# Side project indexation sample before 800-page publish

> Publish and monitor a small indexation sample before sending hundreds of similar programmatic pages at a new domain.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/side-project-indexation-sample-before-800-page-publish/
- Source: [reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/sideprojects/comments/1tulvir/i_published_800_seo_pages_for_a_side_project/)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Reddit r/SideProject: 800 SEO pages indexation thread](/sources/reddit-r-sideproject-800-seo-pages-indexation-thread-reddit-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-06-07T06:45:45.000Z
- Rarity: uncommon
- Budget: low
- Channels: SEO, Technical SEO, Programmatic SEO
- Stages: indexation, search console, new domain SEO, crawl budget, programmatic page cohort


## Why this can grow

The painful lesson from the side-project thread is that publishing is not the same as ranking, or even indexing. The founder shipped roughly 800 location-style pages with unique data, internal links, a clean template, and an XML sitemap, then found that most pages were stuck in “discovered” or “crawled” but not indexed. That makes a strong case for a smaller sampling loop: publish a cohort, watch Search Console buckets, improve internal links and unique sections, then scale the pages that Google is willing to keep. It saves weeks of guessing on a new domain.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. For SEO and AI search, I care less about clever keyword tricks and more about clarity. A buyer, crawler, or answer engine should quickly understand who this is for, why it works, what proof backs it, and what page deserves to be cited. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where side project indexation sample before 800-page publish can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the SEO and Technical SEO channel.
3. Use the evidence from reddit.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

A nights-and-weekends side-project founder described shipping roughly 800 location-style pages, then rebuilding navigation, resubmitting sitemaps, testing submissions, and learning that indexation had to be treated as an operational loop.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Search Console triage loop for programmatic pages](/growth-ideas/search-console-triage-loop-for-programmatic-pages/) - 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [PageFlows long-tail flow pages from every recording](/growth-ideas/pageflows-long-tail-flow-pages-from-every-recording/) - 2 shared channels
- [PikaSEO free HR calculators before backlink outreach](/growth-ideas/pikaseo-free-hr-calculators-before-backlink-outreach/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage
- [Reddit 30 percent decay report before refresh week](/growth-ideas/reddit-30-percent-decay-report-before-refresh-week/) - 1 shared channel, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [Programmatic SEO only works when the page has a reason](/blog/programmatic-seo-only-works-when-the-page-has-a-reason/) - programmatic SEO, search growth, content systems

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.