What Are Internal Links?
Internal links are hyperlinks that point from one page on a website to another page on the same website. Unlike external links (which point to different domains), internal links keep users and search engine crawlers within your site. They are one of the most fundamental elements of website architecture and play a critical role in how search engines discover, understand, and rank your content.
Every time you link from one page to another within your site, you are creating an internal link. These links appear in navigation menus, footers, sidebars, and most importantly, within the body content of your pages. Content-based internal links are especially valuable because they provide contextual signals to search engines about the relationship between pages and the topics they cover.
Search engines like Google use internal links as one of their primary methods for discovering new content on your site. When Googlebot crawls a page, it follows every internal link it finds to discover additional pages. If a page has no internal links pointing to it (known as an orphan page), search engines may never find it, regardless of how valuable its content is.
Internal links also distribute PageRank (link equity) throughout your site. PageRank is the authority signal that Google uses to determine how important a page is. By strategically linking from high-authority pages to important content, you can boost the ranking potential of pages that might otherwise struggle to gain visibility in search results.
Why Internal Links Matter for SEO
Internal links are one of the few SEO factors you have complete control over. While earning external backlinks depends on other websites, your internal linking structure is entirely within your power to optimize. Google has repeatedly confirmed that internal links help them understand site structure, discover content, and determine which pages are most important.
The first and most critical function of internal links is crawlability. Google's crawl budget is limited — it can only crawl a certain number of pages on your site during each crawl session. An efficient internal linking structure ensures that crawl budget is spent on your most important pages. Pages that are buried deep in your site hierarchy (requiring 4+ clicks from the homepage) may be crawled less frequently, leading to slower indexing of updates and potentially lower rankings.
Internal links also establish topical relevance. When you link from a blog post about “content marketing strategies” to your “content marketing services” page using descriptive anchor text, you are telling Google that these pages are topically related. This helps Google understand the semantic structure of your site and can improve rankings for both pages.
Additionally, internal links directly impact user experience. A well-linked site helps visitors find related content, reduces bounce rates, increases time on site, and guides users through your conversion funnel. These user engagement signals indirectly affect SEO by demonstrating to Google that your site provides value to visitors.
John Mueller, Google's Search Advocate, has stated that internal links are “one of the biggest things you can do on a website to kind of guide Google and guide visitors to the pages that you think are important.” This underscores the significance of having a deliberate internal linking strategy rather than relying solely on navigation menus.
Common Internal Linking Issues
Broken Internal Links
Broken internal links (links that return 404 or other error status codes) create dead ends for both users and search engines. They waste crawl budget, disrupt user experience, and leak PageRank into nowhere. Broken links typically occur when pages are deleted or URLs are changed without updating all the internal links that pointed to them. Regular auditing is essential to catch and fix broken links promptly.
Orphan Pages
Orphan pages have zero internal links pointing to them. They are the most critical internal linking issue because they are essentially invisible to search engine crawlers. Even if an orphan page appears in your sitemap, Google prefers to discover pages through links rather than sitemaps alone. Common causes include pages created for specific campaigns that were never linked from the main site, or pages that lost all their incoming links during a site redesign.
Generic Anchor Text
Using anchor text like “click here,” “read more,” or “learn more” wastes a valuable SEO opportunity. Descriptive anchor text tells both users and search engines what the target page is about. For example, instead of “click here to learn about our services,” use “explore our content marketing services.” This helps Google understand the topical relevance of the linked page.
Excessive Link Depth
Pages that require more than 3 clicks from the homepage to reach are considered “deep” pages. Deep pages receive less crawl attention, less PageRank, and are harder for users to find. Google's recommendation is to keep important pages within 3 clicks of the homepage. This doesn't mean every page must be 3 clicks away — but your most important content should be easily accessible through a flat site architecture.
Nofollow on Internal Links
Adding rel="nofollow" to internal links was once used as a “PageRank sculpting” technique, but Google explicitly advises against this practice. When you use nofollow on internal links, the PageRank that would have flowed to the target page is effectively wasted — it does not get redistributed to other links. Remove nofollow from internal links unless you have a specific technical reason (such as links in user-generated content forms).
