External links are the first port of call for any SEO-driven site, but what about internal links? Not only are they useful for highlighting relevant content to search engines but they’re also important in keeping visitors on your site and directing them to relevant content.

In case you’ve forgotten the basics, Search Engine Watch has the definitive low-down on internal links and how you go about inserting them:

Draw a sitemap

Sitemaps are crucial for any property portal, linking to the top-level pages on your site. An XML sitemap containing all your portal’s URLs is an effective additional option, offering the maximum number of internal links possible in one search engine-friendly chunk.

Use relevant text

Anchor text is more powerful than image links for navigation, so make sure your use relevant words for your links. Keyword phrases are great, but related terms or phrases are also acceptable. The bottom line? Don’t use “click here”.

Use your footers and breadcrumbs

Footer links and breadcrumb links appear throughout your site, so make the most of them. Why just have “Terms of Use” or “Privacy Policy” in your footer and give them all the link juice? Choose the pages that you want to receive the highest number of links and feature them evenly across all your main sections.

Calls to action

A significant part of internal linking rests in calls to action. If you want someone to browse your property listings in Spain, is your call to action above the fold of the page? Make sure your aim is clear and consistent across the page so that your user can easily follow through and lead to a successful conversion.

For more tips, read the full article here:

Internal Linking, the Other Linking – Search Engine Watch