Content Rules

Overview

Content rules ensure your pages have high-quality, well-structured content that’s valuable to users and search engines. Good content drives rankings, engagement, and conversions.

Content Length

Rule: `content/length`

What it checks:

Minimum word count (typically 300+ words)
Content depth and substance
Not thin or duplicate content

Why it matters: Thin content (low word count, little value) ranks poorly and provides bad user experience. Search engines favor comprehensive, in-depth content.

Common Issues

Issue: Thin content (0 words detected)This is often a Single Page Application (SPA) rendering issue—crawlers see empty content because JavaScript hasn’t executed.Causes:

Client-side rendering (React, Vue, Angular) without SSR
Content loaded via AJAX after page load
JavaScript errors preventing content render

Solutions:

// Server-Side Rendering
export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const content = await fetchContent();
  return { props: { content } };
}

export default function Page({ content }) {
  return <div>{content}</div>;
}

Alternative: Dynamic RenderingServe pre-rendered HTML to bots, JavaScript to users:

// Express middleware
const prerender = require('prerender-node');
app.use(prerender.set('prerenderToken', 'YOUR_TOKEN'));

Recommended word counts by page type:

Homepage: 300-500 words
Product/service pages: 500-1000 words
Blog posts: 1000-2000+ words
Landing pages: 500-800 words

Heading Hierarchy

Rule: `content/headings`

What it checks:

Logical heading structure (H1 → H2 → H3)
No skipped levels (H1 → H3)
One H1 per page
Headings contain keywords

Why it matters: Proper heading hierarchy helps both users and search engines understand content structure. It’s critical for SEO and accessibility.

Fix Heading Issues

<!-- ❌ Bad: Skipped heading levels -->
<h1>Ultimate Guide to SEO</h1>
<h3>On-Page SEO</h3> <!-- Skipped H2 -->
<h5>Title Tags</h5> <!-- Skipped H3, H4 -->

<!-- ❌ Bad: Multiple H1s -->
<h1>Main Title</h1>
<h1>Another Main Title</h1> <!-- Don't do this -->

<!-- ✅ Good: Logical hierarchy -->
<h1>Ultimate Guide to SEO</h1>
<h2>On-Page SEO</h2>
<h3>Title Tags</h3>
<h4>Length Best Practices</h4>
<h3>Meta Descriptions</h3>
<h2>Technical SEO</h2>
<h3>Site Speed</h3>

Heading outline structure:

H1: Ultimate Guide to SEO
  H2: On-Page SEO
    H3: Title Tags
      H4: Length Best Practices
      H4: Keyword Placement
    H3: Meta Descriptions
    H3: Header Tags
  H2: Technical SEO
    H3: Site Speed
    H3: Mobile-Friendliness
  H2: Off-Page SEO
    H3: Link Building
    H3: Social Signals

Headings should describe content (not just be styled text). Use CSS to change visual appearance, not heading levels.

Keyword Usage

Rule: `content/keywords`

What it checks:

Keywords used naturally in content
Target keyword in H1, first paragraph
Keyword variations (LSI keywords)
Keyword density (2-3% max)

Why it matters: Proper keyword usage helps search engines understand what your page is about. Over-optimization (keyword stuffing) hurts rankings.

Keyword Best Practices

Where to use keywords:

H1 heading: Include primary keyword
First paragraph: Use primary keyword in first 100 words
Subheadings (H2, H3): Use keyword variations
Throughout content: Use naturally, aim for 2-3% density
Image alt text: When relevant
URL: Include primary keyword
Meta description: Include primary keyword

# ✅ Good: Natural keyword usage

# AI Automation Platform for Sales Teams

Our AI automation platform helps sales teams save 15+ hours weekly by automating 
repetitive tasks like lead discovery, outreach, and CRM updates. With intelligent 
automation, your team can focus on closing deals instead of manual data entry.

## How AI Automation Improves Sales Productivity

Automating your sales workflow with AI-powered tools reduces manual work and 
increases team efficiency...

