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How Internal Linking Can Help To Boost Your SEO Efforts

May 16, 2023 - Cassidy

The practice of search engine optimization (SEO) has been around for decades. It has evolved and grown to include many new strategies that can help to boost both the quality and quantity of traffic to a website or webpage. Leveraging different SEO factors can help a website rank higher on a search results page. Digital marketers can utilize SEO strategies to increase conversions and brand awareness. 

SEO is comprised of two main categories – off-page SEO and on-page SEO. Off-page optimization’s goal is to improve a website’s visibility by utilizing methods outside of a brand’s own website. These methods include social media marketing, backlinks, and more. On-page optimization aims to get a website or webpage to rank higher in organic search results by utilizing strategies such as optimizing on-page content, optimizing meta titles & meta descriptions and more.

SEO graphic with characters climbing on a computer monitor with an SEO search engine shown on the screen

The Importance of Internal Linking

One technique that is often overlooked in on-page SEO is internal linking. Internal linking is the practice of taking one page on a website and linking that page to different pages on a website. Internal linking is especially important when it comes to helping Google understand which pages of a website are relevant. Using internal linking can also help users discover related content/information for the page they are currently viewing and keep them engaged to increase the average time spent on a website.

Tips For Internal Linking On Any Website

Graphic showing two web pages being linked together

1. Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text

Keywords are the words or phrases that users actively use in search engines, such as Google, to find information on a particular topic. Keywords describe page content and can be utilized in SEO to help a website rank higher in search results. Before writing page content, it is important to start with some keyword research so it’s easier to decipher which words and phrases to center content around. After this, start thinking about how to use those keywords in the anchor text of an internal link.

Anchor text is the text within a hyperlink that can be clicked on to take users to a new destination URL. This is an opportunity to use keywords that you want to rank for within the anchor text to help Google or another search engine associate the URL with particular keywords or phrases.

When done correctly, this practice can provide a better experience for users and help them discover more relevant content on a website. Using keyword-rich anchor text is important to accomplishing the goal of ranking higher on the search results page.

2. Link to Relevant Content

Search engines are always making updates to their algorithms to focus on relevance. When thinking about which pages are relevant to another page’s content, it’s important to use links that are related so both search engines and users don’t get confused.

Linking to relevant pages can increase engagement metrics such as number of pages visited, time on site and reduce metrics such as bounce rate. As users read through page content, they may take some time to click on some of the internal links to discover more related information to the current page’s topic.

3. Link Old Blog Posts to New Blog Posts

Blogs are an excellent way to grow an audience, connect with users, provide tips/tricks, and thought leadership. Blogs come with a number of benefits, some of which include:

  • Increasing traffic to a website
  • Converting leads
  • Improving brand awareness 
  • Connecting with an audience

Utilizing a blog archive to connect older blogs with newer blogs that have updated information is a great way to get longer page sessions and increased page views on a website. It is also extremely important to go back in and link newer blog posts to older blogs.

Let’s Review

Internal linking is vital SEO factor that fan easily be forgotten. It can improve a website’s bounce rate, improve rankings on the search results pages, and provide a better user experience.

Get Started With Solution Agency

If your brand is in need of SEO services such as internal linking, Solution Agency’s digital marketing team is ready to provide your business with a solution. Fill out our contact form to get started.