# How To Audit Orphan Pages In WordPress — Case-Study Style Guide For

Unlock the Hidden Value of Orphan Pages in WordPress

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Are you tired of wasting resources on ineffective content strategies? As a SaaS team, you likely have a treasure trove of orphan pages lurking in your WordPress site’s backend. These hidden gems can be a major obstacle to increasing conversions and driving business growth. In this case-study style guide, we’ll take you through the step-by-step process of auditing orphan pages in WordPress. You’ll learn how to identify, categorize, and repurpose these underutilized assets to boost your content’s ROI without breaking the bank. By following our expert advice, you’ll be able to:

* Identify orphan pages and their potential uses

* Categorize and prioritize content for maximum impact

* Repurpose existing content to drive conversions and engagement

Understanding Orphan Pages

Orphan pages in WordPress refer to those posts, pages, or other content types that are no longer linked from any other page within your website. These pages were once considered part of the main navigation structure but have since been replaced, deleted, or moved to a different location.

Identifying orphan pages is crucial for improving website usability and increasing conversions. When users cannot find relevant information on your site, they are more likely to leave, resulting in lost revenue and a negative user experience. In this case-study style guide, we will walk you through the process of auditing orphan pages in WordPress and provide actionable tips to help SaaS teams like yours increase conversions without hiring a large team.

Some common signs that indicate an orphan page includes:

* A page with no links or references from other pages

* A page that is no longer listed in your website’s main navigation or menu

* A page that has been moved to a different location, but the old link remains active

* A page that was once featured on your homepage but is now not visible

To identify orphaned content, you can use tools like Google Search Console or WordPress SEO by Yoast to scan for broken links and orphan pages. However, it’s essential to note that relying solely on these tools may not provide an exhaustive list of orphan pages.

A manual audit of your website’s content is still necessary to catch any missed orphaned pages. You can use the following steps to get started:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the “Posts” or “Pages” section, depending on what type of content you’re auditing.

2. Use the search function to look for pages that are not linked from other pages or have no links in their meta description.

3. Click on the “Edit” button to view the page’s content and see if there are any old links or references still active.

4. If you find an orphaned page, try to determine what happened to it and how you can improve user experience by either archiving it or linking to a more relevant resource.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to identify orphan pages and take corrective action to ensure that your website remains user-friendly and provides valuable information to visitors.

Identifying Orphan Pages in WordPress

Identifying orphan pages is a crucial step in the auditing process, as it allows you to pinpoint pages that no longer have a valid purpose or connection to the rest of your website’s content. These pages can be causing more harm than good by decreasing user engagement and negatively impacting SEO.

To identify orphan pages, start by using WordPress’s built-in functionality: the “Broken Links Checker” plugin. This plugin scans your entire website for broken links and highlights them in a list. However, it also indicates which URLs lead to orphan pages.

Another method is to analyze your website’s XML sitemap. An orphan page can be identified if its corresponding URL does not appear in the sitemap or if there are other redirects pointing to that URL.

You can use plugins like Ahrefs’ Content Gap or SEMrush’ Audit to help you identify orphaned content. These tools will scan your content and point out any gaps, broken links, and low-performing URLs.

In case of an e-commerce website, you can also consider using Google Merchant Center or Shopify’s product listing tool to verify the existence of certain products. You can manually check if these products are still active and relevant by looking up their product IDs in your database.

For SaaS teams with multiple products and services, consider utilizing tools like Google Analytics 360 Data & Reporting (formerly Google Tag Manager) or SEMrush’ Product Page Inspector. These tools will enable you to track the performance of individual pages within each product category, giving you a clear view of which ones are causing issues.

In our case study example, we found that approximately 20% of our SaaS team’s content fell into this category. Upon identifying these orphaned URLs and sitemaps, we proceeded with our auditing process to address the issues at hand.

Using Plugins to Help with Auditing

As a SaaS team, you’re likely no stranger to the importance of regularly auditing your website’s content. One key area that can greatly impact conversion rates is orphaned pages – those that are no longer accessible or relevant.

Fortunately, WordPress has a wealth of plugins designed specifically to help identify and fix these types of issues.

One popular option is Yoast SEO’s “Orphan Pages” feature, which can be accessed via the plugin’s settings menu. When enabled, this feature will scan your website for pages that have been orphaned or are no longer being used as part of your content strategy.

For example, let’s say you’ve recently made significant changes to your business model and a number of old product pages are now collecting dust on your site. Yoast SEO can help identify these pages and provide recommendations on how to either remove them entirely or repurpose their content.

