Google has come up with some invaluable insights for website owners and SEO enthusiasts through its new installment of its “SEO Made Easy” video series. Martin Splitt from Google outlines in the video some three straightforward guidelines to use the power of internal linking for the purpose of enhancing SEO. The tips are designed to improve site structure, boost user experience as well as potentially lead to better search engine rankings.
Internal linking is an important aspect of SEO and often gets overlooked. If the links are placed strategically within your website, you can highlight your most valuable content. The move ensures both users and search engines to easily find and understand it.
The first tip is to focus on user navigation. Internal links are important for guiding users through a website. They help visitors find related content, understand the structure of the site and navigate it more efficiently.
The second tip is the importance of internal linking for search engine crawling. Googlebot mainly relies on these links to discover and index new pages. Creating a well-connected web of internal links means you can ensure that your content is fully indexed. Getting fully indexed is crucial for appearing in search results. Internal links also help Google to understand the hierarchy and relationship between your pages.
Next is about HTML best practices. Using HTML elements properly and particularly the <a> tag with a href attribute, is essential for creating effective links. Expert advises against using non-standard elements like spans, divs, or buttons to create links. If an element behaves like a link, it should be coded as one using the appropriate HTML structure. This ensures your links are correctly interpreted by search engines and also enhances accessibility for users relying on assistive technologies.