Internal links: how they help crawlability and discovery
Internal links connect your pages to each other. Learn how to use them wisely for better crawl depth and user flow.
Internal links are links from one page on your site to another page on your site. They’re the glue that holds your site together.
Internal links help crawlers discover new pages and help users navigate.
Why internal links matter
- Crawl discovery: links help Googlebot find pages that aren’t linked from anywhere else
- Link equity: links pass authority between your pages
- User flow: good internal links guide users to related content
Orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them) are hard for crawlers to find and users to reach.
Best practices for internal links
- Link contextually: link from relevant content, not random places
- Use descriptive anchor text: tell users (and crawlers) what they’ll get if they click
- Prioritize important pages: link to your most important content more frequently
- Fix broken internal links: broken links waste crawl budget and frustrate users
Our Link Checker can help you find broken links quickly.
Internal link structure
Think about user journeys, not just SEO. Make sure:
- important pages are easy to reach from the homepage
- related content is linked together
- users can get back to main sections from deep pages
Internal links don’t need to be fancy. They just need to be useful.
Link back to the glossary
Quick definition: Internal link.
Related wiki terms
Q&A
How many internal links per page is too many?
There's no fixed number. Focus on useful links for users, not arbitrary targets. A natural, useful internal link structure works best.
Should internal links have exact match anchor text?
Use descriptive anchor text, but don't force exact matches all the time. Mix variations and keep it natural.
Do footer links count?
Yes, but they may have less weight than contextual links in the main content.