We sell widgets for cars, these widgets are identical in all features and specifications except their fitment for each vehicle. The fitment varies on the basis of interior color.
We have taken the time to add all these widgets as separate products (multiple product pages based on each vehicle) but with drop down selection boxes that have interior colors.
We have written page titles, meta descriptions, alt image text, bullet-ed lists stating fitment then item details to minimize duplicate content and thin content.
I am concerned because we used to have great ranking for these vehicles and a dominant keyword that describes our widget. It appears that this may now trigger issues with significant penalties. We have been hit with what appear to be Panda penalties, no manual, just algorithmic.
We originally did this because the platform we are on we had to use basic guided navigation categories (Vehicle manufacturer > Vehicle model sub categories > Year sub categories)to get people to specific vehicles that would list several widgets that fit their vehicle.
In today's SEO environment this looks to be thin content and is frowned upon. I am trying to come up with a way to fix this but am asking for some help or possibilities, and explanations would be appreciated. Would this be considered thin or duplicate content?
