Top 7 Internal Linking Strategies for SEO

Internal linking is a simple yet powerful way to improve your website’s SEO. It helps search engines understand your site, distributes authority across pages, and makes navigation easier for users. Here’s a quick summary of effective strategies to boost your internal linking:

• Distribute Backlink Authority: Link high-authority pages to weaker ones to share SEO value.
• Organise with Topic Clusters: Use pillar pages and related subtopics to structure content.
• Boost Top Pages: Link to your best-performing pages to further improve their rankings.
• Fix Broken Links: Regularly audit and repair broken links or redirect chains.
• Use Clear Anchor Text: Make links descriptive and relevant to improve usability and rankings.
• Target Long-Tail Keywords: Link using specific keywords for better conversions.
• Apply the Hub-and-Spoke Model: Create a clear hierarchy by linking a central hub to detailed spoke pages.

These strategies not only enhance SEO but also improve user experience. Start implementing them today to make your site more effective and organised.

Internal Linking SEO Strategy Masterclass

1. Use Internal Links to Distribute Backlink Authority

Internal linking plays a key role in improving your website’s SEO. By linking high-authority pages to other relevant pages on your site, you can share backlink authority across your content. This strengthens your website’s overall standing with search engines.

How to Get Started

Use online tools like Google Search Console to identify your top-performing pages. These pages are often rich in backlinks and rank well, so they can help boost newer or weaker content when linked strategically. Beyond authority sharing, internal links also guide search engines to important pages, improving crawlability.

Here are some tips for effective internal linking

• Keep internal links between 10-20 per page.
• Link to pages that are topically related.
• Focus on linking from high-authority pages to less-established or underperforming content.

Best Practices for Internal Linking

The best practices for internal linking include:

• Regularly audit your internal links to ensure they work efficiently.
• Build meaningful connections between related pages and ensure all relevant content is accessible through your linking structure. This helps search engines understand the structure and organisation of your site and improves how authority is shared.
• To take it a step further, consider grouping your content into clusters. This can enhance your internal linking strategy and make your site even more SEO-friendly.

2. Organise Content with Topic Clusters

Topic clusters are a smart way to structure your content. They help clarify your site’s layout and emphasise its relevance to specific topics, boosting SEO performance. Instead of spreading authority across individual pages, this method connects related content into a well-organised system, creating a more substantial overall impact.

What Are Topic Clusters?

A topic cluster consists of a pillar page that covers a broad subject, supported by other pages diving into related subtopics. A pillar page features an overview of a topic on one central page and is vital for SEO success. For example, if your pillar page is about “SEO Strategies”, your supporting pages will focus on areas like keyword research, technical SEO, or content optimisation.

How to Build Topic Clusters

To create a topic cluster, start with a detailed pillar page on one main broad topic. Then, add supporting pages that explore related subtopics in more depth. Use clear, descriptive anchor text to link these pages back to the pillar page and to each other. This creates a network of interconnected content that reinforces the relevance of your topic.

Why Use Topic Clusters?

This approach makes your site easier to navigate, improves crawlability, and highlights the connections between your content. To ensure that it stays relevant and effective, regularly review your internal links and update them as you add new content.

Once your topic clusters are in place, you can give your best-performing pages an extra boost by strategically linking to them from other parts of your site.

3. Boost Top Pages with Internal Links

Using internal links effectively can help improve the visibility of your best pages on search engines while also enhancing your site’s crawlability and overall authority.

Choosing the Right Pages to Link

Focus on pages already performing well or with high potential for traffic or conversions. These are often pages that align closely with your site’s main topics. Link to these pages from related content throughout your site to strengthen their authority and improve SEO performance.

How to Implement Links Effectively

When adding internal links, make sure they fit naturally into your content and are relevant to the topic of the source page. For example, link a popular blog post to other pages covering similar subjects to build topical relevance and authority.

Track and Adjust Your Strategy

Use tools like Screaming Frog to check your internal links regularly. This ensures that link equity is distributed properly and that your most important pages get the attention they deserve. These checks also help search engines navigate your site more efficiently.

