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The Batman Guide to Internal Linking
The 'Batman Guide to Internal Linking' offers expert tips on enhancing content authority, visibility, and SEO success through effective internal linking strategies. It emphasizes the importance of link intelligence, anchor text, and a structured hub-and-spoke architecture to improve user navigation and search engine optimization. The guide also highlights that all links are not created equal, urging careful consideration of link attributes and their contextual relevance.
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The Batman Guide to Internal Linking
- 1. THE BATMAN GUIDETO INTERNAL LINKING EXPERT TIPS FOR CONTENT AUTHORITY, VISIBILITY, AND SEO SUCCESS
- 2. THE BATMAN GUIDETO INTERNAL LINKING “HOLY LINKS BATMAN!”
- 3. • Fractional Directorof SEO (2 agencies) • SEO Consultant grantsimmons.com • InLinks US Ambassador • Busy chap! GRANT SIMMONS X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 4. • Fractional Directorof SEO (2 agencies) • SEO Consultant grantsimmons.com • InLinks US Ambassador • Busy chap! • Some brands I’ve helped GRANT SIMMONS X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 5. YES. I HAVEA FUNNY ACCENT. I’M FROM LONDON ENGLAND
- 6. • Tweet (X)this session! @simmonet HOUSEKEEPING X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 7. • Tweet (X)this session! @simmonet HOUSEKEEPING X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 8. • Tweet (X)this session! @simmonet HOUSEKEEPING X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/ #SEOBatman
- 9. • Tweet (X)this session! @simmonet • Fill out the speaker survey (expo app) HOUSEKEEPING X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 10. LOTS OF KNOWLEDGEBOMBS. TAKE NOTES. FIND ME LATER.
- 11.
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- 14. THE BATMAN GUIDETO INTERNAL LINKING EXPERT TIPS FOR CONTENT AUTHORITY, VISIBILITY, AND SEO SUCCESS
- 16. Batman: “Link Intelligence” Robin: “Anchor Intelligence” (AI)J “DYNAMIC DUO” @simmonet
- 17.
- 18. KNOWLEDGE GRAPH X: @simmonet LinkedIn:/in/simmonet/
- 19. WHAT WAS ADAMWEST’S SALARY IN BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1966)? X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 20. WHAT WAS ADAMWEST’S SALARY IN BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1966)? $100,000 X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 21. LINK INTELLIGENCE X: @simmonet LinkedIn:/in/simmonet/ #SEOBatman
- 22. • What isinternal linking? LINK INTELLIGENCE
- 23. • What isinternal linking? “Links between pages in your site.” LINK INTELLIGENCE
- 24. • What isinternal linking? “Links between pages in your site.” LINK INTELLIGENCE Doh!
- 25. • What isinternal linking? “Links between pages in your site.” • How does it help my site? LINK INTELLIGENCE
- 26. • What isinternal linking? “Links between pages in your site.” • How does it help my site? “Links are for users: To simplify information discovery & guide them to a point of complete satisfaction.” LINK INTELLIGENCE
- 27. “Search engines alsouse internal links to discover pages, understand topic hierarchies, and the relative importance of pages.” LINK INTELLIGENCE
- 28. “Search engines alsouse internal links to discover pages, understand topic hierarchies, and the relative importance of pages.” LINK INTELLIGENCE “With regards to internal linking, I do think this is one of the most important elements of a website. Because it’s a great way for you to tell us what you would consider important of your pages” ~ John Mueller - Google
- 29. Patent: …a reasonablesurfer model that indicates that when a surfer accesses a document with a set of links, the surfer will follow some of the links with higher probability than others. GOOGLE’S REASONABLE SURFER MODEL X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 30. Patent: …a reasonablesurfer model that indicates that when a surfer accesses a document with a set of links, the surfer will follow some of the links with higher probability than others. GOOGLE’S REASONABLE SURFER MODEL All links are not equal X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 31. Attributes of internallinks that may determine additional value in passing link “equity” or “importance” • Font size / weight / style / color • List attributes / position in list • Type of link i.e. image / text • Relevance of link in content • Position in page ALL LINKS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 32. Attributes of internallinks that may determine additional value in passing link “equity” or “importance” • Font size / weight / style / color • List attributes / position in list • Type of link i.e. image / text • Relevance of link in content • Position in page ALL LINKS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 33. Links in thefooter Navigation links See where to go Links in body copy Provide: connection & context No one ever finds or clicks J
- 34. Links in thefooter Navigation links See where to go Links in body copy Provide: connection & context No one ever finds or clicks J
- 35. difference between batman WHY IS CONTEXT IMPORTANT? X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 36. difference between batman and batman WHY IS CONTEXT IMPORTANT? X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 37. difference between batman and batman Adding a link to (or from) a page about “baseball” WHY IS CONTEXT IMPORTANT? X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 38. LINK JUICE A SIMPLEWAY OF EXPLAINING A COMPLEX CONCEPT X: @simmonet LinkedIn: /in/simmonet/
- 39. Links into Web Page “JUICE”INTO PAGE
- 40. Links into Web Page “JUICE”INTO PAGE
- 41. Links into Web Page “JUICE”OF PAGE “JUICE” INTO PAGE
- 42. Links into Web Page Linksout from “JUICE” OF PAGE “JUICE” INTO PAGE “JUICE” OUT OF PAGE
- 43.
