Internal links occur when you create links between the various pages on your website. This is important for your SEO success because it ensures people spend more time on your website. It also ensures that search engines understand what your content is about.
Types of Internal Links
There are several types of internal links you may use on your website. These include:
- Navigation links create a structure for your website. They also guide your reader through your content.
- Categorical links join common topics (e.g., related posts, blog categories) together so they’re easier to find.
- Editorial links are included within the body of your website’s content.
- Footer links are found at the bottom of your website. They’re used to optimize your website’s usability.
Benefits of Internal Links for SEO
Although it may sound like a lot of work, creating an internal linking structure is important for several reasons, including:
- Establishes a hierarchy within your website so you can direct users and search engines to other important content. Make sure you include the most important links on your home page where they’ll be more authoritative.
- Increases search engines’ ability to crawl your website so you receive more traffic. With internal links, search engines can easily discover all the pages on your website, so you’ll show up more frequently in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Develops link equity because search engines see the linked pages as valuable since they’re linked to your most authoritative pages.
- Improves user experience by making it easier for users to navigate your website. Not only does this strategy work for SEO, but it helps visitors easily locate what they’re looking for while also finding new things that are of interest to them.
Benefits of an Internal Linking Strategy for SEO
It’s important to create a well-thought-out plan before you create internal linking. Here are a few important considerations for when you create the strategy:
- Create a link tree that shows you how all the different pages on your website relate to one another.
- Ensure clear navigation by creating links that are user-friendly, uncluttered, and easy to find.
- Pass link equity onto new content from your authoritative pages to help with their SEO. Doing this requires that you first take note of these authoritative pages.
- Crawl your website. There are various tools available for you to use here. Once you’ve used them you’ll have a complete audit of your website so you can see all of your content pages and how many internal links each of them has. With this information, you can learn to make your other pages more important so you move up in the SERPs.
- Link relative content together in groups so the search engines can contextualize your page and its content. For instance, if your website has a page about HVAC repair services you’ll want to link these to other pages on your site about how to know when it’s time to call an HVAC repairman, what common air conditioning issues include, and other similar types of content.
- Use keyword-rich anchor text. This text is the clickable hyperlink in your content that leads to other pages. Usually, it’s easily identifiable because it’s blue-colored. Although you may not give much thought to this text, you should. Search engines and your users look at this text to know what they can expect when they click on it. Take some time to work on this text so you briefly describe the page you’re linking to with keyword-rich phrases. You also want to make sure that you aren’t using the same anchor text on multiple pages.
Don’t Overdo Your SEO
Using too many internal links can over-optimize your SEO while also making your website look unprofessional because it’s so cluttered. When this happens Google will assume the site is spam and you’ll move lower in the SERPs. Nevertheless, you need to work on this strategy continuously. Since you have many other tasks you’re working on, why not leave the work to us at Affordable SEO Company in Tampa, FL? We can help you build more content, grow your site, and make sure you have everything in order so you can rise in the SERPs. Contact us today.