Underestimated by many. And yet implemented with the head, with the user in mind and Google can work wonders. Internal linking — because we are talking about it — is a relatively simple and free way to raise the position of a website in organic search results. It is only necessary to know the basic rules.
Internal linking is just one of the methods to improve the position of a page in Google. But regardless of the size of the site, we should not leave it out. It has significant significance for the user and search engine robots.
What is internal linking?
By definition, internal linking is a link that takes you to another subpage within the same site. They create a peculiar structure of the page, thanks to which readers can navigate the site much easier.
It includes page navigation, a list of categories, as well as links to similar articles on the blog or complementary products in the online store.
7 Benefits of Internal Linking
We will now look at some of the advantages that result from properly implemented internal references. And then you will see how to do such linking and what you should avoid.
1. Make it easier for the audience to wander around the site
A connected network of articles allows the reader to freely navigate the page in search of exactly the information he is looking for. Intuitive menus, properly structured categories or displaying similar entries on the blog are elements that make the user friends with the site and spend more time on it.
2. Help Google identify the subject of the page
With linking, Google indexes pages much better and increases the visibility of the site for keywords. Links allow you to combine different content, from blog posts, to product categories or product pages themselves, and thus give the search engine free access to all content.
This is especially important with large online stores.
3. Increase the time spent on the site
Intuitive and related thematic links make the user more eager to browse the site. The time of interaction with the site increases. Thanks to this, Google begins to consider the site valuable to users and improves its position in free search results.
4. Reduce the bounce rate
Internal linking encourages you to browse the site more deeply and jump between subpages. Thanks to this, the number of people who leave the site without performing any action is significantly reduced.
Bounce rate is information available in Google Analytics that shows us the percentage of people who have viewed only one page on a website.
5. Support the sales process
Another benefit associated with the skillful placement of internal references is the “deliberate” targeting of subsequent levels of the sales funnel. You are the one who guides the user through the entire purchase path, ultimately leading them to the place where they can decide to buy your products or services.
Example: by creating a blog post about different ways to heat your home, you can redirect the user to another text describing the differences between specific solutions, and consequently to a product page in your online store.
6. Allow you to direct “power” to specific subpages on your site
Each subpage has its own link juice, that is, the value that it can convey to another subpage with the help of properly selected links.
The number of internal links and their quality is an indicator for Google, which of the subpages are the most important for us. In this way, the search engine directs traffic to those pages to which the largest number of links leads
7. They have a beneficial effect on the positioning of the website
Links help Google create the structure of the page and determine its subject matter. In addition, they support users and make it easier for them to use the site, increasing the time they stay on the site and reducing the bounce rate.
All these factors have a positive effect on the ranking of the site by Google robots and thus translate into higher positions in organic search results.
In some cases, it is enough just to improve the internal linking so that the site jumps into the TOP 10 for us.
How to properly make internal linking useful tips
When dealing with internal linking, it is worth remembering three aspects:
- The usefulness of the links;
- SEO matching;
- Thematic link in the links.
How to make effective linking in practice?
Make a list of keywords. This will help you find good anchor texts, as well as catch if you sometimes have a problem with keyword cannibalization, that is, linking to the same keyword in different places. Then determine the most important keywords and the most important to promote the subpage on your site.
Anchor text keyword or phrase from which we link to another subpage on the site. It affects the evaluation of the quality of links within a given website.
Add links in places where you think they will be useful to the end user. Use phrases from a long tail, use generic words less often.
Use different anchors when linking internally to the same subpage:
- For a specific keyword
- On the keyword in the variety and its synonyms
- To the brand name.
It is best to divide the page into so-called thematic silos. This will allow you to gather around them a group of specific keywords and topics related to them. Link only within one silo. Otherwise, Google may consider the link unrelated to the topic and worthless to the user.
Silos — categories of a website with a specific topic with a specific keyword base.
