Internal links are one of the basics of SEO—they help Google find, crawl, and index your website’s pages.
Without a good internal linking strategy, some pages on your site can get overlooked by Google, meaning they won’t show up in search results or attract organic traffic. Even worse, poor internal linking can frustrate visitors, making it harder for them to find what they need and causing them to leave your site faster.
But when used strategically, internal links do more than just help with navigation. They also pass authority from one page to another, improving your overall SEO.
The bottom line? A well-structured internal linking system helps spread “SEO juice” across your site, increasing your chances of ranking higher in search results.
What are Internal Links?
Internal links are simply links that connect one page of your website to another within the same domain. Unlike external links, which take users to a different website, internal links keep visitors (and search engines) moving around your own site.
A good example of internal linking is your website’s navigation menu—it helps visitors and search engines find important pages easily.
Think of internal links like backlinks, but instead of coming from other websites, they’re like “backlinks” within your own site. Just like external backlinks, internal links pass authority from one page to another, helping boost rankings.
Internal Links vs. External Links
Internal links keep traffic within your site, while external links send visitors to other websites.
Google uses internal links to understand how your content is connected and follows external links to explore the web. When other sites link to your page, Google crawlers follow those external links (backlinks) to discover your content.
Internal links play a key role in structuring your website and guiding both users and search engines. They help Google understand which pages are most important and distribute “link equity” across your site, improving the rankings of key pages.
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Why are Internal Links Important for SEO?
Google literally explores the web using links, so having a strong internal linking strategy is a must for SEO. It helps search engines find and index your pages while also improving user experience. Without enough internal links, some pages might become “orphaned,” meaning search engines struggle to discover them. Here’s why internal linking matters:
1. Better User Experience
Good internal linking makes it easy for visitors to find what they need. If users can navigate your site effortlessly, they’ll stay longer, explore more pages, and have a smoother experience. And when users are happy, Google takes notice.
On the flip side, poor internal linking leads to a frustrating experience—people leave quickly, visit fewer pages, and conversions drop.
2. Higher Search Rankings
Internal links work a lot like backlinks, but within your own site. Pages with more internal links get more authority passed to them, which helps them rank higher in search results. Your homepage usually has the most backlinks, so linking from it (and other high-authority pages) to important content can give those pages a ranking boost.
3. Better Indexing
Google only has a limited “crawl budget” for each site, meaning it won’t index every page—especially on larger websites (100+ pages). Internal linking helps search engines find and prioritize deeper pages so they get indexed faster.
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4. More Conversions
A well-placed internal link can guide visitors toward taking action, whether that’s signing up, making a purchase, or reading more content. Calls-to-action (CTAs) are key to turning traffic into revenue, and internal links help move users through that journey.
Building a Smart Internal Linking Strategy
Identify Your Most Important Pages
Before you start adding links everywhere, take a step back. What are your most important pages? These should be easy to find—ideally in your main menu, footer, or sidebar.
Your cornerstone content, product pages, and key service pages should be linked together first. Then, add internal links throughout your site to show search engines (and users) how different pages are connected. A well-structured website makes it easier for Google to understand your content—and makes navigation seamless for visitors.
Types of Internal Links
Internal links are links that connect different pages on your website. They help with navigation, boost SEO, and make it easier for users to find Build Effective Internal Linksrelevant content. There are four main types you should use:
- Main Navigation Links – These are the links in your website’s main menu, appearing on every page (usually in the
<header>). They can also include sub-menus. - Footer Links – Just like navigation links, these show up on every page, but in the footer section.
- Sidebar Links – Often seen on blogs, sidebar links point to popular, related, or recent posts, as well as calls-to-action.
- Contextual Links – These are links embedded directly in your content, leading to related articles or important resources on your site.
Why Internal Links Matter
Internal linking helps distribute page authority, making sure your most important pages rank higher. For example, if you have a high-ranking page with strong backlinks, you can use it to boost other pages by linking to them.
To find your strongest pages, use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console to check which pages have the most backlinks. Then, look at pages ranking between positions 2-9 on Google—these are prime candidates for an internal link boost. A well-placed link could push them to the top!
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Best Practices for Internal Linking
1. Add Contextual Links Inside Your Content
These links should feel natural and guide readers to relevant pages. You can add them:
- Within the body of your article
- In a “Further Reading” section at the end
- Inside a special callout box
Make sure they actually help the reader instead of just stuffing links for SEO.
2. Reduce Page Depth (Link Deep!)
Google prioritizes pages that are closer to the homepage. If a page is buried too deep (more than three clicks away), it may not get crawled often.
Here’s how to fix that:
- Use “Related Posts” or “Recommended Products” sections
- Increase the number of posts/products displayed on category pages
- Keep key pages one click away in your site navigation
- Use a hub-and-spoke model to group related content
3. Organize Content with the Hub-and-Spoke Model
Think of hubs as broad category pages, and spokes as in-depth articles on related subtopics. Linking them together improves navigation, boosts topical authority, and helps search engines understand your site better.
4. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable part of a link. It should give users and search engines a clear idea of what to expect. Avoid generic phrases like “Click here.” Instead, use variations like:
- Exact-match keywords – “PPC agency”
- Partial-match keywords – “Best SEO strategies for startups”
- Branded text – “Check out KlientBoost”
5. Update Older Pages with Internal Links
Every 3-6 months, go back to older posts and add links to newer content. This keeps your site fresh and helps distribute link equity.
6. Don’t Overdo It!
While Google no longer enforces a strict 100-link limit per page, stuffing too many links can make your page look spammy and reduce their effectiveness. Keep it user-friendly and avoid overwhelming readers.
7. Fix Broken Internal Links
Broken links hurt both user experience and SEO. Use tools like Dr. Link Check or Google Analytics to find and fix broken links quickly.
8. Use Dofollow Links (99% of the Time)
By default, all links are dofollow, meaning they pass authority to the linked page. The only time to use nofollow links is when you don’t want a page indexed (but you should also “noindex” the page in that case).
