Internal links are like a bridge that helps users go from one page to another page. A digital connectivity tissue that helps to boost the performance of the website.
What are internal links?
Internal links are those hyperlinks that lead to different pages of the same website. Don’t get confused with external links, as external links direct you to different pages of other websites.
Guiding and navigating your readers of customers is one of the responsibilities of internal links. But make sure you are clear to your readers. But one question must have popped up in your mind. Does internal linking really help to boost your SEO? Before ranking, your website needs the links. If you want to build a bridge between your content and Google, then it is necessary to develop a proper structure. This structure gives ideas to Google about your website. Internal links are just like glue; they help hold your website together to strengthen it.
The purposes of using internal links in SEO are listed below:
- It helps search engines understand the structure of sites-
- Passes authority
- Navigating site
These are the basic importance of using internal links in SEO. Let’s go into the pool of the importance of internal links in SEO.
SEO plays a significant role in the growth of business. If you want to build more traffic to your website, then internal links are the most critical strategy.
Different types of internal links
Navigational links
These types of links are permanently linked to your main menu. It also helps to make your site’s main navigational structure so that the users can explore the different pages of your website. These are the links that tend to be site-wide and can be accessed from any page of your website. For example, while opening a website or e-commerce platform, different options, like men, women, etc., are available at the top. These are the ones which are considered as navigational links.
Footer links
The navigational links are at the top of the page, while footers are the ones that you can find on every page but at the bottom. For example, contact us. It can help to navigate the Website effectively and reduce the bounce rate. Using it for SEO enables you to improve your Website’s rank in the search engine. You can say that these are used to manipulate search engines, but this will occur if you add irrelevant information or a bunch of crap.
Sidebar links
These are the type of navigational links because, just like them, they appear as a pop-up in the sidebar of your page. These are typically used for navigation purposes but can also be used to add content such as blog posts, news articles, or wikis. Its dynamic feature helps the explorer search for the most effective content of your Website.
Contextual links
You must have seen those links “Click here.” These are considered as contextual links. These are placed in the main body of the page’s content rather than directing the readers towards a larger process navigational link. It is better to push them through direct links. This helps to ease their way to learn about the topics more precisely.
Why Internal links in SEO are important?
One question that everyone asks about internal links is. Internal links are vital for Google and SEO. But why?
Just remember, Google follows the path you gave them through links. It discovers the content of your page and then ranks it based on the search results. If you put valuable links, then this gives a signal to Google that this page is essential. With the help of links, you can keep engaged with your readers and make them your customers. An effective internal link represents placing 5 to 10 connections in 2000 words of content.
But! But!
Overflooding your content with internal links will not help you. Google won’t crawl such pages. Even readers don’t prefer to read such content, which can lead them from page to page. If you backtrack a little and understand the website’s structure, you will know how to link the website and create a pyramid to make your pages more worthwhile.
Benefits of internal link in SEO
Improving user experience
Internal links are significant while writing a blog. First and foremost, placing relevant internal links helped improve the websites, which helped customers. Just remember that some readers might be reading about the content for the first time. So, take the privilege of that and offer the relevant and precise information. They are linking to other pages of your website to make them understand more. Sometimes, it is easier for readers to navigate the pages and explore the content they seek. Offering them a positive journey gives strength to your website.
Keeping readers for a longer time
Longer page sessions and more page views are the keys to holding your readers to your page. You must be thinking, how is this even possible? If your CTAs and conversion actions are properly optimized, this develops the users’ opportunities.
Basically, Google crawls web pages by following the internal links using Googlebot. When this bot reaches your page, it renders and follows the links. Through these links, Google tends to work on the relationship based on pages, content, and posts.
For example, you search for content such as internal links, site structure, linking, and tags. Through these words based on SEO, Google understand the content and aid in finding the valuable page.
Easy for Google to discover new pages
There is a simple rule that can boost the capacity of your website. Within three clicks, the user should be on your homepage. This is the ideal way to reach the website. If there is no deep link to the page for your website, then Google won’t be able to recognize it. Just think of it as a road to your preferred location. If the route is complicated, then you will get frustrated and somehow choose another route to reach the location. Similar to the website. Customers don’t prefer to reach the website that is linking to others. This seems to create a complicated path for them. It can lead towards the negative side.
Create a good site architecture
If you really want to build an effective and creative internal link building, then a quality SEO tool is necessary. Such as Google Analytics, Website Auditor, and Ad Rank Tacker are some of them.
If you are planning to create something, you must have researched and conducted foolproof planning. The planning could have included a structure that you will follow. Right?
Same as for internal links. You must do more than just develop a bridge between links. Hirerchahry or structure helps you as well as readers. In terms of gaining benefits, customers gained valuable knowledge. Randomly added internal links do not help at all. So, think wisely and choose the link precisely.
Allocate PageRank
PageRank is an algorithm that Google uses to check the rank of web pages through the results of search engines. And my friend, internal links are the ones that help to distribute the PageRank across the websites.
When you receive a backlink from a highly authoritative website to Page A, the “link juice” will flow to Page A and then trickle down to the internal links of Pages B, C, and D. This means that Page A will benefit from the backlink and, in turn, pass on some of that benefit to the other linked pages. It’s essential to have a well-planned internal linking structure to ensure your pages receive the appropriate amount of link equity to improve their ranking potential.
Final Note
Yes, you have read right: internal SEO links help boost your website’s performance. All you need to understand is where you can place links and how many efficient links need to be placed. Doing less or more is not going to help you out.
If you want to know more about SEO and internal links, contact us.