- 44. Links into Web Page Linksout from “JUICE” OF PAGE “JUICE” INTO PAGE “JUICE” OUT OF PAGE CAN BE INBOUND LINKS TOO!
- 45. Links into ”Value” Web Page Linksout from “JUICE” OF PAGE “JUICE” INTO PAGE “JUICE” OUT OF PAGE ALL VILLAINS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
- 46. Links into Web Page Linksout from “Value” “JUICE” OF PAGE “JUICE” INTO PAGE “JUICE” OUT OF PAGE ALL VILLAINS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL JUICE ‘OUT’ of PAGE DEPENDS ON JUICE IN (LINK ‘VALUE’)
- 47. IT’S NOT JUSTTHE NUMBER OF LINKS TO A PAGE
- 48. IT’S NOT JUSTTHE NUMBER OF LINKS TO A PAGE BUT ALSO THEIR ‘VALUE’
- 49. • Helps definethe most important pages • Helps define *relative* importance of pages • It’s not about the number of links to a page** • Links attributes provide signals of importance • Provide context (based on location in page) • Connection to relevant & related pages • ”Link Juice” is a concept, not a Google thing LINK INTELLIGENCE RECAP @simmonet * Copyright Grant Simmons 2020 J ** All links are not created equal J
- 50.
- 51. TO WHICH 2CARTOON SERIES DID ADAM WEST PROVIDE VOICEOVERS?
- 52. TO WHICH 2CARTOON SERIES DID ADAM WEST PROVIDE VOICEOVERS? The Simpsons
- 53. TO WHICH 2CARTOON SERIES DID ADAM WEST PROVIDE VOICEOVERS? The Simpsons Sponge Bob Square Pants
- 54.
- 55. What is anchortext? ANCHOR INTELLIGENCE
- 56. What is anchortext? • Text of a link ANCHOR INTELLIGENCE Doh!
- 57. What is anchortext? • Text of a link • Informs what to expect • Provides context ANCHOR INTELLIGENCE
- 58. AND SOMETIMES YOUNEED CONTEXT
- 59. • The betteryour anchor text is, the easier it is for users to navigate and for Google to understand what the page you're linking to is about. • The anchor text you use for a link should provide at least a basic idea of what the page linked to is about. ANCHOR INTELLIGENCE
- 60. • The betteryour anchor text is, the easier it is for users to navigate and for Google to understand what the page you're linking to is about. • The anchor text you use for a link should provide at least a basic idea of what the page linked to is about. ANCHOR INTELLIGENCE Subtle Google. Very subtle. developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
- 63. Anchor text consistingof a succinct, well-defined concept (we’ll talk about that later)
- 64. • Generic anchortext like "page", "article", or "click here". • Complex anchor text strings (long sentences) • Using off-topic text that has no relation to target page • Linking in the first sentence AVOID
- 65. When SEOs tellme their killer strategy is link back to the homepage with anchor text of their primary keyword(s)
- 66. Day one ofmy job at Homes.com • Removed footer link to homepage “homes for sale” • Looked for natural ‘homes for sale’ anchor text in corpus of blogs • Added from many of those blogs to our ‘homes for sale’ landing page • Net traffic wins = “boy wonder” J WHAT I DID
- 67. Day one ofmy job at Homes.com • Removed footer link to homepage “homes for sale”* • Looked for natural ‘homes for sale’ anchor text in corpus of blogs • Added from many of those blogs to our ‘homes for sale’ landing page • Net traffic wins = “boy wonder” J WHAT I DID *~110,000,000 links
- 69. These links areobviously not for users
- 70. Format links sothey're easy to spot Make it easy for users to distinguish between regular text and the anchor text of your links. Your content becomes less helpful if users miss links or accidentally click them. Avoid: Using CSS or text styling that make links look just like regular text. OBVIOUS LINKING
- 71. Keep anchor text: •Short • Target-focused • Informative • Logically included • User-first • Obvious ANCHOR TEXT INTELLIGENCE RECAP
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- 73.
