Orphan page is a term you may hear in SEO. Identifying and improving these pages can have a significant impact on SEO.
What Are Orphan Pages?
Orphan pages are web pages that exist on a website but lack internal links. Since no other pages on the site link to them, they remain disconnected from the site’s structure and are difficult to discover.
Without internal links, these pages become hard to navigate from within the site. However, they are not completely inaccessible. Users may find orphan pages through external sources, such as backlinks for SEO from other websites, mentions in newsletters, or through search engines if the pages rank for specific keywords. Additionally, redirects from other URLs can sometimes lead to these pages.
Even though they can still be accessed in some ways, orphan pages are generally problematic for both users and search engines. Below, we’ll explore why they can negatively impact a website’s SEO and overall performance.
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Why Are Orphan Pages Bad for SEO?
Orphan pages can present several issues that impact SEO and website performance. Here’s why they are bad for SEO:
- Orphan pages may not remain indexed
Since these pages lack internal links, they have minimal authority. Search engines may eventually deindex them if they don’t appear valuable. - They consume the crawl budget unnecessarily
If search engines waste resources crawling orphan pages instead of focusing on high-value content, it can slow down indexing and impact the site’s overall SEO performance. - Orphan pages generally underperform
Internal linking plays a crucial role in helping search engines understand a page’s importance and relevance. Orphan pages lack this, making them less likely to rank well. - They create a poor user experience
Users who stumble upon orphan pages through external sources may find outdated or irrelevant content. Additionally, they may struggle to find their way back to the page since it’s not accessible through the main site navigation.
Can Google Discover Orphan Page?
Google may be able to find orphan pages if they are listed in the XML sitemap or referenced through elements such as canonical tags, redirects, or Hreflang attributes. However, being discovered does not guarantee indexing. If Google determines that these pages are not valuable, they may still be excluded from the index.
Common Reasons Orphan Page Exist
While some orphan pages are intentionally created for specific campaigns or landing pages, others exist due to oversight. Here are some common reasons they appear:
- Weak internal linking – If a page is not properly integrated into the site’s structure, it may become an orphan.
- Neglected housekeeping – Old pages that were once linked but later removed from navigation remain orphaned.
- Lack of tracking – Website updates or migrations may cause pages to lose their internal links.
- Obsolete content – Pages related to past events, expired promotions, or discontinued products may no longer be linked but still exist on the site.
How to Identify Orphan Page?
There are several methods to locate orphan pages:
- Talking to an expert – Talking to expert people can help identify orphan pages by analyzing site structure. You can trust DiMarketo to help you in this way.
- Cross-referencing data – Exporting a list of known pages from a crawler and comparing it with data from Google Analytics and Google Search Console can highlight orphan pages.
- Analyzing server logs – Reviewing log files to see which URLs have been requested can help identify orphan pages that are not linked internally.
Typical Characteristics of Orphan Pages
Orphan pages generally share the following traits:
- No inbound links – The key characteristic of an orphan page is that no other page on the site links to it.
- Live but inaccessible—These pages are active and may be valuable, but users cannot easily navigate to them.
- Indexed but not connected—Some orphan pages may still appear in search results, but they lack proper internal linking, which affects their performance.
How to Fix Orphan Pages
Once orphan pages are identified, the next step is to determine their value and decide on the best course of action:
- If the page is helpful, integrate it – Add internal links pointing to the page and include it in the XML sitemap to improve its visibility.
- If the page has value but is redundant, redirect it – Use a 301 redirect to send visitors to a relevant alternative page.
- If the page is outdated and unnecessary, remove it – If the page serves no purpose and is not generating traffic, it’s best to delete it.
Final Thoughts
Monitoring your site regularly ensures that orphan pages do not appear anymore. By addressing them promptly, you can enhance your SEO performance, improve site navigation, and ensure that valuable content is easily accessible to users and search engines alike. For improving your website, consider our content creation agency dubai to make you thrive.