Internal links can have two attributes “dofollow” and “nofollow”. The “dofollow” attribute gives the linked page some of its value and thus supports the process of positioning the page for the keyword used in the anchor. It is useful when we want to support the strength of the subpage.
However, sometimes it is worth using the “nofollow” tag. It applies to pages that we do not want to index in Google, such as terms and conditions or privacy policies.
A good technique is internal linking from older articles to newer ones. Make sure to check if older text is still indexed by Google. In this way, the earlier article will give us some of its power to the newer text and thus increase its visibility in the search engine.
Reverse actions, which are links from newer entries to older ones, are also useful. With internal linking to old content, Google sees that it is current and thus continues to show up in the search engine.
Within 2 minutes Neil Patel explains the importance of internal references.
Where and how to link internally?
It is best to start with navigation of the site. This part is worth planning before we start designing a website www. It is good that the menu includes keywords that will help users navigate and at the same time define the theme of the site.
Here it is worth using navigation in the form of several product categories, the so-called sidebar. It is usually located on the left side of the page and helps customers find exactly the product they are actually looking for. In online stores, the so-called crumb menu will also work.
In the body of the text. This is called internal contextual linking. Anchors in the form of expressions from a long tail will work here. This way of inserting links encourages readers to read, while increasing the time spent on the page. Of course, we link within a single thematic silo and logically.
Under the text. In the form of “related or most popular posts” for blog content, and in online stores we place links to similar products or products purchased by other customers. Let's see how the empyard did it.
In the footer. This is an ideal place to put useful links not only for contact.
Which places to link to?
- To other articles on the blog
- For specific products
- To the main page
- To subpages with categories.
The most common mistakes in linking
Placing different internal references under the same anchor.
This results in the cannibalization of keywords. It is worth doing a link audit once in a while and see if any phrases are not repeated.
Clogging links
Links are intended to improve navigation on the site. However, if there are too many of them, Google can define them as spam and the site will start to look unprofessional.
On the other hand, a large number of properly spaced links are useful on encyclopedic pages (e.g. Wikipedia). There, references are made with the head and under certain specific rules. As you may have noticed, Wikipedia content ranks deadly high. This is an advantage resulting from, among other things, good internal linking.
Learn from Wikipedians!
Too long and incorrect anchor text
Avoid general keywords in the anchor text (e.g. clothes, rollers, cars), but at the same time give up too long ones - this makes it difficult for the search engine to analyze the page. Expressions should be specific and readable to the user and search engines.
Placing internal links that are not related to the subject of the text will also not positively affect the intuitiveness and reputation of the site. The content should be logically related to each other.
The existence of “orphan” sites
That is, those that Google cannot find because, for example, no other article links to them. It is worth finding such subpages and correcting the error by placing thematically related links in the content.
Do not hide internal links
The principle is obvious, but it is worth mentioning. The user should know that he is dealing with a reference. Invisible internal linking will be ineffective, and that's not what it's all about.
Bold or color references in the content.
Internal linking from an SEO point of view
We already have the whole process and the benefits of internal linking behind us. In addition to improving navigation and keeping the user on the site longer, links help with the positioning of the page. In many cases, they are able to significantly raise the position of the site in Google. And at a really small cost. It is enough just to take some time.
We already have the whole process and the benefits of internal linking behind us. In addition to improving navigation and keeping the user on the site longer, links help with the positioning of the page. In many cases, they are able to significantly raise the position of the site in Google. And at a really small cost. It is enough just to take some time.
Links support Google robots in understanding the subject matter around which a website revolves. Thanks to this, they are able to better match it to the keywords typed by users. The structured link structure increases Google's trust and puts the site in a professional position.
From time to time it is worth conducting a full reference audit — Organize and remove unnecessary links. Let's also check hyperlinks that don't work on a regular basis.
Internal linking works effectively in combination with valuable content for the reader and external linking, which strengthens the authority of the site externally. And the most interesting thing is that you can successfully carry out these three activities yourself - without the help of expensive SEO agencies.
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