4 Steps to Improve Your Content Linking Strategy

For SEO experts, much of the effort has always fallen on performing site audits to make sure that their sites appear in the top positions in search engine results. Content linking strategy is one of the most critical factors for website success. Often, SEOs and marketers tend to overlook it, a little distracted by the variety of SEO tactics and options available today.

If we were to compare SEO with a house, content linking would have an essential role. You can think of it as the framework of the SEO house. So, if you look at the content linking strategy from this perspective, you understand that you shouldn’t build a site without this critical component. Wondering what steps you can take to improve content linking strategy? Then this article is for you.

1. Add internal links to your content

Long articles are good for your blog for many reasons. They allow you to come up with consistent information for your readers but also benefit your SEO. In terms of SEO, a 2000+-word article offers you plenty of space to include keywords and practice all the SEO techniques you have studied to ensure a high ranking.

Before adding certain links to your content, you should first think from your readers’ perspective. For instance, if you wrote an article about Instagram marketing strategies, you can add links related to content optimization, how to build a successful Instagram profile, or how to search and choose relevant hashtags.

Each of the pages that you redirect your readers to should be content-dense. This will add more value to your articles instead of shifting your visitors’ attention. When you add links to lighter pages, you waste that opportunity. Your audience expects information from a page that is as dense and accurate as the one they already read –getting to a page that doesn’t bring detailed information will disappoint your audience and make them less loyal to your brand.

2. Audit your internal links constantly

Once you have added internal links to your content, this doesn’t mean that your work is over. As your posts get older, so do the links. For example, imagine how your readers would feel if they love one of your articles and want to get more information on the topic by accessing the links you inserted in the content –only to find out the link is outdated or the page has disappeared.

It is crucial not to disappoint your readers and build a professional image. Apart from keeping your readers happy, this exercise will also help Google index your content properly and increase your ranking. When updating your posts, always explain what updates you did –this will let your readers know that the old content is still available but they can benefit from updated information if they read the new posts.

This is also an excellent opportunity to update any outdated information. Statistics and studies change permanently, bringing updates on various topics. By updating your content, you will show your audience that you pay attention to details and care about them receiving the latest information available.

3. Keep a logical flow

Even though you want to focus all your attention on improving your content linking strategy, you shouldn’t go overboard with internal links. When you add too many links, your content will seem spammy and might scare readers away rather than attract them to your content. Also, when you exaggerate, your readers will become tired and will be less likely to click on all the links and read additional information.

Even though the temptation might be big, you should only add links to those areas where your readers would benefit from additional content. Links become truly helpful and increase the chance that your readers will click on them and read the content you posted in the past only if they make sense.

4. Pay attention to how you build anchor text

The anchor text is critical in raising your readers’ curiosity. It also improves the links’ value and increases the chances that the site’s visitors will click on them. A golden rule when you create anchor text is to keep it as descriptive as possible. It should clearly mention what the respective link points to.

For example, if you want to take your readers to a study that you published in the past, you shouldn’t just create the backlink for the word study, without adding any additional information to it. Instead, add a link to a phrase where you mention at least the study’s name and when it was published. Your readers will immediately understand where any link will redirect them and decide whether it is interesting enough to click on it.

Another important rule is to not link to more than five words when building the anchor text to eliminate any confusion. When you create entire link sentences, you decrease the chances that your readers will be curious enough to click on that link.

Conclusion

The most important goal that any website should have is to provide a seamless user experience. A well-developed link strategy helps you achieve this goal and make your readers talk about your site. When a reader discovers excellent content –which is not only relevant but also filled with interesting links that bring them additional information on a particular topic– he is more likely to talk about it with other people.

A good content linking strategy should lead to readers spending more time on your website and interacting with your content better. This will get you an advantage over the competition and help you consolidate your position on the market.

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** About the Author: Daniela McVicker is a blogger with rich experience in writing about UX design, content planning, and digital marketing. She contributes to EssayGuard, where she helps individuals and organizations improve their web content writing, design, and planning skills. Her posts are always packed with examples and actionable content that readers can put straight into action.