Imagine walking into a massive library where none of the books are organized. There are no signs on the shelves, no catalog system, and no librarian to guide you. You might find a great book by accident, but finding exactly what you need would be a nightmare.
Your website is that library. Without a solid internal linking strategy, Google (the librarian) and your visitors (the readers) can’t find your best content. They might land on one page, get confused, and leave.
Internal linking is one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, SEO strategies available to you. Unlike earning backlinks from other sites—which is hard and unpredictable—you have 100% control over your internal links.
In this guide, we will break down exactly how to use internal linking to boost your SEO performance, keep readers on your site longer, and help your content rank higher on Google.
What is Internal Linking?
Simply put, an internal link is a hyperlink that connects one page of your website to another page on the same website.
If you are reading a blog post about “Digital Marketing” and you see a link to another article on the same site about “Social Media Trends,” that is an internal link.
The Three Main Purposes of Internal Links
- Navigation: They help users move through your website easily.
- Hierarchy: They help define the structure and architecture of your website.
- Link Equity: They spread “ranking power” (often called link juice) around your website.
When you link to a page, you are essentially telling search engines, “Hey, this page is important. You should check it out.”
Why is Internal Linking Important for SEO?
You might be wondering, “Do simple links between my own pages really matter that much?” The short answer is: absolutely. Here is why internal linking is critical for your SEO strategy.
1. It Helps Google Index Your Site
Search engines like Google use bots (spiders) to crawl the web. These bots follow links to discover new content. If you publish a new page but don’t link to it from anywhere else on your site, Google might never find it. This is called an “orphan page.” Internal links build bridges for these bots to travel across your entire site.
2. It Spreads “Link Juice”
Think of your website’s authority like water. Your homepage usually has the most “water” (authority) because it gets the most backlinks from other websites. When you link from your homepage to a blog post, you let some of that water flow to the blog post, helping it rank better. This distribution of authority is vital for ranking specific pages.
3. It Keeps Users on Your Site Longer
For a US-based audience, attention spans are short. If a user lands on your site to read about “Running Shoes” and sees a helpful link to “Best Socks for Marathon Runners,” they are likely to click it. This increases the time they spend on your site (dwell time) and the number of pages they view. These are positive signals to Google that your website provides value.
4. It Establishes Site Architecture
A good internal linking structure helps Google understand the relationship between different pages. It tells the search engine which pages cover similar topics and which pages are the most important hubs of information.
Different Types of Internal Links
Not all links are created equal. Understanding the different types helps you use them more effectively.
These are the links found in your main menu, footer, and sidebar. They appear on every page of your website. Their main job is to help users find core pages like “About Us,” “Services,” or “Contact.” While essential for user experience (UX), they don’t pass as much unique SEO value as contextual links because they are ubiquitous.
Contextual Links
These are the gold standard for SEO. Contextual links are found within the body content of a page. For example, if you are writing a sentence about “baking tips,” and you link the words “how to make sourdough” to your sourdough recipe, that is a contextual link. These are powerful because they are highly relevant and surrounded by descriptive text.
Breadcrumb Links
These usually appear at the top of a page and look like this: Home > Men’s Clothing > Shoes > Boots. They help users understand where they are on your site and allow them to quickly navigate back to a previous category.
Related Post Links
Often found at the bottom of a blog post, these links suggest similar content. They are great for keeping users engaged after they finish reading an article.
Best Practices for Internal Linking
Now that we know the “why” and “what,” let’s look at the “how.” Follow these best practices to supercharge your SEO.
1. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. Avoid using generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use keywords that describe the destination page.
- Bad: “Click here to see our SEO services.”
- Good: “Check out our professional SEO services to learn more.”
This tells Google exactly what the linked page is about, which helps it rank for those terms.
2. Link Deep
A common mistake is linking only to the homepage or “Contact Us” page. Your homepage already has plenty of links. Instead, focus on “deep linking.” This means linking to specific, detailed blog posts or product pages buried deeper in your site structure. This gives those specific pages a boost in authority.
3. Use “Dofollow” Links
Links can be tagged as “nofollow” or “dofollow.” A “nofollow” tag tells Google not to pass authority through that link. For internal linking, you almost always want to use standard “dofollow” links so that the link equity flows freely across your site.
4. Link to High-Converting Pages
Do you have a page that turns visitors into customers effectively? Use internal links to funnel traffic to that page. If you have a popular blog post getting lots of traffic, add a link in that post pointing to your product or service page.
