An internal link is a link that points from one page on a website to another page on the same website.
Some key things to know about internal links:
- Help with site navigation – Internal links allow users to navigate seamlessly around a website by connecting related content.
- Assist search crawlers – Search engines follow internal links to discover new or updated content on a site to index. This helps pages get crawled.
- Distribute equity – Internal links pass value and link equity from one page to another, helping distribute PageRank within a website.
- Enhance user experience – Related internal links keep users engaged on a site by leading them to more relevant information associated with what they’re reading.
- Can influence rankings – Pages with more internal links tend to rank better in search engines. Internal links signal to search bots that a page is important.
- Link structuring is important – A good internal link structure has a logical flow and connects topics in a meaningful way. Things to avoid are excessive linking, paid internal links, and linking out to poor quality pages.
- Use anchor text properly – Keyword-rich anchor text for internal links can seem unnatural. Focus on descriptive, user-friendly anchor text.
In summary, thoughtfully placed internal links help with SEO by passing equity, facilitating discovery of new content and improving the user experience.
