What internal links do
An internal link is any link from one page on your site to another. Internal links have three jobs:
- Discovery. Search engines find pages by following links. A page with no internal links pointing to it may never be crawled.
- Meaning. The words used in a link, and the page it sits on, tell search engines what the target page is about and how it relates to other topics.
- Importance. Pages that receive many internal links, especially from strong pages such as the homepage, are treated as more important within the site.
For visitors, internal links are the paths through the site. Good ones answer "where do I go next?" before the visitor has to ask.
Signs your internal linking needs work
- New pages take a long time to appear in Google.
- Important service pages sit four or more clicks from the homepage.
- Blog posts and guides never link to the services they discuss.
- Anchors say "click here", "learn more" or "read more" with no context.
- Two pages on the same topic link to each other inconsistently and both rank poorly.
- Some pages are linked only from the sitemap and nowhere else.
The structure behind good internal linking
Internal links follow the site architecture. A typical local business structure looks like this:
| Page type | Should link to | Should receive links from |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Main service hubs, locations hub, key proof | Every page (logo and menu) |
| Service hub | Every child service, related hubs | Homepage, menu, child services |
| Service page | Parent hub, 2–4 related services, relevant locations | Hub, related services, guides, location pages |
| Location page | Services offered there, locations hub | Locations hub, service pages, homepage |
| Guide or article | The matching service page, related guides | Resources hub, related guides |
This pattern is sometimes described as a hub-and-spoke model. Each hub gathers a topic; each spoke covers one part of it; links run both ways.
Anchor text that carries meaning
Anchor text is the clickable text of a link. Good anchor text describes the destination:
- Better: "our service page optimization process"
- Worse: "click here to learn more"
Natural variety matters too. Using exactly the same anchor for every link to a page looks mechanical. Variations such as "drain cleaning", "drain cleaning services" and "clearing a blocked drain" read naturally and still describe the page.
Avoid stuffing anchors with locations and keywords, such as "best cheap drain cleaning Phoenix AZ". Write for the reader first.
Contextual links versus navigation links
Navigation links in menus and footers appear on every page and help with discovery. Contextual links sit inside the body text, surrounded by related words, and carry stronger signals about how topics relate. A link to your water heater page from a paragraph about hard water damage tells search engines far more than the same link in the footer.
We prioritize contextual links placed where a reader would genuinely want to follow them.
Fixing orphan and buried pages
An orphan page has no internal links pointing to it. Buried pages are linked only from pages deep in the site. Both are common after redesigns, when old navigation disappears, or when pages are added without being linked from anywhere.
We crawl the site, compare the list of crawlable pages with the sitemap and analytics, and identify every orphan and buried page. Each one is either linked from relevant pages, merged into a stronger page, or removed with a redirect if it no longer serves a purpose.
Preventing pages from competing
When two pages target the same topic, internal links often make the problem worse by splitting signals between them. We decide which page should be the main one, point internal links consistently to it, and merge or differentiate the other. Clear, consistent linking tells search engines which page to rank.
Linking for topical depth
When a business covers a topic thoroughly, with a hub and many supporting pages, internal links connect that coverage into a visible whole. A guide about AC refrigerant leaks links to the AC repair page; the repair page links to the maintenance page; both link to the AC services hub. This network of related pages is a core part of building topical authority.
How many links per page?
There is no fixed rule. Google can follow many links on a page, but very long lists of links dilute the value of each one and make pages harder to use. As a guide:
- Service pages: a handful of contextual links to the parent, siblings and relevant locations.
- Hubs: links to every child, plus a few related hubs.
- Guides: links to the matching service and a few related guides.
Every link should earn its place by helping the reader.
Internal links on location pages
Location pages often end up isolated, linked only from a list on the locations hub. Better linking connects them to the services offered in each area, and connects service pages back to the areas they cover. A page about AC repair can mention that service is available in Tempe, Mesa and Chandler, each linked to its location page.
Breadcrumbs and related-page blocks
Two page elements provide useful internal links on every page without extra writing:
- Breadcrumbs show the path from the homepage to the current page, such as Home, then Services, then Drain Cleaning. They link each page to its parents and, with BreadcrumbList structured data, help search engines understand the hierarchy.
- Related-page blocks near the end of a page suggest two to four closely related pages, such as sibling services. They give visitors a next step and spread links across a topic.
Both work best alongside contextual links in the body, not as a replacement for them.
Links from your strongest pages
Some pages earn far more attention than others, usually the homepage, popular guides and pages that other websites link to. Links from these pages pass the most value. We check which pages are strongest, using Search Console data and backlink reports, and make sure they link to the service pages that matter most for revenue.
Our internal linking process
- Crawl the site to map every page and every internal link.
- Identify key pages that bring the most business value.
- Measure link depth and inbound links for each key page.
- Find orphans, buried pages and competing pages.
- Plan new contextual links, with suggested anchor text and placement.
- Implement links directly or provide a list for your team.
- Recrawl to confirm depth and coverage improved.
What you receive
- A link map showing hubs, children and current link counts.
- A list of orphan and buried pages with recommended fixes.
- A placement plan: source page, target page, suggested anchor and the sentence where it fits.
- Navigation and footer recommendations.
How we measure results
Internal linking changes show up first in crawl data: lower click depth for key pages, no orphan pages and more inbound links to priority pages. Then they show up in search: faster indexing of new pages, more impressions for pages that were previously hidden and, often, improved positions for the pages that received more focused links.
Internal linking on small sites
Even a site with twenty pages benefits from deliberate linking. On small sites, the main wins are linking every service page from the homepage or a services hub, adding contextual links between related services, and linking location mentions to location pages. These changes take little time and often help newer pages get found and ranked faster.