Internal linking – how to properly execute for best SEO results
Internal linking can be considered the icing on the cake – with a small amount of work it brings measurable results. The stakes are high as the benefits range from positioning to user experience. Read on to find out how to optimally perform this treatment!
What is internal linking?
Internal linking is an element of SEO optimization that involves adding links from contents on you own website to other URLs on your website.
In this way, the content can refer readers to more detailed issues that have been covered in separate texts.
An example is the “SEO optimization” link above. You are currently reading a text about linking, but if you would like to learn about the entire process of refining the text, just one click will take you to an article explaining this topic.
Effects of internal linking
The results that result from this can be invaluable. This has been experienced, among others, by Wikipedia, which is an example of a website with rich internal linking.
Making the website easier to navigate
Numerous references make reading very fruitful, as they allow you to explore many side threads. Thanks to this, the information is comprehensive and offers full autonomy in selecting reading material based on the reader’s interests.
Expert image of the company
As a result, the time spent on the website increases, which increases brand recognition. Moreover, the detail of available information builds authority.
For the company’s website, the impact is clear – interest in the offer is growing, which in turn causes a greater number of inquiries.
Visibility on Google
Positioning results from the simple fact that the search engine tries to display the most relevant results, and pages with rich internal linking are considered more interesting and credible. This is one of the reasons why Wikipedia ranks so high!
The crawl budget also plays a role here, i.e. the number of subpages that Google robots can index during their visit. As they navigate the site efficiently, they will use this budget more optimally.
So, if you take care of the quantity and quality of links, your website will rank higher in the search engine. This, in turn, will increase website traffic and increase the number of potential customers.
How to do internal linking?
Inserting internal links is done correctly when it facilitates navigation around the website.
This simple rule contains no complicated rules, but also no ready-made solutions – adding links depends on the content being created and existing subpages, so it is different each time.
However, you should pay attention to the appropriate frequency of links and their type.
Frequency of adding links
Too many links hinder readability, while too few links do not fully utilize their properties.
You need to be careful, which in practice means adding an internal link every 500-1500 characters.
Link type
Anchor text is content representing a link that should be clicked to be taken to another subpage.
The types of anchors are as follows:
- URL address – e.g. https://contentwriter.ng/
- brand name – Content Writer
- article title – e.g. SEO company – what doesn’t it tell you about positioning?
- key phrase (exact match) – e.g. SEO texts
- a different key phrase (partial match) – e.g. blog articles
- no match (zero match) – e.g. see here
- banners – linking from graphics
It is worth diversifying internal linking, but remember that the name of the should convey concise, specific information for the convenience of readers and bots. Therefore, avoid zero match anchors and limit pasting URLs.
Linkowanie wewnętrzne – FAQ
You now know how to link your texts correctly. However, in order for you to understand the broader context of this issue, we will need to answer a few additional questions.
Both Google robots and users prefer useful information, so make sure you surround your links appropriately. For optimal results, the entire article should be credible, substantive and interesting. Also pay attention to maintaining a clear text structure and completing meta-descriptions. In other words, do not allow a weak link to develop, as many factors influence the final effect.
Additionally, we recommend modifying older articles by regularly updating links. For example, after writing an article about content marketing, it is worth linking it wherever the word “content marketing” appears. The new text will get some inbound links and the old content will be refreshed.
As the name suggests, internal links refer the user to another part of the same website. External links, in turn, direct users to a separate page outside of the website.
There is no rule which option is more effective. Both are equally important because internal links facilitate website navigation, improving user comfort, and external links increase the website’s credibility, increasing positioning and generating additional traffic. In practice, the effects overlap.
It is worth noting, however, that audience experience is becoming an increasingly important ranking factor, so internal linking will become more important at the expense of external linking. This is due to the growing competence of Google algorithms in analyzing behavioral factors.
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