Links (or hyperlinks, if you want to get technical) have been around since the dawn on the Internet. Quite simply, they are a way to jump immediately from one page to another. If you don’t understand what a link is or how it works, then you probably aren’t ready for anything else we’re about to discuss.
Seriously, though, links are a powerful enhancement to your web content. They can boost SEO and keep your customers engaged. They can help you build better relationships with vendors and fellow businesses. And, if you are not utilizing links in your content, you are missing out.
There are three types of links we want to focus on in this article. I’ll explain the differences and offer some helpful tips on how to get more out of how you use them.
1.External Links
These are links that take someone to a site that is not yours. Perhaps you are referencing another article in one of your blog posts, or you want to provide resource links to manufacturers, service providers and vendors that you work with. Maybe you have a news feed that pulls from other online sources.
There’s nothing wrong with including external links from time to time. They show that you are providing useful information to your customers. The obvious recommendation is that you always set your external links (and all links for that matter) to open up a new browser window. You do not want someone clicking away from your site and not coming back.
Another good tip is to trade links with those manufacturers, service providers and vendors that we talked about. Set up a resources page on your site that links out to everyone you do business with and other reputable businesses in your community. In exchange, ask them to do the same. Everyone benefits from those inbound links, which is what we’ll talk about next.
2. Inbound Links
Inbound links are hyperlinks from other sites that point to specific pages on your site. They are very valuable when it comes to SEO, so inbound links are good for your business in just about every way. In addition to the exchange links we talked about earlier, social media is another great tool to create your own inbound links. Share your blog posts on all your social media accounts and periodically share links to various informational pages on your site. Make sure links to your home page are there in your bio sections. Of course, review and search sites like Google, Yelp, YP.com, etc. will also give you some inbound links. Pay-per-click and pay-per-impression advertising on search engines and social media will also boost your inbound link count.
3. Internal Links
Internal links are best for keeping a site visitor engaged. Have you ever watched a YouTube video that someone shared on Facebook? And before long, you have watched 10 more “related” videos on the side! That illustrates the power of internal links. By including links to your other pages and other blog posts within your own web content, you have a better chance of keeping the visitor on your site longer and getting across more marketing impressions. You may have even noticed several internal links in this article.
As mentioned earlier, also make sure internal links open up new browser windows/tabs. You always want them to come back to the page(s) they started on.
All types of links are easy to include in your web content and they all offer positive aspects that will help improve SEO, strengthen your overall content strategy and engage customers. You don’t want to overload your content with too many links, but you do want to incorporate them on a regular basis for positive results. To learn more about using links in your content, contact NextGear Marketing today.
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