The empty-state handling playbook

The empty-state handling playbook
Most index bloat starts with pages that have nothing to say.

— Step 1 (Dev): Classify every page at render: full, partial, empty. Gate: classification missing → page can't proceed.
— Step 2 (Dev): Empty pages (zero data rows) return 200 with the template but noindex,follow, and surface alternatives. Gate: never 404 a planned URL that just lacks data today.
— Step 3 (Dev): Partial pages (some fields null) hide null modules entirely — no empty headings, no '0 results' tables. Gate: rendered null label → fail.
— Step 4 (SEO): Partial pages enter the sitemap only above the completeness threshold.
— Step 5 (Ops): A nightly job re-classifies — pages that filled with data flip to index, pages that emptied flip out. Gate: state and meta tag must always agree.

Guardrail: data state drives index state, automatically.

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