Internal linking what. Linking Secrets. Variable through view

Linking is a must for every website. A guest of your resource, by clicking on a link or through a search engine, receives the necessary information, and also receives an addition to it or finds something interesting for themselves by clicking on internal thematic links.

Let's learn how to properly carry out internal linking, what internal site optimization is and analyze the methods of its promotion.

Linking is the linking of pages of several or one site using links.

Linking a site is an important part of its SEO-optimization, and is also the most effective method of its promotion.

Thanks to a properly organized system, you can significantly increase the position of the site in the main search engines, namely Yandex and Google:

Types of linking

Experts divide linking into:

external;
internal.

External linking

This type of linking involves placing links on the pages of one site to another. And since each link has a certain weight, such a redirect to another resource increases the performance of the latter.

At the same time, it should be remembered that a link with a thematic anchor (a keyword that is perceived by search engines and affects the ranking of the resource) will have a greater advantage.

When placing anchors on your site, you need to remember that the weight of your site depends on the keyword. It is best to use high-frequency (HF) queries on the main page of the site, since it has the maximum static weight:

External linking of site pages is considered the most effective and significantly increases its ranking. However, in order to properly organize it, you should approach this competently, namely, post a link in a suitable place for this, which will correspond to the data of the resource.

At the same time, it is necessary to make sure in advance what type of linking is needed for this particular site.

Why do you need a site relink?

If you follow fairly simple rules for linking pages, you can achieve incredibly high results:

promoted pages should not have external links;
relinking must necessarily go in a circle. Only in this case, the weight of the links will not depreciate;
the promoted page of the site should be linked exclusively from different pages;
keywords, namely anchors, are much more effective than links without anchors.

What is internal linking and why is it needed?

Internal linking is an integral and important factor in the internal optimization of the site. Its main goal is to increase the statistical weight of the internal pages of the project.

As mentioned above, when promoting the main page, it is best to use high-frequency queries, and on the secondary pages, it is appropriate to choose mid-frequency (MF) queries:

Thus, the internal optimization of the site is the connection of its internal pages.

Key benefits of internal linking:

it should be done only one single time;
thanks to it, you save a lot on purchasing paid links;
with the help of properly organized internal linking, it is possible to organize website promotion for some mid-frequency and low-frequency queries;
it is a free way to increase the link mass of pages, as well as their statistical weight.

Low-frequency (LF) queries are most often used on third-level pages:

Linking as an element of internal website optimization

Today, there are two basic schemes for internal linking:

Hierarchical
In this case, each of the resource pages refers to the same one. In this case, only one of them receives an increase in statistical weight, which is the maximum;
cyclic
The following scheme operates here: one document refers to the second, the last to the third, and so on.

Thus, there is an increase in the statistical weight of the "snowball" type, and the more pages of the site take part in this, the more weight is gained.

When performing internal linking of links, one should take into account the fact that search engines always take into account their text and "make certain conclusions for themselves."

If you create relinks with any keywords just to get a link, you will subsequently lose the prospect of increasing the page rank for the main keywords.

If you properly organize anchors and anchor sheets, then in addition to increased static weight, you will also receive an increase in the position of the resource for the key query.

if possible, try to link to the main page from internal ones using the same URL;
if there is a link to the same page, then do it with different anchors;
do not put more than 3 links in one material;
when new content is added, it must be immediately referenced to and from it.

Basic information for beginners

If the linking is organized properly, then such a resource in the eyes of the search engine will look much more relevant.

Therefore, we propose to consider the basic rules of competent linking:

