Internal linking is the unsung hero of SEO.
It's a fundamental strategy that can significantly boost your site's visibility and rankings – if done correctly.
Google's John Mueller has even stated that "internal linking is super critical for SEO" and one of the biggest things you can do to tell Google which content on your site is most important.
Yet, despite this importance, internal linking is frequently overlooked or misused by website owners and marketers.
I'll walk you through why internal links matter so much, the common mistakes that cause many to misuse them, and how to build an effective internal linking strategy (with some help from AI tools) to maximize your SEO results.
The Untapped Power You Control
Unlike external backlinks, internal links are completely in your control – you decide how pages on your site connect.
When used strategically, they can yield major SEO and user experience benefits.
Here's why internal linking matters:
Better Crawling & Indexing
Internal links help search engine bots discover and crawl all pages of your site.
Google uses links to find new content; if a page isn't linked, it's often invisible to search engines.
Good internal linking ensures no important content remains orphaned or hidden from Google's index.
Clear Site Structure
Linking your pages logically gives Google a map of your site's structure.
Internal links connect your content and give Google an idea of the structure of your website, allowing you to establish a content hierarchy.
You can also funnel more link value to your most important pages, signaling they are higher priority.
Spreading Link Authority
Internal links pass page authority (sometimes called "SEO juice" or PageRank) from one page to another.
A well-planned internal linking strategy can channel the value of high-authority pages (like those with strong backlinks) to other pages that you want to rank.
That’s why internal links are a proven way to boost underperforming pages by linking to them from pages with more authority.
Better User Experience
Internal links aren't just for Google – they guide your users to relevant content.
By providing connections to related articles or products, you keep visitors engaged longer and help them find what they need.
A poor internal linking structure makes it hard for visitors to navigate and can lead to frustration and higher bounce rates.
More Pages in Search Results
With smart internal linking, more of your pages can show up in search results.
By linking deep pages (like blog posts or product pages) from elsewhere on your site, you give them a better chance to get indexed and ranked.
Google itself confirms that internal links are a ranking factor and advises site owners to use them to signal which pages are important.
Now that we know why they matter, let's look at how internal linking is often misused – so you can avoid common pitfalls.
Common Mistakes That Sabotage Your Internal Linking
Despite its benefits, internal linking is often mishandled.
Some websites add too few links, while others add too many or in the wrong ways.
Here are the most common internal linking mistakes seen on many sites – and how to fix or avoid them:
1. Generic Anchor Text
The anchor text of your internal links (the clickable text) should describe the page you're linking to.
One big mistake is using vague anchors like "click here" or "read more."
These add no context for search engines or users about what they'll get by clicking.
That’s why it’s important to choose anchor texts that have meaningful keywords or phrases that indicate the content of the target page.
For example, instead of "learn more," an internal link to a banana pie recipe could say "banana cream pie recipe."
This not only helps that page rank for the relevant term but also improves accessibility.
2. Anchor Text Confusion
This mistake happens when you use the same anchor text to link to different pages.
For instance, if multiple pages on your site are all linked with the anchor "best chocolate chip cookies" but they go to different URLs, Google gets confused about which page is truly about that topic.
It's like having several "candidates" for the same keyword – none wins clearly.
The fix is to dedicate unique anchor texts for each important page/keyword.
If you have two different cookie recipes, give them distinct anchor variations (e.g. "double chocolate chip cookie recipe" vs "oatmeal chocolate chip cookies").
3. Footer Link Overload
Ever seen a website footer stuffed with dozens of links to every page, or a sidebar with an enormous menu?
While site-wide navigation links (like header menus, footers, etc.) are useful for users, overusing them for SEO is a mistake.
Google tends to give more weight to contextual links within the main content of a page than boilerplate links in footers or sidebars.
Dumping a long list of keyword-rich links in your footer can look spammy and provides little user value.
That’s why you should not rely on footer links to prop up pages' rankings.
Use navigation links for genuine navigation (About, Contact, key categories), and keep them concise.
Focus your SEO linking efforts in the page copy where you can naturally refer to relevant pages.
4. Linking to Low-Value Pages
Every internal link should serve a purpose.
Linking to pages that are noindexed (told not to appear in search) or very low-value (like login pages, checkout carts, etc.) is usually a waste of link equity.
For example, if your blog post heavily links to a "Login" page or a filtered search page that you've blocked from indexing, those links aren't helping SEO – they're a dead-end for crawl bots.
Similarly, avoid linking out to pages unrelated to the content just because you have a matching keyword.
5. Broken Links and Redirect Chains
An extremely common issue is internal links that point to broken pages (404 errors) or go through multiple redirects before reaching a final URL.
These usually occur when you move or delete content and forget to update old links.
Broken internal links frustrate users and cause search crawlers to hit dead ends, disrupting the flow of PageRank around your site.
Similarly, a link that redirects 2-3 times (perhaps from an old URL to another old URL to final) dilutes link equity and can slow down crawling.
