Internal Linking Strategy: Guide for Beginners

Struggling to make sense of internal linking for your website? In this guide, SEO expert Emily Gertenbach breaks down the essentials of internal linking with practical advice you can put to use right away.

You'll learn how to spot issues like pages with no inbound or outbound links and how to use tools like Screaming Frog to dig deeper into your site's structure. Emily's tips will help you improve user experience, boost your search rankings, and make your website easier to navigate.

Whether you’re working on a large e-commerce site or a personal blog, this guide will give you the tools you need to optimize your internal linking strategy and achieve better results.

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Emily's presentation:

Oleksandra Khilova [OK]: Hello everyone! Today's episode is about internal linking, and I'm excited to have Emily with us. Today, Emily and I will discuss how to implement internal linking strategies step by step for your SEO projects. Welcome, Emily! 

Emily Gertenbach [EG]: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here.

[OK]: Tell us about yourself. How did you start your SEO journey and become a CEO?

[EG]: Sure. I live in Massachusetts, just outside Boston, and I've been working in SEO since 2010. I originally studied journalism, but as the newspaper industry declined, I pivoted to digital marketing. My first job out of university was in digital marketing, which led me to a more SEO content-focused role. Over the years, through various jobs and freelance projects, I’ve seen how the industry has evolved, especially through major algorithm changes. Today, I focus primarily on helping businesses, especially SaaS companies, improve their content and internal linking to boost SEO and attract more organic traffic.

[OK]: You mentioned you started as a journalist. Did you work as a journalist for a long time?

[EG]: I freelanced as a news correspondent, writing articles for newspapers on and off for over ten years. I decided to stop around the time I fully launched my independent SEO business in 2019.

[OK]: Many SEOs are hesitant about pitching journalists. Given your experience, how can we pitch journalists the right way?

[EG]: That's a great question. My journalism focused on local government reporting, so I didn't get many pitches. However, I did receive pitches both in that role and now in my independent work. Personalization is key. Even if I know a pitch is going to multiple people or outlets, it should still feel like it’s addressed specifically to me. A personalized pitch, rather than a generic template, makes a significant difference.

[OK]: Like, "Hi, I hope you're doing fine."

[EG]: Exactly. If it's customized to my name and mentions something specific about my work, it stands out. For example, I recently received two pitches: one was personalized, mentioning my name and business, and the other started by calling me "sir." Naturally, I only responded to the one that was tailored to me.

[OK]: I completely relate. I spend a lot of time personalizing my pitches, but people still get my name wrong, calling me Olga, Oleg, or something else. It’s frustrating.

[OK]: Let's dive into internal linking. How does it contribute to the overall user experience on a website, and why is it important?

[EG]: Internal linking is crucial for two main reasons: it enhances SEO and improves user experience. When someone visits your website, say the homepage, they need to find key information quickly — ideally within 1 to 2 clicks. This is known as click depth. If important information is buried under several clicks, users are more likely to get frustrated and leave. From a conversion rate optimization standpoint, you want to be seen as a trusted and user-friendly resource. The easier and more trustworthy your website feels, the more likely users are to stay, explore, and eventually make a purchase or take another desired action.

[OK]: You mentioned you work mostly with SaaS products. How important is it to implement internal linking in this niche, and at what stage should we talk to clients about it? Often, clients present beautiful designs, but they focus more on user experience than SEO. How can we bridge the gap between the design and SEO teams?

[EG]: I’d start by discussing the conversion aspect. While everyone has different roles, the ultimate goal is to generate clicks and revenue. I’d suggest making sure key actions, like filling out a form or scheduling a demo, are easy to access. This might involve tweaking some design elements, especially in the headers, footers, and sidebars, where consistent links and forms can be placed. While this may cause some friction with design, focusing on the potential ROI usually helps. Fortunately, with internal linking, much can be done within the page content itself, which has less impact on design. This can serve as a compromise — essential links are embedded in the text, allowing for effective SEO without drastically altering the design.

[OK]: So, what is internal linking?

