Has someone warned you that your website has thin content? Worried it\u2019s holding you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When people talk about thin content, they\u2019re usually thinking of its effect on search engine ranking \u2013 but you should also be mindful of how it impacts your clients or customers.
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Think of it like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You set out to the store, shopping list in hand, to get what you need for your upcoming house party. And you\u2019ve got to do it fast<\/em>, because the party\u2019s tonight<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As luck would have it, you find everything on your list at the first store you try. You\u2019re satisfied, and you\u2019ll definitely return to that store the next time you\u2019re planning a party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if you struck out? What if you had to make one stop for drinks, another for cake, and a third across town for cups and plates?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only are you annoyed, but you probably won\u2019t visit those stores for party supplies again \u2013 their selection is just too thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s also how people use Google\u2019s search engine results page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When someone makes a search query, they don\u2019t want to have to tap in and out of three different webpages or open three browser tabs to find the answers they\u2019re looking for. They want instant, accurate information the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And since Google and other search engines want to make users happy (more users mean more advertising revenue), search engine algorithms work hard to deliver the most accurate, relevant search results that matches a user\u2019s query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To that end, a webpage that succeeds in the delivering relevant, quality information people want will be land a higher position in the search engine results; a page that delivers sparse, low-quality, irrelevant, unoriginal content will drop in ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thin content<\/strong> is content that provides little to no value to the people who find it. If search engine algorithms judge a page as having thin content (based both on the substance of the page itself and<\/em> the way users interact with it) its ranking can plummet as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people think the way to fix thin content is to add more words to a page; this can help in some cases, but there\u2019s almost always more to it than that. The length of the copy on a page is only one of the factors that go into deciding whether a page is worth someone\u2019s time. A pamphlet can be thin, but so can a novel. So, how do you know if your content is thin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a domain contains numerous thin pages across the site, you might log into Google\u2019s Search Console one day and find a manual penalty for thin content<\/a>. That means your site has been judged as one that, \u201cappears to contain a significant percentage of low-quality or shallow pages which do not provide users with much added value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another thin content warning sign is a page that fails to get good user engagement. Once you\u2019ve ruled out other factors that could turn people away \u2013 annoying pop-ups, slow page speed, outdated or plain bad site design \u2013 it\u2019s time to point the finger at content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google also provides concrete examples of pages that often qualify as being thin content: affiliate pages, automatically-generated content, doorway pages, and unoriginal content. These aren\u2019t prima facie <\/em>thin content, but they can be. Finally, a page can qualify as thin simply for lacking in content. Conventionally, any page containing fewer than 300 words runs the risk of being thin content, but that\u2019s more a guideline than a golden rule (some pages, like a Contact Us page, have no reason to be wordy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bottom line is this: if the page is lacking in value, it could be thin content regardless of length. Short pages are often thin, but thin pages are not always short. Fixing thin content is not only about adding more words. It\u2019s about improving<\/em> your content to provide the value your users are looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It does often require you to put more words on the page \u2013 after all, a lengthier page has more room to explore a topic in enough depth. But the substance of your content matters more than its length. Since the Panda update in 2011, Google\u2019s search engine algorithm has become increasingly savvy about distinguishing valuable content from thin content, regardless of length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nSigns and Examples of Thin Content
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Fix Thin Content
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