Google likes sites where people spend a long time searching for useful information. Search engines give such sites the most viewed places at the top.
In our article, you will learn how to increase the visitor’s time on the site using internal links. In other words, the process of setting up such links is also called interlinking the site.
Avoid the NOFOLLOW attribute in internal links
Internal links must be do-follow links.
What types of links are there?
Internal and external links have several attributes:
dofollow – a regular link.
nofollow – the link is prohibited from indexing by search engines.
Webmasters use nofollow links to avoid sharing link weight with the page of another site they link to. Another reason is more banal. Nofollow links are placed on sites with potentially dangerous content or with low-quality content. As is known, links to dubious sites negatively affect the reputation of the donor site.
Google explains in its guidelines when to use nofollow links: when “you don’t want Googlebot to follow links on your site and associate those links with your site.”
So, internal nofollow links do more harm than good.
But, there are exceptions:
- Link to a document – these can be pages with legal content. For example: User Agreement or Personal Data Processing Policy . Set noindex (indexing prohibited) for these pages.
- Link to the authorization page , password recovery and other pages that should not be indexed by search engines.
It’s okay to have a small number of internal links set to follow, but it’s better to link pages with do follow links.
Wrong
Internal link with nofollow attribute. Interesting article about alien invasion of Earth
Right
The link to another article has no attributes, which means it is a regular link (dofollow)
Create different anchor text for internal links
The text of the anchors of internal links leading to different pages should be different. Come up with names for the anchors that are close in meaning.
What is anchor text?
Anchor text is the text that links to a web address. An example of anchor text:
Identical text in internal links confuses search engines.
Let’s explain with an example. Let’s take two articles with similar content. The first article is about adjusting a car’s carburetor . The second article tells how to change filters in a car . We put two links to these articles on the site, with the same anchor text “car maintenance”. How will Google distinguish between these articles? Or at least, which article do we want visitors to find when they search for “car maintenance”?
The correct answer is: “Nobody knows.”
In this example, it is better to refer to one article with only one key query “car maintenance”. It would be more correct to even specify the query – “set up the carburetor correctly”. Another article should be given another anchor, at least like this: “replace the filter in the car”.
Link to similar articles using unique anchors only.
If your imagination for coming up with keywords has run out, look for synonyms on the Internet. Here is a good service – https://kartaslov.ru/сынонимы-к-слову .
Don’t attach internal links to headings
Content headings should contain keywords, not links.
Headings H1, H2, H3, etc. are important for SEO. Search engines use keywords in the title just like drivers use a GPS to navigate around the city. Keywords help search engines know what exactly the content is about.
A link in the title can lead a search engine robot to another page. It is hard to say what it will collect there for the search results, but it will definitely not find anything useful for the current page where you initially wanted to direct the visitor.
Don’t forget about the convenience of readers who are not used to navigating the site using headings in the content. The reader may simply not notice the link.
Check and fix broken links regularly
Links that lead to nowhere are not needed. From time to time, check the site for “broken” links using special plugins or services.
Free Plugins for Finding Broken Links
- Broken Link Checker (Chrome browser)
- Link Checker (Chrome browser)
- Check My Links (Chrome browser)
- Broken Link Checker (WordPress)
Free services for finding broken links
- Redirect Checker
- Markup Validation Service
- Broken Link Checker
- Google Search Console
- Xenu’s Link Sleuth (Windows)
Paid services for finding broken links
- Link Whisper
- Dead Link Checker
- Netpeak Spider
The main reason why broken internal links appear on a site is our own actions: deleting pages, changing the URL, a typo in the link address when installing. Make it a rule that before deleting a page or changing the URL, add a 301 redirect for it. We will talk about how to set up redirection on a site in the next paragraph.
Don’t forget to add a redirect to the deleted pages
Make sure you add a redirect for the page you removed or changed the URL for.
Redirection ensures that neither humans nor search engine bots get lost on your site. If you delete an article, redirect traffic to a similar blog post or home page. Then, remove any internal links that point to the deleted article.
For example, a few months ago, we merged several articles about user management in the CRM system into one article. Before the merger, links to these articles were posted in our business blog and knowledge base, so we had to clean them out from the entire site.
For WordPress site owners, we recommend installing the free Redirection plugin. After changing the page URL, this plugin will automatically add a redirect. Some SEO plugins can also redirect visitors. For example, Rank Math SEO has an auto-redirect function. Read about other useful SEO plugins and extensions in the review article 150 Useful Services for a Website.
Don’t make your anchor text too short or too long
Avoid using short words like “here”, “click here”, “my article”, “this”, etc. in your anchor text.
Let the anchor of your link consist of descriptive text that briefly tells the visitor the essence of the material where you are linking. Do not be lazy, add at least a couple of keywords. Potential clients are more likely to click on the link free CRM system on your domain than look CRM here . In addition, in the “eyes” of search engines, such a link will have a higher link weight.
Another disadvantage of a link with a short text: the visitor may not notice such a link. Most often, short links merge with the main text of the article, so people simply do not see them.
On the other hand, you don’t want to turn your link into a long sentence that no one will want to spend time on.
Anchor text for both internal and external links should be 6-8 words long. But in most cases, 2-4 is enough.
Internal link text is written for people, not robots
There is no need to write a complex sentence to squeeze a keyword into a link with a “perfectly” accurate search query.
Write a sentence that the reader will read without hesitation. Read the link text out loud, if you don’t like it, rewrite it. Use Russian synonyms, look at examples of internal links on other sites.
Make it a rule to think about your readers first.
The impression you make on your audience is more important than worrying about how search engine robots will understand you. Of course, you shouldn’t forget about Google, but caring about search engines, compared to people, should be in second place. Rest assured, there will always be a way to write text for an internal link for both. Try.
Conclusion: Internal links are an integral part of website promotion
Internal links help websites thrive. They pass link juice from one page to another, structure the site, and keep visitors engaged for longer. To sum it up, internal links are an integral part of a webmaster’s work when creating a website that generates income and is useful to people. Partnering with the best SEO agency can further enhance this strategy, ensuring your internal linking structure is optimized for both search engines and user experience.