TL DR: Identify the ideal keyword that satisfies user intent. Internal linking is highly underutilized. Use site: search formula to identify the best page on your site for a keyword. Use Screaming Frog to find your website’s most powerful pages. Link from these pages to your main landing pages.
OK, we are not going to gatekeep this simple but highly effective SEO tip any longer; internal linking is one of the most underutilized but bang-for-buck SEO activities you can undertake.
Garnering valuable links from external domains in your niche is undoubtedly valuable, but don’t overlook the linking opportunities readily accessible to you from your domain.
We have seen our clients benefit massively once we start to incorporate proper internal linking throughout their sites. From highly competitive keywords that they were not ranking for, they are now ranking #1. Sure, we do a lot of SEO activities that the average website owner may find a tad bit too technical, but we are confident that you can handle some internal linking on your own.
In this guide, we will discover how implementing a professional internal linking strategy helped a Gold Coast concrete company rise to the top of the rankings.
Who Is This Gold Coast Concrete Company?
Domain: https://www.osmconcrete.com.au/
OSM Concrete…do you get the play on words…awesome concrete.
I give them a bonus point just for having some fun with their business name. Sure, they could have gone with a generic “Gold Coast Concrete” name, but instead, they have injected a decent chunk of personality.
In addition, they have ensured they will rank #1 for their company name straightaway.
What are the services they offer? And what are the monthly search volumes?
So, after having a look at the data, quick exam!
What keyword are you going to pick? Based purely on keyword difficulty and search volume, what looks to be the most attractive keyword?
Concreters Gold Coast vs Concrete Gold Coast seems to be the apparent matchup for the two most attractive and profitable keywords.
Of course, they both have different search intent. Individuals who search for “concreters” are searching directly for a service and possibly for a tradesman for smaller projects. On the other hand, “concrete” can be searched for products/supplies as well as a service.
When you are deciding which keyword you want to focus on, it is good practice to search for the terms and examine the results. Let’s do that for these keywords:
Concreter Gold Coast SERPs
Concrete Gold Coast SERPs
As expected, notice the difference in search intent. The first search is specifically for a service, while the second offers both a service and a product. Based on OSM Concrete’s preferences, the second option would be the ideal keyword.
How To Find The Best Page On Your Website For A Keyword
So, now that you have identified your keyword, how do you know which page on your website has the best potential to rank highly for that keyword?
It is actually easier than you might think, and we are going to show you now!
All you need to do is a Google site: search.
Here is how:
- In your browser, go to your website.
- Add site: before your website in the search box.
- Add the keyword you are searching for after your website (leaving a space)
When you search using this formula, Google is going to search on your website, not the whole internet. By adding your keyword at the end of the formula, you are going to search your website for that search query, so you will be able to see which exact page Google identifies as the best on your website for that keyword. Here is an example for OSM Concrete for the keyword we identified, “Gold Coast Concrete”:
Now, how is this helpful?
First of all, we know that the ideal page for promoting the main keyword is the homepage, so we will want to optimise the content, SEO Title, meta description, and headings with the primary keyword. But this search has also revealed another tidbit of knowledge. Can you guess what it is?
It shows the second, third, fourth, etc., best pages on the website for that search term. So, what do you think we should do from those pages?
These are the pages from which we need to create internal links.
You will be surprised at the difference creating internal links from these pages on your site can make. But I want to share another advanced technique with you today. The good news is that it uses a free tool that you may not have used before.
How To Use Screaming Frog To Help You Create Powerful Internal Links
Screaming Frog is a super-versatile SEO tool for auditing websites, including internal linking strategies. As long as there are less than 500 URLs on your website, you will be able to use all of the features of Screaming Frog without having to spend a cent.
Here is the website for Screaming Frog, where you can get a free download for PC or Mac.
So, how can you use this pro-level SEO auditing tool?
Crawl Your Website: Enter your website URL in Screaming Frog and initiate a crawl.
Internal Links Tab: Navigate to the “Internal” tab to view how pages link to each other.
Inlink and Analysis: Navigate to the “Inlinks” section (how many links point to a page) for the page you want to analyse.
This shows all of the internal links to that page. This is helpful, but even more valuable is the third column highlighting the anchor text for those links.
What do you notice about the anchor text in the links on this home page, which should rank for Gold Coast Concrete?
Would you say that the anchor text is descriptive and relevant to the linked content to improve user experience and search engine understanding?
Not really.
So what should be done?
Go to those internal links and create more descriptive and helpful anchor text.
A simple internal linking audit like this can provide massive rewards in boosting your rankings, but it can also significantly impact dwell time and reduce bounce rate.
Suppose you create useful internal links that help visitors navigate your site and find helpful information easily. In that case, they are more likely to visit the exact page they need, and you will be able to convert more customers.
So yes, internal linking is a massively helpful and highly underutilised SEO task.
So stop reading and start making the most of that super-efficient SEO technique.
