Internal Linking Best Practices | Strategic SEO Guide 2024

Internal Linking Best Practices, Graphicscycle

Effective rules or strategies for interconnecting pages within a website are internal linking best practices. These practices help to build a website’s authority and increase the visibility of search results.

When you enter a shopping mall, you must have seen a lot of racks of different products of the same categories. Suppose you will go to the Florida beach the next week, so you need to buy a swimsuit to go to the beach. In the shopping mall, when you have picked the swimsuit from Rack No: 3.

Then the Sales Associate comes to you and casually knows about your beach trip. After listening that you are going for a beach trip, the Associate mentioned that you may have a bug spay on Florida beach. Because there are a lot of bugs in there, without having a spray, you can’t stray there in comfy. So you can check our best bug spray at Rack No: 9.

Here, the reference from Rack 3 to Rack 9 is an internal linking in terms of the SEO language. For this reference, the users also get helped, the store has increased sales, and the mall has built a strong authority in your mind. The internal linking strategies work the same way, Page A refers to Page B, and Page B refers to Page A/Page C.

9 Internal Linking Best Practices to Apply in 2024

Internal links help users and crawlers better find new and existing website pages. An SEO professional might have seen a lot of changes in SEO Marketing after the Google March Update 2024. After this update, many ranked web pages have been removed from Google’s search results.

So we must be careful about the authenticity and transparency of the SEO for our website. Interlinking is one of the most important parts of the overall SEO on the site. You must have to know the updated rules and best practices of internal linking.

1. Internal Link Anchor Text Optimization

Anchor Text Optimization, Internal Linking Best Practices

The first practice of all is that you have to add internal links with the perfect anchor text. Because the anchor text is like a cover of your products. Users, or a Googlebot can understand what is inside the link by the anchor text, what you have added here.

There are 8 types of anchor text in SEO, such as Exact Match, Partial Match, Branded, Naked URL, Generic, Image, Long Tail, and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing). You have to use it based on your preference and appropriateness.

Graphics Cycle doesn’t recommend using Naked URLs, and Generic anchor text for internal links. Because Naked URL anchors aren’t readable, and Generic anchor text requires reading the surroundings of the link.

Using exact match keywords, partial match keywords, or LSI as anchor text is the best way to optimize internal links. Because anyone can easily understand what is inside the links by seeing these texts.

2. Maintain Page Relevancy

Maintain Page Relevancy, Internal Linking Best Practices

The second of our internal linking best practices is maintaining page relevancy. If your internal links aren’t relevant, then the crawler bot and users will not follow these links. Here are 4 things to keep in mind while interlinking one page with another.

  • Relevant Content: Link pages by maintaining the context and value of the target page.
  • Add Links Naturally: Integrate links into content without affecting readability.
  • Link to High-Quality Content: Ensure linked pages offer valuable, accurate information.
  • Avoid Links to Low-Quality Content: Similarly, avoid linking to low-quality content. 

If you follow these four things, you can maintain links to relevant pages. It doesn’t matter, if your links are internal or external, relevancy is a must to keep the quality. So that you can gain trust and build authority.

3. Understand User’s Psychology

Audience Targeting Strategies

You are creating content for your target audience, so it is crucial to understand their psychology. You can link pages to the right place if you can identify their needs, behavior, and emotions. So, to get more page views and click on related pages, you have to understand the user’s psychology.

Sometimes you may use synonyms, alter phrases, related keywords, LSI, or partial match keywords, to get more clicks on internal links. However, people will click those links that are most relevant and useful to them. If they have found value in your content, then they will visit more pages. So, finally, connect with your audience, and solve their issues, they will be with you.

4. Create an Effective Internal Linking Structure

Effective Internal Linking Structure

In December 2023, Graphics Cycle had a marketing service subscriber client called, Emily. She wanted to expand her online presence. Also, determined to make her websites user-friendly and improve search engine visibility. We did an effective internal linking structure to increase the organic traffic and it worked well. Let’s see what we have done for Emily’s website to rank higher on the search engine.

First, we built the internal link-building strategy you have seen in the picture. Implementing this strategy, made navigation smoother for visitors. Also, search engines understand the website’s content and pages better than before. Because it has a well-organized and structured sitemap now. If you want to improve your visibility, you have to adapt internal linking best practices like Emily.

5. Update Existing Pages by Adding Links to New Posts

Update Existing Pages by Adding Links to New Posts, Internal Linking Best Practices

There are two main benefits of updating existing pages by providing links to new posts. The first one is updating, the older content updating is a good practice for your website. The second getting instant traffic to the newer post.

