Google is still crawling pages on your site that no one needs. Pages you probably didn’t even know existed. We’re talking about post format archive pages. These group your blog posts by format, like “link” or “video,” instead of by topic. For example, the “link” archive shows every post you marked as a link, no matter what the post is actually about.

Visitors don’t use these pages. You don’t use them. And they’re not helping your site. In fact, they might be hurting it. Google keeps crawling them as if they’re important, which wastes time and energy that could go to your real content. These pages don’t boost your rankings and don’t help your readers. It’s time to cut them loose.

Your Google crawl budget isn’t bottomless

Search engines can only crawl a limited number of pages on your site during a visit. The number of URLs that search engines can crawl within a set time is known as your crawl budget. Just like your appetite isn’t bottomless, neither is Google’s attention for your site. You want to use it wisely. 

If a search engine spends that limited budget on your post format archives, it has less budget left for the pages that actually matter. Like your homepage or your latest updates.

While post format archive pages might seem harmless, they actually impact your SEO. When search engines crawl low-value pages, they spend less time on the ones that drive results. And that’s not a trade you want to make.

Duplicate content drags you down

Post format archives don’t just waste crawl time. They also create duplicate content across your site. These pages show posts that already live under proper categories or tags, but now they show up again with a different URL. That adds no real value for your visitors.

To search engines, it looks like you’re repeating yourself. A lot. Duplicate content confuses crawlers and weakens the strength of your original pages. It’s not always clear which version should rank, and that can lower your overall authority.

Instead of boosting your SEO, post format archives quietly hold it back. You end up with more pages, more URLs, and far less clarity.

The fix: Disable the archives

You don’t need these pages, and neither does Google. The good news? You can turn them off. Disabling post format archive pages is a quick win for your site. It removes clutter, saves crawl budget, and helps search engines focus on what actually matters. With Ravi’s Recommendations, you’ll see exactly how to disable post format archives and take a step toward stronger SEO.

Time to cut the dead weight! Disable those archives and let search engines focus on what matters.