Fix: content — word count, keyword placement and readability

Thin or hard-to-read pages struggle to rank against competitors that answer the question fully. This guide covers the content and keyword checks in Site crawl and Keyword Score audits.

The Content section of the audit also shows readability scores (Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Score and others) for reference.

Find the affected pages in the app

1. Site crawl › open the crawl › Issues › Low word count (under 300) lists the URLs (the first 20; Export for all).
2. Site crawl › Pages: the Words column shows the count for every page. Scan it to find your thinnest money pages.
3. In Audits, open the report › Content shows Word count, Keyword density (uses and percentage) and Readability (Flesch score).
4. Start with pages that should bring business: services, locations, categories, top products. Skip contact, login, cart, thank-you and legal pages.

Low word count (under 300)

How we detect it

The crawler counts the words of visible text in the HTML of every page that returns 200, including menus, footer and sidebars. Fewer than 300 is a notice. With Render JavaScript on, only the start page is rendered; other pages are read as plain HTML.

Why it matters

• Google rewards pages that fully answer the searcher’s question. Thin pages often end up as “Crawled – currently not indexed” in the Search Console Pages report. Google’s guide: creating helpful content.
• More useful sections mean more chances to match long-tail searches (“how much does X cost”, “X near me open Sunday”).

Common causes

• If it is a service or location page → it was written as a short intro and never expanded.
• If several location pages are nearly identical → only the city name was swapped.
• If it is a tag, empty category or archive page → it lists little or nothing.
• If the page looks long in the browser but shows few words → the text is loaded by JavaScript (tabs, reviews, accordions loaded later).
• If it is contact, login, cart or thank-you → it is short on purpose; ignore it.

Fix: basic

Don’t pad. Add the sections people look for. For a service or location page:

1. Intro (2–3 sentences): what you do, where and for whom, with the main keyword in the first sentence.
2. Services included: a short list with one line each.
3. Prices or price ranges, or what affects the price.
4. Process: 3 to 6 numbered steps from first contact to finished job.
5. Why choose us: guarantees, certifications, years, response time, reviews.
6. Areas served: towns, neighbourhoods, postcodes.
7. Examples / case studies / before-and-after with photos.
8. FAQs: 4 to 8 real questions from customers and sales calls.
9. Call to action: how to book or get a quote.

For a product or category page:

1. Write a unique description (not the manufacturer’s text).
2. Add key specs in a table, plus sizing or compatibility.
3. Summarise delivery and returns.
4. Add FAQs and reviews.

For blog posts: answer the question in the first paragraph, then cover the sub-questions in Google’s “People also ask” box for the keyword.

Thin pages you can’t improve (old tag pages, near-empty categories, duplicate location pages):

1. Merge them into a stronger page and 301 redirect the old URLs (see Fix: Broken internal links), or
2. Set them to noindex (see Platform steps below; background: Google: robots meta tag).

Fix: expert

Make sure the main text is in the HTML the server sends. Check with curl and count roughly:

curl -s https://example.com/services/roof-repair/ | sed -e 's/<[^>]*>//g' | wc -w

Text inside closed accordions is fine as long as it is in the HTML. Shopify: noindex tag-filtered collection pages in layout/theme.liquid inside <head>:

{% if template contains 'collection' and current_tags %}
  <meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow">
{% endif %}

Platform steps

WordPress (Yoast SEO)

1. Noindex a thin page: edit page › Yoast SEO › Advanced › Allow search engines to show this content in search results? › No › Update.

WordPress (Rank Math)

1. Edit page › Rank Math › Advanced › Robots Meta › No Index › Update.

Shopify

1. Expand descriptions in the product, collection or page editor in Shopify admin › Save. Use the Liquid snippet above for tag pages.

Webflow / Wix / Squarespace

1. Add sections in the editor (Wix dashboard, Squarespace account) and publish. To hide a page from search: Webflow Page settings › SEO › Exclude from search (sitemap and noindex options), Wix SEO basics › Let search engines index this page off, Squarespace Page settings › SEO › Hide from search engines.

Verify the fix

1. Check the live page shows the new content (clear caches if not).
2. Site crawl › Crawl again › Compare: Low word count (under 300) should affect fewer URLs; check the Words column in Pages.
3. In Google Search Console, use URL Inspection › Request indexing for important pages you expanded.

Automation

Assisted: drafts for missing sections can be generated, but facts (prices, areas, guarantees) need the client; publishing needs WordPress admin, the Shopify Admin API or a CMS API.

Word count

How we detect it

The audit counts the words on the audited page (the total_word_on_page statistic, with Characters on the page for reference). Fewer than 600 fails (“Only N words on the page”).

Why it matters

Thin pages rarely answer the full question, so they struggle against longer competitors.

Common causes

• Same as Low word count (under 300) above.

Fix: basic

1. Follow Fix: basic under Low word count (under 300) for the audited page.
2. Aim for the sections a searcher needs, not a number.

Fix: expert

Same as Low word count (under 300).

Platform steps

All platforms

1. Edit the page content in the CMS editor and publish.

Verify the fix

1. In Audits, click Run again on the audit. Word count should show 600 or more words.

Automation

Assisted: same as Low word count (under 300).

