Internal Linking for SEO: The Beginner's Guide
Emily Brown
17 followers
Internal links are links from one page on your site to another. They are free, fast, and one of the most underused SEO wins.
Why internal links matter
- They help Google discover your pages.
- They pass relevance from strong pages to weaker ones.
- They tell Google which pages are most important.
- They keep visitors on your site longer.
A page with no internal links pointing to it is nearly invisible.
The three rules
- Link related pages to each other. If two posts share a topic, they should link both ways.
- Use descriptive anchor text. "how to track keywords" beats "click here" or "read more".
- Keep it useful. Link where a reader would want the next step, not every third word.
How to add them in practice
- Start with your best page and link out to the pages it supports.
- Then find three pages that should link back to it.
- Add a "Keep reading" list at the end of each post, plus one or two links in the body.
- Aim for three to five internal links per post.
The mistake to avoid
Do not stuff the same keyword into every link. Vary the text naturally. Google is good at spotting links that exist for search engines rather than readers.
A quick audit
Pick your most-read post. Count how many other posts link to it. If the answer is zero, that is your first fix.
Common questions
How many internal links should a page have?
Three to five useful ones is a good target. Relevance matters more than the exact number.
Do internal links improve SEO?
Yes. They help Google find and rank your pages and spread relevance across your site. They are among the cheapest wins available.
What is good anchor text for internal links?
A short phrase describing the destination, like "how to do an SEO audit". Avoid "click here" and repeated exact-match keywords.
Should every page link to the homepage?
No. Link to the homepage where it helps the reader, not on every page for its own sake.