- 74. WHAT WAS 1960BATMAN’S UTILITY BELT MADE OF?
- 75. WHAT WAS 1960BATMAN’S UTILITY BELT MADE OF? Kitchen Sponges https://www.metv.com/stories/batmans-original-utility-belt-was-made-out-of-sponges
- 76. HUB & SPOKE SITEARCHITECTURE
- 77. • Also called: “silos”& “parent-child” structure • Parent pages link to child pages & vice versa Easy when planning a site • Define “Target pages” and “donor pages” “HUB & SPOKE” SITE ARCHITECTURE
- 78. • Target pages= main topics of site “most important” for users and ranking We want target pages to rank well • Donor pages relate to target pages • Donor pages give ‘juice’ • Target pages are recipients of ‘juice’ TARGET & DONOR PAGES
- 79.
- 80. 60’s Batman Homepage TVSeries Cast Characters Heros Villains History Episodes Movie About Crew Main Cameos Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post A. West B. Ward J. Lewis B. Lee Batgirl Commish Gordon Joker Catwoman Dozer Martinson Season1 Season 2 Origin Comics More Granular Target Pages (+ donor pages) Hub / Target < Target Pages (+ donor pages) < Donor pages themed around target topics < < 60’S BATMAN SITE EXAMPLE
- 81. 60’s Batman SiteExample 60’s Batman Homepage TV Series Cast Characters Heros Villains History Episodes Movie About Crew Main Cameos Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post A. West B. Ward J. Lewis B. Lee Batgirl Commish Gordon Joker Catwoman Dozer Martinson Season1 Season 2 Origin Comics More Granular Target Pages (+ donor pages) Hub / Target < Target Pages (+ donor pages) < Donor pages themed around target topics < < TIP: Avoid going overboard with slicing and dicing your content (so that it takes 20 clicks to reach from the homepage) ~ Google
- 82. 60’s Batman SiteExample 60’s Batman Homepage TV Series Cast Characters Heros Villains History Episodes Movie About Crew Main Cameos Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post A. West B. Ward J. Lewis B. Lee Batgirl Commish Gordon Joker Catwoman Dozer Martinson Season1 Season 2 Origin Comics More Granular Target Pages (+ donor pages) Hub / Target < Target Pages (+ donor pages) < Donor pages themed around target topics < < TIP: Avoid going overboard with slicing and dicing your content (so that it takes 20 clicks to reach from the homepage) ~ Google Means: The more important you believe your page is, the fewer clicks it should be from the homepage ~ Grant
- 83. 60’s Batman SiteExample 60’s Batman Homepage TV Series Cast Characters Heros Villains History Episodes Movie About Crew Main Cameos Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post A. West B. Ward J. Lewis B. Lee Batgirl Commish Gordon Joker Catwoman Dozer Martinson Season1 Season 2 Origin Comics More Granular Target Pages (+ donor pages) Hub / Target < Target Pages (+ donor pages) < Donor pages themed around target topics < < TIP: Don’t create complex webs of navigation links, for example, linking every page on your site to every other page. ~ Google
- 84. 60’s Batman SiteExample 60’s Batman Homepage TV Series Cast Characters Heros Villains History Episodes Movie About Crew Main Cameos Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post Post A. West B. Ward J. Lewis B. Lee Batgirl Commish Gordon Joker Catwoman Dozer Martinson Season1 Season 2 Origin Comics More Granular Target Pages (+ donor pages) Hub / Target < Target Pages (+ donor pages) < Donor pages themed around target topics < < TIP: Don’t create complex webs of navigation links, for example, linking every page on your site to every other page. ~ Google Means: Be selective in the pages you link to, making sure they’re related & relevant. ~ Grant
- 85. • Also called: “silos”& “parent-child” structure • Parent pages link to child pages & vice versa Easy when planning a site • Define “Target pages” and “donor pages” MORE DIFFICULT with an existing site “HUB & SPOKE” SITE ARCHITECTURE
- 87. URL BASED AND/ORLINK BASED
- 88.
- 89. Catalog – assignpages as target and/or donor Identify gaps (more donor pages needed)? Align target pages with topics / entities Create map RESTRUCTURING THE STRUCTURE
- 90.
