{"id":6334,"date":"2024-02-23T13:55:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T13:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/?p=6334"},"modified":"2026-03-17T17:54:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:54:41","slug":"internal-linking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saynine.ai\/ru\/blog\/internal-linking\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal Linking: Basics + Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Backlinks often get all the attention in SEO, but there\u2019s another type of link that\u2019s just as important\u2014internal links. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While backlinks connect your website to other websites, internal links are the ones that connect the pages within your own website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to 51% of SEOs<\/a>, content writers should incorporate two to three internal links in their articles, while 36% recommend using three to five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll dive into what internal linking is, why we\u2019re big fans of it, and how it plays an important role in improving your website\u2019s performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, first, let\u2019s properly understand what internal links are, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Internal Linking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Internal links are hyperlinks on a webpage that connects to other pages within the same website. They help users navigate your website and assist search engines in crawling and indexing your content.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We think of internal linking as the backbone of your website’s navigation\u2014kind of like a roadmap that helps guide users to your best content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, it will be harder for users to find what they need, and search engines might miss out on some important pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let\u2019s take a closer look at how this works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Example<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a real example of an internal link in action on our website: We’re discussing link exchange, and you can explore more insights by clicking on our blog post about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does this make it easier for users to find additional information, but search engines also value the organized structure that internal links provide!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But hold on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does internal linking help SEO?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Are Internal Links Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our team approach is that internal links might seem small, but they play a big role in how well your website functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you visit a website, it’s like entering a new world with many different rooms, and they act like helpful signs that guide you in the right direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do they improve the user experience by making it easier to find relevant content, but they also help search engines understand how pages are related on your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why should you pay attention to them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our content team says they are important for both your website\u2019s performance and growth, and here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Strong Website Hierarchy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Internal links play a key role in shaping your website\u2019s hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By linking pages in a clear and logical flow, you help users easily find what they need, whether it’s a top-level page or more detailed content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This makes browsing your website intuitive and smooth, reducing confusion and keeping visitors engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A well-structured website makes it much easier for visitors to navigate, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For sure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal linking best practices help ensure that your website structure is optimized for both user experience and search engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promote Key Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By linking to other blog posts or pages, you can direct traffic to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This helps more of your content get noticed and read, keeping visitors engaged with different parts of your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to find internal links to a page? A great way is to use tools or manually check your website structure to identify opportunities for linking. This process also helps reveal orphan pages<\/a> that have no inbound links, allowing you to integrate them and boost their visibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t you think that\u2019s a simple way to share more of your content?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It absolutely is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Trust with Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From what we\u2019ve seen, when Google sees your website using internal links, it gets a clear message: this website is organized and well-structured. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google begins to \u201ctrust\u201d your website more because those links show that you\u2019re guiding users to relevant information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more trust Google has, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better User Navigation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Internal links help keep users on your website longer, which is great for engagement. Isn\u2019t that the goal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our content team has seen it firsthand. For example, once we linked to a fun quiz page, users ended up spending more time answering the questions and checking out other parts of the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another time, we linked to a downloadable resource, like a helpful guide or checklist. When visitors clicked on these links, they spent more time exploring other pages and engaged more with our content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, our SEO team believes this increased engagement is not only great for our users, but we also believe it signs to search engines that our website is valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping Search Engines Find and Index All Your Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As your website grows, some pages might get \u201clost\u201d because they don\u2019t have any links pointing to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our SEO team often sees this happen\u2014these pages can be hard for search engines to find, like forgotten corners of your website. Even though sitemaps list all your pages, Google might still take a long time to discover them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your site’s SEO, it\u2019s crucial to know how to find internal links to a page, ensuring they are connected and easy for search engines to spot. Additionally, when you update content for SEO<\/a>, ensuring that internal links are refreshed and correctly point to relevant pages will further enhance your site\u2019s discoverability by search engines\u2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, they help by working like shortcuts, guiding search engines directly to your new pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you link to these pages from other parts of your website, search engines can find and list them faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, this makes your content easier to find and helps your website perform better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might also notice links on the website that lead to other websites, not just the same one. So, what role do these links play? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s explore that next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal Links vs. External Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we already know, internal links<\/strong> are the connections that link one page of your website to another. 
External links<\/strong>, however, are those that direct users from your website to other domains or websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Diagram<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These two types of links serve different purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

External links help build your website\u2019s credibility and authority by referencing reliable information from other websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, they improve the navigation and structure of your website, enhancing the overall user experience.
When using external links, it’s important to follow external links best practices to ensure they contribute positively to your website’s authority and user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, we recommend using both internal and external links<\/a>, as they play different roles but are equally important for your website\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, let\u2019s talk about how you can decide where to place your links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Choose the Best Placement for Your Internal Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s essential to find internal links that blend seamlessly with your content’s structure and themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few tips we recommend for choosing the ideal spots to place your links for maximum impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When considering placement, following internal linking best practices can help ensure that links are both useful and relevant to the reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anchor Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We suggest that when choosing anchor text for your links, it\u2019s important that it\u2019s relevant to the topic you\u2019re discussing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re writing about link building outreach while using the exact phrase \u201clink building outreach\u201d as your anchor text is fine, we suggest using variations or synonyms like “outreach strategies for link building” or “effective link building techniques.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach keeps the content natural and without overstuffing keywords. For more tips on maintaining a balanced and organic approach, check out our guide on how to avoid keyword stuffing<\/a> while optimizing your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Example<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how we\u2019ve made internal links work \u2013 helping users navigate and giving search engines a little direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oops, I almost forgot to mention \u2013 varying your anchor text helps avoid an exact match with the slug, which could actually hurt your SEO performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good strategy includes using common types of anchor text<\/a> like exact match, partial match, or branded anchors to create a natural, diverse linking structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright, now that we’ve covered that, let’s move on to the next point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlight Important Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From what we’ve found, placing links strategically can help ensure your most important pages get the attention they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, if you have a key landing page or a blog post you want more visitors to see, add an internal link to it within related content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This increases the chances of users finding those pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid Linking to Unused Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our approach is to be strategic with where you place your links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some pages on your website may no longer be active or relevant, and linking to them could make your website feel like a ghost town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of using these pages as links, place them where they won\u2019t create unnecessary confusion or “emptiness.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t want to send users to pages that lead nowhere, like showing them an empty fridge and telling them there\u2019s food inside!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, understanding how to find internal links to a page helps you keep your website connected, relevant, and user-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Overdo Links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From our experience, it’s best to keep links balanced<\/a> and purposeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When adding links, remember that one per paragraph is usually enough. But, it\u2019s not a strict rule\u2014use your judgment and add links where they truly make sense and enhance the user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too many links can confuse the reader and make the content feel messy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, focus on placing links where they genuinely add value and provide extra information. It’s not about the number of links, but about using them purposefully to direct users to valuable and relevant content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal Linking Audit: How to Improve Its Structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Auditing internal links doesn\u2019t have to be complicated\u2014it\u2019s like giving your website a quick health check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can easily audit your internal links using tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog.  However, our specialists prefer Ahrefs to our website’s link structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, for now, let’s start with Ahrefs and see how it can help you keep your links in check.
Step 1: Enter Ahrefs and choose Site Audit<\/em>. It will automatically crawl your website to gather all the necessary data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ahrefs<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here you can see in this example, there is one issue only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there can be other issues that need to be addressed during your internal linking audit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n