{"id":11902,"date":"2024-12-17T19:45:38","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T19:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T19:45:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T19:45:38","slug":"what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Orphan Pages? (How to Find &amp; Fix Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Orphan pages are website pages with no internal links pointing to them. This makes them inaccessible through the site\u2019s normal navigation, meaning users and search engines can\u2019t find them by browsing or crawling your website.<\/p>\n<p>However, users and search engines can still find them through external links or direct URL access. This means Google can still index them (more on that soon).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Orphan pages have no internal links\" alt=\"Orphan pages have no internal links\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.83857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/orphan-pages-have-no-internal-links.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You can end up with orphan pages for lots of reasons, but the most common ones include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Poor <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/internal-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">internal linking<\/a>:<\/strong> Forgetting to link new pages from existing content<\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Website Migration Checklist: Essential SEO Steps for Success\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/website-migration-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Site migrations<\/a>:<\/strong> Losing pages during site moves (or any other URL changes without putting redirects in place)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deleted links:<\/strong> Removing internal links or pages that contained lots of them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For example, if you add a new product page but don\u2019t link it from your main catalog, it becomes an orphan page.<\/p>\n<p>Or imagine you have internal links between two blog posts, Post A and Post B, but then you delete Post A. If Post A was the only one linking to it, Post B might become an orphan page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#What_Counts_as_an_Orphan_Page\" >What Counts as an Orphan Page?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#When_Orphaned_Pages_Are_Okay\" >When Orphaned Pages Are Okay<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Can_Google_Index_Orphan_Pages\" >Can Google Index Orphan Pages?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Why_Orphan_Pages_Hurt_Your_SEO\" >Why Orphan Pages Hurt Your SEO<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Poor_Rankings\" >Poor Rankings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Inaccessible_Content\" >Inaccessible Content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Wasted_Crawl_Budget\" >Wasted Crawl Budget<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#How_to_Identify_Orphan_Pages_on_Your_Website\" >How to Identify Orphan Pages on Your Website<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Use_a_Site_Audit_Tool\" >Use a Site Audit Tool<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Run_a_Screaming_Frog_Crawl\" >Run a Screaming Frog Crawl<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Install_a_WordPress_Plugin\" >Install a WordPress Plugin<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#How_to_Fix_Orphan_Pages_and_Improve_SEO\" >How to Fix Orphan Pages and Improve SEO<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Method_1_Add_Internal_Links\" >Method 1: Add Internal Links<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Method_2_Merge_and_Redirect\" >Method 2: Merge and Redirect<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Method_3_Use_a_%E2%80%9Cnoindex%E2%80%9D_Tag\" >Method 3: Use a \u201cnoindex\u201d Tag<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Method_4_Delete_the_Page\" >Method 4: Delete the Page<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Best_Practices_for_Preventing_Orphan_Pages\" >Best Practices for Preventing Orphan Pages<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Make_Internal_Linking_a_Habit\" >Make Internal Linking a Habit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Track_and_Monitor_Your_Internal_Linking_Efforts\" >Track and Monitor Your Internal Linking Efforts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/17\/what-are-orphan-pages-how-to-find-fix-them\/#Avoid_Orphan_Pages_with_SEO_Best_Practices\" >Avoid Orphan Pages with SEO Best Practices<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Counts_as_an_Orphan_Page\"><\/span>What Counts as an Orphan Page?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Strictly speaking, orphan pages have ZERO internal links from anywhere on your site. Including homepage, blog roll, category, and navigational links.<\/p>\n<p>However, pages that contain internal links, but only from other orphan pages, are still orphans for all intents and purposes.<\/p>\n<p>For example, let\u2019s say you have two blog posts, B and C, that both link to each other and have links pointing to them from Post A. But these are the <strong>only<\/strong> links that point to them.<\/p>\n<p>If Post A is an orphan page, Posts B and C are also orphans, at least in the context of the rest of your site:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Links from other orphan pages\" alt=\"Links from other orphan pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.83857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/links-from-other-orphan-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>While they have internal links pointing to them, they\u2019re disconnected from the wider site structure. Users and search engines still wouldn\u2019t be able to find them by following links from the homepage.