Internal Linking for SEO: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right
Ben Foord4 min readInternal links connect your pages and tell Google what matters on your site. Here's how to use them well without overcomplicating it.
Most people think of SEO as something you do to individual pages - the right keywords, a good title tag, fast loading times. But one of the most powerful (and most overlooked) techniques works between pages: internal linking.
It's simple in practice, and the impact can be significant. Here's what you need to know.
What Is an Internal Link?
An internal link is any link that goes from one page on your website to another page on the same website. When you link from a blog post to your services page, or from your homepage to your contact form, those are internal links.
They're different from external links (links pointing to other websites) and backlinks (links from other websites pointing to you).
Why Do Internal Links Matter for SEO?
Internal links do three important things that affect how Google sees your site.
1. They pass link equity between your pages
When one page links to another, it passes a signal of trust and relevance - called link equity (sometimes called "link juice"). The more internal links a page receives from other pages on your site, the more authority it accumulates in Google's eyes, which can help it rank higher.
Your homepage typically has the most links pointing to it (it's in every navigation bar, for a start). With deliberate internal linking, you can spread some of that authority to pages you want to rank - a key service page, a cornerstone blog post, or a product that's underperforming in search.
2. They help Google discover and crawl your pages
Search engines find new pages by following links. If a page on your site has no internal links pointing to it, Google may not find it at all - or won't treat it as important enough to crawl regularly. A page with no internal links is called an orphan page, and it's one of the most common issues we flag in AuditCrow reports.
3. They guide visitors to what they need next
Good internal links lead people to the next logical thing they might want to read or do. A post about fixing website errors might link to a guide on how to run a full audit. That keeps visitors on your site longer, increases the chance of a conversion, and sends positive engagement signals back to Google.
How to Do Internal Linking Well
Use descriptive anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable words of a link. Avoid vague phrases like "click here" or "read more" - they tell neither your reader nor Google what they'll find on the other side.
Instead, use words that describe the destination page:
Poor: "To learn more, click here." Better: "See our guide on how to audit your website for SEO."
Descriptive anchor text tells Google what the destination page is about, reinforcing its relevance for those search terms.
Prioritise your most important pages
Make a short list of the pages you most want to rank - your key service page, your main landing page, your best content. Then ask: do other pages link to these? If not, look for relevant places in existing content where a link would make sense to a reader, and add it.
Fix orphan pages
Check that every page on your site has at least one internal link pointing to it. Pages with no inbound links are very hard for Google to discover. Our free website audit flags orphan pages automatically.
Don't overdo it
There's no magic number, but a page packed with internal links becomes hard to navigate and the signal from each individual link becomes weaker. Link where it genuinely helps a reader. If you're adding links just for the sake of it, it's probably not useful.
What to Do Right Now
Start small. Pick three to five of your most important pages and check whether other pages on your site link to them. If they don't, find existing content where a link would feel natural, and add it.
Then, whenever you publish something new, ask: which existing pages should link to this? And where does this new content naturally link out to? Building this habit means your internal link structure improves with every piece of content you add.
Internal linking is one of those improvements that costs nothing to implement - no developer needed, no technical setup - just deliberate thinking about how your pages connect. It's one of the 5 SEO quick wins that any business owner can start on today.
Run a free AuditCrow scan to see how your internal linking looks on your key pages, and read our common website issues for small businesses guide for more things worth checking.