Internal linking is an integral aspect of search engine optimization (SEO). With effective internal ranking, search engines will easily discover your content and improve your page ranking. It also improves the efficiency with which users can move through your website and access relevant content.
A recent study by Ahrefs found that internal links account for 43% of ranking factors in Google. This means that building a strong internal linking structure is highly beneficial to your SEO and your website’s overall ranking.
While internal linking can be done manually, using internal linking plugins usually helps to automate the process by providing relevant suggestions, keywords, and URLs. And with WordPress as the most popular website builder, you will be lucky enough to find an array of WordPress-compatible plugins to use.
This blog post reviews the best internal linking plugins for WordPress, both automatic and manual. We’ll also highlight the benefits of using plugins and choosing an option that meets your needs.
What are Internal Linking Plugins?
Firstly, internal linking is the process of connecting one web page to another on the same site. In a plainer language, it is the practice of connecting one web page on a site to another within the same domain.
According to multiple SEO studies, well-implemented internal linking can increase a website’s visibility and authority. The two common methods of building internal links include creating the links manually or automatically.
Manual internal linking is when you add links to your content yourself. Automatic internal linking is when you use a plugin to automatically add links to your content based on certain criteria, such as keywords or phrases.
If you have a large website, it can be time-consuming to manually build internal links. Luckily, internal linking plugins provide a reliable solution to this nightmare as they conveniently automate the process of creating internal links, which saves you time and effort.
Statistics and Trends About Internal Linking and On-Page SEO
The following are some facts and predictions that you should know about internal linking and on-page SEO.
- Links are among the top considerations used by Google in its ranking algorithm.
- Up to 92% of digital marketers trust that links will continue to be a ranking criterion used by Google 5 years from now.
- 13% of experts agree that building links is still the most valuable SEO tactic in websites.
- WordPress hosts over 58,000 plugins
Top 10 Best Internal Linking Plugins for WordPress
With several WordPress plugins available at your disposal, pinpointing the most effective tools can be quite challenging. We make this work easier for you by reviewing the best internal linking plugins.
1. All-in-One SEO – (Link Assistant)
Among the several functionalities offered by the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) Link Assistant plugin, the Link Assistant tool stands out as a remarkable asset for managing internal linking within WordPress. This feature provides a comprehensive solution for creating and managing internal links with ease.
The Link Assistant simplifies the often intricate process of internal linking by offering automated suggestions based on keyword optimization. This intelligent tool analyzes your content and can effectively come up with suggestions for relevant internal links, aiding in the enhancement of your site’s structure and SEO.
A key highlight of AIOSEO’s Link Assistant is its capacity to streamline both automatic and manual linking processes. It presents users with recommended internal links while granting the flexibility to manually edit and control the linking strategy, aligning with individual preferences and content requirements.
2. MonsterInsights – (WordPress Analytics Plugin)
Another versatile plugin that makes it to this blog post is the MonsterInsights tool. While it is not specifically designed for internal linking, MonsterInsights’ Internal Linking Plugin can help you monitor inbound and outbound clicks on your site.
This will come in handy if you want to gain insights into the engagement patterns of readers. The plugin also provides suggestions for improving internal linking structure by highlighting specific words and sentences that can be used as anchor texts in new links.
Generally, MonsterInsights is a key to optimizing your website for better ranking and user experience.
3. WP Tasty Links – (WordPress Affiliate Plugin)
WP Tasty Roundups is part of the larger WP suite and allows you to create beautiful roundup posts that rank well in search results. Its Tasty Links plugin will reliably help you to easily add automatic internal links to their posts.
To use Tasty Links, activate the plugin after you complete the installation process, add a new Tasty Link, fill in the anchor text and paste the internal link, and then publish the link.
You can also leverage the Tasty Roundups feature to create beautiful roundup posts that include internal links and rank well in search engines.
4. Yoast SEO – (WordPress Content Optimization)
Yoast SEO is a common term for anyone who is already accustomed to WordPress. It is a leading tool for WordPress content optimization with a suite of tools designed to enhance on-page SEO.