Key Tips for Internal Linking:

• Use descriptive, keyword-focused anchor text.
• Keep links contextually relevant to the content.
• Spread link equity across your key pages.
• Vary anchor text naturally to avoid over-optimisation.

4. Repair Broken Links and Redirect Chains

Keeping your internal links in good shape means staying on top of broken links and redirect chains. According to an Ahrefs study, about 66.5% of links have died over the last 9 years. These issues can hurt a website’s SEO and frustrate users.

How to Spot and Fix Broken Links

Tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog can help you find broken links. Running monthly or quarterly audits is a smart way to keep your site running smoothly and ensures that you stay on top of any issues that may arise.

Redirects: What You Need to Know

Redirect chains, when there is more than one redirect between the initial link and a single destination page, can slow down your site, waste crawl budget, and create a poor user experience. Simplify these by setting up direct redirects to the final URL.

Tips for Managing Redirects:

• Use 301 redirects for permanent changes to pass on link equity.
• Stick to 302 redirects for temporary changes only.
• Regularly review and remove unnecessary redirects to keep your site fast and efficient.

When redirect chains are in place, this can affect a website’s performance, increasing load times and causing 404 errors and broken links. To avoid this issue, it’s best to limit redirects by ensuring the redirect goes straight to the final target URL when updating content to speed up your site and keep visitors satisfied. – Neil Patel.

Why Regular Audits Matter

Routinely check for broken links and redirect issues using online tools. These regular checks can improve your site’s overall performance. Fixing these problems makes it easier for search engines to crawl your site and boosts your internal linking strategy.

Once you’ve fixed broken links and redirect chains, you can shift your attention to refining anchor text for even better SEO results.

5. Use Clear Anchor Text

Using descriptive anchor text instead of vague phrases like “click here” helps both search engines and users understand the content you’re linking to. This approach improves the impact of your topic clusters and helps distribute authority effectively.

Best Practices for Anchor Text

Anchor text should be informative, concise, and fit naturally within the content. Avoid using too many keywords. Instead, use a mix of variations for links pointing to the same page to keep it natural and effective [1][7].

Impact on Search Performance

Anchor Text Example	Effectiveness
“Click here”	Poor
“SEO strategies guide”	Good
“Complete 2025 SEO guide”	Better

For example, “SEO strategies guide” is far more useful than “click here” because it gives a clear idea of the linked content’s subject.

Tools for Optimisation

Tools like Moz Pro Site Crawl and Clearscope can help you review your website’s anchor text and find opportunities for better internal linking.

Keep your anchor text updated to maintain an effective internal linking strategy. Once optimised, focus on using internal links to target long-tail keywords, further boosting your site’s SEO performance.

6. Link Internally for Long-Tail Keywords

Using internal links for long-tail keywords helps target specific queries that often lead to higher conversions. This approach boosts your site’s visibility while making it easier for search engines to understand and index your more detailed content.

Finding the Right Opportunities

Long-tail keywords might not have massive search volumes, but they often convert better than broader terms. Tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or SEMrush can help you pinpoint these keywords in your content.

Keyword Type	Search Intent	Conversion Potential
Short-tail	Broad, general intent	Lower conversion rate
Long-tail	Specific, detailed intent	Higher conversion rate
Product-specific	Purchase-focused intent	Highest conversion rate

How to Use Them Effectively

For example, instead of linking to a generic “digital marketing services” page, use a descriptive anchor like “custom digital marketing strategies for startups”. This makes the link more eye-catching and relevant for users and search engines.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t overuse the same long-tail keyword as your anchor text. Mix it up with slight variations to keep the content natural and engaging.

Tracking Your Progress

Keep an eye on metrics like search visibility, authority flow, user engagement, and conversions to evaluate how well your internal links are performing. SEO tools can help you refine and optimise your most effective keyword links.

Once you’ve nailed down your long-tail keyword strategy, you can move on to organising your site with the hub-and-spoke model to amplify your SEO results.

7. Implement a Hub-and-Spoke Model

The hub-and-spoke model organises your website’s content into a structured hierarchy, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand the relationships between pages. It streamlines services and supports marketing strategies.

