{"id":14442,"date":"2025-09-05T18:12:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T14:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/?p=14442"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T12:31:53","slug":"internal-and-external-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/ru\/blog\/internal-and-external-links\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal and External Links: Differences + Best Practices\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Internal and external links may seem identical, but they serve very different purposes. One keeps users navigating through your site, the other connects your content to the wider web and builds your authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most websites get this balance wrong, and it costs them traffic, rankings, and credibility. However, it\u2019s easy to fix once you understand the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, you\u2019ll learn the difference between internal and external links, why they matter for SEO, and how to use them effectively in your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are Internal Links?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Internal links are links that lead users from one page to another on your website.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are different types of internal links, such as navigational links in the main menu or sidebar, contextual links (often placed in blogs), footer links, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of an internal on a live article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The link we added points to another blog on our website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Further reading: 
Internal Linking: Tips & Best Strategies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Find Internal Links to a Page<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many options when it comes to checking internal links to a specific page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #1: The Manual Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the easiest and quickest ways to check internal links to a page is to do it manually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you have to do is go through the page and check all the links to see where they\u2019re pointing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you need to check hundreds of pages, it\u2019s better to use special tools to save time and focus more on important things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore some of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #2: Ahrefs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Take these easy steps to find all your internal links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Go to Ahrefs Site Explorer and type in your domain (e.g., saynine.ai)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Next, find and click \u201cInternal links\u201d from the left sidebar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Here, you can see a referring domain (aka linking internal page) and all the internally linked pages on the right side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: You can also go to \u201cMost linked pages\u201d to see which pages on your site have the most internal links. This tells you which pages are getting the most attention and helps you find pages that might need more links to be easily discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are External Links?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

External links are links that lead users to a page outside the website.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example of an external link on a live article page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The link points to SEMrush\u2019s website, where users can explore all the details about the research on AI-generated content.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ok, enough with definitions. Now, let\u2019s learn how to check all your external links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Check External Links in 3 Easy Ways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Method #1: The Manual Way<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re big fans of automation, but sometimes it\u2019s easy and more reasonable to do things by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, you can simply check your external links manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To check external links manually, open the page you want to review and go through the links one by one to see where they point. This helps you quickly find broken links, outdated resources, or pages that no longer make sense to link to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #2: Ahrefs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To find all your external links, follow these steps.

Step 1: Type your domain into Ahrefs\u2019 \u201cSite Explorer\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Find and click \u201cOutgoing links\u201d from the left sidebar. Here you can see all your pages and their external links. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Click \u201cLinked domains\u201d to see all the websites you\u2019ve externally linked to. Here, you can set filters (e.g., DR and traffic) to identify possibly spammy domains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Manually review all the links to make sure they are working and lead to fresh, relevant sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #3: SEO Link Highlighter Extension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Want an even faster way to check all your external and internal links? No problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a Chrome extension that can scan a page for both internal and external links in seconds, saving you time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to use it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Install the free SEO Link Highlighter extension<\/a> from the Chrome Web Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Go to any page you want to check and analyze all the links. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Review all the internal links highlighted in blue and external links highlighted in red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Browser<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: To make things even easier, you can either copy all information about links or simply export as a CSV file for further external and internal link analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Browser<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Are Internal and External Links Important for SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Internal and external are both essential elements when it comes to on-page optimization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s review how each of them can benefit your SEO strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are the SEO benefits of adding internal links? They help by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n