If you’re a business owner and have a website, you’ll probably have a basic understanding of SEO and websites. You know the magic ingredients to a high ranking in Google; using targeted keywords, providing excellent content, and providing a smooth user experience.
But did you know that the SEO practice of internal linking can help you rank higher on Google and other search engines? Have a read of our guide below, where we talk you through the basics.
What Are Internal Links?
In website terms, internal links are clickable links from one page on your website to another. If you want your website to rank high on Google, internal links will help. Google likes to weave your web pages together, making a neat map of your web content and how your web pages relate to each other.
Internal links are also helpful for your customers, as they help them find related information effortlessly without searching all pages on your site.
Internal Vs External Links – What’s The Difference?
There’s a massive difference between the two. Internal links refer to the links on your website that link to your other pages. For example, if your home page text talks about your services, you may choose to link this to your product pages. Your blog posts could connect to your latest product range.
External links are the web pages that connect your site to another website or domain. External links should ideally relate to popular, high traffic websites. For example, links to local suppliers, professional bodies or sources of reference.
Search engines will rank your website favourably if your external linking points customers to a trustworthy source.
Why Are Internal Links Important?
Think of being high on the search rankings as a competition. Search engines, namely Google, rank pages higher on their search listings if the content is of good quality. Your website will rank favourably with high-quality internal links and a logical internal linking structure. It is also key to ensure that your links work and fix broken links for good SEO.
If you link your web page to relevant content on another web page, you say to Google, “These are important pages with valuable information.” Your website will rise in the search results if the link structure is appropriate.
Google uses digital tentacles called web crawlers to find new information. Once the web crawlers have found a web page, it will be indexed, meaning your content is more likely to be seen by web users.
What Is Link Value?
Link value, also known as link juice, page authority or link equity, is the value that passes from one webpage to another page on your website. Link value is a ranking factor used by search engines that calculates your page authority. Your website will likely rank higher on search engine result pages if your website has a high score.
Your homepage usually has the highest page authority. Make sure you don’t miss this opportunity for meaningful links, for example, to your services or category page.
If you want a web page with a high link value, make sure they are relevant and valuable. For example, if you’ve written subject-specific blog posts, make sure the links you use to point the reader to similar content on your website. It’s also important to place internal links in the body of your main web page, not obscured in the footer or other sections.
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Internal Link Strategy And Why It’s Crucial For SEO
Creating an internal link strategy alongside your broader content marketing and SEO strategies is essential. Here are some points to consider:
- Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Think about the kind of information they want. If you don’t have it, make sure you create content they’ll love.
- Look at all your website pages and consider the link structure. Do you have any hidden pages? Give your website a thorough audit, and view the site architecture and category pages, so you don’t miss any hidden opportunities. Remove any time-sensitive and outdated content from your website, such as news.
- Think about how hidden or paused pages could link to current content. Draw out a diagram or chart if it helps you to add internal links between your content.
- Consider your keywords and also long-tail keywords in your content. It’s worth checking all your current website text and adding keywords to help with link building. Your anchor text in your link should be easy to understand and flow like a standard sentence.
- Your internal links pointing to other pages should be surrounded by meaningful information. Google will understand your link, adding a higher value if your words have a purpose.
- As a recap – make sure all your links are relevant!
- Think about how many links you want to include on each web page. There’s no hard and fast rule on this, but Google suggests using a maximum of 100-page links per page.
SEO Help With Maxweb
Do you want more customers or visitors to your website? Do you wish for more sales and leads? Our team of SEO consultants can power your business to rank high in search results. If you’re looking to get on page one of Google or Bing, leave it to us to produce a comprehensive SEO and digital marketing plan for you.
Our SEO Services
- Link building, where we create and follow a tailored internal linking strategy.
- PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns. We can create eye-catching digital adverts, enticing customers to visit your website.
- Improving the SEO of your website through keyword optimisation to boost your search ranking and help customers find your business online.
- Tailored E-Commerce SEO Services. If you sell a high volume of products, we can help with targeted SEO practices to make sure your business stands out and cut through the competition.
- SEO audits of your website, competitor research and high-ranking keyword recommendation to make your business visible online.
Contact us to find out how Maxweb can manage your SEO journey. Check out our work to discover how we’ve helped businesses increase their online presence.
Posted on Friday, April 1st, 2022 in SEO.
