Understanding internal links in SEO and how do they actually matter is very important for SEO campaign success. I would like to use all my experience in this article and want to make all the newbies who just started with SEO or blogging do proper internal linking for their blogposts/ articles themselves.
Internal linking helps users navigate through all your web pages & also help Search Engine crawlers to understand how your website is.
If you are planning to optimize the content of your web pages for SEO, you should have a clear idea on how internal links work, how to use them, where to place them with proper anchor text (also we will talk about what anchor texts are in the coming paragraphs) and why internal linking is one of the important SEO strategies that cannot be ignored.
Sometimes internal links can be more important than backlinks.
What are internal links in SEO?
Simply they are the links pointing from one page to another page on the same domain/ website. All the websites which are optimized for Search Engines will have internal links. If internal links are used correctly, they can exponentially improve website’s performance on Google or any other Search Engine.
Internal links are different from external links which usually points from one page to another website. And before diving deeper into internal links, one should understand what anchor text is.
What is anchor text?
Anchor text or link text is a text which is clickable of a link. It usually appears in different colour (blue) and underlined. But the appearance (colour) and the underline completely depends on the editor or website owners. It is not mandatory to be like that always but just to differentiate with other words around, anchor texts are given with some colour, underline and bold sometimes.
Here is how anchor text look like in HTML: <a href=”http://www.abc.com”>What is anchor text?</a>
Internal links vs external links
Internal links are links that point to pages within the same website, while external links are links that point to pages on a different website.
Internal links help users navigate a website and also signal to search engines the hierarchy and organization of a website’s content. They can also help distribute link equity to important pages on a website.
External links, on the other hand, are used to signal to search engines the credibility and authority of a website. Inbound links from other websites can indicate that the content on a website is valuable and relevant, which can help improve its search engine ranking.
In summary, internal links are used for website navigation and organization, while external links are used for building credibility and authority. Both types of links are important for SEO and should be used in a balanced manner.
Reasons why internal links are important and good for SEO
Internal linking is considered as one of the most important strategies in SEO because it works really and simple to implement. there are no tricks or gimmicks to implements this, it is completely common sense. The anchor text should be always relevant to the link which is placed inside it. Relevancy is extremely important now a days in optimizing content for Search Engines.
Improved navigation
Internal links provide a clear structure and hierarchy for your website, making it easy for users and search engines to understand the content and organization of your site.
Increased engagement
Internal links encourage users to explore your website, increasing the amount of time they spend on your site and decreasing bounce rates.
Increased authority
Internal links can help to distribute link equity, or the value of a link, throughout your site, helping to increase the overall authority and trustworthiness of your site.
Improved user experience
Internal links make it easy for users to find the information they need, which can lead to a better overall experience on your site.
Better indexation
Helps Google index your site. Internal links help search engines understand the relationship between different pages on your site, making it easier for them to index and crawl your site.
Keyword targeting
Internal Linking with Optimized Anchor Text Is Good for SEO. Internal links can be used to target specific keywords and phrases, helping to boost the relevance and visibility of specific pages.
And internal linking spreads the strength or authority of the site (Homepage) to internal pages. Also increases backlink-earning potential of deep content pages.
Each type of internal link passes value differently
Body content links (editorial links)
Body content links (editorial links) are links that are placed within the content of a webpage. These links are considered the most valuable as they are placed within the context of the content and are often relevant to the topic being discussed. They are also considered to be the most natural type of link and are likely to be clicked on by users.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are links that are placed at the top of a webpage and provide a hierarchical navigation structure. These links are considered to be valuable as they help users understand the structure of the website and can also be used as a way to navigate back to previous pages.
Main navigation links
Main navigation links are links that are placed in the main navigation bar of a webpage. These links are considered to be valuable as they are easily accessible to users and are often used to navigate to the most important pages on a website.
CTAs and sidebar links
CTAs (call-to-action) are links that are placed within a webpage with the purpose of encouraging a user to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. These links are considered to be valuable as they are designed to drive conversions.
Footer links
Sidebar links are links that are placed in the sidebar of a webpage. These links are considered to be less valuable as they are not as easily accessible to users and are often used to link to less important pages on a website.
Footer links are links that are placed in the footer of a webpage. These links are considered to be the least valuable as they are often used to link to less important pages on a website and are not as easily accessible to users.
Internal Linking Best Practices
Internal linking is a technique used to help search engines understand the structure of a website and to help users navigate through it. Best practices for internal linking include:
- Linking to and from content-heavy pages: This can help search engines understand the importance of different pages on your website.
