Internal linking means linking from one page on your site to another. It helps search engines find your pages and helps readers move to the next useful one. Google's rule is simple: every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page. The rest is judgment about where links help a reader.
Why do internal links matter?
Search engines discover pages by following links. Google's guidance on crawlable links says that every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. A page nothing links to is an orphan page, and it may never be found.
Links also tell people and crawlers how your topics relate. A post that links to three related posts shows the reader where to go next. That is the reason to link, and it is a better test than any counting rule.
How many internal links should a page have?
There is no target. Google states that there is no magical ideal number of links a page should contain. Ignore advice that gives a fixed number per 1,000 words. Instead ask, for each link, whether a reader at this exact sentence would want to go there.
What makes a link crawlable?
Google says it can generally only crawl a link that is an <a> HTML element, and that most links in other formats will not be parsed. A button that runs JavaScript on click, with no real link behind it, is invisible to a crawler. Links added with JavaScript are fine as long as they use the standard markup.
Quick check: right-click the link in your browser. If you can open it in a new tab, it is probably a real link.
How should you write anchor text?
Anchor text is the clickable words. Google describes good anchor text as descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to the page it points to. Compare these:
- Weak: "click here", "read more", "this post"
- Better: "how to fix redirect chains", "our canonical URL guide"
Google also warns against cramming every keyword into anchors and against placing several links side by side, since readers then struggle to tell them apart. Write the sentence naturally first, then link the words that describe the destination.
A simple internal linking process
- List your important pages. Start with the ones that earn leads or define what you do.
- Group posts by topic. This is the idea behind a topic cluster, where related posts link to each other and to a main page. A content pillar is the broad page at the center.
- Add links when you publish. In each new post, link out to two to four older posts that help the reader. Then go back to those older posts and link in to the new one. The second step is the one people forget.
- Audit quarterly. Find pages with no incoming links, and fix them.
Where do links help most?
| Location | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Inside body copy | Context and next steps for readers | Too many links in one paragraph |
| Navigation and footer | Core pages every visitor needs | Stuffing it with every page |
| "Related posts" blocks | Keeping readers in a topic | Links unrelated to the page |
| Hub or topic pages | Listing every post on a subject | Letting the list go stale |
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Linking to redirected URLs. Update links to point at the final address. See how to fix redirect chains.
- Linking to duplicates. Always link to the canonical version of a page.
- Only linking from the menu. Contextual links inside content carry meaning that a menu does not.
- Linking everything to the home page. Link to the most specific helpful page.
- Letting old posts rot. When you refresh a post, check that its links still work and add links to newer posts.
Do internal links help with AI search?
Google says its AI features in Search rely on the same foundations as ordinary SEO, and that pages must be indexed and eligible to appear with a snippet to be shown as supporting links. You can read this in its guide to AI features and your website. Internal links help get pages discovered and indexed, which is a precondition. Nobody outside the AI providers can say how links weigh in a given answer, so treat any claim of a direct boost with caution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many internal links per page is best?
Google says there is no ideal number. Add a link wherever it helps the reader take a useful next step.
Do internal links pass SEO value?
Links help crawlers find pages and understand how they relate. Google does not publish a formula for how much each link is worth.
Should internal links open in a new tab?
Usually not. Keeping readers in the same tab is the common convention, and it has no documented SEO effect.
Can I use the same anchor text twice?
Yes, if both links point to the same page. If it points to different pages, make the words more specific so readers can tell them apart.
How do I find pages with no internal links?
Compare your sitemap URLs with the URLs a crawler reaches by following links. Pages in the first list but not the second are orphans.