5. Don’t Go Overboard
While links are good, too many can be distracting. Google’s guidelines suggest keeping the number of links on a page to a “reasonable number.” If every other sentence has a link, it looks spammy and makes the content hard to read. Aim for 3-5 relevant internal links per 1,000 words of content.
How to Build an Internal Linking Strategy
You don’t need to overcomplicate this. Here is a simple, step-by-step strategy you can apply today.
Step 1: Identify Your Pillar Content
Pillar pages (or hub pages) are high-level articles that cover a broad topic extensively. For example, “The Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing.” These pages should link out to smaller, more specific articles (cluster content) like “Email Marketing Tips” or “SEO Basics.”
Step 2: Create Topic Clusters
Group your content into clusters. If you have a pillar page about “Coffee,” your cluster pages might be:
- Types of Coffee Beans
- French Press vs. Pour Over
- Best Coffee Grinders
- History of Espresso
Link the pillar page to all these cluster pages, and have the cluster pages link back to the pillar page. This creates a tight web of relevance that Google loves.
Step 3: Audit Your Existing Content
Go through your old blog posts. Look for opportunities to add links to your newer content. This is often called “link maintenance.” When you publish a new article, search your site for older articles that mention the same topic and add a link to the new post.
Step 4: Use Google Search Operators
Having trouble finding relevant pages to link from? Go to Google and type in:
site:yourdomain.com "keyword"
For example, if you want to find places to link to your new “Red Shoes” product page, search:
site:myshoestore.com "red shoes"
Google will show you every page on your site that mentions “red shoes.” Go to those pages and turn that text into a link!
Common Internal Linking Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced SEO pros make mistakes. Avoid these common pitfalls to keep your site healthy.
Broken Internal Links
Clicking a link only to see a “404 Error – Page Not Found” is frustrating for users and bad for SEO. It wastes your “link juice.” regularly use tools to check for and fix broken links.
Stuffing your footer with hundreds of links (often called a “mega footer”) might look like good navigation, but search engines may view it as spammy. Keep your navigational links clean and organized.
Orphan Pages
As mentioned earlier, orphan pages have zero internal links pointing to them. Search engines struggle to find them, and they rarely rank well. Ensure every page on your site has at least one internal link pointing to it.
Using the Same Anchor Text for Different Pages
Don’t use the anchor text “SEO Guide” to link to five different pages. This confuses Google. It won’t know which of those five pages is the actual SEO guide. Keep your anchor text unique and specific to the destination page.
Advanced Internal Linking Techniques
Ready to take it to the next level? Here are some advanced tactics.
The “Homepage” Technique
Go to your favorite SEO tool (like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or even Google Search Console) and find your pages with the most backlinks. Usually, this is your homepage or a viral blog post. Place internal links on these high-power pages pointing to new or struggling pages that need a ranking boost. You are essentially funneling authority from your winners to your underdogs.
Nofollow on Unimportant Pages
While you generally use dofollow links, you might consider using “nofollow” tags for internal links pointing to pages you don’t want Google to prioritize, such as login pages, privacy policies, or admin areas. This preserves your crawl budget for your important content. Note: Use this sparingly and carefully.
Fix Link Depth
Ideally, every page on your website should be reachable within 3 clicks from the homepage. If a user (or bot) has to click 10 times to find a page, it’s buried too deep. Flatten your site architecture by adding category links or “related posts” sections to bring deep content closer to the surface.
Practical Tips for Success
- Be Natural: Only link when it makes sense. If you are forcing a link into a sentence where it doesn’t belong, delete it.
- Update Regularly: Set a reminder to review your internal links every 3-6 months.
- Prioritize Relevance: Linking a “Dog Food” article to a “Car Repair” article makes no sense, even if they are on the same site. Relevance is key.
- Open in Same Tab: For internal links, it is standard practice to have them open in the same tab. Links to external websites (other domains) should generally open in a new tab.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many internal links should I have per page?
A: There is no magic number. However, for a 1,000-word blog post, 3 to 5 relevant internal links is a good target. Focus on quality and relevance over quantity.
Q: Can I automate internal linking?
A: There are plugins (like Link Whisper for WordPress) that can help automate suggestions. While these tools are helpful, manual linking is always better because you can ensure the context and anchor text are perfect. Automated tools can sometimes create irrelevant or spammy-looking links.
Q: Does internal linking help with crawling?
A: Yes! Internal links provide pathways for Google’s crawlers (spiders). Without links, crawlers might hit a dead end and stop indexing your site effectively.
Q: Should I link to my contact page in every blog post?
A: Not necessarily within the body text. Your contact page is likely already linked in your header or footer. Use