<\/p>\n<p>So, essentially, these are also orphan pages.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> It\u2019s worth mentioning \u201cdead-end pages\u201d here. They\u2019re pages that don\u2019t have any internal links pointing <strong>from<\/strong> them, but they might have links pointing <strong>to<\/strong> them. So they\u2019re not always orphan pages.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Orphaned_Pages_Are_Okay\"><\/span>When Orphaned Pages Are Okay<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You might leave some pages as orphans intentionally\u2014and that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n<p>These could be ad <a title=\"Landing Page Guide: Create Pages That Convert Super Well\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/landing-page-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">landing pages<\/a>, exclusive offers for email subscribers, or private content you don\u2019t want search engines or the public to find easily.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you wouldn\u2019t internally link to a newsletter subscription confirmation page. So you wouldn\u2019t worry about that page being orphaned.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Morning Brew \u2013 Onboarding\" alt=\"Morning Brew \u2013 Onboarding\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.93\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/morningbrew-onboarding.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Google_Index_Orphan_Pages\"><\/span>Can Google Index Orphan Pages?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google can still index orphan pages if it finds them through your <a title=\"Sitemap: What Is It &amp; Why Your Website Needs One\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/sitemaps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sitemap<\/a> or external links.<\/p>\n<p>For example, someone could find your orphan page by directly typing in the URL (or perhaps it wasn\u2019t always an orphan, but now is). They could then link to your page, and Google could follow that link.<\/p>\n<p>It can then decide to index the page, even though there are no internal links pointing to it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Other site\" alt=\"Other site\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.79571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/other-site.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But obviously you shouldn\u2019t rely on sitemaps alone or other sites linking to yours to get Google to index your pages.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Orphan_Pages_Hurt_Your_SEO\"><\/span>Why Orphan Pages Hurt Your SEO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Orphan pages hurt your SEO by making it harder for users and search engines to find your content. As a result, they can impact your rankings, traffic, and resources.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at exactly how orphan pages might be holding your site back.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Poor_Rankings\"><\/span>Poor Rankings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Search engines rely on links to find and index pages. With no internal links pointing to them, this makes it hard to find orphan pages. And if Google can\u2019t find your orphan pages, it can\u2019t index them and then rank them in search results.<\/p>\n<p>But even if Google does index an orphan page, it might rank poorly because it lacks internal links that pass authority and relevance signals.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Internal links authority\" alt=\"Internal links authority\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.54142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/internal-links-authority.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Lower Organic Traffic<\/p>\n<p>If your site ranks poorly in Google search results, it won\u2019t attract much organic (unpaid) traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Your <a title=\"Organic CTR\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/organic-ctr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click-through rate<\/a> (or CTR) is tied largely to your ranking position:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Google Organic CTR Breakdown\" alt=\"Google Organic CTR Breakdown\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.90285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-organic-ctr-breakdown.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>So if you rank lower, you\u2019ll probably see less traffic. And if your orphan pages don\u2019t rank at all, they won\u2019t see ANY organic traffic.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inaccessible_Content\"><\/span>Inaccessible Content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Users can\u2019t find orphan pages through normal site navigation. This obviously has implications for your site\u2019s performance, but it can also impact the user experience.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a useful FAQ page that you haven\u2019t linked to won\u2019t help your visitors.<\/p>\n<p>And a pricing page that they can\u2019t find without searching for it directly likely won\u2019t help your conversion rate.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wasted_Crawl_Budget\"><\/span>Wasted Crawl Budget<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Having many orphan pages can also waste your <a title=\"What is Crawl Budget? And Why Does It Matter for SEO?\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/crawl-budget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crawl budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While a few orphan pages might not be a huge problem, having hundreds or thousands of them can cause significant issues.