{"id":20350,"date":"2020-01-29T15:18:16","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T15:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/doorway-page"},"modified":"2026-09-22T09:08:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:08:27","slug":"doorway-page","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/doorway-page","title":{"rendered":"Doorway Page"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright size-full wp-image-14216\" style=\"margin-top:0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Doorway_page.png\" alt=\"Doorway Page\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Doorway_page.png 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Doorway_page-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>doorway page<\/strong> is a page created primarily to rank for a specific query and lead users to another page containing the genuinely useful content, service or action. It is also known as a gateway page and commonly forms part of a set of very similar URLs targeting variations of a search.<\/p>\n<p>The defining feature is not the presence of a redirect or the mention of a city. The problem arises when the URL acts as a low-value intermediate step, is replicated for many similar queries and seeks to occupy more search results without independently meeting the user&#8217;s need.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>How a doorway page works<\/h2>\n<p>The pattern combines pages aimed at highly specific searches with a shared destination. It may use redirects, links or calls to action, but it does not need to transfer the user automatically to qualify as a doorway page.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Query selection:<\/strong> close variations of a keyword, location, product or service are chosen.<\/li>\n<li><strong>URL creation:<\/strong> pages or domains are published with very similar structures and content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Repeated optimisation:<\/strong> each URL changes the main term, place or another attribute in an attempt to rank separately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Search acquisition:<\/strong> the pages act as multiple entry points from search results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funnelling:<\/strong> the user ends up at the same page, form, catalogue or section even though the initial URL promised a specific answer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This method is associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/black-hat-seo\">Black Hat SEO<\/a> when its purpose is to manipulate organic visibility. A useful page can lead to another resource without constituting abuse; its purpose, degree of duplication and independent value all need to be assessed.<\/p>\n<h2>Common patterns<\/h2>\n<p>Doorway pages can exist within one site or be distributed across several domains. Common indicators include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>City pages:<\/strong> numerous URLs replace only the location name and lead to the same service without providing distinct local information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Query variations:<\/strong> each page targets a slightly different combination of words, but all provide substantially the same answer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parallel domains:<\/strong> several sites with near-identical names and home pages try to expand the reach of one offer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intermediate pages:<\/strong> the URL does not let users complete the task or provide a sufficient answer and forces them to continue to the real destination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Templates at scale:<\/strong> large groups of pages change only a few fields while the rest remains substantially the same.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use of a repeated template does not by itself demonstrate abuse. Directories, catalogues and local pages can share a structure when each URL contains its own information, belongs to a clear hierarchy and satisfies a distinct intent.<\/p>\n<h2>Differences from related concepts<\/h2>\n<p>A doorway page may combine several techniques, but it should not be confused with them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/landing-page\">Landing page<\/a>:<\/strong> receives visits and guides users towards a specific action, but should directly fulfil the promise made by the ad, link or query that brought them there.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legitimate local page:<\/strong> describes a branch, service area or local offering with specific details and content. It forms part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/local-seo\">Local SEO<\/a> when it independently answers the geographical search.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/cloaking\">Cloaking<\/a>:<\/strong> shows different content to search engines and users. A doorway page can use cloaking, but the practices are distinct.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/keyword-stuffing\">Keyword stuffing<\/a>:<\/strong> repeats terms unnaturally. It may appear on a doorway page, but it does not define the page&#8217;s intermediary role.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Redirect:<\/strong> sends one URL to another for technical or editorial reasons. A correctly implemented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/301-redirect\">301 redirect<\/a> is not a doorway page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The central distinction is independent usefulness. A landing page, local listing or redirect can have a legitimate function; a doorway page is created to capture similar searches and funnel them through intermediaries that are less useful than the final destination.<\/p>\n<h2>Risks for the site and its users<\/h2>\n<p>Google classifies this pattern as <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies#doorway-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">doorway abuse<\/a>. Its automated systems and human reviewers can act against sites that breach spam policies, with effects depending on the scope and severity of the problem.<\/p>\n<p>The main risks are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Loss of visibility:<\/strong> affected pages may rank lower or stop appearing in search results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manual action:<\/strong> a review may identify the pattern and require correction before a reconsideration request can be submitted.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Internal competition:<\/strong> many similar URLs split signals, make it harder to choose a primary page and consume crawl resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Poor experience:<\/strong> users encounter an unnecessary step, repeat actions or find that the page does not answer the promised query.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is no single automatic consequence for every case. Assessment should consider the complete group of pages, their purpose, their integration into the site and the outcome for users.<\/p>\n<h2>How to detect and correct the pattern<\/h2>\n<p>Review should focus on groups of URLs rather than isolated pages. Crawl data, sitemaps, internal links, templates and the queries received by each landing page should be examined together.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Group similar pages:<\/strong> locate URLs that differ only by location, keyword, domain or another attribute.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compare their content:<\/strong> check whether each page provides distinct information and resolves the need without sending users elsewhere.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Review navigation:<\/strong> identify pages that are accessible only through search engines or sitemaps and have no clear place in the site&#8217;s architecture.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Analyse destinations:<\/strong> find multiple entry pages that systematically redirect or link to the same final page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consolidate equivalents:<\/strong> combine useful content in one primary URL and redirect redundant versions where appropriate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Retain distinct pages:<\/strong> keep a URL only when it has its own function, information and demand, and is linked from a navigable hierarchy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Removing a redirect or adding text does not by itself correct a doorway network. The remedy should reduce unnecessary intermediaries, preserve valuable information and ensure that every indexable URL is a useful destination in its own right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What a doorway page is, how it works, common patterns, how it differs from a landing page, and how to detect and correct doorway abuse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1247],"class_list":["post-20350","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-search-spam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/20350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=20350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}