Updating Older Content is a Good Practice

When you add an internal link on your older page to the newer page, that means you have a just covered new topic related to the older topic. So the crawler will increase the value or authenticity of this page. Users will also be helped if they find another solution on the same page.

Get Traffic to the Newer Page

You already have visitors on your order page, when you interlink the new page, visitors will go there. So, you will get ready traffic on your new page. Also, your new page can take the juice pass advantages of the old page. If you don’t know what is link juice and how it works, then continue reading.

6. Take Advantage of Link Juice

Link Juice, Take Advantage of Link Juice, Internal Linking Best Practices

Link juice is a simple but powerful SEO trick, that can help your new pages to rank on search engines and get organic traffic. SEO experts use this trick to enhance the authenticity of new pages. Let me explain the Link Juice, & how to pass it.

Graphic Cycles has a page about the best 8 places to take pictures in Tokyo. Now the page has gained authority on Google by ranking on the first page and getting traffic. Today, we will publish this post about “Internal Linking Best Practices”.

If we make an internal link from the old post to the newest post, the Search Engine bot will notice that we have updated our old content. The crawler will see the new post, because of the internal linking. Then it will consider the new page as a valuable page.

In short, an internal link juice pass means getting a recommendation letter from a valuable page of the same domain. It helps the crawler and users to navigate new pages on your website. 

7. Optimize Homepage Links

Homepage Optimization

The homepage is the most important and valuable page of any website. So, Homepage SEO is important for every website. Home page optimization requires everything of on-page SEO, including adding internal links.

Homepage internal links are a bit tricky because people start their journey from this page on your website. This page is like a big map, Crawler/Users will follow your direction from this starting point. If you can provide the right direction (linking) then they will find your destination.

Keep things clear and easy to find any information on your homepage, so that anyone can go anywhere from the main page. Include important internal links such as product/service pages at the top of the page. Then you can include different buttons for different pages with proper call to action. Besides the products or service pages, adding blog pages is also an internal linking best practice.

8. Avoid Too Much Internal Linking

Neil Patel on Internal Linking

Most Famous SEO Expert Neil Patel said that you can add 150 links on a single page, but these all links have to be relevant. In reality, you can rarely add 150 links to a single page naturally, so it will look like spammy content. That’s why adding too many links is not recommended by the Graphics Cycle SEO team.

In general, we add 3-20 internal links and the same external links for 1000–3000 words of content. But it depends on the article, and relevant pages available on the website. Never push links on it, just place natural links where it is suitable. 

9. Track Internal Link Performance

Internal Linking Performance

Tracking internal linking performance is the 9th of our internal linking best practices. It is a crucial part of the best internal link optimization. Because you can see the audience’s interaction and actions with the internal link.

Screaming Frog is an SEO tool that can help you get insights into the website’s internal link metrics. This software is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, you just need to install it. Also, Google Analytics can help you to explore how internal links performing on your website.

By getting insight data from tools like Google Analytics, or any special software, you can improve your internal links. Shortlist those links which are not performing well, then improve these links. So keeping track of records is essential for a website or a business.

Final Thoughts | Internal Linking Best Practices

Here you have found 9 internal linking best practices that can help to increase your website’s page views. Remember that you have to follow all of these practices to get effective results. From building a strategy for internal linking to observing link performance, every step is crucial.

So, if you miss out on any one of them, you might not get the expected result. However, besides the internal linking, there are a lot of factors to rank your site on search engines. Without having a professional SEO expert or a team, you will not build your SEO or internal linking strategy.

Graphics Cycle has an expert SEO team with more than 8 years of experience. So, if you want to get a FREE SEO Audit Report for your website, feel free to contact us. 

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10 Easy Steps How to Build a Successful Startup

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an internal linking strategy?

An internal linking strategy means linking the internal pages of a website strategically. Strategic linking improves website authority and increases page views of the website. Also, it helps the crawler to understand the relationships between different pages on a website.

Are internal links good for SEO?

Yes, internal links are beneficial for SEO for various reasons. It helps search engines distribute page authority and index new pages. Tier-based internal linking structure helps to understand the power of different pages and rank them based on this structure.

Additionally, internal links provide users with more pathways to explore content. This pathway can enhance user experience and increase time spent on the site.

What are internal linkages examples?

