While the algorithms that determine a website’s page rank are both confidential and complicated, quality inbound links seem to have the most impact. A strong internal linking strategy, therefore, will have the most impact on your website’s rank. Best of all, it’s something you can control.

1. Use internal links whenever possible. Let’s say you’re writing an article referencing a topic you discussed in a recent blog post. Link back to that post, using a keyword-rich embedded link.
2. Submit your website to directories. Don’t confuse search engines, like Google, Bing and Yahoo’s search function, with search directories. Some top search directories include
   • Yahoo
   • The Open Directory
   • About.com
   • Pandia Plus
3. Create a site map. A site map, yet another form of internal link building, lists all the pages of your website. It enables a search engine to crawl all the pages of your website quickly, often resulting in better page rankings.
4. Fix broken links. Broken internal and external links hurt your website’s page rank. Check your links occasionally and delete or fix broken links. This is particularly important (and easy to fix) on your page’s site map, since all the links on the site map are part of your internal linking strategy.

Dawn Allcot is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch, a full service content marketing agency serving hundreds of clients and thousands of writers since 2000.

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