Benefits Of Internal Links For Law Firm Websites

Internal links for law firm websites are the links that usher website visitors from one page to another, within the same domain. Internal links allow website guests to move from the home page to the FAQ page, to a website article and back again. Internal links keep individuals within the website, while external links transport a visitor from one website to another. Internal links allow visitors easy travel from page to page, but these links also add structure and cohesion to a law firm website, and confirm a website’s value to search engines. Adding internal links to a website is one of the best kept marketing secrets, and it can make a big difference. One of the best ways to enhance a law firm’s online visibility and overall quality is to include more internal links. 

Benefits Of Internal Link For Law Firm Websites

Internal links on law firm websites are important elements for many reasons, and the best thing about them is that the website owner has total control over them. Internal links help users, search engines and your entire website structure. They allow readers to navigate their way around, increasing the probability that they will find useful information and stay longer. Internal links boost older content into focus and establishes a stronger website structure that connects and gives cohesion to your entire site. Specifically, internal links on law firm websites are beneficial in the following ways:

Internal Links Assist Potential Clients

Internal links on law firm websites give your potential clients a better user experience. If you have written several articles on legal topics, try providing links for your visitors, so they can view further topical information if they wish. Without internal links, website guests sometimes land on only the most recent pages, missing older content that would perfectly suit their needs and answer their important questions. When you add internal links, you can match visitors with the information and additional details they are searching for. If a website visitor is searching for general information on estate planning, and you have added internal links to all related articles on your website, this extra information may cause a visitor to have more questions, leading to more research on topics they had not initially considered. All of this helpful information establishes you are an authority and makes it more likely for a potential client to trust your law firm with their unique issues and contact you for more help.

Internal Links Maximize Search Engine Discovery

Internal links keep website visitors moving around to find value, and this captures the attention of the crawling search engines. Depending on where the internal links lead, they can help the search engines determine where everyone is heading to find valuable content. If your website has a solid map of internal links, this makes it easy for Google to discover and index your published content, which is crucial for your website to be noticed in search results. 

Internal Links For Law Firm Websites Give Higher Page Authority

Page authority is an SEO-related term that measures how likely a certain page from your website will be found by a search engine. Page authority is connected with the quality and relevance of the information your website provides. Creating internal links is an excellent way to increase your page authority and increase traffic to your law firm website. 

Add More Internal Links for Law Firm Websites

Because links are beneficial for both visitors and law firm business owners, here are are some simple ways to start placing more internal links on law firm websites:

Include Tons and Tons of Excellent Content

You may already be writing quality content for your law firm website, and adding value with a blog. If not, this is a great time to start, because a website rich in valuable content with a web of internal links brings in more traffic and hovers higher in search engine rankings. Decide what your most important content is, and focus on adding internal links to these pages. 

Examine and Connect Content

Start investigating the content on your law firm website. Which topics have you written about and how can you group certain topics together via internal linking? Creating a map of your website can help you determine the structure, and make changes if needed. For example, you might have an older blog post that has been forgotten, but it contains valuable information that could be connected to current pages by internal linking. Here are three more tips for connecting pages with internal links:

• Link new content to established pages.
• Link popular pages with content that needs more visibility.
• Link content with pages that possess high authority and high conversion rates.

Use Smart Anchor Text

Anchor text is the word or phrase displayed in a hyperlink, usually appearing as underlined, blue text. Anchor text provides users and search engines information about where the link will lead. Optimal anchor text is natural, using keywords in context, and giving a visitor a solid idea about the link’s destination. Make every internal link unique, using natural common sense words that match up with where the link will take the reader. The best anchor text serving internal links on law firm websites is:

• Concise and to the point
• Suited to the link’s destination
• Specific, not generic, such as “click here.”

Build Internal Links Wisely

Internal links on law firm websites should be used in moderation. Technically, there are no limits to the amount of internal links a page can have, but most experts recommend no more than three or four to a page. This number may vary depending on the type of content, but the key is to assist and not overtax the reader. Also, avoid linking to unrelated or simply promotional content, which would be off-putting for visitors. 

Perform Routine Link Maintenance

It is essential to check your internal links consistently, making sure they are working. Broken, or dead, links are those that do not take a visitor to the intended page. Broken links are frustrating for visitors and damaging to your marketing plan. They result in:

• Failed SEO. When people reach a broken link, they get discouraged and leave, leading to a higher bounce rate and a poor site rating.
• Annoyed visitors. When individuals reach a broken link and receive an error message, they doubt your website’s credibility and will probably exit.
• Broken Paths. Google’s bots cannot crawl pages that have broken links.

Why Are Internal Links Important for SEO?

Learning the answer to “Why are internal links important for SEO?” can ensure you optimize your law firm’s website to improve the site’s visibility on search engines and maximize the number of visitors your website receives. Internal links for law firm websites are crucial as they help search engines like Google to learn about your site more quickly, leading to improved rankings on search engines. When you include internal links and clear anchor text descriptions, Google can easily understand which elements of your law firm website are the most important, and what each section contains. Moreover, internal links improve the user experience and can also lead to better engagement levels.

How Many Internal Links Is Too Many?

Despite there not being an exact answer, in theory, Google and other search engines can process 100s of internal links per web page. In practice, though, including hundreds of links is likely to impact the website’s user experience, which can have negative consequences for the site’s SEO performance. Due to this, it is good practice to limit the number of internal links for law firm websites to an absolute maximum of 100 per page.

Tips for Effective Internal Linking for Law Firm Websites

According to Play Media, 95% of all websites fail to implement internal links properly, making it useful to review advice regarding how to use them effectively. Below are some tips to consider that can help you create effective internal links for law firm websites and boost your site’s SEO performance.

Consider Your Site’s Structure

Generally, when considering how to include internal links for your law firm’s website, it is a good idea to think of your site as a triangle. At the top of this triangle is your website’s homepage. Below this is your website’s categories or sections, followed by individual pages and blog posts. Potentially, you may have some subcategories between these, but effective law firm websites usually follow this structure in terms of internal linking.

Think About Your Most Vital Content

After determining your site’s structure, think about your most vital content. Generally, this is what you want your clients to discover when they search for certain legal keywords or for the legal services your firm provides. For this type of content, ensure you include plenty of internal links. This allows Google to identify this as important content.

Include Contextual Links

After writing several articles on a specific subject, use contextual links to link them together. This signals to Google and your site’s visitors that these posts relate to one another and share similar content, highlighting the importance of this content. To do this, you may include contextual links in the body text or place them at the bottom of the post.

Add Navigational Links

Alongside linking related content together, you can improve the SEO ranking of your most crucial content by including navigational links from your website’s homepage. Alternatively, you may want to create a navigation bar that features at the top of every web page to assist with this. Including navigational links to your most crucial content in this way makes them seem more valuable to Google, which improves their SEO performance.

Link to Recent or Popular Content

It is also a good idea to consider including links to any recent or popular content featured elsewhere on your website. You can include these at the bottom of the site or you may create a sidebar. That way, these links can feature on every web page. Doing this can further boost visits to these pages, while also making it easier for your visitors to find this content, both of which result in improved SEO for your law firm’s website.

How Law Quill Can Help With Internal Links for Law Firm Websites

Using internal links on law firm websites is a smart way to gain value at no cost. In contrast to external linking, internal linking puts the website owner in full control. The addition of internal links can create a more positive user experience, boost your rankings, and expand your digital presence. Creating useful, quality content is the core of successful internal linking, but the thought of producing it may be overwhelming. We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your law firm website’s content, and how we can take these tasks off your plate! Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today. You can also email us at support@lawquill.com.