons.
Google Lighthouse tool is a great resource for optimizing your webpages. Strategically place your long-tail keywords throughout the content to improve your chances of ranking.
Step 3: Ranking on Google
To start ranking on Google, you typically need around 10 backlinks. Here are a few strategies to get the ball rolling:
- Launch on different platforms:
Launching your website on platforms like Product Hunt can provide you with a follow link, regardless of the number of upvotes received. Other platforms such as Hacker News, Twitter, and Reddit can also generate nofollow links, which may lead to reshares in newsletters or blogs.
If you're committed to the success of your project, investing in backlinks can give your rankings a significant boost. Consider purchasing a listing in a popular directory like TIAAFT or buying a listing of sites to submit yours, such as BACKL.IO.
- Submit to Google Search Console:
Verify your domain name in the Google Search Console and manually request indexing for a few pages. This process accelerates Google's indexing of your website.
Search for a URL and click “Request Indexing”
Now, it's time to be patient. While indexing happens relatively quickly, ranking for keywords can take anywhere from three to six months. But once you start appearing in search results, you'll enjoy a steady stream of free traffic from Google on autopilot.
Monetizing your traffic
Now that you have built out your network of webpages, you can start monetizing the traffic and turning it into a revenue-generating business.
Some of the key monetization methods you can explore include:
- Selling your own products or services on the website
- Displaying ads (like Google AdSense) on your pages
- Becoming an affiliate for other companies and promoting their products
The beauty of this passive SEO (pSEO) approach is that once you've built up the website, it can generate revenue automatically, even while you sleep. The systematic, automated way of creating content and webpages means you can scale this business with relatively low ongoing effort.
This is particularly appealing for developers who have strong technical skills. By using your coding abilities to set up the website architecture and automate content generation, you can create a self-sustaining business that doesn't require a lot of manual work to maintain.
The key is to keep optimizing your website for search engines, drive consistent traffic, and then effectively monetize that traffic through a combination of product sales, advertising, and affiliate partnerships.
Examples of websites that use programmatic SEO
To give you more insights, here is a list of websites that are using pSEO to create and rank their pages:
- TripAdvisor - Uses programmatic SEO to create pages for countless travel destinations and attractions. This includes detailed reviews, photos, and user-generated content that help travelers make informed decisions.
- Zillow - Generates pages for real estate listings across various locations. Each listing includes photos, descriptions, and local market data, making it easier for users to find and compare properties.
- Yelp - Creates pages for businesses and restaurants with user-generated content. Reviews, ratings, and photos are automatically organized and displayed to help users find the best local services and dining options.
- Indeed - Develops pages for job listings sourced from various companies. Each job posting includes a detailed description, salary information, and company reviews, helping job seekers find the right opportunities.
- Remote OK - Lists remote jobs with pages for different job categories and locations. Each job listing includes details about the role, company information, and application instructions, helping remote job seekers find suitable opportunities.
- Nomad List - Creates pages for cities with information on cost of living, internet speeds, and more. This includes data on safety, weather, and local amenities, helping digital nomads and travelers choose the best destinations.
One thing you will notice from these websites is that they are all built as web directories in one way or another. Whether it’s travel destinations, real estate listings, business reviews, job postings, or product information, these sites use programmatic SEO to scale content creation efficiently.
By automating the generation of pages with structured data and user-generated content, they can provide comprehensive and up-to-date information to their users.
Conclusion
Programmatic SEO is a powerful strategy that empowers solopreneurs and coding enthusiasts to grow their startups without the need for a massive audience or a hefty marketing budget. By identifying the right topic, building your website using pSEO, and optimizing for SEO, you can attract hundreds of daily visitors from Google, completely free of charge.
