athina-ai/programmatic-seo-planner

Programmatic SEO Page Planner

Programmatic SEO is how startups generate hundreds of high-intent pages from templates — "{Your Product} vs {Competitor}", "Best {Category} for {Industry}", "{Integration} + {Your Product}". This skill figures out which patterns are worth building, designs the templates, and prioritizes the buildout.

Core principle: pSEO isn't about spinning content. It's about finding a data axis (something that varies per page) where each variation has real search demand and your product has a genuine answer. This skill validates both before you invest in building.

When to Use

• "How do we scale SEO pages without writing each one manually?"
• "Should we build vs/ comparison pages?"
• "What programmatic SEO patterns work for SaaS?"
• "How can we rank for hundreds of long-tail keywords?"
• "Plan our pSEO strategy"

Tool Enhancement (Optional)

This skill works with existing capabilities but produces significantly better results when paired with a keyword data API for bulk volume lookups across hundreds of long-tail variations.

Agent Prompt to User

"I can plan your programmatic SEO strategy using our existing tools. However, for the best results — especially accurate search volume data across hundreds of keyword variations — I'd recommend connecting a keyword data API."

Recommended: DataForSEO (pay-per-use, ~$0.01/keyword, no monthly minimum)

• Sign up at dataforseo.com → get API login + password
• Set DATAFORSEO_LOGIN and DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD env vars

Alternatives that also work:

• Keywords Everywhere API ($1 per 10 credits = 100K keywords, very cheap) → set KEYWORDS_EVERYWHERE_API_KEY
• SEMrush API (if you have a subscription) → set SEMRUSH_API_KEY
• Ahrefs API (if you have a subscription) → set AHREFS_API_TOKEN

"Want to use one of these, or should I proceed with baseline mode? Baseline still works — I'll use our Apify-based SEO tools for top-level data, though volume estimates for individual long-tail patterns will be less precise."

Mode Selection

• Enhanced mode — Bulk keyword volume lookups via DataForSEO / Keywords Everywhere / SEMrush / Ahrefs. Gets exact monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC for each pattern variation. Enables confident prioritization.
• Baseline mode — Uses seo-domain-analyzer (Apify) for domain-level metrics and web_search for pattern validation. Volume estimates are directional, not exact. Still produces a solid blueprint — just less granular on per-variation demand.

Phase 0: Intake

1. Your product — URL + one-sentence description
2. Category — What category/market do you play in?
3. Competitors — 3-5 competitor URLs (we'll analyze their pSEO plays)
4. ICP — Who's searching for your product? (roles, industries, company stages)
5. Existing content — Do you already have a blog/resource section? (URL if yes)
6. CMS/tech stack — What powers your site? (Webflow, WordPress, Next.js, etc.) — informs template feasibility
7. Tool preference — Enhanced mode with keyword API, or baseline? (see Tool Enhancement above)

Phase 1: Pattern Discovery

1A: Competitor pSEO Analysis

Run site-content-catalog for each competitor:

python3 skills/site-content-catalog/scripts/catalog_content.py \
  --url "<competitor_url>" \
  --output json

Analyze URL structures for programmatic patterns:

• /vs/, /compare/, /alternatives/ — Comparison pages
• /integrations/, /connect/, /apps/ — Integration pages
• /for-{industry}/, /solutions/, /use-cases/ — Vertical/use-case pages
• /templates/, /examples/, /glossary/ — Resource pages
• /tools/, /calculators/, /generators/ — Tool pages

For each pattern found, note:

• URL pattern (regex)
• Estimated page count
• What varies per page (the "data axis")
• Sample page titles

1B: Market Pattern Mapping

Based on your product category, evaluate these standard pSEO pattern types:

| Pattern Type | URL Structure | Data Axis | Best For | |-------------|---------------|-----------|----------| | Versus/Comparison | /vs/{competitor} | Competitor names | High-intent, bottom-funnel | | Alternatives | /alternatives/{competitor} | Competitor names | Displacement queries | | Integrations | /integrations/{tool} | Tool/app names | Mid-funnel, ecosystem | | Industry verticals | /for/{industry} | Industry names | Vertical targeting | | Use cases | /use-cases/{use-case} | Job-to-be-done | Mid-funnel, discovery | | Glossary/Definitions | /glossary/{term} | Industry terms | Top-funnel, authority | | Templates/Examples | /templates/{type} | Template types | Mid-funnel, utility | | Tools/Calculators | /tools/{tool-name} | Tool functions | Top-funnel, link bait | | Location pages | /{service}-in-{city} | City/region names | Local-intent (if relevant) |

