October 10, 2017

3 User Friendly Interlinking Strategies

Article Categories

Michael Jenkins
Michael Jenkins

CEO - Shout Agency
[email protected]

Overview

Your site changes as you continue creating content. It happens in the transition from a dearth of content to a surplus of content. You create so much content you might not want to repeat yourself constantly by explaining the same processes.

That is where friendly interlinking comes into play. By using friendly interlinks on your website, you see how your website authority spreads across the site.

Now you have enough content to guide visitors through different pages full of information.

Interlinking is an important part of any website’s SEO strategy. It helps to boost the ranking of pages, as well as providing users with additional information and resources. Interlinking also helps to keep readers engaged, as they are able to navigate through your website more easily.

The most effective interlinking strategies involve creating a web of related content that links back and forth between different pages on your website. This ensures that readers don’t get lost in the content, while also helping search engines to better understand the structure of your website.

One of the most user-friendly interlinking strategies is using anchor texts in your blog posts and articles. Anchor texts are clickable words or phrases that link back to other pages within your website or external websites. They make it easy for readers to find additional information without having to search for it manually.

The challenge is how do you link these pages together, so you can improve the user experience and search engine traffic. We discuss some strategies below to help you with this process.

3 strategies for Improving User Friendly Interlinking

1. Internal Link Audi

The process starts with an internal link audit. You use this audit to make sure Google and your readers can access your content pieces. You also want to determine how each page interacts with the others.

While you did a good job linking to previous articles, an audit helps you find additional linking opportunities. This is your chance to add links to related content.

For example, if two pages use the keyword “search engine optimisation” in the URL and anchor text you want to connect them if possible. It helps the user navigate to find more SEO information, while staying on your website.

Additionally, Google recognises the power of your efforts with increased search traffic.

Look through the content on your website. Then go through the links on your websites.

Avoid links that search engines cannot parse like:

  • Disallowed page links that in your robots.tx file
  • Search bar or submission field links
  • Embedded plugin links (e.g. Java or Flash)
  • Website pages with more than 150 links (e.g. Round Up Posts, Guides, etc.)

Once you know what to avoid, start looking for patterns on your pages. Early pages especially do not have enough links. Double check the formatting as well. Going back to these early posts helps you in multiple ways, which is one of the reasons why an audit is vital. It helps you bring more search power to your early posts.

First, you can update the information for any changes that occurred since you first wrote this content. This happens continuously in our field.

Second, you can add internal links for content that was not created at the time you wrote the post. One blog post often inspires another post. If you created the second post since you wrote the first, you might want to link them.

If you need help with your next internal link audit contact us at Shout for help.

2. User experience (UX)

Once you audit your website for friendly interlinking, you need to look at how this improves the website UX.

Each internal website link potentially increases the time a visitor spends on your website. The links you added should provide value for Google and help your customers stay on your site longer devouring your information.

Use a pyramid formation for your internal linking structure. Think of the home page as the cornerstone piece. The categories go below, and relevant blog and product pages follow this structure.

It is okay to link to your home page occasionally. You must spend the majority of your friendly interlinks on your pyramid pages below (posts, product, and website pages).

Additionally, do your best to make sure that every website page and/or post is only 3 links or less from your home page. Any farther, and it will reduce the significance of the page in the minds of your users and Google.

Create a resource page to your top blog posts and website pages, so the links are easy to find and index.

(Source: Sources of Insight)

3. Fix your broken links

Finally, fix the broken links on your website. Broken links happen. As your website ages and/or the structure changes. When a change happens, sometimes the links do not forward to the correct URL.

Many broken link tools exist to help you find broken links on your website as well the back links to your site.

Even Firefox and Google Chrome have their own broken link tools. If you need more, then check out the CognitiveSEO tool.

Final Thoughts

Creating an internal linking structure to your website has a lot of benefits for a website owner. The key is to make sure your website structure has the right links going to the right pages. It takes time to do this, but is well worth the effort.

If you need help running an audit for your friendly interlinking structure, then give us a Shout. We would be happy to give you a free consulting session to get you started.

Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

    Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

    Be smarter than the rest of your team.

    Give us your email address and we promise to send you the best articles on a wide spectrum of digital marketing topics to help your business grow to the next level.
    This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Be smarter than the rest of your team.

    Give us your email address and we promise to send you the best articles on a wide spectrum of digital marketing topics to help your business grow to the next level.

      Book a free 45 minute consultation today.

        Shout logo in grey

        As Founder and Director of Shout Web Strategy, Michael Jenkins is at the forefront of digital marketing. Since it’s inception in 2009, Shout has built a strong reputation as one of Australia’s leading strategic SEO agencies, assisting online businesses to formulate, implement and track successful marketing strategies. Michael is a respected thought leader and digital strategist, specialising in online strategy, corporate SEO, Google retargeting, email and conversion rate optimisation, and online reputation management. Follow Michael on Google+, connect with him through LinkedIn or visit the Shout Web Strategy website.

        Up next