<b>The thin-content degradation ladder</b>

<b>The thin-content degradation ladder</b>

Not every entity deserves a full page. Build a ladder so weak rows degrade instead of shipping thin.

Four rungs, evaluated per entity at build time:

Rung 1 (rich) — entity has 5+ populated data fields and at least one unique long-form field. Action: full indexable template.

Rung 2 (moderate) — 3–4 fields, no long-form. Action: lean template, still indexable, fewer modules.

Rung 3 (sparse) — 1–2 fields. Action: do not generate a standalone URL. Roll the entity into a parent listing row.

Rung 4 (empty) — required field missing. Action: exclude entirely. No URL, no listing row.

Owner: data lead sets the field counts. Owner: dev enforces the routing.

— The ladder converts a thin-content risk into a listing-page asset
— A row on a comparison table earns its keep; a thin standalone page does not

Gate: every entity must resolve to exactly one rung before render. No defaults.

Ship gate: don't publish until the ladder routes 100 percent of entities.