Would this directory be considered thin content?

[hairresources]

My site has been hit pretty hard by Panda. I am in the process of fixing the site by beefing up content and removing a lot of ads.

My site has a hair salon directory that lists salons around the world. Most of the listings include just address, hours and list of services and a website link if the salon has a website.

My question is, would this directory be considered thin content by Panda algorithm? Should I remove it from index (over 700 pages of listings)to improve rankings?
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[edited by: tedster at 4:16 pm (utc) on Jun 19, 2011]

[tedster]

Welcome to the forums, hairresources.

The first thing to say is something I sense you already appreciate - no one doing SEO fully comprehends the Panda algorithm, or what types of pages are identified as being "shallow" content. Some patterns are becoming clearer - but that's about all we can say.

One of those bits of clarity is that Panda-shallowness is not about the length of the content. Some sites with long pages (over 500 words) have been demoted and some with short content (under 200 words) have not.

It sounds like you originally intended to create a useful resource for your visitor with this directory. If that is the case, and it wasn't a direct attempt to manipulate Google, how much more can you do? And if you noindex those pages, aren't you taking away one of the valuable, even core, parts of what your site offers? If this directory is a real directory, rather than a ranking play of some kind, I'd be reluctant to hide it from Google.

Although there is no certainty qbout Panda, as I said, the algorithm appears to measure user satisfaction - possibly using a combination of several metrics. The most important thing is whether your visitors stay on the pages long enough to actually be making use of it. For example, do they scroll? Do they view more than one page, on average? Do they return to the site in the future? Or are they confronted with advertising that obscures the content and makes them say "I'm out of here?"

[Planet13]

My site has been hit pretty hard by Panda...

...My question is, would this directory be considered thin content by Panda algorithm?

I think that you pretty much answered your own question.

Do you have lots of category pages (like State or City pages) that don't have any listings in them? If so, I would definitely noindex those pages without listings until you do get some listings in them.

I don't know how well a directory can do in rankings if it is just basic info. You are going to need a lot more in depth material, reviews by customers, and photos and videos from the salon owners themselves.

I think it would probably be a good idea to start with ONE city and try and be as comprehensive as possible, and then move on to the net city, and work from there.

And to paraphrase tedster, what do you think visitors would want when they came to your directory? I am guessing that they would want reviews, coupons, directions, and maybe info on the latest styles. Probably having articles on "What hair style is best for the shape of my face," or something like that would help out, too.