How does internal linking differ from external linking?

Internal linking and external linking are two different types of linking strategies used in SEO, each serving distinct purposes and functions:

1. **Internal Linking**:
   - **Definition**: Internal linking refers to the practice of linking one page of a website to another page within the same website domain.
   - **Purpose**: Internal linking helps users navigate your website by providing pathways to related or relevant content. It also helps search engines discover and crawl your website's pages more efficiently.
   - **Control**: Website owners have full control over internal linking, allowing them to structure the website's architecture, prioritize important pages, and distribute link equity as needed.
   - **Anchor Text**: Internal links typically use descriptive anchor text that accurately describes the linked page's content, providing context and relevance to users and search engines.
   - **Examples**: Navigation menus, breadcrumbs, contextual links within content, related posts or articles sections.

2. **External Linking**:
   - **Definition**: External linking (also known as outbound linking) involves linking from one website to a page on another website domain.
   - **Purpose**: External linking provides additional context, credibility, and authority to your content by referencing or citing relevant sources, references, or resources outside of your website.
   - **Control**: While website owners can choose which external websites to link to, they have less control over the content and maintenance of those external websites.
   - **Anchor Text**: External links may use anchor text that reflects the linked page's topic or keyword, but it is ultimately determined by the linking website.
   - **Examples**: Citations, references, sources, attribution links, mentions of other websites, and resources in blog posts, articles, or research papers.

In summary, internal linking focuses on connecting pages within the same website domain to improve navigation, usability, and SEO, while external linking involves linking to pages on other website domains to provide additional context, credibility, and authority to your content. Both internal and external linking are important aspects of a comprehensive SEO strategy and should be implemented strategically to enhance user experience and improve search engine visibility.