Yes, the “hub and spoke” model. We identify key topics relevant to our audience, e.g., “Call Tracking for Enterprises”. Then, we have the content creation team create in-depth pillar pages on these topics to offer knowledge and optimize for relevant keywords. We come up with a series of shorter but focused blog posts that form the “spoke” pages. Each spoke page links back to its relevant pillar page, which provides context and establishes a hierarchal structure. We place internal links within pillar and spoke pages. The links guide users deeper into relevant subtopics and related services we offer. Our organic traffic has grown by 25%, which we attribute to the improved ranking of our pillar pages. We have also seen a +17% in our qualified links from strategically linking spoke pages to relevant conversion points- landing pages and contact forms.
A strong internal linking strategy is important for any website, ensuring Google can find and rank pages, and better understand the relationships between your content. Internal links allow users to navigate more intuitively, help to establish an information hierarchy, and spread link equity (ranking power) around a site. For one of our clients, an architectural and planning specialist, we noticed they had minimal internal linking. After a thorough audit, we implemented improvements in several areas with the aim of benefitting both the clients’ users and Google. Our recommendations focused on five key areas - the first of which was Vertical Linking. The site had quite a lateral structure, so we recommended that top-level pages (broad topics) link to sub-pages (related subtopics), and those link to even more specific pages that targeted long-tail keywords. Next, we looked at Horizontal Linking. Although generally in a good state, we thought that further improvements were needed, including reciprocal links from all key services and high-level pages. Additionally, we thought the client could make better use of their Backlink Profile. To boost the site's existing backlink profile and spread link equity across the site further, we linked from pages with the highest amount of incoming backlinks to as many other areas of the site as possible in a natural, user-beneficial way. This was done through optimising existing copy or creating targeted new content as appropriate. Finally, we looked at Anchor Text Improvements and Isolated URLs (i.e. URLs with only one internal link) . Anchor text, or the clickable text of a link, can improve the value of an internal link by targeting a relevant keyword or term. We ensured that all internal links had descriptive anchor text to help improve overall site accessibility. For Isolated URLs, we linked to these pages from across the site, which helped to spread link equity to pages that weren't historically linked to particularly well. In terms of results, the three month period following the implementation of our internal link strategy saw a 22% increase in desktop visibility and several smaller improvements to user dwell time metrics.
One internal linking strategy I’ve found highly effective at Explainerd is creating a strong, topic-based content structure. We build clusters of content around key topics, ensuring each piece links to a cornerstone page that covers the subject comprehensively. This approach helps guide visitors deeper into our site, improving user experience while boosting our SEO. After implementing it, we noticed a marked increase in organic traffic and a higher ranking for our cornerstone pages. It also reduced bounce rates since users are naturally directed to more relevant content.
I have written over 50 blogs on our website. Initially, they were indexed; however, after a year, around 40 of them gradually became deindexed. I analyzed the website and found that most of the SEO and content factors that led to success were up to the mark. Nevertheless, I improved internal linking by adding a column dedicated to featuring similar blogs at the bottom of each post. With the help of this internal linking strategy, 95% of the deindexed blogs are now successfully appearing in Google SERPs. In my opinion, we should continuously perform A/B testing through internal linking strategies to optimize and refine our results.
My approach to internal link strategy is something like this: 1. Placing relevant internal links within the first few paragraphs of the posts (avoiding the first paragraph). 2. Using descriptive anchor text that includes target keywords. I try to maintain a 60:40 ratio for keywords. 3. Creating pillar content and topic clusters so that I can create multiple related content pieces that link back to the pillar page and to each other. 4. Adding links to the most important pages in the main navigation. 5. Contextually linking to related content within the site. 6. Do regular content audits to review and update the content, adding new internal links where relevant and remove or update broken links. Implemented this approach for a new client and within 60 days, we saw a 10% improvement in organic traffic. During this time, nothing else was done other than publishing new content. We also saw an increase in "indexed pages" and traffic to older articles.
An internal linking strategy that has worked well for us focuses on enhancing user engagement metrics, a crucial factor in SEO after the 2024 Google Algorithm update. Google now pays close attention to "good clicks vs. bad clicks" and user behavior on your site. We carefully structure our internal links by modeling what's already working for top competitors and building pillar pages that serve as hubs for key topics. These pages are methodically interlinked throughout the site, guiding users to deeper content while keeping them engaged longer. Our strategy also significantly emphasizes micro-conversions, such as adding downloadable content like whitepapers or guides. These not only enhance engagement but also foster trust. The true success, however, lies in the observation of user behavior on the site. A longer average time on page and increased scrolling indicate 'good clicks' to Google, leading to improved SEO results. In essence, our strategy is not just about internal linking as a technical maneuver, but about the delivery of valuable content that sustains user interest, thereby boosting rankings and attracting more qualified traffic.
