I'm Just A Lonely Page, Leverage Internal Linking to (re)Direct Traffic Options

[iamlost]

Two methods - not new but infrequently utilised - of (re)directing traffic to less popular pages. Not always applicable but useful tools to have available in one's knowledge kit.

1. Rotate Stock.
Well known principle in retail if not as widely practiced online. Think of a grocery store moving a stock item to a more prominent place, i.e. from floor to eye level, from back corner to front of aisle.

Some ecommerce sites knowing the value of eyetracking hotspot studies place the items they want to move in the top 3-5 placements or dynamically rotate the listings through that prime converting first place(s). Just as SE traffic diminish down the rankings so with sales down product lists.

Content sites can also leverage this behaviour to increase traffic to less popular pages. Any index/directory/category page that lists more than a screenfull of subsequent pages can benefit.
Example: you have a index/category page for Gulls: Laridae listing each of the 43 species by thumbnail, common and latin names, brief description, and link to individual detail pages:
Glaucus Gull - Larus hyperboreus;
Glaucus-Winged Gull - Larus glaucescens;
Herring Gull - Larus argentatus;
Slaty-Backed Gull - Larus schistisagus;
Western Gull - Larus occidentalis;
etc.

You may have them listed by popularity, alphabetically, whatever. You may have a 'search' or 'order by' option. Regardless, with 43 possibilities there are going to be a majority of less popular gulls and less visited pages.

Testing is required to determine optimum gull rotation frequency but by bringing the bottom listing to the top pushing the rest down a space the 'golden triangle' eye tracking study results can be put to work. Even the most unappreciated gull page will get more traffic.

Popular gulls will lose some volume but it should be minor in percentage terms while the boost to the bottom can be orders of magnitude, i.e. 'losing' 10 visitors from a page that normally gets 100 (-10%) offset by adding 5-each to two that usually get 1 (twice +400%).

The bottom can be significantly raised with minor impact on the top. More well trafficked pages may mean more better converting pages. The SERP results can be positive over time as well.

2. Cut Across Site Architecture.

When designing a site one of the first things decided is it's architecture: the knee bone is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the ankle bone, etc. Look at any site map: a lot of 'toes'. Not a problem if the visitors logic is the site's architecture logic. What if more than one 'logic' is probable?

Unless you track visitor click paths you may never notice other 'logics' in play.

Example: You have a site devoted to colour. Logically you have it divided into the common wavelength nomenclature: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, etc. Unfortunately colour 'logic' for photographers can differ greatly from painters and dyers and glass makers.

If your site is sufficiently broad to incorporate all of these creating 'one logic to bring them and in the site bind them' would be difficult. Should the other logics not be discovered until after launch, via comments or click path analysis, the reno required would likely be a costly impractical total redesign.

A simpler solution may be to create sub-Home pages that cut across the current structure. If your site architecture is based on 'light' colour, add a sub-Home page based on 'paint' colour, a sub-Home page based on 'dyes' colour, a sub-Home page based on 'glass' colour, etc. Each one a collection of descriptions and intrasite links following the new logic.

Painters, dyers etc. will now find the site easier to navigate so are likely to stay longer, return more frequently, say nicer things. The non-light colour pages will see an increase in traffic volume. More pages with more traffic mean more conversion opportunities. There may also be longterm SERP improvement.

A further benefit is that sub-Home pages like the main Home page are logical bookmark pages. Having multiple bookmark pages especially ones that naturally filter/prequalify traffic is of enormous value.

Note: for those who followed my FaceBook experiment it was this sub-Home page design type that I leveraged.

What other internal (as opposed to external, i.e. link bait) ideas can raise the loving for lonely pages?

[joedolson]

When designing a site one of the first things decided is it's architecture: the knee bone is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the ankle bone, etc. Look at any site map: a lot of 'toes'. Not a problem if the visitors logic is the site's architecture logic. What if more than one 'logic' is probable?

Not really answering your question, but extending the physiological metaphor, it's important that you have your shin bone connected to your ankle bone --- and it's ALSO important to make sure you've got the flexibility to touch your toes.

It may not be helpful, of course, to make certain that you can touch your toes with your forehead.

[bragadocchio]

Nice post, Iamlost.

Not to retread some of the same ground that you've walked upon, some suggestions geared towards blogs:

Blogs often already come with a few different ways to navigate through pages such as category pages and archive pages. There are some strategies that one can follow that bring older posts back to attention.

One simple one is to link to related posts at the bottom of a post - that can even be automated in Wordpress with a "recent posts" plugin:

http://rmarsh.com/plugins/recent-posts/

It might not be a bad idea to have a monthly "best of" post, which looks back on the past month, and lists and links to some of the "best" posts of the month. This gives people a second chance to take a look at those in case they missed any.

It can sometimes be difficult to find a topic to write about and a blogs archives may hold some ideas - looking back on something from a month ago, six months ago, or a year ago may hold a story that can be updated. This can give life to some old posts, and inspiration for a new one.

Looking through log files on some blog posts, there can sometimes be some that continue to get traffic to them even though they are old. I have one that gets some nice traffic that I update when there is something relevant to add to it, and there seems to be something to add about once or twice a month. I note that the additions are updates, and put the date of the update next to them. Don't be afraid to revisit old blog posts and add content if it makes sense to do so.

Finally, some of the best posts I've written are ones that take related ideas from a number of older posts, and put them together in a meaningful way. One example is a post I wrote on 20 ways that search engines may rerank search results. Taking ideas from old posts, and putting them into new contexts can build a rich weave of ideas.

Even a simple "One year ago today: 'link to old blog post.'" is a nice idea every so often.

[iamlost]

joedolson: I can suck my toes - does that count?
Never really had any reason to tap dance on my own head however.

bragadocchio: No retread at all - I don't blog so bringing them into the conversation would only be hearsay on my part. Adding home page notice of content updates is, of course, also feasible for non-blog sites. Certainly a CMS (blog or not) does ease the effort.

Actually the reason for this thread is my being sooo tired of all the external link hullaballou. Certainly critical, but internal linking schemes are at least as important. So many are so busy chasing the future (external links) they ignore the present (maximising conversion of existing traffic).

[yannis]

A further benefit is that sub-Home pages like the main Home page are logical bookmark pages. Having multiple bookmark pages especially ones that naturally filter/prequalify traffic is of enormous value.

Would you go as far as have a slightly different 'skin' for these sub-Home pages? Aren't they really 'categories'?

Very nice analysis iamLost, thanks for sharing it.

Yannis

[iamlost]

yannis: Yes, sub-Home pages are categories.

Some sites who have or later find categories that are difficult to integrate instead add subdomains or spin off entire new sites. However when the category will crosslink a relatively few pages those solutions are overkill.

As previously mentioned blogs and other CMSs may have an advantage over more conventional sites. My thoughts and solutions reflect my dynamic generate, static display site backgound.

Examples can be such a pain!
For my FB test I looked at a niche and matched content with a very specific demographic group. I have since added other demographic group sub-Home (category) pages which are also being very nicely bookmarked (I will do just about anything for bookmark traffic!). In one niche I have ethnic-centric sub-Home pages. Categories that can be difficult to fit within the standard site navigation block.

Yes, I have been testing 'skins'. Matching colours and designs to target audience preferences, i.e. demographic group, shows definite statistical benefit. Your expertise is showing.