SEO | TSCA

Question 1

What are orphan pages?

Accepted Answer

Orphan pages are pages that exist on your website but do not have any internal links pointing to them. This means they cannot be easily accessed via navigation from other parts of the site, making it challenging for both users and search engines to discover them. These pages often remain hidden unless directly accessed via their URL.

Question 2

Why are orphan pages harmful to SEO?

Accepted Answer

Orphan pages pose an SEO risk because they are disconnected from the site’s internal linking structure. Without internal links, they miss out on the potential to pass link equity from other pages, which could help them rank higher in search engine results. They also waste crawl budget, as search engines may not crawl these pages as frequently or at all.

Question 3

Can Google find orphan pages?

Accepted Answer

While Google can find orphan pages through external links or through an updated sitemap, they may not get indexed or ranked if they aren’t linked internally. Google tends to prioritise pages with strong internal link structures, so orphan pages are less likely to be seen as important by search engines, impacting their visibility and search performance.

Question 4

What causes orphan pages?

Accepted Answer

Orphan pages are often caused by website updates, restructuring, or neglecting to maintain internal links when new content is added. These pages can also emerge after site migrations or content reorganisations, where links to certain pages may have been removed or overlooked. Lack of attention to the internal linking structure can leave certain pages isolated.

Question 5

How can I identify orphan pages?

Accepted Answer

Identifying orphan pages can be done using SEO tools like Screaming Frog, which crawls your website and highlights pages that have no inbound internal links. Alternatively, Google Search Console can show all the pages indexed by Google, helping you identify those not getting traffic or visibility. Cross-referencing this with site maps or analytics data can also help uncover orphaned pages.

Question 6

Are orphan pages always harmful?

Accepted Answer

Not all orphan pages are necessarily harmful to SEO. Some pages, such as landing pages for specific ad campaigns or temporary promotions, might be intentionally isolated. These pages may not need to be part of the broader site structure, especially if they’re meant for short-term use. However, most orphan pages should be integrated into the site’s internal linking for long-term SEO benefits.

Question 7

What happens if an orphan page is not indexed?

Accepted Answer

If an orphan page isn’t indexed by Google, it won’t appear in search engine results, making it virtually invisible to anyone who might search for it. This means the content won’t contribute to your site’s organic search traffic or SEO rankings. Pages that are unindexed also don’t gain the benefit of being linked to from other pages within the site, which can limit their potential to rank well.

Question 8

How do orphan pages impact user experience?

Accepted Answer

Orphan pages often lead to a poor user experience because visitors cannot easily navigate to them from other parts of the site. If someone lands on an orphan page via a direct URL or external link, they may struggle to find related content or feel disconnected from the broader website experience. Poor internal linking can cause frustration and hinder users from exploring the site further.

Question 9

Can orphan pages be fixed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, orphan pages can be fixed by adding internal links to them from other relevant pages on the site. This can be done by updating the site’s navigation, adding contextual links within blog posts or other pages, or updating the sitemap to ensure the orphan page is crawled and indexed. These actions help improve site navigation, content discovery, and SEO.

Question 10

What are the characteristics of orphan pages?

Accepted Answer

Orphan pages are typically live, meaning they exist on the website but do not have inbound internal links from other pages. They are isolated and may not be indexed by search engines. These pages are often not part of the site’s main navigation or linking structure and are only accessible via direct URL. Despite being part of the site, they remain hidden to both users and search engines without proper internal linking.

Topic: SEO

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