Yes, I like to keep my internal linking straightforward and use anchor text that is as close to the targeted keyword of the page I am creating the internal link for. This helps the bots of search engines show that this is the most recommended page for that keyword and the best representation of that anchor text. The other thing I tell my clients with internal linking strategies is that we always link up or across same levels in the chain of site structure hierarchy, but never down. This means on the Homepage, top of the hierarchy, you would not do internal linking in the content to specific blog posts. It helps to communicate your site structure and what is informational vs. commercial vs. transactional content.
To improve our website’s performance considerably, I proactively implemented a successful internal linking strategy. The approach we followed focused on creating topic clusters and using pillar pages and here is how it worked for us- Initially, my team helped me identify the main topics. Afterward, I created comprehensive pillar pages for each. We used effective keyword research tools to identify your most valuable topics. I always make sure that these topics align well with our business goals. After this step, we linked related blog posts and articles to these pillar pages. This step is performed using relevant anchor text. The most critical aspect here was to ensure that the pillar pages must be linked back to the supporting content. In addition, we took the help of tools that can effectively analyze our existing content while suggesting relevant internal linking opportunities at the same time. Here’s a tip- I made sure to have regular content audits. It helped me reveal l overlooked linking opportunities. Not only this but it helped me maintain a healthy site structure. Sometimes, I encountered potential older posts, that were overlooked. Honestly, this approach gave impressive results. It's been a total of six months since its implementation and we have observed a significant increase in organic traffic to our pillar pages. Above all, the average time on page for these pillar pages increased by 50%. And, it clearly indicates better user engagement! Apart from a boost in user engagement, we noticed a reduction in bounce rate across the site. It means that users were exploring more of our content, and especially, through these internal links. With all my experience, I suggest you add "related posts" sections at the bottom of articles. It encourages readers for further exploration. This approach has helped us improve our SEO results and enhance user experience by providing more relevant, interrelated content.
This is where, in digital marketing, I find it working wonders to follow a strategic approach of having the content silo structure in internal linking. The following is how I generally structure it, which works great: Scout the complete content of one topic and structure it into clusters. Create deep pillar content around topics. Create cluster content targeting specific aspects of a topic. Employ bi-directional linking: pillar content links to the supporting pages, and supporting pages link back to the pillar and other related support content. Use varied, relevant anchor text for internal links. Audit regularly to uncover more link opportunities. This strategy I have applied to an e-commerce client in the home décor niche. Six months into running the strategy, we saw phenomenal results: Organic traffic: +67% Average time on site: +22% 15% increase in pages per session; 28% increase in keyword rankings for target terms. This was possible through the creation of a clear and logical structure, which greatly enhanced the navigation of the site for both users and search engine. It enhanced topical relevance signals and distributed link equity more efficiently throughout the site. That works very well for content-heavy websites, but it can be done on smaller ones, too. The point is, that it's just about being consistent and following through with regular reviews to ensure the internal linking structure remains effective by adding new content.
One internal linking strategy that I always suggest is to use Google Search to identify relevant pages within your own website. By using the "site:domain name + keyword" search operator, you can discover pages that Google deems as relevant to a specific keyword. This provides a valuable resource for internal linking opportunities. For example, if you're writing a new article about "SEO best practices," you can search for "site:domain SEO best practices" to find existing articles on your website that discuss related topics. These pages can then be linked within your new articles, creating a strong internal linking structure and enhancing user navigation. By implementing this strategy, I've consistently observed positive results. It has led to improved search engine rankings, increased organic traffic, and enhanced user experience.
Some clients will only have the budget for building a single services page on their website, which greatly limits the keywords that can be targeted, and the number of pages that can be linked to internally. But when clients invest in building out a large number of services/features pages (all optimised, of course), they can increase their footprint significantly. Not just by showing up for more keywords in Google, but by having more pages that can be linked to across the site. This is my favourite way to set up a site for internal linking success and always recommend it when the client has enough budget to create the pages and content. As an added bonus, if the pages are written and designed well, they're great for conversion, too!
Identify and Prioritize High-Value Pages: Determine which pages are most valuable (e.g., service pages, landing pages, or high-converting blog posts). These pages should receive the most internal links since they contribute directly to business goals.
