Internal linking is one of the most underutilized SEO tactics out there. When done correctly, it can help you rank higher in search engines, get more traffic to your website, and improve user experience. To help with your internal linking journey, we have some advice from the experts.
Create Many Pages of Content
One of the best things you can do for your website is to create a lot of high-quality content. This gives you more opportunities to internally link to other pages on your site. Not only will this help with SEO, but it will also improve user experience by providing them with more information about your product or service.
Use Relevant Anchor Text
When you are linking to other pages on your site, make sure to use relevant anchor text. This is the text that is clickable and takes users to another page. Using relevant anchor text helps search engines understand what the page you are linking to is about. It’s much better to use keywords and phrases as anchor text rather than simply ‘click here’.
Make Sure Links Are Working
Although it sounds obvious, always ensure that internal links are working. If you have links on your site that are not working, this can frustrate users and may even result in them leaving your site altogether. Check all links regularly to ensure that they are working correctly; many tools exist these days that can automate this process for you. Also, you can hire award-winning SEO services to watch over these types of problems for you.
Link to Pages Deep Within Your Site
When linking to other pages on your site, don’t just link to the home page; instead, try to link to deeper pages whenever possible. Users will find the information they are looking for more easily, and search engines can also index your site more effectively by following this simple practice.
As an example, if you have a blog post about “How to Make a Pizza,” you might want to link to your recipe page or your page about pizza toppings rather than just a pizza. Of course, this is just an example; please don’t create pizza articles if it’s not relevant to your business.
Keep It Natural
When internal linking, it’s easy to get carried away and start cramming in links to other articles willy-nilly. This looks unnatural, and search engines can penalize you for it. So how can you tell if your linking looks natural? A good rule of thumb is to only link to other articles when it’s relevant to the current article and to keep the number of links to a minimum. In most cases, one or two links per article will suffice.
Try Follow Links
Furthermore, try to use follow links whenever possible. Follow links are links that pass on “link juice” to the linked-to page, which helps that page rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Nofollow links, on the other hand, do not pass on link juice and are used more for branding purposes. If you’re linking to an external site, it’s usually best to use a nofollow link.
Be Careful With Redirects
Be careful when setting up redirects, as improper redirects can result in loss of link juice. Link juice is the power or “ranking ability” that a page has in search engine results pages. When setting up redirects, be sure to use a 301 redirect, which is a permanent redirect.
With these tips, you should be well on your way to optimizing your website’s internal linking and improving your SEO. Thanks for reading!
