Introduction
Hey everyone! Today, let’s talk about internal linking – it’s like the road map of your website, guiding both visitors and search engines through your content. Done right, it can really help your site’s SEO. Let’s dive into how you can make the most of it.
What is Internal Linking?
Internal links are those links on your website that lead to other pages within the same site. They help create a structure, making it easier for search engines to understand and rank your content.
Why It Matters
- Helps with Navigation: Makes it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
- Boosts Page Value: Links from your homepage or popular articles can give more visibility to new or less-visited pages.
- Improves SEO: Shows search engines how your content is related and which pages are important.
Best Practices for Internal Linking
- Quality over Quantity: Avoid stuffing a page with too many links. Aim for a balance.
- Link Placement Matters: Links in the main body of a page are typically more valuable than those in the header or footer.
- Create Relevant Categories: Organize your content into clear categories and subcategories. For instance, a veterinary site might have a main category for ‘vets,’ then break it down by ‘vets in Michigan,’ and further into ‘vets in Spalding, MI.’
The Do’s and Don’ts
- Do use descriptive anchor text for your links.
- Don’t use vague text like “click here.”
- Do make sure every page on your site is reachable through internal linking.
- Don’t leave orphan pages (pages that aren’t linked to from anywhere else on your site).
About Follow and No-Follow Links
When linking internally, use ‘follow’ links. This tells search engines that these links are important. For external links, you might use ‘no-follow’ links, which indicate that you don’t endorse the linked page as strongly.
Example in HTML:
Follow Links
<a rel="follow" href="https://thiswebsite.com/">This is a link to a page in this website.</a>NoFollow Links
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://somewebsite.com/">This is a link to an external website.</a>Conclusion
Think of internal linking as the infrastructure of your website. It not only helps visitors navigate your site but also allows search engines to crawl your site more effectively, boosting your SEO. Remember, a well-linked site is like a well-mapped city – easy to navigate and always leading you to the right destination.