Internal site links can result in higher search engine rankings
While most of us focus on search engine optimisation ‘wins’ in linking back from relevant sites, you may not realise that the links within the site also have an effect on search engine rankings. Savvy web development and SEO companies like iFactory use internal links wisely when developing a website.
Just like building a house with a solid internal structure helps your house stand up, so does building a website with sensible internal linking structures.
Accentuate the right words
Navigation menus and internal word links can help your users find their way around. Using ranking algorithms, search engines use these words to connect one theme with your page. So if you use ‘click here to connect’ (and link to your contact page) on several pages then ‘connect’ will be associated with your website much more than your topic. Not ideal!
What would be a good alternative? Say you are relationship counsellors. You could instead write: ‘click to connect with a relationship counsellor’. Remember though, recent algorithm changes and more natural keyword searches mean that you will want to vary your key phrases throughout the site.
Categorise your topics
Like Hansel and Gretel planned their breadcrumb trail, website breadcrumbs provide a hierarchical trail for the user to follow… all the way back to the main web page. Search engine indexers also use these breadcrumb menus to categorise pages; this is particularly helpful in online stores where there are lots of products.
Cross-link those cotton shirts to long-sleeve tees
Linking one product page to another product with related keyword-rich text is also in your best interests. Featuring ‘men’s cotton shirts’ on one page and linking it to ‘men’s long sleeve tees’ on another page can help signify that these topics are both important.
Another reason to cross-link is because linking one category page to another category page can indeed improve the relevancy and authority of those pages. So an example would be linking ‘cotton shirts’ to ‘long sleeve tees’ helpfully within the body text. Category pages are considered higher in importance (in the internal structure) than simple product pages.
Use your blog to link to products more often
When writing your blog, be aware that the topic could easily be made relevant to one of your products or services. Just hyperlink those keywords or phrase to the relevant product page on your site. If you can’t make this look natural, then either use:
- A relevant anchor text (the words hidden in the link) which describes the product page.
- Or, if it doesn’t fit the whole article, then many times a small widget will let you put “Related: Tees Category” at the bottom of the article.
All this optimisation work pays dividends. As Google understands context and relevancy, using topic or category keyword-rich links on your website will better enable Google to rank your web pages for the right keywords.
Need a helping hand with better search engine rankings for your website? Then trust our expert team at iFactory for your digital marketing strategy, web development and search engine optimisation in Brisbane.