Here are a few types of and uses of internal links in a website:

  • Navigation menus link to important sections or categories of the website.
  • Contextual links within blog posts or articles that point to related or relevant content.
  • Related posts or recommended articles sections at the end of a blog post.
  • Links within product descriptions that direct users to other relevant products or categories.
  • Links from the homepage to important landing pages or cornerstone content.
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10 Easy Steps How to Build a Successful Startup [15 Tips]

10 Steps to Build a Successful Startup, how to build a successful startup

With 15 years of experience as a digital marketing agency, Graphic Cycle has directly helped many startups grow their businesses. We have seen a lot of companies’ insights and their strategies for how to build a successful startup. Also, we are improving our strategy if we find something excellent.

If you are thinking of starting your business or already have a startup but have not seen the face of success, this article can be life-changing for you. Today, we will reveal all the secrets behind a successful startup. So without further delay, let’s see the roadmap of a successful startup.

How to Build a Successful Startup Step-by-Step Guideline

Nowadays, LinkedIn is one of the most important and popular platforms. Also, it is a great example of a successful startup. Reid Hoffman had a clear idea of how to make professionals easily connect. When LinkedIn was started, it was not an interesting site. But the history of its journey is impressive.

Red Hoffman had experience working with Google, PayPal, and eBay. Still, it took him 3 years to gain the first 4500 members. In 2007, after 5 years of starting the company, it became a profitable company.

In 2024, LinkedIn has over a billion users all over the world. Not only that, thousands of startups utilize LinkedIn to boost their businesses and build authority. Now it has become a powerful company in the world. But the starting journey was not too easy.

So when you are deciding to build a successful startup, you have to be patient. You might not get a result immediately, but it will pay off. Follow these expert’s guidelines and tips for the right pathways on how to build a successful startup.

Step 1: Find Out a Unique Idea for a Startup

Unique Idea For A Startup

Sara Blakely was getting ready for a party, but she couldn’t find underwear that matched her white dress. She had an idea to make undergarments instantly. She cut the feet off her control top pantyhose, then made an underwater immediate. This idea not only solved her problem, but also it has helped to build a popular brand called SPANX.

Present a Solution to a Problem

SPANX solved the wardrobe woes problem for pop-culture women. That’s why it is now one of the biggest in the USA. Also, Sara Blakely turned $5000 into $1B and became the youngest female self-made billionaire in 2012. WordPress solved the website-building problem for non-coders. Now, the CMS WordPress is the most popular in the world. 46% of websites on the entire internet are using WP for easy control. Canva has solved the graphic designing problem for non-designers.

These all are successful startups because they have positively impacted people’s lives. They have provided a solution for a big problem in a cost-effective, time-saving, and easy way. So identifying an issue is the first step of how to build a successful startup.

Step 2: Understand Your Target Audience Clients for Startup

Traffic Trends for Startup Business, How to Build A Successful Startup

The audience is the core subject of a startup or any business. If you have no audience, that means you have no business. So it is very necessary to understand the needs of your audience. If you can identify their cold needs and provide a solution to them, your startup will be successful.

Remember, the purchasing power of your audience is also important for your business. If you are targeting those people, who have no money to buy anything, or they haven’t the power to decide what they want, then you can’t sell to them. 

Step 3: Explore The Industry and Market Trends

Industry And Market Trends

Imagine that you are thinking of selling a product, that has no trend right now. What do think? Does anyone buy your products? Never, selecting the right products or services, which is trendy and probability to stay for a long time. Because you need time to capture the market, then you can sell it. It requires time. It happens that when you are getting familiar with your customers, at this time they don’t need your products, you will not be successful. 

Analyze Competitors for Startups Business

Competitor research is one of the most important parts of getting a positive result on the question of how to build a successful startup. If you compete with Open AI, Amazon Facebook, and Twitter you will never succeed. Because they have nearly unlimited funds, an expert team, and already leading the industry. So you have to identify competitors who are at your level.

After finding the right competitor, now analyze their business strategies. Analyze their marketing system, their source, their audience, and everything else. But never copy anything like them, you have to make it unique. You have to creatively provide better solutions than your competitors. Once you reach your audience, they must think “Yeah, this one I was finding for a long time”. 

Step 4: Build a Startup Business Plan

Startup Business Plan, How to Build a Successful Startup

It doesn’t matter if you are a startup owner or have a group of companies, every business needs a clear plan. There are a lot of steps to start a startup such as registering your business name, Tax ID, and more. Some of them are very crucial, you should not skip them anyhow.

Here, a business plan works like a GPS to track all important steps for your business needs. The business plan also helps start, manage, and sort your tasks prioritywise. So having a business plan is a must for your startup business.

