What Is Internal Linking?
Internal linking refers to any hyperlink that points from one page of a website to another page on the same website. When you click a link in a blog post that takes you to a related service page, or when a product page links to a buying guide on the same site, those are internal links. They are distinct from external links, which point to other websites, and backlinks, which are external links pointing to your site from elsewhere.
Internal links serve three interconnected purposes in SEO. First, they help Google's crawlers discover new pages. If a new page on your website has no internal links pointing to it, it is effectively an orphan page that search engine bots may not find. Second, they distribute link equity (sometimes called "link juice") from authoritative pages to pages that need a ranking boost. Third, they signal to Google what the most important pages on your site are: pages that receive many internal links are treated as more significant than pages with few.
The anchor text used in internal links carries meaning. Descriptive anchor text such as "our Google Ads management services" tells Google that the destination page is about Google Ads management. Generic anchors like "click here" provide no topical signal. Using keyword-rich but natural anchor text for internal links helps reinforce the relevance of the pages you are pointing to.
A well-structured internal linking strategy follows the pillar page and topic cluster model, where a broad authoritative page links to more specific supporting pages, and those supporting pages link back to the pillar. This creates a clear content architecture that both users and search engines can navigate logically.
Internal Linking In Practice
The scenario below is an illustrative example, not a Juicy Designs client result. The figures indicate the scale of effect that internal linking work typically produces, so treat them as indicative rather than measured.
Picture a South African property developer's website with a main pillar page on "New Developments Gauteng" that links out to supporting pages for specific estates: "Waterfall Lifestyle Estate", "Centurion Eco Development", and "Midrand Cluster Homes". Each of those pages would link back to the pillar page and to related content such as a blog post on "How to Choose a New Development in South Africa". A cluster structure of this kind would typically consolidate topical authority on the theme of new property developments in Gauteng.
When auditing internal links, look for pages that receive few or no internal links (orphan pages), pages where the anchor text is vague, and opportunities to link from high-traffic existing pages to newer pages that need authority. Tools such as Screaming Frog and Google Search Console's internal links report make it straightforward to map your site's current link structure and identify gaps that a targeted internal linking audit can fill.
How internal linking helps crawling and indexing
Internal links are the paths search engines follow to discover and understand a site. A page with no internal links pointing to it, an orphan page, may never be found, however good it is. Beyond discovery, internal links pass ranking signal between pages and tell search engines which pages you consider important: the more internal links a page receives from relevant pages, the more weight it tends to carry. Keeping important pages a few clicks from the homepage, and linking to them from related content, both speeds their discovery and strengthens them. Internal linking is one of the few strong ranking levers entirely within your control.
Structuring internal links with pillars and clusters
A clear internal structure helps both readers and search engines grasp how your content fits together. The common model is a pillar page covering a broad topic, linked to and from a cluster of specific pages on sub-topics. The glossary you are reading is an example: individual term pages link to related terms and up to the services they support. This structure concentrates authority on the pillar, signals topical depth, and gives readers natural next steps. Use descriptive anchor text that says what the linked page is about, and link where it genuinely helps the reader, not merely to hit a quota.
FAQ
How many internal links should a page have?
There is no fixed limit. Google's guidelines suggest keeping the number of links on a page to a reasonable amount, typically under a few hundred. For most service or blog pages, 3 to 10 contextual internal links are sufficient. Focus on linking where it genuinely helps the user rather than linking for the sake of link count.
What is anchor text and why does it matter for internal links?
Anchor text is the clickable text of a hyperlink. For internal links, descriptive anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about and can reinforce keyword relevance. Avoid generic anchors like "click here" or "read more". Use descriptive text such as "SEO services Pretoria" or "how to improve your bounce rate".
Do internal links pass ranking signal?
Yes. Internal links pass ranking signal between your own pages and help search engines judge which pages matter most, based partly on how many internal links point to them. They are a controllable ranking lever, unlike backlinks, which depend on other sites.
What is an orphan page?
A page with no internal links pointing to it. Search engines struggle to discover orphan pages, and users cannot navigate to them, so they rarely rank. Linking them from relevant existing pages usually fixes the problem.