The importance of internal links is often underappreciated, although they play a crucial role in your site’s performance. They are basically a path you build through your content, guiding users to what you want them to see.
With smaller sites, it can be easy to keep your strategy in check.
But once you get to hundreds of pages, internal linking gets a bit more complicated. 🗺️
As a digital marketing software company, we will share our knowledge about internal linking best practices, things people often overlook, and innovative tools that can help you scale your efforts.
Yes, even if you have thousands of pages. ☺️
Here we go.
What is an Internal Link?
An internal link is just a link that connects one page of a website to another page on the same website.
So if your website is a house, internal links are the hallways and doors that help visitors move from one room (or page) to another. 🚪
They make it easier for people (and search engines) to navigate your site and find related content.
For example, if you have a blog post about “SEO Basics” and you mention keyword research, you could link to another post that goes deeper into that topic. That’s an internal link!
Why is Internal Linking Important for SEO?
Internal linking is important for SEO because it helps both users and search engines navigate your site more effectively. It improves SEO user experience (UX), spreads link equity across pages, boosts rankings, and ensures Google can find and index all your content.
Here are more details about that.
Helps Visitors Navigate Your Site
Internal links make it easy for people to find what they need. Instead of landing on one page and bouncing, they can click through to related content, which keeps them engaged longer. The smoother the experience, the better!
Passes Authority to Other Pages (AKA Link Juice)
When one page links to another, it shares some of its SEO strength, also known under these names:
- Link juice
- Authority
- Link equity
Whichever one you prefer, the principle is the same. If a high-authority page links to a newer or lower-ranked one, it helps boost that page’s visibility in search results.
Can Improve Your Rankings on Google
Google looks at internal links to understand which pages are most important. If a page gets a lot of internal links, it signals that it’s valuable, which can help it rank higher on the search engine results page (SERP).
Helps Google Crawl and Index Your Pages
Search engines use links to discover and index content. If a page isn’t linked anywhere, Google might not find it at all. A strong internal linking strategy ensures that all your important pages get crawled and show up in search results.
5 Internal Linking Best Practices to Follow in 2025
Let’s cover the practical bits of an effective internal linking strategy.
Since there are so many, we split them into several sections. These include site structure, link distribution, user experience, technical aspects, and ongoing optimization.
1. Strategic Planning and Structure
A well-planned internal linking strategy makes your website easier to navigate and more SEO-friendly. By organizing your content thoughtfully, you improve both user experience and SEO. Here’s how to start.
Sort Out Your Site Structure
Start by organizing your content into clear categories and subcategories. Make sure each page is logically connected to others within the same theme. This structure helps visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and aids search engines in crawling your content effectively.
So what you need to do is:
- Create a Sitemap: Design a clear sitemap that organizes pages by topic. Ensure there are no orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them).
- Use Clear Categories: Group related content together to help users and search engines understand connections.
- Ensure Clear Homepage Navigation: The homepage should act as a hub, linking to your most important pillar pages and sections.
- Logical Menu Structure: Use categories in your navigation menu that align with your content hierarchy, making it easy for users to find relevant pages.
- Use the Three-Click Rule as a Guideline: Ensure users can reach any important page within three clicks.
Use Pillar Pages and Topic Clusters
Create pillar pages that cover broad topics in-depth and link them to related, more detailed pages: create topic clusters. This helps establish content relationships and improves SEO by signaling to search engines that your site is an authority on specific subjects.
This can also help you achieve something called Topical Dominance. You can check this metric in Site Explorer, and compare how well you cover a topic compared to your competitors.
But does it really matter that much?
Well…yes. According to the latest SEO theories, it’s a crucial ranking factor and a measure of authority.
If you want to ensure you’re covering your niche well, while giving your writers the fastest, easiest roadmaps, you can use tools like the Topical Map Generator.
Prioritize High-Value Pages
Identify the pages that are most important for your site’s performance, such as cornerstone content, high-traffic pages, or pages with conversion potential. Prioritize linking from your most important pages to others within the same cluster.
2. Link Optimization and Distribution
Effective internal linking helps guide both users and search engines through your site. By strategically placing links, you can boost rankings, enhance user experience, and ensure your content is discovered.
These are some optimization and distribution best practices.
Distribute Link Equity
Transfer link authority from well-established pages to others that need more visibility. This helps boost the SEO performance of lower-ranked pages by passing on valuable link equity.
Link to Relevant Pages
Make sure your links are meaningful and helpful in the context. For example, if you have a blog post about “How to Choose the Best Dog Food,” link it to a page discussing “Types of Dog Food for Specific Breeds.”
This makes sense for readers and improves SEO by showing the relationship between the content, making both pages more relevant to search engines.
Support New Content with Internal Links
Promote new content by linking to it from existing pages. This helps it get crawled faster and gives it the exposure it needs to rank well in search engines. Of course, also add interlinks to other pages in your new posts, or write down interlinking suggestions for posts that are not yet live.
Of course, you can also use SEO tools for interlinking suggestions that automate this process. One of them is our OTTO SEO AI assistant, which automates almost everything else, too.
3. User Experience and Natural Flow
Creating a smooth, natural experience for your visitors is just as important as SEO. When adding internal links, keep the user journey in mind—links should make sense and not disrupt the flow. 🌊
Keep Internal Links Natural
Make sure the links fit seamlessly into the content. They should guide users to related topics without feeling forced. For example, if you’re writing about “dog nutrition,” naturally link to an article about “benefits of grain-free dog food” when it makes sense.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Avoid vague phrases like “click here.” 😣
Instead, use clear, descriptive anchor text like “best dog food brands for allergies.” This helps users understand what they’ll find and improves SEO by targeting specific keywords.
Avoid Overloading a Page with Links
Also, don’t overwhelm your readers with too many links on a page. Too many can make it hard to focus on the content. Instead, prioritize the most relevant links to provide a clean and easy reading experience.
Optimize Internal Links for Mobile Users
With mobile traffic on the rise, ensure your internal links are easy to tap. Use enough space between links and check that they work well on mobile devices to provide a smooth experience for all users.
Keep Links Contextually Useful
Only link to pages that add value to the topic at hand. For example, if your post is about “dog food ingredients,” link to relevant, informative pages, not unrelated content. This keeps the content focused and helpful for users.
4. Technical Best Practices
Optimizing the technical side of your internal linking strategy ensures that search engines can crawl and index your content properly. Small tweaks can have a big impact on SEO performance. In this case, we highly recommend using a technical SEO tool to automate your efforts.
Ensure Internal Links Are Crawlable
Make sure your internal links are in plain HTML format to ensure they are crawlable by search engines. In WordPress, this happens automatically when you use the link editor.
For example, if you link to a post about “best dog food for allergies,” WordPress will create a simple HTML hyperlink like <a href=”/best-dog-food-for-allergies”>Best Dog Food for Allergies</a>. This straightforward format helps search engines easily follow and index your links.
Fix Broken or Redirected Links
If you have a link pointing to a 404 error page or a redirected page, users will get frustrated, and search engines may drop that page from their index. For example, if a link to an old “dog food comparison” page now leads to a 404, either fix the link or update it to a working page.
Use Follow vs. NoFollow Wisely
For important links, use the “Follow” attribute. For example, linking from your main blog post to a product page should be “Follow” so link equity is passed. Use “NoFollow” for links to unimportant pages like login pages,
Implement Breadcrumbs for Better Navigation
Breadcrumbs help users track their journey on your site. For example, on a blog about dog care, breadcrumbs might look like:
“Home > Dog Care > Best Dog Food for Puppies”
This shows users where they are and helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your site. It also helps them move elsewhere quickly if they’re done reading. 📕
5. Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance
To keep your internal linking strategy strong, regular maintenance is essential. This ensures that your links are working properly, helping both users and search engines navigate your site effectively.
Regularly Audit and Fix Internal Links
Check for broken or redirected links on your site periodically. Tools like Google Search Console and OTTO SEO can help identify issues. Fixing these links quickly ensures your site remains functional and SEO-friendly, preventing users from landing on error pages.
(You can fix it in the dashboard with one click if you use OTTO SEO. Just saying.)
Monitor Internal Link Performance
Keeping track of your internal links is a major part of measuring SEO performance. Use tools like Site Explorer to see which links are getting clicked the most, and which pages are driving traffic. This helps you identify content that may need more attention or internal linking.
Update Old Content with New Links
As you create new content, make sure to go back to older posts and update them with links to the new pages. Content refresh helps older content stay relevant and boosts the SEO of your newer posts by giving them more internal links.
Reduce Orphan Pages
Orphan pages are pages with no internal links pointing to them. These pages are harder for both users and search engines to discover. Make sure every important page on your site is linked to from other pages, ensuring it gets the visibility it deserves.
Distribute Internal Links Evenly
Avoid putting all your internal links on a few pages. Spread the links evenly across your site to create a more balanced internal structure. This helps search engines understand the importance of each page and improves overall SEO.
Get the Best Out of Your Internal Links with AI
Optimizing your internal linking strategy is crucial for SEO. It keeps people and SEO power circulating through your website, keeping it alive and well. 🌲
But what if you could streamline this process and boost efficiency? AI-powered tools can automate link recommendations, track performance, and ensure that your content remains connected.
There’s an AI tool for that, which comes with a full SEO and PPC platform that will cover all your digital marketing needs.
Don’t believe us? Try Search Atlas for free for 7 days, with no commitment. If it doesn’t work for you, you can cancel it anytime.