[EG]: Internal linking is simply the process of connecting pages on your site by linking them to each other. While external linking is important, internal linking ensures that once people arrive on your site, they can quickly find what they need. This is crucial for both SEO and user experience.

[OK]: Especially with link building, promoting landing pages can be challenging, particularly in e-commerce. Internal links can significantly boost your efforts by linking from external sites to your blog or informational pages on your site, which then link to your target landing pages. It’s a much easier and more effective strategy.

[EG]: Exactly. By creating these internal links, you're also improving the semantic understanding that search engines have of your site, reinforcing that it covers multiple related topics. This strengthens your SEO foundation, helping new content perform better over time.

[OK]: What about indexing? How can internal links help?

[EG]: Internal links can speed up the indexing process. For example, if you add a new page to your site without internal links, it might take a while for Google to find it. However, by linking the new page to already indexed pages, and vice versa, you create a stronger web of content that helps Google discover and index your new page faster.

[OK]: Perfect. How can we start this process, especially for those new to this part of SEO?

[EG]: I have a few slides to explain this. There are several key places to add internal links: headers, footers, sidebars, landing pages, and long-form content. The tools you'll need differ from those used for external linking, and some best practices apply, like using good anchor text and avoiding link stuffing. You can make this process as technical as you want, using scripting or AI tools for automation, but I'll keep it simple enough for non-technical viewers.

The first step is to have a tool for internal link auditing. I use Screaming Frog, which allows you to crawl up to 500 pages for free. If your website is larger, you'll need a paid plan. Other tools like Sitebulb or Inlinks can also help, with Inlinks offering more automation, though it's pricier. For SEO analysis, I prefer SE Ranking, which is user-friendly and great for client reports, but tools like Ahrefs are also good options. Additionally, using Google Search Console is essential. It helps you see which pages are getting clicks and impressions and what keywords are driving that traffic. If you don't have it set up yet, I highly recommend doing so for future internal linking projects.

[OK]: By the way, do you know why Screaming Frog is called Screaming Frog?

[EG]: No, I don't.

[OK]: It’s a funny story. The founders were sitting in their backyard, and a frog was screaming. They thought it was amusing and decided to name their tool Screaming Frog. 

[EG]: That is a cool story!

[OK]: Let's talk about Google Search Console data and external tools. What’s your take on using zero keyword volume keywords discovered through Search Console? Is it a good strategy for internal links, or do you prefer to choose by volume?

[EG]: For internal linking, I approach it like an inverted pyramid. I start with keywords and pages that are already getting traffic. I link to these from newer or underperforming pages. Over time, there can be value in creating links for zero-volume keywords because today's zero-volume might grow in the future. Identifying trends and selecting keywords related to emerging topics can be beneficial. Additionally, there’s value in linking content around zero-click searches. Even if people aren’t clicking, being featured in snippets or AI overviews still gives your brand exposure. Keeping these topics connected through internal links can strengthen your site's relevance.

[OK]: How do we identify pages that need more internal links?

[EG]: Start by crawling the website. I’ll demonstrate with Screaming Frog, but you can also use tools like Sitebulb. Enter your website into the tool, ensuring it respects robots.txt, so you're crawling in the same way search engines do. Focus on pages that have the potential to be indexed and appear in search results. The crawl process is automated, so configure your parameters, run the crawl, and let it process. Depending on the site size, this could take from a few minutes to an hour. Once completed, you’ll receive a report showing all the links on your website.

[EG]: You can use tools like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and get detailed information on each page, such as how many links come in and go out and the click depth (the number of clicks it takes to reach a page). These tools also provide data on external links if that’s part of your strategy.

To optimize your internal linking, start by pulling reports using filters in the tool or exporting the data to Excel or Google Sheets. You should focus on:

1. Pages with no outbound internal links: Identify pages that don’t link to any other pages on your site.
2. Pages with no inbound internal links: Find pages that aren’t linked to from other pages on your site.
3. Pages with no anchor text: Detect links on your pages that lack clear anchor text.
4. Pages with non-descriptive anchor text: Identify links with vague anchor text, like "click here" or "view."

