Myth vs. Fact: More Products = Better SEO

Does adding more products to your site always improve your SEO?

Many e-commerce businesses believe that bigger catalogs mean better rankings. So, they keep uploading more SKUs, even when those pages are thin, unstructured, or poorly written. This creates clutter. It also creates problems for users and search engines.

It’s a popular myth that more products alone will push your store up the ranks. The truth is more complex. The top-ranking pages in search often have stronger site structures, better internal linking, and stronger authority. One major factor? They attract more backlinks.

In fact, the top-ranking page in a recent study had 3.8× more backlinks and 3.2× more referring domains than the next 9 positions. Large catalogs often attract more links, but only if the content and structure support it.

In this blog, we’ll look at the myth, break down the facts, and show when product count helps and when it doesn’t.

The Myth Explained: More Products = Better SEO

This idea has circulated in SEO forums and agency reports for years. More pages mean more chances to rank. More URLs mean more keywords covered. Larger sites appear more authoritative.

So, store owners upload every variation they have:

• 3 versions of the same t-shirt
• 7 barely different phone cases
• Dozens of template-based content blocks

The logic seems sound on paper, but real SEO doesn’t work that way anymore.

Search engines don’t reward quantity blindly. Google’s index filters out low-value pages fast. When a site grows too big without structure, many pages never even get indexed. And if they do, they don’t rank.

Let’s say you list 2,000 products, but 60% have:

• No unique content
• Poor images
• Slow loading
• Duplicate tags

That dilutes your site authority. Crawlers waste resources. Users bounce. Rankings drop.

The myth comes from large brands ranking well. But those sites don’t win because they’re big; they win because they manage scale well. Clean URLs, strong architecture, strategic category design, and deep internal links make the difference.

Size helps only when the rest of the site is ready to handle it.

The Facts: What the Data Actually Shows

The belief that more products automatically improve SEO isn’t backed by most real-world data. Yes, big sites tend to dominate, but they do so because they execute well at scale.

One survey showed 65% of companies using AI for site content saw better SEO results, while 67% reported improved quality. Why? Because they structured their content, product data, and linking systems better.

Here’s what larger sites often get right:

• Structured templates
• Internal link planning
• Strong taxonomy
• Automation for content blocks
• Schema for every page

They rank higher not because of size, but because they’re built for indexing, crawling, and engagement.

Let’s break this down clearly:

Metric	Small Catalog Sites	Large, Structured Catalogs	Large, Unstructured Sites
Average Index Rate	85%	92%	Below 60%
Average Bounce Rate	65%	38%	75%+
Organic Visibility Growth	Steady	Fast when optimized	Flat or negative
Referring Domains Growth	Slow	Fast (through product-led PR)	Rare
User Experience	Focused	Managed by design systems	Poor

Note: The statistics shown in the table are for illustration purposes only. They are not from real-world case studies but are used to explain typical outcomes of structured vs unstructured product scaling in SEO.

The message is clear: Product count only helps if the system behind it scales with quality.

Why Quantity Without Quality Hurts SEO

Adding thousands of product pages without clear quality controls harms your SEO. It makes your site harder to crawl. It increases bounce. And it weakens authority signals.

Here’s what typically happens when teams chase quantity:

• They duplicate content across similar items
• They skip writing unique product descriptions
• They forget about canonical tags for filters
• They ignore schema
• They slow down the site with too many image-heavy pages

Over time, this leads to crawl budget issues. Google doesn’t index everything. Some important pages get ignored. Others get indexed but never rank.

Also, poor-quality product pages don’t get links. They don’t earn shares. They don’t retain users. That damages your domain’s overall trust signals.

Imagine an e-commerce store selling shoes. If 600 out of 1,000 shoes have copied descriptions, pixelated images, and broken size filters, they won’t help SEO; they’ll hurt it. Even the good pages get affected because the site looks low-value overall.

It’s like a library with too many empty books.

Quantity is only a strength when quality stays consistent. Otherwise, you dilute everything, from rankings to revenue.

When More Products Can Help SEO

So, when does more actually mean better?

If you build the right foundation, adding more products increases:

• Topical depth
• Keyword diversity
• Internal link opportunities
• Long-tail traffic

Let’s take a scenario.

You run an electronics store with 200 products. You decide to scale to 500, but with a plan. Every product:

• Has a unique title and 100-word description
• Gets optimized images
• Uses proper schema
• Fits under a relevant category
• Connects with related products and articles

Now, Google sees structure. The site has depth. It serves user needs across product, intent, and support content. You also get:

• More pages to earn backlinks
• Higher chances of hitting long-tail queries
• Better cluster support for top category pages

Even thin traffic pages help the overall site rank better. But it only works if each page earns its space.

Also, automation can help if guided by rules. Using AI tools like ChatGPT to draft unique product copy at scale works when edited and reviewed. Structured content templates also support quality at high volumes.

More helps only when it’s done with a plan.

Best Practices for Scaling Product Pages

Scaling isn’t about speed. It’s about planning every layer of the page to work for SEO and UX.

Follow these practices:

1. Build Content Templates

Create reusable frameworks for:

• Titles
• Meta descriptions
• Feature lists
• Review sections

Use conditional logic to make each product page look unique.

2. Invest in Product Descriptions

Even 50 to 100 original words make a difference. Focus on benefits, not just specs. Add usage context.

Example:
“Made with 100% organic cotton. Ideal for Indian summer. Washes clean without losing shape.”

3. Use Proper Schema

Apply Product, Review, Offer, and Breadcrumb schema. This helps Google display rich results and improves crawl context.

4. Interlink Product Pages

Link each product to:

• Related items
• Popular collections
• Informational blog posts

This builds topical authority and improves engagement.

5. Keep URLs Clean

Avoid messy filters or dynamic parameters in indexable URLs. Stick to:
/mens-sneakers/product-name

Use canonical tags to prevent duplication when filters apply.

6. Batch Monitor Quality

Use Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to crawl your pages. Track:

• Missing metas
• Thin content
• Load times
• Index status

Create monthly audit cycles to clean dead weight and fix issues.

Scaling is not adding; it’s adding with control.

Conclusion: Quality Over Quantity Still Wins

SEO rewards depth, not just breadth. Adding more products works when each page brings something useful to users and is crawlable to search engines. But if your catalog grows without a system, it harms more than it helps.

The best-performing product sites don’t just scale; they also optimize. They scale with structure, good URLs, fast load times, rich content, strong linking, and smart markup. These brands grow visibility even with thousands of SKUs.

At Rankfast, we help e-commerce brands scale product catalogs without compromising SEO. From content automation to structured templates and crawl control, we make sure growth doesn’t break your search rankings.

Let’s build your catalog the right way.

FAQs

1. Does adding more product pages improve SEO?
Only when those pages have unique content, proper structure, and are indexed. Otherwise, they add no value and may slow down your site.

2. How many products are too many for a category page?
Try not to overload one category with hundreds of items. Use filters, subcategories, and pagination for better user and crawl flow.

3. What should I write in a product description?
Focus on the use case, materials, and buyer concerns. Avoid copying supplier text. Even short, original descriptions help SEO.

4. Should I delete out-of-stock products?
No. Redirect them or show alternatives. Deleting pages breaks links and loses equity. Use 301s if the product is gone permanently.

5. How can I track if my product pages are indexed?
Use Google Search Console. Also, run periodic crawls with Screaming Frog. Watch for pages blocked by robots.txt or duplicate content.

6. Can AI help in scaling product content?
Yes, when guided properly. Use AI for first drafts, but always edit and structure content manually. AI speeds up work, not strategy.