Managing the internal and external links on your website can feel like a full-time job, especially if you don’t have an SEO expert on hand. If you’re a small business and cannot afford to hire an SEO expert, you can use business tools, like we do at InfluxJuice.
We use the WordPress plugin from AIOSEO. Their Link Assistant in All in One SEO Pro is one of their most powerful tools, which takes the guesswork out of link management. This allows you to streamline your SEO strategy and improve site performance.
In this article, we’ll explore how Link Assistant works, its key features, and how you can use it to enhance your website’s SEO.
What Is the Link Assistant in All in One SEO Pro?
Link Assistant is an add-on for AIOSEO that makes managing your internal and external links much simpler. With this tool, you can monitor orphaned posts, track external and affiliate links, and uncover internal linking opportunities – all without hiring an SEO specialist. Whether you’re running a small blog or managing a large e-commerce site, Link Assistant offers valuable insights that help search engines understand your content’s importance.
Let’s break down the features of Link Assistant and how they can benefit your website.
Overview Dashboard: Your Link Health at a Glance
The first thing you’ll see when you open Link Assistant is the Overview Dashboard. This dashboard provides a snapshot of the link structure on your website. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Posts Crawled: This metric shows how many posts Link Assistant has scanned for links so far. The number grows as Link Assistant continues crawling your site’s content. For larger sites, this process might take time, but don’t worry — you can safely leave the page, and it will continue in the background.
- Orphaned Posts: These are posts on your site that don’t have any internal links pointing to them. Without inbound links, orphaned posts are harder for search engines to find. By identifying orphaned posts, Link Assistant gives you a chance to link these posts from other pages, improving their chances of being indexed.
- Internal Links: Internal links help guide visitors to related content within your site, improving user experience and boosting your SEO. The dashboard shows you how many internal links your site has and where there’s room for improvement.
- External Links: This number tells you how many times your site links to other websites. Linking to authoritative external sources can add value to your content, but it’s essential to maintain a healthy balance between internal and external links.
- Affiliate Links: If you participate in affiliate marketing, this section tracks how many affiliate links you have across your site. Affiliate links are crucial for monetising content, and Link Assistant helps you keep tabs on them.
In addition to these metrics, the Overview Dashboard includes visuals like the Internal vs External vs Affiliate Links graph, helping you spot any imbalances in your link profile. You’ll also see your Most Linked to Domains, so you can manage your outbound links effectively.
Pro Tip: Linking Opportunities
One of the most helpful features of the Overview Dashboard is the Linking Opportunities section. This area highlights content that could benefit from more internal links. Adding internal links not only helps users navigate your site but also signals to search engines which pages are most important.
Links Report: Detailed Link Management
The Links Report is where the real magic happens. This section provides an in-depth look at all the links on your site, breaking them down by post title, publish date, internal links, affiliate links, and external links.
What makes this feature stand out is the ability to filter by specific link types. Here’s how you can use these filters to your advantage:
- Linking Opportunities: This filter shows posts where Link Assistant suggests adding more internal links. A strong internal linking structure helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your content. Posts with more internal links are seen as more important, so it’s worth following Link Assistant’s recommendations.
- Orphaned Posts: Use this filter to find posts that lack internal links. Orphaned posts can slip through the SEO cracks if they’re not linked to from other parts of your site. By connecting orphaned posts to relevant content, you increase the chances of those posts ranking in search results.
- Post Type and Categories: You can also filter by post type, whether that’s blog posts, products, or pages. If you’re running a blog, you can drill down into specific categories to see where your internal linking strategy needs work.
One handy feature of the Links Report is that you can expand each post to see a detailed breakdown of the internal, external, affiliate links, and suggested link improvements. This makes it easier to take action right away.
Using Internal Links to Improve SEO
Internal linking is one of the most effective yet often overlooked SEO strategies. When you link to your own content, you create a network of interconnected pages that tell search engines which pages are the most valuable. The more internal links a page has, the higher its importance appears in the eyes of search engines. By using the Linking Opportunities feature, you can easily identify which posts need a bit more internal love.
Domains Report: Manage Outbound Links with Ease
The Domains Report provides a breakdown of all the external sites you link to. Outbound links can be a double-edged sword – while linking to reputable sources can strengthen your content’s credibility, you also share some of your SEO authority with those sites. This report helps you monitor where your links are going and how frequently you link to specific domains.
In the Domains Report, you’ll find columns for the domain, the number of posts linking to that domain, and the total number of links. With this data, you can spot patterns, such as over-linking to the same external site. This may be a sign you need to diversify your outbound linking strategy.
Best Practices for Outbound Links
While internal links keep users on your site, outbound links serve a different purpose. They help readers explore related content, but too many external links can dilute your page’s SEO. By monitoring your outbound links using the Domains Report, you can strike a balance between offering valuable resources to your audience and keeping your SEO strong.
Conclusion: Is Your Link Structure Helping or Hurting Your SEO?
Link Assistant in All in One SEO Pro is a powerful tool that makes managing your website’s links a breeze. From uncovering orphaned posts to spotting internal linking opportunities, Link Assistant helps you optimise your link structure without needing a dedicated SEO team.
Whether you’re running a small blog or managing a large business website, internal and external links play a crucial role in SEO success. Use Link Assistant to ensure you’re taking full advantage of both, while keeping your affiliate and outbound links in check.
Questions to Ponder:
- Have you reviewed your site’s orphaned posts recently? How are you planning to link them internally?
- What’s your strategy for balancing internal and external links on your site?
- How do you currently manage affiliate links, and could Link Assistant make that easier for you?
Leave your answers in the comments below – we’d love to hear how you’re tackling your link management strategy.
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