Step 5: Secure Funding for Startup

Secure Funding For Startup

The previous 4 steps were indirect parts of the business to how to build a successful startup. But securing funds means you are in the world of business. That does not mean the previous 4 were not important. Each step is essential to build a startup.

You don’t need any money to complete the previous 4. So you have a chance to change your decision and do any other things without trying to build a startup. But when it is about securing funds for the startup, there is no chance to go back again. 

Stop Waiting for Capital or Investors

We don’t think waiting for the capital or investors is the right decision to start a business. Waiting for someone to start building the startup means you are dependent on someone. Remember that startup business never depends on anyone, without your audience. You may ask so how to build a successful startup without funds or waiting for someone.

Of course, you need funds to start a business, but you can’t rely on someone. You have to explore more and more options for funding. Because time is very important for any business. One day has gone, 29 days rest of the month.

You have to pay your office rent, employee fees, and other costs per month. They will not wait for your funding. So explore more potential resources to secure your startup funds.

Family, Friends, Investors, Line of Credit, and Loans to Secure Funds

You can ask your family, partner (husband or wife), or friends to give you money for business. It can be stock share-based or direct lend. But remember that you don’t force them or don’t tell a lie to get funds. The reason startup companies never guarantee profits, it’s different about you.

So where you don’t know when will you be profitable, how you can give hope to return their money within a limited time? However, if they agree to contribute to your startups, then it is an excellent opportunity for you.

Don’t worry about how to build a successful startup, you have already a few options to secure your funds. Line of Credit, and Loans are the most common and popular fund sources for startups in the USA. There are a lot of ways to collect funds for startups. You can also reach out to investors, show them your plan, and request startup funds. 

5 Working Tips To Build A Successful Startup, How to Build A Successful Startup

Download 5 Working Tips To Build A Successful Startup

Step 6: Surround Yourself With the Right People

Surround Yourself With The Right People

Building a successful startup is not something that you can do alone. It is all about dedication, effort, and the goal of a team. Don’t think that your friend or wife or someone will help you and, you will build a successful business. It is a very rare case, but if your friend or whoever is interested in working with you, he/she must have skill and honesty.

Build a Perfect Team for the Startup

Many startups become failures because they have chosen the cheapest employees. Don’t make this mistake by selecting the wrong people for your business. Hire experienced and loyal people who can help you to reach your goal. If you haven’t the confidence to hire all employees, first hire an HR professional to make it easier.

Ignore the Naysayers and Go Ahead

Avoiding naysayers is as important, as bringing the best people around you. Because if you listen to them, they will force you to break your journey. When you are in a down situation, they will laugh at you, but when you reach the goal, they will become fake proud of you. So be careful of these types of people. 

Step 7: Try to Lease or Buy a Physical Space for a Startup

Buy A Physical Space For A Startup, Startup Business

The next step is establishing a physical place, office, or store on how to build a successful startup. If you have enough funds to rent or buy a place for the startup, rent it. Because it will help you build trust and gain the attention of your audiences and investors.

Rent a place is better than buying an apartment. Because it is cost-effective and easily replaceable. As a startup, it might be a very big company or would be nothing, that’s why the Graphic Cycle is not recommended for buying a physical space. 

Step 8: Build a Strong Online Presence for Your Startup Business

Strong Online Presence

According to a recent report, in 2024, there will be 268 million online shoppers in the United States and 2.15 Billion worldwide. Online shopping has increased by 13% from the last year 2023 in the US. Digital marketing leaders expect the sales of e-commerce will be increased by $78.74 trillion by 2028.

After seeing the report, hope you have no questions about Why is it important for a business to have a strong online presence. Online presence has a big potential for startups to grow their business. Even some startups have no physical office, but they are helping people and generating a lot of money.

However, who can’t think about how to build a successful startup with no money, here is some good news for you. If you have a great idea, you can start your startup journey online. There are options like blogging, Affiliate Marketing, Drop-shipping, etc. can be started with no money. 

Step 9: Building Trust Within a Community 

Building Trust Within A Community

98% of online shoppers check reviews of any products or services before they buy them. Even those who aren’t interested in online shopping, also check online reviews. Suppose you need to build a website for your startup and would like to choose an unknown company or service, you have never heard their name.

No, you must choose a web development service that you are familiar with. Or you will check their testimonials to trust them with your perfect website. So building trust is very important for generating successful sales. You have to build trust with the community of your targeted audience. 

