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Internal Linking

20-40 minIntermediate

Internal links connect your content, pass authority (Link Juice), and help Google understand your site structure. A strong internal linking strategy is the easiest way to boost rankings for existing content.

Prerequisites

  • WordPress admin access
  • Existing content to link between
Easy Recommended

Manual Contextual Linking

The most powerful method. Adding links naturally within your sentences.

1

Find Opportunities

1

When writing a new post, think: "What other posts verify or expand on this point?"

2

Use the site:yourdomain.com "keyword" search in Google to find relevant old posts to link FROM

2

Add the Link in Editor

1

Highlight the relevant anchor text (e.g., "technical SEO audit")

2

Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K) or click the Link icon

3

Search for the target page title

4

Select it and press Enter

Best Practices

Do

  • Link deep (to specific detailed pages), not just to home/contact
  • Use descriptive anchor text ("learn about canonical tags")
  • Link to high-converting pages often
  • Audit broken links regularly
  • Update old "best of" posts to include new articles

Don't

  • Use "Click Here" or "Read More" as anchor text
  • Force links where they don't make sense
  • Use the same anchor text for every single link (looks spammy)
  • Link to the same page multiple times in one paragraph
  • Leave pages with zero internal links (Orphans)

Verification Checklist

  • Important pages have at least 3-5 internal links pointing to them
  • No "Orphan Page" warnings in audits
  • Anchor text is varied and descriptive (not just "click here")
  • Links work and are not broken
  • Menu and Breadcrumbs provide clear structural paths

Pro Tips

  • Create "Hub Pages" or "Cornerstone Content" that links out to all sub-topics
  • Link from high-authority pages (like Homepage or popular posts) to new content to pass juice
  • Use the "First Link Priority" rule: Google counts the first link to a page most heavily
  • Internal links reduce bounce rate by giving users somewhere to go next

Common Issues & Fixes

Problem: Over-optimizing anchor text
Solution: Don't use "best plumbing service" for every link. Use variations: "our plumbing services", "fixing leaks", "plumber near you".
Problem: Broken internal links (404s)
Solution: Use a plugin like "Broken Link Checker" or external crawler (Screaming Frog) to find and fix links pointing to deleted pages.