Last Updated on March 23, 2023 by SWHA
Internal linking is one of the most important on-page SEO factors. By internally linking to other pages on your website, you can help boost your website’s overall SEO.
It helps search engines understand your website’s structure and hierarchy. It also helps distribute link equity (ranking power) throughout your website.
Link equity is the ranking power that a link passes from one page to another. When a page links to another page, it passes some of its equity to that page.
The more links a page has, the more equity it has to pass. That’s why it’s important to have a well-linked website.
Internal linking also helps users navigate your website. By linking to other pages on your website, you can help users find the information they’re looking for.
When linking internally, it’s important to use relevant and descriptive anchor text. Anchor text is the text that’s clickable on a link.
Using relevant anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked-to page is about. It also helps users understand where they’ll be taken if they click the link.
To get the most out of internal linking, make sure to:
– Link to relevant pages
Only link to pages that are relevant to the page you’re linking from.
– Use descriptive anchor text
Use anchor text that accurately describes the linked-to page.
– Link to deep pages
Link to pages that are several clicks away from your home page. This helps distribute link equity throughout your website.
– Use a mix of dofollow and nofollow links
A mix of dofollow and nofollow links is best for SEO. Dofollow links pass link equity, while nofollow links don’t.
– Don’t overdo it
Too many links on a page can look spammy and hurt your SEO.
When used correctly, internal linking can help boost your website’s SEO. Just make sure to link to relevant pages with descriptive anchor text.
The Value of internal linking for SEO Success
When it comes to SEO, there are two main types of links: external and internal. External links are links from other websites that point to your website. Internal links are links within your website that point to other pages on your website.
Both types of links are important for SEO success. However, internal linking is often overlooked or not given enough attention. This is a mistake because internal linking is essential for a number of reasons.
Here are 10 reasons why internal linking is important for SEO success:
1. Help search engines index your website
When a search engine crawls your website, it follows the links to other pages on your website. This helps the search engine index all the pages on your website. If you have a large website with many pages, internal linking is essential to help the search engine index all the pages.
2. Help improve your website architecture
A well-structured website is easy for both users and search engines to navigate. Internal linking helps improve your website architecture by creating a logical structure and flow.
3. Help spread link juice
Link juice is the term used to describe the power or value that a link passes to another page. When a page links to another page, it passes link juice to that page. The amount of link juice passed depends on a number of factors, such as the page authority.
Internal links help spread link juice around your website. This is important because it helps all the pages on your website rank better in the search engines.
4. Help reduce your bounce rate
Your website’s bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate is a bad thing because it means that people are leaving your website without viewing any other pages.
Internal links help reduce your bounce rate by giving visitors a way to navigate to other pages on your website. If a visitor is interested in the content on one page, they are more likely to click on an internal link to another page. This keeps them engaged with your website and reduces the chance of them leaving.
5. Help keep people on your website longer
The longer someone stays on your website, the better. This is because the longer someone is on your website, the more likely they are to convert into a customer or take some other desired action.
Internal links help keep people on your website longer because they give visitors a way to view more than one page. If a visitor is interested in the content on one page, they can click on an internal link to view another page. This keeps them on your website longer and increases the chances of them taking a desired action.
6. Help increase the number of pages viewed per visit
The number of pages viewed per visit is another metric that is used to measure how engaged a visitor is with your website. The more pages a visitor views, the better. This is because it indicates that they are interested in the content on your website.
Internal links help increase the number of pages viewed per visit because they give visitors a way to view more than one page. If a visitor is interested in the content on one page, they can click on an internal link to view another page. This increases the number of pages they view and helps you better gauge their level of interest.
7. Help increase your website PageRank
PageRank is a metric that was developed by Google to measure the importance of a webpage. The higher the PageRank of a page, the better. This is because it indicates that the page is more important and is more likely to rank higher in the search results.
Internal links help increase your website PageRank because they create a link from one page to another. The more links you have pointing to a page, the higher its PageRank will be. This is because each link is like a vote of confidence for the page.
The authority of a website is a measure of how trustworthy and credible the website is. The higher the authority of a website, the better. This is because it indicates that the website is a reliable source of information.
Internal links help increase the authority of your website because they create a link from one page to another. The more links you have pointing to a page, the higher its authority will be. This is because each link is like a vote of confidence for the page.
9. Help increase the relevancy of a website
The relevancy of a website is a measure of how well the website’s content match the user’s search query. The higher the relevancy of a website, the better. This is because it indicates that the website’s content is more likely to be what the user is looking for.
Internal links help increase the relevancy of your website because they create a link from one page to another. The more links you have pointing to a page, the higher its relevancy will be. This is because each link is like a vote of confidence for the page.
10. Help promote new content
Whenever you publish new content, you want to make sure that it gets seen by as many people as possible. Internal links are a great way to promote new content because they provide a way for people to find the new content.
Whenever you publish new content, be sure to include internal links to it from other pages on your website. This will help people find the new content and also help improve the SEO of the new content.
Internal linking is an essential part of SEO success. If you want your website to rank well in the search engines, you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to promote internal linking.
If you need help implementing internal linking on your website, contact SWHA as your SEO expert. They will be able to help you create a strategy that will help improve your website’s SEO.
Setting up an internal linking strategy
An internal linking strategy is an important part of any SEO plan. By linking to other pages on your website, you can help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your site. This, in turn, can help them index your pages more effectively and rank your site higher in search results.
There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up an internal linking strategy:
1. Make sure your links are relevant
Relevancy is key when it comes to internal linking. Search engines will penalize you if they see a link to an irrelevant page. For example, if you have a page about cats and you link to a page about dogs, that’s not going to be helpful for either your cat page or your dog page.
2. Use keyword-rich anchor text
Anchor text is the text that appears when you hover over a link. It’s important to use keyword-rich anchor text so that search engines can understand what the linked page is about. For example, if you’re linking to a page about cat food, you might use anchor text like ‘best cat food’ or ‘cat food reviews.’
3. Don’t overdo it
Too many links on a page can be a bad thing. Not only will it make your page look cluttered, but it can also be seen as a spammy tactic by search engines. A good rule of thumb is to keep your links to a maximum of 10 per page.
4. Monitor your links
Links can go bad over time. Pages can be deleted or moved, and anchor text can change. It’s important to regularly check your links to make sure they’re still working.
5. Use a tool like Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a tool that can help you with your internal linking strategy. It can show you which pages on your site are linked to the most, and it can also help you find broken links.
Conclusion
When it comes to SEO, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. The best way to optimize your website for search engines depends on your individual needs and goals. However, one technique that can be extremely beneficial for all websites is internal linking.
Internal linking is the process of linking to other pages on your website from within your content. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and can potentially improve your ranking in search results.
There are a few simple ways to add internal links to your website. First, you can add links to related articles or products whenever you mention them in your content. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about gardening, you could link to a page on your website about gardening tools.
You can also add internal links in your website’s navigation. This helps search engines understand what pages are most important on your website and makes it easier for visitors to find the information they’re looking for.
Finally, you can use anchor text to help search engines understand the relationship between different pages on your website. Anchor text is the text that appears when you link to another page. For example, if you link to a page about gardening tools from your blog post about gardening, the anchor text could be “gardening tools.”
If you’re not sure how to get started with internal linking, there are a few resources that can help. Google also has a helpful guide to internal linking. You may also contact us for assistance.
Internal linking is a simple and effective way to improve your website’s SEO. By adding internal links, you can help search engines understand your website and improve your ranking in search results.
