Las Orphan pages represent a silent but significant obstacle to the positioning of a website. Without proper internal linking, these pages are isolated and unable to be discovered by bots, affecting both SEO as to the user experience.

Identifying these types of pages is crucial in order not to impact the visibility of all the content of a website and thus be able to transfer authority correctly between pages. In this article, we explore what these pages are, How do they affect search engine rankings and what steps you can take to detect and fix them.

What is an orphan page

Una Orphan page It is one that has no internal links that connect it to other pages of the same website, leaving it completely isolated. This situation makes it difficult for both users and search engines to find it.

Search engines discover the contents of a website by following internal links, without them the process of crawling and indexing a page becomes complicated and there is no guarantee that it will be indexed.

An orphan page can be included in the results pages of Google or another search engine, since it may be that you receive signs of its existence, such as being listed in your sitemap.xml or that in the past they were linked from other pages. Not having internal links significantly reduces your visibility and transfer of authority, impacting its organic positioning.

In short, orphan pages are an obstacle to achieving a user experience optimal and a correct strategy SEO of internal linking.

Causes of orphan page generation

Las Orphan pages they arise for several reasons on a website.

1. Elimination of the link but without replacement: When modifying components or texts of a website, pages are often left unlinked. When that link that previously linked to a specific page ceases to exist, it results in an orphan page that is not called from anywhere.
2. Changes in the web architecture: Updating the structure of a site and without making the cross between the previous content and where they are linking from, causes disconnects between the pages and, therefore, orphan pages.
3. Website migrations: During this process, some pages may not be moved properly - at the level of content, links, components -, generating forgotten pages that respond with a satisfactory code of 200, but that are not called from any internal page.
4. Worthless pages created by plugins, development or CMS functionalities: It is very common to see pages in the Google index that are completely unknown to the owners of a website and that do not know where they are generated from and that, of course, are not linked from anywhere. Many of these cases we have seen that they can be the product of the same plugins or unknown functionalities of the CMS, as well as that pages are created for a component to work.
5. Old contents: Over time, certain content loses its internal links due to updates and changes in the structure of the site. This can be a missed opportunity for the correct and efficient transfer of authority to the pages that we are really interested in positioning.

Careful management of internal links is essential to keep the site structure SEO-friendly and avoid these problematic pages.

Methods for locating orphan pages

Localizing orphan pages on a website is essential to improving its visibility and SEO performance. Here, we present different methods and tools that help identify these pages precisely.

Using Google Search Console

Google Search Console offers valuable tools for identifying orphaned pages. This platform displays indexed pages and provides crawl error reports, which can reveal the existence of orphaned URLs.

• Coverage: Accessing this section allows you to see excluded pages, especially those marked with the noindex tag.
• Impressions without SEO traffic: It helps detect pages that generate impressions but do not receive traffic, indicating possible unlinked pages.
• Tracking errors: Provides data on indexing problems that may be linked to orphan pages.

Integrating Google Search Console with other analysis tools improves the internal link structure and the overall visibility of the site.

Screaming Frog Tracking

Screaming Frog is a tool of Technical SEO effective for discovering, among many other things, orphan pages. By carrying out an exhaustive analysis of the internal link, it makes it possible to identify all the pages of the site.

• XML Sitemap Tracking: This option allows you to uncover orphaned URLs that are not accessible from other internal links, but that do appear in the sitemap.xml.
• Connect to the Google Search Console API: Facilitates the comparison between URLs obtained during crawling and those indexed in Google Search Console.
• Log file analysis: The log analyser module identifies pages visited by Googlebot that could not be linked internally.

These methods ensure that orphan pages are identified and become an integral part of the site structure, thus improving SEO and user experience.

What Google thinks of orphan pages

Google interprets orphan pages according to their purpose and the context in which they exist.

In some cases, these pages may be intentionally created, as is the case with landing pages designed for specific campaigns. However, many times these pages are not properly configured with the meta tag Noindex in the code and, therefore, Google could interpret them as an attempt to position them.

Another negative aspect of orphan pages is their inability to receive SEO authority. As they are not linked within the structure of the site, they lack organic traffic, which prevents their popularity and relevance from growing. This means that all the effort invested in keyword optimization, structure, readability, SEO for images, meta tags and other elements will not have the expected impact in terms of positioning.

For Google, orphan pages represent a sign of poorly managed content, which may affect the overall rating of the site. Therefore, it's crucial to manage them properly to avoid misunderstandings and maximize the benefits of your SEO efforts.

Solutions for correcting orphaned pages

As we have already mentioned, orphan pages represent a significant challenge for SEO. Here are the best practices for doing so:

Implementing internal links

The implementation of internal links plays a vital role in solving orphan pages. Internal links connect orphaned pages with other pages, transferring authority between them, distributing relevance and improving search engine rankings.

• They facilitate the indexing of content, increasing the likelihood that pages will be detected and crawled correctly.
• They promote a constant and balanced traffic flow, increasing opportunities for interaction and lead acquisition.
• They improve thematic relevance, allowing search engines to better understand the context between pages.
• They define the structure and hierarchy of the site, ensuring that the most relevant pages receive the most attention.

Elimination of low-value content

Removing low-value content is essential to maintaining the integrity and relevance of the website. Temporary, test or low-quality pages should be deleted and, depending on the case, redirected with a 301.

• Removing pages with little relevance helps to clean and optimize the site.
• This process improves the information architecture of the site, resulting in better positioning.
• Regular maintenance of site content ensures that only pages that provide value are indexed.
• Deleting worthless pages makes efficient use of the crawl budget.

By implementing these solutions, you not only eliminate orphan pages, but you also improve the user experience and optimize the site's SEO performance. Thus, you facilitate smooth and efficient navigation, complying with the recommendations of search engines.

How to deal with orphan pages on your website

Once orphan pages have been identified, it's time to take action. Here are three suggested actions, depending on the type of content they contain:

1. Pages with positioning potential

If you find pages with relevant content, but that have been orphaned, it's time to optimize them based on keyword research.

Common Cause: It may have occurred during a migration or due to changes in the internal link.

Solution: Link to them from other related pages within your site. Identify those that deal with similar topics and add strategic internal links. Not only does this help with tracking, but it also improves the user experience. In addition, re-optimize them in case there are any organic opportunities that you are not covering.

2. Pages with little or no SEO value

Sometimes, some pages don't provide value because they contain duplicate content, are outdated, or don't align with your strategy.

Common Cause: Old pages not redirected or without thematic relevance.

Solution:

• Unindex: Delete the Sitemap.xml page and add a noindex tag to let the bots know that you don't want it to be indexed.
• Delete and redirect: Point the URL to an active and relevant page using a 301 redirect. This way, you will retain some of the traffic without negatively affecting your positioning.

Novicell can help you

Addressing the problem of orphan pages is a challenge that requires time, detailed analysis and a well-structured strategy. Not all orphaned pages should be deleted or redirected.

Analyze each case carefully and apply the solution that best suits its purpose within your strategy. This way, you'll optimize your site so that each page contributes to overall performance. Although it's a complex exercise, with the right approach and the right tools, it's possible to transform these pages into valuable assets for your website.

In Novicell, we have a team specialized in technical SEO which can help you identify and fix these problems, ensuring that your site reaches its full potential. We're here to support you every step of your digital journey.