Tools like Screaming Frog can help spot these issues, allowing you to improve your internal linking strategy by ensuring all pages are properly linked and have descriptive, relevant anchor text.

[EG]: The tool can help you find pages with issues, like those with nofollow links or high crawl depth. You’ll end up with six different reports, which can be a lot of URLs. It takes time to sift through, but it strengthens your website's foundation. Once you have these reports, organize them into two groups: pages that need new links and pages that need link improvements. You can choose to start by improving existing links, like adjusting anchor text, or by adding new internal links. The order depends on your resources and what feels most manageable.

Grab a template with an example✅

[OK]: Can we divide the process of implementing internal links? For example, sometimes we can do it manually, but other times, we might need to provide technical tasks to developers, especially for things like footer or header links where we don’t have CMS access. Automating these can save a lot of time and help prioritize different sections of the website.

[EG]: Absolutely. You don't have to do this manually. You can delegate to a technical team or automate it, especially if someone on your team is comfortable with scripting. Tools like Inlinks can automate the process by connecting to your website and placing links for you. For larger teams, you can create a clear report outlining the links needed and where they should go, then pass it on to your technical team.

Next, you need to identify the best pages to link to or from. Start by identifying the top keywords on your site using tools like Google Search Console or SE Ranking. Sort these by search volume and relevance to ensure you're focusing on high-performing terms. Also, consider looking at competitor keywords and creating links around those topics to boost your site's competitiveness. 

[OK]: What if I have a large e-commerce website with thousands of pages? How can I filter keywords more effectively beyond just search volume?

[EG]: Great question. For large product-based sites, starting with a keyword list can be overwhelming. Instead, turn to internal site analytics — Google Analytics, Hotjar, or even Shopify's internal tools. Identify the most popular pages and products and focus on the top three landing pages, category pages, and product pages. Create links from these high-traffic pages to underperforming areas. Additionally, look at high-value pages in Google Search Console. If you provide a lot of guides or long blog posts, impressions can be more telling than clicks. Pages with high impressions indicate strong search performance, making them high-priority targets for internal linking to pages with few links and high crawl depth.

[EG]: By linking high-traffic pages to harder-to-find pages, you reduce crawl depth and make those pages more accessible. If you have any orphaned pages — those with no incoming or outgoing links — be sure to link them to high-performing URLs. You can also use Google Analytics to identify high-conversion pages and link them to underperforming ones, ideally with bidirectional links to increase user engagement across the site.

[OK]: You mentioned conversions, calls, and CTAs. Sometimes, clients want to track everything — every button, every event. How do you recommend handling UTM links inside the website?

[EG]: I'm not a fan of overusing UTM links internally because too much data creates noise, making it hard to focus on what really matters. I recommend keeping tracking limited to key conversion actions — such as calls, form submissions, or cart actions. You can also use a heat mapping tool to show clients where users are focusing their attention on a page. This provides valuable insights without cluttering your analytics with too many tracked links.

If you're starting with a site you're unfamiliar with or one that's underperforming, you can also use Boolean searches in Google to identify potential internal link targets. For example, if I have a page about restaurants that needs more links, I can search for related terms within my site to find appropriate linking opportunities. While this method might sometimes link underperforming pages together, it's a good way to start improving internal links on a site that hasn’t seen much SEO work.

[OK]: It's a quick and easy test — place the link, index it, wait a few weeks, and check for any movement in Search Console. Great advice.

[EG]: The next step is to prioritize the data you’ve gathered. I like to create two lists: one for pages that need links and another for pages that are high-performing or relevant. Then, I map out where to link from and to, placing everything into a spreadsheet. This includes the starting page, anchor keyword, location of the text, and the target link. I also add columns for assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and tracking progress.

For those with more technical skills, you could automate this process using tools like OpenAI API or Airtable. This allows multiple team members to input links and anchor text, automatically generating a shared spreadsheet. This method helps ensure clarity and efficiency when passing off tasks.

