Google's stance on programmatic content has evolved significantly. In 2026, the question isn't whether programmatic SEO is "allowed"—it's whether your programmatic content genuinely serves users better than the alternatives. That's a higher bar than most agencies want to clear

The sites that thrive with programmatic content share common characteristics. Their templates aren't just containers for keywords—they're designed to answer specific questions better than any manually-written page could. Their data isn't scraped or thin—it's proprietary, curated, or transformed in ways that create genuine value. Their internal linking isn't a web of doorways—it's a logical structure that helps users and crawlers navigate meaningfully related content.

The sites that get penalized—or simply never rank—share different characteristics. They're optimized for crawlers, not humans. Their pages are interchangeable, offering no unique value for the specific query they target. They treat pSEO as a volume game: more pages, more keywords, more chances to rank. That math stopped working years ago.

When we evaluate a potential programmatic SEO project, we ask one question first: would this page deserve to rank if a human wrote it from scratch? If the answer is no, we don't build it. If the answer is yes, we figure out how to build it without losing what makes it valuable.

Not every business should do programmatic SEO. We turn away more prospects than we take on—not because we're exclusive for the sake of it, but because programmatic SEO deployed in the wrong context wastes money and can actively hurt your site. 

You need a data advantage

Programmatic SEO is only as good as the data behind it. The best programmatic SEO projects are built on proprietary datasets, unique aggregations, or information that's genuinely hard to compile. If your data is easily replicated by competitors or already widely available, your pSEO pages won't offer enough differentiation to rank sustainably. We look for clients who have—or can build—data assets that create real value.

Your vertical must have template'able search demand

Programmatic SEO works when there's a repeatable pattern of search queries that can be served by a consistent template structure. "Best [software category] for [use case]" is template-able. "[City] + [service]" is template-able. Broad informational queries about abstract topics usually aren't. We map your keyword landscape before committing to anything—if the demand pattern doesn't fit programmatic SEO, we'll tell you.

You need technical capacity to execute 

Programmatic SEO requires development resources. Templates need to be built. Data pipelines need to be maintained. Pages need to render correctly for crawlers. If you don't have engineering support—or budget to hire it—programmatic SEO becomes a nightmare of half-implemented systems and technical debt. We provide the strategy, but you need the capacity to build. 

You must be willing to invest in quality > quantity

Programmatic SEO agencies promising "10,000 pages in 30 days" are selling you a time bomb. Quality pSEO takes longer to build and produces fewer pages—but those pages actually rank and actually convert. If you're measuring success by page count, we're not aligned. If you're measuring success by traffic, revenue, and sustainable growth, we can work together. 

Templates focused on user intent

Bad programmatic SEO templates plug in the keyword, generate the page. Duh. Good templates are designed backward from the user's question, intent and need. What does someone searching "[CRM software] pricing" actually need? They need current pricing tiers, what's included at each level, how it compares to alternatives, and hidden costs. The template should deliver all of that—comprehensively and clearly—for every instance. 

Data quality

Garbage in, garbage out. If your data has errors, gaps, or inconsistencies, those problems multiply across thousands of pages. We've seen programmatic content fail because the underlying dataset was 85% accurate—sounds good until you realize that means 15% of your pages contain wrong information. We build data validation into every project and establish ongoing QA processes. 

"Uniqueness" for each page

Every programmatic page needs enough unique, valuable content to justify its existence. This isn't about word count—it's about information density. A 300-word page with genuinely unique data points can outperform a 1,000-word page of templated filler. 

Internal linking architecture that creates authority

Programmatic pages shouldn't exist in isolation. They should form clusters of related content that reinforce each other's authority. We design linking structures that make sense for users navigating between related pages—and that signal topical depth to search engines. This isn't about cramming links into footers; it's about building genuine information architecture.

Indexation that prioritizes signals

Not every programmatic page should be indexed immediately—or at all. We develop tiered indexation strategies: which pages have enough authority signals to index now, which should wait, and which might serve users but shouldn't compete for rankings. This prevents thin content from diluting your domain's quality signals.

“We'll create X pages per month” as a key metric

If an agency leads with page volume, they're optimizing for the wrong thing. Page count is an input, not an outcome. The question is: how many of those pages will rank, drive traffic, and convert? An agency focused on volume is incentivized to build thin, fast, and cheap. You want an agency focused on building pages that actually perform.

Cookie-cutter approaches across different verticals

Programmatic SEO for a SaaS comparison site is fundamentally different from pSEO for a local services marketplace or an e-commerce catalog. If an agency shows you the same template structure they use for every client, run. The strategy should be built around your specific data, your specific market, and your specific user intent patterns.

No clear answer on data quality and maintenance

Ask any prospective agency: how do you ensure data accuracy? What's the QA process before pages go live? If they don't have specific, detailed answers, they're not thinking about the long-term health of your programmatic content. They're thinking about launching pages and moving on.

Promises of rankings without competitive landscape research

Some queries are winnable with programmatic SEO. Some aren't—the competition is too established, or the SERP features favor different content types. An agency guaranteeing results before analyzing specific keyword opportunities is selling hope. We do competitive analysis first.

No discussion of risk or potential downsides

Programmatic SEO carries risks. Algorithm updates can impact templated content disproportionately. Data sources can change. If an agency presents programmatic SEO as pure upside with no caveats, they're either naive or dishonest. We discuss risks openly because informed clients make better partners.