Guest post: “Using Internal Links for Search Engine Success”
Steve Tannuzzo’s guest post on “Easy SEO: How to Really Get Found on the Internet” was so popular that I asked him to write another post about SEO. By the way, the two “links” in his guest post are for the purpose of illustration only.
Using Internal Links for Search Engine Success
By Steve Tannuzzo
When it comes to no-brainer search engine optimization (SEO), there’s nothing better than strengthening your website with internal links. By “internal,” I mean links from your own blog to other pages of your own website. This practice, while easier to do than researching and linking to content from other sites, is often overlooked and may cost you in those all-important search engine rankings.
One quick note before we proceed: Internal links should never be confused with inbound links. Inbound links are links to your website from other websites. They can propel your site in the rankings, depending on which site is linking to you, as I describe in “How Inbound Links Build Your Site’s Search Engine Reputation.”
3 Tips for Powerful Internal Linking
1. Always Use Anchor Text. Your anchor text (the text that readers click on) must be specific to the content you’re linking to. This helps the search engine bots pair up anchor text and related web pages. Let’s say you’ve written an informative, insightful blog post on the potential dangers of variable annuities, and let’s say it’s a topic that comes up frequently in your discussions with your clients.
“To learn more about the dangers of variable annuities, click here.” This link will toss your beautiful content in the gaping maw of search engine oblivion, where, quite literally, millions of pages are tagged with “Click here,” and never see the light of day on the first page of Google, Yahoo! or Bing.
However, rewriting the sentence as, “Learn the hidden dangers of variable annuities,” has a much greater chance of finding its way to an impressive ranking. Be specific and accurate with your anchor text!
2. Identify Your Greatest Hits. Review your site map and previous blog posts. Which are the most popular pages? Which blog posts have the most comments? Which articles represent the most important aspects of your business model? What are your services that need the most attention or expanded information? These are the pages you should continue to link to on a regular basis. They contain content that your readers crave and they’re usually the pages that convert prospects into clients.
3. Link to Landing Pages. If you find there’s one particular topic you write about far more than any other, you should consider an internal link to a landing page you’ve built on your own website. A landing page discusses your topic in detail and always includes a very strong “call to action” which allows people to sign up for newsletters, buy certain products (books, courses, etc.), or simply pick up the phone and call you. Using internal links throughout your website will bring your readers to this landing page, but they will also bolster the page’s position in search engine rankings.
Internal linking is like casting a vote for your own site as a legitimate source for compelling content. A blog or website without internal links will appear to tell search engines that you have little or no faith in your own content. Use the tips above to put the search engines on notice that your content is strong, relevant and provides value to your clients and readers.
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Steve Tannuzzo is the owner of Tannuzzo Copywriting. He helps people grow their businesses by providing clear, goal-specific copy that gets them noticed and increases their profits. His specialties include advertising copy and social media marketing content. Visit his website at www.tannuzzo.com and follow him on Twitter @BostonProWriter.