[OK]: If you’re working in a company or agency, don’t do this manually yourself. It’s not an effective use of your time. Delegate the work to a content manager. Your role should be to determine priorities, set goals, create a workflow, and manage the process.

[EG]: Absolutely. Even if you're working solo with a client, you can delegate this to the client’s team. Frame it as empowering them with the information they need for a better internal linking strategy. Ideally, the client’s technical team will handle the implementation.

[OK]: Once it’s done, you can crawl the site again with any tool to check if everything is properly linked. It’s a straightforward way to verify the work.

[EG]: The nice thing about internal linking is that it’s easy to check performance.

[OK]: What about indexation? After completing a project, should we request re-indexing from Google, or is there another technique you recommend?

[EG]: Once you've updated your internal links, you can resubmit your sitemap through Google Search Console for re-indexing. If you’ve linked orphan or high crawl depth pages to more frequently crawled, higher-ranking pages, Google will likely pick them up naturally. However, resubmitting the sitemap can speed up the process. If you don’t resubmit, I’d wait about three months to see how things progress. If you’re doing a major overhaul, including content updates, I’d recommend requesting re-indexing.

[OK]: What about using HTML sitemaps? Do they still work?

[EG]: If you mean a static HTML sitemap with links to every page, it’s not as beneficial today. Google now looks for related topics rather than a long list of links. While having a sitemap file is still important, building out a clickable sitemap page on your site isn’t really necessary anymore. It can come off as link stuffing, so I’d focus on maintaining the actual sitemap file.

[OK]: Google crawling has slowed down, so HTML sitemaps might not be as effective. You can use API for crawling or indexing, but it requires technical skills. You can either ask your technical team or learn basic Python to write your own script and manage the process. However, the API has a limit of 200 URLs per day, which is fine for small projects but requires additional management for larger ones.

[EG]: Absolutely. If you have someone technical on your team, much of this can be automated. If not, it’s a good idea to find someone who can help. Set progress goals and prioritize tasks based on your team's capacity. Consider the total number of pages that need new links, your team size, and available time. Delegation is crucial, but be realistic about the timeline if your team is small. The benefits will come over time, especially if you use the API, which limits you to 200 URLs a day, so a step-by-step approach works well.

In terms of priority, start with orphan pages, then move to pages with only one internal link, and lastly, address high crawl depth pages. Once those are handled, focus on linking pages relevant to your business model and those with strong conversion opportunities. Adjust your plan as needed, ensuring open communication with your team to tweak timelines and goals as necessary.

[OK]: How do you manage this with your team? My team works in two-week sprints, but some teams prefer one-week sprints.

[EG]: I’m a one-woman operation, so I prepare the strategy for my clients and train them on how to implement it. I support them as needed while their technical team handles the execution. If you're working internally, two-week sprints are great for ensuring progress and making adjustments. I provide training and knowledge support rather than directly managing the process.

Now, let’s discuss optimizing existing content. When placing links, sometimes the page will already have suitable anchor text. Other times, you’ll need to edit and adjust the content to fit the internal linking strategy.

[EG]: If your technical team is handling the links, involve your content team early to identify the best anchor text and ensure the content is ready for linking. Use relevant keywords as anchor text — don’t just link phrases like "tasty restaurants" if you're linking to a food tour page. Use precise terms like "food tours" to make it clear to both search engines and users what the link is about.

[OK]: A common mistake is using WordPress plugins to automate internal links, which often leads to irrelevant and "stuffy" link text. If you use such plugins, make sure they’re set up properly to avoid having to fix the links later.

[EG]: Yes, plugins often create poor-quality links. Don’t hesitate to rewrite content if needed. Refreshing old content can help with both SEO and ensuring the internal links are relevant. Be cautious when copying links; avoid using links with tracking codes unless they are intentional. Clean links prevent confusing data down the line.

