How to identify Internal Linking Opportunities with Screaming Frog’s N-Gram Feature

Internal linking is an important part of On page SEO that can significantly enhance site’s visibility and user experience. With the latest update to Screaming Frog, a powerful SEO tool, you can now take advantage of its new N-Gram feature to automate the discovery of internal link opportunities effortlessly. This blog will guide you through the process, ensuring you make the most of this newly introduced powerful feature in Screaming Frog.

What Are N-Grams?

N-grams are continuous sequences of words found within a text. They can be categorized as Unigrams: Single words, Bigrams: Pairs of words, Trigrams: Triplets of words or n grams: N consecutive words.   

These sequences help in analyzing the context of the content, making them particularly useful for identifying potential internal linking opportunities. Screaming Frog has the capability to identify the grams up to the 6 consecutive words and we believe this length is sufficient to identify the keyword stretch of any length.

Why Use N-Grams for Internal Linking?

Previously, Screaming Frog had a custom search function to identify the internal link opportunities. However, the N-Gram feature simplifies this process, allowing you to quickly identify relevant phrases that can be linked internally at scale. This saves substantial time in this AI era and enhances your content’s connectivity.

How to Use the N-Gram Feature in Screaming Frog?

To utilize the N-Gram feature effectively, one need to follow these steps:

Prepare Your Crawl

Before you begin, ensure that you have the latest licensed version of Screaming Frog. Once installed, you need to set up your crawl:

• Step 1: Go to Configuration from the top menu bar and click crawl config. Alternative you may use keyboard function ctrl+;
• Step 2: Select extraction on left panel
• Step 3: Check the options for Store HTML and Store Rendered HTML

After that, proceed with your crawl as you normally would.

Analyze Your Crawl

Once the crawl is complete, select any page you wish to analyze in the Top Menu. In the bottom menu, choose N-Grams to view the data.

In the first instance, you will see 1-gram as the default option, but you can easily switch to 2-gram or 3-gram and so one up to a level of 6-gram to get more detailed insights.

Finding Internal Link Opportunities

To find internal link opportunities, follow these steps:

• Change the N-Gram setting to 3-gram (or another desired level).
• Enter your target keyword or phrase in the search box, for example, “Performance Marketing Company in Noida”
• The tool will display all instances where this phrase appears in your content, including how many times it is mentioned.

Filter for Unlinked Instances

To refine your results, you can switch to the Body Text (Unlinked) setting. This will show only those instances of the phrase that are not currently linked, highlighting perfect opportunities for internal linking.

Best Practices for Internal Linking

While using the N-Gram feature is a great way to find internal linking opportunities at scale, here are some best practices to maximize its effectiveness:

• Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Ensure that the anchor text accurately reflects the content of the page you are linking to.
• Maintain Relevance: Only link to pages that are contextually relevant to the content you are writing.
• Avoid Overlinking: Too many links can be distracting. Link naturally and only where it adds value.

Conclusion

The new N-Gram feature in Screaming Frog is a game changer for anyone looking to improve their internal linking strategy. By identifying relevant phrases and potential linking opportunities, you can enhance your site’s SEO and user experience significantly. Make sure to explore this feature for your website and see the difference it can make. Though automation is the future of the SEO industry, relevance is still the key for successful execution. Hence, it is necessary to follow the best practices for internal linking. 

If you want to learn more about SEO strategies or need assistance, feel free to connect by submitting the form available on our website.

saurabh garg

Saurabh Garg, the visionary Chief Technology Officer at Whitebunnie, is the driving force behind our cutting-edge innovations. With his profound expertise and relentless pursuit of excellence, he propels our company into the future, setting new standards in the digital realm.