Step 10: Fulfill the Legal Requirements for a Startup Business

Legal Requirements for a Startup Business

This is one of the most sensitive and not skippable steps of the “10 steps of how to build a successful startup”. There are primarily 4 types of startups based on the legal ownership in the USA. These four types of business are Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, LLC, and Corporation. If you are from a different region, then you have to look at your local law about a startup business.

You have to maintain legal laws based on your business type and your country’s laws. Again, please be careful about it, you can also get help from a registered advocate or an expert.

10 Basic Legal Requirements for a Startup Business in the USA

  • Register the legal structure (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation).
  • Verify and register the business name, logo, slogan, etc.
  • Obtain an Employer Identification Number EIN from the IRS for tax and banking.
  • Apply for licenses and permits at federal, state, and local levels.
  • Draft clear and legally sound contracts and agreements.
  • Protect intellectual property such as copyrights, trademarks, and others.
  • Maintain federal and state employment laws, and create a handbook.
  • Maintain the tax obligations of local, federal, and state.
  • Data Privacy and Security.
  • Assess and obtain necessary insurance coverage.

If you follow these 10 steps of “how to build a successful startup”, hope you don’t need to look back again. But obviously, you need time to fulfill these all steps. When you go into the real field of the market, you will face new problems every day. You have to handle them smartly. To make these steps easier for you, we have added here 15 useful tips. 

15 Premium Tips for How to Build a Successful Startup Business in 2024

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Tips

Description

 01 Implement Your Unique  Ideas Try to start a business that has the market and your interest. Without having an interest, it is very tough to get an awesome idea.
 02 Utilize Different Programs Take advantage of programs or seminars that can help your new business. It will help to increase your strong network, authenticity, and your visibility.
03 Be Ready to Improve As you know, the world is changing so fast, you have to adapt faster. Be flexible and ready to adjust your plans as needed.
04 Think Your Customers Are Like Your Friends Build strong and long-lasting relationships with the people who buy from you.
05 Keep Your Ownership Safe Be smart about how much of your business you give away to others.
06 Setting a Campaign & Goal Figure out what you want your business to accomplish. Set short-term campaign and long-term goals. Then work to achieve them.
07 Pick Good People to Work Select the right team; they shape your dream.
08 Be Passionate Have a real passion for your business.
08 Sacrifice To Build Your Startup Prioritize responsibilities over pleasures.
10 Keep Trying, Even if You Fail Don’t give up, even if things don’t work out the first time.
11 Don’t give up Stick with your business goals, even when things get tough.
12 Ask to Offer & Help Forge a supportive network; aid and uplift.     
13 Read Books Reading business books, make you stand out from your competitors
 14 Keep Updated with Trends  You have to be concerned about what’s new in the market.
 15 Balance your work and personal life Make sure you have time for both work and your personal life (Family).

 

Conclusion

You have the dream of success, that’s why you have read the article on how to build a successful startup. We have tried to help you by sharing our 15 years of experience working with many startup companies. Appreciate your desire and dream to build a successful startup.

In this article, we have covered scratch to advance, every step of building a startup business in 10 steps. Additionally, you have 15 premium tips that we apply to our client’s projects to boost their ROI.

A single army can’t build a startup business, that’s why you need to hire individuals or agencies. Be careful in this stage, if you choose the wrong person or service provider, you will not succeed. Don’t worry, you can live chat with the Graphic Cycle support team about your startup plan. Get a FREE consultant on how to build a successful startup in 2024. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which Country is Best for Startups?

The best country for startups depends on your target audience and your needs. In general, the United States is the best country for startups. Because here you will have a lot of sources of funds, which is most important for a startup. Additionally, they support new ideas and appreciate them.

Secondly, Singapore is one of the best for startup businesses, because it has a business-friendly environment. The next countries are Estonia, Germany, the UK, Norway, Switzerland etc.

Can You Start a Startup Alone?

Yes, you can start a startup alone, but it has a rare chance to build a successful startup business. Because a startup needs almost everything like a running business. From product sourcing to planning, marking, and more. So there are huge tasks, and skills required. Maintaining all things is nearly impossible for a single army. But you can outsource your basics to advance all tasks to the Graphic Cycle for building a successful business.

What is The Cheapest, Most Profitable Business to Start?

If you do not have a lot of money to start a business, you can start with a service business like freelance work. Also, drop-shipping, print-on-demand, or affiliate business can be a good idea. These businesses don’t require a lot of money but require a bit of technical skills. So these can be the cheapest, most profitable businesses.

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