Doorway Page

Definition

A Doorway Page, often referred to as a gateway page, jump page or bridge page, is a webpage specifically optimized for a unique keyword or phrase to serve as an entry point for visitors. This page often lacks substantial content and is designed primarily to allure search engine crawlers and rank highly in search engine results. Once a user lands on a Doorway Page, they are often redirected (either automatically or through very strong calls to action) to a different page with more relevant content.

Doorway Page Relevance For SEO

Doorway pages used to be a common SEO tactic in the early 2000s. Webmasters would create multiple pages targeting specific keywords that would funnel users to the same destination. The goal was to increase the site’s presence in search results.

However, this practice is now frowned upon. Google updated its algorithm to recognize doorway pages as a form of manipulation. Sites using doorway pages risk getting penalized or banned from search results.

Doorway pages provide a poor user experience because they lack useful content. They also violate search engine guidelines against deception and manipulation. For these reasons, doorway pages are considered a form of black hat SEO and should be avoided.

Brief Doorway Page History and Evolution

• Early days of SEO in the 1990s-2000s: Doorway pages were a common tactic webmasters used to rank higher in search engines.
• Early 2000s: As Google improved at detecting manipulation, it started penalizing sites using doorway pages.
• 2015: Google introduced the Doorway Pages Algorithm Update to better identify and demote doorway pages.
• Present: Doorway pages are now considered a black hat tactic that damages SEO and user experience. Most reputable SEOs advise against using doorway pages.

Doorway Page Best Practices for SEO

• Avoid doorway pages completely: Creating doorway pages violates search engine guidelines and results in penalties.
• Focus on high-quality, original content: Unique, useful content tailored to users signals to Google that a site is reputable.
• Carefully consider site architecture: Make sure site structure and internal linking facilitate user navigation vs search engine manipulation.
• Monitor for sudden drops in traffic: Unnatural drops may indicate a recent algorithm update has penalized your site for shady SEO tactics. Thoroughly vet your link profile and on-page optimization strategy.