Sufficient content length
Pages should have at least 300 words of substantive content. Thin pages rarely get cited.
Why 300 words?
Three hundred words is the rough threshold below which a page has little chance of being cited by an AI assistant. Not because of a hard algorithmic cutoff, but because below 300 words you usually have not said anything substantive enough for a model to quote.
The research backing this shows a clear relationship between depth of content and citation frequency. Thin product pages — a hero, a CTA, three bullet points — get ignored in favor of pages with genuine explanation.
What counts as content
Word count only includes body text. Navigation, footer, cookie banners, and image alt text do not count. A homepage with 400 words of marketing slogans and no real information will still fail the underlying goal even if it passes the count.
If your homepage is intentionally minimalist, that is fine — but make sure at least one linked page (About, Features, or a landing page) has the substance. The model will find it.
How to add depth without padding
- — Explain what problem you solve, for whom, in one paragraph.
- — Show concrete use cases with specific examples.
- — Add a short FAQ answering the five questions prospects actually ask.
- — Include pricing, even if the answer is 'contact us'.
- — Name the people or team behind the product.