# ❌ Bad: Keyword stuffing

# AI Automation Platform AI Automation Sales AI Automation

AI automation AI automation AI automation for sales teams. Use our AI automation 
platform for AI automation of sales AI automation processes. AI automation saves 
time with AI automation features...

LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords:Use related terms and synonyms:

Primary: “AI automation platform”
LSI: “intelligent automation”, “workflow automation”, “sales automation software”, “AI-powered tools”, “automated workflows”

Keyword Stuffing

Rule: `content/keyword-stuffing`

What it checks:

Keyword density not excessive (>5%)
No unnatural repetition
Content reads naturally

Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Signs of keyword stuffing:

Same phrase repeated unnaturally many times
Lists of keywords without context
Hidden keywords (white text on white background)
Keyword density above 5%

Penalties:

Google Penguin algorithm penalizes keyword stuffing
Manual actions from Google Search Console
Rankings drop significantly

How to fix:

Rewrite content naturally
Use synonyms and variations
Focus on user value, not keyword count
Aim for 2-3% keyword density max

Duplicate Content

Rule: `content/duplicate`

What it checks:

Content is unique (not copied from other sites)
No internal duplicate content
Proper use of canonical tags

Why it matters: Duplicate content confuses search engines and dilutes ranking power. Original content ranks better.

Fix Duplicate Content

Types of duplicate content:

External duplicate: Copied from other websites
- Fix: Write original content or properly cite sources
Internal duplicate: Same content on multiple pages of your site
- Fix: Use canonical tags or 301 redirects

<!-- Page A (duplicate): -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/original-page">

<!-- Page B (original): -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/original-page">

Print/mobile versions: Separate URLs for same content
- Fix: Use responsive design instead, or use canonical tags
URL parameters: Different URLs, same content
- Fix: Use canonical tags or configure Google Search Console URL Parameters tool

<!-- On: /products?sort=price&filter=new -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/products">

HTTP/HTTPS and www/non-www: Multiple versions of same page
- Fix: Choose one version and redirect others

# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS and www to non-www
server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com www.example.com;
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

server {
  listen 443 ssl;
  server_name www.example.com;
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

Readability

Rule: `content/readability`

What it checks:

Appropriate reading level (8th-10th grade)
Short paragraphs (3-4 sentences)
Use of bullets and lists
Active voice

Why it matters: Readable content keeps users engaged longer, reducing bounce rates and improving rankings.

Improve Readability

Readability best practices:

Use short paragraphs: 3-4 sentences max
Use subheadings: Break content into scannable sections
Use bullet points: List items, features, benefits
Use short sentences: Aim for 15-20 words
Use active voice: “We automate tasks” not “Tasks are automated”
Use simple words: “Use” not “utilize”, “help” not “facilitate”
Use transitions: “However”, “Therefore”, “For example”

# ❌ Bad: Long, dense paragraph

Our artificial intelligence-powered automation platform facilitates the optimization 
of repetitive manual processes through the utilization of intelligent robotic process 
automation combined with agentic workflows that leverage machine learning algorithms 
to enable sales and recruiting teams to achieve productivity enhancements by eliminating 
time-consuming data entry tasks and streamlining lead discovery, outreach sequencing, 
and customer relationship management system updates.

# ✅ Good: Short, scannable paragraphs

## Save 15+ Hours Weekly with AI Automation

Our AI platform automates repetitive tasks so your sales team can focus on closing deals.

**What it automates:**
- Lead discovery and research
- Outreach sequences and follow-ups
- CRM data entry and updates

No more manual work. Just results.

Reading level tools:

Hemingway Editor (highlights complex sentences)
Readable (calculates readability scores)
Yoast SEO (WordPress plugin with readability analysis)

Internal Linking

Rule: `links/internal`

What it checks:

Pages have internal links (not orphaned)
Descriptive anchor text
Logical link structure
No dead-end pages

Why it matters: Internal links help search engines discover and understand page relationships. They distribute PageRank and guide users.

