Most internal linking strategies focus on topical relevance or search volume. But what if you could prioritize links based on actual revenue performance?
The Boost Links agent (part of the Linking Agent) tested this hypothesis by directing more internal links to pages that generate the highest revenue per session. It identifies your top-converting pages and automatically increases their internal link equity. The results exceeded expectations.
The Hypothesis
We know that boosting internal links to pages can increase their rank and grow traffic. But if we boost links specifically to pages that generate the most revenue per session, we should see two benefits:
- More traffic from the increased link equity
- Higher quality traffic because these pages convert well for competitive keywords
Pages that drive revenue for highly competitive transactional keywords are a strong signal of quality user experience. Google values pages that satisfy user intent, and conversion is the ultimate measure of satisfaction.
The Setup
- Scale: 1 site, 1 market, 6,400 pages, 1 vertical
- Method: Controlled A/B test comparing boosted pages to control group
- Implementation: Boosted pages received double the internal links compared to regular pages
- Selection criteria: Pages with the highest revenue per session
- Measurement period: July to October 2022 (14 weeks)
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Googlebot crawls | 1,027 | 3,456 | +237% |
| Active pages (GSC) | 2,026 | 2,491 | +23% |
| Number of keywords | 15,514 | 16,307 | +5% |
| Total impressions | 570,778 | 677,059 | +19% |
| Traffic (GSC) | 5,492 | 8,059 | +47% |
| Average CTR | 0.96% | 1.19% | +24% |
The standout metric is the 237% increase in Googlebot crawls. When you tell Google which pages matter through your internal link structure, Google listens.
This translated directly to:
- 47% more organic traffic
- 23% more pages receiving traffic daily
- 24% improvement in click-through rate
Why High-Value Pages Outperformed Position-Based Boosting
We've run similar tests boosting pages that rank in positions 4-15 (the "striking distance" range where a small rank improvement can dramatically increase CTR). Those tests delivered 8-23% traffic increases.
The high-value page test delivered 47% traffic growth: roughly double the impact.
The likely explanation: pages that convert visitors into revenue for competitive keywords are genuinely better pages. They have:
- Relevant, well-organized product listings
- Clear navigation and user experience
- Content that matches search intent
When you boost links to these pages, you're amplifying pages that already have strong quality signals. Google's algorithm recognizes this and rewards them with better rankings.
How the Boost Links Agent Works
The Boost Links agent uses a credit-based approach:
- Every page gets a budget of outbound links it can give
- High-value pages get priority for receiving those links
- Boosted pages receive 2x the normal links, effectively doubling their link equity allocation
- Links rotate so every page doesn't show the same destinations
This creates a dynamic, revenue-optimized link structure without manual intervention.
Comparing Internal Linking Strategies
| Strategy | Traffic Impact | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Related searches (topical) | 8-47% | Improving relevance signals |
| Position 4-15 boosting | 8-23% | Quick wins on near-ranking pages |
| High-value page boosting | 47% | Maximizing revenue from top converters |
| Popular searches | Varies | High-demand category pages |
The high-value approach delivered the strongest results in our tests, likely because revenue is a strong proxy for page quality.
When to Use This Approach
High-value page boosting works best when you have:
- Revenue data at the page level (either from analytics or your e-commerce platform)
- A mix of high and low performers (if all pages perform equally, there's nothing to boost)
- Enough pages that manual link building isn't practical (typically 1,000+); the Linking Agent handles this automatically
The approach is particularly effective for e-commerce sites where:
- Product category pages compete for transactional keywords
- Some categories convert much better than others
- You want to maximize revenue, not just traffic
The Methodology: How We Test
This test followed our standard A/B testing methodology:
- Segment creation: Pages split into test and control groups with similar baseline metrics
- Intervention: Boosted pages received double the internal links
- Measurement window: 14 weeks of post-intervention data
- Metrics tracked: Googlebot crawls, keywords, impressions, clicks, active pages, position, CTR
The experimentation dashboard tracked all metrics automatically, making it easy to isolate the impact of link boosting from other site changes.
Summary
| Metric | Impact |
|---|---|
| Googlebot crawls | +237% |
| Traffic | +47% |
| Active pages | +23% |
| CTR | +24% |
| Impressions | +19% |
| Keywords | +5% |
The Boost Links agent delivered stronger results than any other internal linking strategy we've tested. The key insight: revenue per session is a powerful signal for which pages deserve more link equity.
When you align your internal link structure with your business goals, both SEO and revenue benefit.
Want to see what the Linking Agent could do for your site? Request a demo and we'll show you which pages the Boost Links agent would prioritize for increased internal linking.