If you’re new to blogging, you may not be familiar with the benefits of using a table of contents. A table of contents can help your readers navigate your blog posts more easily, and it can also help improve your blog’s search engine optimization (SEO). In this post, we’ll take a look at the benefits of using a table of contents for both beginners and experienced bloggers.
What’s a Table of Contents?
A table of contents (TOC) is simply a list of the topics covered in a post. It’s usually displayed at the beginning of the post, so readers can quickly see what’s covered and decide if they want to continue reading. You should include a table of contents for long blogs that cover multiple topics.
Essentially, a table of contents provides links to sections of the same document. Those sections could be located on the same page or spread across multiple pages. But together, they make a complete idea. For example, when you’re reading an article, the table of contents might look something like this:
– Introduction
– Section 1
– Section 2
– Section 3
– Conclusion
Each section has its own link that you can click on, making it easy to jump around to different parts of the article without having to scroll through everything. If you’re reading an article that’s spread out over multiple Web pages, the table of contents can help you quickly jump to the section you’re interested in without having to click through each page one by one. A table of contents is a helpful way to navigate long documents.
When to use Table of Contents?
A table of contents can be a helpful way to organize your thoughts and information on a blog. By including a table of contents, readers can quickly and easily find the content they’re looking for.
A table of contents can also help you plan and structure your blog post in a more organized way. Best of all, it can save you time when you’re writing and make your post flow more smoothly.
Does Table of Contents help SEO?
The short answer is yes – a table of contents can help your SEO efforts. A table of contents provides an overview of the content on a page, which can be helpful for both users and search engines. When used correctly, a table of contents can also help to improve the click-through rate of your website. It’s essential to keep in mind that a table of contents is just one tool in the SEO toolbox. There’s no magic bullet when it comes to SEO, so be sure to use a variety of strategies to improve your website’s visibility in search engines.
Benefits of using a Table of Contents for SEO
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User Experience
Breaking up your content with a table of contents can be a great way to keep readers engaged. By clearly labeling each section, you give readers a roadmap of what to expect. Including a TOC can be especially helpful if your post is on the longer side. Readers can quickly scan the table of contents to see if the article is going to be relevant to their interests. And if it is, they can easily jump to the section they’re most interested in.
Readability
A table of contents can be extremely helpful for readers. Not only does it allow them to see exactly how you have laid out the post content, but it also allows them to jump to a specific section that they are interested in. Making sure your article is easy to read, saves users a lot of time, especially if the article is long.
In addition, a table of contents can help to ensure that your readers read the article, as opposed to skimming through it. Overall, a table of contents is a valuable tool that can help to improve the reading experience for your audience.
Internal Link
Simply put, an internal link is any link from one page on your website to another page on your website. Both your users and search engines use links to find content on your website. Your users use links to navigate through your site and to find the content they want to find.
Search engines also use links to navigate your site. They follow the links on your website to discover new pages and to better understand the topics of your pages.
When used correctly, internal links can help both your users and search engines find the content they’re looking for on your website.
Jump Links on Google Search
If you’re just starting with SEO, you may be wondering what a “Jump To” link is and how it can help your click-through rate. Essentially, Google may include a “Jump To” link in the SERPs (search engine results pages) when it detects a table of contents in your post.
Using these links help in improving your CTR (click-through rate), as it allows users to navigate directly to the sections of your page that are most relevant to their query. However, it’s important to note that Google will only do this at its discretion – simply including a table of contents in your post does not guarantee you’ll get the “Jump To” links. Nevertheless, if you’re trying to improve your SEO, it’s worth including a table of contents in your next post!
How to create a table of contents on WordPress?
To create a table of contents in WordPress, you can either do it manually or insert it automatically. However, which way you choose will depend on your preferences and needs.
If you want more control over your table of contents, then a manual may be the best option for you. You can determine exactly what goes into the table of contents and where it appears on your page. On the other hand, if you don’t want to spend time creating and editing a table of contents, then automatic insertion may be a better choice. WordPress will automatically generate a table of contents based on the content of your page.
Using Gutenberg Editor
Once you are in the editor, adding a TOC in Gutenberg is simple:
- Click on the “Add Block” button on the top left.
- A dropdown will appear with all your available blocks.
- Scroll down to the “Ultimate Addons Block” section and look for the “Table of Contents” block. Click on it to add it to your post or page.
- The block will automatically be added to your editor, and from here, you can start editing and building the table of contents block.
Using Classic Editor
- Select the first heading block. The toolbar will be shown.
- Select More Options by clicking the More Options button. Change the format to HTML.
- Add a unique ID name to a heading’s starting tag. (ID names are unique identification that is applied to an HTML element’s opening tag.)
- Repeat these steps for the remaining headers on the page.
Using Elementor
- Select the widget,
- Search for, and drag the TOC module to add headings.
- Elementor will scan the text and produce a TOC based on your headings.
- Personalize your TOC by selecting which heading tags to show.
- Activate smooth scrolling or make your content collapsible
- Add color and font if you want.
Conclusion:
Adding a table of contents (TOC) is useful for long articles. It allows your readers to quickly navigate to the sections they are most interested in. However, what many people don’t realize is that TOCs can also be helpful for SEO. By including a TOC on your blog, you can help Google understand the structure of your article and improve your chances of appearing in search results. In addition, a TOC can improve the user experience on your site by making it easy for visitors to find the information they need. So if you’re not using a TOC on your blog, now is the time to start. You might be surprised at how much it can improve your SEO and user experience.
For more on this topic and SEO, head over to our Beginners SEO video on our YouTube channel.
