SEO 101: On-Page Optimization Part 5
Without further ado, I give you…Part 5! In this edition, Matt and Josh tackle Internal Link Optimization. If you missed last week’s Part 4, check out how to do basic keyword research.
Internal Link Optimization
Proper linking between pages of your website, if done right, will help retain the total link popularity of your site and will also distribute your site’s overall link popularity value to your most important pages.
Internal links serve to share or distribute link popularity among all pages of your site. Links on your site that point to other websites can decrease link popularity from those pages that contain outbound links, while links from other sites can increase your site’s total link popularity.
Use text-based links
Stay away from using image based links if possible. Although search engines can follow these types of links, the link itself is devalued from an optimization standpoint. Always use text-based links to help pass link popularity from one page to the next.
Search engines will look for relevancy between the text link and destination page to apply that link popularity.
Use keywords in link text
Part of search engines’ ranking algorithms include checking the text of a link against text on the linked-to page. Don’t use “Click here” or “Home” as the text of a link, as these are not relevant.
Link from your homepage or sitemap
If your web site is relatively small (less than 10 pages or so), your home page can effectively function as your sitemap page. If you have a larger site, this becomes unwieldy and you need a separate sitemap page. Add content to your sitemap page - it should not consist of only links.
A sitemap page functions as an “index” to your site and is invaluable for the following reasons:
- Helps Google find and crawl other pages on your site quickly
- Helps your customers find what they need quickly
- Helps distribute your site’s link popularity to other important pages
Don’t miss next week’s wrap up of SEO 101’s on-page optimization section! And be sure to email us at askjar@thejargroup to see how we can help boost your SEO!