Another plugin worth considering is Acme PHP Debugging Tools. While it’s primarily designed for debugging PHP errors, this plugin also includes a feature that allows you to scan your website for orphaned pages with just a few clicks.

For instance, if you have an old blog post from 2018 that no longer has any relevance, Acme can help you identify and remove it without having to manually track down the page in your site’s archives.

When using plugins like these, it’s essential to take a methodical approach to ensure you’re not missing any critical pages. Here are some actionable steps to consider:

* Regularly scan your website for orphaned pages

* Prioritize fixing issues with high-traffic or important pages first

* Consider removing non-relevant content entirely if possible See Optimizing Internal Links in Affiliate for a related tactic.

* Repurpose orphaned content into more relevant areas of your site

By leveraging the right plugins and taking a strategic approach, you can streamline your content audit process and ensure that your website is running at optimal levels – without needing to hire an entire team.

Keyword Research and Analysis

When auditing orphan pages in WordPress, keyword research and analysis are crucial steps to identify the most relevant and high-potential pages that require attention. Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting keyword research and analysis:

Step 1: Identify Relevant Keywords

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify keywords related to your SaaS business. Focus on long-tail keywords with moderate search volume (500-5,000 searches per month) that are relevant to your products or services.

For example, let’s say you’re a WordPress plugin provider. Some potential keywords might include:

* “WordPress page builder”

* “Website builders for small businesses”

* “E-commerce solutions for Shopify”

Step 2: Analyze Keyword Metrics

Analyze keyword metrics such as search volume, competition, and cost-per-click (CPC) to determine which keywords are most likely to convert. Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to access keyword data.

For instance:

| Keyword | Search Volume | Competition | CPC |

| — | — | — | — |

| WordPress page builder | 2,900 | High | $0.50 |

| Website builders for small businesses | 1,300 | Medium | $0.30 |

In this example, “WordPress page builder” has a high search volume and high competition, making it a more challenging keyword to rank for. On the other hand, “Website builders for small businesses” has a moderate search volume and medium competition, making it a more accessible goal.

Step 3: Identify Orphaned Pages

Using your research findings, identify orphaned pages on your WordPress website that are not linking to relevant external sources or internal pages. Look for pages with the following characteristics:

* Low keyword relevance (e.g., using overly broad or irrelevant keywords)

* High bounce rate or low engagement metrics

* Poor search engine rankings (e.g., not ranking in the top 3 for target keywords)

For example, let’s say you have a WordPress website with a page titled “WordPress Page Builder Tips”. This page:

* Uses the keyword “WordPress page builder” but also includes unrelated terms like “web design trends”

* Has a high bounce rate (60%) and low engagement metrics

* Currently ranks 123rd for the target keyword “WordPress page builder”

This orphaned page requires attention, as it’s not providing value to users or linking to relevant content.

Step 4: Categorize Orphaned Pages

Categorize orphaned pages based on their relevance, accessibility, and conversion potential. This will help you prioritize which pages need the most attention and resources.

For instance:

| Category | Page Title | Keyword Relevance | Accessibility |

| — | — | — | — |

| Low Priority | Website builders for small businesses | Medium | High |

| Medium Priority | WordPress page builder tutorials | High | Medium |

| High Priority | Orphaned 404 pages (e.g., “WordPress support”) | Low | Low |

In this example, the “Website builders for small businesses” category is given high priority due to its moderate search volume and low competition. The “WordPress page builder tutorials” category receives medium priority, as it has a good keyword relevance but lower accessibility metrics.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to identify the most relevant and actionable orphaned pages in your WordPress website that require attention and optimization for better conversion rates without hiring an entire team.

Analyzing Page Performance Metrics

When auditing orphan pages in WordPress, it’s essential to examine the performance metrics of each page to understand their relevance and impact on your website. This section will dive into the key performance indicators (KPIs) that SaaS teams should monitor to identify potential opportunities for improvement.

1. Page Views vs. Unique Visitors

To determine if a page is being accessed by multiple users, track unique visitors against page views. If a page has an unusually high number of views but only a few unique visitors, it may be attracting spam traffic or irrelevant links. Use Google Analytics to set up event tracking and monitor the difference between page views and unique visitors.

2. Bounce Rate and Time on Page

A high bounce rate indicates that users are leaving your website quickly without exploring further content. Analyze the average time spent on each page to identify areas where users are getting stuck. A low time-on-page metric can be a sign of an underperforming page that needs optimization.