<\/p>\n<p>So for big sites with thousands or millions of pages (like large ecommerce stores), staying on top of your orphan pages is a MUST.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Identify_Orphan_Pages_on_Your_Website\"><\/span>How to Identify Orphan Pages on Your Website<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To fix orphan pages and prevent them from harming your SEO, you first need to find them.<\/p>\n<p>But finding them reliably is a little tricky. After all, there are no links to them. And the main way search engines and crawling tools find pages is through links.<\/p>\n<p>So you sometimes have to get a little creative.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve outlined a few of the best ways to find orphaned pages below.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Use_a_Site_Audit_Tool\"><\/span>Use a Site Audit Tool<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Various SEO platforms offer some sort of site auditing tool. These work in a similar way to Google\u2019s crawlers, so they can be a great way to highlight technical issues\u2013like orphan pages.<\/p>\n<p>They all work in slightly different ways.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Semrush\u2019s <a title=\"Site Audit: Improve the SEO of Your Website | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/siteaudit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Site Audit tool<\/a> crawls your website to find all your pages, just like Google would.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Crawler settings\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Crawler settings\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.81230769230769\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/site-audit-crawler-settings.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>It then looks at your XML sitemap and compares the list of URLs in there with the ones that have received traffic.<\/p>\n<p>The tool labels pages that have received traffic but aren\u2019t in your sitemap (or vice versa) as orphans.<\/p>\n<p>To use it to find orphan pages, set up a new project and enter your domain. Configure the crawl settings, or leave them as their defaults.<\/p>\n<p>After running the audit, navigate to the \u201c<strong>Issues<\/strong>\u201d tab. Then search for \u201corphan\u201d:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Issues \u2013 Orphaned pages\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Issues \u2013 Orphaned pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.37142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/site-audit-issues-orphaned-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>By clicking on these issues, you can view the affected pages. (You may need to connect your site to Google Analytics first.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Orphaned pages\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Orphaned pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.93\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/site-audit-orphaned-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>The tool might flag some pages that you don\u2019t need to worry about, like URLs with parameters or old URLs that you have since redirected or deleted.<\/p>\n<p>But working through this list can help you isolate your site\u2019s orphan pages.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Run_a_Screaming_Frog_Crawl\"><\/span>Run a Screaming Frog Crawl<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a title=\"Screaming Frog\" href=\"https:\/\/www.screamingfrog.co.uk\/seo-spider\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Screaming Frog<\/a> is a powerful SEO crawling tool that can tell you A LOT about your website\u2019s technical health.<\/p>\n<p>This makes it a great option for identifying orphan pages.<\/p>\n<p>To get started, head to the crawl configuration screen within the tool. Choose whether you want the tool to auto discover your sitemap, or submit it manually.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 XML Sitemaps\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 XML Sitemaps\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.86857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-crawl-config-xml-sitemaps.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Next, head to the \u201c<strong>API Access<\/strong>\u201d tab and connect your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts.<\/p>\n<p>(This is technically optional, but you\u2019re more likely to find all of your orphan pages if you let Screaming Frog compare its crawls with pages found in these two tools.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.76142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-crawl-config-api-access.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Make sure you select the correct Google Analytics data stream for the site you\u2019re crawling, then check the \u201c<strong>Crawl New URLs Discovered In Google Analytics 4<\/strong>\u201d box in the \u201c<strong>General<\/strong>\u201d tab:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access \u2013 GA4\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access \u2013 GA4\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.76142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-crawl-config-api-access-ga4.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>For Google Search Console, make sure you select the right property. Then, in the \u201c<strong>Search Analytics<\/strong>\u201d tab, check the box for \u201c<strong>Crawl New URLs Discovered In Google Search Console<\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access \u2013 GSC\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Crawl Config \u2013 API Access \u2013 GSC\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.81428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-crawl-config-api-access-gsc.