What makes a site's content thin, and why is thin not short?
Part of MFA avoidance
The short answer
Thin content is a page that gives a reader little or nothing of its own: no answer to its headline, no original information and no added value over what exists elsewhere. Google describes it as low-quality or shallow pages. Length is not the test, because a short page can answer fully while a long page can be mostly filler.
Key takeaways
- Google's manual actions help names thin content with little or no added value and gives thin affiliate pages, content from other sources and doorways as examples.
- Google says it has no preferred word count, and its rater guidelines say high and low quality content exists at all lengths.
- Filler can make a thin page long, so buyers should judge whether the page delivers what its headline promises.
- Exclude sites where thin pages are the business; review sites where thin pages sit in one section of an otherwise useful publisher.
What is thin content?
Definition
- Thin content
- Pages that offer a visitor little or no substance of their own: they fail to deliver what the title promises, add nothing to their sources, or exist mainly to hold ads, links or a form.
For a media buyer, thin content matters because an ad placed on it reaches a reader who found nothing worth staying for, or a visitor sent there only to be shown ads. It is one of the page quality problems that sit close to made for advertising inventory. The trade groups' shared MFA definition (opens in a new tab) of September 26, 2023 lists generic content, often syndicated, dated or non-unique, among the five characteristics of MFA sites.
Thin content is related to, but not the same as, templated or copied content. A templated site multiplies one pattern across many pages; a scraped site takes other publishers' work. A thin page may be entirely original and still empty: a headline, three generic sentences and four ad slots. That is why thin content needs its own check rather than relying on duplicate detection alone.
How does Google describe thin content?
Google uses the phrase in its Search Console help. The manual actions report (opens in a new tab) lists a manual action called thin content with little or no added value, issued when Google has detected low-quality pages or shallow pages on your site. Google gives three examples: thin affiliate pages, content from other sources such as scraped content or low-quality guest blog posts, and doorways. It says these techniques do not provide users with substantially unique or valuable content.
| Google document | What it says | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Manual actions report help | Thin content with little or no added value: low-quality or shallow pages, with thin affiliate pages, content from other sources and doorways as examples | Search can act against a whole site for thin pages, so the label carries weight |
| Spam policies, updated August 28, 2026 | Thin affiliation: product descriptions and reviews copied directly from the original merchant without any original content or added value | Review and deal pages that only restate a retailer's text are a known thin pattern |
| Publisher policies, screens without publisher content | No Google-served ads on screens without publisher content or with low-value content | Google's own ad network refuses ads on empty or dead end screens |
| Rater guidelines, September 11, 2025 | Filler can artificially inflate content, creating a page that appears rich but lacks content visitors find valuable | A long page can still be thin |
The spam policies (opens in a new tab) give the thin affiliation wording in full, and the publisher policy (opens in a new tab) adds that Google may limit or disable ad serving on pages with low value content. Google's ad and search teams therefore use the same idea: a page must give the visitor something before it earns attention or ads.
Is a short article always thin?
No. Google's helpful content guidance (opens in a new tab), last updated October 5, 2026, asks writers whether they are writing to a particular word count because they have heard Google has a preferred word count, and answers: No, we don't. The Search Quality Rater Guidelines (opens in a new tab) say high and low quality main content comes in all formats and all lengths, and they rate a short encyclopedia article on a narrow topic Medium because it achieves its purpose.
The useful question is whether the page delivers what its headline promises. A 150 word school closing notice that names the schools, the date and the reason is complete. A 2,000 word recipe page whose first 1,800 words are about the writer's weekend, followed by a vague ingredient list, is closer to thin. The guidelines call the second pattern filler: low-effort content that adds little value and does not directly support the purpose of the page.
| Page | Length | Thin or not | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local road closure notice with streets, times and detour | About 120 words | Not thin | Answers the headline fully and is specific |
| Board game rules explainer quoting the rulebook and one worked case | About 400 words | Not thin | Narrow question, complete answer, source named |
| Best family board games list restating publisher descriptions | About 1,500 words | Thin | No play testing, no original view, text matches retailer copy |
| How to win at chess, five generic tips under a long intro | About 1,800 words | Thin | Filler before the answer; the tips could fit any game |
What signs of thin content can a buyer check?
