Internal linking allows you to significantly increase the time of visiting the site, the depth of viewing the pages of the resource and its usability. To better understand what relinking is for, we recommend reading this article to the end.
What is internal linking and what is it for?
Internal linking implies the presence of links on the site that lead to other pages of the same site.
On site pages, internal linking helps users with internal navigation, which has a positive effect on time spent on the site. But, in addition to this, internal hyperlinks also have a positive function for crawling the pages of the site by search engines and in general for promoting the site.
Internal linking is available on the main page of any multi-page site. For example, tabs in the header “About the company”, “Contacts”, “Reviews” and the like.
In the HTML code, the link looks like a regular hyperlink, but it leads to another page on the same domain.
< a href = “link to site page ” > anchor text < / a >
Of course, hyperlinks can be located in various parts of the site, not only in texts or in the header.
What does internal linking affect?
1. Influence of internal linking on site indexing by search engines.
Search engines constantly index sites, and proper linking can simplify this process and allow you to index even the most insignificant pages of the site by following internal hyperlinks.
In Google WebMaster and Yandex.Webmaster, when creating new site pages, you must send pages for re-crawling. Linking can speed up this process.
2. Internal linking helps to distribute the weight of the site across internal pages.
The correct distribution of the weight of the site on the internal pages helps to designate more or less significant pages for search engines. So, for example, the main page of the site should have more weight compared to any seasonal news on the site, etc.
3. Linking helps to add weight to other pages of the site, in addition to the main one.
When relinking, it is worth remembering that it is not entirely advisable to link only to the main page of the site, since in addition to internal links there are also external ones (from other resources). To avoid over-optimizing the main page, you should also pay attention to other pages with more appropriate topics for users.
4. Improving the usability of the site.
It will be easier for site visitors to search for the information they need or are interested in on the site if there is a link on one page to a related resource for a deeper study of the topic.
5. Linking Helps SEO
Summing up all the above points, we can say that internal linking helps in website promotion . To be more precise, you can boost some pages for low-frequency queries immediately to the TOP, improve behavioral factors, and in general, make the site more attractive to the user.
What strategy and methods to use for linking
On the Internet, you can find a large number of different linking schemes, but despite such a variety, it should be remembered that internal linking is created based on the semantic core of the site . Well, do not forget that the linking was convenient for the site visitor.
As a basic strategy, we recommend looking at the best internal linking options.
On the menu
We have already mentioned the presence of internal links in the site menu. In fact, a well-formed structure for the site menu will make it easier for users to find the information they are interested in.
In breadcrumbs
Placing internal links in breadcrumbs, just like a menu, can improve the usability of a site. A well-formed hierarchy helps distribute the weight of individual pages.
In blocks with additional information
Blocks with similar information or related products are often underestimated. In such blocks, you can place goods or services from completely different categories without losing logic.
Links within text
Links of this kind help readers to find out more detailed information about a particular resource.
Recommendations for optimizing website linking
- If you have already engaged in site relinking, then it is worth checking whether there are links to non-working pages of the site, as well as incorrectly displayed links. This factor is important for both search engines and site visitors.
- It is recommended to use only understandable anchors and links with similar topics. Google, in their guide to search engine optimization , mentioned that a more understandable link text will help guide not only users on your resource, but also search engines.
- Don’t use too many links in the text. Google does not name the exact number of links that can be placed on the page, but it is recommended to limit yourself to a few links for a more comfortable use of the resource. Judging by the latest news, Google plans to crawl only the first 15 MB of content, and the presence of a large number of hyperlinks is insignificant, but still affects the weight.
- It is not recommended to link to the same page multiple times. Again, Google didn’t say this is good or bad, but it’s still not a good idea to link multiple times from one page to another. This can have a negative impact on behavioral factors.
- It is recommended to make more links to promoted pages than from them. As mentioned above, the weight of the resource must be distributed so that the search engines understand the priority of the pages.
- If you do not yet have a Blog on your site, we recommend that you implement it, thanks to which you will have more pages for linking.
Linking should be done based on the semantic core of the site
- If you decide to use links in images, then for the anchor it is necessary to prescribe the alt attribute.
- Hyperlinks can be located not only in the text on the page, but also in menus, breadcrumbs, and images. Pay attention to all incoming and outgoing internal links.
Page linking tools
There are many tools for tracking the weight of each of the pages, one of the most convenient for us was Screaming Frog.
- Screaming Frog;
- SiteAnalyzer;
- Ahrefs;
- topvisor;
- Google Analytics;
- Google Search Console.
conclusions
Properly formed internal linking helps search engines index your site more easily, as well as increase usability scores. Even if you have already done internal linking, we recommend that you pay attention to the quality of the links you leave: are they working, do they link to relevant pages, do they have a good effect on your site.
