Overview: Google to Launch New Doorway Page Penalty Algorithm

Google is set to launch new doorway page penalty algorithm to strengthen the search engine’s resolve to minimize the impact/effect of web spam on users. The new doorway page penalty algorithm is a clear indication that Google’s search quality team hasn’t relented on the fight against web spam which compromises web user experiences via doorway pages.

Google has always held the view that doorway pages created purely for search engines affect user search experience negatively. This usually happens when searchers get many results to a website they don’t find useful. When this happens, a searcher is taken to the same website many times when they click on the next search results. This can be very frustrating.

Google’s new algorithm is meant to curb increasing cases of websites trying to maximize their search footprint without adding and value to the end-user. The algorithm will obviously improve the quality of Google’s search results further by forcing website owners to focus on value when performing search engine optimization.

There are also plans underway to launch a ranking adjustment aimed at addressing doorway pages better. Websites with large and well established doorway campaigns stand to enjoy great SEO benefits from this change. In an effort to help webmasters understand the new algorithm and its impact better, Google has updated its definition of doorway pages.

Google’s definition of doorway pages

According to Google’s latest updates, doorways are website pages or websites created for the sole purpose of ranking high for specific search questions. Doorway pages are bad for searchers because they result in the duplication of pages in search results which makes searchers land on the same destination many times. Doorway pages also direct searchers to intermediate pages/sites which aren’t useful to them as final destinations.

Good examples of doorways

1. Having many domain names or website pages targeting specific locations that direct searchers to one page.
2. Website pages generated to direct users to a relevant or usable portion of your website(s).
3. Highly similar website pages closer to search results than a clearly defined browse-able hierarchy.

Questions to help you identify doorway pages

1. Is the page meant to optimize for Google and direct visitors into a relevant or usable part of your site or is it an integral part of your website’s user experience?
2. Is the page intended to rank generically but the page’s content is very specific?
3. Are the website pages duplicating useful item aggregations i.e. locations and products that are already present on the website for purposes of getting more search traffic?
4. Are the pages solely made to gain affiliate traffic as well as send users along without necessarily creating unique value?
5. Do the pages exist as islands? i.e. do they pose navigation challenges when moving to other places in your site?
6. Are the links (to the pages in question) from other web pages within the network of sites or the site itself made simply for search engines?

Summary

The above information summarizes everything you need to know about Google’s latest definition of doorway pages, how to identify them as well as how to avoid being penalized when Google launches the new doorway page penalty algorithm.