Definition
Thin content refers to web pages that offer little or no added value to users due to insufficient, superficial, auto-generated, or largely duplicated content. Google considers as thin content pages with very little original text, affiliate pages without added value, auto-generated pages without relevance, doorway pages, and scraped or spun content. The Google Panda algorithm, launched in 2011, specifically targets sites with a significant proportion of thin content by degrading their visibility. Thin content is not limited to word count: a short but highly relevant and useful page is not thin content, while a long page with no original substance can be. Google's goal is to favor content that truly and completely addresses the user's search intent. Fixing thin content involves enrichment, consolidation (merging weak pages), noindexing, or deleting valueless pages.
Key Points
- Refers to pages without real added value for the user, not just short pages
- Specifically targeted by Google Panda algorithm since 2011
- Includes auto-generated, scraped, affiliate without content, and doorway pages
- Fix by enriching, consolidating, or noindexing weak pages
Practical Examples
Affiliate pages without content
An Amazon affiliate site publishes hundreds of product pages containing only the product title, price, and affiliate link, without any original description, personal review, or useful comparative information.
Empty tag and category pages
A WordPress blog automatically generates tag and category pages containing simply a list of links to articles, without any original editorial content, creating dozens of indexed pages with zero added value.
Identical service pages
A services site creates 50 'plumber + city' pages with the same text where only the city name changes, without any location-specific information or unique relevant content.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no minimum word count defined by Google. Thin content is measured by value provided, not length. A 200-word page perfectly answering a simple question is not thin content. However, a 1,000-word page of generic content without useful information can be. The goal is to completely address the search intent.
Use Google Analytics to spot pages with high bounce rates and low session time. Screaming Frog can identify pages with little text. Google Search Console shows pages with low impression counts. Manually evaluate whether each page addresses a specific search intent with original, useful content.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07