Yes, I implemented an internal link strategy that significantly improved our site's SEO performance and user engagement. I conducted a thorough audit to identify high-value pages and then used contextual links within blog posts, landing pages, and product descriptions to guide users to these key areas. This approach not only enhanced our site's crawlability but also led to a 19% boost in average session duration over six months. By prioritizing a logical linking hierarchy and providing users with valuable content pathways, we saw improved rankings and more engaged visitors.
The internal linking strategy I recently implemented has increased search traffic to specific pages by 12% and the number of leads by 6%. This strategy involves finding the top-performing and high-revenue-generating pages and featuring them in the site's header. Here's how I implemented it: The first step was to identify the high-converting pages or pages that we want to rank at the top for target keywords. Using GA4 goal conversion, we could easily find those pages with high conversion rates. At this point, we knew that if we could increase the number of visitors to these pages, we would generate more leads, considering their high conversion rates. So, we planned to create a 'Featured' section in the header to include these top-priority pages. This linking strategy has helped our website in two ways: It reduced the crawl depth and increased the PageRank of those pages—helping improve their rank positions and drive more traffic. After almost 30 days, we noticed that 40% of the pages featured in the header section had improved their ranking positions. This led to an increase in the number of leads generated by 6%, as more users were clicking on those featured pages from the header. So, my recommendation for SEOs is to utilize your header and footer sections by featuring high-converting pages. This strategy will also help if you want to improve the ranking of your important pages.
We started writing blogs three years ago, but it was only during the past year that we started paying attention to internal links. It was driving us crazy going in and out of the website, putting in links that we had initially forgotten to add. That's when we started writing our blog post titles, objectives, and collaborators in a spreadsheet. So now, before posting a blog, we go to our spreadsheet and link to our other blog posts and website pages. It has helped us do internal linking only once and get it right!
After publishing a new article, we always update all the old articles. We use Google's search operator "site:ourdomain.com" to find all the relevant articles where we can insert a link to our new article. We've noticed that this makes new articles get indexed by Google faster and start getting views. We use the same approach for sponsored articles on other websites. When we post sponsored content, we link to old articles on the same site, and we see results - our old sponsored articles move up in rankings.
One effective internal linking strategy that has been successful was to be strong within each hub on the site. Link internally in each of them with a mix of exact matching anchors and related anchors (be careful). The main (or pillar content if you may) pages should cross-link naturally over the "hubs" and this will lead to recognition over the domain. Results: page rankings for subpages and each main page improved. You have to do this strategically and thoughtful.
The strategy will look toward using both commercial pages and blog pages to create an integrated internal linking structure that allows for developing better overall site architecture and user experience. It is important in my strategy that links are not one-off things on the same page, but instead are done with various anchor texts to avoid keyword cannibalization and enhance the contextual relevance of such links. First of all, in developing this strategy, I will be doing broad keyword research with the help of tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Keyword Planner. I then scrape all relevant keywords and group them according to their search intent and thematic relevance. I'll identify about 10-15 keywords that will serve as anchors for each target page, making sure those keywords fit the content and SEO goals of the page. Moreover, I employ SEO automation tools that help me with internal linking. Such tools specify the exact keywords for every page, insert them into the content automatically, considering the parameters I set for keyword density and placement. This is my regular procedure for maintaining internal linking consistency, which not only boosts the ranking in search engines but also improves the user journey by leading the visitor through similar content. The results have been quite clear: clients have recorded increased organic traffic, higher engagement rates, and rising keyword positions. For instance, the main keywords that ranked from 30th to 40th position have risen to top 5th to 10th positions.
At NOLA Buys Houses, we've had great success with neighborhood-focused content guides. We create in-depth articles about each area of New Orleans, covering local attractions, schools, and market trends. This strategy has really boosted our local SEO and established us as neighborhood experts. Our organic traffic is up 75% since launching these guides! We make sure to interlink them with relevant listings and resources. It's been awesome for attracting local sellers and building trust. I'd definitely recommend creating hyper-local content if you wanna establish authority in your market!
Grailify is a platform for sneaker releases and restocks. We list thousands of products on our platform and write daily news articles about sneakers. For a long time, this meant that search engines did not know which pages to rank, so that irrelevant news articles that we couldn't monetize were often ranked above the important category pages. We developed a sophisticated interlinking strategy so that we always linked the important category pages in our news articles. After a few months, the category pages had received hundreds of internal links from news posts. This signal caused the search engines to prioritize the category pages more than the news articles, which in turn meant that the news posts disappeared from the search results and the relevant category pages were ranked instead.