Thin content shows on the page itself, so a reviewer needs no special data to find it. Read the article pages a visitor would land on, not the homepage, because a homepage can be the most edited part of a site.
Thin content signs on a sampled article
- The headline's question is not answered on the page, or is answered only after a long unrelated introduction.
- The page makes no specific claim that could be checked: no names, figures, dates, places or sources.
- Product or service text matches the merchant's own description word for word.
- The main content is shorter than the ad and link units around it.
- The article ends in a list of links or a form instead of a conclusion.
- Tag, archive or search result pages with no articles of their own carry full ad loads.
- There is no author, no date and no way to contact the publisher.
A ten minute thin content check for one site
- Pick five recent articles from different sections. Use the site's own navigation or sitemap, not a search result that may favor its best pages.
- Write the headline's promise in one line. Then find where on the page the promise is met, if it is met at all.
- Mark the specifics. Count names, figures, dates and sources a reader could verify.
- Compare one product or review page with the maker's site. Copied descriptions are the thin affiliation pattern Google names.
- Note the share of the screen given to content. If ads and links fill most of it, the ad density guide explains the standard tests.
- Record the result per article. Five notes make a site judgment; one note does not.
Should thin content sites be excluded or reviewed?
It depends on whether thin pages are the business or a corner of it. A site where most sampled articles are thin, ad heavy and anonymous is built to hold ads, and excluding it is a fair call. A newspaper with a thin events calendar, or a magazine with a few weak sponsored roundups, is a useful publisher with a weak section. Excluding it outright removes good inventory along with the bad.
For the middle case, the buyer has options short of exclusion. Platforms that accept page level or section level placements can target the strong sections. A curated deal can be limited to named sections when the seller supports it. And the note on the plan should say which sections passed, so the next reviewer does not repeat the work.
What does a thin content review look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A board game retailer plans a holiday display buy
A fictional board game and puzzle retailer with stores in Las Vegas, Reno and Salt Lake City asks its agency for an English display plan in Nevada and Utah, beside game reviews, family activity guides and hobby news.
The planner samples five articles from each of 30 candidates. Six sites fail the check: their game reviews repeat the publishers' own descriptions, their strategy pages open with long generic introductions and offer advice that names no game, rule or move, and none carries a byline. They are excluded with the sampled pages recorded.
A regional newspaper has a thin events calendar but strong arts and family coverage, so the planner targets its family section only. A one person rules blog with short posts is kept: each post quotes the rulebook, gives a clear answer and links the game publisher's official rules text.
How does PlacementGraph check thin pages before they reach a plan?
The ten minute check works for a handful of sites. A plan with hundreds of candidates needs the same check applied the same way to each one.
Frequently asked questions
Can a thin content site still show good viewability?
Yes. Viewability measures whether an ad had the chance to be seen, not whether the page around it was worth reading. A short page with ads near the top can score well on viewability while giving the reader nothing, which is why thin content has to be checked on the page during planning.
Are tag and category pages thin content?
They can be. A category page that lists recent articles with summaries helps readers find content. A tag or search page with no articles of its own, generated for every keyword and carrying a full ad load, offers nothing. Look at whether the page lists real content and whether ads outnumber it.
Can a thin site improve enough to be reconsidered?
Yes. Google's manual actions help tells site owners to improve their sites and then request a review with examples of bad content removed and good content added. A buyer can use the same evidence: re-run the sample on new articles and compare the findings with the dated notes from the first review.
Does sponsored content count as thin?
Not by default. Sponsored articles that are labeled, specific and useful are ordinary advertising formats. Sponsored roundups that only restate a merchant's product text match Google's thin affiliation description. Judge sponsored pages by the same completeness test as editorial pages, and check that they are clearly labeled.
Sources
- Manual actions report: thin content with little or no added value (opens in a new tab)Google Search Console Help
- Spam policies for Google web search (opens in a new tab)Google Search Central, last updated August 28, 2026
- Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (opens in a new tab)Google Search Central, last updated October 5, 2026
- Search Quality Rater Guidelines (General Guidelines, September 11, 2025) (opens in a new tab)Google
- Google-served ads on screens without publisher-content (opens in a new tab)Google Publisher Policies Help
- Leading Trade Groups Define Made For Advertising Websites (opens in a new tab)ANA, September 26, 2023
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.