Key takeaways
- Internal links help Google discover pages and understand which ones matter most.
- Use descriptive anchor text that says what the next page is about.
- Link from related content to your service pages, and between related guides.
- Fix orphan pages: important pages with no internal links pointing to them.
Internal linking is one of the first quick wins I look for in a technical SEO audit. It costs nothing but time, and it is the one kind of link you fully control. External links are a different job, covered in what link building is.
What are internal links?
Internal links are links from one page of your site to another page of the same site: menus, footer links, buttons and links inside the text. They help visitors move to the next useful page and help search engines discover pages and understand how they relate. Links inside the text usually carry the most context.
Why do internal links matter for SEO?
Google finds most new pages by following links, and it uses the link text to understand what the linked page is about. A page linked from many relevant pages looks more important than one buried with no links. Internal links also keep visitors moving toward pages that turn them into customers.
Google explains discovery through links in its guide to how Search works, and what makes a link crawlable in link best practices: a real <a href> link and descriptive anchor text.
What is good anchor text?
Good anchor text is the clickable text of a link that tells the reader and Google what they will find on the next page. "See our emergency AC repair service" is clear; "click here" is not. Keep it natural and specific, and avoid repeating the exact same keyword-stuffed phrase on every link.
| Weak anchor | Better anchor |
|---|---|
| click here | how much a website costs |
| read more | our local SEO service |
| this page | the technical SEO checklist |
A simple internal linking system
- List your money pages: services, key products, contact.
- From every related guide or post, link at least once to the matching money page.
- From each money page, link to the two or three guides that answer common doubts.
- Link between guides on the same topic, so readers can go deeper.
- When you publish a new page, add links to it from two or three older related pages.
- Check menus: the most important pages should be one or two clicks from the home page.
That last point matters: a new page with no links depends only on the sitemap to be found, which my XML sitemap guide explains. Links tell Google much more.
What is an orphan page and how do you fix it?
An orphan page is a page with no internal links pointing to it. Visitors cannot reach it by browsing and Google may find it late or treat it as unimportant. Find orphans by comparing your sitemap with the pages a crawler reaches from the home page, then link each useful orphan from related pages or remove it.
Search Console's Links report shows which of your pages receive the most internal links, a quick way to see if your priorities match. I cover internal links as part of on-page SEO. As an SEO consultant, I can map your internal links in a free diagnosis: book it here.
Frequently asked questions
How many internal links should a page have?
As many as are useful to the reader. There is no fixed number.
Should internal links be nofollow?
No. Internal links should normally be followed so Google can pass through them.
Do footer links count?
Yes, but links inside the main text usually give more context.
Can I use the same anchor text every time?
Varying it naturally reads better and gives more context.
Do internal links help with AI answers?
Indirectly. They help pages get discovered and understood, which comes first.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is an SEO consultant in Medellín, Colombia, with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships at Reunion Marketing, an Inc. 5000 agency, and supervises the SEO of 18 US online stores with more than 3 million products at Prontomowers. Read more · LinkedIn.
Want to see these guides first? Choose JJ SEO Colombia as a preferred source on Google, and my articles are more likely to show up for you in Top Stories.
Follow on GoogleAdd as a preferred source