Among its array of features, the Internal Linking tool stands as a fundamental asset for improving a website’s structure and ranking. This feature assists website owners in creating effective internal linking strategies.
It analyzes existing content and suggests relevant internal links while you write new posts or articles. Notably, the suggestions are based on the content you’re working on.
This will make it easier to build a network of interconnected pages and enhance your site’s SEO while also assisting users in navigating your content seamlessly.
5. Internal Link Juicer – (Automated Internal Linking Plugin)
It is impossible to review WordPress plugins for internal linking without talking about Internal Link Juicer, a dedicated WordPress plugin that can help you to automatically build internal links within your content.
This relatively new plugin works by using an intelligent per-post configuration, allowing users to set up keywords and corresponding URLs for automatic linking. Ideally, the plugin is designed to improve SEO by creating functional internal links.
6. RankMath – (WordPress SEO Tools)
Rank Math Internal Link Building Plugin is a popular product that has been around for some time now. It is known for helping website owners improve their site’s internal linking structure. It offers many capabilities and tools to help you build internal links, including link suggestions, pillar content detection, and link analysis.
Rank Math Internal Link Building Plugin is a good option for both beginners and experienced SEO professionals. It’s easy to use and has many features that are synonymous with top WordPress plugins in the market.
With this plugin, simply input keywords and wait for it to convert them into links automatically everywhere they appear on your site.
7. Link Whisper – (Build Smart Internal Links)
The Link Whisper digital product is designed to streamline and simplify the process of creating internal links across your website. This plugin stands out for its user-friendly interface and its ability to suggest relevant internal links while creating new content.
Using sophisticated algorithms, Link Whisper analyzes your existing content and proposes contextual internal link suggestions within the WordPress editor itself.
This helps in establishing a robust network of interconnected pages, enhancing user experience and SEO. The plugin offers both automatic and manual internal linking options.
It efficiently suggests internal links as you write new articles or pages, making the process seamless and convenient. Simultaneously, it allows manual control, enabling content creators to review and modify the suggestions based on their specific requirements.
8. Interlinks Manager – (WordPress SEO Plugin)
Interlinks Manager is a WordPress plugin that focuses on helping SEO specialists and ambitious bloggers develop an effective internal link structure and improve the SEO performance of their websites.
The plugin offers various tools and features to automate internal linking, enhance site navigation, and increase content discoverability.
You can use this automatic plugin to convert specific keywords and phrases to links. It is also ideal for compiling a Wiki Knowledge Base for your blog or generating references to pages with products for sale within your site.
It will also help you to track every click made by your visitors on your internal links, allowing you to track how effective your linking strategy is.
9. YARPP- (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin)
YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) is a popular tool in the WordPress ecosystem known for its ability to display related content to website visitors. Although its primary function is to showcase related posts either at the end of an article or in the sidebar, its implications for internal linking should not be overlooked.
The plugin uses an algorithm to determine related posts based on content similarities, categories, or tags. Thus, YARPP encourages visitors to explore additional content on the website, indirectly fostering internal linking by guiding users to other relevant pages once it displays them.
While not a dedicated internal linking plugin, YARPP serves as a valuable asset in engaging visitors and minimizing the bounce rate by providing easy access to more content, thereby enhancing user experience and potentially decreasing bounce rates.
10. Pretty Links – (Affiliate Link Management Plugin)
Pretty Links is a versatile WordPress plugin primarily recognized for its URL shortening and link management capabilities. Although its core functionalities revolve around link shortening, tracking, and organizing URLs, it indirectly contributes to improving site navigation and managing link structures.
The plugin enables users to create cleaner, more user-friendly links by shortening lengthy URLs. It also offers the ability to create branded, memorable, and customizable URLs, making them more appealing and easier to share.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about internal linking.
1. What is internal linking in WordPress?
Internal linking is the process of creating connections between a given web page to another web page within the same domain. They effectively help site visitors navigate a site more effectively, moving from one page to another to access relevant or additional information.
Internal linking not only assists users in discovering more content but also improves a website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by spreading link equity and authority throughout the site.
