5 SEO Tactics to Maximize Internal Links
Internal links are links you add to your website content that direct visitors to other related pages on your site. Unlike external links, internal links don’t lead visitors away from your site but try to keep them on it for longer. Internal links are easy to overlook but they are important for SEO.
The Value to Maximize Internal Links
When used the right way, internal links can encourage visitors to spend more time on your site and contribute to a better search engine ranking. They can also lower bounce rates, increase session duration and the number of pages visitors visit per session, as well as traffic.
If you’re not using internal links already, you want to start doing it. Here are some SEO tactics that can help you get more out of every internal link on your websites.
Strategy #1 – Make Sure Every Link Contributes to User Engagement
How? Add internal links to relevant pages on your website. Don’t just add them because it’s good for SEO. Ensure that every link serves a purpose and consider their placement too.
For example, internal links placed in a widget at the bottom of a post may not be as effective as links placed at the top of the page. If a link doesn’t contribute in some way to improving engagement, you may be better off not adding it.
Strategy #2 – Place Links on Related Pages
Following from the tips above, you want to look for pages relevant to the one you’re linking to and link to those. Topical relevancy is something Google and other search engines look at when determining a website’s SEO ranking. Some tips:
- Link for pages that rank for similar keywords. Look for these in Google Analytics or your analytics tool of choice.
- Link to related pillar posts or posts that explore an aspect of the same topic more in-depth. For example, if you have a post on “How to Get Your Teeth Whitened” and another on “Mistakes to Avoid When Teeth Whitening” it makes perfect sense to link to each other.
- Create content and pages around related keywords so that internal linking will be an organic process.
Strategy #3 – Use Natural Words to Make Sure Every Link Is Unique
Adding links to specific anchor texts all the time? Google may interpret this as overoptimization. To visitors, it may seem like you’re trying hard to be good at SEO.
A better approach is to add the links to natural words—this will ensure every link is unique. Also, don’t link to the same page twice within the same piece of content.
Strategy #4 – Add Context to the Link
When you add an internal link, also provide some context to it. This means writing a few words around it to explain why you’ve added that link. Links accompanied by text can freshen up a piece of content and Google is more likely to pick up the positive signal.
Strategy #5 – Remove Links People Don’t Engage With
Adding lots of links to a page may diminish the SEO value of every link. At the same time, you don’t want to end up with low-value links. These are links that people don’t click on often enough.
It’s a good practice to do a link audit every few months and prune away links people don’t click on.
Maximize Internal Links – Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, maximize internal links strategy should improve the experience your website provides. They should make it easier for visitors to find and read related pages on your site. That is, these links should pique their interest and engage them.
Think of links not as SEO tweaks but as signposts that help your visitors navigate your site better, and use them accordingly.
