Internal linking is often overlooked when it comes to a website’s SEO strategy. It’s not glamorous, and it doesn’t get the same attention as backlinks or keyword density — but that shouldn’t be the case. Internal linking, also known as “anchor text,” doesn’t just help your readers find what they need; it helps search engines find what they’re looking for too. Learn how to make the most of your internal linking by following these simple rules.
Simple Rules for Internal Linking
- Integrate Keywords Into Your Internal Links: By now, most people know that including relevant keywords in your internal links can impact on-page SEO. However, there’s much more to it than just sprinkling a few targeted keywords into your anchor text. If you include keywords in a sloppy way, you could actually be hurting your rankings — so careful planning and research are crucial for success. If you are having a hard time with it, then consider getting help from professional SEO services. For example: If you have a page about “best books for business owners” and include “best books” as an internal link, that’s great; it will definitely help get the page ranked higher for searches related to “best books. However, if you also include “for business owners” as part of the link text, that may be less helpful than you think.
- Avoid Using the Same Keyword As Your Anchor Text: Google doesn’t like duplicate content. If you’re including the same keyword in both your anchor text and your “snippet,” Google will be able to tell these two pages are not unique or important enough to rank for those searches. There is no real benefit to writing two nearly identical pages.
- Make Sure Your Internal Links Link to Relevant Content: A lot of people make the mistake of linking to irrelevant pages. For example, if you have content about “designer sunglasses,” and one of your internal links goes to “sunglasses repair,” that won’t rank as well. You might not think search engines know what you’re linking to, but they do — and this oversight can make them think your site isn’t very relevant for searches about designer sunglasses. To avoid this problem, check the pages you’re linking to before you create the links. Do they have relevant content? Do they exist for users who are looking for the keyword you’re linking to?
- Keep It Simple: When you’re using internal links to direct readers to other parts of your site, you need to make sure those links are actually useful for your readers. If you’re linking the phrase “sunglasses” to a page about “where to buy sunglasses online,” that’s not doing anyone any good. Instead, link phrases like “cheap designer sunglasses” or “sunglasses shopping” — phrases that have a higher probability of being used in searches related to sunglasses.
- Avoid Over-Optimization: Over-optimizing internal links, can be harmful to your website’s overall performance. This practice involves the over use of identical anchor text or inserting irrelevant keywords within the anchor text. It might also include the creation of an multiple links solely with the aim of artificially boosting certain pages’ search engine rankings. Unfortunately, such tactics end up making the website appear spammy and confusing to visitors, leading to a negative user experience. These practices are not only unethical but also go against the guidelines set by search engines, as they focus on deceiving search algorithms rather than genuinely providing valuable content and a satisfying user journey.
- Be Consistent: One last warning: Make sure all the pages you link to are consistent with your overall branding and tone. If you have a site that’s super-professional, don’t link to content that has silly or informal language. You may even want to avoid using any external links at all if your site’s content is 100% unique and doesn’t include other brands’ content. Use these six rules to make the most of your internal linking by targeting your keywords in an organized way.
Tools and Resources for Internal Link Analysis
Internal link checkers are tools that allow you to analyze the internal links on your website. They can help you to identify broken links, orphaned pages, and other issues that may be affecting your site’s performance. Some of the benefits of using internal link checkers include:
- Improved user experience: By ensuring that all internal links on your site are working properly, you can provide a better user experience for your visitors.
- Better search engine rankings: Internal link checkers can help you to identify areas for improvement and optimize your site for better search engine rankings.
- Time saved: Manually checking all internal links on a large website can be time-consuming. Internal link checkers can automate this process, saving you time and effort.
- Increased traffic: By optimizing your internal links, you can increase traffic to your site by making it easier for users and search engines to navigate.
- Better site architecture: Internal link checkers can help you to identify areas where your site architecture could be improved, allowing you to create a more organized and user-friendly site.
Some popular internal link checkers include Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog.
How to Find and Analyze Internal Links on Your Website Using Available Tools
There are several tools available to find and analyze internal links on your website. One of the most popular is Google Search Console.
To find internal links using this tool, log in to your account, select your website, and then navigate to the “Links” section. Here, you can view all the internal links on your site and analyze them for link equity and anchor text.
Other tools that can be used for this purpose include Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush. These tools allow you to analyze internal links in greater detail, including link quality, link depth, and link value. By analyzing your internal links, you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your site for better search engine rankings.
Conclusion
Creating high-quality content is important, but so is the way you structure your website to make it easy for users to navigate. By using internal links strategically, and making sure you link to relevant content, you can draw users and improve your search engine results.
Internal linking may be relatively simple, but it’s also an area where many site owners can stand to improve. Make sure your internal links are working properly, and that they’re targeted effectively at the keywords you want them to rank for. If you find it difficult to focus adequately on marketing and need professional help, then you can contact us at Bowman Digital Media. As a leading digital media firm, we help clients with all of their digital media needs, like -important Google rankings and internal linking, so they can FOCUS on what they love to do: running their business.