RML
Regular Member
- Nov 1, 2024
- 401
- 292
Wish you luck, keep scaling!
[JOURNEY] Growing an Authority Website Through Programmatic SEO in the Era of AI
- Thread starter hommixo
- Start date
- Dec 13, 2010
- 4,875
- 3,316
This is one of the more thoughtful programmatic SEO threads on here right now.
The crawl budget question is real with 800+ pages at launch. Google typically batches large sites and you end up with uneven indexing where some pages get crawled within days and others sit for weeks. Submitting the sitemap is the baseline but pairing it with some internal linking from any existing authority pages or even a few social signals tends to speed things up.
Curious what niche you picked and how you are handling the thin content issue. That is usually where programmatic sites get hit - the structure is good but the actual content per page ends up too similar across variations. Are you layering any human editing on top of the generated content or running it fully automated?
Also, what are you using for the programmatic generation - custom script or a template tool like PageFactory or similar?
The crawl budget question is real with 800+ pages at launch. Google typically batches large sites and you end up with uneven indexing where some pages get crawled within days and others sit for weeks. Submitting the sitemap is the baseline but pairing it with some internal linking from any existing authority pages or even a few social signals tends to speed things up.
Curious what niche you picked and how you are handling the thin content issue. That is usually where programmatic sites get hit - the structure is good but the actual content per page ends up too similar across variations. Are you layering any human editing on top of the generated content or running it fully automated?
Also, what are you using for the programmatic generation - custom script or a template tool like PageFactory or similar?
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Thank you so much!
Thank you, I will!
Appreciate that.
Yeah the crawl budget point is valid. I expected uneven indexing with that many pages. I submitted the sitemap early and I’m relying heavily on internal linking between related pages so Google can naturally flow through the structure.
As for thin content, that’s something I was very conscious of from the start. Even though it’s programmatic, each page has a clear intent and isn’t just a spun variation. Structure is templated, but the actual value is tied to the specific query/use-case. I’m not doing manual edits per page, but I did spend time designing the logic so pages aren’t near-duplicates.
And the generation is handled through a custom setup, not a plug-and-play tool. I prefer having control over how pages are structured and rendered.
sathish muthmary
Newbie
- Feb 25, 2026
- 19
- 4
you are not chasing shortcuts you are very different from others.
pcgamesplanet
Regular Member
- May 4, 2015
- 268
- 75
I think Mediavine’s Journey will take almost 2 months to approve the account.
Evangelinefr
BANNED
- Sep 28, 2025
- 19
- 7
Interesting approach. Programmatic SEO can still work well if the pages provide real value and cover search intent properly curious to see how the traffic scales over time.
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Thank you, those are some kind words!
I already got approved
Yes, I agree!
I shared the site in a few website selling groups and ended up getting multiple offers, then just went with the best one.
At the time of the sale it was doing roughly 40–50k pageviews/month and making around $300–$400/month mainly from ads. It also had a small email list which helped increase the value a bit.
Nothing crazy, but it was stable traffic and pretty hands-off, which is what the buyer liked.
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Milestone Update
Big milestone this week: the site got accepted into Mediavine Journey.
Ads have only been live for about 2 days, so earnings are basically nothing right now (around $0.14 RPM). That’s totally expected though since Journey usually takes some time to optimize placements and demand.
From what I’ve seen in my niche, RPMs tend to ramp up over time. I’m expecting something around $4 RPM after the first month, and potentially $10+ after a couple of months once the system stabilizes and advertisers calibrate.
Traffic-wise things are still looking healthy. Growth hasn’t been explosive lately, but it’s steady and consistent, which is exactly what I want to see. I’d much rather have a stable upward trend than random spikes.
For now the plan is simple:
More updates soon.
Big milestone this week: the site got accepted into Mediavine Journey.
Ads have only been live for about 2 days, so earnings are basically nothing right now (around $0.14 RPM). That’s totally expected though since Journey usually takes some time to optimize placements and demand.
From what I’ve seen in my niche, RPMs tend to ramp up over time. I’m expecting something around $4 RPM after the first month, and potentially $10+ after a couple of months once the system stabilizes and advertisers calibrate.
Traffic-wise things are still looking healthy. Growth hasn’t been explosive lately, but it’s steady and consistent, which is exactly what I want to see. I’d much rather have a stable upward trend than random spikes.
For now the plan is simple:
- Keep expanding the site
- Let Mediavine optimize the ads
- Continue building authority pages
More updates soon.
pcgamesplanet
Regular Member
- May 4, 2015
- 268
- 75
Congratulations, that's amazing
I also started the blog on the 1st of March and am getting some results now
can you please tell me the niche of your blog and also share some tips for getting approved?
I also started the blog on the 1st of March and am getting some results now
can you please tell me the niche of your blog and also share some tips for getting approved?
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Nice, good luck on the blog!
I can’t disclose the niche yet, but it’s more of a tool/utility type site rather than a traditional blog.
For getting approved, besides reaching the 1k users requirement, I think the biggest thing is making your site look and feel like a real brand (clean design, proper pages, etc.). Also try to target mostly US traffic and have consistent growth rather than random spikes.
pcgamesplanet
Regular Member
- May 4, 2015
- 268
- 75
Okay, thank you. I read somewhere that they are not approving AI content websites. Is it true or not?
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Not really.
They’re not against AI itself, they just don’t want low-quality, mass-generated content. If a site is just pumping out pages with no real value, that’s where people get rejected.
In my case, the site isn’t really using AI in that “mass content” way anyway. It’s more about the structure and the utility of the pages rather than just generating articles.
maxeratti
Newbie
- Aug 5, 2024
- 18
- 4
Interesting journey. With programmatic SEO, make sure you control crawl budget, avoid thin or duplicate pages, and ensure each page delivers unique value. Start with solid interlinking, monitor indexing in Search Console, and balance automation with quality checks to prevent early cannibalization or penalties.
hommixo
Newbie
- Feb 4, 2022
- 37
- 21
Update #6
As expected, RPM has climbed to around $4, and the website generated approximately $40 in its first month with Mediavine Journey. While the earnings are still modest, it’s a solid and encouraging start that shows the monetization setup is working as intended.
In terms of traffic, growth has been steady, albeit gradual. I’m completely fine with this pace, as I’ve intentionally paused publishing new content. Right now, my focus is on allowing the site to mature naturally. This phase is all about letting the existing content age and perform, which should set a stronger foundation for future growth
As expected, RPM has climbed to around $4, and the website generated approximately $40 in its first month with Mediavine Journey. While the earnings are still modest, it’s a solid and encouraging start that shows the monetization setup is working as intended.
In terms of traffic, growth has been steady, albeit gradual. I’m completely fine with this pace, as I’ve intentionally paused publishing new content. Right now, my focus is on allowing the site to mature naturally. This phase is all about letting the existing content age and perform, which should set a stronger foundation for future growth
seomaster5
Elite Member
- Oct 31, 2021
- 5,162
- 1,485
All the best for the journey.
pauliakas
Elite Member
- Feb 25, 2009
- 2,973
- 1,036
