Imagine creating a masterpiece and hiding it in a labyrinth with no map. This is what happens when your website lacks crawlable links, which are essential for ensuring that search engines can index your site effectively.
In this article, we will explore the importance of crawlable links, how they impact SEO, and provide practical tips for optimizing them.
What Are Crawlable Links
Crawlable links are hyperlinks that can be easily discovered, accessed, and followed by web crawlers or search engine bots. Web crawlers are automated programs used by search engines to systematically browse and index the content of websites. For a link to be considered crawlable, it must be accessible and readable by these crawlers.
In simpler terms, a crawlable link is one that a search engine can find, understand, and follow to discover new pages or content on your website.
Why Is It Important?
With crawlable links, search engines can gain a comprehensive understanding of a site’s structure and content, potentially leading to optimal indexing and increased visibility in search results. Let’s look into the four important aspects of having crawlable links.
Rank higher
Crawlable links help websites rank better on search engines. It is publicly known that search engines like Google use bots to crawl, find, and index web pages. Therefore, if a link is crawlable, the bot can follow it.
Search engines rely on web crawlers to discover new pages and content on the internet. By making your links crawlable, search engines can effectively find, index, and rank all the pages on your website, boosting your online visibility and rankings.
Better user experience
Crawlable links also improve the user experience. If the links work well, readers can easily navigate through a website, which keeps people on the site longer.
If readers can’t find what they need, they might leave quickly. Good crawlable links ensure that information is easy to find, which helps keep visitors happy and engaged.
Attention from search engines
Search engines pay attention to how websites are linked internally. Crawlable links help them understand a site’s structure better, which can lead to improved indexing.
Improved indexing means that your content is more likely to appear in the results when someone searches for something. Better indexing helps match your content with what people are looking for.
Results tracking
Using crawlable links also makes it easier to track results. Website owners can see which pages get the most traffic and adjust their strategies based on this data.
For example, owners might add more similar content if one page gets many visits. Tracking helps improve overall performance and better meet readers’ needs.
Speaking of which pages get the most traffic, we published a case study about how internal linking improved site architecture, resulted to a 260% increase in traffic.
How to Ensure Crawlable Links?
After understanding the importance of crawlable links, we can now move on to the technicalities of making sure your links are crawlable.
Use HTML tags
First, you need to use HTML tags to make sure they’re crawlable, but that’s not all. The <a> element should resolve into an actual web address that Google crawlers can send requests to crawl. For instance, <a href=”https://example.com/coffeebean”>.
If your links are not crawlable, search engines may not be able to find and index all the pages on your website, potentially limiting your online visibility and search engine rankings.
Here’s what Google has to say:
HTML tags are resolvable by search engines like Google. They also work across different browsers and platforms. HTML is literally the backbone of the web because almost every website uses them.
Here are some examples to illustrate what links are resolvable by Google:
Anchor text placement
Regardless of how simple and insignificant anchor text looks, this text tells your users and search engines about the page you’re linking to. In order to do that, you need to place the anchor text between <a> elements that search engines can crawl.
Below is a better example of how search engines like Google prefer to have:
And here is what search engines like Google doesn’t like to have:
According to Google, though it is not recommended, if the <a> element is empty, Google will use the linked article’s title as anchor text.
For images used as links, Google relies on the alt attribute of the image element as anchor text. Therefore, ensure you add descriptive alt text to your images:
Write good anchor text
Good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to the page it is on and the page it links to. It provides context for the link and sets expectations for the reader. That means you should avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “learn more,” as these provide little contextual information to search engines and users. The better your anchor text, the easier it is for people to navigate your site and for search engines to understand what the linked page is about.
Make Crawlable Links With LinkVector Now
Crawlable links are essential for optimizing website visibility and ensuring search engines can effectively index content. They are crucial in enhancing a site’s SEO performance by providing clear pathways for search engine bots to follow.
Understanding the importance of crawlable links and implementing best practices can significantly impact a website’s success. For those looking to streamline this process, consider using LinkVector to ensure all links are crawlable and enhance your site’s overall performance. Take action today to improve your website’s visibility and reach its full potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are crawlable links?
Crawlable links are hyperlinks that search engine bots can follow. They help search engines index your web pages.
Why are crawlable links important?
Crawlable links ensure your website is indexed by search engines. This improves your site’s visibility in search results.
For instance, when distributing press releases, ensuring that the links within them are crawlable allows search engines to discover your website or specific pages. Even if press releases contain nofollow links, which don’t pass link juice, these links still guide search engines to your site, helping with indexing and increasing the chances of being found in search results. This exposure can lead to increased traffic and potential natural backlinks from other sites that find and reference your content.
What makes a link non-crawlable?
Links with “nofollow” attributes, JavaScript-based links, or those hidden behind forms are often non-crawlable.
What is the nofollow attribute, and should I use it on internal links?
Avoid using the nofollow attribute on internal links unless it is absolutely necessary, such as for login pages or administrative areas that do not need to be indexed.
How can I check if my links are crawlable?
Use tools like Google Search Console. They identify non-crawlable links on your site.
Can broken links affect crawlability?
Yes, broken links can prevent search engines from indexing parts of your site. Use tools to find and fix them.
Do internal or external links matter for crawlability?
Both matter. Internal links help bots navigate your site, while external links can improve authority and discovery.