1C: Customer Language Mining

Run reddit-post-finder to find how ICP talks about the problem:

python3 skills/reddit-post-finder/scripts/search_reddit.py \
  --subreddit "<relevant_subs>" \
  --keywords "<category>,<problem keyword>" \
  --days 365 --sort top --time year

Extract:

• Questions people ask → potential glossary/guide patterns
• "How do I [X] with [tool]?" → integration/use-case patterns
• "Is there a [X] for [industry]?" → vertical page patterns
• Comparison discussions → vs/ page patterns

1D: Keyword Volume Validation

Enhanced mode (DataForSEO / Keywords Everywhere / SEMrush / Ahrefs):

For each candidate pattern, generate 20-50 keyword variations and pull exact volumes:

• "your-product vs {competitor1}", "your-product vs {competitor2}", etc.
• "best {category} for {industry1}", "best {category} for {industry2}", etc.
• "{your-product} {integration1} integration", etc.

Aggregate per pattern type:

• Total addressable monthly searches across all variations
• Average volume per variation
• Volume distribution (are a few variations high-volume or is it evenly spread?)
• Average keyword difficulty

Baseline mode:

Use seo-domain-analyzer for competitor domain metrics, web_search to spot-check if key variations have SERP results (indicating real demand), and manual estimation based on:

• Competitor page count per pattern (more pages = likely more demand)
• Google autocomplete suggestions for pattern variations
• Reddit/community question frequency

Phase 2: Pattern Evaluation

Score each candidate pattern on:

| Factor | Weight | How to Assess | |--------|--------|---------------| | Search demand | 30% | Total addressable volume across all variations | | Intent quality | 25% | How close to purchase decision? (vs/ = high, glossary = low) | | Template feasibility | 20% | Can you create a useful, differentiated page from a template? | | Data availability | 15% | Can you programmatically source the data that varies? | | Competitive gap | 10% | Are competitors NOT doing this pattern, or doing it poorly? |

Score each pattern 0-100. Rank by score.

Feasibility Check Per Pattern

For each pattern scoring 50+, validate:

1. Data source — Where does the variable data come from?

   • Competitor names → manual list (finite, high-value)
   • Integration/tool names → API marketplace, app directory
   • Industry names → standard industry lists
   • Terms/glossary → keyword research output
   • Templates → product feature matrix

2. Content differentiation — Can each page offer genuine value, or will they be thin?

   • vs/ pages need real feature comparisons, not just "we're better"
   • Integration pages need actual setup guides or use cases
   • Vertical pages need industry-specific pain points and examples

3. Technical feasibility — Can your CMS generate these at scale?

   • Static site generators (Next.js, Astro) → excellent for pSEO
   • Webflow CMS → good, max 10K items per collection
   • WordPress → good with custom post types
   • Manual creation → not pSEO, just a lot of pages

Phase 3: Template Design

For each pattern being built, design:

Template Blueprint

## Pattern: [vs/{competitor}]

### URL Structure
/vs/{competitor-slug}

### Title Template
{Your Product} vs {Competitor} — [Year] Comparison | {Your Brand}

### Meta Description Template
Compare {Your Product} and {Competitor} side-by-side. See pricing, features,
pros/cons, and which is better for {ICP description}.

### H1
{Your Product} vs {Competitor}: Honest Comparison

### Page Sections (content framework)
1. **TL;DR** — 3-sentence summary of key differences (above fold)
2. **Quick comparison table** — Feature matrix with checkmarks
3. **Detailed comparison** — 4-6 key dimensions, 2-3 paragraphs each
4. **Pricing comparison** — Plan-by-plan breakdown
5. **Who should choose {Your Product}** — ICP fit description
6. **Who should choose {Competitor}** — Fair assessment
7. **What real users say** — Review quotes from both sides
8. **CTA** — Trial/demo prompt

### Data Required Per Page
- competitor_name: string
- competitor_slug: string
- competitor_features: array (from their website/docs)
- competitor_pricing: object (from pricing page)
- competitor_reviews: array (from G2/Capterra)
- your_differentiators: array (per competitor)

### Content Guidelines
- Minimum 1,500 words per page
- Must include at least one unique insight (not just feature lists)
- Use actual screenshots or diagrams where possible
- Update quarterly (pricing/features change)

Repeat for each pattern type.

