Thin content
Thin content is pages with little or little valuable substance, which Google judges insufficient to keep in the search index.
Thin content isn't necessarily short — a 50-word definition can be valuable. The issue arises when content adds little original value: duplicated product descriptions, auto-generated category pages, boilerplate, thinly rewritten farm-articles. Google's Helpful Content System and follow-up updates penalise sites where substantial content is thin.
Example
A blog with 300 articles averaging 150 words, all shallow rewrites of general knowledge. After Helpful Content the site lost 60% traffic; pruning helped it recover.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI content cause thin content?
Only with substantial human editing. Pure AI output without review is often exactly what Google identifies as thin.
Related terms
Further reading
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