Orphaned content occurs when a page isn’t linked to from other pages, leaving it isolated and harder to find. Search engines might spend time on these pages and waste crawl budget, which can hurt your SEO.
Orphaned content:
- Weakens your site
- Lowers rankings
- Hampers navigation
- Causes missed visitors and sales.
Good internal linking prevents orphaned pages and maintains SEO strength.
Orphaned Content in SEO
Definition
It’s a common term in SEO, where orphaned content means any page on your website that lacks internal links from other pages. These pages cannot be reached by clicking through your siteโs navigation. Sometimes these are also called ‘orphan pages’ or ‘orphaned pages’ in SEO guides. Without links, users and search engines struggle to find this information, making orphaned content a real visibility issue.
Tip:
Always remember, orphaned content and orphan pages are interchangeable terms in SEO. Both point to pages with no internal links.
Orphan Pages
Orphan pages are typically identified during SEO audits, especially on large websites with many orphaned pages resulting from forgotten or broken links. These often include blog posts or landing pages that are not linked within the main site structure. Detecting and fixing orphan pages is crucial for uncovering valuable content and enhancing SEO by establishing proper internal links.
Note:
Orphaned pages are not just a technical issue. They can stop people from finding your best content and hurt your SEO results.
SEO Impact
Rankings
Every website aims to rank high in search results, but orphan pages can significantly affect this. Search engines find it difficult to locate or index these pages, and as a result, your best content might not appear at all, as confirmed by Search Engine Land and Unbounce. Internal linking indicates to search engines which pages are important. However, pages that lack links across your site become invisible and are not recognised as valuable, potentially leading to a decline in rankings. Regardless of their usefulness, these pages remain unseen, making the time spent on them a waste.
| Impact Aspect | Evidence / Metric | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Traffic Contribution | Orphan pages get only about 5% of organic visits | Most SEO value is lost on orphan pages, so content investment does not pay off. |
| Indexation Challenges | Search engines have trouble finding and indexing orphan pages | This means lost keyword rankings and less visibility |
| Link Equity Distribution | Orphan pages miss out on internal link equity, which weakens domain authority. | This lowers the ranking power of your domain and its pages |
Crawl Budget
Google uses a crawl budget to decide how many pages to scan. Orphaned pages waste this budget, as search engines spend time on pages that don’t help SEO. John Mueller from Google says internal linking helps crawlers. Without links, orphaned pages may be ignored or waste crawl resources. If these are essential or pivotal pages of content on your website, they might not get crawled or indexed. You want search engines to focus on your best content, not orphaned pages.
Did you know?
Orphaned pages can use up to 70% of Googleโs crawl budget on some sites.
User Experience
Orphaned pages are also frustrating for your visitors. If users can’t find pages through regular navigation, they become annoyed and may leave your site quickly, causing your bounce rates to rise. Usability studies indicate that orphaned pages hinder users from finding valuable information. When users come across orphaned pages, they might see outdated or irrelevant content, leading to diminished trust in your website and lower engagement.
Find Orphaned Content
Tools
There are numerous tools that you can use to help you find orphaned content on your website. If you’re using WordPress, SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and AIOSEO work well, with free versions available to get started quickly. These plugins scan your site and show pages with no internal links. Link whisper is unique because it offers an Orphaned Content report that lists orphan pages inaccessible to people and search engines and indicates where to add internal links, making it much easier to fix orphaned content.
Other tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, SEMrush, and Sitebulb can also help. These tools crawl your website and show orphan pages. Google Search Console and Google Analytics help you spot orphaned pages by showing pages with little or no traffic. You can also check your XML sitemap to see all your URLs. Then you can compare them with your internal links.
| Tool | Main Use |
|---|---|
| Link Whisper | Orphaned Content report, link suggestions |
| Yoast SEO | Orphaned content filter |
| Ahrefs | Site audit, find orphan pages |
| Screaming Frog | Crawl and compare internal links |
| SEMrush | Site audit, orphan page detection |
| Sitebulb | Visualise orphaned pages |
| Google Analytics | Find low-traffic orphan pages |
| Google Search Console | Index and coverage reports |
| XML Sitemap | List all site URLs |
| Rank Math, AIOSEO | Orphaned content filters |
Methods
It’s easy to identify orphaned content. First, crawl your website using a tool like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. Export all your URLs from the XML sitemap. Then, compare the crawl results with the sitemap. Pages listed in the sitemap but not in the crawl are likely orphan pages.
