Thin content provides little useful information (automatically generated pages, doorway pages). Replace thin pages with meaningful, well-structured content or consolidate them.
Have you ever spent hours putting a page on your site, only to have Google completely ignore it? I know the heartache of creating a page that just does not provide enough value to rank. I want to share the secret problem that makes your website look weak to search engines.
I am going to explain exactly What is thin content? and show you how to identify and fix low-quality pages on your site right now. I will give you simple, actionable tips for every major platform and industry. This guide will help you produce content that is rich, authoritative, and finally ranks. 💪
What is thin content?
Thin content is any page on your website that offers very little unique value, insight, or information to the user. Think of it as a low-effort page that does not fully satisfy the searcher’s intent. Search engines view thin content as a sign of poor quality and often avoid indexing it or rank it very low.
Examples of thin content include product descriptions copied from the manufacturer, automatically generated text, or blog posts that are too short and generic. I need to make sure every page on my site has a clear purpose and provides substantial, unique information. Removing or improving thin content is crucial for boosting my site’s overall quality score.
Impact of Thin Content Across CMS Platforms
The risk of thin content can appear on any platform, but the methods I use to manage it are different for each CMS.
WordPress
On WordPress, thin content often comes from creating too many low-quality tag or category archive pages. I fix this by setting my low-value archive pages to “noindex” using an SEO plugin to keep them out of Google’s index. I also focus on making sure my blog posts are always comprehensive, not just short summaries.
Shopify
For my Shopify stores, the risk of thin content is very high, especially when many products share similar manufacturer descriptions. I ensure every product page has unique, benefit-driven copy that describes the item’s value and usage. I also make sure my product filter pages that offer little selection are “noindex”ed.
Wix
Wix users should avoid the common mistake of creating pages with very little text, relying only on images. I make sure every service page or gallery has a minimum of a few hundred words of unique, descriptive text. I use the platform’s features to write complete sections that fully explain my business offerings.
Webflow
Webflow’s CMS is powerful, but I must be careful not to create dynamic pages (like author profiles or simple tag archives) that have very little content. I ensure that every template for a dynamic page pulls enough unique information to justify its existence. I use the redirect manager to quickly remove any genuinely thin content pages.
Custom CMS
With a custom CMS, I enforce content standards that require a minimum word count and a clear unique selling proposition for every page before it is published. I implement technical audits that flag pages with low text-to-HTML ratios. This proactive approach prevents thin content from ever becoming a widespread problem.
Thin Content Application in Different Industries
I look for specific areas in each industry where thin content is most likely to show up and cause issues.
Ecommerce
In e-commerce, the most common thin content is poorly written or duplicate product descriptions. I solve this by investing in unique copy that highlights features, benefits, and usage scenarios. I also ensure my “out of stock” pages either redirect or provide helpful related content, instead of being truly thin.
Local Businesses
For local businesses, thin content often appears as single-line descriptions of services or duplicate pages for different locations. I fix this by writing full, descriptive paragraphs for every service I offer, often including pricing details and a local call-to-action. Each location page must have unique text, testimonials, and photos.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
With SaaS, thin content can be found in short, unhelpful documentation or simple feature pages that lack detail. I ensure my knowledge base is comprehensive, with step-by-step guides and examples for every feature. My feature pages need to clearly explain the benefit and include a minimum amount of unique text.
Blogs
For my blogs, I avoid thin content by setting a minimum word count of at least 500 words for every single post I publish. I ensure every article answers the user’s query thoroughly, and I never use automatically generated summaries. I focus on deep, comprehensive articles that cover the topic completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is thin content only about word count?
No, while low word count is often a symptom, thin content is fundamentally about low value and lack of unique information. A 2,000-word article can still be thin if it is just repetitive fluff.
How can I find thin content on my website?
I find thin content by using Google Search Console to look for pages with low impressions or by using an audit tool that checks pages with a low word count or a high similarity to other pages.
Should I delete thin content or improve it?
I recommend trying to improve any thin page that has a chance of ranking or has some existing backlinks. If a page has no value and no links, I delete it and set up a 301 redirect to a relevant, high-quality page.
What happens if Google thinks my site has too much thin content?
If Google finds too much thin content, it can lower the overall quality score of my entire domain. This can result in my good pages ranking lower and fewer of my pages being crawled and indexed. It is an overall domain health issue.