Internal links are links connecting pages within the same website. They improve search engine crawl efficiency and distribute link equity (page authority) effectively across your site.
What Are Internal Links?
Internal links are hyperlinks that connect pages within the same domain. For example, a link from a blog post to a service page, or from a category page to an individual article. They communicate your site's hierarchy to Google's crawler and serve as pathways for users to discover related content.
In contrast, external links (outbound links) point to other domains. While external links reinforce source credibility, internal links directly affect PageRank distribution and crawl efficiency within your site — making them one of the most controllable SEO tactics available.
Why Do Internal Links Matter?
Internal links directly impact three pillars of SEO: efficient page discovery by Google's crawler, strategic PageRank (link juice) distribution, and improved user engagement within your site. Proper internal link architecture is one of the most cost-effective technical SEO tactics.
+40%
Crawl efficiency improvement from optimized internal links
5+ links
Recommended internal links per page
+25%
User engagement increase from proper internal linking
Types of Internal Links
There are five types of internal links, each serving a different purpose. Using them in balance maximizes your site's overall SEO performance.
Navigation links
Links to key pages placed in header and sidebar. They communicate site structure to both users and crawlers.
Contextual links
Links placed naturally within article content. They guide users to related content and are considered the most SEO-valuable link type.
Breadcrumb links
Navigation showing page hierarchy. They help users understand their current location and can appear as rich results when combined with structured data.
Footer links
Supplementary links at the bottom of the site. They provide access to terms of service, privacy policy, sitemap, and other utility pages.
Related article links
Links to related content shown at the end of articles. They increase session duration and reduce bounce rate.
5 Best Practices for Internal Linking
Include keywords in anchor text
Use descriptive text like 'SEO score checker tool' instead of 'click here'. Google uses anchor text to understand the topic of the linked page.
Link between topically related pages
Connect pages with similar themes, such as linking from an internal linking article to a structured data guide. Linking unrelated pages hurts both UX and SEO.
Concentrate links on important pages
Direct more internal links to your conversion pages and pillar content. Pages with more internal links are perceived by Google as more important.
Place links near the top of the page
Internal links placed in the first half of an article tend to have higher click-through rates. Position your most important links close to the first viewport.
Include external links too (3+ recommended)
Outbound links to authoritative sites reinforce your content's credibility. Including 3 or more external links per article signals to Google that your content is well-researched.
4 Common Internal Linking Mistakes
Orphan pages (no incoming internal links)
Pages with no internal links pointing to them may never be discovered by Google's crawler and remain unindexed. Don't rely solely on sitemaps — always add internal links from related pages.
Generic anchor text like 'click here'
'Learn more' or 'click here' provides almost zero SEO value. Google cannot understand the linked content, and it's also unhelpful for screen reader users from an accessibility standpoint.
Ignoring broken links
Internal links returning 404 errors stop PageRank flow, degrade user experience, and waste crawl budget. Regular broken link audits are essential.
Excessive internal links
Cramming 100+ links on a single page dilutes the SEO value of each link and makes it difficult for users to identify which links matter. Keep the count proportional to your content length.
Good vs. Bad Anchor Text Examples
Tells nothing about the destination page.
Clearly describes the linked page's purpose.
Impossible to identify which article without context.
The article's topic and theme are immediately clear.
'Here' adds no descriptive value.
Communicates the service's value proposition.
