When starting a career in SEO and working on our site content, initially, I didn’t know the importance of internal linking.
Also, at that time, I saw some Linkedin influencers post “Internal linking is underrated”
I didn’t understand when saw it. I thought it was a clickbait.
Later, I realized, it is as important as other SEO ranking factors.
Let’s see what is internal linking before seeing it’s important.
What is internal linking?
Internal linking is the practice of connecting one page on a website to another through hyperlinks.
The code looks like this:
<a href=”Place the URL here”>internal linking strategies</a>
These links help users navigate your site, guiding them from one relevant piece of content to another.
Think of it as a roadmap for both your visitors and search engines. This shows a connection between every content on your web pages.
The role of anchor text
A crucial aspect of internal linking is the anchor text—the clickable text in a hyperlink.
Let the anchor text be descriptive and indicative so that the user knows what to expect and the bot knows the context of the content.
Read this – link best practice by Google.
How it impacts SEO
Internal linking isn’t just about creating a better user experience; it plays a big part in search engine optimization. Let’s see that:
1. Improved crawling and indexing
Search engines use crawlers to navigate and index web pages. Internal links guide the crawlers and make it easy for search engines to find content and index it.
The more links you give, the more possibilities for Google bots to discover your content.
2. Establishing content hierarchy
Internal links help establish the hierarchy and structure of your content. When you link to important pages using relevant anchor text, search engines understand the context and importance of these pages.
This hierarchical structure contributes to the overall understanding of your website’s content.
3. Passing page authority
Each link on a webpage passes a certain amount of authority or “link juice” to the linked page.
Strategically placing internal links can help distribute this authority across various pages. This improves your page value and boosts your SEO game.
How to do Internal Linking for your site
I hope your site does have content before you try to implement the internal linking structure.
If yes, the content may be spread across.
All it needs is proper linking, so that the user and bot can find your content.
1. Audit your existing content
Start by conducting a thorough audit of your website’s content.
Identify key pages and determine how they relate to each other.
For example, you can look at the main pages and other related topics to the main page.
We’ll get deeper in the following section.
2. Create a content hub
Create a content hub or pillar page that serves as a central point for a particular topic.
Don’t have any idea?
Then, you should know about a pillar page and topic cluster.
Link related articles or pages back to this hub. So your users won’t find it hard to read your content.
3. Use descriptive anchor text
When inserting internal links, use an anchor text that clearly describes the linked content.
Avoid generic phrases like “click here” and instead provide context to both users and search engines about the destination page.
4. Main a natural flow
Internal links should enhance the user experience, not disrupt it.
Ensure that the placement of links feels natural within the flow of your content. Overloading a page with links may confuse users and dilute the SEO benefits.
5. Update and monitor regularly
As your website evolves, so should your internal linking strategy. Regularly update and monitor your internal links to reflect changes in content and ensure that the links remain relevant and valid for your users.
I hope this blog helps.
Your site definitely does have some content that has not yet been discovered—by a bot or user due to the website architecture.
However, with internal linking, you can easily come across the pitfalls and create better visibility.
So, it’s important. Do it right now.