Elaborate on the best practices.
## Dos
- Do use descriptive and relevant keywords in your anchor text that match the topic of the linked page¹².
- Do link to important and relevant pages on your site that can help users and search engines understand your site's structure and hierarchy¹².
- Do diversify your anchor text with different variations of your target keywords or phrases, such as synonyms, partial matches, or related terms¹².
- Do audit your internal links with tools like Google Search Console or Semrush to find and fix broken links, redirects, or orphan pages¹².
- Do keep your internal links dofollow, unless you have a specific reason to use nofollow attribute¹³.
## Don'ts
- Don't use generic or vague anchor text, such as "click here", "read more", or "this page". These don't provide any context or value to the user or the search engine²³.
- Don't use the same anchor text for multiple pages on your site. This can confuse the user and the search engine about which page is more relevant for that term²³.
- Don't use URLs as anchor text, unless they are short and memorable. URLs don't provide any semantic meaning or context, and they can look ugly and unprofessional²³.
- Don't include punctuation marks in the anchor text, such as commas, periods, or quotation marks. These can interfere with the readability and functionality of the link³.
- Don't over-optimize your anchor text by using too many exact-match keywords or phrases. This can look unnatural or spammy and may trigger a penalty from Google²³.
By following these dos and don'ts, you can improve your internal linking for SEO success and provide a better user experience for your visitors.
Source:
(1) Internal Linking for SEO: The Complete Guide - Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/internal-links
(2) Internal Links SEO Best Practices - Moz. https://moz.com/learn/seo/internal-link
(3) Internal Linking Guide: Actionable Tips, Strategies, and Tools. https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-complete-guide-to-internal-linking/