What is an internal link? A guide to SEO internal linking

Internal Link are often used by SEOs to strengthen the connections between content and increase conversions on a website. Because the work is not very hard, internal links tend to be underrated. But if an internal link structure is built properly around the reader's journey, it brings great value to a website. In this article, MONA Media will help you understand what an internal link is and give you the information you need about building internal links.

What is an internal link?

What is an internal link? An internal link is a link from one page to another on the same Website. This kind of link is generally used to guide users to related content on the site and to share link value.

These internal links also help your site get a better rating from Google and improve its chances of ranking higher in search results. In addition, site navigation, website menus and footer links all count as internal links. Even so, internal links usually focus on connecting the content on your own website.

Key benefits of internal links

The role of internal links every SEO understands, because they keep strengthening each stage of a business's funnel. When internal links are designed well, they create a smooth "customer flow" from awareness to action. So what exactly do internal links bring? Let's look with MONA in the content below.

Internal links affect SEO rankings

Internal links can have a big effect on the rankings SEO of your website. With internal links, you not only create a network between the pages of your site but also pass authority from one page to another. When page A links to page B, page A's authority is passed to page B, which improves page B's ability to rank in search engines.

In SEO, “link juice” is the amount of authority and value a link passes from one page to another on the same website. Internal links do not raise your site's overall authority, but they pass authority between its pages, which helps those pages rank higher in search results.

Internal links usually work best for SEO in two situations:

• Case 1: pages with strong authority because many links already point to them (usually the home page or other heavily linked pages).
• Case 2: all the other pages, which may already rank but not high (for example, on page 2 of Google). 

To get the most Digital SEO service out of internal links and build up authority, the “easiest” way is to link Case 1 pages to Case 2 pages. That spreads link strength (link juice), so the Case 2 pages “leo top” faster and bring in noticeably more traffic.

In more detail, here are two ways to work out which case each page on your site falls into, so you can get the most from your internal links:

#1: Find the pages with high authority

You can use Ahrefs to check by entering your domain and choosing Best By Link, and the tool will rank your pages by UR (URL Rating). A higher UR means the page has more quality backlinks and is more trusted. You can then create internal links to those pages to strengthen their ranking potential.

#2: Find the pages that already rank well

Use the analytics tool Google Webmaster Tools to find pages with high traffic, or pages sitting close to the top 10 that you can push higher, in these steps: 

• Step 1: Go to Google Search Console >> Search Result and set the date range you want (older data is kept for 90 days at most)

• Step 2: Filter and pick queries whose ranking position (Position) is greater than 10 and whose impressions (Impressions) cao.

• Step 3: Sort by average position and pick the queries with correspondingly high impressions (meaning many people search for them)
• Step 4: Pick the pages close to the top 10 with high impressions, then build internal links to give them a “push to the top”.

Use internal links to send users to pages with a high conversion rate

There's no denying that the more valuable and useful a page's content is, the more visits it attracts and the higher it ranks in search engines.

But not every page gets users to take action (sign up for a service, buy a product, fill in a consultation form, and so on). So linking from pages with a lot of traffic to pages with a high conversion rate not only gets more users to act, it also helps your website reach its business goals.

Example: From a blog post about cooking tips, you can link to a kitchenware product page. Readers are more likely to click through and buy when they are guided in the right direction, moving easily from reading to buying.

Find the pages with the most traffic

To see which pages on your site attract the most traffic, check Google Analytics with the following steps:

Choose the section Behavior >> Site content >> All pages. Then choose the time range you want (usually 3 to 6 months) and you'll get a report of your top-traffic pages, in order.

Pay close attention to pages with a “spike” in traffic caused by ad campaigns, emails and so on, because those pages are unlikely to keep growing steadily once the campaign ends.

Internal links nudge visitors to take action

When visitors reach your website, your goal Marketing is to create a smooth, engaging experience that draws in as much traffic as possible. Internal links are a great tool for doing exactly that. 