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Run your crawl, and when it\u2019s complete, head to the \u201c<strong>Links<\/strong>\u201d tab and look in the \u201c<strong>Crawl Depth<\/strong>\u201d column. Crawl depth (or click depth) is a measure of how many clicks it takes for users to reach any given URL from your homepage.<\/p>\n<p>Any URLs with a blank crawl depth are orphan pages.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Report \u2013 Crawl Depth\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Report \u2013 Crawl Depth\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.80714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-report-crawl-depth.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>While you\u2019re on this report, it\u2019s a good idea to pay attention to pages with big numbers in this column. Not just those with a blank cell.<\/p>\n<p>As a rule of thumb, you should aim to keep all pages within 5 clicks, but ideally within 3.<\/p>\n<p>(Exceptions to this include the likes of paginated blog rolls and categories. Or subcategories of products on ecommerce sites.)<\/p>\n<p>Why does this matter in the context of orphan pages?<\/p>\n<p>Because if you have a page that only has one internal link\u2014from page 130 of your blogroll\u2014it\u2019s going to be VERY deep in your site structure. Like 20+ clicks deep.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a good chance Google and users will struggle to find this page. So, while you\u2019re noting down your orphan pages, be sure to note down any that are quite far from the homepage too\u2014even if they do have some internal links.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> If you don\u2019t have Screaming Frog, you can still find your pages\u2019 crawl depths with a tool like Semrush\u2019s Site Audit:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Internal Linking \u2013 Pages Crawl Depth\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Internal Linking \u2013 Pages Crawl Depth\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.72857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/site-audit-internal-linking-pages-crawl-depth.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Install_a_WordPress_Plugin\"><\/span>Install a WordPress Plugin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This method isn\u2019t quite as foolproof as some of the others I\u2019ve discussed. But if you\u2019re using WordPress, there are a few plugins that can help you identify orphan pages and orphan posts.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most popular free SEO plugins, Rankmath, can indicate which of your pages are orphans. Just head to the \u201c<strong>Posts<\/strong>\u201d or \u201c<strong>Pages<\/strong>\u201d area of your WordPress dashboard and look in the \u201c<strong>SEO Details<\/strong>\u201d column.<\/p>\n<p>(You might need to click the \u201c<strong>Screen Options<\/strong>\u201d drop-down first and select it from there. And make sure to click \u201c<strong>Apply<\/strong>.\u201d)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"WordPress \u2013 RankMath \u2013 SEO details\" alt=\"WordPress \u2013 RankMath \u2013 SEO details\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.1285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/wordpress-rankmath-seo-details.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>In the \u201cSEO Details\u201d column, you\u2019ll see a few symbols. Hovering over them shows a tooltip, and you\u2019re looking for \u201c<strong>Incoming Links<\/strong>.\u201d Specifically, you\u2019re looking for any posts with a zero next to that symbol.<\/p>\n<p>These are posts (or pages) that have zero incoming internal links (i.e., orphan pages).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"RankMath \u2013 SEO details \u2013 Orphan pages\" alt=\"RankMath \u2013 SEO details \u2013 Orphan pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.85142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rankmath-seo-details-orphan-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Now, there are a few caveats to this:<\/p>\n<p>First, the tool only shows in-content links here. It won\u2019t pick up navigational links or links in things like blog rolls.<\/p>\n<p>This means these posts aren\u2019t necessarily \u201ctrue\u201d orphans. Because users and search engines might be able to find the page through your homepage, blog roll, or category pages.<\/p>\n<p>However, you want to build internal links beyond these areas of your site where possible anyway (i.e., in other relevant posts and pages).<\/p>\n<p>Second caveat:<\/p>\n<p>It would obviously take a long time to go through lots of posts and pages like this manually. It\u2019s okay if you have a hundred or so, because it\u2019s only a few pages you need to scan through.<\/p>\n<p>But clearly this isn\u2019t practical for those with thousands of pages. That\u2019s when you\u2019ll want to use one of the other methods I discussed above.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you have the pro version of the plugin, there\u2019s actually a filter for orphan pages to make this easier. So it can still be a viable option for bigger sites, albeit not a free option.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"RankMath \u2013 Orphan pages filter\" alt=\"RankMath \u2013 Orphan pages filter\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.51714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/rankmath-orphan-pages-filter.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> There are obviously lots of other plugins out there that can do similar things. But for a quick, easy, and free option, Rankmath will do the trick.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Fix_Orphan_Pages_and_Improve_SEO\"><\/span>How to Fix Orphan Pages and Improve SEO<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>How you solve your orphan page issues depends on the reason you have the orphan page.