Should I link from my blog back to my product pages?

[Prime85]

Hello...

I just installed a blog on my Magento site.

My question is whether or not i should be linking within posts on the blog back to the product or category pages that i am talking about...from an SEO perspective.

If in my post i am talking about flashlights being important when preparing for a storm, should i link the word flashlights to the flashlight category on my site?

I know I can do this, the question is should i, from google's perspective.

A) should i link the word (flashlights) to that category on my page

B) should i put a line at the bottom of every post that says something like "if you are interested in purchasing flashlights, visit this link" and hyperlink that whole sentence...

THANKS!

[EGOL]

should i, from google's perspective?

I can say that internal links can improve rankings and they can transfer small amounts of anchor text value to the target page (or at least that was the case the last time I experimented about  a year ago - who knows what google did yesterday or will do tomorrow).

So, based upon that, if I write an article that has a relevant connection to a product on my site I will make an anchor text link to the product page.

This should be helpful to visitors.  If you are talking about a widget twister in an article the person reading might want to look at one for informational reasons... or they might want to buy one.  Either way, that link helped the visitor.

[Prime85]

thanks for the reply...

just to be a little more specific, my money site is: example.com

The blog is on example.com/blog  .... you're saying that an internal link within a blog post is good, correct?

And if i understood your answer properly, and I am to continue linking within posts, is there a guideline as to maybe how many links i should put per post?

Thanks again!!

[EGOL]

you're saying that an internal link within a blog post is good, correct?

This is what I do.  I believe that it is helpful for SEO and helpful to visitors.

I have lots of articles on a blog and every one of them links to a product page whenever that product is mentioned in the article.  (I only link once to that page in each blog post - the first time that the product is mentioned or the mention where I think the reader's interest to view or purchase might be highest.

is there a guideline as to maybe how many links i should put per post?

I have never heard about any "guideline".  I can only say what I do.

One of my post could have links to one, five, ten or twenty products.  Most have three to five.

If those products are mentioned naturally in the post then I link them.  I am not trying to stuff products into posts, just whatever natural writing creates.

[Prime85]

EGOL, you are a great help!

Thank you very much!

[EGOL]

Most of my posts are about "how to use this product".

My goals in creating them are....

1. make helpful content that increases the trust of prospective buyers.. In emails lots of people tell me that they bought from my site because I have so much good content about the product -much more than the manufacturer or any other retailer.

2. make helpful content that answers questions that prospective buyers might have - this saves phone calls and email questions

3. make helpful content that I can link to when someone writes with a question or refer to on the phone

4. get more pages in the SERPs for product-related keywords.  This expands your keyword reach and earns double listings for valuable keywords

[Prime85]

Thank you, Sir!

[DavidLenehan]

Should this content not be included on the individual product pages?

[EGOL]

I don't include this information on product pages because it is too long.  The product pages are short and sweet for good conversions, although a link to this additional information is obviously posted for people who view the product pages.

The articles are typically over 1000 words, several photos and a video.

These articles also target keywords that the product pages do not and they pull in a lot more traffic from search than the product pages.  Lots of the traffic that enters these pages moves to the product pages through obvious links and some of them buy the product.