Internal linking is the set of links connecting your site's pages to one another. Most sites neglect it. And yet it is one of the most effective SEO levers, and it is completely free.
Two key roles of the internal link
Every internal link plays two roles at once. It guides Google in crawling and understanding your site's structure. It also transfers authority between your pages, what is known as internal PageRank. A page well linked from other pages on your site mechanically has more chance of ranking well.
Picture your site as a town. Internal linking is the road network. Without roads connecting the districts, some areas stay invisible to Google, however excellent their content.
Orphan pages, your SEO blind spot
An orphan page is a page nothing on your site links to. Google may find it through your sitemap, but it receives zero authority. To identify yours, log in to Google Search Console (free) and spot the pages receiving very few clicks from within your site. Blog articles published with no links from other pages are often the first victims.
How to structure your links properly
- Link each new article from at least 2 existing pages on your site
- Use descriptive anchor text, never 'click here' or 'learn more'
- Prioritise links to your service pages, not only to the blog
- Limit yourself to 5 to 7 internal links per page so authority is not diluted
- Place your links within the body copy, not only in the footer or the menu
Golden rule: your link text (the anchor) has to describe the destination page. 'How to improve your local SEO' tells Google everything. 'Click here' tells it nothing.
Internal linking amplifies everything you already do in SEO. If you are starting from zero, begin with the basics of SEO for freelancers before going further.