What is the best way to structure your website's internal links for SEO?

Improved Website Navigation: Internal links help users navigate your website more easily by providing them with relevant and related content. Spread of Link Equity: When one page on your website links to another, it passes a certain amount of its "link equity" or "link juice" to the linked page. Keyword Relevance: Internal linking allows you to use anchor text (the clickable text in a hyperlink) that contains relevant keywords. Indexing and Crawling: Search engines use crawlers to navigate and index websites. Internal links provide a pathway for these crawlers to discover and index new pages on your site. Reducing Bounce Rate: Establishing Site Hierarchy: Facilitating Content Flow: Updating and Refreshing Old Content:

Simple and short answer is "Create a clear hierarchical structure, use descriptive anchor text with relevant keywords, prioritize important pages, and ensure every page is linked to from at least one other page."

In my experience, effective internal linking helps users navigate the website and ensure the link equity is moved around to the most important pages. The pages that receive the most links will also tend to rank better. Managing this effectively improves you SEO dramatically.

I do agree with the previous two perspectives, and would like to add that: 1. Internal links help users better navigate inside the website, 2. Internal links help search engines better index your website. If you logically build your website, you will be leading your visitors from the first informative page, step by step deeper until they are ready to take action and be converted to users, which qualifies proper liking structure as one of the CRO elements.

Here are some best practices for structuring your website's internal links for SEO: Clear Hierarchy: Organize content logically with clear categories and subcategories. Consistent Navigation: Maintain uniform menus for user and search engine ease. Breadcrumb Navigation: Include breadcrumbs for user understanding and additional links. Optimized Anchor Text: Use relevant, keyword-rich anchor text Moderate Linking: Avoid excessive links Link Attribute: Make sure all your internal links are Dofollow Regular Audits: Monitor and update links, fix broken or outdated ones. (especially those 301 internal redirects) Footer Links: Use footer links judiciously, focusing on key pages and categories.

Understand Your Content: Begin by understanding the content on your website. Identify key pages, cornerstone content, and related topics. This will help you determine the natural relationships between different pages. Identify Key Pages and Cornerstone Content: Pinpoint your key pages and cornerstone content. These are the most important and valuable pages on your site. Use Descriptive Anchor Text: When creating internal links, use descriptive and relevant anchor text. Avoid generic terms like "click here" and instead use keywords that accurately describe the content of the linked page. Link from General to Specific: Follow a natural flow in your internal linking, linking from more general pages to more specific ones.

Use Descriptive Anchor Text: he anchor text (the clickable text in a hyperlink) should be descriptive and relevant to the content it's linking to. Use keywords that accurately represent the linked page's topic, as this helps search engines understand the context of the link. Follow a Logical Flow: Create a logical flow in your internal linking structure. Link from broader, more general pages to more specific ones, guiding users through a natural progression of content Use Breadcrumb Navigation: Implement breadcrumb navigation to provide users and search engines with a clear trail of the user's path through your site. Leverage Call-to-Action (CTA) Links: Use internal links as calls-to-action where appropriate.

Audit Your Internal Links: Crawl Your Website: Use website crawling tools like Screaming Frog Check for Broken Links: Identify and fix broken links. Review Anchor Text: Examine the anchor text used in your internal links. Assess Link Relevance: Evaluate the relevance of each internal link. Check for Redirect Chains: Identify and rectify any redirect chains. A redirect chain occurs when one URL redirects to another, and then to another. Verify Nofollow Attributes: Check for the presence of the "nofollow" attribute on internal links. Maintain Your Internal Links: Update and Optimize Old Content: Add Internal Links to New Content: Optimize Breadcrumb Navigation: Utilize Footer and Sidebar Links: Stay Informed About Algorithm Changes:

Measure Internal Link Performance: Use Analytics Tools: Leverage analytics tools such as Google Analytics to track the performance of your internal links Track Conversions: Monitor how internal links contribute to conversions and goal completions. Analyze Pageviews: Examine the number of pageviews for each page linked internally. Check User Engagement: Evaluate user engagement metrics for pages linked internally. Review Bounce Rates: Analyze bounce rates for pages linked internally. Use Heatmaps: Employ heatmap tools to visually assess user interactions on pages. Improve Internal Link Performance: Optimize Anchor Text: Review and optimize anchor text for relevance and SEO. Ensure Relevance: Implement A/B Diversify Link Placement: