How Different Types Of Links Can Improve Your eLearning Website's Rankings
Have you ever come across blog posts, articles, or any content-filled page on the internet? If your answer is yes, then you probably have noticed the amount of different types of links on those pages.
The reason behind the frequency is their importance in SEO. Yes, links matter. A lot!
However, not all links are the same. Different types and roles are about to be explained in this article.
What Types Of Links Are There And Why Are They Important?
As you already know, the internet is huge. Millions of websites are competing for a spot in the top SERP rankings for valuable keywords. In order to understand and rank those websites properly, search engines take multiple aspects into consideration. Among them are the different types of links.
Links bring value to a website. Some types operate as vouchers for the quality of the content (external). Others work as a map for the crawlers of the search engine (internal). In both cases, they assist the search engine in successfully configuring what the page is about and the quality of its content.
That is why SEO experts urge businesses to create a link building strategy; a strategy that can potentially bring valuable links and, hence, increase the organic traffic of your website.
Now that we defined links and their importance in SEO, let's dive into the different types of links.
Internal Links
Imagine you just entered a new city and you try to figure out where you are. Probably, you will follow the road signs to complete your tour of the city. If the signs are right, then by the end of the tour, you would have learned everything you need to know about the city—or even more.
These signs on a website are the internal links type. They guide the search engine crawler and the users to explore all pages of your website. Practically, they direct the user to a different page of the same domain.
An internal link is the effortless type of link you can get. The reason is that you create them for guidance through your website. If added properly, they can bring value by increasing your site's authority and, hence, your rankings.
There is a danger, however, behind the internal links. One word: relevance. Internal links have to be relevant and always guide the users to something valuable to them. If done otherwise, they can cause frustration, and we all know what that means in business terms. In the case of crawlers, misplaced internal links can cause confusion and eventually decrease the rankings of the website.
Tip 1: Always place the internal links on the right and relevant anchor text. Otherwise, you might confuse the readers and the crawlers, leading to the opposite outcome.
Tip 2: Place an internal link on every page of your website. However, make sure it is relevant to avoid the confusion mentioned above.
Inbound Links (Backlink Type)
Unlike internal links, inbound links are not self-made. Actually, inbound is the type of link made by someone else to direct traffic to your website.
As you might have already guessed, inbound links are important. The reason is twofold:
- Increased SEO performance
Inbound links operate as "vouchers" of content quality in SEO. So, when a website links to your page, it vouches for the content of your page. Therefore, the more quality backlinks you have, the more likely it is to rank higher.
- Organic traffic
As mentioned before, inbound links direct traffic to your website. Specifically, when users click on the link that the other website provided you, they will be directed to yours. This is also called referral traffic.
There are several ways to get quality backlinks to your eLearning business. However, for the purposes of this article, we will break it down into the two most important ones, content and link building.
- Content
Creating content is the most valuable method in terms of SEO. A regularly updated blog with high-quality evergreen content can operate like a keyword bank for your business. Additionally, it might attract other websites that will want to use a contextual link to your content if it suits their needs.
- Link building
A solid link building strategy can also be fruitful for your business. With the use of a link building report, you can find links of high value. Additionally, you can get insights into your competition and see what might be useful for you as well.
Tip 1: For natural backlinks, make sure you create high-quality content in the areas of your expertise.
Tip 2: After creating valuable content, you can manually get backlinks by outreaching similar websites.
Outbound Links
Among the most important types of links, you can find outbound links. To clarify, outbound links are the links you add to direct the user to the linked website.
Now, you might be wondering why would someone want to direct traffic out of their website. Well, there are benefits behind this tactic in a link building strategy.
- Cover an important topic
Some topics can be covered with a piece of content like an article. Others require more effort, like a pillar page. However, there are vast topics that need even more effort to be ultimately covered. In the latter case, outbound links are valuable tools. Linking to pages with a similar topic can help you cover the topic while contributing to the conversation about it.
- Increase your rankings
This benefit is almost identical to internal linking. Specifically, you help the search engine understand what your page talks about. The easier the crawler understands your page, the more likely it is to rank for valuable keywords.
- Give value, earn trust
A visit to your website is proof of trust towards you and your services. That said, the best way to reward this trust is by giving value to your users. In that sense, outbound links to legitimate websites assist you in covering a topic. Consequently, you will increase your authority in an industry alongside your organic traffic.
Tip: Make sure the content you link to is of high quality and the linked website has a solid domain rating.
Key Takeaway
To recap, there are several types of links with different uses and purposes. However, they share a similar benefit, the increase of your rankings and organic traffic. Therefore, a combination as part of a solid SEO marketing plan is the key to reaching your goals.
SEO marketers will not stop mentioning how important all types of links are for your business. Even though each type of link is used in a different way, their necessity remains equal.
It is worth stating that quality always wins over quantity in link building. Specifically, quality backlinks from high-authority domains have a stronger potential to increase your rankings. Therefore, you might want to look for similar websites with high domain rating when you craft your link building strategy.
Consequently, a link building report is vital in this process since it identifies such websites and uncovers link opportunities.
So, if you want your business to increase the valuable organic traffic it receives, then you need a solid link building strategy. A strategy that includes a sustainable plan to get high-quality links to help you stand out in your industry.
Now that you know what types of links are out there, start implementing them in your marketing strategy. Do not miss the chance to make your business thrive!