Quick answer: an internal link is a link from one page on your site to another. Google uses links to find pages and to understand what they are about, so link related posts together in context, use descriptive anchor text, and make sure every page you care about has at least one link pointing to it from another page.
Ask a room full of new bloggers what they do to promote a new post and you will hear about social media, newsletters and keywords. Ask how many link to the post from their older posts, and you will probably get a pause. Internal links are one of the cheapest, most under-used tools you have. They cost nothing, they are fully in your control, and they help readers and search engines at the same time.
This guide gives you a simple system. You will learn what internal links do, how Google describes good links in its own documentation, how to write anchor text that reads naturally, where to place links, how to audit your old content, and a short routine to follow for every new post.
What Internal Links Do for Readers and Search Engines
Start with the reader. A good internal link answers the question “what should I read next?” before it is asked. Someone reading about starting a blog may wonder how people earn money from one, and a link to your guide to how blogs are monetized gives them a path. Without that link, they might leave, or spend time searching for the answer themselves.
Now the search engine side. Google’s documentation on links says that Google uses links as a signal when determining the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl. It also says that paying attention to the anchor text used for internal links can help both people and Google make sense of your site more easily and find other pages on it. In other words, your internal links form a map of your site, and you get to draw it.
There is one more benefit. Linking posts together keeps readers on your site longer, and gives older posts a boost when a newer post sends them traffic. A site with strong internal links tends to feel like a connected resource instead of a pile of separate articles.
What Google Says About Crawlable Links and Anchor Text
Two technical points are worth knowing, and both come from Google Search Central. First, links need to be crawlable. Google generally can only follow a link if it is an anchor element with an href attribute, written in HTML. Links created in other ways, such as ones that depend on script events without a real address, may not be parsed. In WordPress, the standard link tool produces the right kind of link, so you are covered if you use it.
Second, anchor text matters. Anchor text is the visible, clickable words of the link. Google says good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to the page it sits on and the page it links to. Its examples of bad anchor text include “click here” and “read more”, which tell neither people nor search engines anything. A handy test it suggests: read only the anchor text, out of context, and check whether it is specific enough to make sense by itself.
Google also warns against forcing keywords into anchor text. Write as naturally as possible, and resist the urge to cram in every keyword related to the page you are linking to. Keyword stuffing, it notes, is a violation of its spam policies. Finally, give context to your links. The words before and after matter, and links bunched together in a chain are harder to read and lose their surrounding text.
How to Write Anchor Text That Reads Naturally
The easiest way to write good anchor text is to write the sentence first and add the link afterward. Say what you would say to a friend, then wrap the part of the sentence that describes the destination. Compare two versions of the same line. “To learn more, click here.” versus “Our guide to creating a lead magnet covers what to offer in exchange for an email address.” The second tells the reader exactly where the link goes and why they might want it.
- Describe the destination: use words that tell the reader what they will find.
- Keep it short: a few words is usually enough, and a whole sentence is too much.
- Vary it: avoid using the exact same phrase for every link to a page.
- Stay natural: if a phrase sounds odd read aloud, rewrite the sentence.
- Avoid links in headings when possible, so the link sits in a normal sentence with context.
Do not worry about perfect optimization. Google says there is no magical ideal number of links on a page, but that if you think it is too much, it probably is. The practical rule is to link when it helps the reader and skip it when it does not.
Where to Put Links in a Post
Think about reader moments. A link works best when it appears at the exact moment the reader might have a question. Mention a term that deserves its own explanation? Link it the first time it appears. At the end of a section, the natural next step may be another topic, so add a short pointer. Put key links early rather than burying all of them at the end, since many readers will not scroll that far.
Do not overdo it. A 2,000-word post might carry three to six internal links, and not every paragraph needs one. Too many links in a short space dilute each one and distract readers. A link to the same page twice in one post is rarely helpful. Also avoid linking to pages that do not truly relate to the topic, since that confuses readers and can look like an attempt to game the system.
A related-posts block at the bottom is fine as a bonus, but it is not a substitute for links inside the text. Links in the body of a post carry context. Boxes at the end may not. For a bigger picture of how posts relate, our guide to a content map shows one way to plan clusters of related posts.
