What is Internal Linking?

Internal linking is the practice of linking from one page on your website to another page on the same website. These links help users navigate between related content and help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your site.

Unlike external links that point to other websites, internal links stay within your own domain and are completely under your control.

Internal links help Google understand which pages on your site are most important. Pages with more internal links pointing to them signal higher priority. They also help distribute authority across your site, boosting rankings for pages that might otherwise struggle.

For users, internal links create a better experience by guiding them to relevant related content, keeping them on your site longer, and reducing bounce rates.

How Internal Links Work

When you link from one page to another on your site, you pass what is called link equity or authority. Pages with strong authority can distribute some of that value to other pages through internal links, helping them rank better.

Internal links also guide Google's crawlers through your site. A well-linked page is easier to discover and gets crawled more often, while pages buried deep without links may go unnoticed or undervalued.

Best Practices

Use descriptive anchor text - Instead of "click here," use text that describes what the linked page is about, like "keyword research guide" or "how to fix crawl errors."

Link to relevant pages naturally - Only link when it adds value for the reader. Forced or irrelevant links hurt user experience and dilute the value of your internal linking.

Prioritize your most important pages - Link to high-value pages like service pages, cornerstone content, or conversion-focused pages more often than others.

Avoid excessive internal links on one page - Too many links overwhelm users and dilute the value passed to each linked page. Keep it natural and focused.