Your website needs to convert users into customers to see success.
One surefire way to do this is by using internal links as calls to action.
By linking effectively all over your site, you’re already one step closer, but you need to add some hype to it to encourage people to become customers.
If you don’t know how, don’t worry, WILO’s got ya.
The Basics of Internal Links
Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page of your website to another.
They serve multiple purposes, including improving navigation and UX alongside distributing page authority.
When a search engine crawler navigates your website, it follows internal links to understand the structure and relationships between different pages.
It helps search engines understand the relevance and authority of each page, which directly impacts your rankings.
One of the primary benefits of using internal links is that they help distribute the “link juice” or authority from one page to another.
Linking from a high-authority page shares the love and can help boost the authority of your lesser pages.
The Power of Calls to Action (CTAs)
Calls to action are those little prompts that encourage users to take a specific action.
Whether it’s “Sign Up Now”, “Buy Today”, or “Learn More”, CTAs guide your website users through the conversion funnel.
Effective CTAs aren’t only about design and placement; they’re also about psychology.
Understanding your audience and what motivates them is key to being persuasive.
Here are some principles to keep in mind when creating CTAs:
- Clarity: Your CTA should clearly state what action you want the user to take; Avoid vague language.
- Visibility: Make sure your CTAs are visually distinct and easily noticeable on the page. Can you find ours?
- Urgency: Create a sense of urgency by using action-oriented words like “Now” or “Today”.
- Benefit-Oriented: Highlight the benefit the user will receive by clicking on the CTA. What’s in it for them?
- Trustworthiness: Build trust with your audience by using language that assures them (e.g. “Safe and Secure Checkout).
Internal Links as Calls to Action
Now imagine combining the power of internal links with CTAs.
Instead of merely telling users what they need to do, you can lead them to where they need to be: the conversion journey.
For example, a blog post on “Top 10 Healthy Recipes” can include internal links to your “Cookbook Store” with a CTA like “Explore Our Cookbook Collection”.
This way, you’re not just providing information but also nudging users towards a potential conversion.
It’s all about connecting the dots for your users.
Be strategic, create a clear path, and watch your conversion rates.
Best Practices for Using Internal Links as CTAs
To make the most of it, here are some tips to keep in mind:
1. Strategic Placement:
Insert the links naturally in the content, and don’t be too pushy with how many you have in there.
If you’re writing a post about “How to Care for Your Garden,” you can link to your “Gardening Tool Shop” when discussing the importance of quality tools.
2. Optimised Anchor Text:
Use descriptive and enticing anchor text that encourages people to click whilst also being SEO-friendly.
Instead of using generic phrases like “Click Here,” use anchor text that gives content like “Browse Our Selection of Organic Seeds”.
3. Relevance:
Make sure the linked content is directly relevant to the CTA.
Misleading links can lead to poor UX and negatively impact your conversion rates.
If your CTA is about exploring organic gardening supplies, the linked page should feature those products.
4. Balancing Act:
Don’t overload your content with internal links, duh.
Maintain a reasonable number to hold back overwhelming your audience.
Too many links can be distracting and reduce the overall user experience.
5. Creating Persuasive CTAs:
Experiment with various CTA styles and wording to see what works for your audience.
Even think about doing a little A/B testing.
A simple change from “Buy Now” to “Transform Your Garden Today” can make a big difference in click-through rates.
Examples
Let’s look at a couple of examples that could be plausible to your situation:
E-Commerce:
An e-commerce website selling electronics strategically places internal links with CTAs to related product categories.
As a result, their click-through rates (CTR) from blog posts to product pages have doubled, leading to a substantial increase in sales.
By guiding visitors to product listings, they’ve improved their engagement and their bottom line.
Educational Website:
An educational site includes internal links in CTAs within their course content, guiding students to relevant resources.
This has not only improved user engagement but also reduced their bounce rate.
Students now find it easier to access the materials they need and stay longer on the site, not looking elsewhere for them.
The UX now creates an enriching learning experience.
Common Internal Links as Calls to Action Mistakes to Avoid
CTAs and internal links combined are a powerful tool, but as long as you do it right.
Here’s what not to do:
- Over-Optimisation: Don’t go overboard and avoid linking to the same page excessively; it can be seen as spammy by search engines.
- Irrelevant Links: Links that don’t make sense harm your credibility and, thus, your authority and your rankings.
- Ignoring Mobile Users: Make sure everything is clickable on phone screens, don’t disrupt their experience by having a site that doesn’t work on phones.
- Not Tracking Performance: Failing to monitor how well your CTA is doing is a missed opportunity; you can use the results to fine-tune your strategy.
Measuring Success
To understand the success of your internal links as calls to action, keep an eye on key metrics.
Look out for the click-through rate, conversion rate, and the time users spend on your site.
Tools like Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into the performance of your internal links as CTAs.
Click-Through Rate (CTR):
This metric measures the percentage of users who clicked on your internal link CTAs.
A higher CTR shows that your CTAs are effective in encouraging action.
Conversion Rate:
Track how many users who clicked on your CTAs ultimately completed the desired action.
Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource.
Bounce Rate:
Monitor the bounce rate or pages users land on after clicking your CTAs.
A high bounce rate could mean that the linked content doesn’t align with the expectations set by the CTA.
Time on Site:
Analyse how much time users spend on your site after clicking internal link CTAs.
Longer sessions may indicate that users are engaging more deeply with your content.
Takeaways
A good CTA can make people want to do it, especially if they only have to click on it.
Guide your site visitors through your site, and you should see conversions going up.
Be a bit of a perfectionist about it, SEO is no joke.
Or get a professional to handle the optimising heat for you.
Start today, and in time, you’ll watch your conversion rates increase in a sustainable way.
