Published on 13/08/2021
Updated on 23/09/2024
Links are incredibly important for SEO (search engine optimisation) as they play a pivotal role in how search engines, like Google, understand, evaluate, and rank websites. To put it simply, a website with a strong linking structure is much more likely to rank higher in search results than a website with no links, resulting in improved online visibility and therefore increased organic traffic.
Before we get into the many reasons why links are important in SEO, let’s discuss what links actually are.
What Are Internal and External Links?
In short – internal links and external links are two types of hyperlinks that connect web pages. Internal links are links that point to another page within the same website. Here’s an example of an internal link that leads to our search engine optimisation blog page.
External links, on the other hand, are links that send users to other websites (I included one just then!). If someone links to your site, then you have a backlink from them (also known as an ‘incoming link). Similarly, if you link another website, they have a backlink from you. These are what you call external links as they are links to a completely different website.
Another key difference between internal and external links is their purpose – internal links are used to keep visitors on your site for longer, improve on-page SEO and improve the overall user experience. In contrast, external links help to improve the overall credibility of your site.
Why Are Links Important in SEO? 6 Top Reasons
Both types of links have important purposes and can be very beneficial for websites.
Here are 6 reasons why links are important in SEO:
1. Google Uses Links to Rank Your Site
Links are extremely important to google, both internal and external, for different reasons.
When any website, either an external source or your own, links to your content, the link acts like a vote for that page – telling the search engine that the page is legitimate and improves its page rank. However, it is important to remember that only high-quality links will generate the best SEO results and help build traffic, and therefore pages with more high-quality backlinks tend to rank higher in search results.
Internal links are equally important when it comes to ranking your site, as they provide a clear pathway for search engine crawlers to navigate and discover different pages within your website. Learn more about search engine crawlers here.
Search engines also take into consideration the quantity and quality of internal links when determining the authority of a page, so it’s important to thread internal links throughout your content when necessary.
2. Lower Bounce Rate
Adding links, especially internal links, throughout your content is a fantastic way to lower the bounce rate.
Semrush defines ‘bounce rate’ as ‘measuring how many visitors leave a page without performing a specific action, such as filling out a form, clicking on a link or buying something’.
Adding helpful internal links within your content can guide users to other relevant pages on your website and encourage further interaction. When users navigate through your site to additional pages or related content, they are much more likely to click through and explore further. This exploration helps to keep users engaged with your site, reducing the likelihood of an immediate bounce off the site and onto another.
3. Enhanced User Experience
Both internal and external links contribute significantly to improving user experience on a website.
The main reason for this is, as touched on above, that they allow users to easily navigate between different pages. Internal links create a structured and easy-to-follow navigation system within content, whether it be a blog or product page. Visitors can use those links to seamlessly move between different pages, exploring related content and finding what they’re looking for with ease.
Think about it, if you’re reading a blog about different products and links to those products are threaded throughout the blog, you’re much more likely to end up viewing those product pages compared to if those links weren’t there. This reduces time spent looking for those products and presents a much more positive buying experience.
4. Improved Conversions
Adding quality internal links in the form of ‘call-to-actions’ can play a crucial role in improving conversions on a website by encouraging user engagement, guiding visitors through the customer purchasing journey, and creating an overall seamless and persuasive online experience.
What Are Call-to-Actions?
As well-crafted CTAs prompt users to take specific actions, such as signing up to a newsletter or purchasing a product, they automatically improve user engagement. This is not only great news for business revenue, but this increased interaction with your website sends positive signals to search engines, therefore improving SEO.
5. Increased Relevance Through Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink, and this helps search engines understand what the linked page is about.
Both internal and external links using relevant, keyword-rich anchor text provide context, making it easier for search engines to determine what content is most relevant for certain search queries.
A good example would be an internal link from a blog post about “SEO strategies” to a landing page titled “Comprehensive SEO Services”, with the anchor text “learn advanced SEO strategies”. This gives search engines strong signals about the topic of both pages, instead of an anchor text of ‘here’, in the sentence “learn more about advanced SEO strategies here“.
The word “here” doesn’t give Google any indication of what the linked page is, or how it is valuable to the user, so it’s best practice to avoid using these types of words when linking in a blog (both internally or externally).
Learn more best practices for internal linking here. Ps. I just optimised the anchor text there.
6. They Support Content Updates
Lastly, internal links support content updates and freshness.
By this we mean, linking to newer pages or updating old internal links on your website ensures your content stays fresh. Search engines prioritise up-to-date content, and internal linking to newer posts or updated content signals that your site is active and relevant.
For example, adding links to new blog posts or newly created service pages on older, high-ranking pages helps Google understand that the content remains relevant.
There we have it! We hope this post has given you an insight into the importance of link building in SEO and has got you thinking about implementing links into your own marketing strategy.
How We Can Help
At Lumen SEO, we can take care of your whole SEO strategy, including keyword research, link building, content writing and technical SEO.
If you like the sound of working with us, we offer free, no obligation SEO audits on business websites. To claim yours, simply enter your details here and we’ll get a free SEO audit to you within 24 hours.
For a friendly chat about the SEO services we provide here at Lumen SEO, contact us today. Alternatively, you can message us on either our LinkedIn or Instagram pages
Written by Kate Jones for Lumen SEO.
