You’ve published a blog post you’re happy with. Maybe it’s helpful, relevant, and something your audience should really see. But after a few weeks, you notice it’s barely getting any traffic. What gives?
Let’s talk about orphaned content and why it’s quietly undermining your SEO.
What is orphaned content?
Orphaned content is any post or page on your site that isn’t linked to from anywhere else. It exists, but there’s no path to get to it. No internal links, no menu references, no category connections. For both search engines and visitors, it’s like that page is standing alone in a forest, waving, but no one knows it’s there.
This happens more often than you’d think. You publish something, then move on. Or maybe you reorganize a section of your site and accidentally cut a few links. Over time, these pages pile up, hidden from view, collecting digital dust.
Why this is a problem for your site
If search engines can’t find your content, they can’t index it. And if it’s not indexed, it doesn’t show up in search results. Even if it is indexed, pages without internal links send a weak signal about their importance. Google uses internal links to understand what matters on your site. No links? No priority.
For users, it’s similar. If you’re not linking to your own content, it’s unlikely others will discover it. Or share it. Or ever find it again.
It’s not just an SEO problem. It’s a missed opportunity. You’ve already put in the effort to write that content. Let’s make it work harder!
How Progress Planner helps
Luckily, Ravi’s on the case. If you’re using Yoast SEO Premium and haven’t run the orphaned content workout yet, Progress Planner will nudge you to do it.
You won’t see a list of orphaned pages inside Progress Planner itself—we leave that to Yoast’s workout. But what we do is point out that the workout hasn’t been completed yet and suggest you get started. It’s one of the simplest ways to improve your site’s structure.
If you’re not sure where to begin, the orphaned content workout is a guided process that helps you reconnect those forgotten pages with the rest of your content. It works hand in hand with what Progress Planner is here to do: help you spot what matters and take action.
Why this matters
Fixing orphaned content gives your content a second life. It makes your site easier to explore. It shows Google that your content is part of a bigger picture. It’s one of the easiest things you can do to improve your internal linking and boost visibility without writing anything new.
And it feels good. There’s something satisfying about finding old, overlooked posts and giving them a new role in your content strategy.
What to do now
Open Progress Planner and check Ravi’s Recommendations. If you’re running Yoast SEO Premium and haven’t completed the orphaned content workout yet, you’ll see a clear reminder to run the orphaned content workout.
Follow the link to run the workout. Then start reconnecting those pages in ways that make sense. Link from other blog posts. From cornerstone content. From relevant landing pages. Anywhere that feels like a natural fit.
You’ve already written the content. Let’s make sure people actually find it. Start the orphaned content workout today!
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