If you are new to website building and the SEO world, you may believe that relevant keywords are the only thing you need to be able to rank high on Google or other search engines.
Wouldn’t it be nice if that were all you had to focus on to rank? Well, it’s not just about the keywords, there are many elements that go into proper SEO, such as internal links, external links, page hierarchy, metatags, and more. Each having their own unique role, internal links benefit more than ranking, they provide a better user experience.
So, what are internal links and how are they best used?
Internal links are links within your website that lead to other pages, a crucial element that can either make or break your website by SEO standards.
At its most basic, there are two types of links: internal and external. External links, also called backlinks, are those that lead to other websites to add credential to yours. On the other side of the coin are internal links, those that lead to other pages of YOUR website.
Types of Internal Links
Internal links exist in two forms that are navigational and contextual. Understanding the difference between the two is essential to understanding how you can use them to improve your SEO.
Navigational Links – These links explain the hierarchy of your website. They include the content in your navigation bar, header, and footer.
Contextual Links – These links are located directly within your content. For example, you may place a contextual link within the wording of a blog post that when clicked on, transfers the user to another blog post or other related content on your website.
Understanding Internal Links
Internal links guide users, and SEO aids, from one page to another on your website. This is key for SEO. Let’s explore how including internal links in your content can boost your SEO ranking.
Internal Links Lead to Valuable Content
Web-crawling search engine bots assign a value to each link. This depends on how frequently the link shows up on your site and its relevance. The more links leading to a page, the stronger its connection and value. More links to relevant content mean higher search engine positioning. So, adding internal links to key pages can improve your SEO.
Search Engines Understand Your Content Better
Google and other search engines favor pages that are relevant to user searches and provide a good browsing experience. Including internal links, you help Google to grasp your content’s correlations, aiding it to judge which website holds the most pertinent content, has a good structure, and is user-friendly.
Navigating through Search Engines
Pages without internal links become ‘orphaned’ content. Because of the missing links, search engines struggle to find them. If search engines find it hard to locate these contents or it takes a while, they may not appear in your search engine standing, even if your keywords are perfectly optimized.
How to Successfully Implement Internal Links
Understanding the value internal links bring, it’s time to use them. Here are some straightforward guidelines to assist.
Pick Essential Content
All content isn’t equal. Some pieces, more than others, matter to your business and customers. What’s the first step in a good internal link strategy? It’s simple, decide the key content you want users to engage with. You might ask yourself: ‘Which page best describes my business?’ or ‘What captures the spirit of what customers need to know?’
Once you grasp the importance of selective content, start to insert links on other pages directing the users and search engines to this significant content, thus enhancing its link value.
Establish a Website Hierarchy
Keep in mind, navigation links constitute one aspect of internal links. It’s known that search engines favor well-structured sites with easy navigation. Hence, understanding your website’s structural design is essential. Consider your homepage as an umbrella, with other categories falling underneath. Visualize the navigation bar on each page’s top and the links at every page’s bottom.
Incorporate Contextual Links
Contextual links, those inserted directly into your content leading to other relevant pages, should be part of your strategy. The keyword is “relevant.” Add links that connect relevant products or blog entries, ensuring both pages share some relationship.
You can include keywords in your links, like in this final sentence. Clicking the highlighted text takes you to a page discussing keywords. It’s important, your word selection must feel natural. Try to avoid keyword overuse, as it’s not favorable to search engines.
Add a Related Post Section
If you find hard to naturally integrate links into your content, think about having a related post section. Go to a cooking website for a recipe, you’ll see similar recipes featured either at page’s end or on one side. That’s an excellent method for smoothly adding internal links, avoiding unintentional keyword stuffing.
Overall
The vital thing is you’re in charge of your internal links. You govern the need and the bounty. Apply them with tactics and skill, and you’re likely to bolster your search engine ranking.
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