3 link types and the role they play in squarespace seo

Gather round, hunnis, because today we’re going to dive DEEP into on of the most criminally underrated aspects of Squarespace SEO… LINKS!

3 types of links, in fact ;)

I’ll give you a technical run-through of how to set up basic links on your website, but we’re taking it a step further and covering strategy too!

In my experience, most people with a website know how to set up a basic text link and maybe they’ve even dabbed into bolder things like linking a button… but that’s about as far as they get. Beginners in particular don’t put much thought into links and they rarely understand how links can/should be used strategically, both from a user experience point of view and because of their inherent SEO benefits. Frankly, this is a missed opportunity.

So today’s blog post/video tutorial about links will set the record straight and give you the info you need to power through this aspect of Squarespace SEO.

As a Squarespace SEO expert and leader in this super random little niche, it’s my job/pleasure to introduce you to things like this and present it in a way that doesn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out LOL!

This is the kind of insider info that I share with my Squarespace SEO consulting clients and students in my online course, Top Squarespace SEO. But since I’m not one for secrets and truly want the best for anyone with a website, I’m giving you the summarized goods here - totally for free!

Read the blog post or watch the video tutorial below - either way, links are wayyyyy more exciting that you might expect!

Some of you reading this might be totally new to Squarespace SEO and are looking for an introduction to this topic, someone to hold your hand and show you it’s not actually that scary. On the flip side, you might already be familiar with a few points on this list already but maybe you are looking for confirmation that you’re on the right track and haven’t missed anything important. No matter where you are in your Squarespace SEO journey, I know you’ll benefit from this info!

Enough talk, it’s time to get started - read the post and watch the video tutorial below to learn all about 3 link types and their role in Squarespace SEO!

I have so many tips to share on the subject that it would have been crazy to put it all in one article! There are many misconceptions about Squarespace SEO which is why I've dedicate so many posts to this topic. Enjoy!

Click to view all posts in the Squarespace SEO Series

Visit my Squarespace SEO page for lots more resources.

3 Link types & their role in Squarespace SEO

This video tutorial shows a demo website using the Rally template (Brine family, Squarespace 7.0) but the process is the same if you’re using Squarespace 7.1

What are links?

Links are any clickable object on a web page that takes the site visitor from one place to another - it’s basically a way to establish a technical destination!

It doesn’t matter if you’re on a web page, blog post, product page, event page or gallery page - links all work in the same way.

There are three main ways that links on a website are set up:

Text links
Images (i.e., an image is hyperlinked so that when you click the image, it takes you somewhere else)
Buttons (i.e, “Buy Now” button takes you to the sales page or checkout area)

With this is mind, there are different link formats.

3 link types in Squarespace

1. Internal links

Internal links are simply anytime you link within your own website. You see internal links allllllllllllll the time, they are the most common link type so they show up on just about every single website.

Let’s take my own blog posts for an example: I almost always include text links to other blog posts. This is my way of pointing the reader towards super helpful contextual information that exists elsewhere on my website. Moving further down my blog posts, you’ll see that I also have an example of a clickable image link that sends visitors over to my free training op-in page. Finally, at the bottom of every post I have inserted a summary block that displays related blog posts. Each of these items is a link over to the corresponding blog post.

Internal links help distribute the pagerank from website traffic that might be coming in from search results.

Let’s say someone does an online search and one of your blog posts shows up in their search results. They click over to the blog post and from there, click through to other pages/posts/products on your site from the links within that blog post. This is great because although the blog post is their first touch point or introduction with you/your website/your brand, they click on the links and see what else you have to offer. Internal links here serve the purpose of distributing that incoming website traffic BEYOND one single page/post.

Remember that when it comes to internal links, you should use them in natural ways to share relevant/contextual content because that’s how you’ll build the most positive impact for both user experience and search engines who are crawling & indexing your website.

2. External links

External links, also known as outbound links, are when you link from your website OUT/AWAY to another website. External links can still be text links, button links, image links, etc. But the thing to remember here is that external links send the reader/visitor away from your site to view online content that exists elsewhere.

