Google has announced that it will shortly be rolling out a new algorithm update, this time targeting doorway pages on websites. Describing it as a, ‘Ranking Adjustment’ to the already existing doorway page classifier, this change will target pages that exist purely to increase a website’s search footprint with multiple pages ranking for the same search query.

Google says:
Over time, we’ve seen sites try to maximize their “search footprint” without adding clear, unique value. These doorway campaigns manifest themselves as pages on a site, as a number of domains, or a combination thereof. To improve the quality of search results for our users, we’ll soon launch a ranking adjustment to better address these types of pages. Sites with large and well-established doorway campaigns might see a broad impact from this change.

So, how do you know if a page on your website will be classified as a doorway page when this new update happens? Well, Google has been kind enough to release some guidelines…

1. Is the purpose to optimise 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?

2. Are the pages intended to rank on generic terms yet the content presented on the page is very specific?

3. 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?

4. Are these pages made solely for drawing affiliate traffic and sending users along without creating unique value in content or functionality?

5. Do these pages exist as an “island?” Are they difficult or impossible to navigate to from other parts of your site?

6. Are links to such pages from other pages within the site or network of sites created just for search engines?

This update will be happening soon! You need to check over your website now, be honest with yourself and make the appropriate changes. Make no mistake, this update is aimed towards removing gateway pages from search results completely, so you should act now.