There are a lot of interesting “nuts and bolts” to business content writing. Over the years, especially with the growth of AI blog writers, the importance of these details has waxed and waned. So, where are we in the world of cross-linking? What is it?  Is it still relevant in professional writing and business content? Let’s dive in and see for ourselves.

What is cross-linking?

Cross-linking is when you connect topics together that are related to each other. Let’s say I’m working for a client who is in the niche of psychology and mental health. My topic for the day is “3 common symptoms of depression”. My goal would be to write content anchored on this, but also work in references to other similar topics that a reader might find interesting.

Similar existing topics could be “3 uncommon symptoms of depression” or “how to manage depression symptoms” or even something like “3 common symptoms of anxiety”. The goal would be to only link to topics that are naturally coming up in “conversation” as you write the content, of course.

To me, cross-linking is really similar to keywords, since the goal of “sprinkling” them into the content naturally is the same. I really enjoy ethical cross-linking in my content and enjoy the challenge of creating a strong piece of content with this goal in mind!

Is cross-linking important in the world of modern business content?

As times have changed, this brings up the question of whether or not cross-linking is important in the professional blog world. My professional opinion, having been a freelance business content writer since 2014, is: yes, absolutely. Here are some top reasons why:

• It shows this topic isn’t a one-off: If readers stumble onto your blog post or article, cross-linking shows that this is an interesting spot to be for similar topics. After all, readers find you because they are searching for you. So, cross-linking helps them understand they are in the right spot.

• It helps draw attention to other interesting areas: A reader may not even know that they should learn about a cross-linked topic until the link pops up as they are reading. So, this can help drive reader interest and have them link-jumping from topic to topic. Link-jumping is a sign that you are doing something correctly!

• It shows you know how to create an information hub: As a professional writer, cross-linking helps the reader (and client) understand that you know how to present a hub of relevant information and that you also know how to entice readers to stay tuned for more. As a trained writer, this is a great way to showcase your skills to anyone looking at your content with this in mind.

Cross-linking has so many benefits

Even with the world of business content evolving, cross-linking is still worth the time to learn about and understand. Next time, I’ll talk a bit more about how to really step up your game in cross-linking, including taking a look at old content and creating an intricate, well-maintained web of content.

What are your thoughts, fellow freelancers?  Share them below!