Daily Archives: June 30, 2022

What Are Doorway Pages In SEO? | Understanding With Examples

What Are Doorway Pages In SEO

Are you seeking answers to the question, “what are doorway pages in SEO“? Or are you looking at using a doorway page as a way to boost SEO? Or perhaps wondering if you should be using doorway pages to improve your ranking?

The short answer to that question is “don’t”. Doorway pages were relevant during the early 2010s but were only beneficial to the website and not to the users.

Before 2015, it was commonplace to find doorway pages since it was a go-to way of boosting website ranking. However, they grow unpopular today with the coming of changes to how search engines function.

To understand the in-depth nuances behind these pages, read on ahead.

What are Doorway pages in SEO?

Doorway pages are web pages that try to create a high-ranking page by only ranking for similar keywords and specific keywords. They are of little value to users since it is the same content from multiple doorway pages.

To elaborate, multiple sites or multiple pages pop up in user search results. The pages direct users to essentially the same destination from different locations. Such an SEO practice of creating multiple domain names to support the same content is collectively known as doorway pages.

Thus, the practice of a doorway page is to give the impression that the website forms a part of the highly relevant results. The inference of this impression is that the website is worth a high ranking.

Doorway pages with similar content from the specific search query

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However, this form of ranking adjustment, where similar pages attest to the same content, is unfavorable for users. Additionally, these pages, at times, redirect users to substantially similar pages that contain keyword variations and keyword phrases that are of little value.

Is a Doorway page the same as a Location Page?

There is a core difference between the two types of web pages. The difference, however, is similar to taking a knife to a gunfight.

Understanding Location/Landing pages

The web pages that a user lands on before entering the website are known as landing pages. Users can reach these pages via several marketing funnels that include paid search terms, social media ads, organic traffic from social media, and organic search.

Additionally, these pages adhere to Google’s guidelines and thus to other search engines and their instructions.

Moreover, location is a good way to develop multiple landing pages. For example, the search query for renting a cycle in Brighton will have similar results to a search query for renting a bike in Leeds.

Thus, creating pages with location specificity improves clarity. The content on these landing pages is actual usable content, which will funnel users into the main website. So, functioning in multiple locations leads to the need to have multiple landing pages.

So, in short, funneling visitors from call-to-action product pages with the actual content of specific regions has a unique value.

Simple landing page with a clear call-to-action and minimal links

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Pro tip: Craft landing pages with a simple call-to-action with up-to-date information and minimal links to avoid getting a Google penalty.

Landing pages Vs. Doorway pages

In contrast, a doorway page is nothing more than an attempt to create multiple pages with specific keyword phrases. Users gain nothing new from the different pages since they are similar to the actual website.

The difference between Landing Page and Doorway Page thus can be outlined as:

  • A doorway page does not have a seamless user experience and will not funnel visitors to the entire website.
  • Doorway pages also utilize practices such as keyword stuffing to maximize the abuse of keyword phrases.
  • Usually, a doorway page will not have a call-to-action and instead have an excess number of links.
  • The final destination for a landing page is the actual website. In contrast, the point of doorway pages is to have duplicate content with little to no unique value.
  • Unlike a doorway page, a landing page provides useful information to a user.
  • The information available on a doorway page is usually haphazard. In comparison, the information on landing pages has a proper structure.

Difference between Doorway Pages and Location-specific Landing Page

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The usage of landing or location pages is a highly beneficial digital marketing process and proper execution of the same can lead to minimal Google penalties, especially, due to the improvements to the structuring of the site.

So, when a user is looking for specific search queries, a search engine has to have the capacity to direct them to a site with unique content with high value. The broad impact of such a process has effectively ensured the use of doorway pages to acquire more traffic as a redundancy.

Types of Doorway pages

There are no categories or types of doorway pages.

The click-bait articles that popup stating that there are good ways to include a doorway page is nothing but keyword stuffing. These articles claim that well-established doorway campaigns alongside good examples of doorway pages exist. Additionally, they state that they perform much better than a page with a listing on Google maps and an e-commerce site.

But in reality, these articles tend to end up with no clear example and a suggestion from a different digital marketing approach. So the safest way forward is to utilize White Hat SEO methods, which will take you 3 to 6 months of a solid investment.

