One thing we focus on at Team WILO is how to make your life easier.
Highlighting featured content through internal linking is an SEO life hack, we promise.
If you don’t know what on earth we’re on about, this is what the blog is for.
Take our advice and it’ll all be okay.
What Is Highlighting Featured Content?
Highlighting featured content is a strategic approach that involves giving special importance and visibility to select pieces of content within your website.
This is typically done to draw attention to the most valuable, relevant, or engaging content you have to offer.
The goal is to make sure all visitors, both new and returning, easily discover and engage with these highlighted pieces.
This is often achieved through the use of internal links, but it can also involve various other design and content placement techniques.
The term “featured content” can encompass a wide range of material, depending on the nature and objectives of your website. It could include:
- Flagship Blog Posts: If you run a blog, you might want to highlight your most popular or in-depth articles that offer valuable insights or solutions to common problems.
- Product or Service Pages: For e-commerce websites or businesses, highlighting flagship products, services, or special promotions can be a way to boost sales.
- Resource Guides: In the case of informational websites, resource guides or comprehensive tutorials can be featured to establish your site’s authority on a specific subject.
- News and Updates: News websites may use featured content sections to display the latest headlines or breaking news stories.
- Testimonials and Reviews: Service-based businesses can showcase positive customer testimonials and reviews to build trust and credibility.
The Basics of Internal Linking
What are Internal Links?
Internal links take someone from one page to another, all on the same site.
These are not to be confused with external links: these take you away from the website and add additional information or value to the content.
Internal links are an integral part of a well-structured website and play a crucial role in SEO.
Why They Matter For SEO
Internal links are not just for user navigation; they are also an essential part of your SEO strategy.
Here’s why:
- Crawling and Indexing: Links help search engines like Google find and index pages on your website, making sure your content is accessible to everyone.
- Page Authority: Internal links distribute “link juice” or authority among pages, boosting the overall credibility of your site.
- User Experience: Properly placed internal links improve UX, as they guide users to relevant content and cause bounce rates to decrease.
Benefits of Highlighting Featured Content Through Internal Linking
Enhanced UX
As previously mentioned, this is a biggie when it comes to linking internally.
Users visit your website with specific goals, whether finding information, making a purchase, or simply seeking entertainment.
Internal links can be a navigational guide, leading users to your site’s most relevant and valuable content.
Here’s how it benefits your users:
1. Quick Access to Valuable Information
Links create a roadmap that directs users to the information they want.
Whether it’s a comprehensive guide, a product page, or a great blog post, you can point links to it to provide immediate access.
Quick access saves users time and makes them satisfied with their experience on your site.
2. Improved Readability and Flow
Internal links help improve how your site reads and how it flows.
Referencing related articles, guides, or products within your text helps give readers context and extra info.
Users can smoothly go between pages whilst gaining an understanding of the topic and staying engaged with your content.
3. Encouragement to Explore
By highlighting featured content with internal links, you encourage users to explore more of your website.
When users find one piece of content valuable, they are likelier to click on internal links leading to other related content.
This keeps them engaged for longer periods, reducing their chances of prematurely leaving your site.
Improved SEO Rankings
Effective internal linking isn’t just about improving the UX.
Search engines reward websites that offer users something of value.
Highlighting featured content through internal links can lead to numerous SEO benefits:
1. Higher Ranking of Featured Content
When you consistently highlight your best content with internal links, you increase its visibility to users and search engines.
Well-optimised internal links signal to search engine crawlers that these pages are essential and relevant.
So, your featured content is more likely to rank higher in search results, driving organic traffic and establishing your site’s authority.
2. Indexing and Crawlability
Internal links allow your site to be indexed and crawled.
Search engine bots use these links to navigate from page to page.
When your best content is readily accessible through internal links, it ensures that search engines can find and rank these pages effectively.
3. Boosted Site Authority
Internal links distribute authority, aka “link juice,” throughout your site.
When you point to your featured content, you send this authority into those pages, making them more appealing to users and search engines.
As the authority of your featured content grows, so does the overall authority of your website, improving your chances of ranking well across various topics and keywords.
Reduced Bounce Rates
Bounce is a critical metric that tracks the percentage of visitors who navigate off your site having only viewed one page.
High bounce rates can be detrimental to your website’s performance, as they tell you users aren’t finding what they need or simply aren’t engaged.
Highlighting featured content through internal links can address the issue.
1. Encouraging Content Exploration
Internal links give people a reason to explore more of your site.
When something that could interest them is pointed out, they’re more likely to click on the links and do some exploring.
It not only increases the time users spend on your site but also reduces the chances of them bouncing.
2. Providing More Value
If users find valuable information on your site, they are less likely to leave.
By guiding users gently to your content, you’re offering more value and keeping them engaged.
Identifying Featured Content
Before you can highlight your featured content, you need to identify what it is. Here’s how:
How to Determine What Content to Highlight
Analyse Analytics and Metrics:
Look at your website’s analytics to identify pages that are popular, have high engagement, or convert well.
These are excellent candidates for featured content.
Content That Converts:
Highlight content that encourages your website’s primary goals, whether that’s lead generation, sales, or simply sharing valuable information.
Strategies for Effective Internal Linking
Now that you know why highlighting featured content is essential, let’s explore strategies to do it effectively.
Contextual Linking
Embed internal links naturally within your content.
For example, if you’re writing a blog post about SEO, you can link to a relevant, in-depth guide on the same topic.
Contextual links are user-friendly and improve navigation.
Navigation Menus and Site Structure
Your website’s navigation menus and site structure are fundamental for highlighting featured content.
Place internal links strategically in your main menu, footer, or sidebar to direct users to important pages.
Anchor Text Best Practices
Use descriptive and relevant anchor text for your internal links.
This helps users understand where the link will take them and provides search engines with valuable context.
Balancing Internal and External Links
While internal links are essential, don’t neglect external links.
A balanced approach that combines high-quality internal and external links can strengthen your website’s SEO performance.
Measuring Success
As with any SEO strategy, it’s essential to measure success and make improvements as needed.
Key Metrics to Track
- Bounce Rates: Decreasing bounce rates is a clear sign that your internal linking strategy is working.
- Traffic to Featured Content: Monitor the increase in traffic to your featured content pages.
- Ranking Improvements: Observe if your featured content starts ranking higher in search results.
Using Google Analytics
- Google Analytics provides detailed reports on user behaviour, pageviews, and other important metrics.
- Use these insights to measure the effectiveness of your internal linking strategy.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
As you implement internal linking to highlight featured content, be mindful of potential pitfalls.
- Over-Optimising Anchor Text: Avoid over-optimising anchor text with keywords. It can come across as spammy and harm your SEO efforts.
- Neglecting Mobile Friendliness: Ensure that your internal linking strategy works well on mobile devices, as an increasing number of users browse websites on smartphones and tablets.
- Linking to Irrelevant Content: Internal links should lead users to relevant and valuable content. Don’t mislead users by linking to unrelated or unhelpful pages.
Final Thoughts
SEO is like a never-ending long-haul flight.
By improving your site’s user experience, boosting page authority, and reducing bounce rates, you can see some serious benefits.
Remember to analyse your data, use the right tools, and avoid common mistakes to make the most of your internal linking strategy.
Start with these techniques, and you’ll see a positive impact on both user engagement and search engine rankings.