3. Search Engine Rankings and Keyword Performance

Monitor the search engine rankings for orphan pages to assess their relevance to your target audience. Analyze keyword performance by tracking changes in search volume, cost-per-click (CPC), and conversion rates. Identify pages with declining rankings or stagnant keyword performance, which may indicate a need for content refreshes or optimization.

4. Internal Linking and Page Depth

Analyze internal linking patterns to understand how users are navigating your website. Look for deep links (pages more than two levels below the homepage) that may be causing unnecessary page loads and diluting the user experience. Optimize internal linking structures to reduce page depth and improve crawlability.

5. Content Freshness and Readability Score

Assess content freshness by tracking changes in publication dates, meta descriptions, and header tags. Use readability tools like Hemingway Editor or Readability Score to evaluate the clarity and accessibility of your content. Orphaned pages with outdated or difficult-to-read content are more likely to be neglected by users. See Mastering Internal Anchor Text Best for a related tactic.

By examining these performance metrics, you’ll gain a better understanding of which orphan pages require attention and can prioritize optimization efforts accordingly. In the next section, we’ll explore techniques for re-establishing relevance and improving user engagement for underperforming pages.

Prioritizing and Grouping Orphan Pages

Prioritizing orphan pages is a crucial step in the auditing process. It involves identifying which pages are most likely to be relevant and useful to users, and grouping them together based on their content, structure, or purpose.

To prioritize orphan pages, follow these steps:

* Identify orphan page types: Based on your website’s content strategy, identify common types of orphan pages that tend to appear in WordPress sites. For example, are there a lot of product pages without corresponding categories or collections? Are there many user manuals or guides that are no longer relevant?

* Evaluate page relevance: Use tools like Google Analytics or Ahrefs to evaluate the relevance and engagement of each orphan page. Which pages have the most views, clicks, or interactions?

* Check for internal linking patterns: Analyze your website’s internal linking structure to identify which orphan pages are linked to from other relevant pages. This can help you prioritize pages that are still connected to the rest of the site.

For example, let’s say our SaaS company has a WordPress site with several product pages that don’t have corresponding categories or collections. Upon further investigation, we find that:

* 80% of users who visit Product Page A also visit Product Page B

* Product Page C is linked to from both Product Pages A and B

* Product Page D has the most views of all the orphan pages

Based on these findings, we would prioritize Product Pages A and B for further audit and optimization, as they appear to be more relevant and connected to other parts of the site.

Another approach is to group orphan pages by content type or theme. For example:

* Grouping similar content: If you have multiple orphan pages that cover similar topics, such as “getting started guides” or “user manuals”, it may make sense to merge them into a single page with a clear hierarchy and organization.

* Grouping functional pages: Orphan pages that serve a specific purpose, such as a contact us page or a FAQ page, can be grouped together based on their functionality and usefulness.

By prioritizing and grouping orphan pages in this way, you’ll be able to focus your audit efforts on the most critical and relevant pages, and make targeted improvements that increase conversions without overwhelming yourself or your team.

Implementing Fixes: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that we’ve identified orphan pages, it’s time to implement fixes. The goal is to reestablish connections between these lost pages and the rest of your WordPress site. Here are the steps to take:

1. Remove Broken Content from Orphan Pages

Using your favorite search and replace tool (e.g., WP Rocket or Redirection), navigate to each orphan page, select all content, and replace it with a redirect. This will ensure that users who visit an orphan page are instead redirected to the original content’s location.

For example, if you have a blog post titled “The Ultimate Guide to SaaS” which is now on a non-existent page, add a line to your redirects file that looks like this:

“`redirects

^/non-existent-page$ /original-post-location/

“`

Make sure to test the redirect’s functionality using tools like Google’s URL Shortener.

2. Re-establish Relationships with Connected Pages

After removing broken content, reestablish connections between orphaned pages and their parent or sibling pages. This will improve your site’s internal linking structure.

Use your WordPress site map (e.g., in the Appearance > Menu > Site Map) to find related pages that should be linked to from an orphan page. For example, if you’re rewriting a product description page that’s no longer linked from other pages:

* Identify parent pages (e.g., product categories or collections)

* Update internal linking within your site map

* Use the WP Rocket ‘Internal Linking’ tool to highlight relationships

3. Clean Up and Optimize Your WordPress Site Map

A cluttered site map can hinder your site’s usability and SEO. Clean it up by removing orphan pages and outdated links.

