Internal Linking for SEO: A Simple Strategy That Works

What Are Internal Links?

Internal links are hyperlinks that point from one page on your website to another page on the same website. They're different from external links (which point to other websites) and backlinks (which point from other websites to yours).

Every website has internal links — your navigation menu, your footer links, links within blog posts. The question isn't whether you have them, but whether you're using them strategically.

Why Internal Links Matter for SEO

Internal links do three important things:

1. They Help Google Discover and Crawl Your Pages

Google finds new pages by following links. If a page on your site has no internal links pointing to it, Google might never find it — even if it's in your sitemap. These are called "orphan pages," and they're more common than you'd think.

You can find orphan pages and broken links with our broken link checker.

2. They Pass Authority (Link Equity)

When a page on your site has authority (because of backlinks, age, or content quality), some of that authority flows through internal links to the pages it links to. This is called "link equity" or "PageRank."

Think of it like a recommendation. Your homepage probably has the most authority on your site. By linking from your homepage to key service pages, you're telling Google "these pages are important."

3. They Help Google Understand Context

The anchor text of internal links — the clickable text — tells Google what the linked page is about. If you link to your pricing page with the anchor text "SEO audit pricing," Google gets a clear signal about what that page covers.

The Simple Internal Linking Strategy

You don't need a complex system. Here's a straightforward approach that works for any website:

Step 1: Identify Your Priority Pages

These are the pages you most want to rank. Typically they include:

• Homepage
• Core service or product pages
• Key landing pages
• High-value blog posts

List your top 10-20 priority pages. Everything else on your site should support these pages through internal links.

Step 2: Create a Hub-and-Spoke Model

Think of your site as a series of hubs (main topics) with spokes (supporting content) branching out:

• Hub page: Your main service page (e.g., "SEO Services")
• Spoke pages: Blog posts, guides, and resources related to that topic (e.g., "What Is Technical SEO," "How to Do Keyword Research")

Each spoke links back to the hub. The hub links out to each spoke. This creates a clear topical cluster that Google loves.

Step 3: Add Contextual Links in Content

The most valuable internal links are contextual — meaning they appear naturally within the body of your content, not just in navigation or sidebars.

When you write a blog post and mention a topic you've covered elsewhere, link to it. When you reference a tool or service you offer, link to it. This is exactly what we do on this blog — when we mention meta tags, we link to our meta tag generator.

Step 4: Link From High-Authority Pages

Check your analytics to find which pages have the most backlinks or traffic. These are your highest-authority pages. Adding internal links from these pages to your priority pages passes the most value.

Step 5: Review and Update Regularly

Every time you publish new content, go back and add internal links from existing relevant pages to the new content. And add links from the new content to existing pages. This keeps your link structure fresh and comprehensive.

Anchor Text Best Practices

The clickable text of your internal links matters more than people realize.

• Be descriptive: Use anchor text that describes what the linked page is about. "Learn about technical SEO fundamentals" is better than "click here."
• Include keywords naturally: If your target page is about "meta tags for SEO," using that phrase (or a variation) as anchor text helps Google understand the page. But keep it natural — don't force keywords where they don't fit.
• Vary your anchor text: Don't use the exact same anchor text every time you link to a page. Mix it up with variations, partial matches, and natural phrases.
• Avoid generic anchors: "Click here," "read more," and "this page" tell Google nothing about the destination page.

Common Internal Linking Mistakes

Mistake 1: Orphan Pages

Pages with zero internal links pointing to them. Google struggles to find and rank these. Every important page on your site should have at least 2-3 internal links pointing to it.

Mistake 2: Too Many Links on One Page

If a page has hundreds of internal links, each link passes less value. Keep it reasonable — focus on the most relevant and useful links for the reader.

Mistake 3: Deep Page Structure

If users (and Google) need to click 5+ times from your homepage to reach a page, that page will struggle to rank. Important pages should be within 3 clicks of your homepage.

Mistake 4: Broken Internal Links

Links to pages that no longer exist (404 errors) waste link equity and frustrate users. Run a broken link check regularly to catch these.

Mistake 5: Only Linking in Navigation

Navigation links are useful, but they appear on every page, so Google doesn't weight them as heavily as contextual links within content. Make sure you're adding in-content links too.

Mistake 6: Linking to Low-Value Pages

Don't waste your internal link equity on pages that don't need to rank — like your privacy policy or terms of service. Focus your internal links on pages that drive business value.

How to Audit Your Internal Links

Here's a quick audit you can do right now:

1. Check for orphan pages: Look at your sitemap and make sure every URL has at least a few internal links pointing to it.
2. Check for broken links: Use our broken link checker on your key pages.
3. Check click depth: Can you reach every important page within 3 clicks from the homepage?
4. Review anchor text: Are you using descriptive anchor text, or is everything "click here"?
5. Check heading structure: Good headings help both users and Google understand your content structure. Use our heading analyzer to check.

Quick Win: Update Your Top 10 Pages

Right now, go to your 10 most-visited pages and add 2-3 internal links from each one to other relevant pages on your site. This alone can make a noticeable difference in how well your linked pages rank.

Internal linking isn't glamorous. It won't make headlines. But it's one of the few SEO tactics where you have 100% control and it's completely free. Don't overlook it.