The only chances of not knowing what SEO is and what it does in the world that we live today is only if someone has been living under a big rock. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the ultimate way of furthering your business and taking it out to your target audience. How else do you expect to brand your business enterprise, in a world that is conveniently glued on to their laptop and mobile screens?
We all get our daily dose of information from all domains and every corner of the world with a few clicks of the mouse. Technology has condensed the world and brought it to our fingertips. The techniques of Search Engine Optimization use this very boon bestowed upon us by these the technological marvels and help business organizations and brands of sorts to thrive and carve a niche for themselves in the market. Thus, having the right means of SEO at your disposal is imperative if you want your business to grow and scale heights of monumental success.
What Do We Mean By Internal Linking?
With all the talk about SEO comes the discussion on the various aspects of SEO. Search Engine Optimization is an institution in itself and therefore, it might be quite difficult to cover every aspect that rules the domain in one article. The topic that we have chosen to shed light on with this article is that of internal link building and the ways to go about the process in 2020. Google is the smartest search engine that there is, and it keeps upgrading its metrics for ranking of websites. Therefore, it would be immensely puerile on one’s part to stick to the age-old algorithm of Google and try to get websites to rank on the Search Engine Results Pages. One of the most important parts of SEO is the internal linking of pages. Google puts a significant amount of weightage on how many healthy and quality links a page has directed towards it. This helps Google gauge a page’s authority.
Now, speaking of internal linking, we shall first start with a working definition of the process. Internal linking is the process of linking one page on a website to a different page, resource or multimedia on the same website. This helps users understand the main content of the website in greater details and depth, and Google aims at enhancing user-experience. Therefore, the higher the internal links you have on your page, the greater shall your chances be at acquiring a decent ranking on Google. Internal linking helps the crawlers of Google to understand the relationship between different pages within the confines of the same website. Internal linking lends a web page value which is directly proportional to the rank it gains on Google’s search results.
The Most Effective Ways of Internal Linking in 2020:
Now that we have explained in details what internal linking is and the role that they have to play in elevating a website’s rank on Google, it is time to look into some of the most effective ways to go about the process in 2020. We have already mentioned that it is unwise to stick to the age-old methods of SEO since Google keeps upgrading its metrics to enhance user-experience. Therefore, the new age requires newer means of SEO that can help you and your website stay ahead of the curve. With the same view in mind, here are a few points that you need to wrap your heads around.
Create Bankable Content-
Content is always the king, and you cannot settle for any shoddy content if you have to get your website on the topmost ranks. Therefore, it is imperative that you create content, well-researched and framed, that does complete justice to your niche. Also, it is not just about the quality of your content. It is also about quantity. Quality might supersede quantity in most cases, but when it is internal linking that we are talking about, you have to create a lot of bankable content within the confines of the website for you to be able to link within the site. Therefore, the numero uno condition of internal linking is to create substantial and significant content on your website.
Use Suitable Anchor Texts-
You need to have anchor texts, and not just for the heck of it but ones that look organically enmeshed within the fabric of the content. Hyperlink the anchor text with the desired link and make it easy for your users to navigate within the contents of the website. While hyperlinking your anchor texts, make sure that you do not over-optimize the anchors. There is absolutely no need to overthink the process. Keep it as simple as possible.
Or if you find the process a tad difficult, seek refuge in the services of a professional SEO company. I have used the Australian SEO Advantage team with several projects overall the last few years. .
Use the Technique of Deep Linking-
You need to link deep within the structure of the site and not to the already established sites on the navigation bar, like the homepage or the contact page. Your visitors will already find the link to the homepage and the contact page easily. They are something sort of a given. Therefore what you must instead do is link your main content to the most relevant parts of the website. This is the strategy that rules deep-linking.
Use Relevant Links-
Like we have already mentioned, your anchors must be organic and natural. The same holds good for links as well. Your internal links must be as relevant as possible to the main text of the website. Only then will your website have some value for the readers. It shall not bode well for you to have an internal link to a page about vegan recipes when your main content is about sumptuous meat preparations.
Go for Natural and Organic Link Building-
This point can be treated as a continuation of the previous point. Your links must be relevant as well as natural to your content. This means that the visitors to the website will click on the link when they resemble the information provided on the main page and have some value to them. If not, your entire internal link building effort shall go down the drains.
Consider Using Follow Links-
Consider using follow links to flesh out a holistic website architecture. Using nofollow links stops link value to flow naturally from one page to another. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, using nofollow links on your website shall not add on to the value of the website. Instead, you can achieve site growth, and eventually, scale your website by using follow links.
Be Careful About the Number of Internal Links that You Use-
Do not overdo it. You need to keep a balance in the count of your internal links, or you might end up overcrowding the website. Therefore, be careful about the number of internal links that you have on your website. You do not want to spoil your efforts just by not knowing where and how to draw a line and by crowding your website with unwanted internal linking.
Do Not Create Site-Wide Footer Links-
This practice was widely popular once upon a time, but it has become grossly outdated in modern times. Today, if you add footer links, Google will view it as spam, and your website shall suffer as a result. You might be penalized and recovering from that could become arduous.
Link High Authority Pages-
The moot point of linking pages is to build authority. Therefore, you might as well start linking to pages which already have a highly established authority. This shall lend your website substantial value and also elevate its rank on Google’s search results. Building authority for websites is necessary, and therefore, it is important that you start doing so from the beginning.
Do Not Stuff Many Keywords-
Stuffing too many keywords in order to make room for your internal links is a ridiculous idea and must be done away with from the very beginning. You will only be ruining the natural flow of your content and compromising with its quality. Therefore, be careful about the keywords that you use.
Conclusion:
Internal linking is not an arduous affair, and you do not have to break your head over the process. It is really simple and can be easily done if you follow these aforementioned points religiously. There is no reason to lose your sleep over the simple process of internal link building. All you need is a little awareness and the right education to ace the matter. Plus there are tonnes of amazing SEO tools to help automate the process for you.