What are internal links?

Internal links are links from one page to another page within the same website. They help visitors navigate and help search engines understand the structure and coherence of your site. A well-thought-out internal link structure also spreads link value across your pages, which strengthens your SEO.

Why are internal links important?

Internal links lead visitors to relevant follow-up pages and keep them on your site for longer. For search engines they make clear how pages relate to each other and which ones matter most. That way you help Google crawl your content and rank the right pages.

Internal links and link value

A page with a lot of authority can pass part of that value on to other pages through internal links. By linking from strong pages to pages you want to push up, you send link value exactly where you want it. This complements off-page SEO with internal signals.

Tips for good internal links

Use descriptive anchor text that makes clear where the link goes, link to your most important pages and avoid hundreds of links on one page. It is a fixed part of good on-page SEO.

How many internal links can a page have?

There is no fixed maximum, but keep them relevant and manageable. Links should genuinely help the reader along.

How do they differ from external links?

Internal links point to pages within your own site, external links point to other websites.