Dumb SEO Questions

(Entry was posted by John Pitcher on this post in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 10/17/2014).

Deindexing thin content.

I have a site that is currently doing well in Google BUT that has a lot of form-type pages that are, of necessity, duplicated with little useful content for Google. (They are vital to the purchasing of the site and designed well for the user; they are not landing pages.)

For example, for  each of 7 courses, I have an almost identical page:

justintensive DOT co DOT uk /courses/sevendaycourse-steps2and3.php

and then 7 almost identical pages for step 4.

Should these pages all be deindexed or could deindexing them in some way damage the site?

Also, should you always deindex thankyou pages? (My thankyou pages typically just have a 1 sentence with the same images as the Contact page).?
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YOUR ANSWERS

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

  • John Pitcher: I have a site that is currently doing well in Google BUT that has a lot of form-type pages that are, of necessity, duplicated with little useful content for Google. (They are vital to the purchasing of the site and designed well for the user; they are not landing pages.)

    For example, for ; each of 7 courses, I have an almost identical page:

    justintensive DOT co DOT uk /courses/sevendaycourse-steps2and3.php

    and then 7 almost identical pages for step 4.

    Should these pages all be deindexed or could deindexing them in some way damage the site?

    Also, should you always deindex thankyou pages? (My thankyou pages typically just have a 1 sentence with the same images as the Contact page).

View original question in the Dumb SEO Questions community on Facebook, 10/17/2014).