There are many reasons why you might link externally: sharing information, showing how you disagree with something, getting people to shop for a product using your affiliate link, etc.

Best practice with external inks is to only link out to high quality websites - meaning, don’t link externally to shady/spam websites.

We avoid linking out to crappy websites because , duh, that makes for a bad user experience. But more importantly to us, Google will create a relationship between the sites when a link is involved so there’s a direct SEO impact to consider. You don’t want your website associated with spam, ya dig?

If you’re going to link externally (which you should do, when it makes sense and adds value), stick to legit, high quality websites ONLY.

3. Inbound links

Inbound inks are anytime another website links to your website. Think of it as the inverse of the external/outbound link mentioned above.

Google prioritizes inbound links the most, from an SEO point of view, because they have the greatest value but are also the hardest to obtain. Inbound links basically indicate to Google that your website/content has credibility, authority, high quality content, trustworthiness, etc.

Inbound links indicate intention - there’s a reason why the other website is linking back to you, and Google takes note of that and will reward you for it (assuming the inbound link is coming from a legit, quality website).

Inbound links establish relationships between websites and send lots of referral traffic your way. As such, the goal with inbound links is to get as many as you can from complimentary/relevant/high quality/legit websites. Google AND anyone using the internet will thank you!

Quality over quantity

When it comes to links, your #1 focus must be to use them naturally. Links should add value to the website they’re on.

Don’t plaster links to your website in random spots on the internet because that could do more harm than good. For example, Google won’t reward you with better SEO if they see that your website is randomly linked to in a bunch of forums, databases, comment sections, etc. Those type of links don’t provide any real value and Google might actually consider them to be artificial links and could even PENALIZE you if they see you’ve gone rogue here and it’s starting to look like spam.

Link as much as you’d like, but do it smart.

Final Thoughts

Links aren’t just there to point website visitors/readers towards additional content. Once you realize that links have SEO value too, I have no doubt that you’ll start using them strategically!

Use these link tips for any new website content you create, but don’t forget to go back to older existing content on your website and make any updates needed! Links add huge value, both from a user experience point of view AND for search engines, so it’s definitely worth your time and effort to set them up correctly. Your future self who’s benefitting from all that SEO goodness will thank you :D

There’s a lot to consider with Squarespace SEO and I totally understand that it’s a daunting subject when you’re first starting out, which is why I’m thrilled to help you out with this blog post/video tutorial all about links and the role they play in Squarespace SEO!

Whether you’re just starting out with a brand new website and want to make sure that you’re setting it up correctly, or if you’ve had a site live for a while and now want to grow it to make more of an impact, SEO will get you where you want to go! From web pages to blog posts to product descriptions, these factors should be considered across your Squarespace website if you want best results.

Now it's your turn to tell me, do you have links set up on your website? All 3 link types? Have you ever thought about the SEO value from links? Now that you know how much of an impact links can have in SEO, are you going to use them strategically from here on out?

Leave me your questions down in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them. As people are spending more time online than ever before, it’s SO important that your website shows up properly in search results so that you can reach your ideal audience online - but you can’t do this without SEO!

If you want more SEO goodness, be sure to check out my Squarespace SEO page for all resources on the topic.

My signature online course, Top Squarespace SEO, will be opening for enrollment again soon - sign up for the TSS waiting list here!

You can also sign up for my newsletter (right here or below), where I often share Squarespace SEO tips, tricks and high-quality exclusive content. I send out emails to my list every Wednesday, mostly focused on Squarespace websites and SEO, and I can guarantee that you’ll find the newsletter topics interesting, entertaining and worth your time. #humblebrag

Finally, shameless plug: hit me up with any specific questions you have about Squarespace SEO and your website because I’m your girl. You can reach out to me directly if you’re interested in working together on your website and we can talk about whether or not you would be a good fit for my consulting and ongoing services. I can’t take on every request to do Squarespace SEO consulting but I do pick a few websites and businesses to work with every month and I’d love for you to be one of them.