What is “Orphaned” Content?

Whether you work in digital marketing or not, you may not have heard of “orphaned” content. There are many different types of content that are created in the world of marketing, with some being more effective and more beneficial for SEO than others. In this article, we’ll be taking you through orphaned content. But what does “orphaned” content mean, how does it affect SEO and how can you make sure you don’t have any “orphaned” content on your website? Let’s take a closer look:

What is “orphaned” content?

“Orphaned” content refers to content that doesn’t get any links from any other blog posts or articles on the same website. Ultimately, it can affect SEO and how your content performs. Essentially, “orphaned” content is content that the website owners don’t deem valuable enough to refer to via internal linking. “Orphaned” content comes under the same umbrella, most of the time, as other SEO-related terms and technical phrases, including:

• “No incoming internal links” – a phrase seen on SEO audit tools, such as Screaming Frog, that means the page isn’t linked to on your website at all
• “Has only one followed internal linking URL” – if a page or piece of content only has one link present, then this is also considered to be “orphaned” content
• “Discovered via sitemap only” – some “orphaned” content may only be discoverable by search engines through the sitemap rather than through natural internal links
• “Hidden content” – a term used when content is not accessible through normal navigation, even if it’s technically live and on-site

What causes “orphaned” content?

Despite the main reason for “orphaned” content being a complete lack of internal links, there are other things that can happen that can “orphan” your content, possibly without you even knowing it. From site migration to content containing outdated or irrelevant links, here are a few causes of “orphaned” content that you might not be aware of, alongside the issue of a lack of internal linking:

• Site migration – this can cause “orphaned” content when some old pages aren’t included within the new main navigation and aren’t redirected to the new page
• Unoptimised site architecture – some pages might not be linked in this case because the site lacks proper architecture. In addition, flawed site mechanisms can also cause “orphaned” content
• Outdated or irrelevant internal links – if pages are removed, are irrelevant or outdated, and another page is linked to it, then this would render the content on the active page “orphaned”
• Out-of-stock products – out-of-stock products no longer need active links, so if you have products onsite that have sold out, and the links aren’t active anymore, then this can cause “orphaned” content 
• Complete lack of any linking – whether it be internal or outbound links, content that does not contain either one of those things would be considered “orphaned” content

How does “orphaned” content affect SEO?

In order for Google to rank your content, it needs to know more about it. Search engines follow links and save the content to their index. It establishes trust and authority via the links that appear throughout the content. The links need to refer back to a site or a page that has authority. 

If your content is “orphaned”, then it’ll be harder for Google to establish whether or not it can trust your content, for the simple fact that it completely lacks internal and outbound linking. This is a sure way of negatively affecting how well your content performs in the search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Google will look at your content as invaluable, and so it just won’t be indexed. You might think that one page not being indexed won’t hurt all that much, but it can actually lead to other pages on your site not being indexed either. The more pages that go unindexed spell bad news for traffic levels, leads and sales.

How to avoid “orphaned” content

Great content is essential if you want to perform well in the SERPs. To ensure your content ranks as highly as possible, the content needs to be high-quality, and part of that means making sure that you’re including both internal and external links. You should also perform some basic SEO checks before putting your content live. But don’t worry, because if you have noticed that your content is “orphaned”, it can be easily fixed as part of your SEO to-do list. 

Kumo is a dedicated digital marketing agency with over two decades of experience in the field. With a dedicated team of SEO specialists, PPC professionals, expert content writers and committed website designers at the helm of everything we do, you can rest assured that we can propel your business into the spotlight and set you apart from your competitors. If you would like further information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.