Internal Links: A HOW TO Guide to Fixing Common Mistakes

Internal links are links from one page to another on the same domain. Done right, they not only boost search visibility, but also make it easier for visitors to find the right content for their needs.

Fortunately, relevant content pieces connect to and reinforce one another. This provides a more organic user experience and increases dwell time on your site.

Unfortunately, there are many common oversights that can sap the strength from internal links. By reviewing these problems from most to least likely, you can make internal link building work for you.

Here’s how to do it the easy way:

1.Fix Broken Internal and External Links

Broken internal links, in particular, create dead ends for bots that index your website for search engines. Luckily, you can find broken links of all kinds by checking the relevant report in your Web analytics suite.

2.Reduce the Number of Links Per Page

On a landing page, you typically only want one internal link: Your CTA. It’s almost as important to budget links on other pages – the ranking “weight” of each page is divided by the number of links it has. Stick to 3-4 relevant links per page. (Don’t worry, navigation menus don’t count.)

3.Break Free of Redirect Chains

If a page redirect leads to another redirect, it can create loops that slam the browsing experience to a stop. Always strive to link straight to destination pages rather than use redirects. If your site migrates to a new domain, use a specialized link checker tool to find and prune redirects ASAP.

4.Cut Out Temporary Redirects

Temporary redirects create confusion by signaling to search bots that both the old and the new location of a page must be indexed. While there are reasons to use a temporary 302 redirect, be sure to make note of the redirect and update it to a destination URL as soon as possible.

Internal Links: A HOW TO Guide to Fixing Common Mistakes5.

Remove Nofollow from Internal Links

Rarely should nofollow attributes be used on internal links. For example, links to sign-up pages, login pages, and restricted content can be marked nofollow. Examine these links to be sure they are genuinely necessary, since even nofollow links may influence search rank.

Still curious about internal links? Find out How Internal Website Links Affect SEO Ranking.