Link building is necessary before your content can rank. You’ll get the best results from Google if your posts and pages are linked on the web. Your internal links also help Google understand your website and how it was structured. Your site can be organized hierarchically, allowing the most important posts and pages to receive more link value than the less important ones. Your SEO can be boosted by using the right internal linking strategy! You will learn how Yoast SEO can help you with internal linking, how to approach it, and how to use it properly in this article.

What Are Internal Links?

An internal link connects one page on your website with another page on your website. Both users and search engines use links on your website to find content. You use links to help your users navigate through your website and find the content they are looking for. Your site is also navigated by search engines using links. A page will not appear if there are no links to it.

A variety of types of internal links exist. The content of your website may also contain links, in addition to those on the homepage, menu, post feed, etc. Contextual links are what we call them. Content that is related and relevant to your users can be found through contextual links. Additionally, they give search engines a better understanding of what content on your site is related and valuable. In search engine results, a significant page will appear more important if it receives more links. It is therefore crucial for your SEO to have good internal links.

Different Ways to Build Internal Linking for SEO

The internal linking strategy should be evaluated and improved regularly for your site’s SEO. This is one of the ways to make your website more fit. When you use internal links correctly, you ensure that Google understands:

It would help to consider several things when setting up your internal linking strategy. The exact steps you follow will depend on your site and your goals, but the following steps are a good starting point.

Plan Your Site’s Structure

The best way to visualize your website is as a pyramid, which is what we always recommend to website owners. Your homepage is at the top; below that, you will find some categories and sections, and further down, you will find individual posts and pages (possibly with subcategories in between).

Your website’s menu must reflect this structure. Learn how to create the best site structure for your website in our Ultimate guide to site structure.

Identify Your Most Important Content

The next step is determining which content is most important to your audience. We recommend you read our article on cornerstone content if you are unsure. Simply put, it’s your most complete and best content; it’s about your core business. When people search for topics or products you specialize in, it’s the content you want them to find.

The more links you add to this content, the more Google will know this is your most important content. Links to your cornerstone content can be found in various places. The following are the most common options, from your post’s copy to your navigation.

Link Hierarchical Pages

You should link parent pages to their child pages on your website if you have hierarchical pages. Make sure that sibling pages are linked to each other as well. An organized site should have these pages related; connecting them like this makes perfect sense.