Internal linking can be a great way to improve your SEO and user experience. Internal links, which are similar to backlinks, increase authority and connect to pages on your website.
One of the benefits of internal linking is allowing potential customers to navigate the site and direct them to the information that they need. This technique also helps you pull them further into your funnel.
So, what’s the best approach to internal linking? What pages should you link from, how many should be included, and the best strategies?
What are internal links?
Internal links are hyperlinks that point to another website or resource. They can be images, videos, documents, or other pages on the same site or domain.
These links make it easy for users to navigate websites. It is important to follow internal linking best practices to improve your website’s SEO. An internal links example like links in a blog post, may link to other blogs with related content or product pages related to the product being discussed.
Internal Linking Best Practices
Every page that you publish must have a link to another page on your website. You may not feel that one page deserves a link to another one. Instead, think about how it connects with your business goals and objectives. Building internal links takes time, but it is worth the effort, just like building backlinks.
Here are some of the best practices for internal link building:
1. Start with quality content.
If your content isn’t up to standard, all the links in the world don’t matter. Instead of linking pages randomly, spend time creating original, valuable, and relevant content. Don’t publish content just for the sake of it. Every piece of content should support your overall strategy.
2. Keep users in mind.
You should not force internal links. Do not just add links to boost SEO. Ask yourself whether it makes sense to link topics and if the user benefits from them. Users will notice if you link just because you can.
Although it is easy to get lost in the technicalities of internal linking (e.g., balancing keyword match or anchor density), that’s not what it’s all about. The importance of internal linking is all about creating a positive user experience and solving a problem that will improve SEO.
3. Link to more than just landing pages.
Many sites link to their homepages, about pages, and contact pages. Instead of focusing solely on these options, you can diversify the links between blogs and category pages or product pages using relevant anchor text.
It is important to link to pages that are useful to visitors. They will find the pages they are looking for if they want what you have to say.
4. Write anchor texts using keywords.
Anchor text is the display text that links to a page. It should always be related to it.
Keywords should make up the bulk of your anchor text. Your website is the only place where you have complete control over your anchor text. Make use of it to your advantage. Your ranking will rise if you conduct keyword research and choose competitive keywords to anchor your internal links.
Remember to avoid mismatched anchors. It’s not natural to optimize anchor text too much, but it is equally important to ensure that you don’t combine the exact anchor text with different content. Search engines won’t be able to determine which post should rank for an anchor keyword if you do this.
5. Prevent pages from getting buried using internal links.
The structure of the internal links should establish the site’s hierarchy. This allows the search engine to index the pages and determine their relationship.
Use a pyramid model to develop your linking structure. The homepage is at the top of the pyramid. The pages that are lower on the pyramid will be less critical. It is possible to prioritize pages and concentrate your “link juice” on the actual content.
6. Place the most important links on the most important pages.
Informational content can attract backlinks and drive traffic. Links should direct users to revenue-generating pages by linking to informational pages. However, this traffic could bounce back or stop when the user locates the information they are looking for.
Users should be able to access the money pages via internal links. These could be product pages or subscription pages.
7. Do not spam internal links.
SEO is great with internal links, but it’s important not to overdo it. Just because you can add more links does not mean that you should. Visitors and bots will find too many links spammy, even if they are related to your topic.
8. Plan links alongside planning content.
Planning your internal link building with your content will help you get a clear picture of how you want to include them.
Consider the link building strategy when you plan the content and layout of your website. To generate valuable content and create internal links, you need to choose the keywords you want to target.
You can use research to supplement your planning by looking into topics people might be interested in based on their intent. For example, if you are targeting “lead generation” with a keyword, create pages such as “best lead generation examples” and “what is lead generation.”
Plan your Internal Link Building Strategy
Link building is not easy, but it can have incredible SEO benefits. You can increase the value of authoritative backlinks and increase traffic to your website by using internal linking.
Advanced Digital Media Services can help you improve your internal linking structure, show search engines how valuable you are, and create an enjoyable user experience for your users. As a team focused on SEO in Colorado Springs, ADVDMS can guide you on how to direct visitors to your website by building reputable backlinks that will take them to your site’s most important pages.
Discover how to keep your visitors on your site longer and eventually convert them into paying customers with a solid internal link building strategy. Call us today and improve your site’s internal structure without compromising quality.
