Doorway Pages

Doorway pages (also called gateway pages or bridge pages) are web pages created specifically to rank for particular search queries, designed to funnel visitors to a different destination page rather than provide standalone value. They typically feature keyword-heavy content that satisfies a crawler but offers little utility to users, redirecting them elsewhere upon arrival. Classic examples include city-specific pages with near-identical content or pages made to intercept affiliate traffic.

Google explicitly prohibits doorway pages in its guidelines, noting that they lead to poor user experiences. The distinguishing characteristic is intent: pages designed purely to intercept search traffic and redirect it, rather than pages that genuinely serve a unique audience or answer a distinct query. Modern location pages that offer real, location-specific content are not doorway pages.