What Are The Page Linking Options?

[94501]

Okay, so I'm working with a site that has pretty good domain authority, but the interior pages are not well linked or optimized. So, it ranks for some terms, but everything goes to the home page.

So, I'd like to increase the authority of the interior pages. The client is not wild about spreading targeted juice via something like a footer. They also don't like a "Popular Searches" style link list. The objection is that it's not attractive. They currently use cute euphemisms as the linking text, so like "cool stuff" instead of "sheepskin seat covers." In that made up example, they'd like to rank for the latter, but insist on using the former.

What about a slide show with alt text/links? Would that increase the authority of those pages in a term-targeted kinda way? Are there other options? Does it matter how prominent those links are, like footers not as good as something higher up the page?

They currently use a pull-down kind of thing that still results in some pages having no authority. Do bots use that equally well? Thanks!

[94501]

Yes, I didn't perceive anyone was talking about text and background the same color. You are right, obviously that would be complete ButterScotch.

[KeriMorgret]

An alt image tag is there to describe the image if you can't show the image, like if someone was browsing using a screenreader. It is ultimately there to help the user. Text and background the same color is there to serve the search engines one thing while the user sees another thing, which is not OK by any of their guidelines.

[AlanBleiweiss]

If a site owner doesn't have the proper budget for marketing online required to go "all the way" with SEO, then I wouldn't try things out that could negatively impact them.  I'd focus on other tasks, because there are ALWAYS other tasks.

[94501]

Okay, so let's say your client doesn't have really deep pockets. My fear is that they would see that I got a page to rank lower than previous for the term and "thanks alot!"  Would one be better off not touching it or trying to get the page's authority up before on-page optimizing it for the term?

[94501]

Hi Aaron and Keri,

So, what makes an alt image tag okay vs. "hidden text" and bad? I mean, if a picture/link is of sheepskin seat covers and you alt image tag it "sheepskin seat covers," where does the problem come in? When is an alt image tag not "hidden text?"

[AlanBleiweiss]

I don't fear Google lower rankings because of home page / interior page swaps.  I make my decisions based on what's best for users.  If an interior page is more appropriate, that's that I focus the attention on.

If that page doesn't rank as high as the home page previously had, there's more work to be done.

But that's the luxury I have being someone who performs audits on really big sites where clients have the budgets and the long-term perspective to get it done.

[KeriMorgret]

@SeoStalion That's considered hidden text and not recommended.

[edited for clarity, since threading doesn't occur this deep]

[94501]

Hey Alan,

Interesting answer with lots to chew on there. It's kind of hard to rival the homepage for external links pointing to it. And, equally hard to get interior catalog type pages high quality links.

By focusing the inner pages on specific terms, how do you know you're not swapping a good ranking homepage for a more targeted but lower ranking interior page. It kind of feels like bomb disposal. Are there instances where you don't focus interior pages for fear of Google ranking them lower than the homepage? Thanks...Mike

[AaronSchinke]

Be careful here. This can look very shady to users! Users first! (I swear I'm not a Google fanboy)

[AlanBleiweiss]

Link equity is not equal across a page.  The two most important types of links are main site navigation and in-content.  Sidebar navigation is close behind.  Footer links are not what they once were.

Think about it from a user experience - how many sites do you go to where you primarily navigate through a site by scrolling to the bottom of pages to find the links you want?  Even high ranking sites that fill their footers with lots of links also have those higher up on the page and those footer links not only don't help, but with so many of them, it just causes topical relationship confusion.

Couple options:

1. change the main nav links to images and use alt text.  Alt text does have as much value when it's images in main site navigation because how else would search engines know the anchor information on those?

2. See if you can get links to some of those internal pages from within the content area of high level pages on the site - within or directly near descriptive text that talks about the focus of those pages you're linking to.

3. Something that hasn't been mentioned so far is also off-site factors.  Without inbound links pointing to some of those internal pages, you're not going to get as much ranking value as you probably need and are trying to get from internal linking.

With inbound links you have more free reign to get the anchor text you prefer, though inbound links should be a mix of keywords, brand and generic words like "for more info".

[SeoStallion]

I think that it makes a point that the alt tag does in fact hold more weight than was previously thought (many SEO resources stated that the alt tag was only considered for specific searches). The problem is that the alt tag leaves an open window to exploitation and that at the end of the day as far as I am aware content is still king.

[94501]

What do you think of this:

http://www.seomoz.org/qa/view/24587/are-linked-images-with-an-alt-tag-equivilent-to-a-anchor-tag-with-anchor-text-in-terms-of-seo-value

[SeoStallion]

No problem at all, in fact I've been doing some digging around because I am rather interested in seeing if I can rank another page for a keyword through the alt tag. I will keep you informed but if I can't find a relevant answer I'll try to test it on my sites.

[94501]

I guess I always figured in general that higher up meant more important, but okay you don't think so. I really appreciate your weighing-in.

[SeoStallion]

Provided you don't have an unnatural number of links on the page there should be no reason, the whole page will be crawled - header to footer.

[94501]

Do you guys think there's any hierarchy of link ideas, such as footers not as good as a "popular searches" cloud further up the page?

[SeoStallion]

P.S. I like the button idea, trying to think about how I might be able to implement them into one of my projects.

[SeoStallion]

I think that the image alt text will 'work' just that it would not be as strong indicator of content as the text. From my personal experience the alt tag alone might not be authoritative enough to encourage the search engines to list that page for the alt terms. I think that as it stands an alt tag may help reinforce a link but am not sure it is enough on its own.

[94501]

Good point! Wonder if they'll go for that.

[94501]

Yes, it is something of a question about the image alt text working as well as text for a link. In desperation, I was thinking about making the nav buttons into images with alt text, but leave them reading the way they are "cool stuff" and "outdoor fun" etc.

It reminds me of Starbucks using italian names for small, medium and large... like small, medium and large aren't good enough.

[rball1]

Now that I think about that a slideshow or gallery could work, just make sure you have "Sheepskin Seat Covers" under your sheepskin seat cover pic with both the pic and text linked to the same page.

[SeoStallion]

Just as a shot in the dark, perhaps use the footer but add the links in the same colour so they are not visible?

[94501]

Thanks for the message. They're really nutty about cute euphemisms that they feel gives a better user experience than simple actual names.  That's why I was first thinking about footers, but even that was too much for them. So, then I was thinking about slideshows or a gallery of pictures, where the alt text is the simple name.  Are there other ideas?

[SeoStallion]

The issue here is a combination of things.

Firstly, if you would like to rank the other pages you could try linking to more internal pages and using a combination of keywords you would like to rank for as well as some long tail keywords to help mix it up a little.

To address the linking issue, there are a few little techniques to 'hide' the links however it is more important to link with the right keywords to address the specific pages you would like to rank for those keywords. An example of this might be that if you were a financial adviser; your home page might rank for mortgage, loans and investments however if someone was to search for 'mortgage products' you might like your specific 'mortgages' page to rank above your homepage. The search engines will look at your links as well as the keywords that are linking them so for example if your home page has a link called 'mortgage services' that links to your page called 'mortgages', the search engines will determine that while your homepage relates to mortgages, the authority for the search term 'mortgage services' is actually another page on your site and so will rank that page above your homepage (in theory).

I personally am not sure how well the search engines rank picture links via alt tags. Personally I would try to sneak some links in there to confirm the structure of your website. Just a tip, for a site I once helped to optimise; we changed the css to declare a class of link were there was no underline and no obvious colour indicator as to the fact that it was a link.

[rball1]

Can you find a happy medium with the anchor text like "cool sheepskin seat covers"?