- Use descriptive and relevant anchor text: The anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a link. Use descriptive and relevant anchor text that accurately describes the page you are linking to.
- Adding an appropriate number of links per page: Too many links can be overwhelming for users and can dilute the link juice passed to important pages.
- Updating old articles with new internal links: This can help keep your website fresh and ensure users are directed to relevant and up-to-date content.
- Adding links where it makes sense: Avoid adding links just for the sake of it. Only add links where they are relevant and useful to users.
- Linking to high-converting pages: It’s important to direct users to the pages on your website that are most likely to convert them into customers.
- Taking site navigation and information architecture into consideration: Ensure that your internal linking structure is logical and easy for users to navigate.
- Creating lots of content: Creating new and relevant content can provide more opportunities to add internal links, which can help to improve the overall structure and authority of your website.
Internal Linking Practices to Avoid
Internal linking practices to avoid include:
- Overuse of exact match anchor text: This can appear manipulative to search engines and can result in penalties.
- Linking to irrelevant pages: This can confuse users and dilute the link juice passed to important pages.
- Linking to low-quality or spammy pages: This can negatively impact the reputation of your website and harm your search engine rankings.
- Linking to non-canonical versions of a page: This can cause duplicate content issues and confuse search engines.
- Linking to pages that are blocked by robots.txt: This can prevent search engines from crawling and indexing important pages on your website.
- Not using nofollow links: Not using nofollow links can lead to link juice being passed to pages that you don’t want to be associated with.
- Not considering the user experience: Internal links should be placed in logical and easy-to-find locations, so as not to confuse users.
- Not updating internal links: Not updating internal links as content is added or removed can lead to broken links and poor user experience.
- Linking to pages that are not indexed by search engines: It’s important to link to pages that are indexed by search engines, as linking to non-indexed pages will not have any impact on your website.
It’s important to regularly audit your internal linking structure to ensure that you’re not making any of these mistakes and that your links are helping to improve the user experience and search engine visibility of your website.
How to audit your internal links for issues
- Start by creating a list of all of your website’s internal links. You can use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush to do this.
- Check for broken links by running a crawl of your website and looking for any 404 error messages.
- Look for links that point to pages that no longer exist or have been moved.
- Check for any links that are redirecting to a different page than the one they were originally intended to point to.
- Check for any links that are not working properly, such as links that are not clickable or that lead to a different page than the one they were intended to.
- Check for any links that are not properly formatted, such as links that are missing a closing tag or that have extra spaces.
- Check for any links that are not optimized for SEO, such as links that use long or complex URLs or that are not using the correct anchor text.
- Check for any links that are not being tracked properly, such as links that are not being tracked by Google Analytics or that are not being tracked by other analytics tools.
- Check for any links that are not being used correctly, such as links that are not being used to drive traffic to your website or that are not being used to promote your products or services.
How to strategically use internal links to boost pages
Method #1 – Do a “site:” search
Use the “site:” search operator in Google to find pages on your website that have a high number of internal links pointing to them. These pages are considered “power pages” and linking to them from other pages on your website can help boost their authority and search engine rankings.
Method #2 – Browse your “power” pages
Browse through your website and identify pages that have high traffic and engagement. These pages are also considered “power pages” and linking to them from other pages on your website can help increase their visibility and drive more traffic to them. Additionally, you can use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to identify these pages and track their performance over time.
Internal Linking FAQs
How many internal links should I include per post?
There is no set number of internal links to include per post, but it is generally recommended to include a few relevant links where appropriate.
Should I add internal links to my pages with more or less traffic?
Both pages with more traffic and pages with less traffic can benefit from internal linking. It is a good idea to link to important pages on your site regardless of their traffic levels.
What is an example of internal linking?
An example of internal linking would be including a link within a blog post to another relevant article or page on your website.
Are internal links backlinks?
No, internal links are not backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your site, while internal links are links within your own site that point to other pages on your site.
Final thoughts on Internal Linking SEO
Internal linking is an important aspect of SEO as it helps search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of a website, and it also helps visitors navigate the site. By including relevant internal links in your content, you can improve the user experience and increase the chances that people will stay on your site longer. Additionally, internal linking can also help distribute link equity throughout your site, which can help boost the rankings of individual pages.
It’s important to note that over-linking can also be negative for SEO, it’s important to use internal links in a strategic and relevant manner and not to overdo it. It’s also important to make sure that all internal links are working properly and do not lead to broken pages.
Overall, internal linking is a powerful weapon for both SEO and user experience, and it should be an integral part of any website’s overall strategy.