If you change a URL, implement a 301 redirect from the old to new, and update any internal links that still pointed to the old URL (to eliminate redirect hops).
6. Orphaned Pages
An orphan page is a page on your site that has no other pages linking to it.
These are SEO dead-ends because, as mentioned earlier, if a page isn't linked from anywhere, Google is far less likely to find it and index it.
Orphans often happen when you publish a new page but forget to link it from related older posts or even from its parent category page.
They can also occur if you remove the only link that was pointing to a page. The result: that content sits invisible to both users and search engines.
7. No Strategic Plan
Some sites take an "auto-pilot" approach – either adding links arbitrarily or relying on outdated automated plugins to insert links without strategy.
Others err in the opposite way – being so afraid of mistakes that they add almost no internal links at all.
Both extremes are misuses.
No internal linking = no SEO benefit, while blindly automated linking can create awkward, spammy anchors or irrelevant links.
For instance, older auto-linking tools might turn every mention of "SEO" into a link to your SEO services page, regardless of context – leading to weird reader experience and over-optimization (nearly guaranteed algorithmic penalty).
That’s why you should treat internal linking with the same thoughtfulness as external link building: have a plan for which pages you want to boost, use natural anchor text, and link only where it makes contextual sense.
Don't attempt to link every keyword on a page – focus on the links that truly add value.
Now let's shift from what not to do, to how to do internal linking right.
Building Your Internal Linking Strategy
A successful internal linking strategy doesn't happen by accident – it requires a bit of planning and ongoing maintenance.
The good news is, it's not rocket science, and the payoff in SEO gains is well worth the effort.
Here are some best practices and actionable tips for internal linking:
Plan Your Site Structure & Content Hubs
Start with a clear content hierarchy.
Identify your main topics or "pillar" pages (the most important, broad content on your site), and the supporting subtopics or pages that relate to each pillar.
Your goal is to link them in a sensible way that groups relevant content together.
A popular approach is the topic cluster model – where a central pillar page links out to a cluster of related subtopic pages, and those subtopics interlink with each other as well.
This creates a web of relevance around the topic.
For example: if you have a pillar page on "SEO Basics," all your posts on keyword research, on-page SEO, link building, etc., should link to the main SEO page and preferably to each other where relevant.
This way, whichever page in the cluster a user (or Google) lands on, they can easily navigate to all related content.
Think of the pillar as the hub and subtopics as spokes, all connected.
This structure distributes link authority evenly and signals topical relationships to Google.
Use Descriptive, Varied Anchor Text
I can't emphasize this enough – anchor text is your opportunity to tell search engines what the linked page is about.
Follow Google's advice to be descriptive with anchors.
If you're linking to a page about internal linking best practices, the anchor might be "internal linking best practices" or a close variant, rather than something generic.
It's fine to use exact-match keywords as anchor text for internal links (Google is more lenient with internal anchors than external), but don't overdo it to the point of sounding unnatural or using the same phrase every time.
Mix in variations and longer phrases as appropriate.
For instance, if your target keyword is "on-page SEO guide," you might alternate anchors like "on-page SEO guide", "guide to on-page optimization", "learn on-page SEO", etc.
This provides context while avoiding a repetitive, spammy footprint.
The key is clarity and relevance – both for readers and algorithms.
If you are using Linkter, you don't even have to worry about finding and choosing anchor texts. Our anchor text manager feature solves that for you!
Link from Strong Pages to Boost Weaker Ones
Identify which pages on your site have the most inbound link authority (for example, pages that have garnered a lot of external backlinks or that rank well already).
These pages have "power" that can be passed on.
Whenever relevant, edit those pages to include internal links to other important pages that need a boost.
For example, if you have a blog post that naturally earned many backlinks, see if within its content you can reference and link to another related page that you want to rank better.
By doing so, you effectively share the link equity from the strong page to the weaker page.
SEO experts often do this as a quick win – sometimes a single internal link from a highly authoritative page can noticeably improve another page's rankings (as one case study showed, even one keyword-rich internal anchor from a strong page made a difference in rankings of the linked page).
To find these high-authority pages, I suggest using Ahrefs' Best by Links report.
Place Links Contextually Within Content
The placement of internal links on the page can influence their impact.
Internal links within the main body content (especially in the upper parts of an article or product description) tend to be more valuable than links buried in footers, sidebars, or at the very bottom.
This is because content links are part of the primary information and more likely to be clicked by users, signaling their importance.
When writing a new page, try to incorporate a few internal links naturally within the first half of the content if relevant topics appear.
For example, in your opening or midway paragraphs, if you mention a concept you have another page for, link it.
Don't force it, but keep an eye out for opportunities.
Also, use in-text links rather than relying solely on lists of "Related Articles" (though those can help too).
The idea is to integrate links as helpful references or next steps in the flow of your writing.
Link to and from New Content
Whenever you publish a new blog post or page, make it a habit to link to it from a few existing pages on your site.
This kickstarts the page's visibility to crawlers and can drive some initial traffic from within.