When creating new content or refreshing existing pages, always plan for internal links. If you’re preparing briefs for writers, include suggested or required internal links to streamline the process. If your writers understand anchor text and link placement, give them creative control; otherwise, specify exactly where and how links should be placed. Incorporating this into your content brief template will make future internal linking much easier.

[EG]: Set limits on your links per page to avoid stuffing. For a 1,000-word blog post, keep internal links to about 2 or 3 within the text. For landing pages with limited text, focus on placing links in headers, footers, and sidebars, with maybe 1 or 2 in the body if it makes sense. It’s also important to train your entire team on internal linking and anchor text best practices to ensure consistency.

[OK]: A common mistake I see is the content team providing internal links without the proper canonical slashes, which can be really frustrating. I always create a spreadsheet or presentation outlining the rules and share it with the team to avoid conflicts. This way, if there’s an issue, I can point back to the guidelines we’ve established. It’s important to protect yourself by preparing knowledge materials, even videos, to ensure everyone is on the same page.

[EG]: My favorite mistake is similar — using incorrect links, whether it’s missing a slash or leaving a tracking code attached. It’s easy to accidentally create a broken link if you’re not careful. Being specific in your guidelines is crucial because details matter. As you mentioned, videos are a great tool for training and providing reference materials. I use them to guide client teams through the process, allowing them to work asynchronously and refer back to the instructions as needed.

The next step is to monitor and adjust your linking strategy as you go. It’s an ongoing process that you can continue to refine over time.

[EG]: As you implement your internal linking strategy, you’ll become more comfortable with creating brief templates for writers, setting up tracking systems, and deciding on sprint structures. Once you've added links to your pages, start tracking the keywords for which you want those pages to rank. Monitor changes in rank, impressions, and clicks using Google Search Console. If you haven’t set it up already, make sure to do so, as it will help you see if your new links are driving more traffic and whether your site is being recognized as a reliable resource in new areas.

It’s also a good idea to recrawl your site after implementing the links. Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to check if the click depth has improved — one of the key goals of internal linking. This will help you assess whether the strategy is effectively reducing the number of clicks it takes for users to find information on your site.

[EG]: During the internal linking process, be careful not to link one high click depth page to another. Instead, focus on connecting high click depth pages to low click depth pages. If you still have many pages with high click depth after implementing your links, consider adding more links or revisiting your site structure. Proper internal linking can significantly reduce click depth across your site.

Here’s an example from a client project I worked on. The internal linking implementation began around June 2023, as shown by the arrow on the top graph. Over the following year, their impressions doubled, which is especially important for this client as they benefit from zero-click searches. We optimized their content to appear in featured snippets, and I'm optimistic they’ll show up in AI overviews as well. The increase in impressions helps build their brand name across multiple channels.

Additionally, their average search position improved by four spots, and organic traffic increased from less than 65 visits per month to over 250 visits. This client regularly creates content, but the significant boost in impressions and traffic is largely due to improved internal linking and more strategic keyword usage. This progress is particularly impressive for a small site.

[OK]: It took about three months for your client to fully implement the internal linking strategy, right?

[EG]: Yes, it did. They had a small team and a lot of links to manage, so they took their time. The site allowed for a slower pace, but with a larger team, we could have done it faster and seen quicker results.

[OK]: It's a good result, even without a big budget for external links or link-building campaigns. Internal links can really provide a significant boost.

[EG]: Absolutely. Internal linking not only improves traffic but also helps build a topic map, making the site more recognizable for additional entities in search. This will become increasingly important as AI overviews continue to roll out.

[OK]: The best part is that once you set up the internal linking process, it doesn't require much ongoing effort. The key is to establish clear processes, train your team or your client's team, and integrate these practices into content creation. Do you include internal linking recommendations in your blog post outlines, or does the team already know how to handle it?

[EG]: It depends on the client. Typically, I do provide internal linking suggestions in the blog post outlines. If I’ve worked with the client before and their team is already up to speed, I might not need to. Including internal links in the brief doesn’t add much extra work because I have templates in place, so I generally like to include them.