2. Why is internal linking important?
Internal linking is beneficial for the following reasons:
- Improved User Experience: Internal links guide visitors to relevant content within a website, making navigation easier. Users can find additional information or related topics, leading to a more seamless and satisfying browsing experience.
- Enhanced Site Structure: Internal links create a web of interconnected pages, establishing a hierarchy and structure within the website. This structure assists search engines in understanding the site’s organization.
- Boosts SEO: Proper internal linking distributes link equity and authority across the site, potentially improving the ranking of important pages.
- Increases Page Views: Internal links provide pathways to additional content. This encourages visitors to check other pages on the site, increasing overall page views and session duration.
- Highlights Key Content: Internal linking allows site owners to highlight and direct attention to essential or high-value pages, increasing their visibility and relevance.
- Decreases Bounce Rate: Engaging internal links can reduce the bounce rate. An effective linking will keep visitors on the website longer, as they explore interconnected content.
3. What are the best internal linking plugins for WordPress?
The best options include Yoast SEO, Link Whisper, All in One SEO – Link Assistant, and Interlinks Manager. They offer features like automatic link suggestions, manual control, and analytics to enhance site structure and SEO. Of course, each plugin varies in functionalities, features, and price.
4. Are automatic internal linking plugins better than manual ones?
Neither of the alternatives is rightly better than the other as each comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Automatic plugins, such as Link Whisper or Yoast SEO’s Link Assistant, offer convenience by suggesting anchors and links based on content analysis, saving time and effort.
However, manual linking provides more control over link placement and context, ensuring the most relevant connections between content. The best approach often combines both methods for optimal results, using automatic suggestions as a starting point and then refining with manual adjustments to ensure precision and relevance.
5. How can internal linking benefit my site’s SEO?
Internal linking significantly benefits a site’s SEO in various ways:
- Enhanced Crawling and Indexing: Internal links boost the rate at which search engine bots navigate and index your site’s pages more effectively, ensuring all content gets discovered and evaluated for search results.
- Establishing Site Hierarchy: Internal links establish a hierarchy, indicating the importance and relationship between various pages, guiding search engines on the significance of each page.
- Distributing Page Authority: Linking to important content from others to distribute authority and ranking power across the site, potentially improving content visibility.
- Keyword Emphasis: Strategically placed internal links using relevant keywords determine the relevance and connection between pages, potentially boosting their rankings.
- Reducing Bounce Rates: Engaging internal links keeps visitors on the site longer. In turn, this reduces bounce rates and increases your conversion rates.
- Enhanced User Experience: Easy navigation through internal links leads to a better user experience, ensuring visitors find relevant information easily, which is valued by search engines.
6. Can I use more than one internal linking plugin on my website?
In most cases, it’s not recommended to use multiple internal linking plugins simultaneously on your website. Running multiple plugins with similar functionalities might lead to conflicts, duplicated efforts, or overlapping functionalities, potentially causing confusion in link suggestions or performance issues within your WordPress environment.
Choosing one comprehensive internal linking plugin that best aligns with your site’s needs and preferences is usually more effective. However, if you have specific reasons or requirements for utilizing multiple plugins, ensure that they complement each other’s functionalities without creating conflicts.
The decision to opt for a premium plugin depends on your specific online needs, the scale of your website, and your customization preferences. Premium plugins might offer additional conveniences, such as more detailed analytics, advanced automation, or customization options, which could be beneficial for larger or more complex websites.
Before investing in a premium plugin, assess the free options available and assess what they offer. If you require features or support that free plugins don’t provide, then a premium plugin might be a worthwhile investment. Always consider your site’s individual needs and evaluate the features offered by both free and premium plugins before making a decision.
Conclusion
An effective linking strategy is a crucial aspect of SEO and will improve several crucial metrics of your website, including visibility and ranking. As you now know, using plugins to build functional links makes the otherwise time-consuming process faster and less challenging.
We have reviewed some of the best internal linking plugins for WordPress, both automatic and manual. These plugins offer various features and tools to automate the internal linking process, enhance site navigation, and increase content discoverability.
