Internal links are a straightforward way to enhance your e-commerce site's Google ranking and boost sales. Many people focus on backlinks, but internal links can give you a significant advantage. This guide will explain why internal links are essential and how to utilize them to enhance your online store's growth.

Why Internal Linking Matters

Think of the internet as a network of websites connected by links. When people talk about SEO, they often focus on backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They are essential, but internal links are just as helpful.

Internal links connect different pages within your website. They help:

• Pass value and authority from one page to another.

• Help Google understand your site's structure.

• Improve user experience by making it easy for visitors to find what they need.

The best part? Internal links are within your control, and they are cost-effective. You don't have to pay for them or wait for someone else to add them, giving you the power to enhance your site's SEO without additional expenses.

How Internal Links Work

Internal links function similarly to backlinks, but with several key differences. A strong internal link from a popular page on your site is very valuable. It is more useful than a link from a page that no one visits.

Anchor text is also essential. Anchor text is the clickable text in a link. Using different anchor texts can help your pages rank for more keywords.

Real-World Examples

Here are two examples of how internal linking can help e-commerce businesses:

• One client had a small budget for SEO. With no budget for backlinks, internal links, and content, they helped increase revenue.

• Another brand moved 123 keywords to the top spot in Google in the first month. They only used internal links and new blog content.

These examples demonstrate that internal linking can have a significant impact, even without external backlinks.

The Simple Strategy: Build Down the Funnel

The most important thing to remember is to build internal links down the funnel. This involves linking from top-of-funnel pages (such as blog posts) to middle-of-funnel pages (like category pages) and bottom-of-funnel pages (like product pages).

Why down the funnel?

• It matches how customers shop.

• It tells Google which pages are most important.

Imagine a customer finds your product page on Google and is ready to make a purchase. If you link them to a blog post, they might get distracted and leave. But if you link them to another product page, they might add more items to their cart.

By linking down the funnel, you make sure that your product and collection pages have the most links. Google sees this and understands that these pages are essential for sales.

12 Rules for Internal Linking

Follow these rules to make the most of your internal linking strategy:

1. Link from blog posts to collection and product pages. Never link in reverse.

2. The first internal link in every blog post should point to the main collection or product page.

3. Add three to five other links to relevant blogs in the same topic group.

4. If a blog post has backlinks, use internal links to share that value with other pages.

5. Make sure internal links open in the same tab. External links should open in a new tab.

6. All internal links should be "dofollow."

7. Link between collections to help customers find what they need.

8. Do not link to other product pages from product pages, unless you're upselling or showing related products.

9. Use short, descriptive anchor text. Aim for two to four words.

10. Avoid using the exact anchor text repeatedly. Mix it up.

11. Don't use branded anchor text for internal links.

12. Link to essential money pages from your homepage and top blog posts.

More Tips

• Traffic Matters: Link from pages that get the most traffic. These links pass the most value.

• One Link is Enough: Don't link to the same page more than once on a single page.

Ready to boost your e-commerce SEO?

Internal linking is a powerful tool for e-commerce SEO. By following these tips, you can significantly improve your site's ranking on Google and increase your sales, giving you a reason to be optimistic about the future of your e-commerce business.