Over-optimization of internal links

DK21

DK21

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Hi

I'm still a bit new at this, so I think I over-optimized my internal link structure and as a result I have been downgraded significantly on particular those keywords I optimized for.

Hence, I would like to know if anyone knows any great resources that I can read. I would like to know more about it so I can determine if it is over optimization, what to do, and what I can expect going forward.

I experienced the following with the site in question. I implemented the internal link structure in the beginning of July. Around the 19th of july Google crawled the site 10 times more often than normal. Within the next couple of days, the keywords that I had optimised for dropped up to 30 places or more. I have removed almost all the internal links now.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it:-)

/DK21
 
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How many internal links were you putting in each article?

Try to limit yourself to 2-3 internal links. Also diversify with external links. Put a 1 or 2 here and there, doesn't need to be in every article.

There was an experiment where they noticed that sites that had external links ranked higher than those that didn't have any.
 
thenwhat said:
There was an experiment where they noticed that sites that had external links ranked higher than those that didn't have any.
Click to expand...
I think that "experiment" is called the SERPs... Although, I guess you were actually talking about outbound links, which look at any major site, they link out liberally.


OP: let's talk.
Say your site is about gardening
So you write a post targetting:
soil


So then you wrote a post about getting your garden ready, don't just link to your "soil" post with exact match, but rather when you use a long-tail like "garden soil" or go crazy and link the phrase "how to have great dirt" or just a synonym "dirt", "ground" "earth" "growing medium" etc...

Don't be scared to do a round-up guide of your posts. Write a post completely about how to garden, link out to 10-15-20 of your articles, BUT follow the above advice on how to link out, then you'll build links to your guide and it will trickle out to all your other posts.

I don't notice issues on my blogs and I like out like mad in my posts, anywhere from 1-20 internal links. I follow the Wikipedia style of inter-linking, not a silo structure and build my internal links for user experience, so they know where they can go for more knowledge on a specific subject, I even mix in outbound links for subjects where I don't plan to build a post around, and just do it to help the visitor.

With that said, I will say, I build my sites 1st for the user, then for google, so I have posts where I don't even target a keyword specifically, just provide more indepth information sometimes. Doing this hardcore requires you to have additional plans for traffic sometimes, and I focus on social just as much as SERPs.
 
patriotnews said:
I think that "experiment" is called the SERPs... Although, I guess you were actually talking about outbound links, which look at any major site, they link out liberally.


OP: let's talk.
Say your site is about gardening
So you write a post targetting:
soil


So then you wrote a post about getting your garden ready, don't just link to your "soil" post with exact match, but rather when you use a long-tail like "garden soil" or go crazy and link the phrase "how to have great dirt" or just a synonym "dirt", "ground" "earth" "growing medium" etc...

Don't be scared to do a round-up guide of your posts. Write a post completely about how to garden, link out to 10-15-20 of your articles, BUT follow the above advice on how to link out, then you'll build links to your guide and it will trickle out to all your other posts.

I don't notice issues on my blogs and I like out like mad in my posts, anywhere from 1-20 internal links. I follow the Wikipedia style of inter-linking, not a silo structure and build my internal links for user experience, so they know where they can go for more knowledge on a specific subject, I even mix in outbound links for subjects where I don't plan to build a post around, and just do it to help the visitor.

With that said, I will say, I build my sites 1st for the user, then for google, so I have posts where I don't even target a keyword specifically, just provide more indepth information sometimes. Doing this hardcore requires you to have additional plans for traffic sometimes, and I focus on social just as much as SERPs.
Click to expand...
It was on backlinko, they made a keyword of random characters and ranked it in google with 4 sites having external and internal links and 4 sites having only internal links. All 4 of the ones with external links outranked the 4 sites that strictly had internal links.
 
I remember reading the article from backlinko regading external internal links, my recommendation is that you should not go any further than 3 links per article, and this should be done considering: reference and continuity.

Your target should be the customer, if you make a website for bots, you will loose the interest from the audience.
 
moneysnake said:
I remember reading the article from backlinko regading external internal links, my recommendation is that you should not go any further than 3 links per article, and this should be done considering: reference and continuity.

Your target should be the customer, if you make a website for bots, you will loose the interest from the audience.
Click to expand...

that is pure bs
 
patriotnews said:
I think that "experiment" is called the SERPs... Although, I guess you were actually talking about outbound links, which look at any major site, they link out liberally.


OP: let's talk.
Say your site is about gardening
So you write a post targetting:
soil


So then you wrote a post about getting your garden ready, don't just link to your "soil" post with exact match, but rather when you use a long-tail like "garden soil" or go crazy and link the phrase "how to have great dirt" or just a synonym "dirt", "ground" "earth" "growing medium" etc...

Don't be scared to do a round-up guide of your posts. Write a post completely about how to garden, link out to 10-15-20 of your articles, BUT follow the above advice on how to link out, then you'll build links to your guide and it will trickle out to all your other posts.

I don't notice issues on my blogs and I like out like mad in my posts, anywhere from 1-20 internal links. I follow the Wikipedia style of inter-linking, not a silo structure and build my internal links for user experience, so they know where they can go for more knowledge on a specific subject, I even mix in outbound links for subjects where I don't plan to build a post around, and just do it to help the visitor.

With that said, I will say, I build my sites 1st for the user, then for google, so I have posts where I don't even target a keyword specifically, just provide more indepth information sometimes. Doing this hardcore requires you to have additional plans for traffic sometimes, and I focus on social just as much as SERPs.
Click to expand...
Yes this combo reference article is a good filler when you have a gap in original new articles in the queue. Older readers may know some of the titles but newer browsers may want some catnip.
 
moneysnake said:
I remember reading the article from backlinko regading external internal links, my recommendation is that you should not go any further than 3 links per article, and this should be done considering: reference and continuity.

Your target should be the customer, if you make a website for bots, you will loose the interest from the audience.
Click to expand...

I really don't get where people always get these absolutely. Have a keyword density of 2 Percent. have 1 outbound high authority link and 3 internetal. Crap like that might get your website ranked, but will not create content worth reading.

A link should always be a usesfull reference for your readers. If it makes sense, add it, if it doesn't, don't. Sure, more links dillute the link juice, but they might also lower the bounce rate and prolong the session, which ultimately leads to bigger gains.
 
@what_hat? Great guide!!! Checked your website, but I could not even find your guide on it. Please let me know if you have more guides like that.
 
xinga said:
I really don't get where people always get these absolutely. Have a keyword density of 2 Percent. have 1 outbound high authority link and 3 internetal. Crap like that might get your website ranked, but will not create content worth reading.

A link should always be a usesfull reference for your readers. If it makes sense, add it, if it doesn't, don't. Sure, more links dillute the link juice, but they might also lower the bounce rate and prolong the session, which ultimately leads to bigger gains.
Click to expand...
3 internetal? what does that mean?
 
Last edited:
thenwhat said:
How many internal links were you putting in each article?

Try to limit yourself to 2-3 internal links. Also diversify with external links. Put a 1 or 2 here and there, doesn't need to be in every article.

There was an experiment where they noticed that sites that had external links ranked higher than those that didn't have any.
Click to expand...

If you have more internal links in a site does it harm you rank?
 
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