Cross linking is an important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) that can help improve your website’s ranking and increase traffic. Cross linking refers to linking to other pages within your website. It helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages. In this blog post, we will discuss how to cross link your website.
Why Cross-Linking Your Website Is Important
Cross-linking is a crucial aspect of website optimization that has a significant impact on search engine rankings. Cross-linking refers to the process of linking one web page to other web pages within the same website. It is an essential strategy for improving the overall user experience and increasing the visibility of a website.
One of the primary reasons why cross-linking is important is that it helps to distribute link equity throughout a website. In other words, when a web page has multiple internal links pointing to it, it is seen as a more important page by search engines. This, in turn, can improve the page’s search engine rankings and visibility.
Cross-linking also helps to create a clear and organised website structure. By linking related pages together, visitors can easily navigate through the website and find the information they need. This can help to reduce bounce rates, increase time on site, and ultimately improve the overall user experience.
Another benefit of cross-linking is that it can help to increase the number of pages that are indexed by search engines. When search engine crawlers are able to follow internal links to other pages on the website, they are more likely to index those pages. This can help to improve the website’s overall search engine visibility and drive more traffic to the site.
How To Cross-Link Your Website
Now you’re aware of how important it is to cross-link your site, here’s how to effectively do it. You can do all of these things, or cherry pick the ones that work best for you and the design of your website.
Create A Site Map
A site map is a page that lists all the pages on your website. It helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages. You can create a sitemap using a plugin or a tool like XML Sitemap Generator.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Choose a site map generator tool like XML Sitemap Generator or Yoast SEO plugin
Step 2: Install and activate the tool on your website
Step 3: Generate the sitemap using the tool
Step 4: Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console
Step 5: Update the site map whenever you add or remove pages on your website.
Use Internal Linking
Internal linking refers to linking to other pages within your website. It helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages. You can use internal linking to link to related pages, blog posts, or products. Make sure the anchor text is relevant and descriptive.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Identify the pages on your website that are related to each other
Step 2: Choose a relevant anchor text for each link
Step 3: Insert the link in the content of the page
Step 4: Make sure the link opens in a new tab (if necessary)
Step 5: Test the link to make sure it works properly.
Use Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumb navigation is a type of navigation that shows users the path they have taken to get to the current page. It helps users understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages. Breadcrumb navigation also helps search engines understand the structure of your website.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Choose a breadcrumb navigation plugin or tool
Step 2: Install and activate the plugin or tool on your website
Step 3: Customise the breadcrumb navigation to match your website’s design
Step 4: Test the breadcrumb navigation to make sure it works properly.
Use Footer Links
Footer links are links that appear at the bottom of every page on your website. They can be used to link to important pages on your website, such as the homepage, contact page, or product page. Footer links help users navigate your website and also help search engines understand the structure of your website.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Identify the important pages on your website that you want to link to
Step 2: Choose a relevant anchor text for each link
Step 3: Insert the links in the footer of your website
Step 4: Make sure the links open in a new tab (if necessary)
Step 5: Test the links to make sure they work properly.
Use Categories (Carefully!)
Categories and tags are a way of organising your content. Categories are broad topics, while tags are more specific. You can use categories and tags to link to related content on your website. This helps users find related content and also helps search engines understand the structure of your website. While categories are very useful, the use of tags is often tragically overdone.
In previous years, tagging your blogs with anything and everything that seemed relevant was the done thing. Each tag created its own page with a feed on it containing all the posts with that tag. Tags are now largely redundant, however, as they create a lot of issues where duplicate feeds are concerned. You usually find yourself using the same tags on blogs in the same category, the result being a category feed and multiple tag feeds that all contain the same series of blogs; it’s completely redundant.
There are some uses for tagging in website development, however, for the last couple of years I’ve always had my web developer limit tag use wherever possible and no-index the tag feed pages.
So, organise your blog posts by category, but avoid tags. When using categories, do so carefully. Create a content plan that includes clear topics to cover. Avoid separate categories for topics that fall under the same umbrella, or create a parent category and subcategories of the umbrella topic and individual topics, respectively. Add your blog to only one category, unless you truly have a post that is equally relevant for multiple topics.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Identify the categories and subcategories that are relevant to your website
Step 2: Choose a relevant name for each category and subcategory
Step 3: Assign each page or post to a relevant category and subcategory
Step 4: Use tags to further categorise your content
Step 5: Make sure the categories and tags are displayed on your website and are clickable.
