July 5, 2023
Internal links are links that allow you to navigate from one page to another within the same website. They play a crucial role in improving the user experience and a website’s rankings. In this article, find out more about internal links and their importance, and learn how to optimise your website’s internal linking.
What is an internal link?
nternal links, as their name implies, are links from one page to another page on the same website. They are different from external links (to another website) and backlinks (incoming links). Internal links are particularly important for SEO. They improve navigation on your website, making it easier for visitors to move from one page to another, for example. This improves the user experience, which is very important in the eyes of search engines like Google.
In this guide, you'll learn more about internal links (what they're used for, why they're so important) and we'll explain how to use them to improve your site's internal linking.
Why are internal links important?
There are several good reasons to use internal links on your website. Here are the most important:
- It improves the user experience on your website. In effect, you provide the user with a means of navigating easily from page to page, and of finding relevant information elsewhere on the website.
- Structure the page's value proposition: A page that is directly linked to the site's home page (via a link in the menu, for example) will be more valuable in the eyes of Google, which will index it more quickly.
- Potential reduction in bounce rate: Let's say a visitor visits one of your pages and can't find the information they're looking for. If they can easily find an internal link to a page with this information, they will stay on your site. If they can't, they'll go looking for the information elsewhere.
The different types of internal links
There are different ways of integrating internal links into your website. We'll explain them in detail later in this article. They are as follows:
- In the navigation menu, in the header
- In the footer
- In the breadcrumb trail
- In the text content of a page
Internal link in the navigation menu
In general, all websites have a navigation menu in the header. When they visit any website, web users expect to find something that will allow them to navigate the site easily. The navigation menu should contain the main pages of your site. Depending on your activity and the type of website you offer, this could be the categories of a blog, products and services, etc. A page mentioned in the navigation menu of your website is considered to be an internal link: in fact, by clicking on the title of the page in the menu, you are sent from one page of your site to another.
In this menu, remember to include the important pages, those that you want to be referenced by Google. As mentioned above, if a page on your site is linked to your home page and is easily accessible, Google will give it more value and index it more quickly. Conversely, it will attach little importance to a page lost in the depths of your site.
Internal link in footer
Every website must also have a footer. Like the navigation menu, this footer will be present on every page of your website. Since it's located at the very bottom of each page, it's less visible than the navigation menu. But it's no less important. It, too, allows you to work on your internal mesh, and make navigation easier for your visitors and for Google's robots. Add internal links to various pages on your site (whether or not they're already in the navigation menu).
Internal link in a breadcrumb
Setting up a breadcrumb is another way of optimizing your internal mesh and the user experience on your website.
Most websites use WordPress as their CMS. In many WordPress themes, the breadcrumb trail is automatically configured. If this is not the case, there are a number of plugins that allow you to install a breadcrumb trail on your website. These include the following plugins:
- Yoast SEO
- BreadCrumb
- Catch Breadcrumb
- Rank Math
Internal link in the content of a page
Let's say you're writing a blog article about SEO. Since netlinking is one of the pillars of SEO, you mention it in one of the paragraphs of the article. At the point where you mention netlinking, you can add a link to another page on your website that talks specifically about netlinking, using the word “netlinking”. It's as simple as that. And it helps improve your site's internal linkage.
When integrating an internal link into content, there are a few rules to follow. The page to which the link refers must be relevant to the content in which it is embedded. In addition, the link anchor must be well thought-out and help the visitor understand what he'll find when he clicks on the link. Finally, be careful not to over-optimize your content by adding too many internal links.
Tips for improving your website's internal linking
Here are a few tips to help you easily optimize your site's internal linking:
- Add internal links from the home page to other important pages on your site: categories, products, services, etc. The fewer clicks users have to make to make a purchase or find information, the more successful your site will be!
- Avoid over-optimizing internal links on a page. Only add a limited number of quality internal links. Internal links should enhance the user experience on the web page, not muddy the waters.
- Make link anchors as relevant as possible. Make sure that the anchors you use are keywords that users are looking for.
Use unique internal links. In the content of your page, don't add several internal links to the same page.
SEO Specialist
Tiemen de Jonge is a seasoned SEO Specialist at Seeders Zwolle. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for optimizing online presence, Tiemen helps clients improve their search engine rankings and drive organic traffic to their websites. With years of experience in the digital marketing industry, Tiemen is dedicated to staying up-to-date on the latest SEO trends and techniques to deliver top-notch results for Seeders' clients.
