As a content creator, you are probably familiar with the significance of SEO for your website. And you’ve probably heard about the importance of creating quality content using appropriate keywords and building backlinks to improve your website’s ranking, as well.
But did you know that internal linking also plays a significant role in SEO? It’s like the unsung hero of the SEO world. It doesn’t get the attention that backlinks or keyword optimisation get, but it’s just as important for your website’s overall ranking.
So, let’s dig into the question of how internal linking affects SEO.
But First,
What is Internal Linking?
Internal linking is linking a page or a post on a website to some other page or post on the same website. These links help the users in navigating the website and also help search engines follow the structure and hierarchy of the website.
For example, if you wrote a blog post about “The Top 10 Best Cats to Own”, you could link to another blog post on your site that goes into more detail about one of the cats on the list.
Types of Internal Linking:
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Navigation Links
These are links that appear in the main menu or navigation bar of a website. They help users to access different sections of the site, such as the home page, about us page, or product pages.
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Contextual Links
These links are generally embedded within the content of a webpage, usually as a natural part of the text. They can be used to provide additional information or related resources to the reader.
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Footer Links
These are links that appear at the bottom of a webpage, typically in the footer section. They can provide links to important pages on the site, such as the contact page, terms of service, or privacy policy.
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Related post links
These are links that appear at the end of a blog post or article, suggesting other relevant content on the website that the reader may be interested in.
Why does internal linking matter for SEO?
Well, there are a few reasons.
Firstly, it aids search engines in understanding the structure and hierarchy of your website. When you link to other pages within your website, it signals to search engines that these pages are important and relevant.
Secondly, internal linking helps distribute link equity throughout your website. Link equity, or link juice, is basically a term that is used to describe the authority and value that a website or web page gains from links pointing to it from other websites.
By linking to other pages within your website, you are essentially sharing some of that link equity with those pages, which can help boost the pages’ position in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
How does internal linking affect SEO?
Let’s take a closer look at it.
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Helps with website navigation:
Internal linking helps visitors navigate your website more easily, which can improve user experience and reduce bounce rates. When users can easily find the information they are looking for, they are more likely to linger on your website longer and engage with your content.
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Boosts PageRank:
As mentioned earlier, internal linking helps distribute link equity throughout your website. This means that by linking to other pages within your website, you are actually transferring some of that link equity to those pages, which can help boost their ranking in SERPs.
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Increases crawl-ability:
Internal linking also facilitates search engine crawlers in discovering and indexing pages on your website more easily. When search engine crawlers encounter a link, they follow it to the linked page and continue to crawl through the website.
By including internal links on all pages of your website, you ensure that all of your pages are readily accessible to search engine crawlers.
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Establishes Website Hierarchy:
Internal linking also helps in establishing a hierarchy of importance for your website’s pages. When you link to a page from multiple other pages within your website, it signals to search engines that this page is important and relevant. This can help boost the ranking of that page in SERPs.
So, How to implement it on your website?
Here are some tips:
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Use Descriptive Anchor text:
The text in a hyperlink you can click on is known as Anchor Text. When using internal links, make sure to use descriptive anchor text that tells visitors and search engines what the linked page is about.
For example, instead of using “click here,” use “learn more about our cat grooming services.”
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Link to relevant pages:
Make sure to link the pages that are relevant to the topic on the page or post you are linking from. This not only contributes to search engines understanding your site structure, but it also provides value to your visitors.
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Don’t overdo it:
While internal linking is important, it’s also important not to overdo it. Too many links can be intimidating for users and can also be seen as spam by search engines. Aim for around 2-3 internal links per page.
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Keep your internal linking strategy organised:
As your site grows, it can become more difficult to keep track of all the internal links on your site. Use tools like Google Search Console to keep track of broken links and to make sure your internal linking strategy is organised and effective.
Hopefully, this article has clarified the significance of internal linking for SEO and offered some valuable tips.
Use these tips to improve your website’s structure and contribute towards its higher ranking in search results. Don’t overlook this powerful tool!