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick flowchart to help you understand which method to use to fix your orphan pages:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Orphan pages flowchart\" alt=\"Orphan pages flowchart\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.85857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/orphan-pages-flowchart.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_Add_Internal_Links\"><\/span>Method 1: Add Internal Links<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Use case:<\/strong> The orphan page is valuable for users, or you can update it to make it useful<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> A new blog post that you haven\u2019t added any links to yet<\/p>\n<p>To fix orphan pages that are valuable and therefore shouldn\u2019t be orphans, just add internal links to them.<\/p>\n<p>Ideally, add internal links from relevant pages to these orphan pages (bonus points if the linking page gets a lot of traffic).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Relevant and orphan pages\" alt=\"Relevant and orphan pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.54142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/relevant-and-orphan-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>For example, if you have an orphaned article on \u201cEco-Friendly Home Tips,\u201d you could link to it from a popular blog post about \u201cSustainable Living Practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This helps users discover valuable content and signals to search engines that these pages are important.<\/p>\n<p>We employ this kind of internal linking strategy at Backlinko. For example, <a title=\"What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization In Plain English\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/what-is-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our SEO guide<\/a> links to our related article on SEO vs. SEM:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"SEO vs. SEM internal backlink\" alt=\"SEO vs. SEM internal backlink\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.57285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/seo-vs-sem-internal-backlink.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>If your orphan page could become valuable with some updates, make these changes and then add the internal links.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Make sure these pages appear in your site\u2019s XML sitemap. This can make it easier for Google\u2019s crawlers to find them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_Merge_and_Redirect\"><\/span>Method 2: Merge and Redirect<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Use case:<\/strong> The orphan page isn\u2019t wholly valuable, but you can repurpose some of the content, or it gets traffic\/backlinks<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> An outdated roundup page from 2022 that has some content you can repurpose into a regularly updated evergreen list<\/p>\n<p>If the orphan page isn\u2019t all that valuable on its own in its current state, and you can\u2019t meaningfully update it to become useful, consider merging it with another piece of relevant content.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you could combine some of the content in an outdated list of \u201cThe Best Gaming Laptops 2022\u201d post with your current best list. Then, redirect the old page to the new one.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Merging two URLs\" alt=\"Merging two URLs\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.62714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/07\/merging-two-urls.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But even if you can\u2019t salvage the page, it could still be worth redirecting the URL anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Because it might get traffic (either through rankings or referrals) and\/or backlinks. And you don\u2019t want to lose that traffic or the SEO benefits of those backlinks by just deleting the page.<\/p>\n<p>Using a <a title=\"Redirects 101: A Beginner\u2019s Guide to Setup &amp; Best Practices\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/redirects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">301 redirect<\/a> should transfer the \u201clink juice\u201d from the orphan page to another relevant page.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Just make sure you redirect to a relevant page and not the homepage. Otherwise, Google may pick it up as a <a title=\"Farewell to soft 404s | Google Search Central Blog\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2008\/08\/farewell-to-soft-404s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">soft 404<\/a> (an old but still valid Google article on the topic).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Use_a_%E2%80%9Cnoindex%E2%80%9D_Tag\"><\/span>Method 3: Use a \u201cnoindex\u201d Tag<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Use case:<\/strong> The page is useful, but you don\u2019t want search engines to crawl and index it<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> An ad landing page that users should only be able to find through specific ads<\/p>\n<p>There are a few different cases where you might want a page to be accessible, but not indexable.<\/p>\n<p>In other words: you want certain people to find it, but you don\u2019t want Google to show it in search results.<\/p>\n<p>The typical example of this is an ad landing page. Many sites will use non-indexable landing pages specifically for visitors arriving via paid advertising.<\/p>\n<p>This lets them tailor their messaging and page layout without having to worry as much about the SEO of the page (as it\u2019s not designed to rank organically).