By placing internal links in strategic spots, you can lead users to more related content and remind them to interact or convert.

Example: When a customer is reading an article about a new product, you can add internal links to review articles, usage guides or related products. This gives the customer more useful information, builds trust and encourages actions such as buying or signing up for a service.

To check whether your content pushes customers to act, look at the end of your marketing articles and consider criteria such as:

• What is the last thing the text says? 
• Does it suggest an action to the customer?
• Is there a request for support at the end of the content? 
• Does it open a conversation or interaction, or does it just end?

Here are a few examples you can place under marketing articles as calls to action (CTAs):

• Learn more about our products here.
• Subscribe to our latest news here.
• See more related articles here.
• Contact our team here if you need any help.

Internal linking sounds familiar, right? Plenty of people know about it, but very few do it correctly and effectively. In this video, Huy shares lessons from hands-on work that you can apply straight away. Watch it and stop linking at random.

Types of internal links

So far, internal links can be divided into two main types: Navigational Internal Link (navigational internal links) and Contextual Internal Link (contextual internal links). MONA covers each type in detail below:

Navigational Internal Link

Navigational Internal Link build the main navigation structure of your website. This type of internal link is usually applied across the whole site so users can easily find what they want. Businesses usually put the essential pages in the site's main menu, or place internal links in the footer, sidebar and so on.

Contextual Internal Link

Contextual Internal Link are also called contextual internal links and usually sit inside the main content of a page. These links are placed within articles and point to pages on related topics.

To make these links stand out, you can change their color or use bold or italics so users are drawn to click them. After the click, users land on the page you want them to find.

-> Read more: What is link building? An effective link-building strategy for your website

How to optimize your website with internal links

Step 1: Choose the pages you want to rank at the top

Deciding which pages to push to the top of Google tells you which keywords you need and lets you plan the supporting articles. Pages that need SEO usually have high search volume and broad keywords.

Step 2: Build the keyword set and topic cluster for internal linking

The topic cluster is usually defined from the page you chose in step 1. That is the main page on a given topic, and any page related to that topic counts as supporting content that adds detail and depth to it.

Each supporting page needs a link back to the main topic page, showing that the main page is the most detailed, central source of content. You can define the main topic cluster and list sub-topics to create the supporting pages.

Step 3: Choose suitable anchor text

The question is whether you should use the main keyword as an Anchor Text or not?

In practice, there's no problem using anchor text that exactly matches the main keyword. For external links, though, doing so breaks Google's webmaster guidelines, whereas for Internal link that is not the case.

To pick anchor text that works well, keep these three things in mind:

• Variety: If the anchor text is always just the main keyword, you won't be penalized, but it will look unnatural. Vary your anchor text where you can.
• Length: Using long-tail keywords, and LSI keywords related to the main keyword, to lift the ranking of the whole keyword group for the page you want to SEO.
• Relevance: Use internal links with the most natural anchor text that still stays relevant.

You can open the performance report in Google Search Console to find more keywords. Even if they don't rank high or get many searches, creating varied anchor text that fits those queries brings real benefits for SEO.

Step 4: Identify page authority

Some landing pages on your site carry more authority than others, and you can use that to your advantage. The pages with the most authority are usually those that receive many backlink, and you can pass that link equity to other target pages through internal links.

Step 5: Create internal links to raise the ranking of your target page

Once you know which pages have high authority, you can use them to pass link juice and lift the rankings of your other pages.

All you need to do is create internal links from pages that receive a lot of valuable links. But if a high-authority page has no content related to the target page, don't build internal links between them.

Step 6: Use internal links to optimize new content on your site

If your site doesn't have many links, optimize new content to make up for it. To do this, look at your high-authority pages to spot opportunities for relevant internal links that support your SEO.

