3 Examples Of Product-Led SEO

Final week, I despatched out an replace on my market search engine optimization problem, and it will be a whole miss if I didn’t do the identical for the subject of product-led search engine optimization, as a result of they’re straight associated.

On this problem, you’ll get:

• An intensive take a look at what product-led search engine optimization is, what it isn’t, and the place it’s helpful.
• Three main modalities of product-led search engine optimization.
• Three real-world present examples, with notes about why they’re working within the present search panorama.
• The highest watch-outs for product-led search engine optimization applications primarily based on modality.

And premium subscribers will get entry to:

1. My guiding guidelines for product-led search engine optimization and
2. An interactive evaluation touchdown in your inbox this week that may information you in making a high-level plan to refine your product-led strategy. Join full entry so that you don’t miss out.

Additionally, a fast because of Amanda Johnson, who partnered with me on this one. Enhance your expertise with Progress Memo’s weekly skilled insights. Subscribe without cost!

Some firms, not all, can take a hyperscalable strategy to natural progress: product-led search engine optimization.

Whereas most websites drive search engine optimization site visitors by way of company-generated content material (i.e., content material libraries), product-led search engine optimization permits sure websites to scale touchdown pages with content material that comes out of the product.

This product-forward technique can reduce the burden in your group to generate pages for a content material library, and it opens the gates to search engine optimization A/B testing, scaled inner linking methods, and constructing progress loops.

On this put up, I spotlight 5 totally different examples and varieties of product-led search engine optimization.

Steering right here has additionally been absolutely up to date to mirror the current adjustments in search, together with the influence of AIOs, AI Mode, and LLMs, in addition to how these adjustments have an effect on a product-led search engine optimization strategy.

The time period product-led search engine optimization (or PLSEO for brief) was first coined by Eli Schwartz in his guide of the identical title.

PLSEO is an natural progress technique the place your search engine optimization practices are centered on bettering the discoverability, adoption, and person expertise of your product itself inside search outcomes, as a substitute of specializing in rising natural visibility by way of conventional content material advertising and marketing efforts.

In plain phrases, the content material comes out of your product as a substitute of writers.

A couple of examples:

• TripAdvisor: thousands and thousands of programmatic pages supported by critiques (UGC).
• Uber Eats: thousands and thousands of programmatic pages supported by eating places (stock).
• Zillow: thousands and thousands of programmatic pages supported by properties (stock).

The important thing distinction from marketing-led search engine optimization is {that a} product or progress group considers search engine optimization within the growth of the product itself, surfacing user-generated content material or different stock straight into (Google) Search.

Not like company-generated content material, product-led search engine optimization leverages person interactions, integrations, or information to create content material.

It’s an aggregator technique, which means it solely works for firms that “combination” (suppose: accumulate and group) items like critiques, suppliers, places, and extra.

Product-led search engine optimization has been fairly the excitement, particularly amongst SaaS firms, nevertheless it usually will get misunderstood.

Product-led search engine optimization just isn’t:

• Depending on manually crafting each touchdown or content material web page: Not like conventional search engine optimization approaches, the place every touchdown web page is rigorously crafted by content material groups, product-led search engine optimization usually makes use of programmatic or automated strategies to generate giant volumes of pages straight from product, stock, or person information.
• Solely centered on focusing on queries for advertising and marketing angles: Whereas typical search engine optimization practices would possibly begin with creating content material round key phrase analysis or audience-based question discovery, product-led search engine optimization begins with in-product indicators (e.g., what customers construct or work together with) and surfaces that as content material.
• Counting on fastened pages: Conventional search engine optimization usually includes making a finite set of cornerstone property or matter clusters, increasing content material from there. Product-led search engine optimization, nevertheless, regularly scales because the product (or person base) grows – every new UGC, integration, or product addition robotically provides indexable pages.

Some firms perform a product-led search engine optimization technique with user-generated content material (UGC), whereas others would possibly use integrations or apps.

Right here, I’m going to supply a glance into three main modalities of product-led search engine optimization – and with three real-world, present examples.

