Why You Should Use Internal Linking

Internal linking is a great way to build your search engine optimization (SEO), especially with Google. It’s easier for Google to find your new posts and pages when they’re linked to other pages and sites on the internet. Internal linking also connects your content to other content on your site, giving Google an idea about how your website is set up and which pages and posts are important.

Create Content Relationships With Internal Linking

Internal linking creates a relationship between your content, which not only builds your SEO but also helps your readers find additional relevant content. When they click on links within a post that link to other posts or pages on your site, they stay on your site longer, reducing your bounce rate.

Not only is it important to include internal links in your posts, but also your pages. Especially your homepage. Sharing links to posts and other pages on your homepage will help Google explore your site easier, determining which pages and posts are most important.

Get the Most Bang for Your Links

Your homepage usually has the greatest link value with Google because it has the most backlinks. Linking to a new post from your homepage instead of just a category page will give them more link value and help Google find them faster.

Create a Link Plan

Using internal links with a plan will help you get the most value out of them. Here’s what you need to consider:

Think of your site as a pyramid. The most important page or content at the top, most likely your homepage. Then your category pages. And finally, your posts or pages that fall within each category. Your site’s menu should reflect this pyramid to tell Google how your site is organized.
Add internal links to your most important content. What is the most important content you want people to see on your site? Is it your homepage? Your sales page? What page gives readers the best idea of what your business is about and what you want them to do? Whatever page this is, make sure it has plenty of internal links. It should link to other main pages, posts that give them more information, and even a link to your contact page if that’s relevant. Including all of these links will help rank this page higher than the others on Google.
Add contextual links. Essentially this means you need to add links to your post content. Write content that includes words and phrases that link to other posts and create links within your content with these words.
Add navigational links. These are links that connect your post or page to other relevant pages like your homepage or about page. These types of links will increase your link value with Google.
Add links to some of your most popular posts. If there’s a post that gets more readers than any other, link to it frequently. It will help to pass the link value down to the newer post. And, as I mentioned before, links to other posts will encourage visitors to spend more time on your site.

Adding internal links to your pages and posts will easily increase your Google ranking. It’s easy to do and it’s worth the time. If you haven’t created internal links before, it’s time to go back and start adding them to the posts and pages you’ve already created. It will bring a nice boost to your Google ranking.