What is "Interlinking"?

Interlinking, also known as internal linking, refers to the practice of linking one page of a website to another page on the same website. These links help users navigate through the site and assist search engines in understanding the structure and hierarchy of the content.

Types of interlinking

• Contextual Links: Links within the body content of a page, often providing additional context or information.

• Navigational Links: Links that are part of a website's navigation menu, helping users access main sections or categories.

• Footer Links: Links located in the footer of a website, usually leading to important pages like privacy policies or contact information.

• Breadcrumbs: A form of internal linking that shows the path a user has taken to reach the current page.

How interlinking Works

Interlinking works by guiding users and search engines through a website. When a link is placed on one page, it passes some of its authority to the linked page, helping to boost its SEO performance. This process allows search engines to discover new content and understand the relationship between different pages.

Best Practices for interlinking

• Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Ensure that the text used for the link (anchor text) is relevant and descriptive.

• Link to Deep Content: Avoid linking only to the homepage or main categories; instead, link to deeper, more specific content.

• Maintain a Logical Structure: Create a hierarchical structure where important pages are linked more frequently.

• Avoid Overloading Links: Too many links on a single page can dilute their effectiveness and overwhelm users.

Mistake people make when interlinking

• Overusing Exact-Match Anchor Text: Repeatedly using the same anchor text can appear manipulative to search engines.

• Linking to Irrelevant Content: Links should always be relevant and provide value to the user.

• Ignoring Orphan Pages: Pages that have no internal links pointing to them can be difficult for search engines to find and index.

How to track internal links

Tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, and Ahrefs can help monitor and analyze internal links. Key metrics include the number of internal links pointing to a page, the distribution of link equity, and the anchor text used.

Examples of interlinking

• A blog post about "SEO Strategies" linking to another post on "Keyword Research" is an example of effective interlinking.

• An e-commerce site linking from a product category page to specific product pages.

Related Terms to interlinking

• Backlinking

• Anchor Text

• Crawlability

• PageRank