Using Internal Links for Search Engine Optimization

Links on your website to other pages on your website are known as internal links, meaning all traffic stays on your website.

The internal links on your website, and more important, the words used in the internal links are a very important part of your organic search engine optimization efforts and can make a big difference!

Here is a quick guide to maximizing the click-throughs and effectiveness of your internal website links:

1. Do not ever use the words “more info” or “read more” or “click here” as the text for a link. That information is pretty much useless! Make sure your link text uses keywords or longtail key phrases that tell the visitor more about where the link will take them and what they will find when they get there.
2. Include more than one link to each page on your website. Do not rely on ONLY the link in the navigation to direct users to the pages in your site. Include links throughout the content of each page where appropriate to interlink the pages and make it more intuitive for the visitor to move through your site.
3. Make sure your links are appropriate and relevant. If the web page is about “tips for knitting scarves” a link for “best yarn for knitting scarves” or “learn to knit a scarf” would be great link choices. A link to “Crocheting a Baby Blanket” wouldn’t be very relevant.
4. Include a title for your links in the HTML code to give the search robots more relevant keyword rich text to search.

The HTML of a typical link looks like this:

The HTML of an optimized link looks like this:

Don’t over do it! Too many links on your page can affect your ranking as well. Make sure all of your links are purposeful and add to the ease of the users experience.