We all know as SEOs how essential backlinks are. But did you know that linking between pages on the same site can be even more important? Most SEO experts spend too much time and money on backlinks when their sites already have a lot of authority instead of making a plan for how to link internally.
While working on SEO strategies, we’ve learned a lot about which levers to pull, how hard to pull them, and in what order to get the best results. And believe us, internal links can be potent if they are used smartly.
We’ll tell you everything we know about internal links in this detailed guide. The best part is that this plan only takes about an hour a week to keep up.
Explaining Internal Links
Most explanations of internal linking use the word “domain” instead of “website.” But subdomains make that a little more complicated. If your website has several subdomains, links between them should be considered internal because you own those sites. An example of an internal link would be a link to our careers subdomain.
Simply put, linking between web pages A and B that live on the same root domain are called ‘internal links.’
Differentiating Internal Links, External Links, and Backlinks
Internal linking in HTML looks the same as a backlink because both are links. Each one has a href attribute, an anchor text, and sometimes a rel attribute as well. But each has a different way of adding value.
Backlinks
Backlinks are links that connect two different websites. The higher the website authority, the higher it will appear on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). In the minds of many, they’re like votes for your site.
Some of these linkages will come spontaneously, while others may require a more intentional approach. One of the three most essential variables in Google’s ranking algorithm is the number of backlinks pointing to your site.
External Links
Your website’s external links are those that point to another website. These are helpful if you wish to credit a source or provide a link to a more in-depth article on a subject you don’t touch.
In our opinion, external links are not a ranking indication, but they can increase credibility if done correctly. If you cite a stat or quote from another source, you should link back to that source.
Internal Links
Internal links don’t enhance your website’s authority since you can add them yourself. Voting for oneself or blowing wind into one’s sail would be equivalent to the opposite. Instead, they use your backlinks to distribute your website’s authority and relevance throughout it.
Significance of Internal Links in SEO
Despite the best efforts of computer scientists, algorithms are not yet flawless. Context is necessary for visitors to understand what a page is about and how it relates to other pages on your site. Internal links have a great deal to offer. Additionally, they are a driving force behind all of the different functions of your website.
Distribute Power Throughout a Site
Internal links are like the wires from your circuit breaker to your outlets, while backlinks are like the wires from your power plant to your residence. As many cables as you have around your property, they won’t work if you don’t link your home to the grid.
Similarly, even if you add an extra bedroom to your house but fail to wire it, that room will be without electricity, regardless of whether the rest of the house is powered. Broken links are analogous to faulty cables in this respect. The outlets won’t receive any power if there’s something wrong with the wiring.
In terms of PageRank or link equity, this analogy demonstrates the concept of internal linking. The other reasons why internal links are essential to your SEO strategy are left out.
Give More Context
Google requires context to interpret search queries and site pages. Several on-page SEO factors help search engines better understand the content of a page. Internal links are as important.
Likewise, context is provided by more than just the anchor text. The link’s context within the sentence, paragraph, and subheading of the referring page also provides significant hints about what’s at the other end of that connection.
Organize a Site's Structure
You can think of your website’s internal links as an organizing chart. In the same way, as a firm organizes its various departments, these pages and sections are grouped. This method reinforces context, relevance, and breadth of coverage on a subject. An SEO-friendly website architecture relies on a coordinated effort between your HTML internal linking strategy and the rest of your site’s navigation and URL structure.
Internal links also assist Google in identifying your website’s most significant pages. More internal links mean the more essential the page is to search engines. Your navigation links to these sites, which inform Google that you want people to locate them, are significant.
Share Authority Juice
Authority is the final element of the puzzle. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you call the measure link juice, PageRank, Page Authority, or URL Rating. Link juice from high-authority pages on your website can be used to boost other pages’ SEO worth.
Adding relevant internal links can help spread the authority of a page that has a large number of high-quality inbound connections throughout the rest of your website.
Tips for Internal Linking
Following our discussion of why internal linking is necessary, we can now discuss how to implement it properly.
Add It to Your Content Strategy
When you plan your content strategy with SEO, you’ll naturally produce information perfect for linking within your site. You should think about your personas, their pain points, and the route they take on the way to a conversion.
Content relevant to your audience’s present and future requirements is the best way to build a relationship with your customers. Then, strategically place internal links to pique their curiosity.
Don’t forget to link to old content or do scheduled maintenance to ensure that all internal links are working. Otherwise, they’ll sap PageRank, disrupt UX and waste crawl budgets.
Consider Topic Clusters & Pillar Pages
Topic clusters are collections of linked content that cover a wide range of topics. There is the main page for each group and many supporting cluster pages. Regarding internal linking, topic clusters are pretty functional because they generate centers of related material.
There are pillar pages for each major topic, and each page presents several sub-topics. From the proper subheadings, pillar pages link to additional in-depth blog pieces. This blog post is called a “cluster page” and links to the main “pillar” post. Cluster pages can also link to other pillar pages when suitable.
Check the Do-Follow Option
Webmasters used to no-follow internal links to prevent undesirable URLs from receiving PageRank. As a result, the link juice would be concentrated on the money pages while still allowing links to function for the general population.
That isn’t the case now. As a result of no-follow links, PageRank is now effectively “evaporating.” It doesn’t go to the destination page and isn’t passed on to other links on the page in any other way. It simply vanishes. Employ do-follow internal links if you have many low-value pages that you don’t want Google to discover.
Focus on Relevance
The importance of the anchor text cannot be overstated. It helps Google figure out what’s on the other side of a hyperlink. Making use of anchor text that has an impact on your rankings is a smart move.
The anchor text should be varied if there are a lot of internal links with the exact anchor text on the page. Additionally, if they help express the meaning or goal of your target keyword, use broad match variations.
The best spot to add links is at the top of the page. Just scroll over this post for a good example. Subheadings like “subject clusters” and “content strategy” include keywords. I then used broad match anchor text to link to the respective pages inside those sections.
There is a wealth of information in those subheadings that relate to the themes discussed in the links. Remember the importance of context.
Link From Authoritative Pages
Add relevant internal connections to pages with many high-quality backlinks. In other words, the more connections it has, the more links you can add without diminishing the value of those already included. If possible, include a link to a few of the most popular URLs on your homepage. A section at the bottom of the page for your most popular blog posts is a good idea. Links to service pages should point to them from your homepage’s services section.
Make Keywords Your Anchor Text
According to some SEO professionals, using the exact anchor text too much, you may get penalized by Google. We are adamantly opposed.
If Google penalizes an attractive website for employing keyword-driven anchor text in links pointing to its content, we’re not buying it. It is your website. You have complete freedom to act in any way you like. If you’re building backlinks from other websites, don’t overdo it with keywords. Do not be concerned if your internal links and anchor text makes sense in context and are designed to benefit the user.
Deviate Your Anchor Texts
The importance of the anchor text cannot be overstated. It helps Google figure out what’s on the other side of a hyperlink. Making use of anchor text that has an impact on your rankings is a smart move.
The anchor text should be varied if there are a lot of internal links with the exact anchor text on the page. Additionally, if they help express the meaning or goal of your target keyword, use broad match variations.
Conclusion
Title tag optimization, keyword addition, and link building are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to SEO. It’s an essential part of digital marketing to make sure that search engines and users alike recognize the value of what you have to offer.
You should take a strategic approach to internal connectivity to achieve your objectives while increasing efficiency and boosting your results. Please send us a link and share this post with your social media networks if you found this helpful.