- 91. MAPPING EXAMPLE MANUAL PROCESS– BUT GOOGLE SHEETS IS YOUR FRIEND
- 92. THIS SHEETS FORMULAIS YOUR FRIEND ASK ME TO SEND YOU A TEMPLATE J =IF(REGEXMATCH(B2, $B$1), "TOPIC NAME","") B2 = cell value (copy down) $B$1= topic1.1|topic1.2|topic1.3 e.g. $B$1= batman|bat man|barman
- 93. FOR EACH HUB •Remove all internal links from the "target" page • Add links to all the "spoke" pages from the "target" page (article title for anchor text okay - or naturally in content) • Remove all internal links from the "spoke" pages • Add one link from the "spoke" page to the "target" page with the defined anchor text • Add a CTA from hub and spoke pages to the service page add link to "offer" somewhere within the "target" page copy as a secondary CTA • The "offer" link can also be added to *some* of the "spoke" pages (no more than 3)
- 94. FOR EACH HUB •Remove all internal links from the "target" page • Add links to all the "spoke" pages from the "target" page (article title for anchor text okay - or naturally in content) • Remove all internal links from the "spoke" pages • Add one link from the "spoke" page to the "target" page with the defined anchor text • Add a CTA from hub and spoke pages to the service page add link to "offer" somewhere within the "target" page copy as a secondary CTA • The "offer" link can also be added to *some* of the "spoke" pages (no more than 3) THERE WILL NOT BE A TEST J
- 95.
- 96. REMEMBER THIS? Anchor textconsisting of a succinct, well-defined concept (we’ll talk about that now)
- 97. KEEP THE HUBS“TIGHT” & FOCUSED ON TOPIC REMEMBER THIS? NO. I HAVEN’T SHOW YOU THIS SLIDE YET
- 98. HOLY ENTITIES! PAGE FOCUS (FINDINGENTITIES) Entities are focused topics “unique and cataloged” Used as focused page targets • Wikipedia • InLinks (incl. Google NLP) • ChatGPT
- 99. HOLY ENTITIES! Internal link ideas(hub / spoke) ENTITIES (WIKIPEDIA)
- 100. • Google says“reasonable number” – maybe a few thousand is okay • Links are for users • Wikipedia Batman page almost 5,000 links of which almost 4,000 are internal • Wikipedia has an almost perfect link graph connecting entities to related entities TOO MANY BODY COPY LINKS?
- 101. • Google says“reasonable number” – maybe a few thousand is okay • Links are for users • Wikipedia Batman page almost 5,000 links of which almost 4,000 are internal • Wikipedia has an almost perfect link graph connecting entities to related entities TOO MANY BODY COPY LINKS? YOU ARE NOT WIKIPEDIA!
- 102. (THOUGH FEW OFMY SITES BEAT WIKIPEDIA!) J
- 103. HOLY ENTITIES! SERP Analysis (hubpage ideas) ENTITIES (INLINKS)
- 104. HOLY ENTITIES! Targets Based onGoogle NLP ENTITIES (INLINKS)
- 105. HOLY ENTITIES! Copy & PasteContent ENTITIES (CHATGPT)
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- 108.
- 110. BARRY ALLEN: WHATARE YOUR SUPERPOWERS AGAIN?
- 111. BARRY ALLEN: WHATARE YOUR SUPERPOWERS AGAIN? BATMAN: I’M RICH
- 112. THE RIGHT TOOLS Crawlers/ Audit Tools Small / Medium Screaming Frog (Batman’s Robin) Sitebulb (Batman’s Alfred)
- 113. VISUALIZATION OF INTERNALLINK STRUCTURE Source: Sitebulb
- 114. PAGE DETAILS /INTERNAL LINKING / EQUITY SCORE Source: Sitebulb
- 115. I LOVE BATMANSITEBULB
- 116. FIND ENTITIES (TARGETS)AND GAPS (OPPORTUNITIES) Source: InLinks
- 117. DEFINE TARGET PAGES:AUTO-CREATE INTERNAL LINKS Source: InLinks
- 118. I LOVE BATMANINLINKS
- 119.
- 121. • Link intelligence Findlink purpose & ideal placement • Anchor text intelligence Simple, user-first info discovery • Hub & Spoke Site Architecture Guide users (incl. Google) to satisfaction • Scale, Automate, Research, Crawl Better! Tools help SEOs do internal links better! INTERNAL LINKING KNOWLEDGE BOMBS
- 122. HOPE YOU ENJOYEDYOUR KNOWLEDGE BOMBS
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- 125.
- 126.
- 127. THE BATMAN GUIDETO INTERNAL LINKING “HOLY LINKS BATMAN!”
- 128.