Keyword density

How we detect it

In Keyword Score audits, the check counts the exact keyword phrase and divides by the total words. It passes from 0.5% to 3%. Over 3% adds “That reads as keyword stuffing.”

Why it matters

Too few mentions make the topic unclear; too many look like keyword stuffing, which Google’s spam policies target.

Common causes

• If under 0.5% → the page uses only synonyms, or the keyword isn’t in the main spots.
• If over 3% → keyword lists, a stuffed footer or hidden text.

Fix: basic

Too low (under 0.5%), place the exact phrase in:

1. The title tag (at the start). See Fix: title and meta.
2. The H1. See Keyword in H1.
3. The first 100 words.
4. At least one H2.
5. The main image’s alt text.
6. The meta description. See Keyword in meta description.
7. Two to four more times in the body, where it reads naturally.

Too high (over 3%):

1. Replace some exact mentions with variations (“24-hour plumbing”, “burst pipe repair”, “our Leeds engineers”).
2. Remove keyword lists (“We cover plumber Leeds, plumbers Leeds, Leeds plumber…”).
3. Remove keyword-stuffed footers and hidden text.

Fix: expert

Count exact mentions in the live HTML:

curl -s https://example.com/page/ | sed -e 's/<[^>]*>//g' | grep -oi "emergency plumber leeds" | wc -l

Platform steps

WordPress

1. Yoast SEO and Rank Math show keyphrase density in the editor after you set the focus keyword (Yoast: SEO tab › Keyphrase density; Rank Math: focus keyword checks).

Other platforms

1. Edit the text in the page editor and publish.

Verify the fix

1. In Audits, click Run again on the Keyword Score audit. Keyword density should say “a natural level.”

Automation

Assisted: placement suggestions can be generated; edits need a person and WordPress admin, the Shopify Admin API or a CMS API.

Readability

How we detect it

The audit computes the Flesch reading ease of the page text. 55 or more passes (60 to 70 is plain English). Under 55 shows “hard to read for most visitors.”

Why it matters

Visitors skim. Hard text makes them leave sooner, which costs enquiries.

Common causes

• If sentences are long → many clauses joined with commas and “and”.
• If words are long → jargon and formal words (“utilise”, “facilitate”).
• If the page is technical or legal → some difficulty is expected.

Fix: basic

1. Keep sentences under about 20 words. Split long ones.
2. Use short, common words: “use” not “utilise”, “help” not “facilitate”.
3. One idea per paragraph, 2 to 4 sentences.
4. Add sub-headings every 200 to 300 words.
5. Use bullet lists for options and numbered lists for steps.
6. Write in active voice: “We fix leaks the same day”.

Fix: expert

No code needed. Technical or legal topics will score lower; that’s acceptable if the audience expects it.

Platform steps

WordPress

1. Yoast SEO: the Readability tab in the editor flags long sentences and paragraphs. Rank Math shows readability checks in its content panel.

Any platform

1. Paste the text into a free tool such as Hemingway Editor, simplify, and paste it back.

Verify the fix

1. In Audits, click Run again. Readability should show a Flesch score of 55 or more.

Automation

Assisted: rewrites can be drafted automatically but need review; publishing needs CMS access.

Keyword in the URL

How we detect it

The classic audit scanner checks the page URL for the keyword and writes Keyword not found in the URL, URL should start with the exact keyword or Keyword found in the URL.

Why it matters

Words from the search term in the URL are a small relevance signal and show searchers the page matches.

Common causes

• If the slug is an ID or generic (/page-12/, /services/) → it was never set.
• If it is a live, ranking page → changing it has a cost (redirect needed).

Fix: basic

1. New pages: use a short slug with the keyword, for example /emergency-plumber-leeds/ (see Platform steps).
2. Live pages that already rank: change the URL only if the gain is clear.
3. If you change it, add a 301 from the old URL to the new one in the same step and update internal links (see Fix: broken internal links and Redirect chains).

Fix: expert

Server redirect for a changed slug:

Redirect 301 /plumbing-services/ https://example.com/emergency-plumber-leeds/

location = /plumbing-services/ { return 301 https://example.com/emergency-plumber-leeds/; }

Platform steps

WordPress

1. Edit page › Settings › Summary › URL › Slug › Update. Rank Math and Yoast Premium can create the redirect automatically.

Shopify

1. In Shopify admin, open the page or product › Search engine listing › Edit › URL handle; keep Create a URL redirect ticked › Save.

Webflow

1. Page settings › Slug › Save, then add the old path under Site settings › Publishing › 301 redirects › Publish.

Wix

1. In the Wix Editor (Wix dashboard) › Pages & Menu › ⋯ › SEO basics › URL slug; Wix offers to create a redirect.

Squarespace

1. In your Squarespace account, open the site › Page settings › General › URL Slug, then add a line under Settings › Developer Tools › URL Mappings.

Verify the fix

1. The old URL returns one 301 to the new one (curl -I).
2. In Audits, click Run again on the audit for the new URL.

Automation

Assisted: slug changes plus redirects can be applied via WordPress admin via plugin or the Shopify Admin API, but changing ranking URLs needs a human decision.

Common questions

Related articles

• Fix: title tags and meta descriptions
• Fix: H1 and heading issues
• Fix: URLs with parameters and URL structure
• Fix: GEO audit checks — answers, trust and AI crawlers
• Read your audit score and report

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