Phase 4: Prioritization & Roadmap

Build the implementation plan:

Priority Matrix

| Pattern | Score | Est. Pages | Volume/Page | Total Volume | Build Effort | Priority | |---------|-------|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|----------| | vs/ comparisons | 85 | 15 | 300 | 4,500 | Medium | P0 — Build first | | integrations/ | 72 | 40 | 80 | 3,200 | High | P1 — Build second | | for-{industry}/ | 68 | 12 | 200 | 2,400 | Medium | P1 — Build second | | alternatives-to/ | 65 | 8 | 250 | 2,000 | Low | P0 — Quick win | | glossary/ | 45 | 100 | 40 | 4,000 | Low | P2 — Authority play |

Recommended Buildout Sequence

Month 1: Quick wins

• Build [pattern A] — [X] pages, [rationale]
• Build [pattern B] — [X] pages, [rationale]

Month 2: Scale

• Build [pattern C] — [X] pages, [rationale]
• Measure Month 1 patterns, iterate templates

Month 3: Expand

• Build [pattern D] — [X] pages, [rationale]
• Update Month 1 pages with performance data

Per-Pattern Data Source Plan

For each pattern, specify exactly where the variable data comes from:

• Manual curation (competitors list — finite, high quality)
• API source (integration marketplace)
• Scraping (review sites, competitor pages)
• Internal data (product features, pricing)

Phase 5: Output

# Programmatic SEO Blueprint — [Product Name] — [DATE]

## Executive Summary
- [N] patterns evaluated, [M] recommended for buildout
- Total addressable search volume: [X]/month
- Estimated pages to build: [Y]
- Recommended buildout timeline: [Z] months

---

## Pattern Analysis (ranked by priority)

### P0: [Pattern Name]
- URL structure: [pattern]
- Pages to build: [N]
- Total monthly volume: [X]
- Template blueprint: [see below]
- Data source: [where variable data comes from]
- Build effort: [Low/Medium/High]
- Expected time to rank: [2-4 months / 4-8 months / etc.]

[Full template blueprint per Phase 3]

### P1: [Pattern Name]
...

---

## Technical Requirements
- CMS: [capabilities needed]
- Data pipeline: [how to source variable data]
- Update cadence: [how often to refresh]

---

## Quick-Start Guide
1. Start with [pattern] — lowest effort, highest intent
2. Create [N] pages using the template above
3. Monitor for [X] weeks before expanding
4. ...

Save to the current working directory or wherever the user prefers.

Cost

| Component | Cost | |-----------|------| | Site catalog per competitor (Apify) | ~$0.05-0.10 | | Reddit scraper | ~$0.05-0.10 | | SEO domain analyzer | ~$0.10-0.20 | | DataForSEO keyword lookups (enhanced) | ~$0.50-2.00 (depending on variation count) | | Keywords Everywhere (enhanced alt) | ~$0.01-0.05 | | Analysis | Free (LLM reasoning) | | Total (baseline) | ~$0.20-0.50 | | Total (enhanced) | ~$0.70-2.50 |

Tools Required

• Apify API token — APIFY_API_TOKEN env var
• Upstream skills: site-content-catalog, seo-domain-analyzer, reddit-post-finder
• Optional (enhanced): DataForSEO (DATAFORSEO_LOGIN + DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD), Keywords Everywhere (KEYWORDS_EVERYWHERE_API_KEY), SEMrush (SEMRUSH_API_KEY), or Ahrefs (AHREFS_API_TOKEN)

Trigger Phrases

• "Plan our programmatic SEO strategy"
• "What pSEO pages should we build?"
• "Design vs/ comparison pages for our product"
• "How do we scale to hundreds of SEO pages?"
• "Build a pSEO blueprint for [client]"
• "What programmatic patterns should we use?"