->See more: What is a Topic Cluster? 7 steps to implement an effective Topic Cluster

Internal link optimization criteria for your website 

In an SEO strategy, optimizing internal links is extremely important. To get the best results, follow these key criteria:

Place internal links on pages with high-quality backlinks

Pages with many quality backlinks usually carry high authority, so when you link from them you pass part of that trust and strength to the linked pages. This strengthens the site's overall authority, earns Google's approval and lifts rankings in search results.

A sensible number of internal links

Building an internal link system takes a clear plan and a reasonable number of links. When you add internal links, follow these principles:

• Link to the home page: Internal links should point back to the home page to strengthen the site as a whole.
• Link to related categories: Internal links should point to categories that hold related content, and to other categories, to connect pieces of content.
• Link to the previous and next articles: Internal links should point to the previous and next articles to give users a continuous path through the site.
• Link to the page itself: Make sure each page has internal links pointing back to itself, to reinforce connections and consistency.

Place internal links along the user's search journey

Understanding search intent and user behavior helps you place internal links sensibly and give readers real value. Analyze what users usually search for and adjust your internal links to provide the most useful information. Put links in suitable spots in the article so readers can easily find helpful information and reach related content.

What internal linking models are there?

Understanding SEO internal linking models well is an extremely important step and affects how effectively you build internal links for your site. These are the common internal linking models you can refer to and apply:

Pyramid model

In the pyramid internal linking model, the home page links to the main category pages, and each main category page links back to the home page through related keywords on the home page. This basic internal link model suits SEO for category pages and the home page.

One thing to note when building this model: place the important categories in sensible positions so users can see them easily.

Wheel model

The wheel internal linking model suits websites that target many different keywords on the same site. Unlike the pyramid model, which focuses on searching and navigating to a single landing page, the wheel model spreads links evenly across the sub-pages of the whole site.

The downside of the wheel model is that you spend a lot of time on keyword SEO, and Google doesn't rate it highly because crawl bots can't tell which page is the destination.

Silo model

Silo structure is a structure built through internal links that connects pages and shows clearly how they relate to each other. When internal links follow a silo structure, Google's crawl bots collect information more easily and users reach products faster.

Common problems when building internal links

When you put internal links in place, you may run into the following common errors:

Broken links

• Problem: 404 Not Found errors usually appear when an internal link is broken, so users and search engines are sent to pages that don't exist.
• Fix: Remove the link or replace it with a link to a live page.

Links that can't be crawled

• Problem: URL is incorrect, so the link breaks and can't be crawled.
• Fix: Check the URL again and fix its format if needed.

Too many internal links on one page

• Problem: In fact, there's no rule on the maximum number of links per page. But too many internal links overload your site and hurt quality and usability for users. When you check internal links in a site audit report, you'll see the page flagged.
• Fix: Run audit website and check the pages that hold more than 3,000 links, then remove some.

Nofollow attribute

• Problem: Attribute Nofollow will limit Google's crawl bots from crawling your site.
• Fix: Remove the nofollow attribute from the flagged internal links

Redirect 301

• Problem: Redirect 301 can slow down how fast your site gets crawled.
• Fix: Remove the redirects and update internal links to send users and Googlebot straight to the destination page.

Redirect chains and loops

• Problem: Internal links that trigger redirect chains and loops make it hard for search engines to crawl your data.
• Fix: Fix it the same way as 301 redirect errors.

Links from HTTPS pages to HTTP

• Problem: Mistakenly pointing URLs to HTTP pages creates unnecessary redirects
• Fix: Update every link HTTP so it points to the right pages HTTPS.

Every page has only one internal link

• Problem: If every page on your site has just a single internal link, your site misses opportunities for both UX and SEO.
• Fix: Identify other related content pages so you can add more complete, relevant internal links.

Internal link optimization techniques that work well

Optimizing internal links is an important part of building a solid SEO structure for a website, but not every SEOer knows these techniques well. So MONA has put together tips for optimizing internal links effectively, to help you improve your site's rankings and get the most traffic:

Create internal links to pages with related content

In each article, try to add at least two links to pages with related content that readers may care about. This helps Google understand your content better and makes your site more useful to users. 

