Internal linking structure of websites is vital to their search engine optimization success, helping visitors navigate them, establishing information hierarchies for content creation and spreading PageRank across your domain.
Internal links refer to links within your own site that connect to other URLs on it; these differ from external links which link outward to other websites.
Internal linking is one of the most overlooked aspects of on-page search engine optimization (SEO). Despite its importance, many website owners and marketers fail to understand the significance of internal linking and how it can impact their search engine rankings.
What is Internal Linking?
Internal linking refers to the practice of linking one page on a website to another page within the same domain. These links help users navigate the site and also provide search engines with information about the structure and hierarchy of the content.
Why is Internal Linking Important for SEO?
Internal linking is important for SEO as it helps search engines to understand the relationship between the pages on your website and how they relate to each other. It also helps to distribute link equity and authority throughout your site improving the overall visibility of your pages in search results. Effective internal linking can also improve the user experience by making it easier for users to navigate your site and find the information they are looking for.
Understanding Internal vs. External Links
Internet search is an immense space. Google remains the top search engine, serving users highly relevant results to their queries through internal linking strategies.
Internal links refer to links that connect pages within your own website; as opposed to external links which point back out to another domain and to you.
Internal Linking Benefits for Search Engines
Internal links not only help your readers navigate your website more easily but are also invaluable tools for search engines. They enable them to understand the relationship between pages on your site and what each of them are about.
Pass Link Equity Between Pages
When one page on your site gets lots of attention from both internal and external links, it gains link equity. That equity can then be passed onto other pages on your website by linking directly to them from other relevant pages – this process is known as passing “link juice”, and plays an integral part in improving SEO.
If there’s one page generating conversions and revenue but doesn’t have as much authority or backlinks as other pages on your website, tools such as SEMRush site audit or Ahrefs may come in handy to see how deep your pages are linked and whether there are opportunities for adding more links.
Helps Search Engines Crawl and Index Your Site
Internal linking helps search engines crawl and index your site by providing a roadmap of your website content. By creating a clear and consistent internal linking structure you can ensure that search engines are able to crawl and index your pages easily and efficiently.
Improves User Experience
Internal linking also improves user experience by making it easier for users to find and access related content. This not only keeps users engaged on your site for longer but it also encourages them to explore your content more deeply which can lead to increased conversions and sales.
Increases Page Authority
Internal linking can also increase the authority of your pages. When you link from one page to another you are effectively passing along some of the page authority to the linked page. This can help to boost the rankings of your pages and increase the visibility of your site in search results.
How to Create an Effective Internal Linking Structure
An effective internal linking structure involves using descriptive anchor text linking to relevant and related pages using contextual links within the main content of a page creating silos of related content and ensuring that your links are accessible to both users and search engines. Consider factors such as navigation, hierarchy and URL structure when designing your site architecture to support your internal linking strategy.
Internal links pointing at a page provide search engines with insight into its topic and content, so having plenty of high-quality contextual links from other pages on your website to this one is vital for SEO purposes. This is particularly relevant when creating new pages which need some link equity before Google recognizes and indexes them properly.
Screaming Frog, Moz’s link analyzer, Ahrefs and GTmetrix can all provide detailed reports on your website’s internal links including broken ones as well as tips to optimize user experience and SEO rankings through improved internal linking structures.
11 Step Guide to Create an Internal Linking Strategy
1. Plan Your Linking Structure
The first step in creating an effective internal linking structure is to plan out your site structure and hierarchy. This will help you determine the best way to link your pages together and ensure that your internal linking strategy is consistent and coherent.
When creating a linking strategy, it’s essential to carefully consider how the links will be structured. This can influence how easily search engines crawl your site, how many links each page passes on, etc.
2. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
When you create internal links be sure to use descriptive anchor text that accurately describes the content of the linked page. This not only helps users understand what the linked page is about but it also provides additional context for search engines which can help to improve your rankings.
3. Link Relevant Pages
When linking between pages be sure to link to relevant and related content. This will help to improve the user experience and keep visitors engaged with your site for longer.
4. Use Relevant Link Placement
The placement of your internal links can also have an impact on their effectiveness. Be sure to place links in prominent locations such as in the main content area or in the navigation menu to make them easily accessible to users.
5. Monitor Your Linking Structure
Its important to monitor your internal linking structure on a regular basis to ensure that it remains effective and up-to-date. This can include regularly checking for broken links updating links as your content evolves and adjusting your linking strategy as needed to ensure that your site remains optimized for both users and search engines. This can be done using an SEO tool.