<\/p>\n<p>For example, here\u2019s an ad for project management software from Monday.com:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Google SERP \u2013 Project management software \u2013 Monday ad\" alt=\"Google SERP \u2013 Project management software \u2013 Monday ad\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.81857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-serp-project-management-software-monday-ad.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>As you can see, the page has a noindex tag:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Monday \u2013 Noindex\" alt=\"Monday \u2013 Noindex\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.58285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/monday-noindex.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This means the page probably doesn\u2019t have any internal links pointing to it\u2014making it an orphan.<\/p>\n<p>But Monday.com doesn\u2019t need to worry about that for this page.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_4_Delete_the_Page\"><\/span>Method 4: Delete the Page<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Use case:<\/strong> The page is not useful, gets no traffic, and has no backlinks<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> An old blog post on an outdated tactic with no repurposable content<\/p>\n<p>Finally, if the orphaned page is not useful and doesn\u2019t see any traffic (or backlinks), you might consider deleting it.<\/p>\n<p>Another example of this could be an out-of-stock product page that isn\u2019t coming back.<\/p>\n<p>In these cases, you can delete the page and ensure it returns either a 404 (not found) or 410 (gone) <a title=\"HTTP Status Codes: A Complete List + Explanations\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/http-status-codes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">status code<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Practices_for_Preventing_Orphan_Pages\"><\/span>Best Practices for Preventing Orphan Pages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Finding and fixing orphan pages can be tough, so ideally you want to avoid having any in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, it\u2019s pretty easy to prevent orphan pages. Just follow these best practices:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_Internal_Linking_a_Habit\"><\/span>Make Internal Linking a Habit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Develop a process for adding new content that includes internal linking as a key step in the content creation phase. Whether it\u2019s you writing the content or a team of writers and editors.<\/p>\n<p>If you add internal links from the moment your team creates any new content, you\u2019re adding them proactively. Rather than having to frantically add them in bulk across hundreds (or potentially thousands) of posts later down the line.<\/p>\n<p>However:<\/p>\n<p>It can be tough for new writers to get up to speed with a website\u2019s existing archives to understand what to link to. We\u2019ve had this issue at Backlinko.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why we encourage new writers to use a site search operator to find relevant content to link to when they\u2019re writing articles.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n<p>Think about a few keywords related to the piece of content you\u2019re trying to add internal links within. Then, type the following into Google:<\/p>\n<p><strong>site:yourdomain.com \u201ckeyword(s)\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, if one of our writers was working on an article on social media marketing, they might type \u201csite:backlinko.com social media\u201d into Google.<\/p>\n<p>Like this:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Google SERP \u2013 Site:backlinko \u2013 Social media\" alt=\"Google SERP \u2013 Site:backlinko \u2013 Social media\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.2871428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-serp-backlinko-social-media.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This gives them a bunch of articles and pages that they could link to within that post about social media.<\/p>\n<p>This is a handy \u201chack\u201d for finding relevant articles to link to. But in the context of eliminating and preventing orphan pages, you need a more precise approach.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Track_and_Monitor_Your_Internal_Linking_Efforts\"><\/span>Track and Monitor Your Internal Linking Efforts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One of the easiest ways to keep track of and prevent orphan pages is to create a spreadsheet of all your content. Have a column for the URL and a column for the number of internal links pointing to it.<\/p>\n<p>How you gather this data will depend on the tools you use. If you use WordPress, you can use plugins like Rankmath like I discussed earlier. Although this is a more manual process and again only really practical for smaller sites.<\/p>\n<p>If you use Screaming Frog, look at the \u201c<strong>Inlinks<\/strong>\u201d column in the \u201c<strong>Links<\/strong>\u201d view to see the number of internal links pointing to each crawled page. You can export this data to make it easier to put your spreadsheet together.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Report \u2013 Inlinks\" alt=\"Screaming Frog \u2013 Report \u2013 Inlinks\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.58142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/screamingfrog-report-inlinks.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019re using Semrush, head to the \u201c<strong>Crawled Pages<\/strong>\u201d report in <a title=\"Site Audit: Improve the SEO of Your Website | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/siteaudit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Site Audit<\/a> and look at the \u201c<strong>Incoming Internal Links<\/strong>\u201d column (you might need to select it in the \u201cManage columns\u201d menu).