SEO checklist: Link building and link structure
Published on:
September 24, 2020
Reading time:
minutes
The link structure of a page is one of the most important SEO measures, because it gives search engines important clues when evaluating a website.
The internal link structure reveals a lot about the organization and user experience of a site. The external links show whether a site offers valuable content that is shared by other sites as helpful content. So-called backlinks, i.e. links that lead from other pages to your own domain, are therefore valuable references that better anchor a website in the entire network. Backlinks not only increase organic traffic from other sites, but also traffic from Google
Getting backlinks - but how?
At first glance, website operators seem unable to influence whether other sites link to their content. But here the rule is: Content is King! Unique content that answers questions and solves problems with outstandingly well-prepared information is logically shared much more often than mediocre content that only varies, which has been there a thousand times before. So researching relevant topics and preparing the content is the first step towards organic backlink building.
Simply copying that Mallorca is a holiday island and illustrating the content with a few stock photos will not achieve success. A detailed travel report with insider tips, unique pictures and personally experienced anecdotes, on the other hand, encourages readers to share the article on social media or refer to it in their own content.
Active backline building
Of course, there are also ways to get things moving with active backlink building. Leaving comments in blogs or answering questions in topic-specific forums, and of course posting a link, does make a bit of work, but it also strengthens the expert status in your own niche.
Retailers and companies should also take advantage of the opportunity to post the link to their home page in business directories - especially if they operate locally or regionally. Google itself, with Google My Business, offers the opportunity to present companies with a personalised profile and thereby gain not only visibility but also new customers. Registration is free of charge. Share buttons, which can be easily integrated into your own website, are also free. They encourage users to share content with a single click and thus generate backlinks as active promoters
Internal links: Structure with strategy!
The internal link structure is also a powerful SEO tool. The internal links refer to individual subpages within an entire website. Creating an intelligent structure of the internal links is worthwhile! Because this way users can quickly and easily find related topics that are directly related to their question. Internal links thus increase the time readers spend on the site, a clearly positive sign for search engines!
The thematic allocation of the individual contributions through links gives Google clues as to which pages are relevant to certain topics - indexing becomes easier, the ranking increases. The anchor text, i.e. the colored text that indicates to readers that they can click on a link at this point, should also be optimized. A simple "here" does not achieve the same result as a Call to Action that contains a keyword. Outbound links to external sites also enhance the content, provided they refer to relevant content that deepens a topic.
Click here for the complete series of articles:
- SEO checklist: Introduction to search engine optimization
- SEO checklist: Which SEO trends are there in 2020?
- SEO checklist: High-quality content also achieves a high-quality Google ranking!
- SEO checklist: The user belongs in focus!
- SEO checklist: Snippets and the appearance of search results
- SEO checklist: SEO optimization with keywords!
- SEO checklist: Link building and link structure
- SEO checklist: Practical tools for more traffic
Artificial intelligence in content management
April 06, 2022
Personalized Marketing - A Difficult Art
March 24, 2022
One for all: The Headless CMS
January 13, 2022
