Internal linking is one of the most powerful yet often overlooked aspects of on-page SEO. When used correctly, internal links can improve website structure, distribute link equity, boost rankings for target pages, enhance user experience, and make your content more discoverable.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use internal links for SEO, why they matter, best practices, advanced techniques, and common mistakes to avoid.
Table of Contents
- What Are Internal Links?
- Why Are Internal Links Important for SEO?
- The SEO Benefits of Internal Linking
- Types of Internal Links
- How to Create a Strong Internal Linking Strategy
- Best Practices for Internal Linking
- Advanced Internal Linking Techniques
- Common Internal Linking Mistakes to Avoid
- Internal Linking Tools You Can Use
- How to Audit and Optimize Your Internal Links
- Conclusion
1. What Are Internal Links?
Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page of your website to another page on the same domain. These are different from external links, which point to pages on other websites.
Example:
- An internal link looks like this: Read more about on-page SEO in our complete guide.
- An external link would point to another website, like Google’s Search Central.
Internal links are essential for three main reasons:
- They help users navigate your website.
- They define site architecture and page hierarchy.
- They distribute link equity (ranking power) across pages.
2. Why Are Internal Links Important for SEO?
Internal linking helps Google and other search engines understand the relationship between pages on your site. Each link acts as a signal that helps define content relevance and importance.
If you want Google to crawl and index your most important pages, internal linking is a crucial tool. Without internal links, even great content can remain hidden in what SEOs call the “orphaned page” zone.
In addition, internal links direct visitors to other helpful content on your site, increasing time on site and reducing bounce rates, both of which can indirectly support SEO.
3. The SEO Benefits of Internal Linking
a. Improved Crawlability
Search engines use bots (crawlers) to navigate your website. Internal links help these bots discover and index more of your content.
b. Pass Link Equity
Internal links help distribute the “authority” of high-ranking pages to others. For example, if your homepage has many backlinks and links internally to a blog post, that post gains some of the homepage’s link equity.
c. Define Site Structure
A well-structured website, supported by strategic internal linking, helps search engines understand your website’s hierarchy.
d. Improve Page Authority
By linking to specific pages with optimized anchor text, you signal to Google which pages are the most valuable and relevant for particular keywords.
e. Enhance User Experience
Users can easily find related content, resulting in higher engagement, more time on site, and lower bounce rates.
4. Types of Internal Links
Understanding the types of internal links can help you craft a balanced strategy:
a. Navigational Links
These are the links found in menus, footers, and sidebars. They help users find the core pages.
b. Contextual Links
These links appear within the body of content, usually in articles and blog posts, pointing to related or supportive pages.
c. Footer Links
Footer links often point to important pages like terms of service, privacy policy, contact pages, and sometimes popular content or categories.
d. Image Links
These are images that link to other pages. While less common, they can be helpful if optimized with alt text and surrounded by relevant content.
e. Breadcrumb Links
Breadcrumbs show users the path to their current page and link to parent categories or pages, improving both user experience and site hierarchy.
5. How to Create a Strong Internal Linking Strategy
a. Identify Your Pillar Pages
Start by mapping out the most important pages (pillar or cornerstone content). These are usually comprehensive guides or key landing pages.
b. Map Supporting Content
Next, identify supporting content that relates to those pillar pages. These are smaller blog posts or articles that should internally link back to the pillar page and to each other where relevant.
c. Create Content Clusters
A content cluster consists of a main pillar page surrounded by supporting articles, all interlinked. This structure helps search engines recognize your expertise in a topic.
d. Plan Anchor Text
Choose descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text for your internal links. Instead of “click here,” use something like internal linking strategy for SEO.
6. Best Practices for Internal Linking
a. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
The anchor text should describe the linked page clearly. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
b. Link to Deep Pages
Don’t just link to your homepage or main categories. Deep linking (linking to blog posts or specific resources) helps spread link equity.
c. Keep Links Relevant
Only link to pages that are topically relevant. Irrelevant links confuse users and dilute SEO signals.
d. Limit the Number of Links
While there’s no strict limit, excessive links on a page can look spammy. Keep it natural and user-friendly.
e. Prioritize Important Pages
Link frequently to your most valuable pages. The more internal links a page has, the more important Google perceives it to be.
f. Update Old Content with New Links
Whenever you publish new content, go back to old articles and add links to the new pages.
7. Advanced Internal Linking Techniques
a. Pass Link Equity from High Authority Pages
Identify which pages on your site have the highest authority (using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush). Add internal links from these pages to content you want to boost.
b. Use Topic Clusters and Silos
A silo structure groups content around specific topics, making your site more organized and easier for search engines to understand.
c. Implement Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs not only help users navigate but also create internal links to parent categories, supporting site structure.
d. Link to Orphaned Pages
Use SEO tools to find orphaned pages (those without any internal links) and link to them from relevant content.
e. Optimize Pagination
If your website has paginated content (such as category archives), ensure those pages are properly interlinked to improve crawlability.
f. Internal Links in Site-Wide Templates
Add contextual links to high-performing posts from site-wide elements like sidebars or footers to pass continuous link equity.
8. Common Internal Linking Mistakes to Avoid
a. Over-Optimizing Anchor Text
While descriptive anchor text is good, keyword stuffing anchor text can harm SEO.
b. Linking to Irrelevant Pages
Always maintain topical relevance. Irrelevant links hurt both user experience and SEO signals.
c. Having Orphaned Pages
Pages without any internal links are unlikely to be crawled or ranked. Audit regularly to avoid this.
d. Broken Internal Links
These frustrate users and confuse search engines. Run regular audits to fix 404 errors.
e. Excessive Links on One Page
Too many links dilute link equity and overwhelm users. Prioritize quality over quantity.
f. Ignoring Mobile Optimization
Ensure that your internal links are easily clickable on mobile devices.
9. Internal Linking Tools You Can Use
a. Google Search Console
Use GSC to check how Google sees your internal links and to identify which pages are getting the most internal links.
b. Ahrefs
Ahrefs’ Site Audit and Site Explorer help you find orphaned pages and identify which pages have the most link equity.
c. Screaming Frog
This tool crawls your website and helps spot internal linking opportunities, broken links, and orphaned pages.
d. Semrush
The Semrush Site Audit tool provides insights into your internal link structure and highlights issues to fix.
e. Link Whisper
A WordPress plugin that suggests internal linking opportunities automatically when writing content.
10. How to Audit and Optimize Your Internal Links
a. Run a Crawl
Use Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to crawl your site and collect data on existing internal links.
b. Identify Orphaned and Low-Linked Pages
Find pages with few or no internal links and link to them from related high-authority pages.
c. Fix Broken Links
Identify and fix any broken internal links to avoid user frustration and crawling errors.
d. Balance Link Distribution
Ensure your most important pages are receiving the most internal links, signaling their importance.
e. Update Content Regularly
Every time you publish new content, review older articles to see where you can add new internal links.
f. Optimize Anchor Text
Make sure anchor texts are diverse, descriptive, and not over-optimized.
11. Conclusion
Internal linking is one of the simplest yet most effective SEO tactics. Done right, it can significantly boost your website’s crawlability, authority distribution, and ranking potential. By building a clear site structure, using descriptive anchor text, linking to deep pages, and regularly auditing your links, you can outsmart competitors who overlook this powerful on-page SEO strategy.
Always remember: internal linking is not just for search engines — it’s for your users. Make it easy for them to find valuable content, and you’ll naturally see improvements in engagement, conversions, and rankings.