A Simple System for Every New Post
Here is a routine you can follow each time you publish. It takes about fifteen minutes.
- Before writing, list three to five existing posts that relate to the topic. These are your outbound internal links.
- While writing, link naturally to those posts where they help the reader. Use descriptive anchor text.
- After publishing, search your site for older posts that mention the new topic. Open each and add a link to the new post where it fits.
- Check that the new post is reachable: at least one other page should link to it, as Google recommends for every page you care about.
- Test the links. Click each one to make sure it works and goes to the right page.
- Log the links in a simple sheet, with the post title, the URL and the pages linking in and out.
Step three is the one most bloggers skip. A new post that has no links pointing to it may be hard for search engines to find, and for readers too. Adding a handful of links from older posts gives it a way in. Because you are editing posts you already have, it also refreshes them in a useful way.
Auditing Your Old Content
If you have been blogging for a while, take an hour to review your existing links. Start with your most important pages, such as your best guides, your sales pages and anything that earns money. Ask whether each one has at least one link pointing to it from another page. Pages with none are sometimes called orphans, and they are easy to fix.
Look next for broken links. A link to a page that has been deleted or moved leads to an error, which frustrates readers. Many WordPress plugins and online tools can scan for broken links, and a manual check of your top posts is also worthwhile. Fix them by updating the link, redirecting the old address, or removing the link. Check also for links that use generic anchor text, and improve them one at a time.
While you are there, look for opportunities. Which old posts get traffic but have few links to your other content? Those are good places to add pointers. Which new posts cover topics your old posts mention? Link them. This is a good job for a slow afternoon, and it often pays off more than writing new content. Our guide on digital content strategy can help you decide which topics to connect first.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few errors come up again and again. Using the same anchor text for every link to a page can look unnatural. Linking only to your newest posts leaves older ones isolated. Adding dozens of links in a single post can overwhelm readers. Using vague text like “here” wastes the chance to describe the destination. Leaving broken links in place erodes trust. And linking to pages just because you have them, rather than because they help, makes the post worse.
There is a quieter mistake too: treating links as a trick. Links are a service to your readers, and Google’s guidance keeps coming back to people-first thinking. If a link helps someone find what they need, it is a good link. One that exists only to send authority somewhere probably is not.
Here is a quick, hypothetical illustration of how this fits together. Suppose your site has a guide to starting a blog, a post on picking a niche, a post on choosing a hosting plan and a post on writing a first article. Each of those should point to the others where it makes sense. The niche post links forward to the hosting post once the reader has chosen a topic. The hosting post links to the first-article post as the next step. The big guide links to all three. Every page now has several paths in and out, and a reader who lands anywhere can move through the whole sequence.
That structure is sometimes called a topic cluster, with the broad guide at the center and the narrower posts around it. You do not need special software to build one. A spreadsheet with one row per post and a column for related posts is enough to start.
A Quick Way to Spot Link Opportunities
Use your site’s search box or a search operator to look for a phrase across your blog. Type the topic of your new post, and every older post that mentions it appears. Open each one and ask whether a link would help a reader. Often the answer is yes in two or three places, and you have just built a handful of links in ten minutes.
Keep a short list of your most valuable pages, the ones that explain your main topics or support your business. Give those extra attention in your linking. Over time, every new post can point at one of them where it fits. A page that gathers links from many relevant places signals to readers and to search engines that it matters on your site, and it gives visitors a reliable next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many internal links should a blog post have?
Google says there is no magical ideal number. For a typical post of around 2,000 words, three to six well-chosen links is a reasonable range, but let usefulness decide.
Should internal links open in a new tab?
It is a matter of preference. Opening in the same tab is the default and works well for most readers.
Do internal links help SEO?
Google says it uses links to find pages and understand relevance, and that good anchor text helps people and Google understand your site. They are one of several signals.
What is anchor text?
The visible, clickable words of a link. Good anchor text is descriptive, concise and relevant, and avoids vague phrases like “click here”.
How can I find pages with no links pointing to them?
Use a site audit tool or a plugin that reports orphan pages, or search your site for the page title and see which posts mention it.