Rule: content-length
Thin content pages provide little value to users and rank poorly. Google's Helpful Content system specifically penalizes sites with many low-quality pages. This rule checks that your pages have enough text content to be meaningful — not just a heading and a button. The threshold is generous: 300 words is a low bar for any page that wants to rank.
What it checks
In crawl mode, Indxel fetches the page and extracts visible text content (stripping HTML tags, scripts, and styles). It counts the words by splitting on whitespace. The word count excludes navigation, footer, and boilerplate text if they can be identified by semantic HTML (nav, footer elements). In static scan mode, word count is estimated from the page component's content.
Thresholds
300 or more words
200-299 words (passes but close to thin)
50-199 words — thin content, consider adding substance
Less than 50 words — extremely thin, likely a placeholder or error page
Edge cases
Application pages (dashboards, settings) are legitimately low on text. Consider disabling this rule for non-public pages or adding noindex.
Image galleries, video pages, and tool pages may have little text but are still valuable. Disable this rule for those routes or add descriptive text around the media.
Lazy-loaded content that requires JavaScript: in crawl mode, Indxel fetches the initial HTML. Content loaded via client-side JavaScript after page load is not counted. Server-render important content.
Nav and footer text: Indxel attempts to exclude <nav> and <footer> content from the word count, but this depends on semantic HTML usage. If your navigation is in a <div>, it gets counted.
Boilerplate shared across pages (e.g., CTA sections in a layout) is counted on every page. This can artificially inflate the word count.
Configuration
// indxel.config.ts
import { defineSEO } from "indxel";
export default defineSEO({
rules: {
"content-length": true, // enabled by default
},
});
// Disable for specific routes that are intentionally minimal:
// e.g., tool pages, app pages, or login pages
export default defineSEO({
disabledRules: ["content-length"],
// or handle per-page via the SDK validateMetadata() options
});Frequently asked questions
Why is 300 words the pass threshold and not 500 or 1000?
300 words is a practical minimum for a page that provides value. Not every page needs to be a long-form article. Landing pages, pricing pages, and tool pages can be valuable at 300-500 words. Blog posts and documentation should aim higher (800+).
Does word count directly affect rankings?
Word count is not a direct ranking factor. But thin content is a negative quality signal. Google's Helpful Content update evaluates content quality at the site level — a site with many thin pages hurts all pages. The rule protects against accumulating thin pages.
How does Indxel count words in a SPA?
In crawl mode, Indxel fetches the HTML response and counts visible text. Content that requires JavaScript execution to render is not counted. Use SSR or server components for content that should be indexed and measured.