Clean up internal linking after the relaunch
Why internal links are important
Internal links show search engines which pages are important and how they are connected. They lead visitors to further content and distribute the strength that a website has built up.
Typical legacy issues
- Links in texts that were manually set to old addresses.
- Menus and footers that were copied during the move.
- Links in PDFs and downloads.
- References to deleted pages.
Here is how you proceed
- Crawl the website and list all internal links with redirects or errors.
- Set links directly to the new address.
- Link to important pages from multiple relevant locations.
- Use link text that indicates where it leads – not "click here".
QR codes are also links
QR codes on your own posters or products are internal links from the real world. After the relaunch, set your target directly to the new page instead of to a redirected old address.
Frequently asked questions
It is not mandatory, but better. Direct links are faster and make the website independent of old redirect rules.
There is no fixed number. It is important that every page is accessible from relevant locations.
Many crawlers also read PDFs. Alternatively, a search for the old domain in the source files helps.
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