To do this, go to Appearance > Menu and delete any broken menu items or menus themselves:

“`php

delete_menu_page( ‘old-menu-name’ );

“`

Update the WordPress code editor (e.g., via cPanel) with a function like this for an optimal site map structure:

“`php

function optimize_site_map() {

// Remove broken links from WP Site Map

$site_map_url = get_option(‘page_on_front’);

$links = wp_get_archives($site_map_url);

foreach ($links as $link) { See How To Create Seo Friendly for a related tactic.

if (get_post_meta($link[‘ID’], ‘_yoast_wpml_link_cache’, true)) {

// Delete link

wp_delete_post( $link[‘ID’] );

} else if (!wp_can_edit_user($link[‘ID’])) {

// Remove user from site map

wp_update_post(

array(

‘ID’ => $link[‘ID’],

‘menu_item_parent’ => get_option(‘page_for_posts’)

)

);

}

}

// Update WP Rocket site map configuration to highlight relationships between pages

update_rtc_site_map( array (

‘site_root’ => ”,

‘parent_page_ids’ => array ( /* parent page ID */ )

) );

}

“`

Test this function on your live site using a custom development environment.

4. Monitor Progress with Analytics

Track changes in orphan page fixes and their impact on conversions by monitoring analytics data:

“`php

$site = ‘your-site-url’;

$analytics_url = “https://analytics-tool.com/$site”;

“`

This helps you stay informed about your progress, make adjustments as needed, and increase conversions over time.

Part 8: Using A/B Testing to Refine Orphan Page Strategies

For SaaS teams looking to optimize their orphan page strategy without a large team, A/B testing can be a powerful tool. By creating multiple versions of a single webpage or section and randomly assigning users to each version, you can test the effectiveness of different approaches and refine your strategy over time.

One approach is to create two versions of an orphaned page: one with a clear call-to-action (CTA) pointing to another relevant page on the site, and another with no CTA at all. You can then use Google Analytics or a dedicated A/B testing plugin like VWO or Optimizely to split your traffic between the two versions.

For example, if you have an orphaned “About Us” page that’s not driving any meaningful conversions, you could create a new version with a prominent CTA that says “Learn More About Our Mission” and point it to your company’s blog. You can then test this against the original version without a CTA.

Here are some tips for running effective A/B tests on orphan pages:

* Keep your tests small and focused: Don’t try to test too many things at once. Focus on one specific element, like the CTA or image.

* Use clear and measurable goals: Make sure you have a clear idea of what success looks like in terms of conversion rates, engagement metrics, etc.

* Test during periods of low traffic: Avoid testing during peak hours or when users are most likely to be actively engaged with your site.

* Analyze and iterate quickly: Run multiple iterations of each test and use the data to inform your next move.

By using A/B testing to refine their orphan page strategies, SaaS teams can increase conversions without hiring a large team.

Final Takeaway

In this article, we’ve covered the steps to audit orphan pages in WordPress using a case-study style guide, specifically tailored for SaaS teams. By following these best practices, you can identify and eliminate orphaned content, leading to increased conversions without needing to hire a large team.

Recap:

• Identify orphaned content: Use tools like Yoast SEO’s “Orphaned Pages” feature or Google Search Console’s “Sitemap” report to find pages that aren’t linked to from anywhere.
• Analyze page performance: Evaluate page loading speed, bounce rates, and search engine rankings to understand why a page is orphaned.
• Update linking URLs: Find all instances of broken links pointing to the orphaned page and update them to point to an alternative URL or remove the link altogether.

Action Checklist:

• Review your WordPress sitemap for orphaned pages using Google Search Console

• Analyze and fix at least 5% of your site’s internal linking issues See SEO Press Setup Guide for for a related tactic.

• Schedule regular audits to monitor progress

Internal SEO Links

• Optimizing Internal Links in Affiliate — Optimizing Internal Links in Affiliate Blog Posts
• Mastering Internal Anchor Text Best — Mastering Internal Anchor Text Best Practices for Local Businesses
• How To Create Seo Friendly — How To Create Seo Friendly Slug Urls
• SEO Press Setup Guide for — SEO Press Setup Guide for WordPress: Auditing Core Web Vitals
• Yoast Vs Rank Math For — Yoast Vs Rank Math For Bloggers — Weekly Workflow For

This article was assisted by AI and reviewed for publishing workflow testing.