Problems with Navigation-Only Pages w/ No Content
Prompt:
Can you see a problem with an SEO strategy that involves pages built exclusively for navigation, with no content, but linking to pages that are intended to rank. These pages would be noindex do avoid being seen as doorways.
Research this online and show links to relevant opinions from credible experts.
GPT4o:
Implementing an SEO strategy that relies on pages created solely for navigation, devoid of content, and linking to target ranking pages—while using a "noindex" directive to prevent them from being indexed—can present several challenges:
-
Potential Classification as Doorway Pages: Even with a "noindex" tag, pages designed exclusively to funnel users to other parts of a website may be perceived as doorway pages. Google defines doorway pages as those created solely to rank for specific search queries, leading users to intermediate pages that are not as useful as the final destination. Such practices are against Google's guidelines and can result in a Google penalty.
Search Engine Land -
Impact on User Experience: Pages lacking substantive content can frustrate users seeking valuable information. Encountering empty pages may lead to increased bounce rates and diminished user engagement, negatively affecting overall site performance.
Link Genius -
Internal Linking and Crawl Efficiency: Search engines utilize internal links to navigate and understand website structure. Pages without content but containing links might not effectively distribute link equity, potentially hindering the crawlability and indexing of important pages.
InLinks -
Risk of Being Deemed Low-Quality: Search engines strive to deliver high-quality, relevant content to users. Pages devoid of content may be considered low-quality, which can adversely affect the site's overall SEO performance.
SEOptimer
In summary, creating content-less pages solely for navigation, even with a "noindex" directive, can be problematic. It's advisable to develop comprehensive, user-focused content that provides value, ensuring adherence to search engine guidelines and enhancing user experience.
Perplexity:
This SEO strategy of using content-less navigation pages that are noindexed but link to ranking pages has some potential issues:
Potential Problems
Wasted Crawl Budget: Even with a noindex tag, search engines will still crawl these navigation-only pages, potentially wasting crawl budget that could be spent on more valuable content 1 2 . Diluted Link Equity: While noindexed pages can pass link equity, the lack of content may reduce the value of links from these pages 3 . Google's John Mueller has stated that content-less pages are not ideal for passing link signals 4 . User Experience Issues: Navigation-only pages with no content could confuse or frustrate users who land on them, potentially increasing bounce rates 5 . Possible Doorway Page Perception: Despite being noindexed, if these pages exist solely to funnel users to other pages, Google might still consider them doorway pages, which is against their guidelines 6 .
Expert Opinions
Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable reports on John Mueller's stance: "John said if you have pages that are just links to other pages, those pages don't really have much value in passing signals to those other pages. John said 'it's always better to have actual content on the page as well.'" 4 Marie Haynes, a respected SEO consultant, advises against such strategies: "Creating pages just for the purpose of linking is not a good strategy. Google wants to see pages that are valuable to users, not just vehicles for passing link equity." 7
Recommended Alternatives
- Create valuable hub pages: Instead of empty navigation pages, develop content-rich hub pages that provide value to users while also linking to related pages 8 .
- Improve site architecture: Focus on a clear, logical site structure that naturally guides users and search engines to important content 9 .
- Utilize existing content pages: Incorporate internal linking strategies within your current content pages to boost important pages 10 .
In conclusion, while the proposed strategy might seem clever, it's likely to be less effective and potentially riskier than creating valuable content and focusing on a strong, natural site architecture. It's generally better to align SEO efforts with strategies that also improve user experience and provide genuine value.
Prompt:
GPT4o:
Blocking these pages using robots.txt
in addition to applying a noindex
tag could theoretically reduce some risks, but it doesn't eliminate all potential issues with this strategy. Here's a breakdown of the implications:
Benefits of Adding robots.txt
Blocking
-
Prevents Search Engine Crawling:
- Blocking these pages in
robots.txt
would prevent search engines from accessing them altogether, making it less likely for them to be flagged as doorway pages.
- Blocking these pages in
-
Conserves Crawl Budget:
- If your site has a large number of pages, preventing search engines from crawling unnecessary navigation-only pages can help conserve the crawl budget for more valuable pages.
-
Reinforces the Intention to Deprioritize:
- Using both
noindex
androbots.txt
sends a clearer signal that these pages are not intended for search engines to consider.
- Using both
Potential Drawbacks
-
Conflict Between
noindex
androbots.txt
:- If a page is blocked via
robots.txt
, search engines may never see thenoindex
directive because they can’t crawl the page to read its meta tags. This can create ambiguity, as search engines might still index the page based on external links pointing to it.
- If a page is blocked via
-
External Links to the Blocked Pages:
- If external links point to these navigation-only pages, search engines could index them using the link's anchor text and metadata, even though the pages are blocked from crawling.
-
User Experience Issues:
- While this approach might reduce SEO-related risks, it doesn't address the root problem of poor user experience. If these navigation pages are accessible to users but contain no content, they may still lead to frustration and high bounce rates.
-
Risk of Being Flagged as Low-Value Content:
- Even if search engines cannot crawl or index the pages, their existence might still be interpreted as an attempt to manipulate ranking or structure, particularly if the pages serve no real purpose other than navigation.
Recommendations for Improvement
-
Enhance Navigation Pages:
- Instead of creating empty navigation pages, add value by including relevant, concise, and user-focused content on these pages. This can help users and align with SEO best practices.
-
Use Internal Linking Strategically:
- Optimize internal links on high-quality pages to guide users and search engines naturally to the content you want to prioritize.
-
Canonicalization:
- If the navigation pages are necessary but duplicate existing content, consider using canonical tags pointing to the most relevant page to consolidate ranking signals.
-
Avoid Overengineering:
- If the only purpose of these navigation pages is internal linking, consider restructuring your site to integrate those links directly into other valuable content pages.
Conclusion
Blocking the pages via robots.txt
may mitigate some SEO risks, but the fundamental issue of having low-value or no-content pages remains. A more sustainable approach would involve designing navigation pages that serve both users and search engines effectively, ensuring they provide value while avoiding any perception of being manipulative.