# Content Quality Index

**Last Updated:** 2026-02-22  
**Purpose:** Single entry point for content quality guidelines, skyscraper technique, and validation

## Minimum vs Suggested (Quick Reference)

| Term | Definition | Validation |
|------|------------|------------|
| **Minimum** | Floor (80% of competitive-depth recommended) | Outline/content passes if ≥ minimum |
| **Suggested** | Target to aim for (100% of competitive-depth) | Best competitive positioning |

**Guidance:** Aim for 100% of recommended target. Use 90% only when topic is narrow or competition is low. Never aim for minimum—it exists for edge cases only.

## Core Documentation

| Document | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| [CONTENT_DEPTH_GUIDELINES.md](CONTENT_DEPTH_GUIDELINES.md) | Section depth, expand vs stop, H3 usage, E-E-A-T signals |
| [SKYSCRAPER_TECHNIQUE_2026.md](SKYSCRAPER_TECHNIQUE_2026.md) | Skyscraper 2.0, competitor matching, reach for suggested |
| [FLEXIBLE_WORD_COUNT_GUIDELINES.md](FLEXIBLE_WORD_COUNT_GUIDELINES.md) | Word count decision framework, minimum vs suggested |
| [ANTI_FLUFF_CHECKLIST.md](ANTI_FLUFF_CHECKLIST.md) | No filler, redundancy check, value test |
| [PAA_QUALITY_AND_MANUAL_OVERRIDE.md](PAA_QUALITY_AND_MANUAL_OVERRIDE.md) | When/how to use paa-questions-manual.json for off-topic PAA |
| [CONTENT_CREATION_WORKFLOW_2026.md](CONTENT_CREATION_WORKFLOW_2026.md) | Outline-first, section-by-section drafting |
| [CONTENT_QUALITY_STANDARDS_2026.md](CONTENT_QUALITY_STANDARDS_2026.md) | User-centric principles, FAQ, internal linking |

## Validation Scripts

| Script | When | What |
|--------|------|------|
| `validate-content-outline-quality.php` | After outline, before content | Outline target ≥90%, H2 count ≥8, SERP filled, Unique Value ≥1 |
| `validate-section-depth.php` | After content draft | Each H2 has 2+ paragraphs or 1+ list/table |
| `validate-content-completeness.php` | Before finalizing | PAA covered, gaps addressed, definition in first 20% |
| `validate-faq-quality.php` | Before finalizing | FAQ count 10–15, answers 40–80 words |

## Testing & Audit

- **Regression test:** `php v2/scripts/blog/test-content-quality-validators.php --posts=slug1,slug2`
- **Audit vs targets:** `python3 v2/scripts/blog/audit-posts-vs-targets.py --output=report.md` — Latest report: [POSTS_VS_TARGETS_AUDIT.md](POSTS_VS_TARGETS_AUDIT.md)

## References

- [BLOG_POST_IMPROVEMENT_PROCESS.md](BLOG_POST_IMPROVEMENT_PROCESS.md) – Full workflow
- [CONTENT_DEPTH_VALIDATION_GUIDE.md](CONTENT_DEPTH_VALIDATION_GUIDE.md) – Fixing validation failures