Does your website feel like a wallflower these days—left out of the online marketing party?
Are you seeking in vain those "rich anchor text" links from other websites or blogs that might boost your site into the ranks of the Internet in-crowd?
Gaining those much-prized inbound links is an important way to boost search rankings, Diane Aull admits in a recent Search Engine Guide post. She notes that content publishers often go to great lengths to gain such external links, asking others to include keywords in the anchor text (the clickable text in the hyperlink) to drive targeted traffic to their sites.
Although external links may be all the rage, don't overlook your own site's internal navigation when developing an SEO plan, Aull suggests. A careful inventory may turn up loads of search-optimizable links right at home, she says. Here are just two ways that well-crafted internal links will add value to your site, according to Aull:
They'll boost your rankings. A site-navigation plan with carefully designated links naturally emphasizes the pages you consider most important, and helps your internal pages rank more highly with a host of search engines.
They'll boost usability. Internal links help your visitors to better explore your site and more easily find and complete your site objectives.
What's the best part of internal linking? You get to specify the link anchor text yourself—with no asking of favors from other sites!
The Po!nt: Seeking the in-crowd? Check the mirror and take control! Optimizing your internal navigation could boost your page rankings from the inside out.
Source: Search Engine Guide. Read the full post here.
by Christina "CK" Kerley
