External and Internal Links: Absolute Website Basics
One of the most important aspects of search engine optimization is the ability to piece together different aspects of the internet. It’s almost like strings forming a net. One might almost consider it a web across the globe and we should start calling it something like the “worldwide web”. I’m obviously joking here. But, making interconnected attachments is the entire basis of the internet. Let’s talk about how internal links and external links play a huge part in SEO.
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There are a lot of intricate parts to links within a website or individual articles, so I’ll be giving more of a quick overview to help you get underway on your website’s development. As with any other parts of this series, the focus will be on SEO for blogs. But, the tips can work across any website page as good habits.
A Link To The Past And The Future
Internal links are links that directly point to the same website you’re making the page for. This, for example, can point a person to a different article in a blog, a feature of the site, or take them directly to the front page. External links, however, is a link to anything else out there. It could be a source for some news, a link to the download page for your favorite game, or anything else out there. Honestly, a starting point for links is to have yourself at least one external link and one internal link on any visible page. That’s the absolute basics, but it gets way more in-depth.
When it comes to external links, there are a couple of terms for you to know when making a website: backlinks and authority. One thing for you to understand is a term called “backlinks”. When you link to, let’s say, an article from someone else’s blog, you’re providing them a backlink.
Respect The Google Authority
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Google provides “Authority” to specific websites, which affects the SEO, and backlinks are a major reason for higher authority. Think of authority as the ranking that Google secretly gives your website like a hierarchy, in the same sense that a Duke would have superiority to an Earl or a Baron in real life This means the king (Google) sees you have more power and authority. Your website may be privileged to be given a backlink from a much higher power, thus giving you a higher Google Authority. A good example is if Kotaku or IGN were to directly link your gaming website, Google would take notice.
This also means that you can help build your authority in the other direction as well. Make sure you include at least one external link on any particular website or blog article. You can set any external link to open a new tab to keep the person on your page if they choose to go back. Plus, it helps your average length of time that people sit on a particular page for internal stats.
What about the internal links?
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Internal links, as mentioned, are anything that comes from the same domain of its origin point. This can be a link to another article on your website, a product being sold through your site, or just a direct link to your home page. You want to keep a good ratio of words on a page vs. links, but there’s really no maximum. Every (roughly) 300 words on a page should merit one internal link. So, in the case of the article you’re reading right now, I’d want to have two or three internal links.
How do you sneak them in though? Sometimes, websites feel like they’re shoehorning in links in the name of making SEO work. But, you can have plenty of tact. For instance, I did it when I talked about Keywords and ranking. It can be as simple as being provided as an example. Also, I just did it again.
The Missing Link is 404
Just know that you want to keep your viewers on your site as long as possible. This is why you offer external links as separate tabs. Look at clickbait websites or websites with list articles (commonly known as listicles). They try to grab their claws in and keep you on their site as long as they can. They generally offer related information or entertainment that takes you to something else.
Seriously, who knew that links were so important to the success of a website? Consider both your internal and external links while I send you externally to check out one of our most popular gaming themes templates for WordPress. Then, make sure you check out the rest of them right on our Skywarrior Themes website here.
