There are so many ways to boost search visibility through internal links. By determining the most important pages, guiding crawlers through the site, and highlighting the context of each page, they can help search engines identify your site’s most important pages.

Furthermore, you can do much more than just link relevant pages together. I will discuss three specific ways to boost your internal linking structure in order to increase your pages’ authority. We will also discuss:

Intro of Internal Links

The term internal link refers to a link leading to another page on the same website. Internal links can be implemented by an SEO or webmaster (unlike external links, which connect your website to an outside source).

Underlined text on this webpage links to another web page, so it is an internal link!

internal links

internal links

5 Types of Internal Links

Understanding how internal links work, their subtypes, and how they are treated will allow you to gain authority and get acclaim for your expertise and how the links are treated concerning one another.

  1. Navigation Links

One of the easiest internal links to identify is a navigation link or universal link. All websites provide navigation links in the header or footer section of their home pages, so visitors can quickly get a sense of what is important on your website.

In most cases, each homepage navigation bar or menu item links to each part of the website, leading the user from the home page to other parts of the website.

  1. Category Links

Alternatively, a category link can be used as an internal link. They can be found in the left navigation and often show refinements when searching for a product or subtopic.

Dynamic navigation and filters are terms used to describe such links. Making sure your site structure is optimized and paying attention to category links can greatly impact your organic traffic.

  1. Content Links

After drilling down from navigation and category links, content links can also be found. Not many companies use this type of internal link, but the companies that do see big results. By linking to content on your site, you provide context for the copy.

In the case of a travel site, there is a vast difference between Rome, Italy, and Rome, Indiana. By placing a content link in your text, your users will be able to tell which Rome you’re referring to.

Some companies often overlook it, but the key text in these links serves very well to provide your site visitors with more in-depth context.

  1. Product Links

Links to products and services are also internal links on the product and service pages. A cross-sell or up-sell opportunity can be found at the bottom of a web page and similar products listed on that same webpage.

These links help crawlers and visitors find related products. In addition to using unique and detailed product descriptions that go beyond keywords, it is also important to show how your website’s products are related.

  1. Internal Link Modules

Companies that employ internal link modules are among the most intelligent. The fewer clicks search engines have to make on your site, the better your site’s position in search engine results and the greater the traffic it receives. Almost every website uses a hierarchical taxonomy.

There are numerous layers of information in this structure, and because it involves drilling down into a lot of them, it’s not always easy to find the information you want.

A deep link bypasses the traditional tree-like hierarchy for faster discovery of the right topics. Using deep links, internal link modules provide shortcuts to reference other parts of a website much faster.

The Solid Internal Linking Strategies Principles

You should always apply some key principles when developing an internal linking strategy. Consider these questions before interlinking:

  1. Do I Link To The Most Important Pages?

Many sites make the mistake of including every internal link they can think of just to get that on-page optimization checkbox ticked. Rather, you should always be mindful of the number of links and only link to the most valuable pages.

  1. Are They Easily Accessible?

Users and crawlers will have a harder time reaching a page that is higher up in the hierarchy. Therefore, please link directly to the page whenever possible, thereby creating the shortest possible path to it.

  1. Is The Anchor Text I Use In Those Links Accurate And Consistent?

If so, Google will determine what the page is about based on that text. Therefore, consider your anchor text carefully when describing the destination page. As much as possible, avoid ambiguous or generic phrases like “Click Here” or “Read More”.