Member Avatar for pataya

Hi everyone,

I have a data base driven joomla website and 772 categories, most of them still empty because the site is new...

I would like Google to only show content pages, for example, I would want this page to be crawled:

URL SNIPPED

but not these pages:

URL SNIPPED

The above pages are empty, just a directory listing and links, would Google see that as duplicate content or will they just quickly crawl them until getting to my content items?

I put very important in the subject field because doing the wrong thing could easily get my banned...:(

Please use the contact form on URL SNIPPED if you have a chance to tell me you have replied to this post, I don't always get notified of replies.

Thanks,
Bruno

  • 2 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 116 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by pataya

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer for : Google will not “ban” a site simply because category pages are empty, but lots of empty or templated listing pages are treated as low‑value or near‑duplicate content and can be ignored or de‑prioritized by the index. Duplicate content filters generally choose a preferred URL rather than issuing a manual penalty unless there is clear deceptive intent.

Practical steps that avoid index/noise problems:

  • Exclude empty categories from your XML sitemap so you only submit URLs you want indexed.
  • Add a meta robots noindex,follow on empty category pages while they are placeholders. (Do not block them in robots.txt if you want Google to see the noindex.)
  • If a category will never be used, return 404/410 instead of keeping an empty listing.
  • Use 301 redirects only when there is a clear one-to-one replacement; avoid mass-redirecting many empty URLs to the homepage (that can be treated like a soft 404).
  • Use rel="canonical" only for true duplicates and point to the canonical version — it’s a hint, not an absolute.
  • Give category pages at least a short, unique descriptive sentence and unique titles while populating them; even a small amount of unique copy helps.

Joomla-specific notes: most sitemap and SEO extensions let you exclude menu items or categories (look for OSMap/JSitemap or your sitemap plugin settings). Per‑menu meta fields or a simple template override can add noindex to category pages until they contain real content. After you add items, remove noindex and add the category back into the sitemap.

Track results in Search Console (Index Coverage, URL Inspection) and only promote category URLs to the sitemap when they contain useful, unique content. This respects the “house before antiques” approach you described while avoiding the indexing and duplicate‑content issues warned about.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for canadafred

... The above pages are empty, just a directory listing and links, would Google see that as duplicate content or will they just quickly crawl them until getting to my content items?

What is the purpose of this directory? Is it to artificially create importance for the web site or does it serve a practical purpose for the Internet visitor?

Empty. Pages are empty! Don't waste your time with trying to fool Google, build quality content.

Member Avatar for pataya

What is the purpose of this directory? Is it to artificially create importance for the web site or does it serve a practical purpose for the Internet visitor?

Empty. Pages are empty! Don't waste your time with trying to fool Google, build quality content.

Hi Fred,

Directory is my sitemap,not a spam site, libraries and everything database driven needs to be organized.

What I meant by empty pages is in navigational structure. Too bad this site doesn't allow real URL's to be displayed...then I wouldn't have to waste time explaining what I mean :(

You might have a bag but the bag is empty exept for a pair of shorts in it, but the pair of shorts are also almost empty, but in the pair of shorts there is a wallet. That wallet however is not empty, there is $1000 in there, "Content". But the bag and pair of shorts are mostly empty although the wallet is full.

So as in a website, sections and categories can be empty but content items can be full.

How does Google view that?

Cheers!

Member Avatar for canadafred

... So as in a website, sections and categories can be empty but content items can be full.

How does Google view that?

Google should view it as being of no value. How can it view it as anything else?

Member Avatar for pataya

Google should view it as being of no value. How can it view it as anything else?

Did you read what I posted?

How can you have a living room full of antiques and works of arts if you have no house?

First the foundation, then the walls, then the roof, then the living room, then the antiques. But the house is empty until you fill it up.

If you have nothing positive to add to this post please refrain from replying!

I'm not a spammer and I know all about content.

But although you preach content? You don't seem to understand what it means!

I'll give you a peice of advice, don't treat fellow forum members as spammers before knowing what they are all about, THAT is content!

Cheers!

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.