Internal linking is one of the most underrated techniques in SEO. Most people focus on optimizing their website for external factors, such as building links and generating traffic from social media. However, internal linking is just as important.
Internal linking helps search engines understand your website better. It also helps to improve your website's structure and makes it easier for visitors to navigate. And the SEO service providers help you with this. So, your site doesn't just rank better, but it's also more user-friendly.
In this post, we'll discuss what internal linking is, why it's important, and how you can use it to improve your SEO.
What is Internal Linking?
Internal linking is linking one page on your website to another. It is different from external linking, which is when you link to a page on another website.
For example, if you have a blog post about "SEO Tips for Beginners," you might internally link to another blog post on your site about "Keyword Research."
Internal Links vs. External Links
You may already be aware of link building and how important it is to SEO. Link building is the process of acquiring links from other websites. These links act as votes of trust for your website and tell search engines that your site is popular and relevant.
Your website's internal links aren't nearly as powerful as external ones because search engines prioritize what others say about you over what is on your website.
Though that does not mean you should avoid them altogether. Instead, consider how you can manage link placements in this situation. Internal linking provides more opportunities to connect to your most crucial pages if done correctly. At the same time, you share link value, link equity, or link juice with your site's subsidiary correlated pages.
The layout of your website plays a role in how well it ranks. Establish a good website architecture, and the professional SEO company in Corpus Christi will use internal links to improve the user experience and your website's SEO. So Google crawlers can find and index your pages easily.
Factors to Consider When Building Internal Links
Now that we've established how essential internal linking is to SEO, let's go over some factors you should consider when building internal links.
- Outline Your Site's Hierarchy
Before you start linking willy-nilly, it's essential first to understand your website's hierarchy. Your website's hierarchy is its organizational structure. It's how you order and categorize your pages.
A well-organized website is more accessible for visitors to navigate and easier for search engines to crawl and index. That's because a well-organized website has a clear structure, which makes it easier for search engine crawlers to understand.
Your internal link strategy should reflect your website's hierarchy. That means linking to the most important pages from your homepage and subordinate pages from your top-level pages.
For example, if your website sells SEO services, your homepage might link to your "SEO Packages" page. Then, your "SEO Packages" page would link to individual pages for each package. This flow assistances visitors in finding the information they need and helps search engines understand your website's structure.
- Use Navigational Links
Navigational links are links that help visitors navigate your website. They usually appear in your site's header, footer, and sidebar.
Navigational links help search engine crawlers understand your website's structure and find new pages. They also help visitors find the information they need on your site.
For example, if someone is looking for blog posts about "SEO Tips," a navigational link in the header or sidebar would help them find the blog section of your website.
Optimize your navigation headers by using anchor text that accurately reflects the page it's linking to. For example, if you're linking to your "SEO Packages" page, the anchor text should say "SEO Packages" or something similar.
- Enhance Your Website's, Contextual Links
Links placed within the body of a page's content are contextual links. They direct people to the material on the same page that is relevant or comparable. Contextual link development, when done correctly, can assist your most important pages to rank higher on the SERPs. Furthermore, it impacts other SEO markers such as page views, time on site, and bounce rate.
Recent studies show that users click more on content than navigational links. So prioritize your content links in your internal linking strategy and ensure that your contextual link structure aligns with the user journey.
For example, you can write several articles on one topic and link them back to a more comprehensive page. This main page will act as the most valuable resource. The internal links checker classifies this content as the pillar page or cornerstone content. This type of content links back to all related cluster information.
Linking to the most important pages from your pillar content will help those pages rank higher on the SERPs. In addition, it will give visitors the info they need to decide on your product or service.
- Choose Your Anchor Text Wisely
The part of the link that users can see and click on is called anchor text. Its primary goal is to give users an idea of the destination page so they can decide whether or not to click on it.
Anchor text is also a significant ranking factor for Google. So you want to make sure that your anchor text is accurate and relevant to the page you're linking to.
For example, if you're linking to your "SEO Packages" page, the anchor text should say "SEO Packages" or something similar.
Generic anchor text like "click here" or "read more" doesn't give users any information about the destination page. And it doesn't give search engines any clues about the page's content. So avoid using generic anchor text whenever possible.
If you're unsure what anchor text to use, try to match it to the keyword you're targeting for that page. For example, if you're trying to rank for the keyword "SEO tips," your anchor text could be like "tips for improving your SEO."
Linking Strategy: Dos And Don'ts
These are some general guidelines to follow when developing your internal linking strategy:
- Avoid Link Spamming
Link spamming is the act of placing links on your website indiscriminately. It includes adding links to pages that don't need or aren't relevant to the user's journey.
Not only is link spamming bad for SEO, but it can also irritate users and make them less likely to visit your site in the future.
So be selective about the links you add to your website—only link to relevant and useful pages to your visitors.
- Limit the Number of Nofollow Internal Links
Delete the "rel=nofollow" tag from your internal links, too. What's the difference? A nofollow attribute is occasionally used on links to spam comments. When you have nofollow internal links, it tells Google that the link shouldn't be trusted. You don't want this for your internal links!
- Include Related Posts and Products
Include related posts at the bottom of each article if you have a blog. These links give readers more information on the topic they're interested in. They also help Google understand the relationships between your pages.
If you have an e-commerce website, consider adding related products to each product page. These links keep users engaged on your website and can lead to more sales.
- Point to Most Popular Posts
If you have a highly read or new article, utilize an internal link to send more visitors to the homepage. This method attracts more people and boosts engagement, resulting in higher page views and average sessions.
- Use Intrenal Link chekcer Tools
There are many internal link checker tools available online. These tools can help you find and fix broken links on your website. They can also help you analyze your website's linking structure and find opportunities to improve it. You can ask your SEO company for help if you are unsure about these. They will ensure that all your links are placed correctly and effectively.
Read here to know: How Custom Web Design and SEO Work Together
Final Thought
Internal linking is an essential part of SEO. It helps search engines understand the relationships between your pages. It also helps visitors navigate your website and find the information they need.
Keep these Dos and Don'ts in mind when developing your internal linking strategy. And if you need help, don't hesitate to reach out to an SEO agency near me; they can assist you further. So your website can rank higher in search results and get more traffic.
