Moving some pages of your website to a folder and modifying the navigation menu to show only inner page links can impact your website's SEO, but if done correctly, it doesn't necessarily have to hurt it.

But we don't have to think from SEO prospective only, we have to look the User experience angle too.

From a user experience point of view, moving some pages of your website to a folder and having a navigation menu that only shows inner page links can have both positive and negative impacts. Here's a breakdown of how it might affect user experience and SEO:

Positive Aspects:

• Improved Organization: Structuring your website with folders can make it more organized and user-friendly, especially if you have a lot of content. Users can easily find what they're looking for within the folder.

• Reduced Clutter: By only showing inner page links in the navigation menu for that specific folder, you reduce clutter and distraction for users. They are presented with relevant choices, making it easier to navigate.

• Focused Content: This approach can help users stay focused on the content within that folder, as they won't be distracted by links to unrelated pages.

Negative Aspects:

• Loss of Visibility: If you hide the outer pages in the navigation menu, users may have a harder time finding those pages, which could negatively impact their experience.

• SEO Concerns: Search engines like Google may not be able to crawl and index the inner pages as effectively if they are not linked from the main navigation. This could lead to decreased visibility in search results for those inner pages.

• User Confusion: Users may wonder why certain pages are not visible in the main navigation, and they might find it confusing or frustrating if they expect to see certain links there.

[you can Read the detail article here "How to improve user experience by moving pages to folders without harming SEO"]

Ultimately, the decision should be made with a balance in mind. Consider user experience and SEO best practices. You can organize your content in folders for better navigation while also incorporating alternative ways to guide users to important pages and ensuring that search engines can find and index your content effectively.

Warm Regards
Rahul Gupta
Suvidit Academy

No, moving pages of your website to a folder and having the navigation menu show only inner page links will not necessarily hurt SEO. However, it's essential to implement proper 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones to ensure that search engines can still find and index your content. Additionally, make sure your new navigation structure is logical and user-friendly to provide a good experience for both visitors and search engines. (Study abroad) (2 Year Post Graduate Diploma Canada) (PMP Exam Prep) (Canada PR)

Moving pages of your website to a folder and adjusting the navigation menu to show only inner page links should not necessarily hurt your website's SEO if done correctly. However, it's essential to follow best practices to ensure that search engines can still crawl and index your content effectively. Here are some steps to consider:

• 301 Redirects: If you are changing the URLs of the pages, set up 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones. This tells search engines that the content has moved permanently and helps preserve SEO equity.
• Update Internal Links: Make sure that internal links within your website (from other pages, blog posts, etc.) are updated to point to the new URLs.
• XML Sitemap: Update your XML sitemap to include the new URLs. This helps search engines discover and index the new pages more efficiently.
• Robots.txt: Ensure that your robots.txt file does not block search engine crawlers from accessing the new folder and its contents.
• Canonical Tags: Use canonical tags if you have duplicate content issues, indicating the preferred URL for indexing.
• Submit to Search Engines: Resubmit your updated sitemap to search engines (Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, etc.) to expedite the indexing process.
• Test and Monitor: After making these changes, monitor your website's performance in search results and check for any issues using tools like Google Search Console. Address any errors or problems promptly.
  By taking these steps, you can minimize the impact on SEO and ensure that search engines can still access and index your content effectively.

I focus on these main points when I want to move some pages of my website to a folder and nav menu in those pages should only show inner page links for my Site Pet Nutrition Guru.

It is also help ful when I move the blog (Can Cats Eat Mochi?).