Remember knowing the difference between White Hat and Black Hat SEO is vital to reaping the benefits of SEO.

Examples of Doorway pages

There are situations where some other pages look similar to a doorway page. For instance, the landing or location page is often mistaken for a doorway page.

It is hence vital to understand what are doorway pages in SEO. To help you with this, listed below are some clear examples of doorway pages:

1. Content similarity: These are sites with similar variations and interchangeable content but indexed separately with a below-par user experience.

2. Using different domains: Redirecting a user from different web pages such as franchises, branches, and divisions to the same site.

3. Different location-specific domains: Multiple domains across a geographical pool of target locations to redirect visitors to the same final destination.

4. Redirection: These pages are created to redirect the visitors to a different page.

5. Similarity and lack of browsable hierarchy: Suspiciously similar sites without a clear browsable hierarchy popping up closely on Google search results or in another search engine.

What Are Doorway Pages In SEO

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Explanation with a scenario

Say you are creating a website with the main content being “5 Best Gardening Tools”. And you create pages, domains, subdomains, and subfolders such as “5 Best Gardening Tools in Manchester” or “5 Best Gardening Tools in Newcastle” or create a website with slight keyword variation in the form of “5 Best Gardening Equipment” with the sole intention of redirecting traffic back to your initial website; then these sites are doorway pages.

They don’t provide the user with any new content and are only present to help you increase website traffic. As such, adopting such an approach to SEO will likely result in penalization by Google Search and potentially expelling the site.

How to find Doorway pages on your site?

By now, you should have a clear understanding of what are doorway pages in SEO. But also know that Google and other search engines have specific algorithms looking for intricate aspects when dealing with a doorway page.

Indicators of a Doorway page

The aspects that indicate the presence of a doorway page and the questions you should be asking yourself:

1. Purpose of the site: Ask yourself if the website enables organic growth through a high-quality user experience? Or is the purpose of the site to generate high search rankings?

2. Dissonance between content and keywords: Is the single-page content ultra-specific, but the on-page keywords very generic?

3. Location repetition: Do you have two pages or more that serve as a way to redirect visitors to the same page of content? Is geographic location the only difference between them?

4. Lack of navigation: Is your site full of links? Is it easy to navigate between sub-sections, or is it only there to redirect the user to a different page?

Look for these indicators when assessing your web page. Google and other search engines will be looking at these aspects when determining whether there are doorway pages.

Your site will perform poorly on search rankings if you have any or all of these aspects. There is a high chance of Google blacklisting your web page for doorway pages, even if there is just one page.

Removing a Doorway page from your site

To reap the benefits of your SEO strategy, you will need to avoid having a doorway page. So, if you are looking to perform well on a search engine like Google, then it is imperative to ensure that you don’t face any Google penalties.

Be it one page or multiple doorway sites, removing them is vital. To do so, some of the easily manageable methods are:

1. Avoid creating multiple domains: The go-to strategy for you, to begin with, is to avoid creating different domains for the same content, especially with companies having multiple sites spread across franchises, branches, sections, product lines, etc.

2. Abstain from content duplication: To Google and other search sites, minimal content variation between sites indicates a doorway page. Google will immediately flag this as a violation, which leads to significant repercussions.

3. Improve site’s navigation: Fleshing out your site’s navigation is critical to managing the doorway situation and improving the overall UX. So, avoid using a gateway page since they lead to complex digital pathways.

You would instead want the navigation and form of your site to be seamless.

4. Use long-tailed keywords: Identify essential goals and objectives that you want to reach. Develop a keyword strategy that focuses on these goals and objectives. Utilize long-tailed keywords to be specific to the content and not towards the broader keyword spectrum.

The bottom line

A doorway page was commonplace in SEO strategies for years. But with one update, Google essentially made doorway pages an obsolete construct. They now form a part of Black Hat SEO techniques.

So, the core takeaway for companies and individuals looking to get on the SEO bandwagon is to keep user experience in mind. Google ensures that the user comes first and that searches are relevant, accurate, and valuable.

In short, using a doorway page to increase your site’s ranking is no longer an option. Instead, you can look to maximize the potential of SEO by tapping into resources such as YoastAhrefs, and Etsy. Additionally, maximize the potential of SEO by tapping into resources such as YoastAhrefs, and Etsy.

