Internal Linking for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide
Internal links are the links between pages on your own website. They help visitors move around, and they help Google find your pages and understand how they relate. This guide explains how they work, how to write good link text, and how to add them step by step.
- Clear definitions
- Anchor text examples
- Step-by-step method
- Based on Google’s docs
| From page | Link text | To page |
|---|---|---|
| Home | SEO guides | /learn/ |
| /learn/ | what is SEO | /what-is-seo/ |
| /what-is-seo/ | keyword research | /keyword-research-for-beginners/ |
| /old-page/ | (no links in) | orphan page |
What internal links are and why they matter
An internal link goes from one page of your site to another page of the same site. A link to a different website is an external link, and a link from another site to yours is a backlink.
Google’s documentation says internal links help people and Google navigate your site and understand it. Its key principle is simple: every page you care about should be linked from at least one other page on your site. Google mainly discovers pages by following links, so a page with no links pointing to it can be hard to find.
Google also says there is no ideal number of links per page, but that excessive linking is likely a problem. The goal is useful links in context, not as many links as possible.
- Help Google discover new pages
- Show which pages are related
- Guide visitors to the next useful page
- Give link text that describes the target
A crawlable link in code
Google generally follows only <a> elements that have an href attribute. Links built only from script events or other tags may not be found.
Good
- Real address in href
- Readable link text
Not recommended
- No href, so it may not be crawled
- Generic text tells nothing
How to write good link text
Anchor text is the visible, clickable text. It tells readers and Google what the target page is about.
| Situation | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Generic | click here | read the on-page SEO checklist |
| Too long | read our complete guide to everything about writing titles and descriptions for pages | title tags and meta descriptions |
| Stuffed | best cheap SEO services SEO services cheap | affordable SEO services |
| Image link | image with empty alt text | image with a descriptive alt attribute |
Google’s advice: make anchor text descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to both pages, avoid “click here” and “read more”, and do not stuff keywords. For an image link, Google uses the image’s alt text as the anchor text.
How to add internal links to your site
List your important pages
Write down the pages that matter most: service pages, your best guides, and key product or category pages. These are the pages you want people and Google to reach.
Check your menu and footer
Main navigation links appear on every page. Put only your most important sections there, so the menu stays short and clear.
Add links inside your text
While writing, link to related pages where the reader would naturally want more detail. A link in a relevant sentence has more context than a link in a long list.
Write descriptive anchor text
Use words that describe the target page. Read the anchor on its own: if it makes no sense out of context, add detail.
Link back from older pages
When you publish a new page, find two or three older, related pages and link to the new one. Otherwise the new page may have no links pointing at it.
Find orphan pages and broken links
An orphan page has no internal links pointing to it. A site audit tool or crawler can list these. See the site audit tools comparison. Fix broken links by updating or removing them.
A simple site structure to aim for
Home
Links to your main sections.
Category or hub pages
Each introduces a topic and lists related pages.
Individual pages
Articles and services, linked from their hub.
Related links
Pages link sideways to close topics.
This layout is a common practical approach, not a requirement from Google. Google only asks that your pages are linked and make sense to users.
Internal links on WordPress
Add links by hand
In the block editor, select text and use the link tool. Search for the page and pick it.
Use Appearance, Menus
Keep main navigation short. Add key pages, not every page.
Link suggestion tools
Some plugins suggest or insert links from keywords you set. They save time, but review the results. See automated internal linking software.
Mistakes to avoid
Orphan pages
New pages with no links in are easy to miss.
“Click here” links
They tell neither people nor Google anything.
Too many links
Dozens of links in a row lose context and are hard to scan.
Links that need JavaScript events
Links without a real href may not be crawled.
Linking to redirected or broken URLs
Slows people down and wastes crawling.
Nofollow on your own pages
Google suggests nofollow for untrusted or paid external links, not for normal internal links.
Internal linking questions
How many internal links should a page have?
Google gives no ideal number. Add as many as help the reader, and avoid excessive linking.
Do internal links help rankings?
They help Google find and understand your pages, and they guide visitors. Google does not give a promised ranking effect, so treat them as good site structure, not a shortcut.
Should I use exact keywords as anchor text?
Use descriptive text that fits the sentence. Natural wording is fine. Repeating the same keyword unnaturally is keyword stuffing.
What is an orphan page?
A page with no internal links pointing to it. Google may not discover it unless it appears in a sitemap or has other links.
Should internal links open in a new tab?
Google gives no rule. Most guidance for usability suggests opening internal links in the same tab.
The site structure layout and the idea of reviewing automated link suggestions are practical advice, not Google requirements. Examples use fictional pages.