Some companies may think that deep links – links to pages other than the homepage or top-level page – are not valuable. They believe deep links mean not seeing the website’s main landing page with useful information and banners.

However, deep links actually help a website in a variety of ways. Here are 5 ways deep links are actually useful to your website.

Raise Your Search Engine Rankings – Inbound links of any kind can help boost your SEO. The more high-authority websites that link to you, the higher your website will show up on search engine results pages. Deep linking helps even more because if they link to a variety of your pages, then search engines will view your website as being important. Also, deep links imply you are getting links naturally as opposed to paying for them.

Increase Your Website Traffic – An increase in search engine rankings automatically means more people will be visiting your website. Also, deep links will be targeted to a specific product or service on your website, so people who find your website through deep links will automatically see information relevant to them. If a fashion blog talks about the latest pieces from a designer, it is better for them to link to the specific designs on your website than your home page. If visitors can easily find what they are looking for, they are more likely to return.

Target Different Keyword Groups – Instead of trying to fit in as many keywords as possibly onto your home page, you can use deep links to create more targeted pages. If you are a doctor in Chicago who has a website highlighting your office, each of your pages can target a different service, like “Chicago doctor,” “Chicago pediatrician,” “Chicago medical care,” etc.

Keep Old Content Alive – If your website has a blog that is updated regularly, older blog entries can quickly get buried. Deep links can bring life back to these old posts. Link to older posts in new posts on related topics. A reader might click on the link, read the old post, and link to it himself. Another option is to post monthly or quarterly summaries of your top posts and linking to them.

Improve Your Website – Once you have enough deep links to your website, you can see exactly which pages bring in the most traffic and where people spend the most time. This can help you find out what appeals to your readers and customers, and what does not. Find out exactly what designs, words and phrases help attract customers and then use those techniques throughout your website to improve conversion.