How To Choose A Domain Name For SEO? | Find Out

Wondering how to choose a domain name for SEO? Well, there are a few key elements you should look into to arrive at the right domain name for your new website to rank better on SERP. Check out this article as we explain these elements.

You’ve finally decided to take the plunge of launching your new website. Now picking your domain name is one of the first things on your checklist.

This can be quite a task as choosing domain names that match your business values and the brand you aim to create, keeping in mind also search relevancy, can be challenging.

Not to forget, a good website name can highly influence your SERP position on Google or other search engines, which makes it very important.

Considering how important it is for your business, let’s find out how to choose a domain name for SEO to carve a credible brand with website domain authority.

What is a domain name?

Domain names are the addresses of websites on the internet. It’s the specific spot where search engines send users to answer their queries. They represent a bunch of IP addresses.

A good example is microsoft.com which is a root domain name with a whole set of other web pages called subdomains or subcategories. So, a typical domain name structure includes:

  • sub-domain
  • domain name
  • top-level domain (aka domain extensions)

The last two components together consist of your root domain.

What is a domain name

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Why is your domain name important?

Your domain name is essential because it’s the first impression on users. It’s the first sign of your presence shown on a search engine. So a good domain name reflects a professional website and makes a great impression.

Additionally, a great domain name adds to your brand value. Simple and short website names are great for word-of-mouth advertising. They carry a lesser risk of being misspelt and make it easier to advertise and communicate. Moreover, a good domain name can also increase your SEO results and boost organic traffic.

To understand this better, let’s see the ways an SEO-friendly domain name affects your direct traffic and how to choose a domain name for SEO.

How to choose a domain name for SEO?

Your domain name does not directly influence SEO. However, its elements can influence your ranking on search engines. Hence, you can pick the right one by deciding on a brand or keyword domain name. But a quick tip: a brand domain name is always a good call.

1. Place your brand in the domain name

Think of the big companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Target. They’re not exactly conveying their business because it’s the brand that does the talking.

Thus, brand names that resonate among customers are the ones that click. Your name could slightly hint at the service, like Netflix or a random name off the directory like Apple. Either way, you’re attaching new meaning to that word among audiences.

How to choose SEO friendly domain name?

Decide on a simple, catchy word that is short and makes a memorable domain. Up to 17 characters are doable, but there’s no technical reason behind it. Short domain names don’t affect your Google ranking factor directly, but they can influence user experience as they are easier to remember.

If your domain name is too lengthy, the chances of users returning fall, and you lose valuable leads. Another possible disadvantage can be that your users might take your site to be a spam website which could seriously affect your click-through rate.

11 Best SEO Practices for Structuring URLs

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Additionally, when thinking of a good domain name, you must keep in mind some simple tips.

  • Put your creative hat on- come up with new and good words that vibe with your business.
  • Use exciting and unconventional words for your brand- For instance, L’oreal is closely based on the Latin meaning “made of gold”.
  • Use an SEO tool– You can run your initial keywords and brand ideas through domain name generators to arrive at a relevant domain name.

    The 15 Best Free Domain Name Generators | The Freedom ChaserSource

  • Use niche words and phrases like Rare Beauty to help users understand what your business offers.

2. Avoid exact match domain names

An exact match domain name or EMD is the business name closely similar to search queries. For example, the domain bestbouquetshop.com for a florist website bears common keywords that people usually search for. It is thus created with the assumption that naming your websites in such a manner would drive more traffic.

However, while this attempt to trick Google’s algorithm may seem like a suitable domain for SEO, it is actually not. Instead, your website with exact match domains may appear as spam on Google or another search engine which will prevent visitors from clicking on it. This will result in a significant drop in ranking.

Instead, a good domain usually uses a unique company name and stays far away from shoehorning exact match domains that may be a lucrative search term on Google.

Hence, a florist domain should be something along the lines of petalsofspring.com. It is a unique name with a brand potential to ace search engine rankings.

3. Use top-level domain extensions

TLD is the domain name extension (or suffix) that will help your website rank. The part that comes at the end, like pizzahut.com or un.org, needs to be carefully chosen based on your business type or even the geographical location. However, of all the extensions available, the .com is the most favoured extension for businesses or blog websites.