For instance, if you publish a new case study, go to a couple of older related blog posts and add a sentence like "We recently conducted a case study on X results" where it fits.
This prevents orphan pages and keeps your content ecosystem interconnected.
Conversely, consider updating the new page itself to include links back to older content where appropriate (new pages shouldn't be dead ends either).
This two-way linking between new and old content keeps your site architecture fresh and cohesive.
Content audits every few months can help find older high-value posts that lack links to newer content – update them accordingly (this also gives Google a reason to recrawl those older pages).
Again, if you are a user of Linkter, the work is practically cut out for you. Linkter helps you find all of the relevant internal linking opportunities, for your new and old posts.
Keep Link Quantity Reasonable
There's no strict rule on the exact number of internal links per page – it varies by the length of the page and the context.
Google formerly suggested "under 100 links" per page in early guidelines, but today they focus on overall quality.
A long authoritative article might naturally include 20 internal links spread throughout, which is fine if they're all relevant.
But if you find yourself adding dozens of links in a short piece, ask whether each is truly helpful. Too many links can dilute user attention and possibly PageRank distribution.
A common best practice is to aim for a handful of highly relevant internal links rather than trying to link every possible term.
For example, 3–10 internal links in a 1,500-word article is a ballpark many SEOs use, but it can be more or less.
The goal is that any internal link a user clicks feels useful and not like random SEO fluff.
Regularly Audit and Update Your Links
An internal linking strategy isn't "set and forget."
Over time, your site will grow, URLs might change, or content focus might shift.
Schedule periodic audits (quarterly or biannually) to check for: broken links, redirect chains, orphan pages, and opportunities to link newer content.
Also, as you add new content clusters, go back to older related clusters and cross-link them. Internal linking is an ongoing, iterative process.
The payoff, however, is a robust site architecture where both users and search engines easily discover all your content – leading to higher SEO performance.
Following these best practices will ensure your internal linking is purposeful and effective.
Admittedly, on a large site with hundreds or thousands of pages, keeping up with all this manually can be challenging.
This is where modern solutions, including AI-powered internal linking tools like Linkter, come into play to help scale the process.
Using AI to Scale Your Internal Linking (Introducing Linkter.ai)
Implementing a great internal linking strategy across a big website can feel overwhelming.
You might be thinking: "This sounds like a lot of work – auditing links, finding anchor opportunities, updating old pages..."
And it can be time-consuming if done entirely by hand.
Fortunately, technology can assist. AI-driven internal linking tools like Linkter are designed to automate and optimize much of this process, acting as a smart assistant for your internal link building.
Here's how leveraging a tool like Linkter can benefit your strategy:
Automated Link Suggestions
AI can analyze your site's content to identify relevant linking opportunities that you might miss.
For example, Linkter can scan a new blog post and suggest other pages on your site that cover related topics, prompting you to insert an internal link.
It can also find instances of important keywords in older posts and recommend linking them to your newly published page on that topic.
This ensures no opportunity for a helpful internal link goes unnoticed.
Smart Anchor Text Optimization
A good AI linking tool doesn't just drop links arbitrarily – it understands context.
Linkter's advanced recommendation system uses natural language processing to suggest anchor text that fits seamlessly into your copy.
This helps avoid the spammy or awkward anchor text issues that earlier automation tools had.
You can maintain consistency (so the same keyword points to the same page) without having to manually track it in spreadsheets.
In fact, as mentioned earlier, Linkter offers an Anchor Text Manager, a feature that allows you to oversee and adjust how anchors are used across your site, ensuring diversity and preventing cannibalization of anchors.
Continuous Auditing and Monitoring
Linkter also comes with auditing features.
It can continuously crawl your site to detect orphan pages, count internal links per page, and ensure new content is interlinked.
For example, if a page ends up with zero internal links, Linkter will flag it so you can address it (and suggest where to link it).
Linkter also integrates with Google Search Console to monitor if pages with added internal links start performing better (so you can see the ROI of your linking efforts).
Time Savings for Your Team
Perhaps the biggest advantage is efficiency.
By automating the rote work of scanning, suggesting, and even inserting links, AI frees you (and your team) to focus on higher-level strategy and content creation.
Imagine being able to ensure every new piece of content is properly linked within minutes of publishing, with minimal human effort.
That scalability is game-changing, especially for large content sites or e-commerce catalogs with thousands of pages.
Let's Wrap This Up
Internal linking might not have the glamour of external link building, but it is just as critical to SEO success – and completely in your control.
It boosts crawlability, distributes ranking power, enhances user engagement, and signals to Google what content on your site matters most.
Conversely, haphazard or poor internal linking can stifle your SEO potential.
The good news is that internal linking is a leverage point available to every site owner.
It's often the missing piece in an otherwise solid SEO strategy – an "overlooked tactic" that can deliver quick wins when fixed.
If the task seems daunting, consider harnessing an AI tool like Linkter to automate and guide your internal linking process.
