Importance of Internal Linking
Imagine your website is a treasure chest and each individual page is a piece of treasure (which is an interesting concept in itself). Now picture a map leading to this treasure chest with a trail of messily arranged arrows directing in all kinds of different directions, some may not even lead to the treasure chest. This example represents a newly developed website with no internal linking structure. A few arrows may reach the chest, but the majority of them will stray off in various directions and go nowhere. Now consider another treasure chest that is easy to access and has a clear path leading to it with every arrow going in the right direction. Which treasure chest is likely to receive more visitors? Which one will be easier to find? The second treasure chest is easier to find and therefore likely to receive more visitors. This is the same with the website and its pages. With a structured internal linking pattern, your visitors will find it easier to navigate throughout the site and locate what they are searching for. Internal linking will help persuade your visitors to discover more pages on your website, increasing page views and decreasing the bounce rate. This is especially important when your website is selling a product; it is more likely to increase sales and profits.
Internal linking is extremely important for search engine optimization. Although it is often overshadowed by other techniques that generate higher numbers of backlinks, internal linking is a crucial stage in improving your website’s search engine optimization and keyword rankings. It’s a known fact that internal linking is not at the top of the list when developing a new website. This is because all webmasters and SEOs are trying to rank high on Google using all the methods they have learned, which have taken a lot of time and money, pushing internal linking aside. This is an inceptive mistake. It’s generally too late to change the website’s structure without suffering a drop in traffic and rankings. In order to avoid having to start again, it’s better to consider internal linking from the start.
Enhancing Website Navigation
Sitemaps are an easy way to increase a site’s usability. They do not have to be sitemaps specifically designed for users; this could be a simple list of anchor text links at the bottom of the page. By having a link to the sitemap from every page, webmasters can pass on more PR and get their pages indexed by search engines. The classic use of a sitemap would be Wikipedia. Every Wikipedia page has a PR of 6. This is because every page can be accessed within 2 clicks from the homepage, and it is site policy to link to the sitemap from every page on the website. A page with a PR of 6 is almost guaranteeing that it will be on the first page of any Google search.
PageRank, named after Larry Page, is a function used by Google which measures the importance of a webpage. This is based on the number of incoming links to that page and the PR of the page which links to it. PageRank is then shared between all internal links between the two pages. This will distribute PR amongst webpages evenly. By using internal links between pages, the linking page will be passing on more PR to the target page. This is commonly referred to by saying “link juice”. This effectively gives the target page a higher PR, thus increasing its stature and search engine rankings.
Internal linking plays a big role in the development of a website. Effective use will result in a more usable and crawlable website. This is important because a website which is easy to use will be easy to convert visitors into clients. To understand this, we must first understand what the term internal linking means. This is a hyperlink on a page that points to another page on the same website. This is probably the simplest term to understand.
Distributing Link Equity
Sculpting and PR are two different methods that are often referenced when discussing the distribution of link equity and are also commonly confused with one another or thought to be the same thing. Link equity sculpting is essentially trying to control where the link equity goes. This is done by using ‘nofollow’ attributes on internal links to prevent them from leaking link equity. For example, if a page has 100 link equity and links out to 10 other pages, theoretically each of those pages should receive 10 link equity. By using the ‘nofollow’ attribute on some of the links, the page is able to control where the link equity goes and try to push more of it to the pages that are most important to the site. Link equity sculpting is quite a complex task and if done improperly can actually hinder SEO performance. This is particularly true with the recent changes in Google’s handling of ‘nofollow’ attributes.
Distributing link equity is an important aspect to consider when using internal linking. As mentioned before, a web page has a certain amount of link equity which is distributed between the links leaving that page. This means that the homepage will often have the most link equity, since it has the most incoming links, and deeper pages are unlikely to have as much. By being strategic with the distribution of link equity, the overall ranking potential of the website can be maximized.