6. Boost SEO with Contextual Links
One effective strategy for increasing search engine rankings is building contextual links. These are links that appear within articles or blog posts and link directly to pages on your site which pertain directly to what was discussed therein.
As their name implies, contextual links are links that appear natural when placed within your content, becoming part of it and fitting seamlessly with its text. From an SEO viewpoint, contextual links help establish relevance and authority of a page.
Contextual links can enhance user experiences by quickly providing relevant information about topics that interest them. Furthermore, studies have revealed that web users are more likely to click contextual links than traditional navigation or sitewide ones.
Be mindful that not all contextual links are equal – only link to pages which provide content relevant and valuable for your readers, while keyword-stuffed anchor text will likely be frowned upon by search engines.
7. Consider How Internal Links Will Affect Conversions
As part of your user experience and conversion goals, it’s essential to consider how your links will impact user experience and conversion rates. Your goal should be to create a seamless navigational flow that leads visitors through your website with ease.
8. Easy Navigation: Navigational Links
Navigation links offer visitors an effortless system for navigating websites, while simultaneously making information architecture visible and helping search engines understand the relationships among pages so all content on your site has the chance to rank.
Navigation links serve a very straightforward purpose – they allow readers to easily find your most important content. This feature of links is particularly effective for SEO as it signals search engines which pages are most valuable on your website and gives readers an idea of what awaits them when clicking a link.
When selecting descriptive and relevant text to name your navigation links, choose descriptive and relevant words to enhance user experience and search engine visibility. Consider including relevant keywords if it fits naturally and offers value to readers – however be wary not to overdo it or you risk annoying visitors with too many irrelevant links.
9. Categorize with Taxonomy Links
Organized content categories and tags are vital to SEO. Arranging them hierarchically or laterally ensures search engines better interpret your website while also making sense for visitors to navigate it more easily.
Use of faceted taxonomies offers several key advantages, including associative links between categories and subcategories that help search engines understand your website hierarchy and structure as well as increasing keyword visibility. Furthermore, its navigational paths remain clear to both search engines and visitors, which enhances both visitor experiences as well as conversions/sales for your business.
10. Freshness Matters: Link to Recent Posts
Foods depend on our noses to know when something has been sitting too long in the fridge. In much the same way, Google bots crawl the internet sniffing content for signs that it has expired before using their proprietary algorithms to provide search engine results that match up with fresh content.
Posting regularly is essential to SEO success. Not only does it give you a chance to target various keywords, but it also allows you to link back to your latest articles from other pages on your site, portraying yourself as an authority on the subject matter while simultaneously helping search engines index it more rapidly.
11. Highlight Popular Content with Links
Whenever there’s popular content on your website, make sure that users can easily locate it by linking directly to it from other parts of your site. Doing this also signals to Google that this piece of info is of value.
Deepening Understanding of Internal Links
Internal links connect web pages within a domain and help search engines better understand its structure and prioritize it for ranking purposes. They also offer context to users by linking related content – for instance an HVAC company’s blog post on indoor air quality could contain a link that leads readers directly to another post about when homeowners should change their filters – helping readers quickly locate what they’re searching for while simultaneously improving user experience and strengthening brand authority.
In many ways, site architecture is even more critical to SEO than backlinks. Without a strong internal linking strategy in place, running the entire house on one power wire would be like trying to run everything with only one plug; should that power wire cut or the circuit breaker trip off, there wouldn’t be any electricity even though all outlets were connected. A strong internal linking strategy acts like an internal circuit breaker by making sure the most vital content on your website receives power and value from other posts/pages on your site.
Nofollow Links for Internal Linking: Insights and Implications
When using no follow for internal links it’s important to understand that search engines store this reference they do not pass page rank. It is wise to add a no follow link to a page you do not intend to rank like a contact page or an downloadable PDF.
Importance of Anchor Text in Linking
Google uses anchor text as an important ranking factor, using it to assess whether a linked page is relevant for search keywords and sees this as one way for SEOs to manipulate its algorithm.
Internal links often use generic text such as “click here” or “read more,” making navigation quick and simple; however, these phrases don’t provide Google with enough context about what the linked page entails or where it fits within your website’s structure.
