An often overlooked way to improve your website’s SEO is through efficient internal linking. A process that, once you get the hang of it, can greatly improve not only your page’s ranking but also user experience. This can especially be useful if you are operating an e-commerce business. Internal linking, in most cases, can be done without the assistance of a professional and does not require technical skills. Here is a simple guide on how to successfully implement internal linking on your website.
What is internal linking?
In simple terms, internal links navigate users from one page on your domain to different pages on the same domain. For example, examplepage.com/about-us that has a link leading to examplepage.com/contact-us, is an internal link. An external link would be completelydifferentpage.com
Purpose of internal linking
There are 3 main purposes of internal linking:
1. Outlining the design and order of your website
2. Helping users navigate your website
3. Allocates page authority as well as ranking power throughout your website
This is why the proper use of internal links can be beneficial in boosting your ecommerce business’s UX and ranking.
How to Improve SEO and UX through Internal Linking
More content = more internal linking
Your internal linking strategy does not have to be an overwhelmingly difficult process with formulas and calculations. It is fairly simple if your content marketing strategy is strong and consistent, then your internal linking strategy can be the same. More content means more resources to link.
Utilize anchor text for internal linking
Try to avoid using image links as the main sources of internal links, and instead utilize anchor text. It is an easy method of just highlighting and linking. However, if you are linking images, be sure to correctly alt tag them.
Use internal linking that has a natural flow and is relevant
Improving user experience can be done through internal links, as they add value and info. Not only can internal links help readers find links that are in related to the content, but it can really help boost your SEO. This is because internal linking means making people go to another page that is relevant to what they are looking for, and that you think is important for the users to know. Search engines can pick up data on whether the internal or external link on your page is seeming to be popular amongst readers. Make sure that the internal links that you use are overlapping in the way that they are similar in content, but have more information to provide to the user.
Control the number of links
Obviously, you do not want to go overboard with internal links. Most creators agree that 100 links (including advertisements, footers, headers etc.) is a good amount.
Hopefully, by applying these internal linking tips, your e-commerce business can thrive and your users are happy and your ranking also improves.
If you liked this Symboliq Media blog, check out these other related articles:
–Rules for Dominating Online Search Results
–Why Small Business Should Have A Website
