Website navigation is one of the key elements determining a site’s success. A well-structured, user-friendly interface depends greatly on strategic linkage. While planning your website’s structure, you often run into two terms: “External Links” and “Internal Links”. While both have their roles in improving website performance and SEO, it’s crucial to understand their primary differences, benefits, and proper usage.
What are External Links?
External links, otherwise known as outbound links, refer to the hyperlinks directing the user from your website to a different website. These links take guests out of your domain, pointing them to another site on the internet.
- Links to articles or resources from other blogs or websites.
- Links leading to your social media accounts.
- References to industry-related studies or reports from authoritative websites.
- Credibility and Value Addition: External links to authoritative and relevant websites enhance the credibility of your content. It provides additional value to the user by providing further explanations, sources or points of view.
- SEO Optimization: Search engines like Google considers outbound linking to trustworthy sites as a ranking factor. It shows that your website is a reliable participant in the digital ecosystem.
- Relationship Building: By linking to other websites, you are giving them a nod, which might help build relationships within your community or industry.
What are Internal Links?
- Navigational links in the header or footer
- Links within your content leading to related pieces of content on your website
- Call-to-action buttons leading to a different webpage
- Improved User Navigation: Well-executed internal links can seamlessly guide your visitors through your website’s pages, improving the overall user experience.
- SEO boost: Effective internal linking structure allows search engine worms to easily crawl through your website, potentially boosting your search engine ranking.
- Improved Page Authority: When several pages of your site are internally linked, it means they’re passing ‘link juice’ to one another, thus redistributing the page authority.
Balancing External and Internal Links
So, which is better, external or internal links? This question’s answer isn’t exclusive. A healthy website requires a balance of both maximal functionality and SEO success.
Here are a few strategic tips to maximize the usage of both links:
- Prioritize User Experience: The primary goal for your links should be to offer value to the users. If linking externally provides more value, don’t hesitate.
- Quality Over Quantity: Don’t overdo linking, whether external or internal. Always aim for relevance and quality over sheer numbers.
- Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Don’t use generic phrases for your link’s anchor text. Try to make them descriptive and relevant to the linked content.
- Check Regularly for Broken Links: Broken links can damage your SEO performance and user experience. Regular monitoring is necessary to keep your links healthy.