• UGC-driven PLSEO (like Figma, Traveladvisor, or Cameo): Group members create new property – design recordsdata, shout-out profiles, wikis, and so forth. – and every submission spawns its personal touchdown web page. Over time, these pages accumulate long-tail key phrase protection with out editorial groups writing each.
• Provide-driven PLSEO (like Zapier, IMDb): On this mannequin, the product itself “provides” information – integrations, API endpoints, or statistical datasets – that robotically translate into search engine optimization pages.
• Locale-driven PLSEO (like Doordash, Reserving.com, or Zillow): As listings go stay or replace (a brand new restaurant, a resort’s availability), a corresponding city- or neighborhood-specific web page is generated. These pages seize “close to me” and different native key phrases.

A web site would possibly select to make use of a number of modalities, relying on its choices, however I’ll additionally dive into what strategy may go greatest primarily based on your small business kind or targets.

Necessary observe earlier than you dive in: All marketplaces are product-led search engine optimization performs, however not all product-led search engine optimization performs are marketplaces. For a deep dive into market search engine optimization practices, try Efficient Market search engine optimization is extra like Product Progress.

With UGC-based PLSEO, person contributions (templates, profiles, critiques) change into the first search engine optimization gasoline.

Design software Figma is an archetypal instance of an search engine optimization aggregator that drives product-led search engine optimization by way of user-generated content material.

The scaling mechanism for Figma is the group, the place customers can add and promote templates for all types of use circumstances, from cell app design to GUI templates.

As you’ll be able to see within the screenshot beneath, Figma’s natural site visitors is exploding.

In case you do a fast verify of Figma in your most well-liked search engine optimization software, you’ll discover the next:

• The principle URL exhibits that, globally, Figma’s natural rankings and site visitors have held or grown barely for the reason that intense adjustments throughout the search panorama.
• The natural rankings and site visitors of the /group/ and /templates/ subdirectories have both held or elevated, relying on the actual nation.
• The variety of whole pages on the location has stayed about the identical.

What this possible means:

• For Figma, its UGC product-led search engine optimization strategy is holding sturdy after the rise of LLM chat use for search, together with Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• This search engine optimization strategy is troublesome to duplicate, which creates a progress loop for Figma that’s laborious to compete with.
• A UGC-driven strategy helps overcome present search challenges. Figma has a numerous variety of useful kits and templates that AI-driven search and LLMs can depend on of their sourcing and proposals. (A fast search of “what are the perfect free UI kits?” in ChatGPT gave me an inventory of 10 suggestions, and 7 have been from Figma. In Google’s AI Mode, I acquired two to a few “better of” lists that have been simply Figma free kits.)

Notion or Typeshare observe the identical strategy:

• With data administration software program Notion, customers can create their very own wikis and permit Google to index particular pages, or complete workspaces.
• Typeshare is a social posting software that robotically provides social content material to a mini weblog that customers can determine to index in Search.

Prime Use Instances For UGC Product-Led search engine optimization

Such a search engine optimization excels for websites and companies that may repeatedly scale content material primarily based on what customers contribute or work together with, together with:

• SaaS firms the place customers can create their very own templates, designs, or workflows to share and promote.
• Code snippet sharing websites or platforms.
• Information-sharing boards or wiki platforms (just like the HubSpot Group).
• Evaluate and suggestion aggregators – marketplaces like G2 and TripAdvisor.

For supply-driven product-led search engine optimization, bear in mind: The product itself “provides” information. That’s the content material that produces pages for optimization.

A superb B2C instance of this (and a web site that you just’re possible conversant in already) is IMDb.

IMDb’s huge repository of film and TV metadata – forged lists, launch dates, scores, and filming places – produces search engine optimization pages that rank for movie fans’ long-tail queries.

Every time new information (e.g., “new Netflix launch 2025”) is ingested by way of AWS Knowledge Alternate or accomplice feeds, IMDb’s platform auto-generates or updates the corresponding title web page, guaranteeing recent content material for searches like “when is [Movie Title] popping out on streaming?”

Plus, IMDb advantages from a lift with a aspect of UGC from person scores and commentary.

