Take your web visitors to new places with well planned links

Along with a clear and straight forward menu structure, internal and external links within your website content are great for users, adding value and attracting traffic as well as having SEO benefits.

These can be internal or external links, providing they are helpful to the user based on the content. However, it can be a bit of a challenge finding links that are appropriate, interesting or relevant enough, and that get visitors and potential customers moved on from your landing page.

All that’s needed is a bit of creative thinking based on what your customers and potential customers would be interested in, what would draw them to the pages on your site and hopefully keep them coming back.

Here are a few ideas to create internal linkable pages that can add something extra to your content.

1. Blogs

It may sound pretty obvious but including links in your blogs is an easy way to add interest and up SEO value. There are plenty of opportunities to link to a diverse range of exterior sites (look at us adding links to Alice in Wonderland!) – every different blog topic should flag up new opportunities.

You can also link to your own internal pages, referring to specific products/services or other details. As a Yorkshire digital marketing agency, we show pages with the work we have done for our clients, which provides several opportunities for internal links.

Just be careful not to add in too many links and pick and choose those that are most interesting and relevant to your audience. Linking to a video on YouTube or other blog comment is great especially where you can support this with a cool image.

2. Partners and divisions

If you have multiple centres or sister companies in your portfolio, make sure you include links to these on your website. If they don’t have separate websites then you can include links to location/transport details and maps.

Where appropriate, you can add in links to local information.

Be sure to include information about all your partners and suppliers, which could also include charities you work with or local community initiatives. By adding in links to all these pages you will encourage traffic onto your own internal pages as well as those of your partners.

Yorkshire Tea supports several good causes and news of these activities is added to the website on the blog page. You can see here how they include links to those that they are supporting. http://yorkshiretea.co.uk/blog/2014/01/our-staff-charities/

Importantly, when adding external links leave your web page open and open a new tab or window at the linked website.

3. Offering Advice and Tips

People are always searching for tips on how to do something or advice on this or that and so if your product or service fits into this category, be sure to include some detailed information as part of your webpages.

For example, you may sell cleaning fluids and could link to videos on how to clean particular items or get rid of certain types of stains. You could then link to the relevant cleaning product within your website. You can also link to external articles that deal with the same topic or perhaps the ‘green’ benefits of using a particular item or method.

If you sell gift items, you could include a link to a video with tips and ideas on how to gift wrap.

4. Helpful Apps – offer something extra

Why not offer links to an App that can be helpful to mobile visitors? For example a calorie counter or miles walked app for health related websites, or even local weather updates, which can be very generic. Design your own App that doesn’t necessarily ‘sell’ your products but provides a useful service or adds something to the visitor’s day.

5. Complimentary Products

When describing a product or service that you sell and what it can be used for, it may compliment or work with another product or service which you do not supply. You could provide links to complimentary websites which may improve sales for both parties, helping the customer find all the items required more easily.

For example, you may offer electrical supplies such as light bulbs and could show off the products using a range of shades from a company that supplies light fittings.

Whatever product or service you offer there are always ways to encourage visitors to click beyond the home page and spend more time looking at what you have to offer and how you can help make their searching easier, whilst hopefully creating more reasons to visit in the future. As for whether this works and gets your web page read – you’re reading this one, so the proof is in the pudding I guess!