When Google considers which result to present at the top of the search results, or present an answer box, it is seeking to identify a combination of EAT (Expertise, Authority, Trust) and user experience (fast loading, no pop ups) that best answers the search request.
Part of this consideration for EAT is the amount of relevant and high information/content the website presents on a specific subject.
What is thin content?
Thin content is when a website has little or no thematic content on a particular subject that it wishes to rank for. For example, this website shares content around the themes of SEO, Google Optimisation and digital marketing. If we wished to rank for ‘Taylor Swift’ terms we could write one blog post about ‘Midnights’ but Google would consider it thin content. i.e. we do not have enough thematic content to demonstrate EAT.
Why is it a problem for your SEO?
Far too many brands focus exclusively on commercial content like products and collection pages that offer a higher conversion potential. This is a logical consideration and one that works for paid search, but one that misses the wider opportunities of SEO.
There is a huge audience of potential customers that need what you sell, but may not know it. Every brand will have a use case and consumer benefit that could be translated into ‘softer’ more editorial content that is overlooked in the pursuit of high conversion rates.
Thin content has been a ranking factor for a long time now, but has been reinforced with the ‘Helpful Content’ update in August 2022.
Put simply, if you want to convince Google you have proven expertise in a particular topic, you will need to demonstrate this through multiple content pieces (blogs, PLPs, PDPs). Without this depth and quality of content you cannot expect to rank well.
How to overcome thin content?
Investing in more supporting content is the quickest way to appeal to Google. This content needs to connect the brand proposition with the relevant keyword searches.
Consider what consumers are searching for, what questions they are asking and find a way to engineer content that matches the demand. For every theme, topic or product line brands should consider multiple different angles to ensure there is a valuable collection o content that would not be considered thin.
Can we help with your SEO content?
Our teams have a strong track record in content engineering that appeals to Google, attracts and converts customers. It is just one part of our SEO Consultancy that continues to deliver strong growth for challenger brands.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more
