Orphan page
What is an orphan page?
An orphan page is a webpage on your site that has no internal links pointing to it from other pages within the same website. These pages exist in isolation, disconnected from your site's navigation structure. While they technically belong to your domain, they're virtually invisible to both visitors and search engines browsing through your site's internal link network. Think of them as islands that can only be reached by directly typing the URL or finding an external link pointing to them.
Why do orphan pages happen?
Orphan pages typically emerge through oversights in content management rather than deliberate strategy. They commonly occur during site redesigns when older pages aren't properly integrated into the new navigation structure. Content creation without a linking plan frequently creates orphans, especially when teams publish pages without coordinating with site architects. Technical issues like CMS migrations or navigation updates can accidentally remove links to existing pages. Sometimes, temporary pages created for specific campaigns remain live after their intended lifespan without being properly connected to the site's structure.
How do orphan pages affect SEO?
Orphan pages significantly undermine your SEO efforts in several ways. Search engines discover pages primarily by following links, so orphans may remain uncrawled or crawled less frequently. Even when indexed, search engines assign less importance to pages without internal links, viewing them as less valuable. The lack of context provided by internal linking makes it harder for search engines to understand the page's relevance and purpose. Users who somehow reach orphan pages have no natural pathway to explore more of your site, increasing bounce rates and decreasing engagement signals that search engines use to assess quality. These isolated pages essentially waste your crawl budget on content that isn't properly integrated into your site's authority structure.
How can you find orphan pages on your website?
Identifying orphan pages requires comparing what exists on your server with what's connected through your site's link structure. Start by generating a complete list of URLs from your content management system, server files, or XML sitemaps. Then use a crawling tool like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to crawl your entire site, capturing all pages connected through internal links. Compare these two lists—any URLs that exist on your server but weren't found during the crawl are likely orphans. Google Analytics or Search Console can help identify pages receiving traffic despite lacking internal links. For larger sites, specialized SEO platforms offer automated orphan page detection as part of their site audit features.
What should you do with orphan pages once you find them?
Once identified, each orphan page deserves strategic evaluation rather than automatic action. For valuable content, incorporate it into your site structure by adding internal links from relevant existing pages and including it in appropriate navigation menus. If the content is outdated but still receives traffic, consider updating it before linking. For redundant or low-quality pages, implement 301 redirects to send users and search engines to more relevant content. When pages serve no current purpose and have no traffic or backlinks, removal might be appropriate—just be sure to return proper 404 or 410 status codes rather than leaving dead links. The key is making deliberate decisions about each orphan page rather than letting them persist accidentally.