Always aim to link to promoted pages, as this will distribute some of the link mass to them;
All internal pages of the site should lead to the main page with a link. So each of them will give it a little statistical weight. Thanks to the well-coordinated work of such a system, checking the pr of internal pages will grow to at least one;
The links themselves are recommended to be placed directly in the text, however, sidebar and footer linking should not be limited, since the search engine may take them for navigation and simply not pass them along;
No need to go overboard with internal links. It will be enough 3 from each page. At the same time, the total number of links should not exceed 150, since the more there are, the less weight they convey;
It is not recommended to link to the same page using the same anchors, because search engines tend to stick together identical ones. Accordingly, there will be no benefit;
At the end of each article, insert the block " Articles on the same topic". However, this principle should be used only if it is appropriate;
It is recommended to create a link for each new article. That is, when adding new content to the site, you should make links to it from already written texts on the same subject. At the same time, the same is done with the new article, in which links to the old one are affixed;
Organize a site map, which will contain links to all pages of the resource;
Use an anchor in the link;
There should be no external links from the pages you promote;
The article with the highest statistical weight should not be idle;
The more pages a resource has, the higher the effect will be;
Statistical weight must be applied rationally. For example, to link from the promoted page to the internal one in such a way that the user eventually returns to the first one;
The URL of the resource pages must be in normal form (NC).

We hope that this article was useful for you!

Linking pages is present on every site, but not everywhere it is done correctly. Because of this, there is an incorrect distribution of weight across the pages, and the behavioral factor also worsens. Therefore, all successful sites that do the right page linking are in the top for their keywords. Now let's figure out how to do the right linking.

What is website relinking and why is it needed?

Site relinking call the connection of pages of one site using links. Such a link will help the user better navigate the resource, which subsequently forces the user to view more pages.

Links also give weight to the pages they link to. This allows you to correctly distribute the weight on the site and gives a signal to search engines which pages are more important on this resource. Pages that have more link juice rank slightly better than others.

Another correct distribution of weight on the site creates more new pages. But it already depends on which linking method you choose for promotion.

How pages are relinked

Going to any page of the site, you can see links leading to other pages. They can be in the menu, in the text itself, in the comments or in the pictures. And here are the main places that are used for links:

1. Site menu
The menu is usually repeated throughout the site and contains a decent number of links. Professional SEOs tend to put menu links in the "nofollow" tag. To prevent leakage of weight to other pages.

Feature number 1- Some optimizers sharpen the entire site for a dozen key queries and do not specifically close the menu to promote those same pages. I implemented something similar in my own, look at the "popular articles" section.

Surprisingly, each of the articles is at the top for their keywords, partly due to this kind of linking, where 100+ pages link to a specific 5-10 pages.

2. Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs, which are meant to improve the usability of a site, are also involved in passing weight to other pages. But they do pass weight to the main page and adjacent categories, which is very useful for linking.

Just recently in my experiment I found out that the transitions are from search engines, so do not forget to optimize them on your site.

3. Displaying relevant pages
Relevant pages or otherwise similar articles are displayed closer to the end of the article / product and the most similar pages are selected in terms of content and topics. Not only for the transfusion of reference mass, but also for the sake of.

4. Sitemap

The sitemap comes in two formats html (a page for users) and sitemap.xml (a page for better indexing by search engines). Any old SEO-hardened site has both formats. It turns out that the sitemap links to each page separately, which is very good.

5. Linking in the text
The most effective method of linking pages is with the help of the article itself. After all, the search engine takes into account not only the content of the anchor text, but also the surrounding text of links. The higher the relevance, the better the linking quality.

Website linking methods

On the Internet, you can find almost two dozen different schemes and methods of linking, but not all of them are effective. Therefore, let's analyze the 3 best linking options, as well as under what circumstances they should be used.

1. Ring way
The most popular and discussed method is ring linking. It turns out that each page links to the next, and the last page links to the very first. Therefore, a complete linking around the ring is obtained.

It is used when the promotion is completely on low-frequency (low-frequency) requests. The chance to get to the top increases due to the even distribution of the weight of the pages of each product or article on the site. But at the same time, there is no promotion of categories and the main page (MF and HF queries).

2. Star method

By the way, this method of linking was originally used by Wikipedia and its Page Rank was 10/10. What are the advantages of this method? Each page links to each other in an arbitrary chain, resulting in more pages linking to each other.

This method is perfect for those who do not select some pages for promotion, but try to promote everything at once. This is an aggressive type of linking, and the more pages of content, the more effective it will be.

3. Ladder way (hierarchy)

Ladder linking consists in increasing the referring pages by one. When one page links to four others. And those four pages link to one single (promoted). Forming a decent weight for a single page that links to the first page, forming a closed chain.

