Defining Deep Links
Imagine you are browsing a web site that sells pets. You are interested in a cute little poodle and want to know more about this breed. The site has a link next to the breed name. You click on it but instead of finding more information about poodles, you come across the home page of another web site from where you have to browse afresh to find out more.
Does this sound familiar? It is very irritating for users when they click on a link to find more information, but instead of direct links to the required information, they are instead directed to the home pages of a web site promising this information. To remove this issue, web developers are increasingly creating what they call “deep links”.
A deep link is simply a link from a page on one web site, which links directly to an inner page of another web site. While a normal link generally points to the homepage of a web site, a deep link will usually point to a specific page within the web site itself.
Why are web developers giving them importance? Because they are crucial in getting more traffic and higher results in various online search engines. Deep linking also attracts more search engines to your web site. With keyword-rich search engine optimization, your web site is likely to enjoy higher rankings in search results. When the information is more accessible, customers are bound to visit your site and recommend it to others too. In today’s social networking world, every Like increases the popularity and profitability of a site.
To create a deep link, first study the targeted sites and then create the pages to which you would like a reciprocating link. They should be relevant and complementary to your web page.
If you post your site in popular forums, then you can include a link to your site’s internal page on your signature. As a result, the user who reads your post and clicks on the link will be directed to the internal page of your site. Finally, you can add to the credibility of your web site by listing it in a popular, quality link directory on the Internet.
