Of late, Doorway pages or web spam are ranking high in search results and direct users to irrelevant pages. Google is continually working on ways to minimize the impact of web spam on users and penalize websites with doorway pages. Here are some pointers to note in order to make sure your website does not qualify as a doorway page.

1. www.position2.com | 650-618-8900© Position2, Inc.
Google Algorithm Update: Say Goodbye
to Doorway Pages!

2. www.position2.com | 650-618-8900© Position2, Inc.
One of the most annoying search results will now be blocked by Google. We can all
cheer a collective “hooray”!
What are Doorway pages? In short, they are web spam. Designed to game the
system, these pages rank high in search results, click baiting the searcher to an
irrelevant page or site. Google described examples of doorway pages on their blog
for clarity:
• Having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that
funnel users to one page
• Pages generated to funnel visitors into the actual usable or relevant portion of
your site(s)
• Substantially similar pages that are closer to search results than a clearly
defined, browseable hierarchy
Google has not officially announced a release date for the doorway page penalty
algorithm update, but they did state they are “continually working on ways in which to
minimize the impact of webspam on users”.

3. www.position2.com | 650-618-8900© Position2, Inc.
SEO Managers and/or Webmasters are advised to review the Google questionnaire
to make sure your website does not qualify as a doorway page. Check them out
below:
• Is the purpose to optimize for search engines and funnel visitors into the actual
usable or relevant portion of your site, or are they an integral part of your site’s
user experience?
• Are the pages intended to rank on generic terms yet the content presented on the
page is very specific?
• Do the pages duplicate useful aggregations of items (locations, products, etc.)
that already exist on the site for the purpose of capturing more search traffic?
• Are these pages made solely for drawing affiliate traffic and sending users along
without creating unique value in content or functionality?
• Do these pages exist as an “island?” Are they difficult or impossible to navigate to
from other parts of your site? Are links to such pages from other pages within the
site or network of sites created just for search engines?
If you find yourself answering “yes” to one or more of these questions, take action
before Google penalizes your website.
If you have any questions about doorway pages, Contact Position².