The Must-Have, Must-Know Basics of Web Linking

If someone asked you to name one of the most basic and most important parts of a website, you might say a link – and you'd be right.

Web linking lets us get from one point in the Internet to every other point, no matter where it is. They're not just important for navigation, though; they're also important for search engine rankings for a variety of reasons. In fact, how you handle something as simple and basic as your web linking on your site can have big ramifications for your search engine ranking, which determines in a big way how much traffic you get.

Here, we'll explain the importance of creating HTML links on your website – and links leading back to your website, called backlinks – as part of a thoughtful link strategy for a superior search engine ranking.

Different Types of Web Linking

There are many types of HTML links (and now, XML links) on the Internet that you can incorporate on your website to create your internal website navigation as well as direct people to your website.

Internal Linking

An internal link strategy creates the navigation for your website. It helps users get from one page to the other. An internal link strategy has to use HTML links to create a simple, easy-to-use map that will take users to their destinations in a logical way. If you create a web page that isn't linked to any other page, for example, users can't get there unless they know the exact URL. That's why it helps to make sure you can get to every page on your site from at least one other page.

External Linking

External web linking is a way to direct traffic either to your website from an outside website, or to an outside website from your website.  External HTML links take traffic from one domain to another. As such, they're an important part of an SEO strategy for a better search engine ranking because they not only send traffic your way, but also make your website more credible and relevant in the eyes of a search engine.

Anchor Text

Anchor text isn't a particular type of link, but it is a major part of web linking. Anchor text is what shows up on a link. For example, if you're linking to "http://www.examplesite.com/test/webpageA", instead of showing that, you could write anchor text that displays the URL like this: "Webpage A".

Anchor text should contain words that are relevant to the place where the link leads (called the landing page). This will aid in search engine rankings because it helps show the user and the search engine that the link is leading to something relevant and therefore useful. That's why a link leading to "http://www.examplesite.com/best-travel-destinations" would have anchor text that reads: "top 10 travel destinations".

Link-baiting

Link-bait is a feature on a website that is designed specifically to get people to link to the website. Google's Matt Cutts said link-bait is anything “interesting enough to catch people's attention”. The feature itself is usually called a 'hook'. It can be a video, a funny or useful piece of info, a captivating picture, or anything else on the page. These can be very powerful ways to attract external links to your website.

Creating a Strong Link Strategy for Better Search Engine Rankings

Your search engine ranking depends significantly on your ability to manage internal and external HTML links involving your website.

Every site should have a strong internal link strategy. Your internal HTML links should make sure every page is connected to at least one other page (and ideally two or more). You should incorporate smart anchor text, use link-baiting with strong content, and make sure you have an HTML/XML sitemap with easy navigation.

An external link strategy should focus on getting your content shared with other websites and online properties, like social media. Write guest posts for other blogs. Submit articles to reputable sites. Join a blogroll and share your blog with others. Use your best content on your site in an email marketing campaign.

Contact EntrepreneurWeb.com for more info about how you can build a powerful strategy for better visibility.