Internal linking is the practice of publishing a hyperlink to another article or page on the same domain (HubSpot: 25 Stats That Prove Why You Need Link-Building in Your SEO Strategy). It’s often seen as a great sign of a robust resource site as many of the articles published offer opportunity to further explore related topics with links to content onsite. (4 Paths to Fast Track Your Way to Online SEO Authority)
There are many benefits to the practice when it comes to creating highly prized ranking factors on your website. But there are also other benefits that support visitor engagement and navigation, which both support optimal User-experience (UX). Here are a few reasons why internal linking should be part of your website management strategy:
It Provides Evidence of Deep Knowledge About Your Area of Expertise: Whatever your website’s industry, you want to show search engines that you are atop the heap of resources out there to educate your site visitors and those searching for information in your space. And when you are able to provide full page articles on, not just primary topics, but sub-topics as well, it shows you present a resource that offer deep understanding about the industry.
One good example is personal injury law. A personal injury law firm blog would do well to write general blog posts on the field of personal injury. Of course, people want to know more about the basics, right? What accidents are covered under personal injury law? How and when should someone file a claim? Should I find an attorney or work directly with the at-fault driver’s insurer? These topics, of course, cover the basics. But a site demonstrating a deeper knowledge of personal injury topics and sub-topics would also have posts that discuss the various kinds of personal injury cases. For instance, single pages cover dog bites, slip and fall accidents, bike accidents, trucking accidents and more offer a wider array of knowledge in these areas and each of these subjects. Linking to these additional pages will show Google that there is a nested layering of subjects, in this particular space on the site and that people have the opportunity to explore each of the related subjects to come away with a larger understanding of personal injury than a site that simply covers the basics.
It Provides a Natural and User-Friendly Way for Visitors to Navigate the Site’s Various Subjects: Internal linking offers a kind of content maze that takes individuals deeper and deeper into the knowledge base of content the website presents. It offers a great way to navigate the topics your site has available for consumption online. Readers get to see more and more information about the subject(s) in which they have interest, and (so long as you provide breadcrumbs or a good navigation menu with topics organized in a user-friendly way) they can easily toggle back and forth between topics and sub-topics, which provides a great user-experience.
And, of course, the more topics you can cover on your site (and link to internally), the more time your reader stays on your site. This offers ample potency for your SEO campaign.
Of course, there’s the risk of too much of a good thing. So be careful not to abuse the practice of internal linking. Too much can hurt your SEO. So ask yourself what makes sense on the page. Three or four internal links makes sense. Anything beyond that can be obtrusive for the user-experience.
If you would like to learn more about how search engine optimization strategies can power visibility and growth for your website, call Proctor Digital at 773.664.5819. We’d love to help!