Add an internal link when another page on your website helps answer the reader’s next question. Use wording that describes the destination and place the link where it is useful. Start with important services and supporting guides, then check that useful pages also have links pointing to them.
Think about the next question
A link should do a job in the paragraph. Someone reading about a website brief may need a practical launch checklist later. Someone comparing service scope may need the relevant pricing explanation now.
That is different from adding links simply because two pages contain the same word. A reference to a location does not always need to point to a location page, and every mention of your business does not need a homepage link.
For an illustrative training company, an article about preparing staff for a course could link to the course details when it discusses requirements. A link to an unrelated course would make the site busier without helping the decision.
Use words that describe the destination
The linked words, known as anchor text, should give a reasonable expectation of what opens next. “Website launch checklist” is clearer than “click here”. Keep the wording natural within the sentence.
Google’s link guidance recommends descriptive, relevant anchors and links that crawlers can follow. Ordinary HTML links with a destination URL are the dependable starting point.
Do not force a long string of service and location terms into an anchor. Read it aloud. If the sentence sounds as though it was assembled to hold keywords, rewrite it for the person reading.
Connect guides to the service they support
An informational article can help someone understand a decision before they contact you. When the service is genuinely relevant, explain the connection and link to it.
For example, a guide to internal links can point to an SEO service that reviews how important pages are found and understood. The link is useful because it identifies where someone can get help with the wider work.
The service page should also help people find selected guides. This creates a route in both directions: readers can learn more before enquiring, and people arriving through an article can understand the commercial offer.
Choose a few relevant guides rather than displaying every article the business has ever published. The service page still needs to explain the service.
Look for pages with no obvious route in
A useful page can be difficult to discover if it is absent from menus, collections and relevant articles. Include incoming links in your content review, not just links going out.
Start with a small list of important pages. For each one, record where a visitor could reasonably find it. Follow those routes yourself. A page listed only deep inside an old archive may need a better home.
Use a simple review sheet:
- Destination page.
- The question it answers.
- Relevant page that should link to it.
- Suggested link wording.
- Where the link belongs in the content.
This is more useful than a target such as “add five links to every article”. Different articles need different amounts of support.
Keep navigation and content links working together
The main menu gives the broad structure. Content links provide detail in context. A visitor should not have to return to the menu every time a paragraph raises a related question.
Conversely, a few links in old articles should not be the only route to an important service. Review the navigation labels if the main structure is unclear.
When a page moves or is merged, update the links you control to its current destination. Do not leave readers taking a chain of redirects because the original link still technically works.
Review links when you edit content
When refreshing an article, open every important linked page. Check that it still supports the point, describes a current offer and does not lead to an error.
Remove links that no longer help. Add a new one only where it improves the explanation or gives a useful next step. Avoid turning every sentence into a choice.
Our guide to updating an existing article includes the wider editorial decision. For internal links, the simplest final test is practical: after reading the paragraph, would someone understand why this link is here and what they will find?