A well-structured website cannot is key to today’s competitive digital landscape. It’s the foundation for attracting organic traffic and boosting your search rankings. Within this framework, internal linking emerges as a crucial element.  

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect different pages within a website. They are pathways for users to navigate between related content on the same site. By clicking on an internal link, users can move from one page to another. This helps them explore more information and enhance their browsing experience.   

READ: SEO 101: A Beginners’ Guide to Understanding SEO 

What is an Internal Linking Structure and Why it Matters to SEO 

The internal linking structure is the organisation of internal links within a website. It involves creating a network of interconnected content through hyperlinks. 

Internal linking can: 

  • Enhance navigation, improve user experience, and aid search engine crawlers in indexing content.   
  • Promote the discoverability of important pages and distribute link equity. 
  • Increase user engagement by sending positive signals to search engines. This results in better rankings.   

A well-planned internal linking strategy enhances SEO performance, usability, and accessibility. It drives revenue and success for your business. 

6 Techniques to Boost SEO with Internal Linking 

1. Optimize user experience 

Search engines prioritise websites that offer excellent user experiences. With access to vast user interaction data, they refine their algorithms with machine learning and automated updates. Furthermore, the introduction of Core Web Vitals emphasized the importance of user experience.   

A positive user experience is crucial to avoiding SEO-unfriendly practices. This includes thin content, excessive above-the-fold ads, and disruptive interstitials. These methods lead to increase in bounce rates or visitors dropping your site. 

2. Optimize crawling & indexing 

Your website should have a clear path for search engines to explore the depth of your content. Eliminating unnecessary links is for successful crawling and indexing. Connect links between pages based on topical relevance to help search engines understand your site better.  

Neglecting proper crawling can result in a shallow and unimpressive site. This undermines your efforts to deliver quality content. Doing it right lets you achieve high search engine rankings across and capture targeted traffic. 

3. Streamline content hierarchy 

Aligning your content hierarchy benefits both users and search engines. This is because it provides a logical and organized navigation experience. So: 

  • Don’t restrict technical or in-depth content to only the first few pages. Organise your content based on topics and highlight what should receive top attention. 
  • Move away from the old SEO approach of having a single page per keyword. Adopt a more natural and structured content hierarchy. This helps develop comprehensive topics and subtopics, enabling you to rank for a broad range of high-level and long-tail keywords.  

Remember that excessive focus and links on the homepage can dilute link value. It hinders the establishment of context and depth in the proper order. 

Link deep 

When building internal links, avoid two common mistakes. First, refrain from excessive linking to your homepage. It already receives ample attention. Instead, strengthen internal pages through interlinking.  

Secondly, avoid linking to the “Contact Us” page unless necessary. The homepage already includes these links in its navigation. Focus on linking pages deeper within the site structure for maximum impact. 

Optimize internal links 

Avoid excessive internal linking on your website. While there’s no set limit, it is advisable to include 5-10 internal links in a 2000-word article. Don’t put these links in one place so you can offer a more seamless browsing experience for your readers. 

Avoid duplicate anchor texts 

Using the same anchor text for different web pages confuses search engines like Google. It may imply that the pages have similar content. It’s better to use descriptive anchor texts that represent the content of each web page.  

These are a few of the many techniques to boost SEO through an internal linking structure. Though there are many internal link automation tools available, opt not to use them. Learn why in the next part. 

READ: What Backlinks and Why Are They Important to SEO? 

Why Should Avoid Internal Link Automation 

There are several reasons to steer clear of automated internal linking. Tools or plugins for this purpose lack the necessary insight to prioritise pages requiring the most link authority.  

In larger websites, automated linking can result in over a thousand identical anchor texts for many pages. This triggers search engine penalties for spammy practices. Furthermore, these tools don’t consider the user’s perspective. So, they’re unable to create meaningful internal links the same way as an experienced SEO expert. 

Conclusion 

A streamlined internal linking strategy strikes the right balance between simplicity and effectiveness. This ensures a seamless user experience while maximising the potential of your site’s SEO capabilities. The tips above can help you build a robust link profile, improve your website’s SEO, and achieve optimal results.  

You can also avail of Bigrock’s expert SEO services. Get in touch with our specialists on how to boost your online visibility, reach your target audience, and rank on top of search results.