Orphan pages can be thought of as lost islands in the vast digital ocean of your website. They exist, but no one can find them. These pages, inaccessible to both search engines and users, can significantly harm your website’s SEO and overall user experience. If you’re looking to boost your website’s visibility and improve your rankings, identifying what orphan pages are and rectifying them is crucial.
Today’s agenda would be to understand the world of orphan pages, why they’re harmful, and most importantly, how to find and fix them. You’re getting this from the experts at the best SEO company in India, so you know you’ll benefit significantly from what you’re about to read.
Let’s get started!
Orphan pages are web pages on your site that have no inbound links from other pages within your domain. They are pages tucked away in a corner of your website, with no clear path leading to it. Search engines and users alike will struggle to discover these pages, making them essentially invisible.
Being an experienced SEO company in Delhi that has served many clients, we have encountered numerous cases when websites have several orphan pages. There are several factors which can contribute to the creation of orphan pages:
A haphazard linking structure, where pages aren’t interlinked, can easily lead to pages becoming unreachable. Overly intricate menus or confusing site architecture can hinder users and search engines from discovering pages. Moreover, neglecting to update your XML sitemap can leave pages out of the loop for search engine crawlers.
When content is moved or deleted, improper redirects can leave the old URLs dangling as orphans. Sometimes, updates to your content management system can also disrupt internal linking, creating orphan pages. Another reason may be a website overhaul that can result in pages being left behind and inaccessible.
Irrelevant content should be replaced with new content on a regular basis. Pages with stale information may be removed or hidden, unintentionally becoming orphans. Also, temporary pages created for specific campaigns (seasonal or promotional in nature) are often forgotten after the event ends.
Broken links or server issues, such as 404 errors, can prevent users and search engines from reaching pages. Additionally, improper use of canonical tags and incorrectly configured robots.txt files can block search engine crawlers from accessing relevant pages.
Now, one might think, “So what if there are orphan pages? They might not be linked to another page on the website, but it’s not like they are harming my website.”
Wrong.
Orphan pages pose a significant threat to your website’s SEO health. Here’s why:
The problem of orphan pages is quite serious for eCommerce websites that have a large number of pages. That is why such websites need professional eCommerce SEO services to deal with the issue of orphan pages.
Now that we understand the problem, let’s explore some practical solutions to deal with orphan pages.
Identifying orphan pages can be challenging, but with the right tools and techniques, it’s achievable. Here are some effective methods that the experts at our SEO company in Delhi have tried and tested:
A thorough website audit requires significant time but offers invaluable insights. Commencing at the homepage, comprehensively navigate through the primary and submenus to verify accessibility to all pages. Subsequently, systematically click on every internal link to detect potential dead ends or isolated areas. Identifying broken links is crucial as they often lead to orphan pages.
Finally, a comprehensive review of the site’s architecture helps pinpoint any sections disconnected from the main website structure.
SEO tools offer efficient and comprehensive solutions for identifying orphan pages. Many popular tools, such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog and Moz, include site audit features capable of scanning your website for various SEO issues, including orphan pages. These tools often provide customisable reports that allow you to filter and analyse data, helping you pinpoint specific orphan page problems.
Google Search Console offers valuable insights into indexing problems. The “Coverage” report can highlight pages with indexing errors, which may be orphan pages. Additionally, examining crawl errors for accessibility or blocked pages can also reveal potential orphan pages.
An XML sitemap serves as a roadmap for search engines, highlighting the pages you deem most important. By including these URLs, you prioritise their discovery and indexing. Conversely, pages absent from the sitemap risk becoming inaccessible to search engines, potentially hindering their visibility.
To ensure optimal search engine performance, it’s crucial to maintain a regularly updated sitemap that accurately reflects your website’s evolving structure.
Also read: 5 Essential Magento SEO Strategies for Dominating E-commerce in 2024
Once you’ve identified your orphan pages, it’s time to take action. It’s best to give the reins to a specialised SEO company in India like ours, but if you follow the strategies listed below, you can rectify the situation to a great extent by yourself:
Fixing orphan pages is an ongoing process. That’s why regular website audits and maintenance are essential to prevent new orphan pages from forming. By diligently addressing orphan pages, you can significantly improve your website’s SEO, enhance user experience, and ultimately drive more traffic and conversions.
If you need assistance with a comprehensive SEO strategy, including orphan page identification and resolution, or with eCommerce SEO services, consider partnering with the specialists at RepIndia. We can provide expert guidance and tailored solutions to help your website reach its full potential.
As always, we’re just a click or phone call away!
