Internal Linking: The SEO Win You're Missing
It costs nothing, it's fully in your control, and most sites do it poorly. Here's how internal linking helps you rank.
Internal linking — linking your own pages to each other — is one of the most underused levers in SEO. It's free, entirely in your control, and it directly helps Google understand and rank your site. Yet most sites do it almost by accident. Here's how to do it on purpose.
Why internal links matter
Internal links do two big jobs: they help Google discover and understand your pages, and they pass ranking strength between them. A page with strong authority can share it with related pages through links. Done well, internal linking lifts your whole site, not just one page.
Link with descriptive anchor text
The clickable text of a link tells Google what the target page is about. "Learn about our local SEO services" is far more useful than "click here." Use natural, descriptive anchor text that describes the page you're linking to.
Connect related content
Link pages that genuinely relate — a blog post to the relevant service page, related guides to each other. This builds topical clusters that signal expertise and keeps readers moving through your site instead of leaving.
Don't orphan your pages
A page with no internal links pointing to it is nearly invisible — hard for Google to find and value. Every important page should have at least a couple of links from other relevant pages. If a page matters, link to it.
Keep it natural
Link where it genuinely helps the reader, not everywhere possible. A few relevant, useful links per page beat a wall of them. The test is simple: would this link actually help someone reading the page?
Internal linking is quiet, free, and effective. Use descriptive anchors, connect related pages, avoid orphans, and keep it natural — and you'll strengthen your whole site without spending a dollar.
Key takeaways
- Internal links help Google understand your site and share authority.
- Use descriptive anchor text, not 'click here.'
- Connect genuinely related pages into topical clusters.
- Never leave important pages orphaned.
Why trust this guide
Advice from a team that does this every day.
Scottsdale SEO Company is the Scottsdale brand of Salterra, a digital agency led by Terry Samuels — an SEO speaker and conference founder. Our team has 14 years in search and 300+ five-star reviews, earned as Salterra.
Meet the team- 14 years of hands-on SEO
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