Works great and requires little effort to implement. As a rule, a chain of links is built, dedicated to one topic, where one page is a continuation of another. Suitable for those who are trying to promote HF and MF requests.

Chip number 2- in addition to the traditional types of linking, there is also a combined view from the method of linking with a star and a ring. I think this is the most effective way to relink a site!

Scheme:

Once you've chosen one of the schemes above and applied it to your site, you need to know how much weight each page receives. After all, the greater the weight of the page, the better the position.

To check the weight of the site's pages, you need to use the Page weight program, you can download the free version - but it will be limited. Or use the program, which, by the way, is also free and more advanced than PW.

There is also an online service that can calculate the weight, but it does it for a long time and for a fee. It is called, it can show free page weight on 50 pages, everything else is paid.

Common mistakes when relinking a site

There are some linking rules that should not be broken. Because all the work you have done can suddenly turn to dust. And it happens that the site can fall under the filter for re-optimization!

Site linking rules:

No more than 3 links per 1,000 characters in the text and no more than 50 links. to the page.
Product or article pages should not link to each other.
Anchor links should be relevant to the keywords of the page to which the link goes.
If the link is in a picture, then it is obligatory to prescribe a keyword in the alt tag (it is better to avoid links in pictures).
Do not additionally highlight or underline links in the text.

If you use all the rules for linking and sort through the entire site, in the end, in addition to the correct relinking of sites, you will get a good increase in search positions and more views per visitor.

Proper linking on the site is one of the important points of internal optimization. It is not needed to distribute weight between pages, as one might believe in the old fashioned way. These are the paths the user takes through the site. And you should lay them in such a way that he will definitely come to the completion of the target action. How to do this, we tell in a new post.

What is relinking and why is it needed

Linking is the "stitching" of site pages using links.

Linking can be internal and external.

Internal linking- This is the arrangement of links within the same site.

Tasks of internal linking:

usability improvement (the site becomes convenient and understandable);
acceleration of page indexing (search engines better understand the structure of the site - which pages lead where, which of them are more important);
increasing the relevance of pages (due to the use of different key queries in link anchors, search engines better understand what queries to rank a page in search for).

Due to the correct internal linking, it is possible:

improve behavioral indicators (increase the time spent on the site, browsing depth, reduce bounces) and, consequently, “pull up” positions in the search;
increase the level of conversion on the site (purchases, requests, subscriptions, etc.).

External linking- this is the placement of links from your own site to other sites (sites, social network pages, directories, etc.). Do not confuse external linking with link building. When they talk about external linking, they mean outgoing links, and by link building they mean building up incoming link mass.

Tasks of external linking:

providing users with access to useful information posted on external resources;
indication of the primary source of data (for example, when quoting or translating);
traffic redirection to partner and affiliate resources.

External links are useful for visitors because they do not need to perform additional manipulations to go to third-party resources. Moreover, search engines increase the ranking of sites that link to authoritative sites.

How to do internal linking

You can find many different linking schemes on the web - “ring”, “star”, “herringbone”, etc. In 2018, linking is based not on conditional figures, but on the benefit for visitors and, ultimately, the owner of the resource (after all user actions should lead to a conversion).

Collection of data for linking

If your site has been working for some time and has collected enough statistics, information about clicks on links can be obtained using the Link Map tool in Yandex.Metrica. You'll see which links are being clicked on the most, and you'll be able to spot patterns.

Fragment "Link Maps" Yandex.Metrica

But if the site is new, "Link Map" will not provide information. In this case, use Yandex and Google search suggestions, which are formed based on user needs.

Let's look at an example. Let's say you have an online hardware store. You want to place quick links to popular models from the Smartphones catalog page. To do this, enter the phrase in Yandex "buy a smartphone" and get a list of hints. Users who want to buy a smartphone are likely to be interested in inexpensive smartphones, Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones, popular models and novelties.

We write out all the “wishes” and, in fact, we get a list of pages that are worth referring to and that some users will definitely go to. Even if they do not buy the product, you will get an improvement in behavioral indicators, which means that the position of the site will grow.

Collecting hints manually is laborious. To simplify and speed up the work, you can use the "" tool in SeoPult. Specify the list of key phrases, select search engines (Yandex and/or Google), region, rules and collection depth (maximum - up to 3 levels) and click the "Start verification" button.