This data-supply-driven strategy turns product updates into steady search engine optimization indicators.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

In case you do a fast verify of IMDb in your most well-liked search engine optimization software, you’ll discover:

• The principle URL exhibits that, globally, IMDb natural rankings and site visitors have held or grown barely for the reason that intense adjustments throughout the search panorama.
• The natural rankings and site visitors of the /boxoffice/ and /calendar/ subdirectories have both held, elevated, and even skyrocketed, relying on the actual nation.
• The variety of whole pages on the location has decreased barely within the final 12 months, by about 23%.

What this possible means:

• For IMDb, its supply-driven product-led search engine optimization strategy is holding sturdy after the rise of LLM chat use for search, together with Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• This search engine optimization strategy is troublesome for different websites to duplicate, which creates a progress loop for IMDb that’s laborious to compete with. IMDb’s world information provide is strong and laborious to beat.
• A supply-driven strategy helps overcome present search challenges. As a result of IMDb is attentive to date-driven, rating-driven information adjustments, it gives a wonderful supply of up to date, stay data for conventional looking out and LLMs to floor in conversation-based searches.

Prime Use Instances For Provide-Pushed Product-Led search engine optimization

Such a PLSEO excels when you have got distinctive, defensible datasets and a templating system to publish pages at scale, capturing long-tail and high-intent queries with out guide content material creation.

Examples of orgs that would profit from this modality embody:

• Safety and vulnerability databases that may auto-publish advisory pages for every newly found vulnerability (like Snyk).
• Actual-time pricing and compensation websites (suppose Glassdoor or fintech fee comparability websites).
• SaaS merchandise that accumulate person habits or efficiency metrics (e.g., “Common web page load instances for Shopify shops”).

The locale-driven PLSEO modality leverages hyperlocal or geo-specific stock – eating places, properties, accommodations – to create search engine optimization pages for each location or zip code.

Meals supply service Doordash scales natural site visitors by aggregating eating places and varieties of meals, just like Uber Eats or Instacart.

Picture Credit score: Kevin Indig

Since meals supply has a robust native intent, close to me queries are important. Doordash addresses that with an in depth record of metropolis pages.

The fitting web page structure and content material are key for websites that scale by way of product stock.

• Doordash’s metropolis pages include eating places, textual content, and FAQ.
• Restaurant pages themselves observe an identical sample: They cowl meals to order, critiques, and FAQ.
• One other necessary issue? Inner linking. Metropolis pages hyperlink to close by cities; restaurant pages to eating places in the identical metropolis.

Doordash has additionally created pages for faculties (order close to a campus), accommodations (order close to a resort), and zip codes to cowl all potential person intentions.

Different examples of product inventory-driven websites are actual property web site Zillow or coupon code web site Retailmenot.

In case you do a fast verify of Doordash in your most well-liked search engine optimization software, you’ll discover:

• The principle URL exhibits Doordash’s natural rankings and site visitors have declined considerably after which held within the U.S. market, however have grown barely since January 2025 in some world markets.
• It has decreased its whole variety of pages by ~30%.

What this possible means:

• For Doordash, its product stock, product-led search engine optimization strategy is holding sturdy after the rise of LLM chat use for search, together with Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• A part of this sustained presence (regardless of a difficult search engine optimization panorama) is probably going resulting from funding within the model, increasing globally, and decreasing unimportant pages and subjects to their enterprise.

I predict that serps and LLMs will proceed to provide favor to hyperlocal content material, which is difficult to match.

These product stock websites which might be centered on location (like Doordash, Zillow) or thousands and thousands of merchandise have the proper infrastructure to do it nicely.

This explicit strategy to product-led search engine optimization can work nicely for companies that may programmatically generate search-ready pages from their product or itemizing stock, together with:

• Meals supply & native ordering platforms.
• Actual property marketplaces.
• Ecommerce retailers with expansive catalogs.
• Journey & lodging aggregators.
• Automotive itemizing portals.

Whereas product-led search engine optimization can drive the creation of search engine optimization progress loops round your small business – ones which might be troublesome on your rivals to duplicate – this strategy doesn’t come with out some large challenges.

Maintain the next in thoughts:

1. Websites utilizing PLSEO approaches have to be careful for search engine optimization hygiene, spam, and web site upkeep points.