Use Pillar Posts And Topic Clusters
Pillar posts and topic clusters are an effective way to organise your website content and improve its SEO. Pillar posts are comprehensive, in-depth pieces of content that cover a broad topic related to your business or industry. Topic clusters are a group of related blog posts that cover specific subtopics within the pillar post.
By using pillar posts and topic clusters, you can create a structure for your website content that is easy to navigate and optimised for search engines. This can help improve your website’s SEO and drive more traffic to your website.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Step 1: Choose a broad topic related to your business or industry
Step 2: Create a comprehensive, in-depth pillar post that covers the topic
Step 3: Identify subtopics related to the pillar post topic
Step 4: Create blog posts that cover each subtopic in detail
Step 5: Link each blog post to the corresponding subtopic in the pillar post
Step 6: Use internal linking to link each subtopic blog post to other related subtopic blog posts
Step 7: Make sure each blog post is optimised for SEO, including using relevant keywords and meta descriptions.
Structure Your Homepage To Effectively Link To Core Content
Your homepage is often the first impression visitors have of your website. It’s important to structure it in a way that effectively links to your core content and encourages visitors to explore your site further.
Here are some tips for doing this:
Use a clear and concise main navigation menu: Your main navigation menu should be easy to read and clearly label the main sections of your website. Use descriptive labels that accurately represent the content within each section.
Feature your core content prominently: Identify your most important pieces of content, such as your pillar posts, and feature them prominently on your homepage. Use images and descriptive text to draw attention and encourage visitors to click through.
Use calls-to-action (CTAs): Use CTAs throughout your homepage to encourage visitors to take action. For example, you could use a CTA button to encourage visitors to sign up for your email list or to download a free resource.
Use internal linking: Use internal linking throughout your homepage to link to your core content. This not only helps visitors find what they’re looking for but also improves your website’s SEO.
Keep it simple: Don’t overload your homepage with too much content or too many links. Keep it simple and focused on your core content.
By structuring your homepage in this way, you can effectively link to your core content and encourage visitors to explore your site further. This can help improve engagement, reduce bounce rates, and ultimately drive more conversions.
Include Related Content Feeds On Blog Posts And In Other Key Areas
One of the best ways to keep visitors engaged on your website is by providing them with additional content that is related to the page they’re currently on. This can be accomplished by including related content feeds on blog posts, product pages, and other key areas of your site.
Here are some tips for including related content feeds:
Use a plugin: There are many plugins available that can help you easily add related content feeds to your website. Some popular options include YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) and Related Posts for WordPress.
Show related blog posts: If you have a blog (and you should!), consider showing related blog posts at the end of each post. This can keep readers engaged and encourage them to explore more of your content.
Show related products: If you have an e-commerce website, consider showing related products on product pages. This can help visitors find products that are similar to the one they’re currently viewing.
Show related content in sidebars: Consider adding a related content feed to your website’s sidebar, if you have one. While I personally am not a fan of the sidebar (I find it to be outdated at this point in terms of design, but who knows, it may come back around. Like claw clips.) If you have a sidebar, this can be a great way to keep visitors engaged and encourage them to explore more of your site. Just please don’t start adding sidebars just for the sake of adding a related content feed; put it elsewhere! If you’ve already got one though, you might as well do something useful with it!
Be aware of your categories: Make sure you’re properly categorising your content so that related content feeds can accurately display related content.
By including related content feeds on your website, you can increase engagement, reduce bounce rates, and ultimately drive more conversions. Make sure to choose a plugin that fits your needs and display related content in areas where it is most likely to be seen.
Add An Extra Step To Your Upload Workflow
One way to increase engagement and keep visitors on your website is by adding natural links to other relevant pieces of content. As I’ve said, this can be easily accomplished on an ongoing basis by adding an extra step to your upload workflow. Doing this is a great way to ensure you keep on top of your cross-linking where blogs are concerned. It’s a lot less time consuming to this as you go than it is to have to regularly go through all your posts and add links.
Here are some tips for adding natural links to your content as you upload:
Review each piece of content: As you upload new content to your website, take the time to review it and identify other relevant pieces of content that you can link to.
Look for opportunities to link: Look for natural opportunities to link to other content within your new piece of content. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about the benefits of a particular product, you can link to other product pages that offer similar benefits.