The finished result can be downloaded in XLSX format.

The final report looks like this:

The report contains enough information to understand the needs of users and make high-quality linking.

In addition to search suggestions, you can use similar queries for linking, which are displayed under the search results.

The same queries are available in the Yandex.Wordstat service (right column):

To collect similar queries, another SeoPult tool is suitable - “ Collecting association phrases". It works similarly to the tool for collecting search hints discussed above.

Why did we dwell on the collection of phrases in such detail? The fact is that without understanding the needs of users, work on linking does not make sense. If you place links at random, chaotically, or, conversely, “circle”, there will be no targeted transitions on them.

Methods of internal linking

You can set up relinking on the site in different ways - below are typical examples of placing links between the pages of the site.

Main menu

These are end-to-end links that are contained on all pages of the site. In the horizontal menu, they usually link to the page "About us", "Contacts", "Terms of payment and delivery", etc. It is not recommended to link to the main page, since usually a link from the logo and / or site header leads to it.

The link to the current page should not be active (for example, if you went to the "Contacts" page, then when you click on the "Contacts" menu item, the page should not reload). In addition, do not use more than 7 links in the menu, otherwise the perception of information may deteriorate.

Product menu (catalog menu, categories menu)

Two kinds of menu

When placing links in the product menu, pay attention to the following points:

consider only the most popular search queries (for example, hallways can be brown, light, orange, and whatever, but you have determined that users are most interested in white, black and black and white - these are the colors that should be indicated in the menu. If you specify too many links, the site will be inconvenient to use, which will lead to a deterioration in behavioral factors);
in the names of sub-items, avoid spamming (for example, in the item "Hallways" you do not need to name the sub-items "Modular hallways", "Small hallways", etc. To understand the essence, it is enough to indicate only a descriptive characteristic - "Modular", "Small". Users and so they will understand that we are talking about hallways);
add pictures to the section names (this move will help improve the visual perception of the site. In no case do not replace the text with pictures - the names of the paragraphs and subparagraphs should be in the form of text understandable for search engines).

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As a rule, recommendation blocks are used in product cards. Here you can display similar products (smartphone 1, smartphone 2, …), related products (headphones, charger, …) or popular products from different categories. Don't draw complementary positions chaotically without any logic - this will not give the desired result.

Products can also be offered based on browsing history - in this case, the likelihood of clicking on links increases.

Reference links can also be placed on the catalog section page to clarify the user's request. For example, those who are in the "Tables" category can be offered to go to the "Dining tables", "Computer tables", "Chairs" subcategories. Again, this technique will allow you to unload the complex and voluminous catalog menu in the left sidebar.

For information sites, recommendation blocks look different: here it is important to involve users in viewing new pages with content. Therefore, blocks with interesting posts, latest news, the most popular pages, the most commented articles, etc. are used.

tagging

Each product can be described by different parameters that cannot be included in the menu. For example, a wardrobe can be brown, made of chipboard, 100 cm wide, 50 cm deep. In order to simplify the search for products and site navigation, tags are used - links to specially created pages that group products of a given category.

You might object that all this can be taken into account in the filters. Yes, it can and should be done - put all possible search characteristics into filters. However, the filtering results are not indexed by the search robot, so the most popular queries should be placed on separate landing pages and referred to using tags.

Example of tags on a category page

Tags are also suitable for informational sites - with their help, similar articles are linked. Tag only those requests that are most popular (see above how to determine the demand). Otherwise, you risk visually making the page heavier. Keep a balance.

Contextual linking

These links are placed in the descriptive part of the page (for example, in an article) and lead to other pages of the site. Such links are rarely used in product cards, as they take users away from them. But on the main page and in the categories they are quite appropriate. For example, in the category "Laptops" you can send users to an article with useful information on how to choose a laptop.

Linking directory section with info pages

If your store website has an information section, contextual links inscribed in the text help redirect traffic to commercial pages, for example, product cards, and increase conversion.

Contextual linking of an article with catalog sections and product cards

You can also link different articles to each other (we use this technique in the posts of this blog), but it is important that they are related thematically and complement each other.

