{"id":2297,"date":"2023-08-21T05:03:59","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T05:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo-an-actionable-guide\/"},"modified":"2023-08-21T05:03:59","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T05:03:59","slug":"internal-links-for-seo-an-actionable-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo-an-actionable-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal Links for SEO: An Actionable Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Internal links are to backlinks what Robin is to Batman\u2014they\u2019re crucial to SEO success yet receive little to none of the credit.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, I\u2019ll explain what internal links are, how to set up an internal linking structure, and how to strategically use them in\u00a0SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Internal links take visitors from one page to another on your website. Their main purpose is to help visitors easily navigate your website, but they can also help boost\u00a0SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a simplified view of what an internal link looks\u00a0like:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1070\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1.png\" alt=\"Illustration showing how internal linking works\" class=\"wp-image-164797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-636x425.png 636w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-768x514.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-1536x1027.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1070\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1.png\" alt=\"Illustration showing how internal linking works\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-636x425.png 636w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-768x514.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-1-1536x1027.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>And here\u2019s what an internal link looks like in HTML\u00a0code:<\/p>\n<p><code>&lt;a href=\"https:\/\/example.com\/\"&gt;Internal Linking&lt;\/a&gt;<\/code><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Internal links are \u201csuper critical\u201d for SEO (according to Google)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Internal links serve a practical purpose of getting your website\u2019s visitors from A to B, but they have an important role when utilized for\u00a0SEO.<\/p>\n<p>When asked in a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xgmh67PD6p4?t=1520\">\u201cGoogle SEO office-hours\u201d video<\/a> whether internal linking was still important for SEO, John Mueller said:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>Yes, absolutely\u2026 Internal linking is super critical for SEO. It\u2019s one of the biggest things you can do on a website to guide Google and visitors to the pages that you think are important\u2026 What you think is important is totally up to\u00a0you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>So if internal links are used strategically in SEO, they can help boost the performance of the pages you\u2019re linking to.<\/p>\n<p>Internal links do this by directing the flow of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-pagerank\/\">PageRank<\/a> around your site. Even though the PageRank toolbar disappeared in 2016, PageRank is still a signal that Google uses.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"\/>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Tip<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/url-rating\">URL Rating<\/a> as a replacement metric, as it has a lot in common with Google PageRank.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image19-3.png\" alt=\"Example of UR Rating, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164803\" width=\"373\" height=\"189\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image19-3.png\" alt=\"Example of UR Rating, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164803\" width=\"373\" height=\"189\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Generally speaking, the more internal links a page has, the higher its PageRank. However, it\u2019s not all about quantity\u2014the quality of the link also plays a vital\u00a0role.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As well as passing authority, internal links allow visitors to jump straight to the content you want to show them, allowing you to control the user experience.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you run an e-commerce store, you may want to link to your best-selling or seasonal products directly from your homepage. This is helpful for visitors who want to jump straight to the products and purchase them, and also creates a good user experience.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>You should look at it in a strategic way and think about what do you care about the most, and how can you highlight that with your internal links.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Google and other search engines also use internal links as signposts to help discover new pages on your website.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, let\u2019s say that you publish a new webpage and forget to link to it from elsewhere on your site. Assuming the page isn\u2019t in your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-sitemap\/\">XML sitemap<\/a> and doesn\u2019t have any <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/what-are-backlinks\/\">backlinks<\/a>, Google will find this page hard to discover.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/how-search-works?hl=en&amp;visit_id=638276731156130182-1640361947&amp;rd=1\">Google has to say<\/a> about\u00a0this:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Some pages are known because Google has already crawled them before. Other pages are discovered when Google follows a link from a known page to a new\u00a0page.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Internal links also can provide context for search engines like Google. They do this through <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/anchor-text\/\">anchor text<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Most links do provide a bit of additional context through their anchor text. At least they should, right\u203d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 John Mueller (official) \u00b7 #MaybeABot (@JohnMu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/933658806403391488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 23,\u00a02017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In other words, if you have a page about<em> <\/em>red dresses<em> <\/em>and have multiple internal links pointing to that page using anchor text like \u201cdresses,\u201d \u201cred dresses,<em>\u201d<\/em> and \u201cred maxi dresses,<em>\u201d<\/em> those help Google to understand the context of the linked page.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the main types of links you\u2019ll see on the\u00a0web.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Navigational links<\/h3>\n<p>Most visitors to your website find their way around using your site navigation. These are some of the most important links on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what they look like on the Ahrefs website.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6.png\" alt=\"Navigation menu on ahrefs.com&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6.png 1170w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6-680x96.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6-768x109.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6.png\" alt=\"Navigation menu on ahrefs.com&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6.png 1170w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6-680x96.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image7-6-768x109.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contextual links<\/h3>\n<p>Contextual links appear in the main body of the content on a webpage. They\u2019re typically used to expand on ideas, refer to resources, define terms, or direct readers to other relevant content.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a contextual link to our keyword research tool:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1208\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4.png\" alt=\"Contextual link example on Ahrefs' blog&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4.png 1208w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4-680x378.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1208px) 100vw, 1208px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1208\" height=\"672\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4.png\" alt=\"Contextual link example on Ahrefs' blog&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4.png 1208w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4-680x378.