Bridge Page

A bridge page, also known as a gateway page, is a web page that is designed to capture search traffic for a particular keyword or query and then redirect the user to another page.

The purpose of a bridge page is to capitalize on high-value search terms that the main target page may not directly rank for.

Importance in SEO

Bridge pages can be useful for SEO by allowing websites to rank for a wider range of keywords. However, they must be used ethically and in compliance with search engine guidelines to avoid penalties.

When used correctly, bridge pages can help to funnel traffic to the most relevant content on a website.

Example

If a website wants to rank for the keyword “best hiking boots” but the primary product page doesn’t directly target that keyword, a bridge page could be created with content optimized for “best hiking boots” that then links to the product page.

Do

  • Use bridge pages to target long-tail keywords that are relevant to your site’s content but are not directly optimized on your main pages.
  • Ensure that bridge pages provide value to users by offering helpful information or resources related to the targeted keyword.
  • Use canonical tags on bridge pages to indicate to search engines that the content is a duplicate of the target page.

Don’t

  • Create multiple bridge pages that all lead to the same target page, as this can be seen as a form of doorway page spamming.
  • Use bridge pages to deceive users or manipulate search engine rankings.
  • Overuse or abuse bridge pages, as this can lead to penalties from search engines.