Improving Indexation
Strategically positioned internal links can serve to increase the number of pages indexed by providing search engine spiders with paths to many pages on a site. However, large gains are usually seen in sites which already have a lot of pages and a lot of PageRank. In such cases, it is useful to employ a technique called “deep linking”. Deep linking is the practice of providing links to pages other than the main page. This can increase the PageRank of internal pages and cause a general boosting of a site’s PageRank as it spreads the link equity from the main page to the internal pages. Be wary, however, that creating a situation where a large number of internal pages have high PageRank can result in it being more difficult to get new pages indexed as they will have relatively low PageRank.
Indexation is the process through which search engines include web pages in their indices. Because internal links provide pathways to individual documents, they are useful for increasing the number of pages indexed. Search engine “spiders” (also called “crawlers”) traverse the web through links, thus it is through links that they find the content of a website. The addition of relevant links from already indexed pages is a simple and effective way to make sure that all of your site’s pages are quickly and regularly indexed. A site without a lot of incoming links may find that not all of their pages are indexed. Incoming links factor into PageRank and often the main page of a website will be the only one with a high PageRank. As a result, pages buried deep within a site can be difficult to find and index. Given that search engines treat each web page as a distinct “unit”, it is advantageous to have all pages indexed.
Best Practices for Internal Linking
When linking from one page to another, it is important that the two pages are directly related. Often you will find sites that have a random assortment of links from one page to other various pages throughout the site. This usually occurs when the site has a haphazard linking structure, doing this detracts from sending the right page specific signals and diminishes relevancy of the linking page. An effective internal linking strategy will provide themes and send keyword specific signals for individual pages or a group of related pages. This will be achieved by linking directly to pages with the right anchor text from other related pages and by linking to the page from within the site or from a page on an external site using the right URL and anchor text. This will provide higher page and search relevancy given that it will be clear to visitors and search engines the theme of the page and the keywords it should be relevant for. Relevant links will also keep the user in your site longer, as they will be more inclined to continue clicking through to related topics.
When implementing internal links throughout your site, there are several best practices that should be followed in order to maximize the effectiveness of your strategy. When designing your anchor text, it is important to use descriptive, keyword-rich text. When anchor text is vague (e.g. “click here”) it provides little insight into what the page being linked to is about. Using “click here” as anchor text can be tempting, though it doesn’t provide an accurate representation of what the site/page is about to the viewer or search bots. Utilizing the best keywords will help search engines to understand what the page you’re linking to is about. The better the search engines understand the page, the better they will be able to classify the page. This can translate to an improvement in search relevancy for keyword searches related to the linked page. An example of effective anchor text: “Learn more about the best practices for internal linking”. This anchor text gives a clear description of what the linked page is about, and the keyword usage can provide search bots with a better understanding of the page. Using this sort of anchor text can be more beneficial as compared to the same page with less descriptive anchor text, when being ranked for relevant keywords.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text
When creating an internal link, it is essential to use anchor text that is relevant to the content of the page being linked to. Anchor text that is closely related to the content of the target page has been shown to significantly enhance the potential ranking power of that link. This is because the subject matter of the anchor text and the content of the link target are believed to heavily influence the search engine’s understanding of the target page’s subject matter. It is widely believed that search engines analyze the text of the link and the content of the page being linked to determine how closely the link relates to the content of the page. The better that relation, the more the link is perceived to carry. In addition to potential ranking benefits, using descriptive anchor text can provide a better user experience, as the user will know what to expect when he clicks on the link and is not presented with unexpected or unrelated content. An example will help illustrate this point. Consider a web hosting company that is trying to improve its search engine rankings for cheap web hosting. The on-site anchor text linking to the target page is “cheap web hosting” and the URL being linked to is [Link] In comparison to link implementations using similar anchor text, the link URL is different in that it contains an easily readable and descriptive path to the target.
Prioritize Relevant Pages
Other factors It may be necessary to update your site structure and move important pages deeper within the site, creating what I like to call a landing page. In that instance, the landing page would then be linked to from the homepage or top-level category page. Your most important pages may also benefit from a sitemap update, which ensures more pages are only 1 or 2 clicks away.
How to prioritise linking
Create a list of your most important pages grouped by category.
Determine which pages need more targeted organic traffic.
