A gateway page, also known as a doorway page, is a web page created to rank for specific keywords and funnel visitors to a different page, often without providing useful content. These pages are designed to manipulate search engine rankings and offer little value to users. They may use redirects, cloaking, or keyword-stuffed content to achieve this. Gateway pages are considered a black-hat SEO tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines like Google.
Are Gateway Pages Important for SEO?
Gateway pages are primarily used to boost visibility and rankings for specific keywords but offer no real value to users. While they can temporarily improve search rankings, they violate Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties, harming the site’s long-term SEO performance. Instead, focusing on legitimate SEO techniques is recommended.
Best Practices Instead of Using Gateway Pages
- Create Comprehensive Content: Develop pages that rank for multiple related keywords by covering a topic in-depth.
- Use Long-Tail Keywords: Target less competitive, highly specific search terms with valuable content.
- Avoid Forced Redirects: Use 301 redirects instead of meta-refresh or JavaScript redirects to manage page changes.
FAQs
- Difference between a Doorway Page and a Landing Page: Doorway pages aim to manipulate search rankings without providing value, while landing pages offer relevant information and aim to convert visitors.
- Detecting Doorway Pages: Look for generic, keyword-stuffed content with many internal links or pages that use redirects.
- Content-Rich Gateway Pages: These pages rank high with specific keywords but still lack valuable content for users.
- Reporting Doorway Pages: Google allows reporting of such pages to improve search result quality.
How to Detect and Handle Gateway Pages
- Recognize Characteristics: Generic content, keyword stuffing, and multiple internal links are red flags.
- Audit for Redirects: Use tools like Ahrefs’ Site Audit to find and replace meta-refresh redirects with 301 redirects.