Use anchor text: When you add a link, make sure to use anchor text that accurately describes the content that you’re linking to. This will help visitors understand where the link is taking them and what they can expect to find.
Link to both old and new content: When adding links, make sure to link to both old and new content. This will help visitors discover older content that they may have missed.
Add extra snippets to work in relevant posts: If you have a related post that you want to include an internal link to, but there isn’t a point in your blog that naturally mentions the topic, don’t be afraid to add a short aside that allows you to do so. If there really isn’t a way to do this, you can always add a line that says, “If you haven’t already, check out my post on XXX, which will help you with thi.” or something similar.
Use a plugin: If you’re using WordPress, there are several plugins available that can help you add natural links to your content. Some popular options include Internal Link Juicer and Link Whisper.
By adding an extra step to your upload workflow and adding natural links to your content, you can increase engagement, reduce bounce rates, and ultimately drive more conversions. Make sure to review each piece of content and look for natural opportunities to link to other relevant content on your website.
Regularly Check For Broken Links And Use Redirects Wisely
Broken links can be a major problem for your website’s SEO and user experience. If visitors click on a link and it leads to a 404 error page, they’re likely to get frustrated and leave your site. Additionally, search engines may penalise your site for having too many broken links. To avoid these issues, it’s important to regularly check for broken links and use redirects wisely.
Check for broken links: There are several tools available that can help you check for broken links on your website. Some popular options include Google’s Search Console, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog. By regularly checking for broken links, you can quickly identify any issues and fix them before they cause problems for your visitors or your SEO.
Use redirects when necessary: If you’re forced to change a URL or delete a page, it’s important to put a redirect in place to ensure that visitors are still able to find the content they’re looking for. This is especially important if the page has incoming links from other websites, as those links will no longer work if the page is deleted. A 301 redirect is the most effective type of redirect, as it tells search engines that the page has permanently moved to a new URL. Be aware of this when updating your blog posts, and ensure you don’t change the URL as part of your SEO optimisation – if you use an SEO tool it may prompt you to include your keyword in the URL, which can tempt you to change it – don’t! Not unless you absolutely have to.
Avoid redirects as much as possible: While redirects can be helpful in certain situations, it’s generally best to avoid them as much as possible. Redirects can slow down your website’s load time, which can negatively impact your SEO and user experience. Additionally, too many redirects can make it difficult for search engines to crawl and index your site. If you need to change a URL or delete a page, try to do so without using a redirect if possible.
By regularly checking for broken links and using redirects wisely, you can maintain a positive user experience and keep your website’s SEO on track. Make sure to use a 301 redirect when necessary, and avoid using redirects as much as possible to ensure that your site is fast and easy to navigate.
How To Check For Broken Links
If you’re not sure how to check for broken links, here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help:
Choose a tool: There are several tools available that can help you check for broken links on your website. Some popular options include Google’s Search Console, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog. Choose the tool that works best for you and your website.
Start a crawl: Once you’ve chosen a tool, start a crawl of your website. This will allow the tool to analyse all of the links on your site and identify any broken links.
Review the results: Once the crawl is complete, review the results to see if any broken links were found. The tool should provide a list of all broken links, along with the page where the link is located and the type of error that was encountered.
Fix the broken links: Once you’ve identified any broken links on your site, it’s important to fix them as soon as possible. This may involve updating the link to point to a valid URL, removing the link altogether, or putting a redirect in place if the page has been permanently moved.
Repeat regularly: Checking for broken links should be a regular part of your website maintenance routine. Aim to check for broken links at least once a month to ensure that your site is always up-to-date and functioning properly.
By following these steps and regularly checking for broken links, you can ensure that your website provides a positive user experience and maintains good SEO.
One Last Thing
Cross-linking your website is an essential aspect of website optimization that should not be overlooked. It can help to improve search engine rankings, increase website traffic, and enhance the overall user experience. By implementing a strong cross-linking strategy, website owners can improve the visibility and success of their website.
In order to effectively cross-link your site in an impactful way, however, you need plenty of content and to update your site with a steady, fresh stream of content. Updating your site regularly is very important in and of itself, but where cross-linking is concerned, the strength for your SEO comes from demonstrating you have plenty of content on a subject that makes search engines more likely to rank you highly for it. A solitary post on a topic is tough to rank. But if that’s a pillar post surrounded by a cluster of posts on that topic, and linked to multiple other pillar posts, each on their own related topic, each with their own cluster of posts, the search engine gods will view you as an expert on that topic.
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