What is internal linking?

Internal Linking is the process of creating links that go from one page on a website to a different page on the same website. It is mainly used for navigation purposes, but it also helps with the site’s SEO and structure.

We call this type of link an Internal Link.

In the digital world, i.e., the online world, the term “link” is short for “hyperlink.”

External vs. Internal Linking

Internal linking contrasts with external linking – creating links that leave a website, hence the term “external.”

External links may refer to one of two types:

  • A link from another website that comes to your website. For example, if a link in Wikipedia points to a webpage that is part of your website, that Wikipedia link is an external link.
  • One that goes in the opposite direction. A link that goes to your website from another website.

Importance

Internal linking is extremely important for many reasons:

  • Navigation

Internal links help navigation. In this context, navigation refers to how users explore and move through a website, finding information and accessing various pages easily.

  • Website Hierarchy

They create an information hierarchy on the website.

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

They help to spread page authority and ranking power throughout the site, which boosts search engine rankings. SEO refers to how well a webpage or website appears when somebody carries out a search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, or any other search engine.

Best Practices

Here are some of the best practices for internal linking:

  • Relevance

Links should point to relevant content for the user (reader, visitor).

  • Anchor Text

Using descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text helps the search engine understand the linked content. The anchor text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink – it is often highlighted and underlined, commonly in blue.

  • Link Placement

Search engines often give more weight to links that appear higher in the body of a webpage. However, this might change one day after an algorithm update.

  • Link Quantity

Try to avoid excessive linking; too many links on one page can decrease value of each one.

Image showing the difference between an Internal Link and External Link.
Image created by Market Business News.

Common mistakes

Try to avoid making the following mistakes:

  • Broken Links

Links that lead to non-existent or error pages can harm the user experience and SEO. Consider using tools or programs that alert you to broken links on your site.

  • Over-Optimizing Anchor Texts

Overusing exact-match keywords may be seen as manipulative by search engines.

  • Deep-Linked Important Pages

Important pages that are several layers deep in the website’s structure and require multiple clicks from the homepage to access, may be crawled less frequently.

Tools

The following are some tools we can use to manage internal links:

  • Website Crawlers

Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider can help identify broken links and analyzes link structure.

  • CMS (Content Management System) Plugins

Content management systems usually have plugins or tools to help with internal linking.

The Future

As search engines evolve, the importance of well-structured internal linking will keep growing. Future trends might include a more detailed analysis of link context and the user journey within a website.

Advancements in AI could lead to smarter algorithms for assessing internal links, improving SEO and making linking more dynamic and responsive to content and user actions.

Video – What is a Hyperlink?

This video, from our YouTube partner channel – Marketing Business Network – explains what a ‘Hyperlink’ is using simple and easy-to-understand language and examples.

Written by Nicolas Perez Diaz