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Crawled pages \u2013 Incoming internal links\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Crawled pages \u2013 Incoming internal links\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0892307692308\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/site-audit-crawled-pages-incoming-internal-links.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Like with Screaming Frog, you can export this data too.<\/p>\n<p>But no matter how you get the data, you\u2019ll want to sort it into a spreadsheet with a column for the URL and a column with the number of internal links to that URL.<\/p>\n<p>Then, apply a filter or otherwise sort the sheet by number of internal links, from smallest to largest (or A-Z in Google Sheets).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Internal links spreadsheet\" alt=\"Internal links spreadsheet\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.91142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/internal-links-spreadsheet.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Obviously, start by prioritizing your orphan pages. But also try to add at least 2-3 internal links (or more) to every page.<\/p>\n<p>You can go a step further by adding a second sheet with the same column headers (you can label this one \u201cSorted by Link Count\u201d or something similar).<\/p>\n<p>Then, add the following formula to cell A2:<\/p>\n<pre>=SORT(Sheet1!A2:D, 2,True)<\/pre>\n<p>It should look like this:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Spreadsheet formula\" alt=\"Spreadsheet formula\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.37857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spreadsheet-formula.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>(You\u2019ll need to adjust this if you have things in slightly different places. But if you just have a simple two-column setup like the one above, it should work.)<\/p>\n<p>Then, any time you create a new post or page, you add its URL to the first sheet with \u201c0\u201d in the internal links column. In the first sheet, you then have all of your pages in the order you added them.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Spreadsheet \u2013 New URL\" alt=\"Spreadsheet \u2013 New URL\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.28857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spreadsheet-new-url.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But in the second sheet, all posts with zero internal links (your orphan posts) will always automatically appear at the top. Making it super easy to find which posts you need to add links to.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Spreadsheet \u2013 Orphan posts on top\" alt=\"Spreadsheet \u2013 Orphan posts on top\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.38\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spreadsheet-orphan-posts-on-top.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>You can <a title=\"Backlinko Orphan Pages Template\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1EZEw9ku6CIC3lV3IisYahtbWUZ2MRI1xi8yPQuMN-NY\/copy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download this spreadsheet here<\/a> and input your own data.<\/p>\n<p>Share this spreadsheet with your team so they can also understand which pages need internal links. This way, as they\u2019re writing new content, they can refer to the sheet to find opportunities to add links.<\/p>\n<p>This approach makes it easier to understand which pages need more internal links. But to learn how to add them in the right places and in the right ways, check out our <a title=\"Internal Linking for SEO: The Complete Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/internal-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full guide to internal linking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Avoid_Orphan_Pages_with_SEO_Best_Practices\"><\/span>Avoid Orphan Pages with SEO Best Practices<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Orphan pages can impact your SEO and your user experience.<\/p>\n<p>Both of these can have an impact on your rankings, traffic, and conversions. So you definitely want to avoid having any orphan pages on your site.<\/p>\n<p>Want to learn more about improving your site\u2019s SEO for better performance?<\/p>\n<p>Check out our guide to <a title=\"10 Best Practice to Improve Your SEO Rankings\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/best-practices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO best practices<\/a> that\u2019ll help you move the ranking needle.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/orphan-pages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Are Orphan Pages? &lt;br&gt;(How to Find &amp; Fix Them)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Orphan pages are website pages with no internal links pointing to them. This makes them inaccessible through the site\u2019s normal navigation, meaning users and search engines can\u2019t find them by browsing or crawling your website. However, users and search engines can still find them through external links or direct URL access. This means Google can still index them (more on that soon). You can end up with orphan pages for lots of reasons, but the most common ones include: Poor internal linking: Forgetting to link new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":11903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backlinko","category-marketing-blogs"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/orphan-pages-have-no-internal-links-CSARTy-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/orphan-pages-have-no-internal-links-CSARTy-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}