How to Do Internal Linking the Right Way

Internal linking is one of the most impactful SEO improvements you can make — and one of the most consistently ignored.

Unlike backlinks, which require convincing someone else to link to you, internal links are entirely within your control. They cost nothing, require no outreach, and when done strategically, can significantly improve both your rankings and your conversion rates.

Most sites either ignore internal linking entirely or do it randomly. This guide shows you how to do it strategically.

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Why Internal Linking Matters

For SEO: Internal links distribute "link equity" (ranking power) across your site. Pages that receive many internal links signal to Google that they're important. Pages with no internal links (orphan pages) are effectively invisible to search engines.

Internal links also help Google understand the relationship between your pages — which pages cover related topics, which is the authority page on a topic, and how your content is organized.

For users: Good internal linking keeps readers on your site longer by guiding them to relevant content. A reader on a how-to guide might benefit from reading a related template or case study. A well-placed internal link serves that need.

For conversion: Strategic internal linking moves readers through your content funnel. A reader on an awareness-stage post, linked to a consideration-stage comparison page, linked to a product page with a free trial CTA — that's a content conversion funnel built through internal links.

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Step 1: Understand Link Equity and Passing Authority

Link equity (sometimes called "PageRank" or "link juice") flows from high-authority pages to linked pages. When a high-authority page links to a lower-authority page, some of that authority transfers.

Practical implication: Your highest-traffic, most-linked pages are your most valuable internal linking assets. Identify them in Google Search Console (Pages → by traffic) and make sure they're linking to your high-priority target pages.

Rule of thumb: Priority pages (pages you most want to rank) should receive the most internal links from your most authoritative pages.

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Step 2: Audit Your Current Internal Link Structure

Before optimizing, understand what you have. A basic internal link audit:

Find orphan pages (pages with no internal links): Use Screaming Frog (free up to 500 pages) or Ahrefs' Site Audit tool. Pages with zero internal links pointing to them are invisible to Google.

Find your most-linked-to internal pages: In Ahrefs, go to Site Explorer → Internal Links → Best by Links. This shows which of your pages receive the most internal links — these are your strongest internal assets.

Find pages that receive too many clicks but have no internal links pointing to them: These pages are performing despite a lack of support. Add internal links and watch rankings improve.

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Step 3: Build a Hub-and-Spoke Link Architecture

The most effective internal linking structure is the hub-and-spoke (pillar-cluster) model:

Hub (Pillar page): A comprehensive, high-priority page targeting a broad keyword. It links out to all cluster pages and receives links back from each of them.

Spokes (Cluster pages): Individual posts or pages covering specific sub-topics. Each links back to the hub and cross-links to related spokes.

How to implement:

1. Identify your 3–5 most important topic areas (these become your hubs)
2. Map which existing posts belong to each hub
3. Add links from each spoke to its hub (at minimum)
4. Add links from the hub to each spoke
5. Add cross-links between related spokes

This creates a network of internal links that concentrates authority at the hub pages — exactly where you want it.

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Step 4: Use Descriptive Anchor Text

Anchor text — the clickable text of a link — is an important signal to Google about what the linked page covers.

Good anchor text: Descriptive, keyword-relevant

• "Learn how to build a content strategy"
• "See our content strategy template"
• "Our guide to topic clusters"

Bad anchor text:

• "Click here" (no context)
• "Read more" (no context)
• "This article" (no context)

Rules for anchor text:

• Use the primary keyword of the linked page in the anchor text when natural
• Vary anchor text — don't always use the exact same phrase to link to the same page (it can look unnatural)
• Don't over-optimize (don't force keyword-exact anchor text into every link)

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Step 5: Link from High-Authority Pages to Priority Pages

Your oldest, most-linked-from-external-sources pages carry the most authority. Use them strategically to boost pages you want to rank.

Identify your high-authority pages:

• Google Search Console → Pages → Sort by clicks (most traffic)
• Ahrefs → Site Explorer → Top Pages

Identify your priority pages:

• Pages you most want to rank (often commercial/decision-stage pages)
• New pages that need a boost
• Pages that are close to ranking but stuck on page 2

Action: Review your high-authority pages and find natural opportunities to link to your priority pages. Add or improve those links.

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Step 6: Build a "Related Content" System

Related content sections — "You might also like" or "Related resources" — at the bottom of each post are a systematic way to add internal links.

For each piece of content, identify 2–4 genuinely related pieces and add a related content section. This should be semi-automated: if your CMS supports it, build a system to show related posts based on category, tag, or manual curation.

This ensures every piece of content receives some internal links, even orphan pages.

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Step 7: Add Contextual Links During Content Creation

The best time to add internal links is when you're writing new content:

• When you mention a topic that you've written about elsewhere, link to it
• When you reference a template, tool, or guide you have, link to it
• When you mention a concept you've explained more deeply elsewhere, link to it

Build this into your publishing checklist: "Before publishing, add 2–4 contextual internal links."

Pro tip: When you publish new content, go back to 3–5 older related posts and add links to the new piece from there. This gives new content an immediate internal linking boost.

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Step 8: Track and Audit Quarterly

Internal link structure changes as you add content. Audit quarterly:

• Are new pieces of content receiving internal links?
• Are high-priority pages still receiving sufficient internal links?
• Have any orphan pages been created since the last audit?
• Are any new hub pages needed as you enter new topic areas?

A simple spreadsheet tracking your priority pages and their internal link count is enough for most sites.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Linking to your homepage too much: Many internal link audits reveal that a site's most-linked-to internal page is its homepage. Unless the homepage is a conversion page, this wastes internal link equity on a page that typically doesn't need it.

Generic anchor text everywhere: "Click here" and "read more" provide no context to Google. Use descriptive anchor text that includes keywords.

Forgetting orphan pages: New content that doesn't receive any internal links may never get crawled by Google. Always link to new content from related existing pages.

Over-linking: A 1,000-word blog post with 20 internal links is a link farm, not a resource. Aim for 2–6 contextual links per 1,000 words of content.

Ignoring link placement: Links buried at the bottom of a page pass less equity than links placed earlier in the content. Priority links should appear in the first 200–300 words when natural.

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How Averi Helps

Averi's content drafting workflow suggests internal linking opportunities as you write — pulling relevant pages from your content library and recommending natural anchor text. This makes it much easier to maintain consistent internal linking without needing a separate audit process.

Pair that with Averi's Strategy Map, which maps your topic clusters and recommends the hub-and-spoke architecture for your content, and you have both the strategic blueprint and the production workflow for internal linking at scale.

Start building your content architecture →

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FAQ

How many internal links should a blog post have?

A general guideline: 2–5 internal links per 1,000 words of content. The right number depends on how many genuinely relevant internal pages exist. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.

Should I link to external sites as well?

Yes. Linking to high-quality external sources demonstrates credibility and helps Google understand what your content is about. Don't be afraid of external links. Just make sure they open in a new tab so readers don't leave your site.

Does internal linking really help rankings?

Yes, meaningfully. Internal linking helps Google discover and crawl your content, understand its relevance to a topic, and prioritize which pages to rank for which keywords. Pages that receive strong internal links rank better than equivalent pages with no internal links.

What's the most impactful internal linking change I can make right now?

Find your highest-traffic pages in Google Search Console. Find your highest-priority commercial pages (the ones you most want to rank). Add natural, contextual internal links from the former to the latter. This often produces visible ranking improvements in 30–60 days.

Should I add a table of contents with internal anchor links?

Yes, for long-form content (2,000+ words). A table of contents at the top improves UX and can also result in jump-links appearing in Google's search results, which increases click-through rates.