Navigation chains ("breadcrumbs")

Be sure to use this linking method on all pages so that the visitor understands where he is and can return to the previous stage at any time.

It is better to use verbose chains that show the entire path to the current page, rather than abbreviated ones (where only the first page and the "Back" link are indicated). Read more about making breadcrumbs in our newsletter.

HTML sitemap

This is a separate page that contains links to all pages of the site. It helps to understand its structure. This is useful both for users and for improving the indexing of pages by search engines. See instructions for creating a sitemap.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when linking:

use only dofollow links;
do not adjust linking to any rules - use the principle of common sense and benefit for visitors;
it is not recommended to make excessive linking from product cards (for example, to pages about delivery and payment), this can lead the user away from the goal; place all the necessary service information right there in the card in a short form;
avoid circular links (when the page links to itself);
do not put too many links from one page (only the most relevant ones);
do not link often from internal pages to the main one;
pages that are linked from the main page are indexed faster;
regularly check the site for broken links (that lead to pages with a code other than 200) and remove them.

How to do external linking

Many webmasters are afraid to link to external resources, citing the fact that the “weight” of pages flows through external links and this negatively affects ranking. Indeed, it used to be so. But in the yard of 2018 - search engines work on the basis of artificial intelligence, and for them, user satisfaction comes first.

For example, in the current article, when Yandex.Wordstat is mentioned, we put an outgoing external link. As a result, you do not need to go to the search engine, enter "Yandex.Wordstat" and click on the link in the search - you go to this service directly from the article. It's comfortable? Yes. If you are interested in an article, you open Wordstat, go between pages, test the technique described in the article and read it further. And nothing on this link "leaks", but the behavioral factors, on the contrary, are improving.

Despite the obvious benefits of outgoing inbound links, they need to be set correctly. Here are the basic rules:

each external link must be relevant, organically fit into the context (otherwise, search engines may consider that the link is placed on a paid basis and apply sanctions);
if you are not sure about the reliability of the site you are referring to, add the nofollow attribute to the link - in this case, search engines will not index it, but users will be able to follow it;
do not mask links with scripts;
make links clearly distinguishable from the body text;
use natural anchors (brand names, site URLs, index anchors - "link", "here", "instruction", "website", "useful resource");
avoid anchors with a clear commercial coloring (with the words "buy", "order", "price");
use surrounding text to let users know that after clicking on the link they will be redirected to an external resource;
be sure to set the opening of external links in a new window - otherwise, behavioral indicators will suffer.

If you follow these tips, outbound links from your site will only work in a plus.

Relinking a website is not an easy task.

To solve this problem, you will need to analyze requests, study the behavior of site visitors, determine which pages and how will be linked to each other. If you find it difficult to do it yourself, you can enlist support

Page linking is a system of internal links between the pages of a site.. What is page linking and is it necessary? Internal linking is the nervous system, and links are connections. The fewer links, the more primitive the system, the more stupid your site is (sorry), and stupidity is manifested in the fact that the site cannot explain to search engines which page answers which request, and which of several pages with similar ones should be shown in the search.

I can already hear the indignation of those who say: “I have 20 pages on my site, they are all different and nothing gets confused!!! It's great that your kid has learned 20 words and learned to distinguish a tree from a car, but what to do with a 1k+++ page site where links between pages arise and they start quoting each other? There is only one answer - to create an internal link structure - linking.

The following is transmitted through the internal linking system:

weight between the pages of the site;
semantic connection.

What does this mean in an example: if you have 5 pages that have the same keywords, then the pages can compete with each other in search. Thanks to mutual linking, we can link from four pages to one by a common key request and thereby indicate that it is this page that answers the request, and not all five pages.

Scheme 2. Internal linking in order to display a specific page on request.

Site page linking schemes

Depending on which pages you are going to promote in search, you can use various linking schemes.

Examples of linking schemes for website pages:

Scheme 3. Pre-linking to transfer weight to pages with high-frequency queries.

Thanks to internal linking for high-frequency keywords, you can transfer static weight to those pages that are the most difficult to promote for SEO.

Scheme 4. Pre-linking of site pages that meet mid-frequency key queries.

