Internal Linking Best Practices for News Websites

News websites are constantly updated with fresh content- ranging from breaking news to in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary. Multiple articles on varied topics are frequently linked like a chain reaction, with follow-ups, related news, and new perspectives (right after a day in most cases), resulting in a complex web of information distributed across multiple pages.

And for a reader who is following a story, it is sort of an unguided maze that they must navigate. But how can we ensure that readers are putting this puzzle together seamlessly?

Enter internal linking. Place it strategically and it can turn browsing into a seamless experience. By intelligently inserting internal links, visitors can easily navigate between interrelated articles, discovering and related content helping you deliver a good user experience.

What is Internal Linking?

Internal linking is the process of linking multiple related pages on a website to one another. These links help visitors navigate your website, discover relevant content, and improve the overall user experience. Internal linking is extremely crucial for SEO since it helps search engines understand a website's structure, prioritizes important pages, and distributes link equity throughout the site.

Suppose you have a news website and publish an article about the newest technology trends. In this article, you ensure that it contains internal links to related topics already discussed on your website, such as a follow-up to a specific technology explained or an opinion piece on the impact of technology on society.

These articles can then be linked together to guide the user through the journey. A user reading the latest article can visit older linked articles for context and references.

How is Link Building Helpful for News Websites?

Internal linking is a hugely popular strategy of connecting multiple relevant pages, which is frequently seen from an SEO perspective because of its impact on SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings. However, its value extends beyond simply increasing search engine visibility; it has a significant impact on user engagement and helps news websites boost their time on site. By having a user consume more content on their website, news publishers are more likely to convert a flyby visitor into their audience.

Internal links serve as digital signposts, directing readers to similar articles, follow-ups, additional information, or opinion pieces about the same topic. This also helps publishers avoid the need to set context and make it inconvenient for readers following the story. For example, if a reader is reading an article about a recent political event, internal links can easily guide them to similar pieces that provide other perspectives, historical context, or updates on the issue.

Best Internal Linking Practices for Publishers

Using relevant anchor text

When readers discover relevant anchor texts within an article, they have a clear idea of what to expect when they click on the link. Also, descriptive anchor texts make a significant contribution to SEO efforts. Search engines such as Google rely on anchor texts to assess the context and relevancy of linked content.

Anchor texts help ensure that internal links are contextually relevant to the content. This helps readers understand how the linked article is relevant to the present topic or discussion by offering a summary or context.

Link to articles relevant to the story

Internal linking to similar pages gives readers more context, background information, or different perspectives on the issue they're reading. Publishers can boost the amount of time visitors spend on their website by directing them to similar content via internal links. This is advantageous since longer sessions show better levels of engagement and interest in the material, which can improve metrics such as page views and ad revenue.

Create evergreen articles to link back to news stories and updates

One of the best practices for news publishers would be to develop evergreen articles that serve as foundational pieces and can be linked back from news stories and updates. Evergreen articles act as pillars of information within a news website. They cover fundamental questions, provide in-depth analysis, or offer comprehensive insights on specific topics that are of enduring interest to readers.

Suppose a news publisher specializing in technology news publishes an article- "The Evolution of Smartphone Technology: A Comprehensive Guide." This article explores the history of cell phones, examines technological breakthroughs, compares various models, and forecasts future trends.

Now, if the publisher covers news items about smartphone launches, innovations, or industry trends, they can always internally link to the evergreen piece. For example, in a story about the latest smartphone features, they can provide a link to the evergreen article for readers interested in learning more about the evolution of smartphone technology.

Consider linking related stories

Apart from immediately linking to other relevant stories while building internal links, it would be a good idea to broaden the coverage and include links to articles that people would be interested in reading.

For example, in a news item about the financial budget, you might include links to articles that cover how businesses across sectors will benefit or be affected by this. You can also refer to how the tax slabs imposed in the budget would affect individuals.

Remember to only include contextually relevant links. Alternatively, you can also consider inserting similar links in paragraph breaks.

[Example:] Use “Also See:” or “Read More:” to encourage people to read.

Monitor and update links regularly

Monitoring and updating internal links is an important part of running a high-quality, user-friendly news website. This guarantees that internal links remain relevant, and functional, and add value to the overall user experience.

Publishers can set up a schedule for monitoring and updating internal links based on the size of their publication and the frequency with which content is updated. Larger publications with substantial content libraries may require frequent audits. Smaller news publishers can choose to do fewer audits, but they should still prioritize link accuracy.

Bonus tip: Publish a daily summary article that collects and links to all of the articles published that day. This serves as a hub for attracting traffic and distributing it to the related articles, increasing overall engagement and driving traffic to different articles.