[OK]: What about the context for internal links? There's a myth that the target keyword or internal link needs to be in the first paragraph. Do you specify where links should be placed, or do you give writers total freedom?

[EG]: I usually provide the anchor text for internal links, which helps determine where it fits within the content. I don’t mandate its placement in a specific paragraph, as there’s some debate about the best placement. Personally, I’m not a fan of putting the internal link in the first paragraph because it can pull users away from the page too soon. I prefer to let the content naturally dictate where the link should go.

If I notice that all the links are bunched together in one spot, I’ll advise spreading them out. This is something typically addressed in training to ensure everyone understands the best practices for linking. A video tutorial can be helpful here, especially for writers or content teams, providing a refresher on where links should be placed. Including a link to such a video in your brief template allows team members to review best practices as needed without waiting for direct guidance.

As you monitor the results, you may need to adjust your strategy. If your anchor text isn’t yielding the right search intent, or if tools like Hotjar show that users are clicking a link but then leaving the page, there’s likely a disconnect between the link and user expectations. In such cases, tweak the anchor text or the destination page to better align with user intent. If a high-value link begins to drop in SERP rankings, revisiting the content and links might help recover some SEO performance.

Internal linking is both an art and a science, requiring ongoing testing and iteration. It’s challenging initially, but once you establish a solid internal linking framework, it becomes much easier to maintain and refine over time.

[EG]: One crucial point to remember before we wrap up: always set up redirects when you’re removing a page, editing the URL, changing subfolders, or migrating to a subdomain. If you don’t, all the hard work you’ve put into internal linking could be wasted because broken links lead to 404 errors, which can harm your site’s performance. Make sure to understand the difference between 301 and 302 redirects, and always include some non-redirect links in your strategy to maintain value.

[OK]: I have a great example of this. I worked on a high-competition e-commerce site in Europe that sold men's health products. The product team removed top-ranking products without consulting us, leading to 404 errors. I noticed a drop in clicks and rankings for competitive keywords and discovered the issue when the pages returned 404 errors. The correct approach would have been to redirect those pages to relevant categories or similar products rather than letting them become dead ends. The situation was frustrating, and ultimately, I decided to leave the company.

[EG]: I can relate — I’ve had similar experiences with large e-commerce sites. It’s always challenging when key decisions are made without considering the SEO implications.

[OK]: If anyone else has had similar experiences, please share them in the comments. We’d love to hear your stories.

[EG]: That wraps up my presentation. I’m happy to answer any further questions, and I hope this discussion was helpful. I’m excited to see any comments or questions people might have.

[OK]: Thank you, Emily. I believe this guide will be incredibly helpful for our readers and subscribers, especially those dealing with internal linking for the first time. Before we wrap up, I have a few final questions for you. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in your career as a CEO, and how did you overcome them?

[EG]: My biggest challenge was leaving my in-house SEO job to become self-employed in September 2019. Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 lockdown hit, and I lost almost all my clients overnight except one. This was a wake-up call to diversify my client base and focus on industries less affected by location or physical presence. This pivot not only provided more security but also opened up new opportunities in the technology and software sectors, which I’ve come to really enjoy.

[OK]: What advice would you give to those struggling with Google updates, feeling depressed after traffic declines, or dealing with burnout in SEO?

[EG]: That's a great question. I remind myself that change is constant in this industry. Things we worried about two years ago have often become less significant, or we’ve adapted. For example, the recent AI overviews initially seemed like a big threat, but Google rolled them back, reducing their impact. Nothing in SEO is set in stone; it always evolves.

If you’re experiencing a decline in traffic or feeling burnt out, it might be time to step back and reassess your process. Sometimes, burnout happens because the current approach isn’t working anymore. Taking a break to reevaluate can help you create a more sustainable process that supports both your well-being and your site's performance. Remember, you're not alone — everyone in SEO faces challenges, but the key is to keep adapting and moving forward.

[OK]: Thank you for coming. If you need any help with your content, you know what to do. We'll include links to your website and social media. Follow Emily, and we'll see you in the next episode. Have a great day.

[EG]: Thank you.