link-strategy

plugin: seo updated: 2026-01-20 # Link Strategy ## When to Use - Planning internal linking structure - Optimizing anchor text - Building topic clusters - Improving site architecture ## Internal Linking Principles ### 1. Link from High to Low Authority - Homepage -> Category Pages -> Individual Posts - Old established pages -> New pages - High-traffic pages -> Pages you want to rank ### 2. Use Descriptive Anchor Text - Good: "SEO keyword research guide" - Bad: "click here", "read more" - Include target keyword naturally ### 3. Link Contextually - Links within body content > Navigation links - Relevant context around link - Natural reading flow ### 4. Maintain Reasonable Link Count - 3-5 internal links per 1000 words - Avoid excessive linking (100+ links) - Focus on most relevant pages ## Topic Cluster Model ``` PILLAR PAGE: "Content Marketing" (broad, high volume) | +-- Supporting Article: "Content Marketing Strategy" | (links to and from pillar) | +-- Supporting Article: "Content Marketing Examples" | (links to and from pillar) | +-- Supporting Article: "Content Marketing Tools" (links to and from pillar) ``` **Benefits:** - Establishes topical authority - Passes PageRank efficiently - Improves user navigation - Signals content relationships ## Anchor Text Optimization ### Anchor Text Types | Type | Example | When to Use | |------|---------|-------------| | Exact Match | "SEO tools" | Sparingly (1-2x per page) | | Partial Match | "best SEO tools for startups" | Primary usage | | Branded | "SEMrush" | Brand mentions | | Generic | "click here" | Avoid if possible | | Naked URL | "https://example.com" | Occasional | ### Best Practices - Vary anchor text naturally - Use target keyword in some anchors - Avoid over-optimization (100% exact match) - Make text descriptive and clickable ## Link Audit Process 1. **Inventory existing links** - Use Glob to find all internal links - Map current link structure 2. **Identify orphan pages** - Pages with no internal links - Add links from relevant content 3. **Find broken links** - Test all internal links - Fix or remove broken ones 4. **Optimize anchor text** - Replace generic anchors - Add keyword-rich descriptions 5. **Build topic clusters** - Group related content - Implement pillar-cluster model ## Output Format ```markdown ## Internal Linking Plan ### Target Page: {url} **Target Keyword**: {keyword} ### Linking Opportunities 1. **From**: {source_page} - **Anchor**: {anchor_text} - **Context**: {surrounding_sentence} - **Priority**: HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW 2. **From**: {source_page} - **Anchor**: {anchor_text} - **Context**: {surrounding_sentence} - **Priority**: HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW ### Topic Cluster Structure PILLAR: {main_topic_page} - Supporting: {page1} - Supporting: {page2} - Supporting: {page3} ```