Nevertheless, other popular standard domain extensions include:

  • .net- derived from ‘network’, this top-level domain is for websites aimed at networking services such as docusign.net
  • .org- websites of non-organizations. Example: worldwildlife.org
  • .edu- Mostly used by educational institutions like princeton.edu

How to Choose a Domain Name

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Ultimately, choose your ideal top-level domain as per your site’s relevance.

However, keep in mind that you may not find your exact new domain .com name as it’s widely used. Hence, you may have to be open to switching to .org or .net domain extension if needed.

As mentioned, you can also opt for a location-specific domain extension like .uk, .ca, or .au. But do remember that such country code domains majorly affect your international visibility as most of your traffic will be from that specific country in the domain name and lesser from foreign locations.

4. Remember to avoid trademark domain names

There are many giant companies with established brand names. As such, if you’re in similar lines of business, there may be instances of some keywords overlapping.

So, no matter how good it may sound, steer clear of using trademarked brands in your root domain. By just placing reputed brands in the domain name, you can attract a heavy penalty or other legal problems.

Hence, as a safe practice, run a check of any registered trademark of your chosen name to avoid trademark infringement.

Also, legalities aside, your brand has to be promoted across socials and other marketing channels. This is yet another reason why it’s not good business practice to have a name similar or exact to an already available brand.

In fact, it defies the whole point of creating a brand, i.e., a unique identity.

5. Create SEO-friendly URL structures

The protocol, domain name with top-level domains, and proper permalinks form a typical URL. Constructing relevant URLs is a part of your domain SEO, and it includes making the link as relevant as possible.

In the initial stages of building your website, we recommend zeroing in on a defined structure for all your website links. This holds good even for already up-and-running businesses.

The URL always begins with the root domain of your website, so you’ll need to set a standard system for the elements that follow it.

But why optimise your URLs?

One of your aims is to present readable and straightforward URLs that lets users quickly know what the site is about, thereby making them click on such pages.

Remember, Google cares about what users see, and you must care about it too. To understand this better, consider the second example of the florist (petalsofspring.com). Here, as a user, would the following URL directly inform you of the web content?

www.petalsofspring.com/plants/indoorplants/succulents/jade

It sure would!

The link tells us the page has categories on indoor plants with a section on succulents and, finally, the plant you wish to see and, hopefully, buy.

Thus, helping your users navigate across pages in such a manner is vital for both conversion and marketing. Not to forget, Google needs to know what every page in its index contains before putting it up in search results.

So, in a nutshell, SEO-friendly domains give your website a boost in terms of search engine ranking and also increase clicks and sales.

6. Use broad keywords wisely in your domain name

Keywords are a significant part of search engine optimisation. So when it comes to choosing a domain name for SEO, it only makes sense to have a keyword-focused domain.

Keyword domains were a thing, but there’s a fine line between using relevant keywords against a domain name that looks full of targeted keywords.

As previously explained, you need to stay away from such spam-like domains that affect SEO results, even if that means dropping some apparently relevant keywords from the site URL. Always keep in mind that this will help you not be a victim of Google’s exact match domain algorithm.

So, to put it in a nutshell, choosing a keyword domain name is a gamble you’re better off without. Google may treat the website as irrelevant content, and customers will never discover you.

7. Avoid hyphens and numbers in the domain names

A top domain name of your choice may already be taken. Or your domain name may have two words. In both cases, you may think of using a hyphen or placing numbers.

But try and think of the domains of high-quality websites or top companies. You’ll not find any joiners or numbers in their root domain names. This is because they wish to avoid the unprofessional appearance of hyphens and numbers on search engine results.

Another significant reason is that hyphens in your domain can be easily categorised as spam, just like exact match domains.

For example, consider face-book.com or google-store.com. These are clear cases of untrusted websites, and you wouldn’t want your domain name to be on such a list.

Final words

There’s a right domain name for all websites, but it depends on choices. SEO experts say your domain name itself is not considered a Google ranking factor, but domain SEO activities like including readable elements, avoiding keyword stuffing, and adding suitable top-level domains can help your site feature higher in google search results.

This task, however, isn’t easy, but the specific domain SEO tips listed above could help you figure out the best SEO-friendly domain name for your website.

Having said that, domain names

only work in a long-term SEO strategy and don’t give you soaring ranks by themselves. So, don’t spend more time than the required when coming up with a domain name.