Internal Redirect Chains
When an internal link points to a URL that redirects (301 or 302) to another URL, it creates a redirect chain. Each redirect in the chain wastes crawl budget and may lose a small amount of link equity. While Google can follow redirects, it's best practice to update internal links to point directly to the final destination URL. This is especially important during site migrations where old URLs are redirected to new ones.
How to Build a Strong Internal Linking Strategy
1. Establish a Clear Site Hierarchy
Start with a logical site structure where your homepage links to main category pages, which link to subcategory pages, which link to individual content pages. This pyramid structure ensures that PageRank flows naturally from the top down, and that all pages are discoverable within a few clicks. Use breadcrumb navigation to reinforce this hierarchy.
2. Use Content Hubs and Topic Clusters
Organize related content around pillar pages (comprehensive topic pages) that link to cluster content (detailed subtopic pages). Each cluster page should link back to the pillar page and to other related cluster pages. This hub-and-spoke model helps search engines understand topical authority and improves rankings for competitive keywords.
3. Add Contextual Links in Content
The most valuable internal links are those placed naturally within your content body. When writing a blog post or article, link to related pages wherever it makes sense for the reader. These contextual links carry more SEO weight than navigation links because they are surrounded by relevant text, providing additional topical context to search engines.
4. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Choose anchor text that accurately describes the content of the target page. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use natural, keyword-rich text that helps both users and search engines understand what they'll find when they follow the link. Vary your anchor text slightly across different linking pages to avoid appearing manipulative.
5. Regularly Audit and Fix Issues
Internal linking is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. As you add, remove, and update content, your internal link structure evolves. Schedule regular audits to identify broken links, orphan pages, pages with insufficient incoming links, and opportunities to add new contextual links. Use tools like this Internal Links Checker to automate the audit process and catch issues before they impact your SEO performance.
Internal Link Metrics Explained
Incoming Links (Inlinks)
The number of internal links pointing to a page. Pages with more incoming links receive more PageRank and are crawled more frequently. A minimum of 3 incoming links per page is recommended, with important pages having significantly more.
Outgoing Links (Outlinks)
The number of internal links on a page pointing to other pages. While there's no strict maximum, pages with over 100 outgoing links dilute the PageRank passed to each linked page. Focus on linking to the most relevant and important pages rather than linking to everything.
Click Depth
The minimum number of clicks required to reach a page from the homepage. A click depth of 1 means the page is directly linked from the homepage. The recommended maximum is 3 clicks for important content. Flattening your site structure reduces click depth and improves crawlability.
Content-to-Navigation Link Ratio
This metric compares the number of links within page content versus those in navigation elements (menus, headers, footers). A healthy ratio indicates that you are actively linking between related content pages, not just relying on your navigation structure. Content links carry stronger topical signals than navigation links, making a high content link ratio valuable for SEO.
Internal Linking Best Practices
- Link from high-authority pages: Your homepage and top-ranking pages pass the most PageRank. Use them to boost important target pages.
- Keep important pages within 3 clicks: Flatten your site hierarchy so crawlers can reach key content quickly.
- Fix broken links immediately: Every broken link is a dead end for users and crawlers. Monitor and fix them regularly.
- Eliminate orphan pages: Every indexable page should have at least one internal link pointing to it.
- Use descriptive anchor text: Help search engines understand the target page's topic through relevant, natural anchor text.
- Remove nofollow from internal links: Let PageRank flow freely within your site structure.
- Update redirected links: Point internal links directly to the final destination URL to preserve link equity.
- Balance navigation and content links: Don't rely solely on menus — add contextual links within your content.
- Audit regularly: Internal link issues accumulate over time. Schedule monthly or quarterly audits.
- Use breadcrumbs: Breadcrumb navigation reinforces site hierarchy and provides additional internal linking benefits.