Businesses that utilise this model generally have better client relationships.

https://agencyanalytics.com/blog/hub-and-spoke-model

Understanding the Structure

This model works by connecting a central hub page to multiple detailed spoke pages. For example, a hub page like Complete SEO Guide might link to spoke pages covering subtopics such as Keyword Research, Technical SEO, and Link Building. Here’s a breakdown:

Component	Purpose	Example
Hub Page	Main topic overview	Complete SEO Guide
Spoke Pages	In-depth subtopics	Keyword Research, Technical SEO, Link Building
Cross-links	Connect related content	References between subtopics

Why This Model Boosts SEO

The hub-and-spoke model helps distribute link equity across your site, improves topical relevance, and ensures search engines can easily crawl your content. Unlike basic topic clusters, this method establishes a clear hierarchy, strengthening your site’s authority on specific subjects.

Building a Strong Hub

The hub page should provide a broad overview of the main topic while linking to detailed spoke pages. For instance, a hub on SEO might include links to spokes discussing keyword research, on-page optimisation, and technical SEO. Each spoke should also link back to the hub, reinforcing the connection and authority.

Optimising Internal Links

To make the most of this structure:

• Use clear, descriptive anchor text to link between your hub and spokes.
• Regularly audit internal links with tools like Moz Pro Site Crawl or Google Search Console to ensure key pages remain easily accessible and maintain a shallow crawl depth.

Tracking Success

Evaluate the performance of your hub-and-spoke setup by monitoring:

• Search ranking changes for both hub and spoke pages.
• Crawl efficiency improvements.
• Increases or decreases in organic traffic.
• User engagement metrics, such as time spent on pages and click-through rates within your content cluster.

Conclusion

Internal linking is key in improving both SEO and user experience by organising your site structure and making navigation easier. By using thoughtful internal linking methods, you can distribute authority across your site and create a clear content hierarchy.

According to Neil Patel:

While it may not drive conversions directly, internal linking increases the content value by backing up claims and providing related information, which improves dwell time. It has a place within the marketing funnel – carrying people to a target destination.

Your internal links will provide an insight into your site structure, which Google uses to navigate more of your pages in less time. This leads to a higher percentage of your web pages appearing on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Techniques like topic clusters and the hub-and-spoke model are great for keeping your site optimised for search engines and users alike. Tools like Google Search Console can help you monitor crawl efficiency and discover areas that need improvement.

E-Web Marketing has demonstrated how effective internal linking can boost both visibility and lead generation. Their work across different industries shows that a well-implemented strategy can drive real results online.

To get the most out of your internal linking, focus on connecting related content meaningfully and maintaining a clear website structure. This not only helps search engines crawl your site but also guides users to relevant information. Distributing link authority evenly and optimising anchor text strengthens your SEO efforts further.

Regularly refining and adjusting your approach is key to long-term success. Start applying these strategies to improve your site’s SEO and create a better experience for your visitors.

FAQs

How Can You Optimise Internal Links for SEO?

Place important internal links where they are easy to find and use anchor text that clearly describes the linked content. This helps both users and search engines navigate your site effectively. For more tips on anchor text optimisation, see Section 5.

SEO manager Nicola Hughes ran an experiment that demonstrated the power of internal links. Her findings included a 53% increase in SERP impressions and an increase in its average position.

Which is the Best Way for Internal Linking?

A good internal linking strategy involves:

• Linking from your homepage to key pages to highlight their importance
• Adding links manually to ensure they are accurate and relevant to the website’s content
• Regularly reviewing and updating links in older content to keep them relevant
• Prioritising user experience over trying to manipulate SEO rankings

Which of the Following is the Best Practice for Internal Linking?

Use dofollow links to pass authority while keeping your site structure organised and connections relevant. A dofollow link transfers link equity to the linked website, which influences the page’s rankings.

Focus on:

• Building meaningful links between related content
• Keeping a clear and logical hierarchy across your website
• Avoiding too many links, which can dilute their effectiveness