Link Goes Where It Belongs
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Okay, look—link placement isn't one of those formulaic checklist things, or it shouldn't be. It's not plug-and-play. You shove a link somewhere random, you might as well just whisper it into a cave. It has to feel... earned? No, not earned exactly. Native. Like it grew there. Like moss between sidewalk cracks.
When people go overboard—chucking links in headers, footers, stuffing them after every fourth word—you just feel slimy reading it. Those blogs that read like a spreadsheet dressed up in adjectives, absolutely cursed. Nobody clicks that junk. The point is attention, real eyeballs, human breath on the screen reading something and thinking hmmm, yeah I actually wanna go there.
So here’s how it hits when it works. You're deep into the middle of an idea—you’re not thinking “where do I drop my URL?” You’re thinking “how do I keep this rolling without losing anyone?” and that’s when something pops. That’s when the link slides in clean—right when the reader wants it. Like right now, if you're curious enough, just go look around here https://andrewlinksmith.com the vibe explains itself.
Don’t overdo it. Link once, strong context, no need to carpet-bomb every keyword. It’s a scent trail, not a full-course meal. Think of it like a side door propped open during a party. If your writing’s any good, people will want to peek inside.
Also, if someone says you need to run it through some SEO checklist before it counts—walk the other direction. That’s how you end up with those Frankenstein articles packed with keywords and no heartbeat.
Strip it down. Make it real. Say something first—then link it.