2.3 Body content, quality & non-commodity ✦HighVerified
Thin content
A page with little substantive content rarely deserves to rank or be cited. Thin pages dilute the site overall quality too.
What it is
Very little substantive content.
Why it matters
Low value; weak ranking and little to cite.
How to fix it
Expand with genuinely useful material.
How to find it on your site
- Identify pages with very little unique main content.
- Decide whether each should be expanded, merged or removed.
- Add genuine depth, or consolidate thin pages into stronger ones.
- Noindex or remove pages that cannot justify themselves.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Thin content underperforms and can drag down site-wide quality assessment. Depth or consolidation fixes it.
Impact
Medium-high. Direct.
Evidence
Create valuable, substantive content. Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content; Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search
Sources