Internal links are the only links you fully control, and most sites use a fraction of the ones they could. They distribute authority through a site, tell search engines what a page is about through the words used to link to it, and route readers toward the pages that produce work. All three benefits are available without asking anyone for anything.
Why it is underused
Because it is invisible work with no obvious deliverable. Nobody notices good internal linking, there is no report showing it improved, and it does not feel like a project.
Meanwhile the same effort spent chasing external links feels like marketing, produces something to point at, and is considerably harder and slower.
What internal links actually do
Distribute authority
Whatever standing a page has accumulated passes partially through the links it contains. A page attracting attention that links nowhere useful is holding value the rest of the site could be using.
Describe the destination
The words used in a link tell search engines what the linked page is about. This is one of the few descriptive signals you control completely, since you write both the link and the page it points at.
Make pages discoverable
A page reachable only from a sitemap is a page nothing points at. Crawlers follow links, and so do people.
Move readers toward the pages that matter
The commercial benefit, and the one usually forgotten. An article answering a question can lead someone to the service page that answers the next one, which is the session depth argument from pages per session applied to a service business.
How to do it well
- Use descriptive link text. "Emergency drain clearing" tells both the reader and the crawler what they will find. "Click here" and "read more" tell neither, and a page whose links are all generic is wasting its clearest signal.
- Link from within the body text rather than only from menus and footers. Links inside content carry more weight and are more likely to be followed, because they appear at the moment the reader wants them.
- Link to your important pages more. The pages that produce work should be the most linked-to pages on the site. Frequently they are not, and nobody has ever checked.
- Vary the link text naturally. Using the identical phrase every time reads as mechanical. Different phrasings for the same destination is normal writing.
- Link where it genuinely helps. A link that answers a question the reader now has is useful. A link inserted because a keyword appeared is noise.
The structure worth building
Rather than linking ad hoc, the arrangement that works is a small number of hub pages covering major topics, each linking to more specific pages, which link back and to each other where relevant.
For a service business this maps naturally: a service page as the hub, specific problem pages beneath it, and location pages linking to the services offered there. Nothing exotic, and it produces a site where every page has an obvious place.
The audit
Three checks, none requiring specialist tools.
- Orphan pages. Pages nothing links to. A crawl of your own site finds them, and they are usually old, forgotten, and sometimes still receiving traffic.
- Your most important pages. Count how many internal links point at each. If a page you depend on has two, that is the finding.
- Generic link text. Search your own pages for "click here" and "read more" and rewrite them. This alone typically improves a site's internal signals more than any other single edit.
Where it goes wrong
- Too many links in one page. A body paragraph with a link in every sentence is unreadable, and the value passed through each is diluted.
- Linking every occurrence of a term. Once per page, at the first useful mention, is enough.
- Automated linking plugins. They produce links that are technically correct and contextually absurd, and they tend to link the same phrases mechanically across a whole site.
- Forgetting them during a redesign. Internal linking is frequently rebuilt more thinly than before, which is one of the quiet losses described in redesigns that hurt SEO.
Frequently asked questions
Why is internal linking important?
Because it distributes authority between your pages, describes what the linked page is about through the words used to link to it, makes pages discoverable, and routes readers toward the pages that produce work. All of this is fully within your control.
What should internal link text say?
Something describing the destination, such as the service or topic the linked page covers. Generic phrases like click here and read more tell neither the reader nor a search engine anything, wasting one of the clearest descriptive signals a site controls.
Where should internal links be placed?
Within body text rather than only in menus and footers. Links inside content carry more weight and are more likely to be followed, because they appear at the point where the reader has developed the question the linked page answers.
How many internal links should a page have?
Enough to be useful and few enough to remain readable. A paragraph containing a link in every sentence is difficult to read and dilutes the value passed through each one, and linking every occurrence of a term is unnecessary when once is sufficient.
What is an orphan page?
A page that no other page links to, reachable only through a sitemap or direct address. Crawlers and readers both follow links, so orphan pages are effectively hidden, and a crawl of your own site is the straightforward way to find them.
Are automated internal linking plugins worth using?
Generally not. They produce links that are technically correct and contextually inappropriate, and they tend to link identical phrases mechanically across an entire site, which reads as automated to both readers and search engines.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. builds websites for businesses across Canada. Search and analytics platforms change frequently, and where practitioners genuinely disagree we have said so rather than presenting one position as settled.
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