The written content on each page is largely responsible for how Google will rank each page of your site. When your web page has more high quality content, you give Google more to grab onto, and allow for higher rankings on search engine results pages.
What is Thin Content?
Thin content can mean a few different things when it comes to SEO, but generally it’s a page that Google deems as not having any real value to the user, and certainly won’t be ranking highly on any search results page. Most commonly it’s a page that just doesn’t have enough content, either written or visual- but thin content can actually take a few forms. As a standard, we usually tell our clients that each page should have at least 400 words on it, but this is really just a starting point, and other elements like photos, graphics, and structured content can play a big part as well.
Automatically Generated Content
If your page features automatically generated content that doesn’t actually make any sense for users, Google will certainly categorize this as thin content. In order for your content to be useful, it needs to have actual appeal to the users of the internet, usually by providing useful information of some kind.
Duplicate Content
While many consider duplicate content to be an entirely different category, it is truly just as bad if not worse. Google does not like it when you have pages that are essentially the same as other pages on your website, or throughout the entire internet. Duplicate content is one of the biggest problems for those trying to manipulate their rank through higher keyword density, and can easily be prevented by making sure each page has completely original verbiage.
Text Blocking
This is a big problem with many WordPress websites, but it’s also a mistake made by many other web design platforms as well. When your text blocks have plenty of white space between them, Google may decide that they don’t belong together- leading to thin content issues. The reason this happens is because Google doesn’t think there is enough related information on the page, so it automatically splits your content into multiple pages.
Doorway Pages
These types of pages can also negatively affect SEO, they are essentially pages that just link to another page and have no real purpose unto themselves. You may have these types of pages that just link to other pages on your site, or you could also be linking offsite to another page. These should be eliminated from your website if possible.
Google does not like doorway pages for a number reasons: It makes it harder for users to find what they’re looking for because it doesn’t actually highlight the content that is important It can end up spreading what would normally be considered thin content even further throughout your site and diluting your ranking potential If someone stumbles upon one of these pages via search engine results, they will likely get annoyed and leave the site instead of exploring any deeper into your site and clicking through to more useful information within each article.
Main Takeaway
In conclusion, always make sure each page of your website really has a purpose with useful information. Every page should have at least 400 words, but longer form content doesn’t hurt. Only use original content that is unique to your website, even if the content is from an affiliate or partner business, your rankings could get damaged.t
Contact Boston Web Marketing
For help boosting your SEO rankings, get in touch with the experts at Boston Web Marketing. We will help you grow your business and improve the health of your website at the same time. Give us a call at 857.526.0096 or contact us here for more information.