Cross-Linking: Search Engines and Website Visitors Love It

What is Cross-Linking?

Cross-linking is including a link to a page on your site, from another page. These links can appear as in-text hyperlinks or graphics, in various locations throughout your church website.

Why Cross-Linking?

Cross-linking makes two important groups happy. And you want to keep these groups happy.

Search Engines
Google, Bing, and Yahoo love websites with loads of links. They also love websites who have links directed to themselves. Cross-linking kills these two birds with one stone. Including links to other pages on your site within your content goes a long way to improve your search engine ranking.

Your Site Visitors
A cross link is a call to action. These links show your visitors that your content is important, gives them alternatives in case the information they seek is not found on the page, makes them aware of more information, and gives them reasons to stay on your website.

How to Implement Cross-Linking

Before you start throwing in 10,000 links on each of your church website's pages, it is important to have a strategy. Planning before doing will help your links be more effective without overwhelming your visitor.

1. Make a list of your calls to action.
Your website's calls to action might include:

• Subscribe (to a newsletter, podcast, or blog feed)
• Contact Us (by filling out a form, e-mailing, or calling)
• Log in (to their account)
• Volunteer (by filling out a opportunity inquiry)
• Join (by creating a personal account)
• Read (news, blogs, newsletters)
• Register (for an upcoming event)
• Look (pictures)
• Listen (to sermons or other podcasts)

2. Prioritize your calls to action.
Think about which pages make the most sense for these calls to action. Make a plan of how to include one or more calls to action on each page of your website.

Where to Include Cross Links

Page Text Body
The easiest place to include cross links is within your website pages' text. It's important to incorporate links into your writing, instead of using words like "click here" or "visit this page." See what I did there. I built a link to another page on this website within a sentence. This helps your user understand what information is on this other page. Using keywords and phrases in these links acts as a highlighter to search engines, as well. They notice your links, read the keywords, and are more likely to include your this page in search results.

Side Columns
Depending on which template you use, you should have space in your left or right column for call-to-action graphics. Incorporating colorful buttons or scrolling ads will help to keep your ministry website visitors clicking from page to page.

Headers/Scrolling Banners
Scrolling banners act like roadside billboards for your website's most desirable content. By designing eye-catching banners, you can direct your home page visitors right to your sermons, blog, or latest ministry event.

Don't have the staff to create ads or banners? Let us design some for you.

Footer
The real estate at the bottom of your website shouldn't be ignored. A best practice is to include links to your Contact Us page, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and other pages that might not easily fall under your menu categories. Some websites, like iMinistries', even include their site map in the footer.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CROSS-LINKING

Cross-Linking and Search Engine Optimization - WebProNews
Cross-Linking and Internal Link Architecture - The Online Marketing Guy