It’s easy to get caught up in the latest SEO trends, and you should.
A big one, increasing page views through internal linking should be at the top of your list.
When it’s done right, that is.
Our goal here at Team WILO is to expand your internal linking knowledge and make life easy for you with our awesome AF plugin.
Let’s explore increasing your site’s page views with internal linking.
Getting to Know Internal Linking
Before we dive into the strategies, let’s start with the basics.
Internal linking is where, on the same website, you link pages together.
These links can be in the form of hyperlinked text or image buttons, and they serve multiple purposes:
- Navigation: They help users find their way around your site and make it easier to get to related content.
- SEO: Search engines use links to crawl and index your website, as well as to determine its structure and content hierarchy.
- User Experience: Well-placed internal links can contribute to seamless UX, encouraging users to stay on the site.
What are Page Views?
Page views are a metric used to measure the performance and engagement of a website.
One view represents a single user accessing and loading a page.
It’s valuable as it lets you understand how users interact with your content and website.
Here’s a closer look:
Definition of Page Views
A page view happens each time a web page is requested and displayed in a user’s browser.
It’s counted when a user gets to a page by typing in a URL, clicking a link, or using the browser’s back and forward buttons.
Why Are They Important?
Here are some reasons, to name a few:
Engagement:
- When users visit multiple pages during a single session, it shows that they are exploring your content and deem it valuable.
- High page views per session correlate with a positive UX.
Content Performance:
- Page views help you assess the popularity of a page or content.
- You can see which articles, blog posts, or product pages attract the most attention.
Conversion Rate Optimisation:
- Analysing page views can help you see which pages in your conversion funnel drop the most users.
- By improving the content or UX, you can optimise your rates and ultimately increase your revenue or lead generation.
Content Strategy:
- Page views provide valuable insights into what type of content resonates with your audience.
- This data can improve your content strategy, helping you create more content people like.
User Behaviour Analytics:
Beyond the raw count, the views show interesting patterns in user behaviour.
For example, you might discover that users often visit a specific product page after reading a certain blog post.
Benefits of Increasing Page Views
Why should you care about increasing page views through internal linking?
- Enhanced User Engagement: If users can easily find relevant content, they will likely stay on the site longer. It can lead to higher conversions and increased brand loyalty.
- Improved SEO Rankings: Search engines reward sites with well-structured internal linking. It helps distribute link juice and authority on the site.
- Reduced Bounce Rates: Keep users engaged with your content; when they view more pages, they’re less likely to hit the back button and leave.
Identifying High-Value Pages
In order to start your internal linking strategy, you must first figure out which pages are the most “high-value”.
These are the pages that you want to prioritise for increased visibility and engagement.
Here’s how to do it:
- Traffic Analysis: Use tools to find where there is high traffic; these pages are already popular, and linking to them can spread the love.
- Conversion Rate: Pages with good rates are good at turning traffic into customers, making them valuable assets.
- Page Authority: Pages with this (usually shown by backlinks) can benefit from internal linking to pass on authority to other pages.
- User Intent: What content is closely related to what they’re currently viewing? Link to pages that provide additional information or solve related problems.
Developing an Internal Linking Strategy for Page Views
Conduct a Content Audit
The goal is to understand your existing content structure and look for areas for improvement.
- Identify Existing Internal Links: Use tools like WILO to see which pages link to what. Pay attention to which pages are frequently linked to.
- Content Gaps: Find topics or areas that lack internal links and improve them to fortify your linking structure.
Prioritise High-Value Pages
Not all pages on your website are equal in value or importance.
Based on your content audit and business goals, focus on the pages you want to drive more traffic to and promote.
- High-Traffic Pages: Start by focusing on your popular pages; by linking to them, you can capitalise on their success.
- Conversion Pages: Increasing page visibility can increase the conversion rates you get from specific pages.
- Page Authority: Distribute the link juice from these pages to related content to help improve rankings and indexing.
Use Anchor Text Well
When creating contextual internal links, use descriptive and relevant anchor text to give users and crawlers enough context.
- Generic Anchor Text: Instead of vague phrases like “read more”, use text that flows naturally with the content.
- Maintain Relevance: Make sure the anchor text accurately reflects the content of the linked page; anything too confusing can impact your SEO.
Avoid Over-Optimisation
While internal linking is a valuable strategy, it’s important to strike and maintain a balance.
Try excessive internal linking within a single piece of content, as it looks a bit much.
- Focus on Relevance: Link only to genuinely relevant pages that provide value to the reader; Don’t force them where they don’t fit.
- User-Centric Approach: Keep the UX in mind; all links should add some extra to their experience of your content.
Techniques for Internal Linking for Page Views
1. Contextual Linking:
Weave the links into your written content naturally.
- Example: You have an article about SEO strategies and mention the importance of keyword research; there, you can link to an in-depth article about researching keywords.
2. Sidebar and Navigation Menus:
These are prominent locations for internal links that act as guides for users.
Include links to high-value pages, such as your landing pages, blog, resources, services, or products.
3. Hub Pages:
AKA resource pages or cornerstone content are comprehensive guides or collections of information on a specific topic or theme.
Create hub pages that consolidate relevant information and serve as a central hub for internal links.
- Example: If you run a fitness blog, you create a hub titled “Ultimate Guide to Strength Training” and link to various articles about exercises, nutrition and routines.
4. Related Posts of Content Recommendations
To encourage users to explore more content, put related posts or recommendations at the end of your articles.
Use plugins or tools that automatically suggest and display related articles based on the current content being viewed.
This keeps users interested and increases the page views per session.
Measuring Succes
Implementing your internal linking strategy is just the beginning.
You need to keep an eye on it to see if it’s actually working.
- Track Page Views: Look for any increases or decreases on your high-value pages.
- Bounce Rates: Check for any improvements here; lower bounce rates could mean improved engagement.
- Rankings: Look at where your linked pages are ranking; you should start to see gradual improvements.
- Adjusting the Strategy: Based on the data, make any further changes to your linking. Maybe experiment a little.
Tips
To wrap this up, here are some of the best practices to have in mind:
- Avoid Silly Mistakes: Don’t overuse the same anchor text, and avoid linking to random pages. All links should spice up the user’s experience.
- UX First: Always prioritise the people you’ve made the site for; your linking should improve their navigation, not hinder it.
- Stay Up-to-Date: SEO practices evolve, so keep up with the latest trends and algorithms to make the most out of your internal links.
- A/B Testing: Why not consider A/B testing to put your ideas to the test?
Final Thoughts
If there is a path to specific content, people can find it, and hey, presto, your page views have gone up!
Internal linking shouldn’t be a difficult task.
That’s why here at WILO, we’ve developed our WordPress Internal Linking Optimiser plugin to make it easy and even catch yourself having fun while doing it.
Start optimising today and increase your page views with WILO.
