Let’s begin with understanding what internal linking is.
In simple words, internal linking is the process of creating links within a website, linking one page to another. It helps users to navigate through a website by providing a hierarchy of content and shows the relationship between different pages on the same site.
Internal linking is an important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) that is often overlooked by website owners. When implemented properly, it can improve the visibility of your WordPress site on search engine results pages (SERPs) and increase its overall authority.
In this article, we’ll explore how internal linking can help in your website’s SEO.
Ways in which internal linking can improve your website’s SEO
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Boosting page authority
Internal linking helps boost the authority of individual pages on your website. When you link to a page with other pages on your site, you are essentially passing on some of the authority and relevance of those pages to the linked page. This can help increase the visibility of the linked page in search results, making it more likely to be found by potential visitors.
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Creating topic clusters
Topic clusters are groups of related content that are organized around a central topic or theme. By linking related pages together, you are signaling to search engines that those pages are part of a larger topic cluster, which can help boost your website’s authority.
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Improving crawlability
When search engine bots crawl your site, they follow links to discover new pages and content. With internal linking, you can ensure that search engines can easily find and index most of your content and pages.
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Enhancing user experience
Internal linking helps visitors find more information about a particular topic, thus, increasing engagement and keeping visitors on your site for longer periods of time.
Best practices to maximize internal linking’s SEO benefits
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Use descriptive anchor text
While creating internal links, use descriptive anchor text accurately reflecting your linked page’s content. This can help search engines and users understand the context of the linked page.
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Link to relevant content
Ensure to link to relevant content within your website. Linking to unrelated pages or content can confuse search engines and visitors and may negatively impact your SEO.
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Use a logical site structure
Create a logical site structure that makes it easy for search engines and visitors to navigate your site. Use categories and tags to group related content, and make sure that your internal links follow a logical hierarchy.
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Use a plugin
If you are unsure which posts you want to link to, then you’ll often find it faster and easier to add internal links in WordPress with the help of a plugin like All in One SEO.
This plugin includes a Link Assistant feature that allows you to add the link to your old and new content without opening the post. Plus, it provides detailed link reports, link recommendations and more.
Conclusion
Internal linking is an important aspect of SEO in WordPress that can help to improve the visibility and authority of your website. By linking to relevant content within your site and following best practices, you can maximize the SEO benefits of internal linking and create a better user experience for your visitors.
To leverage maximum benefits of SEO, it is highly recommended to outsource SEO services to established and reputable companies like Bluehost. While you focus on important areas of your business, our experts can work on getting your website ranked on top search sites like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. To know more about our SEO services, request a free consultation today!