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image17-4-768x427.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1208px) 100vw, 1208px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breadcrumb links<\/h3>\n<p>Internal links can also be used to indicate relationships between pages. One of the best examples of this is breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs allow users to trace their journey back to the homepage.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"72\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5.png\" alt=\"Breadcrumbs example&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5.png 1098w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5-680x45.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5-768x50.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"72\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5.png\" alt=\"Breadcrumbs example&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5.png 1098w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5-680x45.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-5-768x50.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>They\u2019re typically placed at the top of internal pages like product pages or blog\u00a0posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google has also indicated that it treats them as normal links (as part of PageRank computation).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We likes them. We treat them as normal links in e.g. PageRank computation<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gary \u9be8\u7406\uff0f\uacbd\ub9ac Illyes (so official, trust me) (@methode) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/methode\/status\/877842242358185984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 22,\u00a02017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Footer links<\/h3>\n<p>These appear at the bottom of the page. Here\u2019s an example of the footer links in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\">Ahrefs\u2019 blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Footer links typically include links to your contact page, privacy policy, and other important pages on your website.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6.png\" alt=\"Footer links on Ahrefs' blog&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164812\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-680x220.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-768x249.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-1536x497.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6.png\" alt=\"Footer links on Ahrefs' blog&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164812\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-680x220.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-768x249.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image3-6-1536x497.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>While footer links are useful for extra detail, they\u2019re not the primary method of navigation on most websites.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to set up an internal link structure for SEO success<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Setting up a solid internal linking structure helps your website rise through the ranks by directing authority to the right places on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do\u00a0it.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Plan your internal linking structure\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re starting a new site or even restructuring an old one, the first step is to plan your internal linking structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The pyramid structure is one of the most popular structures for internal linking, as it naturally creates a top-down internal linking structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of what it looks like. The arrows show the internal links from page to\u00a0page.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1532\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing how a pyramid structure creates a logical site hierarchy\" class=\"wp-image-164799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-444x425.png 444w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-768x735.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-1536x1471.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1532\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing how a pyramid structure creates a logical site hierarchy\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-444x425.png 444w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-768x735.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-2-1536x1471.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Creating a basic internal link structure is the first stage in starting a successful internal linking strategy. This approach has also been recommended by\u00a0John:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>The top-down approach or pyramid structure helps us a lot more to understand the context of individual pages within the\u00a0site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"John Mueller\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/1516281845299.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As well as the top-down linking approach, you can also add breadcrumbs to make it easier to navigate around your website.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"72\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6.png\" alt=\"Breadcrumbs example&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164813\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6.png 1098w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6-680x45.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6-768x50.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1098\" height=\"72\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6.png\" alt=\"Breadcrumbs example&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164813\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6.png 1098w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6-680x45.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image12-6-768x50.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1098px) 100vw, 1098px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Breadcrumb links enable visitors to understand where they are on the website and to trace their journey back to the homepage.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Link to internal pages you care\u00a0about<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve planned the basics of your internal linking structure, it\u2019s time to start linking to the internal pages of your website you want to highlight.<\/p>\n<p>For e-commerce businesses, it could mean their key products or services. For publications, it could be their most important content on a particular topic.<\/p>\n<p>At Ahrefs, we usually internally link to our SEO tools from our key\u00a0pages.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of this from Ahrefs\u2019 homepage, showing our core SEO tools are prominently linked to.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1772\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5.png\" alt=\"Example of linking to SEO tools, via ahrefs.com\" class=\"wp-image-164815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5.png 1772w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-680x348.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-1536x785.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1772\" height=\"906\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5.png\" alt=\"Example of linking to SEO tools, via ahrefs.com\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5.png 1772w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-680x348.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image5-5-1536x785.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This approach helps guide visitors to some of the most important parts of our website.<\/p>\n<p>You can link to whatever you like, but it\u2019s best to link to the things on your website that you care about the\u00a0most.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Link to relevant content\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Internally linking to content that\u2019s contextually relevant on your site helps provide extra information for the readers about the topic you\u2019re writing about.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when writing about SEO, the reader may encounter some technical jargon that they may not necessarily understand\u2014but the internal link helps to provide context.