Strengthen Site Structure with Hierarchical Links
As you create a website, it is crucial to take note of its structure and interconnection of information. Search engines use this structure to index websites; as such it’s vitally important that your structure optimizes to help increase SEO rankings.
Group Similar Pages Together to Improve Site Structure
One way of accomplishing this goal is through creating a hierarchical link structure that groups similar pages together – known as topic clustering – in order to help search engines understand your website and how its information is organized.
Setting up an easily navigable sitemap helps create a clear hierarchy of information by linking homepage, pillar pages, subtopic pages and so on to each other – this ensures your content can be easily navigated for both users and search engines alike.
Create a Clear Website Structure
Create a site structure that is user- and SEO-friendly requires careful thought. A good rule of thumb is avoiding nested URLs, which can create a confusing architecture for both users and search engines. Another tip is reducing the number of clicks needed to reach any one page; an excessively long click path may negatively impact users as well as decrease overall authority of pages on your website. Check your internal linking with Site Audit’s Pages Passing Most Internal Link Rank widget to see how many clicks it takes for visitors to reach each one on your site.
Search engines understand your site structure based on how the content is organized and linked, making site architecture one of the key SEO drivers.
There are various site structures, but the most prevalent one is a hierarchical structure with one parent page and various subcategories that branch off it. This makes for easy navigation for visitors while search engines easily discover relevant pages quickly.
Internal Linking Best Practices
When it comes to internal linking its important to use descriptive anchor text, link to relevant and related pages and make sure your links are accessible to both users and search engines. Additionally, consider creating silos of related content and designing your site architecture with factors such as navigation, hierarchy and URL structure in mind. Its also essential to keep your internal linking structure clear and consistent to ensure a positive user experience and maximize the benefits for SEO.
Limit the Number of Links per Page
When it comes to internal linking its important to strike a balance between providing enough links to keep users engaged and not overwhelming them with too many links. A general rule of thumb is to limit the number of links per page to a maximum of 100.
Link to Your Most Important Pages
When creating internal links be sure to link to your most important pages such as your home page, product pages and landing pages. This will help to increase the authority of these pages and improve their visibility in search results.
Use Contextual Links
Contextual links are links that are placed within the main content of a page and are related to the topic of the page. These links are particularly effective because they provide additional context for both users and search engines, helping to improve the user experience and increase the visibility of your site in search results.
Create Silos for Related Content
Silos refer to groups of related pages that are linked together in a logical and coherent structure. This type of internal linking structure helps search engines to understand the relationship between your pages and can improve the visibility of your site in search results.
Make Sure Your Links are Accessible
Its important to ensure that your internal links are accessible to both users and search engines. This means that you should avoid using JavaScript or other technologies that may make it difficult for search engines to crawl and index your links.
Internal Linking & Site Architecture for On Page SEO
Internal linking and site architecture are closely related and they both play an important role in the success of your on page seo. A well-structured site architecture helps to create a clear and consistent internal linking structure while effective internal linking helps to reinforce and support your site architecture.
When designing your site architecture its important to consider the following factors:
Navigation: A clear and easy-to-use navigation structure is key to creating a successful site architecture. Make sure that your navigation menu is organized in a logical and intuitive way and that users can easily find the pages they are looking for.
Hierarchy: The hierarchy of your site should reflect the relative importance of your pages. The most important pages such as your home page and landing pages should be at the top of the hierarchy while less important pages should be nested lower in the hierarchy.
URL Structure: Your URL structure should be simple, descriptive and easy to understand. This makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand the structure and content of your site.
Conclusion: Power of Internal Linking
Linking pages within your own website is just as essential to its effectiveness as external ones. Internal links communicate meaning and structure to search engines so they can better comprehend how your content fits together.
Orphaned pages, defined as those without internal links, can often go undetected and unindexed by Google and may hinder SEO by making it harder for them to crawl your site. They pose a significant threat, potentially harming SEO rankings while hindering Google from effectively indexing it.
To revitalize an orphaned page, add internal links from relevant pages on your site to it using descriptive anchor text, rather than overusing exact match anchor texts as this could constitute “link spamming”. To prevent orphaning by link spamming (using exact match anchor texts too frequently), avoid “link spamming”.
Topic clusters can be an excellent way to expand your internal linking strategy. Pillar pages serve as an overview, then link out to specific blog posts on subtopics within that topic – this way showcasing both expertise and depth of coverage while helping readers quickly locate what they’re searching for – increasing dwell time significantly!
