Word-count thresholds vs data-density gates for thin content

Word-count thresholds vs data-density gates for thin content

Using a minimum word count to catch thin pages is the wrong tool. Use it as a backstop, not the gate.

1. Primary gate — data density: count unique data points per page (specs, stats, dated facts) not pulled from a shared template block. Threshold: minimum 5 page-specific data points or the page doesn't publish.
2. Secondary gate — template ratio: measure boilerplate-to-unique character ratio. Fail if over 70% of visible text is identical across the template.
3. Word count is the weak backstop: a 900-word page can be 100% boilerplate; a 200-word spec table can be uniquely valuable. Don't reward padding.
4. Owner-action: compute a similarity score across a sample of 50 generated pages before bulk publish.
5. Guardrail: any page failing both data-density AND template-ratio → hold in noindex until enriched.

Rollback: bulk-noindex by template id, re-enrich, re-release.

Ship gate: don't publish until all boxes are checked.