Internal Links: Don't "Click Here"
So, perhaps you are not aware of the importance of internal links, so let's start with that. Every post should have an internal link leading to it, and within that post, have a link leading to another one of your posts. In effect, your site will be a giant spider's web, with links criss-crossing over it. No post should be orphaned, without a link leading to it.
One of the benefits of this is that it helps with indexing. So, if you have a post that refuses to index, make sure one of your other posts links to it. That way, the next time Google crawls your site, it can follow the link and discover your unindexed post.
Internal links also help with Bounce Rate and can keep visitors longer on your site, as they clearly lead them to where to click next for further information.
An important reason for the existence of internal links is that they help Google understand your site and can help it decide where to show your post in its search engine results pages.
One mistake that people make, is to use the words "click here" as their internal link. If you think about it, how does that tell Google or your visitors where they are being led to, and if the information is relevant to their query? Google won't see the connection between the current page it is crawling and the targeted page. You need to tell Google and your visitors about what they will find.
Here are two examples:
To find out more about how I can help you with the best SEO practices, click here
Find out more about how I can help with the best SEO practices
Which link will be clearer to Google? In the second example, you have told Google that you have a useful post about the best SEO practices, which may answer a search query.
Plus, don't forget that when people first land on a page, they quickly scan it before reading it thoroughly, to see if it will help them find the information they need. If all the links simply say "click here", they won't stop and hover over each one to see where it leads, they will simply go elsewhere, to another site. If however, there look to be interesting links, they are more likely to stay.
Accessibility is another reason not to use "click here". If somebody has a visual impairment, and is using a screen reader, it won't mean anything to them. They won't know where the link leads.
I hope this has given you something to think about, and in the future, don't Click Here!
I always put a link to another post on my website at the end of a post. I do not remember if I use the click here, I do not think so but will be extra careful in the future.
Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and may your 2021 be successful and healthy.
Greetings from the south of Spain,
Taetske
Reply
What a great reminder to use navigational internal linking and the proper use of link text that is informational: instead of clickbait-style or action style links, which the search engines now frown upon.
Some added suggestions when choosing what text to use for any of the linking, you use:
* Try to use keywords if possible
* If you can use keywords in the text link try to make the keyword the first word in the link text phrase
* The link text should make sense if read by itself
*Keep the text link as short as possible
* Do not add the word "link" within the text link
*Use a screen reader to check over all your links
I hope these additional tips will be useful,
Calvin
Internal linking does help with bounce rate for sure and as shown in the training here, by having fewer top tabs, together with Internal linking your blog then becomes 'book style' which assuming your content is of good and humour where appropriate people will stay longer and may even buy
Enjoyed it and thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing this!
Maria