Look at your site structure and decide which pages need more internal links to boost their visibility.
Decide on a target number of links per page and where they should be placed.
5. Update Google Analytics and begin tracking these pages to see the change over time.
Purpose for search engine visibility, not all pages are created equal. It is a busy marketplace and you want your most important pages to stand out. Just as a brick and mortar shopkeeper would seek to put their most important products in the window, you quite literally want to put your most important pages in front of search engines and visitors alike. This is done by ensuring these pages are linked to more frequently, from prominent locations, with the correct link text.
Optimize Link Placement
This section speaks to where you should place your links. In-content links are given more weight than links in the footer or sidebar. Links from the homepage are also given more weight. PageRank also flows from top to bottom and left to right. Because of this, links that are located at the top of the page are given more value. Similarly, links that are included within your content are more valuable than links in the sidebar. Ensure that the links you are using are for important pages. If there are pages that you would like to have more visibility, consider adding more links to those pages. Keep in mind that adding too many links to a page can be overwhelming and may appear spammy. Link sculpting is a method of adding or nofollowing links to specific pages in order to achieve the desired Link Juice flow. This method is often not very scalable for large sites.
Implement a Logical Hierarchy
Finally, be sure to make it so that your site is navigable in as few clicks as possible. This helps users and search engines save time and will result in higher rankings and more traffic to your deeper pages.
Next, in addition to making sure that every page on your site is accessible by text links, it’s a good idea to try to get most if not all of your pages linked to from somewhere else on your site. This will ensure that every page can be accessed with minimal clicks and it also effectively spreads the ranking power of your internal links to every page on the site.
An effective technique is to use a visual hierarchy. A visual hierarchy is an arrangement of design elements in a way that it signifies importance or guides the viewer to what they’re looking for. This can be achieved through size, color, contrast, and the placement of different elements. This can be done in many ways and will vary from site to site, but it’s important to establish a page’s importance visually near the top of the page.
When developing your site’s internal linking structure, it’s important to implement a logical hierarchy. Users and search engines alike should be able to easily navigate through your site to find what they are looking for. A logical hierarchy not only makes this possible, but it can provide your site with an SEO boost.
Internal Linking Strategies for SEO
Step two to improve internal linking is to avoid the use of site-wide links. Site-wide links are links that appear on every page of your site, for example, the navigation bars and footers. Using site-wide linking is an inept way to distribute page rank or traffic to the desired page. Every page on your site has the chance to draw traffic or distribute traffic and page rank, and using hundreds of site-wide links improves the possibility of people landing on pages that you do not intend them to see. Instead of site-wide links, it is more desirable to interlink the most important information on a given page with that of another important page. This will increase the potential traffic and page rank distribution.
Using natural language of the focus of the anchor text is the best way to offer context and improve the time spent on site. Avoid using anchor text which is not relevant to the page that it is linking to. Always be sure that the information is relevant to your readers.
“Click here to learn more” – Poor anchor text.
“For more information about this topic, studying at university is a good way to improve life prospects.” – Good anchor text
So, what are the best ways to use internal linking? In the modern age of SEO, it is best to keep it as natural as possible. Gone are the days where adding keyword-rich anchor text for internal linking will improve ranking for the keyword. In fact, that method can actually hurt your site now. Now, it is best to use anchor text which offers context to the reader using the focus of the anchor text. Think of anchor text as a way of describing the next page to your reader, for example:
Internal linking is a powerful tool for SEO. Using internal linking well, you can improve the ranking for your target keywords. Further, internal linking can improve the indexing of the content in the search engines. Internal linking can also improve the time spent on site and lower the bounce rate. Internal linking will offer context to your readers about pages on your site and with some thoughtful preparation, can distribute page rank and the potential traffic in the best way.
