What internal linking is
Internal linking is the set of links between pages of the same site. The menu, the breadcrumb, the footer, and above all the links inside the content.
It does three jobs. It helps search engines discover and understand pages. It spreads importance across them, since a page that gets links from strong pages is treated as important. And it guides visitors to the next logical read.
Three kinds of internal links
- Structural links, in the menu, breadcrumb and footer. They come straight from the site structure.
- Contextual links, in the body text. They carry the most meaning, because the anchor and the surrounding text describe the destination.
- Related links, such as related posts or similar products. Useful when chosen, noisy when automatic and off topic.
An internal linking strategy, step by step
- 1Start from the site structure. It gives you the structural links and the main page families.
- 2Mark your priority pages, the ones that convert or target your most important queries.
- 3Find the pages that already carry weight, the ones with backlinks or traffic. They should link to your priority pages.
- 4Give every page at least one contextual link from a page on a related topic.
- 5Pick anchor text that describes the destination. Vary the wording.
- 6Check with a crawler. Orphan pages, broken links, links that go through a redirect.
An internal linking plan example
An internal linking plan fits in a table. One row per link to create, with the reason. Here is an extract for a climbing gym website.
- Source page
- Home
- Target page
- Kids climbing classes
- Anchor text
- climbing classes for kids
- Reason
- Converting page, local query
- Source page
- Post about your first boulder
- Target page
- Intro session
- Anchor text
- book an intro session
- Reason
- Logical next step for a beginner
- Source page
- Pricing
- Target page
- Annual membership
- Anchor text
- yearly membership
- Reason
- Most requested offer
- Source page
- Post about gear
- Target page
- Shoe rental
- Anchor text
- rent climbing shoes at the gym
- Reason
- Answers the reader's next question
| Source page | Target page | Anchor text | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Kids climbing classes | climbing classes for kids | Converting page, local query |
| Post about your first boulder | Intro session | book an intro session | Logical next step for a beginner |
| Pricing | Annual membership | yearly membership | Most requested offer |
| Post about gear | Shoe rental | rent climbing shoes at the gym | Answers the reader's next question |
Choosing anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable text. It tells the reader and the search engine what is on the other side. Click here or learn more say nothing. Annual membership pricing says it all.
You do not need the exact keyword in every link. Natural, varied wording that stays descriptive works better than one anchor copied everywhere.
Technical pitfalls
- Links generated in JavaScript without an a tag and an href attribute. Search engines may not follow them.
- Internal links marked nofollow. They cut the path to your own pages.
- Links pointing to an old URL that now redirects. Update the link so it points straight to the right page.
- Orphan pages that receive no link at all. They exist in the XML sitemap and nowhere else.
- Hundreds of identical footer links that dilute everything.
Prepare your linking with Arbo
Internal linking starts with a clean structure. The generator at the top of this page gives you one from a single sentence. With a free account, you can also import your existing site, attach each page's URL, keyword and intent, and export the list as CSV to build your linking plan.
Questions
How many internal links per page?
There is no number to aim for. Each link should help the reader go further. A page with hundreds of links makes each one less useful.
Is internal linking enough to rank a page?
No. It helps a page with useful content get found and treated as important. It does not replace content or external links.
How do I find orphan pages?
Compare the URLs in your XML sitemap or Search Console with the URLs a crawler finds by following links. The ones that only appear in the first list are orphans.
What does an internal linking tool do?
Crawlers show the links that exist. Planning tools help decide the links that should exist. Arbo sits on the planning side, with the structure, the URL and the keyword of every page in one place.