An internal link connects two pages on the same website. Its first job is to help a reader move to relevant information. Across a whole site, those links also create a map of the content and a route through which crawlers can discover pages.
A good linking plan starts with relationships: prerequisites, deeper explanations, alternatives and next actions. It does not start with a target number of links to place in every paragraph.
Give each link a reason to exist
In an article about crawlability, a link to a detailed robots.txt explanation can resolve an immediate question. A link to an unrelated trend report interrupts the reader, even if the destination is a page the publisher wants to promote.
Before inserting a link, finish this sentence: “A reader at this point may need…” If the answer is concrete, the link probably has a purpose. If the only answer is “to pass authority,” reconsider its placement. Search engines use links in multiple ways, but a useful editorial system should remain understandable without a ranking theory.
Write anchor text that sets expectations
Anchor text is the visible text of the link. Prefer wording that identifies the destination and fits the surrounding sentence. “Diagnose crawling problems” tells readers more than “click here.” Repeating an exact phrase unnaturally across the site is unnecessary.
For example, “Review the technical audit checklist before changing your templates” identifies both the resource and its role. The sentence still reads naturally. Avoid making an entire paragraph clickable, and do not rely on color alone to identify inline links.
Combine navigation with contextual paths
Navigation provides stable routes to major sections. A category lists resources on a topic. Contextual links connect a particular question to its answer. Related-article links offer another route when someone finishes reading. These patterns complement one another.
A footer containing every article is a poor substitute for a useful hub. Likewise, a well-designed menu does not eliminate the need for links inside articles. Use the hierarchy described in SEO site architecture to assign each type of link an appropriate role.
Find pages that the link network misses
Start a crawl from the homepage, then compare the discovered URLs with your publishing inventory. A published guide absent from the crawl may be orphaned, excluded by the crawler configuration or reachable only through a mechanism the tool did not follow. Inspect the cause before declaring it an orphan.
When the page is genuinely disconnected, add it to the appropriate hub and update one or more relevant older articles. Do not simply link every new page from an arbitrary high-traffic page. The guide to how crawlers discover pages explains why link reachability and indexing status must be checked separately.
Repair recurring mistakes
- Links to redirects: update links to the intended final URL when possible, and investigate chains.
- Broken destinations: restore the intended resource, choose a relevant replacement or remove the link with context.
- Generic repeated anchors: describe the destination where it helps the reader distinguish resources.
- Excessive automation: review automatically inserted links for relevance and repetition.
- Links to duplicate versions: consistently reference the preferred URL.
- Script-only navigation: confirm that a normal anchor with a usable href exists where discovery matters.
Google’s link best practices describe crawlable link syntax and descriptive anchor text. Apply those technical foundations while keeping editorial relevance as the placement test.
Make linking part of publication and maintenance
Before publishing, select a primary category and add two or three useful onward paths where the subject warrants them. After publishing, update relevant existing articles so the new resource has inbound routes. During maintenance, review those links when articles are renamed, merged or retired.
Useful outcome: readers can continue a task without returning to a search engine for every prerequisite. Internal links create that continuity. They differ from backlinks earned from other sites, which introduce an outside editorial context you do not control.