Have you ever heard of internal links?
An internal link is when you have a link on your page that points to another page on your own website. It's different from an external link, where you would have a link that directs someone to an external website.
An example of an internal link would be the links in your website's navigation. Another example is a link in a blog post that leads to a service or product page on your site.
Both users and search engines use internal links to find content on your website.
A user will use links to navigate through your website to find the content that they're interested in. Search engines use links to find and collate the information on your website.
For search engines such as Google, internal links are critical. Google will follow links on a website to discover and learn about your content. This helps them to decide where to rank your content in their search results.
If a page or post on your website has a high number of links that point to it, this can be a good indication to Google that the content is essential or high value. Internal and external links count here, which is why having a good internal linking strategy is very important.
You need to ensure that the pages and blog posts on your website are linking to other important content areas, wherever this is relevant.
For example, if you were a florist, you may have an article on your website about spring flowers. In this article, you reference pansies, daffodils and tulips.
As you have further content on each of these flowers on your website, you would add an internal link to that content.
A visitor to your article would benefit as they've been given some options for further reading. This encourages them to spend more time on your website and can bring them closer to making a purchasing decision.
Search engines benefit too. They'll be able to follow the links and see the related content. This can be beneficial to your website in the search engine results, so you want to make sure that you're linking related content together.
The main thing with any internal linking strategy is that you're ensuring your most important content is seen by both your readers and the search engines.
Take some time to look through the pages of your website. Consider which pages are most important for someone when they're making a purchasing decision. These pages and any high-value blog posts should be your first focus.
Create internal links on each of these pages and blog posts. The links should create a path that a reader can follow to keep learning more on a particular topic.
Ideally this should be done whenever you create new content. However, you could also set aside an hour or two each month to make sure you're getting the most out of the content on your website.
Once you have a good internal linking strategy in place, you'll be helping your readers to enjoy your most valuable content and spend longer on your website. You'll also be helping the search engines to understand your website more clearly and to give the best opportunity at ranking your website higher in the search results.
P.S. If you'd like to talk about internal linking strategies further, this is something that we offer as part of our SEO services. You can book in a free call with me here to discuss how this could help your business. Please visit my booking calendar and pick a time / date that suits you. Please book a meeting with me using my calendar here.
