What is internal linking
Internal links are hyperlinks that point to pages on the same domain. These are different from external links, which link out to pages on other domains.
An internal link is a hyperlink that points to a page or resource on the same website or domain. They are the opposite of external links, which point to content outside the website's domain.
Internal links are important for a number of reasons, including:
- Navigation: They help users and search engines navigate the website. For example, the navigation menu, sidebar, and footer typically contain navigational links.
- SEO: They help distribute page authority across the site, which can improve search engine rankings.
- Organization: They help organize and structure the website's content.
- Technical: They can help eliminate broken links and redirect loops.
Here are some tips for using internal links:
- Audit regularly:
Check for broken links, outdated references, and unnecessary redirect chains. You can use tools like ScreamingFrog to help with this.
- Prioritize the first occurrence:
When the same link appears multiple times, search engines usually give the most weight to the first occurrence.
- Use keyword-rich anchor text:
Use keyword-rich anchor text for the first occurrence of a duplicate link.
- Create landing pages:
If you write about a topic frequently, you can create a landing page for that topic and link to it from other related pages.
Why internal linking is important for seo
Internal linking is important for SEO because it helps search engines find and index pages on a website, and it helps users navigate the site. Here are some reasons why internal linking is important:
- Improves SEO
Internal links help search engines find, index, and understand your website's pages. They also help distribute link value across your site, which can improve the SEO of important pages.
Internal linking is essential for SEO because it helps distribute link value across a website, enhancing the SEO of important pages—and not just your homepage. It’s a smart way to boost important pieces of content across your site, too.
Search engines like Google use internal links to discover new pages, determine the hierarchy of website pages, and distribute authority.
The number of internal links pointing to a page can signal its importance within the site structure.
- Helps users navigate
Internal links create a web of interconnected pages that help users move around your site without relying on the main navigation menu.
Internal links help users find relevant content and stay engaged on a website. For example, breadcrumbs are internal links that help users trace their journey back to the homepage.
- Promotes important pages
You can strategically place links to important pages on other pages to direct users to them.
- Enhances user experience
Internal links can help users understand a topic or concept by providing background information, defining terms, and referencing sources. This can increase engagement and trust.
- Shows the hierarchy of pages
Internal links help show users how your website is organized, with the home page at the top, core pages on the next level, and related sub-pages below.
- Highlights important content
You can use internal links to highlight the most important content on your site.
- Helps search engines find pages
Search engines use internal links to discover new pages on a website. Google's bot, Googlebot, follows internal links to determine the relationship between pages and which pages cover similar topics.
- Distributes link value
Internal links distribute link value across a website, which helps boost the SEO of important pages. The number of internal links pointing to a page indicates its importance.
- Improves content organization
Linking related pages helps group content into clear topic categories, which improves the user experience and search engine understanding.
- Highlights priority pages
Internal links help Google understand which pages are most important to a site, which influences how they are ranked and indexed.
Broken internal links can negatively impact SEO and user experience by leading to 404 errors.
You can use SEO tools to check your internal linking and identify areas for improvement. Some things to look for include: Broken links, Outdated references, Unnecessary redirect chains, and Orphan pages (pages without any links).
How many internal links per page seo
There's no universal answer to how many internal links a page should have for SEO, but a good rule of thumb is to aim for 5–10 internal links per 2,000 words. This means you should include an internal link every 200-300 words or so.
However, the number of links can fluctuate based on several factors, including:
Content length, Page purpose, Link relevance, Page data, User value, Strategic planning, and PageRank metric insight.
Here are some other things to consider when using internal links:
- Avoid overloading links: Google devalues excessive linking, similar to keyword stuffing.
- Use relevant anchor text: Focus on anchor text that clearly describes the linked page.
- Use contextual links: Contextual links are typically included in the content (paragraphs and titles) and have the greatest impact on SEO.
- Build internal links: Internal links are an integral part of the crawl depth, which helps search engines navigate your website.
Using too many links can be harmful to your SEO efforts. For example, if you delete a link's destination page or change the destination page's URL, it will stop working.
How many internal links per blog post
There's no specific number of internal links that's ideal for a blog post, but here are some guidelines:
- 1,000-word posts: 1–5 internal links
- 2,000-word posts: 5–10 internal links
However, the number of links you should use can depend on several factors, including:
Content length, Relevance, Page data, User value, Strategic planning, and PageRank metric insight.
Here are some other tips for using internal links:
- Avoid overloading links: Google devalues excessive linking.
- Use relevant anchor text: This helps with SEO and user experience.
- Prioritize links within the same category: Before adding links between categories, prioritize links within the same category or topic cluster.
- Focus on contextual links: Contextual links are embedded within content and are considered to have the greatest impact on SEO.
FAQ's
Do internal links boost SEO?
An internal link is a hyperlink that points from one page on a website to another page on the same website. These links are crucial for SEO because they help distribute page authority throughout your site, improve navigation for users and search engines, and help organize and structure your website content effectively.
How many internal links for SEO?
There's no magic number of internal links that will guarantee higher SERP rankings. However, a 1500-word article should have around 3 links incorporated in the content for a rule of thumb. This is to ensure that you're not overwhelming your readers with too many links and that you're linking to relevant pages.
Which links are best for SEO?
As we mentioned, backlinks can help boost your SEO, but only if they're from credible and relevant websites. It's typically a good idea to disavow any backlinks from low-quality or spammy websites. This process can prevent the links from harming your website's SEO and organic search traffic.
How to create an internal link?
To create an internal link, you assign a link's href attribute to a hash symbol # plus the value of the id attribute for the element that you want to internally link to, usually further down the page. You then need to add the same id attribute to the element you are linking to.
What is the power of internal linking?
By strategically weaving a web of interconnected pages, internal linking enhances website navigation, amplifies SEO performance, and facilitates content organization—all crucial components for climbing the ranks of search engine results.
What is backlink in SEO?
Backlinks are links on websites other than your own that go back to a page on your website. Backlinks are also called inbound links because they represent another website's traffic coming to your own site. The quality and quantity of your backlinks can help you rank higher in search engines such as Google and Bing.
How to find internal links?
Use a crawler tool: Tools such as SEOmator, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog allow you to crawl your website and see all of the internal links on your site. This can help you identify broken links and fix them, as well as see which pages have the most internal links pointing to them.
What are three types of links?
To break it down from the high level of what a link actually is, three links that we deal with on a daily basis are internal links, external links, and backlinks.