The Invisible Hand of Your Website

Yesterday for myself was all about creating post clustered around my main post and keyword. Today is all about connecting the dots and building authority while giving my readers a logical next step.

A website without internal links is just a pile of pages. The problem with that is Google and your readers do not have a next step or pathway to follow. That is why you need an invisible hand to point out the next direction they should go. You accomplish this with linking.

Think of internal links as the hallways in your digital house. If you build 20 beautiful rooms (your content cluster) but forget the doors and hallways, your guests (and Google) are just going to climb out the window when they are done reading.

For the reader, it's about the "Next Logical Step." If they are reading about How to choose a fishing pole, the link to Best reels for beginners is the helpful hand guiding them deeper into your world. This keeps them on your site and gives you more opportunity.

As for Google, it’s more about Authority. When all your "tentacle" posts link back to one main "pillar" post, you are shouting to search engines: "This is the most important page on this topic!"

The Amazing Linking Checklist for Wednesday:

1. Use Descriptive Text: Don't link the words "Click here." Link the actual topic, like [how to start an online business]. It tells Google (and readers) exactly what to expect on the other side of your link.
2. The Deep Dive: Link from new posts to old ones, but don't forget to go back to old posts and link them to your new ones.
3. Don't Overdo It: 3 to 5 high-quality, relevant links per post is usually the "sweet spot" and keeps your articles clean without overloading it full of links.

If you have some posts with no links, you should go back and find a way to connect them to something else that is relevant. An orphaned post could serve you better with invisible hands.

Do you find yourself overthinking your links, or do you just add them naturally as you write? Also, do you have another suggestion to solve your linking process? Or do you use the lazy and boring Link Whisper plug in? Hint- This will be a future post as I used to use Link Whisper, but wisely quit that nonsense.