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick example:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1096\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3.png\" alt=\"Internal link to relevant content, via Ahrefs Blog\" class=\"wp-image-164816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3.png 1096w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3-680x114.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3-768x129.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1096px) 100vw, 1096px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1096\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3.png\" alt=\"Internal link to relevant content, via Ahrefs Blog\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3.png 1096w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3-680x114.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image16-3-768x129.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1096px) 100vw, 1096px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This approach enables the reader to click on the link to learn more about that\u00a0topic.<\/p>\n<p>On our blog, we also link to relevant content through a \u201cFurther Reading\u201d box that looks like\u00a0this:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1380\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box.png\" alt=\"&quot;Further Reading&quot; box, via Ahrefs Blog&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-165137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box.png 1380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box-680x146.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box-768x165.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1380\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box.png\" alt=\"&quot;Further Reading&quot; box, via Ahrefs Blog&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-165137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box.png 1380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box-680x146.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/further-reading-box-768x165.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This is another method you can use to help point readers to relevant content on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Another consideration with internal linking is the context of the link. Gael Breton believes that:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"small\">\n<div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>In content, as long as it contextually makes sense to link to another page of your site, you should do\u00a0it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quote-info clearfix\">\n<div class=\"quote-photo\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gael Breton\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/LNZquooH_400x400.jpg\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Gael Breton\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/LNZquooH_400x400.jpg\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of what this can look like on an e-commerce website.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2082\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3.png\" alt=\"Flowchart on internally linking between relevant pages in different sections of a site \" class=\"wp-image-164801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-327x425.png 327w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-768x999.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-1180x1536.png 1180w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-1574x2048.png 1574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2082\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3.png\" alt=\"Flowchart on internally linking between relevant pages in different sections of a site \" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-327x425.png 327w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-768x999.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-1180x1536.png 1180w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/internal-links-3-1574x2048.png 1574w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>As well as being contextually relevant, it\u2019s worth considering how powerful the pages you\u2019re linking from\u00a0are.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve just written a new post and you want to add some powerful internal links to it. What\u2019s the best way to do\u00a0it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how I\u2019ll approach it for free using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Head over to your most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a> and click on <strong>Page Explorer<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Enter your keyword into the search bar (e.g., \u201conline advertising\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Change the filter to <strong>Page text<\/strong> (page should update once you\u2019ve clicked it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this example, there are 21 results. You can then sort the pages by organic traffic. This enables you to see the pages with the most traffic first\u2014likely to be powerful pages.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1070\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6.png\" alt=\"Results ordered by organic traffic, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6.png 1070w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6-680x320.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6-768x362.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1070\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6.png\" alt=\"Results ordered by organic traffic, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6.png 1070w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6-680x320.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image2-6-768x362.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve got your list, it\u2019s just a question of working through it and adding the internal links to your new page to these powerful pages.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to audit your site\u2019s internal links for issues<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>To stay on top of your SEO game, you\u2019ll need to audit your internal links on a periodic basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Manually checking your internal links one by one is time consuming and, for bigger sites, almost impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The best solution is to use a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>, which allows you to schedule the crawls of your website on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With this tool, you\u00a0can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fix broken internal links to 4XX\u00a0pages.<\/li>\n<li>Identify opportunities for new internal links.<\/li>\n<li>Fix orphan pages.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at how to do these things.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Fix broken internal links to reclaim authority<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve run a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a> crawl, head over to the<strong> Internal pages <\/strong>report<strong> <\/strong>and click on \u201cIssues.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1261\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3.png\" alt=\"4XX issues in Internal pages report, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-674x425.png 674w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-768x484.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-1536x969.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1261\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3.png\" alt=\"4XX issues in Internal pages report, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-674x425.png 674w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-768x484.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image18-3-1536x969.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>In the above example, we can see there are some issues. Let\u2019s click on the \u201c4XX page\u201d<strong> <\/strong>to look at one issue in more detail.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"816\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5.png\" alt=\"404 page example, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5.png 816w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5-680x308.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5-768x348.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"816\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5.png\" alt=\"404 page example, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5.png 816w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5-680x308.