Internal linking is like the secret sauce of SEO. It’s not as flashy as backlinks or as buzzworthy as the latest algorithm update, but it’s absolutely essential if you want your site to rank well and provide a top-notch user experience.
Think about it this way: your website is like a big, beautiful mansion. Your homepage is the grand entryway, and your various pages and posts are the rooms. Internal links? They’re the hallways and staircases that connect everything together and make it easy for your visitors (and search engine bots) to find their way around.
But here’s the thing – not all internal linking strategies are created equal. To really maximize your SEO potential, you need to be strategic and intentional about how you link your pages together. Lucky for you, I’ve got seven tried-and-true tactics to help you do just that!
1. Keep Your Anchor Text Relevant
When you’re linking to another page on your site, it’s tempting to use generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” But if you want to give your SEO a boost, you need to be more specific.
Instead, use anchor text that accurately describes the page you’re linking to. For example, if you’re linking to a blog post about the benefits of yoga, your anchor text could be something like “discover the mental and physical benefits of yoga” or “learn how yoga can reduce stress and improve flexibility.”
Not only does this give your readers a better idea of what to expect when they click the link, but it also helps search engines understand what the linked page is about. Win-win!
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Deep
One mistake I see a lot of websites making is only linking to their top-level pages – you know, the homepage, the main product or service pages, etc. But if you want to really show search engines that your site is a valuable resource, you need to link to pages deeper within your site structure.
For example, let’s say you have a recipe blog. Instead of just linking to your main “Recipes” page, try linking directly to specific recipes or categories. So, in a post about healthy breakfast ideas, you might link to your “Overnight Oats Recipes” page or your “Smoothie Recipes” category.
This not only helps search engines crawl and index more of your site’s content but also helps your readers find exactly what they’re looking for.
3. Create Content Clusters
Want to really supercharge your internal linking strategy? Try creating content clusters!
Here’s how it works: choose a broad topic related to your niche, and create a big, comprehensive guide or resource on that topic. This will be your “pillar” content. Then, create smaller, more specific pieces of content related to subtopics within that larger topic, and link them all together.
For example, let’s say you run a digital marketing agency. Your pillar content might be a giant guide to “Content Marketing for Beginners.” Then, you could create more specific blog posts or resources on subtopics like “How to Create a Content Calendar,” “10 Types of Content That Drive Traffic and Engagement,” “The Ultimate Guide to Repurposing Content,” etc. – and link them all back to your main pillar content.
This not only helps establish your site as an authority on the topic but also creates a really intuitive, user-friendly way for your visitors to navigate your content.
4. Make Use of Breadcrumbs
No, I’m not talking about the kind you leave behind on a trail so you can find your way back home. In the world of websites, breadcrumbs are a type of navigation that shows the path a user has taken to get to the current page.
Usually, it looks something like this: Home > Category > Subcategory > Specific Page
Not only do breadcrumbs make it super easy for users to understand where they are on your site and navigate back to previous pages, but they’re also great for internal linking and SEO. They give search engines additional context about the structure and hierarchy of your site.
If your website runs on WordPress, there are plenty of plugins that can help you easily implement breadcrumbs. Trust me – your users (and your search rankings) will thank you!
5. Suggest Related Content
You know how when you finish watching a video on YouTube, it suggests a bunch of other related videos to watch next? You can (and should) do something similar on your website!
Whenever someone finishes reading one of your blog posts or viewing a product page, suggest other relevant content for them to check out. You could do this in the form of a “Related Posts” section at the bottom of your blog posts, or a “You May Also Like” section on your product pages.
Not only does this keep users engaged and on your site longer, but it also creates natural opportunities for internal linking. Just make sure the content you’re suggesting is actually relevant and useful – don’t just link for the sake of linking!
6. Write Like a Human
Listen, I get it. When you’re trying to optimize your site for search engines, it’s easy to get caught up in things like keyword density and anchor text ratios. But at the end of the day, you’re writing for humans, not robots.
So, when you’re adding internal links to your content, make sure it sounds natural. Use language and phrasing that makes sense and flows well within the context of the content. If you find yourself stuffing links where they don’t belong or using awkward, robotic-sounding anchor text just for the sake of SEO – stop.
Remember, your ultimate goal is to provide value and a great experience for your readers. Keep that top of mind, and the rest will follow.
7. Don’t Set It and Forget It
Here’s the thing about websites – they’re always evolving. You’re always adding new content, removing old content, and making changes to your site structure. And if you’re not regularly revisiting and updating your internal links, they can quickly become outdated or broken.
Make it a habit to regularly audit your site’s internal links. You can use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to help identify broken links, orphaned pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them), or opportunities for new internal links.
I recommend doing this at least once a quarter, or whenever you make significant changes to your site. It’s a bit of work, but it’s so worth it to maintain a healthy, user-friendly, and SEO-optimized site structure.
Bringing It All Together
Listen, I know internal linking isn’t the sexiest topic in the world of SEO. But trust me when I say it’s one of the most important. By being strategic and intentional about how you link your pages together, you can make a huge impact on your site’s search rankings and user engagement.
So, take these seven strategies and run with them. Experiment, iterate, and find what works best for your site and your audience. It might take a little trial and error, but I promise you – the results will be so worth it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some internal links of my own to go optimize. 😉