Building internal links between pages with related content brings these benefits:

• A more logical structure: Creating internal links between related pages builds a logical system across your site. It creates a flow of useful information that meets users' search needs. Users can move between related pages easily and find information conveniently.
• Support Google Bot: Tightly connected internal links make it easy for Googlebot to follow your internal link system, understand website structure and index pages faster. Internal links also help the bot discover and reach new pages on your site efficiently.

Place internal links on high-traffic pages

Placing internal links on high-traffic pages is an important SEO strategy. When you use pages with a lot of traffic and add internal links to your new pages and your product or service pages, you guide users effectively and also improve conversion.

Internal links from high-traffic pages strengthen the SEO of the target pages, helping them climb to higher positions on search engine. They also help reduce bounce rate, keep users on your site longer and improve the overall experience on your website.

Vary your anchor text 

Anchor Text is the highlighted text in a link that users click to reach other pages. To get the best results, use a variety of anchor text types for your internal links. 

By varying anchor text for both internal and outbound links, you keep your articles tight and natural and earn Google's approval. In detail:

• Natural and in context: Varied anchor text makes links look more natural and fit the context of the paragraph. Instead of only using the main keyword you want to rank for, choose anchor text related to the content of the page you link to. This helps Googlebot judge the target page's content more accurately.
• Google's approval: Google values varied, natural anchor text. Using related keywords, phrases that describe the content, or even ordinary words as anchor text helps Google better understand the page you link to.

Build the main menu 

A menu system is an essential part of every website. It helps users find information and helps search engines like Google understand your site structure. To build an effective menu, it's vital to set up clear, accurate sections. 

So keep these points in mind when building a menu with internal links:

• Identify the important pages: By identifying the important pages on your site, you can build a systematic menu that helps users find information easily. Important pages are usually the home page, product or service pages, the about page, the blog, or pages with high-quality content.
• SEO Onpage: Internal links are an important item in an on-page SEO checklist. By building tight, systematic internal links, you create a good site structure that helps users navigate and convert. They also help Googlebot collect information from your site easily, so pages get indexed quickly and rankings improve in search engines.

Build internal links in the website footer

Internal links in the footer may not be valued as highly as links at the top of the page, but that doesn't mean they don't matter. 

Here is what's commonly placed in footer internal links, as a reference:

• General information about the business.
• Secondary menu.
• The products and services the business offers.
• Featured events.
• Website terms and policies.

Measure a sensible number of internal links

Building effective internal links doesn't mean adding as many as possible. Google sets no specific limit on internal links, but you should still judge it yourself, and spread internal links sensibly to fit the article's content so you get a good click-through rate (click-through rate). 

In detail, the number of links shouldn't be so high that it creates noise, nor so low that it weakens navigation. According to SEO experts, the usual optimal limit is about 150 internal links per page, so search engines can crawl easily and understand your site structure.

Internal links can appear in many places: the header, footer, navigation bar and the main content of an article. Links in the header usually carry higher SEO value, so put your most important links there to get the most benefit.

Create a link structure that can be crawled

For search engines to find and index all the pages on your site, a link structure is essential. A sound link structure also helps “link juice” spread across the whole site, which builds authority and lifts page rankings. 

Internal links also help search engines discover and index new pages, making sure all content on the site is found and fairly assessed. This improves SEO rankings and makes your site work better.

Show breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs (Breadcrumbs) are an important tool placed below the main menu. They show the parent folders of an article and help users move between categories and related articles. 

Every link in the breadcrumb trail is an important internal link that distributes SEO strength across pages on the same site. This improves the page's ranking in search engines and helps users find what they need quickly, improving the overall experience. So hiding the breadcrumb trail is a big omission you should fix. 

Avoid links in submission forms and internal search boxes

When linking internally, note that links in submission forms and internal search boxes can cause problems. These forms are usually built as drop-down menus or user surveys, and they aren't always search-engine friendly.