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5-768x348.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>We can see this issue has been caused by a blog post that we took down but still has 37\u00a0internal links pointing to\u00a0it.<\/p>\n<p>If the page was permanently removed, you\u2019d need to remove the internal links pointing to this 404\u00a0page.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Tip<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>If the 404 page had important external links pointing to it, then you might want to consider 301 redirecting the page. To check this, you can use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer\u2019s<\/a> <strong>Broken backlinks<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n<p>If we plug in the exact URL and then head over to the <strong>Broken backlinks<\/strong> report, we can see this page actually has quite a few external links pointing to\u00a0it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1122\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6.png\" alt=\"Broken backlinks report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6.png 1122w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6-680x362.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6-768x409.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1122px) 100vw, 1122px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1122\" height=\"598\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6.png\" alt=\"Broken backlinks report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6.png 1122w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6-680x362.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-6-768x409.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1122px) 100vw, 1122px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>As a result of this check, we might want to consider <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/301-redirects\/\">301 redirecting<\/a> this page to a near equivalent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Fix orphan pages\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Orphan pages are pages with no internal links.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you have important pages on your site that are classified as orphan pages in your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit <\/a>report, then you have an\u00a0issue.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that it can be solved by simply adding a new internal link to the orphan page(s) in question.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve run your audit, you can see if you have any orphan pages\u00a0by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clicking on the <strong>Links <\/strong>report.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Then selecting the \u201cIssues\u201d tab.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><code>Site Audit &gt; Links &gt; Issues tab &gt; Orphan page (has no incoming internal links)<\/code><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the example below, we can see this site has one orphan page.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1190\" height=\"1056\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"Locating orphan pages that have no incoming internal links, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5.png 1190w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5-479x425.png 479w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5-768x682.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1190px) 100vw, 1190px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1190\" height=\"1056\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"Locating orphan pages that have no incoming internal links, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5.png 1190w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5-479x425.png 479w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5-768x682.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1190px) 100vw, 1190px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>No important pages should be orphaned for two reasons:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Google won\u2019t be able to find them (unless you <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-sitemap\/\">submit your sitemap<\/a> via Google Search Console or they have backlinks from crawled pages on other\u00a0sites).<\/li>\n<li>No <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-pagerank\/\">PageRank<\/a> will be transferred via internal links\u2014as there are\u00a0none.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Skim the list and make sure no important pages appear here.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a lot of pages on your site, try sorting the list by organic traffic from high to\u00a0low.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Orphaned pages that still receive organic traffic would likely get even more traffic if internally linked to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Identify opportunities for new internal links<\/h3>\n<p>Finding new internal link opportunities is also another time-consuming process if it\u2019s done manually, but you can identify them in bulk using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To do this, click the <strong>Internal link opportunities<\/strong> report in Site\u00a0Audit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3.png\" alt=\"Internal link opportunities, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164830\" width=\"568\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3.png 1136w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3-470x425.png 470w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3-768x695.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3.png\" alt=\"Internal link opportunities, via Ahrefs' Site Audit&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164830\" width=\"568\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3.png 1136w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3-470x425.png 470w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image14-3-768x695.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>You\u2019ll see a bunch of suggestions on how to improve your internal linking using new\u00a0links.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The best bit about this report, in my opinion, is that it suggests exactly where to place the internal link.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1650\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' Site Audit showing where to add internal link&#10;\" class=\"wp-image-164832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3.png 1650w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-680x220.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-768x249.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-1536x497.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1650px) 100vw, 1650px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1650\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' Site Audit showing where to add internal link&#10;\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-164832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3.png 1650w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-680x220.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-768x249.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image15-3-1536x497.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1650px) 100vw, 1650px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>In the example above, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit <\/a>is suggesting in this passage of text that we should add a link to our page on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/faceted-navigation\/\">faceted navigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d advise reviewing the recommendations and adding links to the most important pages you want to highlight.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Internal linking isn\u2019t technically difficult, but it takes time and patience to execute your plan. Also, making changes to your site can cause more issues\u2014which, if left undiagnosed, can impact your site\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<p>In my opinion, the only sustainable way to monitor your internal links is by using a tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chris_at_b449\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Internal links are to backlinks what Robin is to Batman\u2014they\u2019re crucial to SEO success yet receive little to none of the credit. In this guide, I\u2019ll explain what internal links are, how to set up an internal linking structure, and how to strategically use them in\u00a0SEO.\u00a0 Internal links take visitors from one page to another [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}