Create a Comprehensive Site Map
A site map is essential for creating an easily navigable website. Not only are site maps useful for visitors but search engines as well. They act as a table of contents for your site, thus improving the crawlability of search engine spiders. There are generally two types of site maps: HTML and XML. HTML site maps are designed for the user and resemble a flow chart with hierarchy and organization. They can be built using actual content, text links, and are very similar to an XML site map. An XML site map, however, is designed specifically for search engines to spider. It contains every available URL on your site, a metadata information block for each URL, and is usually submitted directly to search engines to be accessed. Building an XML site map is highly recommended but should be built after a solid internal linking structure has already been implemented. Building an XML site map too early can result in poor URL indexing as the site is not yet properly spidered. If the XML site map is rebuilt, however, after the site has fully been spidered, resubmitting the latest sitemap can result in a massive update of indexed pages.
Utilize Breadcrumbs for Easy Navigation
Typically, there are three types of breadcrumbs: hierarchy, attribute, and history-based. Hierarchy-based is most common and provides a representation of the site structure. Attribute-based gives an indication of how the user reached the page, often with a classification of the page. History-based is a representation of the path the user took to reach the page, usually from a search engine or external site. Hierarchy-based is favorable for SEO service as it should contextualize each page on the site. That said, any type is better than none.
Breadcrumbs have the potential to enhance user experience as well as search engine rankings. They show users where they are in the site’s hierarchy and afford one-click access to higher site levels, and thus they may also affect the way PageRank is distributed around your site. Not only does it create an easier user experience, it also allows search engines to have a clearer understanding of the site’s structure and thus provide more in-depth crawl coverage. This is an opportunity to create anchor text-rich internal links which can help search engines understand what the pages are about. It also provides the opportunity to have the internal pages indexed in search engine results with the breadcrumb trail showing a URL inline with search description. Providing actual links within the breadcrumb for each page, and to the page one level up (preserving the search hierarchy) will be effective. This may increase the number of search terms the page is displayed in search results and should provide more PageRank to the indexed pages. Care should be taken when applying this to a website’s deep hierarchy, as too many links on a page can be seen as a link farm.
Interlink Related Content
The first step is obviously to identify which pages are related and which page is the most important page for the related set of pages. If the site is a blog site, you could have a wide-ranging topic as the ‘main blog’ and then many different subtopics with individual blog posts. In this case, it is likely that you would want each ‘subtopic’ to link to the ‘main topic’ with the anchor text being the main topic’s keyword. This is a clear case of content categorization and the assignment of a theme to a link URL. In a more specific case, you may have a product page and many information pages related to the product, each internal Page Rank should be funneled into the product page itself. This requires an intelligent interlinking structure.
When linking web pages, it is often common practice to take any opportunity to push keyword-targeted (i.e. anchor text link) external links to your most important pages. It can also be useful for navigation for visitors and internal Page Rank optimization to link to your most important internal pages. But what if the page is a less important page (for more specific/long tail terms) or part of a wider category of linked pages? For certain keywords, it can be useful to push the visitor and search engine to a higher (more general) category page. However, nowadays this is a rather uncontrolled practice with most links to related content being off the cuff decisions. There is a clear necessity for a method of organizing which keywords to push to which pages and ensure keyword-targeted link equity to those pages is maximized.
Implement Silo Structure for Topic Clusters
Ideally, the aim is for the user to feel as though they are being led to more and more specific related information, most likely culminating in a conversion, i.e. signing up to a mailing list or purchasing a product. This can be done by having a clear pathway from the general content to more specific content with clear CTAs (call to actions).
The term “silo” is the act of grouping related information into the same area. A topic cluster has a number of small “siloed” areas of related content, all linking to one larger silo of content on that particular topic. Internal linking between these pages can be easily implemented using hyperlinks to other relevant pages within the text. Always make sure to only link to and from related content. An optimal internal linking scheme for the site would be to allow one topic cluster to act as a supporting page for an article on a related cluster, i.e. increasing the importance of the content by interlinking with articles on related content. This will tell the search engine that the particular cluster is very important as there are many incoming and outgoing links on that area of content.
When creating a comprehensive site map and implementing breadcrumbs for easy navigation, silo structure will already have been in mind for this part of optimizing the site’s structure. Implementing the silo approach is the most effective way to inform the search engines of the content within your site. The more relevant the search engine deems your content to a user’s query, the higher the site will rank.