It is most logical to transfer weight to pages that meet the most highly competitive requests: high-frequency and mid-frequency; low-frequency queries most often occupy high positions on their own with good page optimization.

Scheme 5. Prelinking for low-frequency pages of the site.

If you need pages with low-frequency queries, use the scheme above. The main thing is to clearly separate the pages by key queries and do not forget which page you are promoting and for which query, otherwise several competing pages may get into the linking and it’s not a fact that the search will turn out to be necessary.

Plugins for linking pages

I have repeatedly used the word logics and for good reason. The process of linking pages on a site can be very time consuming, depending on the size of the site, and here in most "SEO specialists" it turns on "what the hell will do" and all sorts of page linking plugins and other automation. So, the logical core of the site is logical in that the promotion of pages is not based on key queries, but in terms of the meaning and meaning of all the pages of the site creates the logic of the subject or subject of the site. It is impossible to automate logical links at the level that it needs to be done for wide access.

Of course, you will surely find a sea of offers, various p wordpress lags for page linking, other programs and services, but 99% of them will not do what should be done, namely a rigid logical organization and page linking with all possible declensions, synonyms, logical query synonyms and various types of links.

Yes, I wrote in 99% of cases precisely because automatic linking is possible, but the implementation of such a system will require colossal statistics and its processing at a very high level. Such systems exist, but the availability, cost of purchase or development makes them only available for very large projects.

Output

Don't be fooled by the fact that you have found a EASY AND FAST way to link effectively, it doesn't exist. Work with statistics, build a clear logical core of the site and create linking within it with your own hands. You will better understand the real ones, improve the quality of the information provided on the site, and you will be rewarded for your work.

It really works.

Do you have any questions? Write in the comments.
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Although the very concept of internal linking is already as old as the world, nevertheless, many site owners and optimizers neglect it. But in vain, because competent linking can not only help users quickly and conveniently navigate through the pages of the site, but also increase the efficiency of promoting certain pages.

From the foregoing, the very definition of internal linking follows - this is the setting up of internal links between pages of the same site in order to transfer weight to more significant pages.

What is relinking?

There are quite a few types of internal linking, but they all come down to one thing - the correct placement of the link anchor. We have already talked about anchors in links in more detail in our article “What are anchors? ”, which I highly recommend reading. Properly selected link text is almost half the success of linking.

From automatic relinks on the site, you can select such elements as "Breadcrumbs" and "HTML sitemap". Very useful for site users who, walking around the resource, will never get lost and can easily return, for example, to a product category. The site map will allow you to correctly distribute the weight across the pages, which gives us not only convenience for visitors, but also a positive effect on promotion.

The output on the page of the article / service / product of the module also belongs to the same type of linking Related Articles. The presence of such a module contributes very well to improving the behavioral factors of the site, allows you to transfer weight to similar pages and leave the visitor on the site for a longer time.

There is another type of linking, which applies to both automatic and manual types - this is the creation of a menu with sections and subsections. Here you can and should specify the exact names for the pages to which we link. All anchors are perfectly taken into account by search robots and help to promote internal pages.

In no case should a situation be allowed so that it is not possible to get to the site page from the main or any of the side menus, such navigation will be illiterate and will not work as efficiently as possible.

Weight and schemes of internal linking

In order to choose the right linking scheme, you need to take into account all factors, such as the theme of the site, the goals set, and the queries being promoted.

We will analyze the most commonly used and popular schemes for promoting HF, MF and LF requests.

In conclusion, we can only summarize that for competent linking with maximum benefit for promotion, three rules must be observed:

Well-configured site navigation
Using an Appropriate Linking Scheme
Well-chosen link anchors

Note that internal linking is part of the link profile of the site, and this is one of the most important blocks of work in promoting the resource. To get into the TOP, and not under the filters, we recommend that you monitor the quality of the link profile. Here is a webinar to help you, which tells you how to check a link profile, and what it should be like.

Promote the site correctly and do it comprehensively! In addition to linking, there is still a lot of important and necessary things. The optimal list of work that needs to be done to promote the site is included in the Search Engine Promotion service. You can just run through the list like a checklist to see how well your SEO is.