Thematic linking is the strategic process of creating links between different articles and pages on a website in order to improve content structure, simplify navigation and increase SEO efficiency. However, it’s not always easy to link articles with different focuses or topics so that the relinking is logical and useful for both users and search engines.
In this article, let’s take a look at how to effectively apply topical relinking, even if your articles cover seemingly different topics.
Identify a common theme or context
To create a link between articles with different focuses, it’s important to find a common point of intersection. This can be:
- Common keywords or phrases. For example, articles about different sports can be linked through the phrase “safety techniques,” or articles about traveling can overlap in the context of “tips for first-time travelers.”
- Common audience interests or goals. If your audience is interested in sports cars as well as sports driving schools, you can create links that show how these topics can complement each other.
- Similar questions or issues. For example, an article on converting web applications to desktop applications could be linked to a more general article on web development technology discussing trends in the industry.
Using categories and subtopics
Even if your articles focus on different aspects of one big topic, you can link them through categories or subtopics:
- If you’re writing on a travel blog, you can use categories like “Best Routes,” “Where to Stay,” and “Transportation in Travel,” and link to articles from different categories.
- For example, an article on Crookston travel tips could link to an article on local restaurants and cafes through the “local lifestyle” category or the “tips for visiting” subcategory.
Putting links in context
It’s important that links between articles look natural and logical. To do this, create links based on context:
- Related topics. For example, if you write about fashion and beauty, and next to the topic of makeup you discuss “skin care tips,” you can mention another article in the text about how to choose cosmetics for different skin types.
- User Experience. In an article about a sports driving school, you can suggest that the user click on a link to an article detailing the types of sports cars that are taught in the course.
Using internal hashtags or tags
If your website has a tagging or hashtag system, it will help you link articles on a specific topic:
- Tags can be used to categorize content, for example, tags like “cybersports”, “travel guide” or “trip to Europe” can help automatically link articles that overlap at least slightly in interest.
- Apply key hashtags to create bundles. For example, #autoschool, #sportscar or #guidebook can be useful for linking to articles with different focuses.
Include “recommended articles” at the end
The “recommended articles” mechanism (or “Read also” block) allows you to create linking that adapts to the user’s interests, offering them articles with different topics but with common points of intersection:
- If you have articles about hotel reservations and city guides, you can encourage the user to read an article about local restaurants or travel tips in Crookston, emphasizing how these topics can be useful for their trip.
- This block can be customized based on the most popular content, which automatically links articles from different destinations.
The importance of SEO when theming your content
Don’t forget that thematic relinking is important from an SEO perspective as well. It helps search engines better understand the structure of your site and gives context to all your pages.
- Keyword usage. Links between articles with different focuses should use targeted keyword phrases that are appropriate for both pages to optimize the pages for those queries.
- User value. The important aspect is not only SEO, but also how useful such links will be to your readers. If the links are genuinely useful and help users find the content they are looking for, it will improve the perception of the site.
Conclusion
Topic relinking, even between articles with different focuses, can be a very effective tool to improve site structure, simplify navigation and boost SEO. The keys are finding common intersection points, using categories and tags correctly, and offering valuable content to the user. Use smart links to not only improve search engine rankings, but also to make your site more user-friendly and useful to users.