Proper linking on the website: schemes, examples and recommendations

Table of Contents:

Internal linking is the process of linking pages with each other through hyperlinks.

What is meant by proper internal page linking?

From the users' point of view, the linking will be correct if it is useful for them. That is - the user, having gone to the site from external sources, will find not only the information on his request, but will also get other useful, interesting information, thanks to the links provided to the internal pages of the same resource. Thus, well-organized linking increases the usability of the site (ease of use).

When promoting the site in search engines, competent linking performs several useful functions:

• page weight allocation management;
• increase the speed of page indexing;
• Improve the ranking of pages that are "sharpened" for low-frequency queries.

However, the main function of proper linking is to provide convenient navigation on the site. Consider the typical linking schemes for a commercial site.

Linking rules

When compiling the linking on the site you need to follow a few simple rules:

1. If the page is involved in linking, it must be open for indexing.
2. Each page of the site should have at least one incoming internal link.
3. Important pages should be within three clicks of the main page.
4. The text of the links should be informative.

Competent navigational relinking (hierarchical)

Proper page linking is done based on the logical structure of the site. The diagram above shows the general structure of linking on a commercial site, where all pages are linked adjacent to them (the same level in the hierarchy), the parent (one level of hierarchy above) and the root page (home). The pages are linked to each other as follows:

• main page links to categories, which are landing for HF queries in this topic, subcategories (tag pages) - landing for HF queries and the final;
• HF categories link to each other, to HF categories and to end pages;
• HF categories link to related categories of the same level, to HF categories and to end pages with low queries;
• end pages link to each other and to the pages above them in the structure (parent pages).

As a result of building a proper navigation linking all pages of the site will be indexed by search engines, and important pages will have sufficient weight for promotion.

Mutual linking schemes for internal pages

The "Ring" scheme

This scheme is suitable for sites containing a large number of different categories, subcategories and product items. The essence of the scheme is that pages link to each other in series, forming a ring:

• Ease of implementation.
• Even weight distribution between pages.

• Important: If at least one page is not indexed, the integrity of the ring will be broken. In this case, usually create not one ring, but several.

The Star Scheme

The scheme is well suited for resources with a small number of pages, where all links can be worked out manually. The essence of the scheme is that all pages link to each other.

• A large number of incoming links for pages.
• Difficult to implement on a site with a large number of pages.

The "Cube" scheme

It consists of two intersecting rings. Each must contain a number of pages divisible by 4.

• The links between the pages are stable, the scheme does not collapse when even three pages fall out.
• The scheme is labor-intensive to implement and almost impossible to automate.

Typical linking blocks

Consider the typical blocks that are currently presented on the websites of large online stores.

See also" block

This block is usually placed for circular linking in categories and subcategories. Since the "Loop" scheme is used, this linking is easy to implement on the site.

You may also be interested in" or "Recommended" box

The block can be placed both in product cards and on section pages. It uses circular linking, which is easy to arrange on the site.

Block "This product is viewed"

The linking block is suitable for product pages. It can be organized with the help of a circular link and set up the display of the previous two products in this category and the next three.

The "Buy with this product" block

Linking block is suitable for product pages. You can organize by means of ring linking, as in the previous example, or by means of CMS, if there is a possibility to actually display products that are most often in the "Shopping cart" with the selected item. However, this block is suitable only if the goods fall under the category of inexpensive purchases and small, if they really are not bought one at a time (as in the example - books).

Related products" block

The linking block is designed for product pages. It allows you to set up linking with related product items (spare parts, additional accessories).

This type of linking allows not only to improve the transfer of link weight between product pages, but also to increase the average order check in the online store.

Goods of the Day" or "Hits of the Day" block

With the help of this block you can put a through link to priority products.

Linking from articles

There are a huge number of informational queries in each subject, the total volume of which often exceeds the amount of commercial semantics by several times. To promote by information queries, it is necessary to prepare the appropriate content - informational materials: articles, reviews, comparison of products of the same group, etc. In such articles you can place contextual links (text links) to sections or products themselves, which will look the most natural.

If a review article on any type of product is presented, you can add a block with a selection of products that are suitable for this review.

Conclusion

With proper website linking you can improve indexing of all pages, which is a common problem for large online stores, because their pages are thrown out of search by search engines as not qualitative enough. When building a linking on the site should be guided by what brings the most traffic to the site, and try to transfer more weight to these pages.