Internal linking often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s not as flashy as a homepage redesign or a new ad campaign—but when done well, it quietly boosts your Google rankings, improves your site structure, and gives visitors more reasons to stick around.
Whether you run a therapy practice, a large e-commerce site, or a local service business, internal links help your website work smarter. They’re a key part of any SEO strategy—and unlike backlinks from other websites, they’re entirely in your control.
At Garrett Digital, we help businesses improve internal linking systematically—whether we’re building a new site or auditing an existing one. This guide walks through the principles and practical tactics we use and recommend.
What Internal Linking Actually Does
Internal links are hyperlinks (created using <a href> tags in your site’s HTML that connect one page on your website to another. You’ve seen them everywhere:
- Navigation menus and breadcrumbs
- Links to product categories or service pages
- Text links between related blog posts
- Footer links to important landing pages
These links help Google and other search engines crawl your site, understand how your pages relate, and pass authority—known as link equity or PageRank—from stronger pages to newer or less visible ones.
Good internal linking can help your most important content rank higher in search results. It also keeps visitors moving through your site, rather than leaving after one page.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
Internal linking is still one of the most reliable, yet often overlooked, on-page SEO tactics. Google’s algorithm uses it in several key ways:
- Crawlability: Links help Google crawl your site more efficiently. Pages with no internal links—so-called “orphan pages”—might never get indexed.
- Content discovery: Linking from high-authority pages to newer blog posts or product pages can help them get indexed and ranked faster.
- Site hierarchy: Clear links between categories, subcategories, and individual content or product pages help define your site’s structure.
- Topical relationships: When you link related articles or product categories, you signal to Google that your content is in-depth and well-organized.
- User engagement: Internal links help real people find related products, services, or helpful answers, without needing to go hunting through your menu.
A Smarter Way to Think About Internal Links
There are different types of internal links. Each plays a role in strengthening your SEO and making your site easier to use:
- Navigational links: Menus, sidebars, and footers that help users explore big sections of your site
- Contextual links: Links within your text that guide readers to deeper, related content
- Breadcrumbs: Navigation aids that show users where they are and help Google understand content relationships
- Next/Previous links: Improve engagement by letting readers easily move between blog posts or related products
- Related content links: Often used on blog posts or product pages to keep people engaged
Among these, contextual links often pass the most SEO value, especially when paired with clear, descriptive anchor text (the clickable words).
On large e-commerce sites, breadcrumbs also carry a lot of weight. They help both users and search engine crawlers understand how products are grouped into categories and subcategories.
Internal Linking Best Practices
Use this checklist as you review or build out your internal linking strategy:
- Use clear, descriptive anchor text (like “affordable SEO services” or “CBT for anxiety”).
- Link to your most important pages more often (your key services, product categories, top blog posts, or highest-converting products).
- Create topic clusters with a main page linking to and from supporting articles.
- Add breadcrumbs across your site to clarify content hierarchy.
- Use footer links to reinforce your most important pages, not just legal disclaimers.
- Fix broken internal links regularly.
- Link to new content from existing high-authority pages.
Internal Linking Tips for E-commerce Sites
E-commerce sites can greatly benefit from thoughtful internal linking. Here’s a simple table that breaks down best practices by page type:
| Page Type | Internal Linking Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Product Page | Link to parent category, related products, and FAQs. |
| Category Page | Link to popular products, subcategories, and bestsellers. |
| Subcategory Page | Limit distractions, but consider adding links to customer support or guarantees. |
| Homepage | Highlight top categories, sales collections, or blog content for education. |
| Cart/Checkout | Limit distractions but consider adding links to customer support or guarantees. |
Other tips:
- Use breadcrumbs consistently across all product and category pages.
- Crosslink between categories where appropriate (e.g., “best jewelry gifts under $50” might link to earrings and rings).
- Include internal links in product descriptions when they help users find size charts, related items, or warranties.
Tools & Tactics That Make This Easier
Maintaining good internal linking doesn’t require a big team, but it does require a plan. Here’s what we suggest:
- Use Google Search Console to identify crawl issues and orphaned pages.
- Run quarterly audits using tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs.
- Track how internal linking updates affect bounce rates, time on site, and pages per session.
- Maintain a list of cornerstone content and link back to those pages when writing new content.
- Use breadcrumbs to reinforce site structure and support Google’s understanding of your categories and subcategories.
What Not to Do
Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Don’t overdo it—link only where it helps the user. Every paragraph shouldn’t be full of links.
- Don’t neglect older content. Go back and add links to new blog posts or pages as needed.
- Don’t rely on navigation alone. Contextual links are more powerful for SEO and more helpful to visitors.
Helping Users, Not Just Google
The best internal linking strategies start with the user in mind.
Before adding a link, ask:
- Will this help the reader understand something more clearly?
- Is this the next logical step in their journey?
- Will this help them find what they’re looking for?
When you answer yes, you’re creating a better experience—and usually improving SEO at the same time.
Need Help? SEO and Websites Are What We Do
At Garrett Digital, we build websites for service-based and e-commerce businesses that are structured for both search engines and real people.
We also work with existing sites to identify orphaned pages, improve internal linking, and ensure your most important content is supported by a strong site architecture.
Whether you’re trying to grow a therapy practice, optimize product category pages, or build a content strategy that scales, we can help.
Contact Garrett Digital to get started.
