Google Search is not only about having more pages on your website. What matters more is whether those pages are actually useful to people.
A recent discussion involving Google's John Mueller has again highlighted the risks of creating large numbers of low-value pages through programmatic SEO. Websites that publish hundreds or thousands of similar pages without adding real value may face SEO problems over time.
This does not mean that programmatic SEO is always bad. It means that creating pages mainly to target keywords, without giving users something useful, can become a problem.
For businesses and SEO professionals, the message is simple:
Don't create more pages just to rank for more keywords. Create pages that deserve to rank.
Is This a New Google Algorithm Update?
First, let's clear up an important point. This is not a new Google core update or spam update.
Google regularly improves its Search systems, and Google's John Mueller recently discussed the potential problems associated with programmatic SEO and large numbers of low-value pages.
The discussion is important because it shows why websites should look beyond individual keywords and think about the overall quality and usefulness of their content.
What Is Programmatic SEO?
Programmatic SEO means using templates, databases, automation or software to create many web pages.
There is nothing wrong with the approach itself.
In fact, many useful websites use programmatic SEO because they have a large amount of information that needs its own page.
For example:
- E-commerce websites may have thousands of product pages.
- Travel websites may have pages for different destinations.
- Property websites may have individual property listings.
- Job websites may have thousands of job pages.
- Software websites may create pages for different tools or use cases.
The problem starts when pages are created only to capture search traffic and contain very little useful or unique information.
When Does Programmatic SEO Become a Problem?
Imagine a digital marketing company wants to rank for local searches.
It creates 500 pages:
- SEO Services in Delhi
- SEO Services in Mumbai
- SEO Services in Pune
- SEO Services in Jaipur
- SEO Services in Lucknow
Creating location pages is not automatically wrong. But suppose every page has exactly the same content.
Only the city name changes.
For example:
We provide the best SEO services in Delhi.
Then the next page says:
We provide the best SEO services in Mumbai.
And the next page says:
We provide the best SEO services in Pune.
The website may have 500 URLs, but it has not necessarily created 500 useful resources.
For the user, there may be very little difference between those pages.
This is where programmatic SEO can become low-value.
More Pages Do Not Always Mean More Traffic
One common SEO mistake is thinking:
More pages = more keywords = more traffic.
It does not always work that way.
If a website publishes 1,000 pages but most of those pages are thin, repetitive or provide little unique information, the website may not become more useful.
A smaller website with 100 genuinely helpful pages can sometimes provide a much better experience than a website with 10,000 pages created mainly for search engines.
Before publishing a new page, ask:
"What useful information will this page provide to the visitor?"
If you cannot give a good answer, you may not need the page.
Why Low-Value Pages Can Be a Long-Term SEO Problem
Google's Search systems look at many signals when understanding websites and their content. When a website contains a large amount of low-quality or repetitive content, it can become harder for search engines to understand which pages are genuinely valuable.
John Mueller has discussed situations where Google's systems may lose confidence in a website's ability to provide value based on its existing content. This is an important lesson for website owners. SEO should not only be about getting a page indexed. The bigger goal is to build a website that consistently provides useful information.
Does Google Penalize AI Content?
This is another area where there is a lot of confusion.
Using AI does not automatically make a page bad. The important question is how the content is created and what value it provides.
For example, using AI to:
- Organize research
- Create a content outline
- Find questions to answer
- Improve readability
- Help with editing
can be part of a normal content workflow. The problem is when a website automatically produces hundreds or thousands of pages with little original information and publishes them without proper review.
A better approach is:
Research → Create → Review → Add expertise → Edit → Publish → Monitor
AI can help with speed, but human review and real value are still important.
What Makes a Page Valuable?
A useful page should do more than contain keywords.
It should help the visitor accomplish something.
Depending on the topic, this could include:
- Clear explanations
- Original research
- Real examples
- Expert experience
- Useful statistics
- Case studies
- Product information
- Comparisons
- Step-by-step guidance
- Answers to common questions
- Updated information
- Relevant images or demonstrations
For a service page, for example, simply saying:
"We provide SEO services."
is not enough.
A stronger page could explain:
- What SEO services are provided
- Who the service is for
- What problems are solved
- How the process works
- What the client can expect
- Relevant experience
- Case studies
- FAQs
- How to get started
That gives the visitor a reason to stay on the page.
What About Location Pages?
Location pages are common in local SEO, but they need to be created carefully. If your business genuinely serves different cities, a location page can be useful. However, every location page should have a clear purpose.
For example, a useful page for SEO Services in Dubai could include:
- Services available in Dubai
- Industries you work with
- Local business challenges
- Your SEO process
- Relevant case studies
- Local FAQs
- Service areas
- Contact information
Simply replacing "Dubai" with "Abu Dhabi" and "Sharjah" while keeping everything else unchanged creates little additional value. A location page should provide local relevance, not just a different city name.
What About E-Commerce Websites?
