Internal linking is the set of links between pages of the same site. It helps users continue to related information and helps search engines discover and understand the structure.
What internal linking does
An internal link says two pages belong together. The anchor text gives context about the target URL, and the link's position in navigation or content hints at its role.
Links also distribute internal link signals. The simple rule "more links, better rankings" doesn't hold, though. Relevance, architecture and the overall context decide.
Why it's underrated
You control internal links and can change them without an outside partner. Even so, they often appear at random, only in the menu, or automatically with no regard for meaning.
Good linking can quickly bring order to a topic cluster, support an important landing page and get rid of orphaned URLs. It won't fix thin content or an indexing block.
How to do it
- Link where the target page naturally develops the topic.
- Use descriptive anchor text instead of "click here".
- Keep important pages a reasonable distance from the main navigation.
- Check for orphaned URLs and broken links.
- Don't add hundreds of repeated links that help nobody.
Plan internal links around the information architecture and the user's journey. Keywords alone are a poor guide.
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