Search engine crawlers can't reach the “submit” step in a form. That means any content or links reached through the form won't be visible to search engines, so you may miss chances to optimize your site and attract SEO traffic.

Likewise, content behind an internal search box can't be discovered by crawlers. So avoid using internal links in these elements, so all important content can be recognized and indexed by search engines and your site performs better.

Use follow links

Both the meta robots tag and robots.txt file can limit search crawlers' access to pages on your site. So to make sure search engines can find the pages on your site, use follow links to let them follow links and discover new pages. 

Follow links also boost the effectiveness of Content Marketing campaigns by optimizing the flow of visits between pages, which increases traffic and time on site.

Link deep

Instead of linking to pages already in the main navigation, like the home page or contact page, focus on in-depth content pages. This helps search engines crawl and index all of your site's content, and gives users access to detailed, valuable information.

Link deep brings many benefits, such as raising the SEO ranking of important pages that few links point to, while improving the user experience. By pointing internal links to detailed articles or specific service pages, you give users more chances to reach them and also raise conversion and customer retention.

Use natural links

Using internal links naturally in your content matters a lot in SEO. When you insert an internal link, you're not just signaling that the linked content is important, you're also encouraging readers to explore more.

Remember, link quality always matters more than quantity. Make sure every link you add gives value and relates to the topic of the page being viewed. That creates a better user experience and keeps users on your site longer. A natural link makes readers curious, which raises interaction and improves your SEO ranking. 

Pages you should and shouldn't link to

Internal links are an important part of an SEO strategy. They improve the user experience and lift your site's rankings in search engines. But you need to choose carefully which pages to link to and which to leave out to get the best results.

Types of pages you should link to

To build a clear, effective internal link model, focus on these types of pages:

• High-converting pages: Product and service information pages, and review or testimonial pages, can turn visitors into customers. With call-to-action that persuade, compelling headlines and eye-catching visuals, internal links to these pages will bring more visitors and a higher conversion rate.
• Content-rich pages: Long, high-quality content is good for SEO and adds value to your site. Link these pages to each other to build a rich network of information so users can find what they need, which improves their experience.
• Deep pages: Deep pages are usually pages not linked directly from the home page, such as an about page or a detailed service description. Linking to them helps search engines index and value your content, and gives users detailed information.

Types of pages you shouldn't link to

Internal linking is a safe, low-risk strategy, but not every page needs a link. These are the types of pages to avoid when building internal links:

• Home page: Linking to the home page usually adds little value because it's the easiest page to find on any website. The home page also already has enough links from other parts of the site. Focus on linking to more specific content pages instead.
• About and contact pages: Although these pages give users necessary information, they shouldn't be the focus of your internal link strategy. About and contact pages usually don't hold much content that's valuable for SEO, and don't need many links.

Tools for checking internal links 

Here are a few effective internal link checking tools you can refer to:

Ahrefs

Ahrefs Colocation is a SEO tools is a powerful, popular tool used to check and analyze internal links on a website. It offers many useful features to evaluate and optimize your site's internal links.

With Ahrefs, you can:

• Find the number and quality of internal links on your site.
• Analyze the anchor text used in internal links.
• Check and track changes in internal links over time.
• Detect broken internal links (404) and other related issues.
• Learn about your site's internal link structure and find ways to fix it.

Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog is a popular, powerful SEO spider used to check and analyze the parts of a website, including internal links. It's very useful for checking and tracking your site's internal links.

With Screaming Frog, you can:

• Find and identify internal links on your site.
• Check the status of internal links, including broken links (404).
• Analyze the anchor text used in your content.
• Track changes in internal links over time.
• Generate detailed reports on your site's internal link structure and suggest improvements.

In short, Internal Link are extremely important in SEO. Building and optimizing tight, systematic internal links not only guides users but also helps Googlebot collect information from your site easily. That creates effective conversion opportunities and gets your site indexed faster. To put internal links to work and reach the top of Google quickly, contact MONA today for a detailed SEO quote in full detail.