Having thousands of pages is not automatically bad for an e-commerce website. A product page can provide important information such as:
- Product specifications
- Price
- Availability
- Product images
- Features
- Reviews
- Shipping information
- Returns
- FAQs
These pages have a clear purpose. The problem can occur when websites create unnecessary combinations or filter pages that contain almost no useful information. For example, creating thousands of pages for every possible combination of:
- Colour
- Size
- Location
- Category
- Filter
may create a large number of URLs without creating meaningful value for users. This is why e-commerce websites need a clear crawl, indexation and faceted-navigation strategy.
What Should You Do If Your Website Has Low-Value Pages?
Don't immediately delete hundreds of pages.
First, understand what you have.
A proper content audit can help you divide pages into different groups.
1. Keep
Keep pages that:
- Get organic traffic
- Generate leads or sales
- Have useful content
- Have backlinks
- Serve an important user purpose
- Have strong search visibility
2. Improve
Some pages may have potential but need better content. Improve them by adding:
- Original information
- Better examples
- Expert insights
- Updated information
- FAQs
- Images
- Data
- Case studies
- Better internal links
3. Consolidate
If several pages cover almost the same topic, consider combining them into one stronger resource. For example, if you have five weak articles about the same SEO topic, one comprehensive article may be more useful than five repetitive articles. Where appropriate, redirect old URLs to the most relevant consolidated page.
4. Remove
Some pages may have no useful purpose at all. If a page provides no value, has no meaningful traffic or visibility, and does not serve users or the website's structure, it may be a candidate for removal. But don't delete pages simply because they currently have low traffic. Always consider their purpose, links, conversions and overall website structure before making the decision.
How to Audit Your Website for Low-Value Pages
Start with Google Search Console and your website analytics. Look for pages with:
- Very low or no organic traffic
- Very low impressions
- No meaningful rankings
- Duplicate or near-duplicate content
- Very little original information
- Poor engagement
- No clear search intent
- No internal links
- No clear user purpose
Then compare those pages with your important business pages.
Ask:
- Does this page help the user?
- Does it answer a real search intent?
- Does it provide something different from our other pages?
- Would we still create this page if Google did not exist?
That last question is especially useful. If the answer is no, reconsider whether the page needs to exist.
Why Ranking Recovery Can Take Time
Another important point for website owners is recovery. If your website loses rankings and you make improvements today, you should not always expect rankings to return immediately.
Google's systems need time to recrawl, reprocess and reassess pages. Google's guidance explains that some changes can be reflected relatively quickly, while broader improvements may take longer to be recognised. This is especially important when the problem involves the overall quality of a website rather than one technical issue.
For example:
Day 1: You identify 500 low-value pages.
Day 15: You improve, consolidate or remove them.
Day 30: Google has crawled some of the changes.
Later: Google's systems continue evaluating the website. So SEO recovery should be treated as a process. There is no guaranteed button that says:
"Fix SEO → Rankings return tomorrow."
What Should Businesses Do in 2026?
Businesses should focus on building a website that is useful even without Google. That means:
- Create content for people first : Start with the user's problem, not just the keyword.
- Don't publish pages just because a keyword exists : A keyword having search volume does not mean your website needs a separate page for it.
- Add something original : Your experience, examples, research, data and case studies can make content more useful.
- Review old content : Content that was useful two or three years ago may now be outdated.
- Avoid unnecessary automation : Automation can save time, but it should not replace quality control.
- Monitor your website : Use tools such as Google Search Console and analytics to understand what is working and what needs improvement.
- Focus on quality over page count : A website does not need thousands of pages to have a strong SEO strategy. It needs the right pages with the right information.
A Simple SEO Rule to Remember
Before creating a new page, ask these five questions:
- Who is this page for?
- What problem does it solve?
- What information makes it different from our other pages?
- Can we provide something genuinely useful or original?
- Would a real person find this page helpful?
If you cannot answer these questions, creating another page may not be the right SEO strategy.
The latest discussion around programmatic SEO is a useful reminder for website owners and SEO professionals.
SEO is not a race to create the most pages. It is about creating a website that people can trust and find useful. Programmatic SEO can be a powerful strategy when it is used correctly. Large websites can have thousands or even millions of pages and still provide excellent value.
The problem is not the number of pages. The problem is creating pages that do not have a meaningful reason to exist. If your website already has a large number of low-value pages, don't panic. Start with an audit, identify the pages that matter, improve the ones with potential, consolidate repetitive content and remove pages that genuinely have no value. Most importantly, give the process time.
Good SEO is not just about getting Google to notice your website. It is about giving users a reason to choose it.
Need Help With Your SEO?
If your website has lost rankings or has hundreds of old, duplicate or low-value pages, an SEO audit can help you understand what needs to be improved. Infosheek can help with technical SEO, content optimisation, website structure, keyword strategy and ongoing SEO growth.
The goal is simple: Build a website that is useful to people — and strong enough to earn sustainable search visibility.
