Orphaned content is a lesser-used term for a very common SEO problem – pages with no (or very few!) internal links. Whilst it may not seem like the end of the world to many website owners, it could very well limit your organic performance. We explore the topic in more detail below, but, first things first, what is orphaned content?
Orphaned content refers to pages of your website (usually blogs, but not always) that don’t have any internal links pointing towards them whatsoever. Because of this, users won’t be able to find the page, and therefore Google doesn’t see that page as providing any value – so it likely won’t rank on search engines.
Read on to learn about the impact orphaned content has on your SEO performance, and learn how you can fix the issue quickly.
What is Orphaned Content?
Orphaned content, or orphaned pages, are pages that have no internal links from your site pointing to them. This likely means that they aren’t gaining any link equity, and will struggle to rank on search engines like Google or Bing. Orphaned pages mainly affect blog posts, or stand-alone landing pages that aren’t featured in your main website navigation.
Whilst orphaned pages aren’t usually found in the main website navigation or as links within other pages, they can be found on an XML sitemap. Learn more in our helpful blog: What is a Sitemap?
What Else Is ‘Orphaned Content’ Called?
Orphaned content falls under the same umbrella as a few other SEO-related terms and technical phrases. These include:
- “No incoming internal links” – Usually a phrase seen on SEO audit tools, such as Sitebulb or Screaming Frog which means the page isn’t linked to at all on your site.
- “Has only one followed internal linking URL” – Whilst orphaned pages are ones that don’t get any links from another page in your site, we would still consider the page to be ‘orphaned’ if it has only one link present.
- “Discovered via sitemap only” – Some orphaned content may only be discovered by search engines through the sitemap rather than through natural internal links.
- “Hidden content” – This term is sometimes used when content is not accessible through normal navigation, even though it’s still technically live on the site.
Does Orphaned Content Hurt Your SEO?
It depends (says every SEO ever)! Having a few orphaned pages on your site won’t immediately tank all of your rankings, but it may limit your SEO potential. Pages without internal links are harder for search engines to find. Having a clean URL structure (with well-optimised internal links) will make it easier for Google to understand and crawl your website, ensuring the important pages rank on search engines.
Even if the orphaned pages are indexed, the lack of internal links means they won’t receive any link equity (also known as ‘link juice’) from other pages on your site, making it difficult for them to rank well. But most importantly, leaving too much valuable content unlinked means you’re missing opportunities to attract and convert new website users, which could impact your business, not just your website.
How To Find Orphaned Content On Your Website
We don’t recommend trying to search manually for orphaned content – not only would this be incredibly difficult to do but it would be very time-consuming! Luckily, there are a few tools that can help us find orphaned pages in an instant:
Sitebulb
Sitebulb is one of the simplest SEO tools to use for beginners. First, initiate a crawl of your website. To properly identify orphaned pages, you need to connect your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts. Sitebulb will cross-reference the data from these sources with its crawl to find orphaned content. Once the audit is complete, navigate to the ‘URL Explorer’ section in Sitebulb. Under the ‘Page Status’ filter, select ‘Orphaned Pages’.
Learn more by visiting Sitebulb.
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a tool similar to Sitebulb, but its interface can be a little harder to navigate as a beginner. Launch Screaming Frog and start by entering your website URL. Then, you’ll need to import data from Analytics and Search Console. To do this, go to ‘Configuration’ > ‘API Access’ > ‘Google Analytics’ and ‘Google Search Console’ to set up API connections. You’ll need to authenticate with your Google account and specify which profiles and data ranges to import.
Once the crawl and API data imports are complete, go to the ‘Analytics’ or ‘Search Console’ tab to view the URLs imported from these sources. Use the filter ‘Non-Crawled URLs’ to isolate pages that weren’t found during the crawl but exist in Analytics or Search Console data, i.e., orphaned pages.
Learn more by visiting Screaming Frog.
Yoast SEO (Premium)
Yoast SEO is a plugin available to WordPress website owners, available on a free or premium plan (although premium is needed for this method). To see which blogs are orphaned, simply navigate to the ‘posts’ overview, and a column towards the right-hand side of each post will show you how many internal and external links each post has. Alternatively, you can find the orphaned content filter in your post overview (located at the top of the page).
For a step-by-step guide, watch this YouTube video.
How Do You Fix Orphaned Content?
Luckily, fixing orphaned content is an easy fix – all it requires is a little time investment from you. There are three ways to do so; removing, redirecting, or reviving the content. We explore each method in more detail below:
Remove It
If the orphaned content is outdated, irrelevant, or no longer serves a purpose for your website, consider deleting it entirely. Sometimes called ‘content pruning’, the method of deleting old content can help streamline your site and improve user experience, by minimising unnecessary pages that search engines need to crawl. Not only will this reserve precious crawl budget for more important pages, but it may also speed up your site, and potentially save server space.
Redirect It
If the content has some useful information, consider merging it with a related page and setting up a 301 (permanent) redirect. If the content offers some value to your readers, update and transfer the old content over to the new URL before implementing the redirect. This will help to strengthen the target URL, and provide maximum value to your website visitors. Of course, don’t forget to add internal links to the new page to maximise its ranking potential!
Revive It
If the content is still valuable and relevant but has become orphaned, you should consider reviving it. Spend time bringing the content back to life by adding the following:
- Adding new relevant stats and statistics
- Adding expert quotes or your own personal opinion
- Adding FAQs
- Updating pricing information
- Implementing E-E-A-T principles
Once the content has been updated, introduce it into your internal linking structure. Find relevant pages on your site where this content naturally fits, and create internal links pointing to it with descriptive anchor texts.
Taking these steps will make orphaned content more accessible, enhancing both your site’s SEO and the overall user experience. To learn more about reviving the forgotten content on your website, read our helpful blog: How Do I Refresh Old Content For SEO?
Tailored SEO Strategies From Wildcat Digital
If you have a very high number of orphaned pages, and you don’t know how best to tackle the problem, why not get in touch with our experts? We’ll work with you to create bespoke SEO strategies that help you gain visibility for the pages that matter most. Arrange a consultation with us and start your journey.
Jasmine Savery
SEO Account Manager
