On-page SEO · Beginner

Internal linking

Internal linking is linking from one page on your site to another. Internal links help visitors and crawlers find pages, show which pages matter, and pass authority from strong pages to others.

By Thryv StudioUpdated

Category
On-page SEO
Level
Beginner
Types
Navigation links and contextual links in the text
Most valuable
Relevant links inside the content

What is internal linking?

Every link from one of your pages to another is an internal link. Navigation menus and footers provide some; the most useful are contextual links inside the text, where the surrounding words explain what the linked page is about.

Why it matters

  • Crawlers discover pages by following links.
  • Pages linked from many relevant places look more important.
  • Links pass authority, so linking from strong pages lifts weaker ones.
  • Readers find related information and stay longer.

Best practices

  1. Link from relevant pages that mention the target's topic.
  2. Use descriptive anchor text rather than "click here".
  3. Link to final URLs, not redirects.
  4. Organize content into topic clusters around pillar pages.

Frequently asked questions

How many internal links should a page have?

As many as are genuinely useful. A few well-placed contextual links do more than long link lists.

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