Internal Linking Best Practices

Issue: Zero internal links on homepage (dead-end page)Solutions:

Add navigation menu:

<nav>
  <a href="/">Home</a>
  <a href="/products">Products</a>
  <a href="/pricing">Pricing</a>
  <a href="/about">About</a>
  <a href="/contact">Contact</a>
</nav>

Add footer links:

<footer>
  <div>
    <h3>Product</h3>
    <a href="/features">Features</a>
    <a href="/pricing">Pricing</a>
    <a href="/integrations">Integrations</a>
  </div>
  <div>
    <h3>Resources</h3>
    <a href="/blog">Blog</a>
    <a href="/docs">Documentation</a>
    <a href="/support">Support</a>
  </div>
</footer>

Add contextual links in content:

Learn more about [website auditing](/auditing/overview) and 
[marketing psychology](/psychology/overview) to improve your conversion rates.

Anchor text best practices:

Use descriptive text (not “click here”)
Include keywords naturally
Vary anchor text (don’t use same text for every link)
Make it clear where the link goes

<!-- ❌ Bad anchor text -->
<a href="/guide">Click here</a> to learn more.

<!-- ✅ Good anchor text -->
Read our <a href="/guide">comprehensive SEO guide</a> to improve rankings.

Content Freshness

Rule: `content/freshness`

What it checks:

Last modified date
Regular content updates
Outdated information flagged

Why it matters: Fresh, updated content ranks better. Google favors recently updated pages for time-sensitive queries.

Keep Content Fresh

Strategies:

Add publish/update dates:

<article>
  <h1>Ultimate SEO Guide</h1>
  <time datetime="2026-02-09">Published: February 9, 2026</time>
  <time datetime="2026-03-01">Updated: March 1, 2026</time>
</article>

Add schema.org markup:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Ultimate SEO Guide",
  "datePublished": "2026-02-09",
  "dateModified": "2026-03-01"
}
</script>

Update content regularly:

Refresh statistics and examples
Add new sections
Remove outdated information
Update screenshots
Revise for current best practices

Content audit schedule:

Blog posts: Review every 6-12 months
Documentation: Review every 3-6 months
Product pages: Review quarterly
Time-sensitive content: Review monthly

Quick Reference

Rule	Target	Recommendation
Word count	300+ words	500-2000 words depending on page type
Keyword density	2-3%	Use naturally, don’t force
Paragraph length	3-4 sentences	Keep scannable
Heading levels	Logical H1-H6	No skipped levels
Internal links	2-5 per page	Link to related content
Reading level	8th-10th grade	Use simple language

Core SEO Rules

Title tags, meta descriptions, and on-page SEO

Accessibility Rules

Heading hierarchy, alt text, and semantic HTML

Technical SEO

Sitemaps, robots.txt, and crawlability

Running Audits

Learn how to run content audits

Audit Rules

Mental Models

Examples

Overview

Content Length

Rule: `content/length`

Heading Hierarchy

Rule: `content/headings`

Keyword Usage

Rule: `content/keywords`

Keyword Stuffing

Rule: `content/keyword-stuffing`

Duplicate Content

Rule: `content/duplicate`

Readability

Rule: `content/readability`

Internal Linking

Rule: `links/internal`

Content Freshness

Rule: `content/freshness`

Quick Reference

Core SEO Rules

Accessibility Rules

Technical SEO

Running Audits

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Audit Rules

Mental Models

Examples

​Overview

​Content Length

​Rule: content/length

​Heading Hierarchy

​Rule: content/headings

​Keyword Usage

​Rule: content/keywords

​Keyword Stuffing

​Rule: content/keyword-stuffing

​Duplicate Content

​Rule: content/duplicate

​Readability

​Rule: content/readability

​Internal Linking

​Rule: links/internal

​Content Freshness

​Rule: content/freshness

​Quick Reference

​Related Pages

Core SEO Rules

Accessibility Rules

Technical SEO

Running Audits

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Content Length

Rule: `content/length`

Heading Hierarchy

Rule: `content/headings`

Keyword Usage

Rule: `content/keywords`

Keyword Stuffing

Rule: `content/keyword-stuffing`

Duplicate Content

Rule: `content/duplicate`

Readability

Rule: `content/readability`

Internal Linking

Rule: `links/internal`

Content Freshness

Rule: `content/freshness`

Quick Reference

Related Pages