SEO experts often use two ways to check for orphaned content. They use crawler data and log files together. This helps find orphan pages that crawlers miss but Google still finds. Next, check Google Analytics and Search Console. Look for pages with no internal links and very low traffic. If your site is small, you can use a spreadsheet. Match URLs from your sitemap and your crawl.
These checks should be performed regularly, as orphaned content can appear when you add new pages or modify your site. Regular checks help keep your SEO strong and your site easy to use.
How to Fix Orphan Pages
Add Internal Links
You can fix orphan pages by linking them from other pages. Once you find them, add links from popular pages on your site. Use anchor text that fits the topic of the orphan page. Do not link orphan pages to each other. This keeps your internal linking strong. It also helps search engines find every page.
A real example shows that adding links to orphan pages brings more visitors. It also makes people stay on your site longer. When you connect orphan pages within your site, search engines find them faster. Users can also find more helpful content, keeping them on your site longer.
Tip:
Link related pages together to make topic clusters. This helps your SEO and lets users explore more content.
Steps to add internal links:
- Use SEO tools or compare your sitemap and links to find orphan pages.
- Pick good, popular pages to add new links from.
- Add links with clear anchor text.
- Do not link from other orphan pages.
- Check your work and look for orphan pages often.
Merge, Redirect, Remove
Working through your website, you may find that the orphan page is not very effective or you may have multiple pages that cover the same topic. In this case, it’s worth either removing the content or combining them into one. This prevents thin or duplicate content and improves SEO.
If you do find that an orphan page is old or not useful, make sure to create a 301 redirect. Anyone who attempts to access this page will be sent to a better page that you have selected. Keeping your site tidy and preserving link equity is important. If a page is unnecessary and lacks valuable content, remove it. Use a 410 status code to inform search engines to eliminate it. Always update or remove links pointing to deleted pages.
Note:
Save good content instead of deleting it. Sort old content by date or topic so you do not make new orphan pages.
Table: How to fix orphan pages
| Situation | Action | SEO Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Valuable but isolated content | Add internal links | Boosts visibility and ranking |
| Outdated or low-value content | Redirect or remove | Improves site quality and crawl efficiency |
| Duplicate or overlapping content | Merge pages | Avoids thin content and improves authority |
Prevention
The best method for not having orphan pages is to link new pages as soon as you post them. By implementing good SEO habits at the start, you can minismise the risk of negative impacts to your SEO and website.
Remember:
- Check your content and links often. These checks help you find and fix orphan pages before they hurt your SEO.
- Link new pages from important or busy pages as soon as you post them.
- Use SEO plugins to watch for orphan pages and suggest links.
- Keep your XML sitemap up to date.
- Make sure every key page is in your navigation or linked from other pages.
- Update your links as your site grows.
- Remove or change links to deleted pages to keep your site healthy.
Tip:
Do a check every month to watch for orphan pages and keep your links strong.
If you follow these steps, you will eliminate orphan pages and keep your SEO strong. Good internal linking helps both users and search engines, so your site can grow.
FAQ
What is orphaned content in SEO?
You find orphaned content when a page on your site has no internal links from other pages. Search engines and users cannot easily reach these pages. Orphaned content often stays hidden and does not help your siteโs SEO.
How do you find orphaned pages on your website?
You can use tools like Yoast SEO, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs. These tools scan your site and show pages with no internal links. You can also check your XML sitemap and compare it with your siteโs navigation.
Should you always fix orphaned content?
No, you do not need to fix every orphaned page. Some pages, like old event announcements, do not require links. Focus on linking important or evergreen content that helps your visitors and supports your SEO goals.
What happens if you ignore orphaned pages?
Orphaned pages can lower your rankings. Search engines may not index these pages. Users might miss valuable information. Your siteโs authority and user experience can suffer.
How can you prevent orphaned content in the future?
- Link new pages from popular or related pages as soon as you publish them.
- Use SEO plugins to monitor your site.
- Check your site regularly for orphaned pages.
Ready to Strengthen Your SEO and Fix Orphaned Pages?
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Donโt let valuable content stay hidden. Letโs make every page on your site work harder for your business.
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