Thin Content: How Much Text a Page Needs
A thin page is one with too little text to answer what a visitor came for: a product with one line of description, a service page that is mostly a photo, a category page with nothing but links. Search engines and AI assistants can only rank and quote what they can read.
Why it matters
Search engines need something to understand. A page has to show what it is about and why it is the best answer. A heading and two sentences rarely do that, so thin pages tend to rank below competitors that explain more.
AI assistants quote text. Answer engines pick passages to cite. Without a clear paragraph that states the facts, there is nothing to quote, and the assistant names someone else.
Visitors decide in seconds. If the page doesn’t say who the product is for, what it costs or how the service works, people go back to the results.
What we check
We count the words a visitor can read on the page: body text, headings and lists, without scripts, styles and hidden elements.
- Passed: 300 words or more.
- Needs attention: 100 to 299 words.
- Failed: fewer than 100 words.
- Pages that ask not to be indexed (
noindex) are reported for information only.
300 words is not a ranking rule; it is a practical floor for pages meant to be found. A short page can rank if it answers a narrow question well, and a long page can be thin if it repeats itself.
How to fix it
Add text that answers real questions, not filler:
- What is it, and who is it for? One paragraph that states the topic plainly.
- How does it work, or what does it include? Steps, specifications, sizes, materials.
- What does it cost and how do I get it? Prices, delivery, availability, next steps.
- Common questions. A short FAQ with the questions customers actually ask.
- Proof. Examples, numbers, reviews, credentials.
For shop category pages, a short introduction above or below the product grid is enough. For
pages that exist only for navigation, consider noindex instead of adding text nobody needs.
Avoid padding: repeating the keyword, copying manufacturer text that hundreds of other shops use, or hiding text from visitors. Those make a page worse, not fuller.
Related checks
- Keyword density shows which terms the text actually uses.
- Main topic named in title, description or H1 checks that the text and the headline agree.
- Readability checks that the text is easy to follow.