What it is
Pages created mainly to funnel users from many similar searches to one destination are doorway pages, which Google treats as spam. Real, useful landing pages are the alternative. Near-identical pages targeting locations/keywords. Explicit spam-policy violation. Consolidate into genuinely useful pages.
Why does doorway pages matter for AI search?
Explicit spam-policy violation.
How do you fix it?
Consolidate into genuinely useful pages.
How do you find it on your site?
- Identify sets of near-identical pages targeting slight query or location variants that all funnel to one place.
- Assess whether each offers genuine, distinct value.
- Consolidate them or rebuild them as genuinely useful pages.
- Remove pure doorways.
Which ranking and citation factors does it touch?
Doorway pages violate spam policy and risk manual action. Genuine, distinct pages are the safe and effective route.
What is the impact?
Medium-high; penalty risk. Direct.
What is the evidence?
Doorways violate spam policies. Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
Frequently asked questions about doorway pages
What does "Doorway pages" mean?
Near-identical pages targeting locations/keywords.
How do you fix doorway pages?
Consolidate into genuinely useful pages.