Short answer: An orphan page is a page on your site without a single link from your other pages. Google’s recommendation is that any page that matters to you gets at least one link from another page of your site. Links are one of the main ways it finds and reads new pages. A sitemap helps, but it doesn’t replace those links.
Why orphan pages are a problem
Links are how Googlebot discovers pages, and Google also reads them to judge what each page is relevant for. If your pages are properly linked, Google says it can usually discover most of your site. On large sites, it’s harder to make sure every page gets a link, and Googlebot is more likely to miss new pages.
Proper linking, in Google’s words, also covers visitors: every page you deem important can be reached through some form of navigation, from your menu or from links inside your pages.
How pages end up orphaned
These are the usual ways a page loses its links, and what to do in each case.
| How it happens | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A page leaves the menu | An old service page is taken out of the navigation | Link it from a related page, or redirect it if it’s outdated |
| A new page is never linked | A new article only appears in the sitemap | Link it from older articles on the same topic |
| A link Google can’t follow | A button that opens the page with JavaScript, without an href | Use an HTML anchor element with an href attribute |
| Ads-only landing page | A campaign page that only gets ad visits | If it shouldn’t be in Google, keep it unlinked and noindex it |
How to find and fix orphan pages
- List every page you want in Google, for example from your XML sitemap.
- Crawl your site from the home page with a crawler, following links the way a visitor would.
- Compare the two lists: sitemap pages the crawl never reached are your likely orphans.
- Count links inside the text apart from menu and footer links, because Google suggests linking in context.
- Decide what each orphan needs: links, a redirect, or removal if nobody needs it.
- Link it from pages on the same topic, with descriptive words in the link.
- Check that each new link is an HTML anchor element with an href attribute, so Google can follow it.
Our guides to internal links and the XML sitemap go deeper into steps 6 and 1, and the one on noindex covers pages you want out of Google.
What we found on our own site
On November 3 we crawled the 336 pages of our sitemap, 168 in English and 168 in Spanish, and counted how many links reach each one from the rest. None was an orphan, and none depended only on the menu or the footer. The median page got 10 internal links, 8 of them inside the text.
Each new guide gets a link from a related older guide the day it goes live. The least linked pages were our LinkedIn company page guide, with 2 links in each language, and a group of pages with 3: they are first in line for our next round of internal links.
Before you call your site orphan-free
- Each page that matters to you is linked from another page.
- Important pages get links inside the text, not only in the menu.
- Your links are anchor elements with an href attribute.
- New pages get their first links the day they go live.
- Pages nobody needs are redirected or removed.
- Your sitemap and your links reach the same pages.
RememberA page only in your sitemap can be found, but nobody can browse to it. Give every page you care about at least one link from a related page, in the text.
If you want us to check how your pages link to each other, see our technical SEO service.
Quick answers about orphan pages
Can Google index an orphan page?
It can, if it finds the page another way, such as your sitemap or a link from another site. But a sitemap doesn’t guarantee crawling or indexing, and Google says it usually discovers most of a site through proper linking.
Is a sitemap enough for an orphan page?
It helps Google find the page, but it gives visitors no way to reach it and says nothing about how the page relates to the rest of your site. Google’s advice is still a link from at least one other page.
Do menu and footer links count?
Yes, they are links and they help people move around. Google also suggests linking to related pages in context, inside the text, which is what tells a reader why the next page matters.
Should I delete my orphan pages?
Only the ones nobody needs. If a page still has value, link it from related pages. If it’s outdated, redirect it to the closest current page or take it down.
Is a landing page for ads an orphan page?
Often, and on purpose. A page built only for ads doesn’t need links if you don’t want it in Google. In that case, keep it out of Google with noindex instead of leaving it to chance.
Sources
Read on November 3, 2026. Google Search Central: Learn about sitemaps and Link best practices for Google. Our own case: a crawl of the 336 pages in our sitemap, November 3, 2026.