Search Engine Optimization And Internal Link Building

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Leave a comment

Acquiring inbound links is one of the primary priorities in search engine optimization strategies. Whilst of secondary benefit, being able to funnel the link juice from inbound links to other pages on your site is also a role of search engine optimization.

We have written several posts related to internal linking and anchor text (Anchor Text For Search Engine Optimization) and using the correct URL’s (URL’s And Search Engine Optimization) amongst other topics.

Search Engine Guide has written a very comprehensive post on the importance of internal linking with an emphasis on contextual internal linking. The post highlights the need to not only keep the internal links within the context of your content, but to also use anchor text within the context. It is a simple search engine optimization strategy that few people use to effect.

Internal links provide at least three benefits:

User Satisfaction:
If you use internal links within your content that directs the user to related content, you are adding value to their experience.

Reputation Building:
As users read your content, if they can easily find more good content on the same subject within your site you will gain a reputation for expertise within that field.

Search Engine Rankings:
Search engine optimization is all about getting the highest rankings possible for search terms. The more links that pages receive, both internal and external, the higher your pages will rank.

The final paragraph in Search Engines Guide really does sum up the search engine optimization effects of internal linking:

Improving the internal linking structure of a website will almost always improve rankings for certain pages, and sometimes quickly. Adding contextual links is a perfect strategy for giving an extra boost to specific pages for specific keywords. The battle for search engine rankings is often competitive, so every bit helps. Why ignore something that can help maximize your rankings, traffic, and sales? However, even if you don’t care about the search engines, at least do it for your site users to improve their online experience.

This is one of the better references to internal linking and well worth bookmarking for future reference. As this last paragraph suggests, when it comes to search engine optimization, every little bit helps!

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