Every aspect of the website’s architecture plays an important role in its performance and visibility within the domain of Technical SEO.
Among that, one of the disregarded aspects is Orphan Pages. These lonely pages exist in the shadow of the website and isolated from the rest.
In this article, let us explore What is Orphan Page, how to identify & address them and actionable tips to prevent them to boost the website’s SEO.
What is an Orphan Page?
Web pages that have no internal links pointing to them from other pages within the website are known as orphan pages.
This means these webpages are not reachable through the site’s navigation or other links. This makes them effectively invisible to both the users and search engines.
Features of Orphan Pages:
- They are not visible through XML sitemaps, internal links or navigation menus on the website.
- These pages are difficult for users and search engines to discover.
- These pages are out-of-date, forgotten or were made for purposes that are no longer relevant.
How Orphan Pages Occur?
The potential causes of the orphan pages include,
- Poor Internal Linking. This means insufficient links connecting pages.
- The internal links to the web pages might accidentally get deleted.
- Disconnected pages may result from migrations, redesigns or updates.
- Pages that are too old and forgotten.
How Orphan Pages Impact SEO?
The Orphan Pages affect the SEO efforts severely as follows,
- The Orphan Pages will not appear in search results. So the search engines were not able to discover and index these pages.
- These pages may contain valuable content that drives traffic and engagement. If not integrated properly into the site structure results in wasted potential.
- Users find it difficult to discover these pages through internal links. This leads to poor user experience and higher bounce rates.
- The crawl budget for search engines to crawl and index the website are limited. Orphan pages that are not linked internally will waste this valuable crawl budget.
- Orphan Pages miss out the link equity or link Juice that the internal links pass. This impacts their ability to rank well in search results.
How to identify Orphan Page?
Finding Orphan Pages can be challenging. But with the right tools and techniques, it is possible to identify these hidden pages.
The effective methods to identify Orphan Pages includes,
Manual Checking – Navigate through the website manually to identify pages that are difficult to reach. Also analyze the internal links to find pages that have few or no inbound links.
Using SEO Tools:
Google Search Console – This is not a direct method. Google Search Console compares the indexed pages to the sitemap and identifies indexed pages that are orphan.
GSC highlights the indexing issues. Make use of the “Coverage” report to find pages that are not indexed or flagged for errors.
Screaming Frog – This tool crawls the website and identifies pages with no internal links.
Ahrefs, SEMrush and other SEO tools – These platforms include features to detect pages that have few or no backlinks, which may be an indication of orphan pages.
Website Analytics Analysis – Utilize Google Analytics to identify pages with low traffic and high bounce rate. This is an indication of an orphan page.
How to fix Orphan Page?
Once the orphan page is identified, it’s time to take action. The actionable strategies is as follows,
Include Internal Links – Make sure that the links added are contextually relevant to the content of the orphan page.
Place the links strategically in the sidebars, footers, navigation menus and within related content.
Optimize the anchor text descriptive to increase the search engine visibility.
Merge Content – If the content on an orphan page is similar to that on another page, consider merging them. To maintain user experience and link equity, use a 301 redirect.
Redirect to the Relevant Page – If the orphan page is no longer relevant, redirect it to a more relevant page using a 301 redirect.
Delete the Page – If the page doesn’t provide users with much value, consider deleting the page. After deleting, ensure the page is removed from the XML sitemap.
No index the Page – If the page is intentionally Orphan like landing pages, use the “noindex” meta tag to prevent it from appearing in search results.
How to prevent Orphan Pages?
Preventing Orphan Pages is essential to maintain a healthy website structure and optimize SEO. The best practices to avoid the orphan pages is as follows,
- Strategic Internal Linking – Develop a clear Internal Linking Strategy from the start. Link New content to the relevant existing pages. Use the anchor text effectively to improve the search engine visibility.
- Regular Content Audits – Perform audits on a regular basis to identify pages that are becoming isolated. Also check for outdated content.
- Content Management – Make sure that the content is properly integrated into the structure of the website. Don’t create pages without considering their placement within the site architecture.
- Clear Architecture – Create a logical and user-friendly website structure. Utilize a clear navigation menu to guide both the users and search engines.
- Implementation of Breadcrumb – To enhance crawlability and assist users in understanding where they are on the website, add breadcrumbs.
- XML Sitemap – Ensure that the structure of the website is updated on a regular basis by updating the XML sitemap.
- Review New Content – Make sure there is at least one internal link on every new page. Consider including links to relevant content within the same post or article.
- Monitor 404 Errors – Check for broken links regularly that lead to orphan pages.
Conclusion
Orphan Page seems like a small issue. But they have a significant impact on the website’s SEO and User Experience.
Identifying, fixing and preventing orphan pages is mandatory. This inturn ensures all the valuable content is accessible and optimized.
To enhance the SEO efforts, conduct regular audits, maintain an organized site structure and make use of effective internal linking strategies.
If you’re struggling with orphan pages or other technical SEO issues, our Technical SEO Services are here to help. Get in touch with us to optimize your site’s performance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, landing pages are not necessarily orphan pages. Landing pages are intended to be accessed through targeted marketing campaigns or via internal links.
But if they lack internal links and are not connected to other pages on the website, they can become orphan pages.
The best practices for managing orphan pages include,
- Regularly auditing the site to identify them
- Adding internal links to connect them with relevant pages and
- Updating or removing pages that are outdated or irrelevant.
Yes, Hidden Pages are bad for SEO. Because they are not accessible to search engines.
These pages won’t increase the visibility or rankings of the website if search engines are unable to crawl or index them.
