What Is a Doorway Page?
A doorway page is a web page that exists mainly to rank in search engines for certain keywords and then quickly send visitors to another page, often on the same site.
Definition
A doorway page is a low quality or thin page created to target one keyword or location, with little real content, whose main purpose is to funnel users to a different page or website. Search engines usually see these pages as spam.
Why Doorway Pages Matter
Doorway pages matter because they can break search engine rules. If a site uses many doorway pages, it can lose rankings or even be removed from search results. They also give a bad user experience, because people land on a page that is not truly helpful or original.
How Doorway Pages Work
Doorway pages are often made in large numbers. Each page targets a slightly different keyword, city, or product name. The pages look very similar and usually have weak or copied text. When a visitor lands on one, links or automatic redirects push them to a main page, such as one central product or contact page.
Doorway Page vs Useful Landing Page
A doorway page exists mainly for search engines, not for people. It is thin, repeated, and only tries to move users elsewhere.
A useful landing page is built for visitors. It gives clear information, answers questions, and can stand on its own. It is fine if a good landing page also leads to other pages, as long as it has real value by itself.
Example of a Doorway Page
Imagine a company that repairs phones. Instead of one strong page about phone repair in different cities, they make hundreds of almost identical pages like Phone repair New York, Phone repair Boston, Phone repair Chicago. Each page has the same text with only the city name changed and a big button that sends everyone to the same booking page. These are doorway pages.
FAQs
Q: Are doorway pages allowed in SEO?
A: No. Major search engines say doorway pages break their rules and can lead to penalties.
Q: How can I avoid doorway pages?
A: Create fewer, stronger pages with unique, helpful content. Do not make many near duplicate pages that only swap keywords or city names.
Q: Can I target many locations without doorway pages?
A: Yes. You can build detailed pages for important areas with rich local information, or one well structured page that clearly covers several locations.
