Internal linking is a powerful SEO tool that can help you improve your website’s ranking in search engines. By strategically linking to relevant pages on your site, you can pass PageRank and other SEO value around, which can help your pages rank higher for their target keywords.
But not all internal linking is created equal. If you want to get the most out of your internal links, it’s important to follow some basic do’s and don’ts.
Dos of Internal Linking
- Link to important pages. Not all pages on your site are created equal. Some pages are more important than others, and they should be linked to more often. For example, your homepage, product pages, and blog posts are all important pages that should be linked to frequently.
- Use relevant anchor text. When you link to another page on your site, make sure the anchor text is relevant to the content of the page you’re linking to. This will help users understand what the link is about and make it more likely that they’ll click on it.
- Link to related pages. When you link to another page on your site, make sure it’s related to the content of the page you’re linking from. This will help users find more information on the topic they’re interested in and make it more likely that they’ll stay on your site longer.
- Link throughout your content. Don’t just link to other pages at the top of your content. Link to other pages throughout your content, as well. This will help users find more information on the topic they’re interested in and make it more likely that they’ll read your entire content.
- Use a variety of link types. There are different types of links you can use on your site, such as text links, image links, and video links. Use a variety of link types to make your content more visually appealing and engaging.
Don’ts of Internal Linking
- Don’t link to irrelevant pages. Don’t link to pages on your site that are not relevant to the content of the page you’re linking from. This will confuse users and make them less likely to click on your links.
- Don’t use too many links. Too many links can be overwhelming and make your content difficult to read. Use a moderate amount of links throughout your content.
- Don’t use spammy anchor text. Avoid using anchor text that is too promotional or spammy. Use natural-sounding anchor text that accurately describes the content of the page you’re linking to.
- Don’t link to pages that are not crawled by search engines. If you link to pages that are not crawled by search engines, those links will not pass any SEO value. Make sure all of the pages you link to are indexed by search engines.
- Don’t use nofollow links for internal links. Nofollow links tell search engines not to pass any link juice to the linked page. This can hurt your website’s SEO. Use dofollow links for all of your internal links.
By following these do’s and don’ts of internal linking, you can improve your website’s SEO and help your pages rank higher in search engines.
Additional Tips for Effective Internal Linking
In addition to following the do’s and don’ts of internal linking, there are a few other things you can do to make your internal links more effective.
- Use a link checker tool. A link checker tool can help you identify broken links on your site. Broken links can hurt your website’s SEO, so it’s important to fix them as soon as possible.
- Use a crawler tool. A crawler tool can help you identify pages on your site that are not being crawled by search engines. These pages are not getting any SEO value, so you should make sure they’re indexed by search engines.
- Use a keyword research tool. A keyword research tool can help you identify the most important keywords for your website. You can then use these keywords to create relevant anchor text for your internal links.
- Track your results. It’s important to track the results of your internal linking efforts. You can use Google Analytics to track how many users are clicking on your internal links and how those clicks are affecting your website’s traffic and SEO.
By following these tips, you can create an effective internal linking strategy that will help your website rank higher in search engines.