Internal linking is an effective SEO strategy that involves creating hyperlinks that connect one page on a website to another within the same domain.
Although internal linking can often be overlooked to focus on creating external links, internal links have the power to contribute significantly to your overall search ranking.
In this guide, we’ll cover some of the key information on internal linking, including the benefits of internal linking for SEO.
Let’s get into it.
Are Internal Links Good For SEO?
In short, yes! Internal links are incredibly important for your SEO in that they help users and search engines understand your website better.
They’re also part of the ranking factors that determine where your website ranks on search.
When you consider that ‘42% of SEOs spend equal time on building internal and external links’, it’s clear how important internal links are for your overall SEO strategy.
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There are several important benefits of internal linking for SEO.
They include, but are not limited to:
1. Internal Links Enhance User Experience
Firstly, internal linking is beneficial in that it enhances user experience.
In the context of SEO, user experience essentially boils down to how easy your site is to navigate as well as how useful it is to users.
Internal linking helps to enhance the user experience by making your website seamless to navigate, enabling users to move easily from one page to another.
By linking to related and, more importantly, relevant content, you’re helping your readers discover more valuable information without them having to carry out additional research.
This not only keeps users engaged for longer but also indicates the value of your content to search engines like Google.
When you consider that ‘42% of SEOs spend equal time on building internal and external links’, it’s clear how important internal links are for your overall SEO strategy.
2. They Improve Crawl Efficiency
Another benefit is that internal links improve crawl efficiency.
Crawling is the way search engines, like Google, navigate your site to discover new and updated pages to add to their search engine. It’s also the way they learn what your content is about.
By internally linking throughout your website, you simplify this process for search engines, allowing their bots to discover new pages to index and rank, all of which will support your SEO efforts.
The crawlability of your website is especially important when you’re updating your website regularly, as you want this content to be discovered by Google as quickly as possible for you to begin ranking for your chosen keywords.
3. They Help With Illustrating A Site Hierarchy
Internal linking can also organise the content on your site, helping to illustrate a site hierarchy, which is great for your SEO.
For instance, you might have a main page that covers how to pack furniture that links to several other posts on how to pack a desk, mirrors, and more.
You can link these pages together and, in turn, create a logical hierarchy that reflects the different categories and topics covered on your website.
Organisation is especially important as your site grows because your users and Google won’t be able to easily use or get the most out of a cluttered site.
This hierarchy will act as a map for users and search engines alike to navigate your site easily and efficiently. It’s a win-win.
Internal linking can also organise the content on your site, helping to illustrate a site hierarchy.
4. They Allow You To Boost Page Authority
Next up, internal links allow you to build page authority.
What Is Page Authority?
In short, page authority indicates how likely a page is to rank on search results.
When used strategically, internal links pass link authority to your pages, helping to increase the authority of both pages.
Internal linking helps you consolidate the authority of your site through the process of linking these pages together, in turn, spreading link equity.
By creating relevant and descriptive internal links, you can create a network that allows authority to flow to every corner of your website.
To learn more about the best practices for internal linking, be sure to check out our blog.
5. They Improve Engagement
Lastly, a huge benefit of internal linking is that these links can improve engagement.
You want your users to spend as much time as possible on your website, and internal linking can help you to just that.
Think about it. If your readers are already reading useful content, and you encourage them to read more relevant and valuable content through an internal link, they’re likely going to spend more time within your domain.
By providing easy access to more valuable information through the use of internal links, you will improve the average time spent on a page, which is around 53 seconds across industries.
This will also indicate to Google that your site is packed with useful and engaging content, which can significantly impact your search rankings.
You want your users to spend as much time as possible on your website, and internal linking can help you to just that.
How We Can Help
If you’re not sure where to get started with internal linking, look no further than Lumen SEO.
Our experienced SEO specialists will take care of your entire SEO strategy, including keyword research, links, content, and technical SEO.
Get in touch today to request your free website audit or to learn more about our services and how you can get started.
Written by Jemima for Lumen SEO.
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