Stock adjustments (menus, listings, hours, availability) on the location can maintain content material recent – a bonus for each traditional search engine optimization and potential LLM coaching inputs.

Nevertheless, the hygiene and upkeep required to maintain these pages functioning and correct are vital. Don’t make use of this observe with out the right infrastructure in place to keep up it over time.

And for those who depend on UGC? It’s mission-critical to have good QA processes and spam filters in place to make sure content material high quality.

2. search engine optimization aggregators, particularly marketplaces, have been considerably impacted by the rollouts of AI-based search.

PLSEO just isn’t exempt from the influence of Google’s AIOs, AI Mode, and LLM-based search. In reality, many aggregator marketplaces have been disproportionally affected.

One of many greatest challenges, particularly for product-led UGC search engine optimization performs, is that all of your laborious work might go unclicked.

Creating techniques to do this type of search engine optimization at scale is labor-intensive.

It’s extremely possible that AIOs, AI Mode, and LLMs will reference the person generated content material with out you incomes the natural site visitors for it.

Nevertheless, constructing a robust, trusted model by way of group, publication mentions, and shared hyperlinks can earn extra mentions in LLMs.

As a result of I not too long ago reworked my in-depth information to market search engine optimization, I’m going to avoid wasting you some additional scrolling right here.

In case you’re involved in the perfect use circumstances and how one can strategy market search engine optimization from a product progress mindset, take a leap over right here for some nice examples and a full framework: Efficient Market search engine optimization is extra like Product Progress.

3. Don’t lower corners on the depth of data supplied in favor of scaling.

For a lot of websites, the important thing to scaling product-led search engine optimization is deploying a programmatic strategy.

However programmatic touchdown pages ought to nonetheless include a depth of data, have sturdy technical search engine optimization, and interesting content material with ample person worth.

In case you don’t have these sources and practices in place, together with the right processes to keep up pages over time, then it’s possible programmatic search engine optimization isn’t on your org.

With the rise of AI-based search, LLMs like ChatGPT, in addition to Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, are shifting towards understanding and presenting data in additional conversational and context-rich codecs, which programmatic pages usually lack.

One other watch-out? If these programmatic pages are extremely templated with plenty of components, they’re usually rather a lot for a human reader to absorb directly. And that may result in poor UX if not performed accurately.

4. Future problem: An internet surfed by AI brokers.

Whereas it’s possible we don’t should be nervous about this at this time, we have to begin brainstorming how one can adapt our content material creation for what the online may appear like tomorrow.

In what methods would your product-led search engine optimization strategy want to alter to adapt to AI agent site visitors, whereas additionally prioritizing human UX?

If customers begin utilizing queries and instructions like “order my favourite dish from the Indian meals restaurant I went to final month and have it delivered,” or “give me 3 for-sale listings of two mattress, 2 bathtub condos in my space that I didn’t evaluation final week,” to ship an AI agent to your web site, how would your PLSEO practices have to adapt?

What about PLSEO practices that floor distinctive integrations, templates, and workflows?

If AI brokers change into customers of merchandise and software program themselves – and subsequently even have the flexibility to generate their very own apps, integrations, and product workflows as wanted – people, and even their AI counterparts, then skip the necessity for this search totally. (Manufacturers that solely depend on a lot of these searches may say goodbye to natural site visitors and visibility.)

I don’t have the solutions right here – I’d argue nobody does proper now. So, no want for speedy alarm or dramatic adjustments.

But it surely’s necessary to start out investing time and testing to contemplate what your model may have to alter for an AI agent future.

Adopting a product-led search engine optimization technique can unlock substantial progress – and progress that holds and is sustained regardless of the rise in AI-based search – nevertheless it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer.

When executed nicely, PLSEO turns your product (or product information) into an ever-expanding library of search engine optimization property.

As an alternative of relying solely on a content material group to crank out new weblog posts or touchdown pages, you leverage in-product indicators – person contributions, integrations, stock feeds – to robotically spawn indexable pages.

However earlier than beginning or transforming your product-led search engine optimization program, you want to have the proper motions in place. For this search engine optimization strategy, there are a lot of important shifting elements – and each is necessary.

Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal