Content Quality Gates
Minimum Word Counts by Page Type
| Page Type | Min Words | Unique Content % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | 500 | 100% | Must clearly communicate value proposition |
| Service / Feature Page | 800 | 100% | Detailed explanation of offering |
| Location (Primary) | 600 | 60%+ | City headquarters or main service area |
| Location (Secondary) | 500 | 40%+ | Satellite locations |
| Blog Post | 1,500 | 100% | In-depth, valuable content |
| Product Page | 400 | 80%+ | Unique descriptions, specs |
| Category Page | 400 | 100% | Unique intro, not just product listings |
| About Page | 400 | 100% | Company story, team, values |
| Landing Page | 600 | 100% | Focused conversion content |
| FAQ Page | 800 | 100% | Comprehensive Q&A |
Location Page Thresholds
Warning Level (30+ pages)
- ⚠️ WARNING at 30+ location pages
- Enforce 60%+ unique content per page
- Content must include:
- Unique local information (landmarks, neighborhoods)
- Location-specific services or offerings
- Local team or staff information
- Genuine customer testimonials from that area
Hard Stop (50+ pages)
- 🛑 HARD STOP at 50+ location pages
- Require explicit user justification
- Must demonstrate:
- Legitimate business presence in each location
- Unique content strategy for each page
- Local signals (Google Business Profile, local reviews)
Why This Matters
Google's doorway page algorithm penalizes programmatic location pages with thin/duplicate content. Signs of doorway pages:
- Only city/state name changed between pages
- No unique local information
- No local business signals
- Keyword-stuffed URLs
Safe vs. Risky Programmatic Pages
Safe at Scale ✅
| Page Type | Why It's Safe |
|---|---|
| Integration pages | Real setup documentation, unique technical content |
| Template/tool pages | Downloadable assets, unique functionality |
| Glossary pages | 200+ word unique definitions |
| Product pages | Unique specs, images, reviews |
| User profile pages | User-generated unique content |
Penalty Risk ❌
| Page Type | Why It's Risky |
|---|---|
| Location pages with only city swapped | Duplicate content, doorway pages |
| "Best [tool] for [industry]" | Often thin, no industry-specific value |
| "[Competitor] alternative" | Requires genuine comparison data |
| AI-generated mass content | No unique value, E-E-A-T failure |
Title Tag Requirements
| Aspect | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minimum length | 30 characters |
| Maximum length | 60 characters (Google truncates ~60) |
| Primary keyword | Near the beginning |
| Brand name | At end (if included) |
| Uniqueness | Each page must have unique title |
Good Examples
- "Emergency Plumbing Services in Austin | ABC Plumbing"
- "How to Fix a Leaky Faucet: Step-by-Step Guide"
- "Enterprise SEO Software | Comprehensive Platform"
Bad Examples
- "Home" (too short, not descriptive)
- "Best Plumbing Services for All Your Plumbing Needs in Austin Texas and Surrounding Areas" (too long)
- "ABC Plumbing - Plumbing - Plumber - Plumbing Services" (keyword stuffing)
Meta Description Requirements
| Aspect | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minimum length | 120 characters |
| Maximum length | 160 characters (Google truncates ~155-160) |
| Call-to-action | Include compelling CTA, written for this page |
| Primary keyword | Include naturally |
| Uniqueness | Each page must have unique description |
| Not a title restatement | Must not open by repeating the title tag verbatim |
Templated metadata gate. "Unique per page" is necessary but not sufficient: many descriptions can each be unique strings while all sharing one generated shape. Opening with the page title and closing on a stock CTA ("Try it free now.", "Start free!") is that shape, and duplicated or templated metadata site-wide is a documented content-quality problem even when the body copy is entirely original; this heuristic check does not claim any specific Google ranking or spam update targeted this pattern. Check with
"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/claude-seo" run metadata_template.py --pairs-file <file> --json. The CTA requirement above means a CTA written for this page, not one appended to every page by a template.
Image Alt Text Requirements
| Aspect | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Required on | All non-decorative images |
| Length | 10-125 characters |
| Content | Describe the image content, not "image" or filename |
| Keywords | Include naturally where relevant |
| Decorative images | Use alt="" or role="presentation" |
Good Examples
- "Professional plumber repairing kitchen sink faucet"
- "Red 2024 Toyota Camry sedan front view"
- "Team meeting in modern office conference room"
Bad Examples
- "image.jpg" (filename, not description)
- "plumber plumbing plumber services" (keyword stuffing)
- "Click here" (not descriptive)
Internal Linking Guidelines
| Page Type | Internal Links Target |
|---|---|
| Blog post (1,500+ words) | 5-10 internal links |
| Service page | 3-5 internal links |
| Category page | Links to all child pages |
| Product page | 2-4 internal links |
Anchor Text Rules
- Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
- Vary anchor text (don't always use exact match keywords)
- Link to relevant, related content
- Ensure no orphan pages (every page linked from at least one other page)
Content Freshness Signals
| Content Type | Update Frequency |
|---|---|
| News/current events | Within hours/days |
| Blog posts (evergreen) | Review annually |
| Product pages | When specs change |
| Service pages | Review quarterly |
| Company info | When changes occur |
Required Elements
- Publication date visible (for articles/blogs)
- Last updated date (if significantly revised)
- Changelog for major updates (optional but good)