Check 1
List pages that matter
Start with pages serving a clear user or business purpose: core tools, product explanations, useful guides and conversion pages. Not every URL is equally important.
Site architecture
How to run an internal linking audit
Internal links help people and crawlers discover related pages and understand site structure. Prioritize useful paths between important pages instead of adding links mechanically.
A link should help the reader
Use this checklist alongside the technical SEO audit and content refresh workflow. Add links where they help someone find information or complete the next step.
Check 2
Find important pages that are hard to discover
Review the site structure to identify useful pages with few relevant incoming links. A low link count is a clue to investigate, not automatically an SEO problem.
Check 3
Check that links are crawlable
Use ordinary links with valid destinations. Avoid making important navigation depend entirely on scripts or interactions that do not expose a standard link.
Check 4
Use descriptive anchor text
Write concise anchors that make sense in the sentence. Avoid repeated generic anchors when a more specific description helps users understand the destination.
Check 5
Connect pages by topic and task
Link guides to relevant next steps, definitions to deeper explanations and product pages to supporting documentation. The relationship should make sense to a reader.
Check 6
Avoid competing pages for the same intent
If multiple pages answer the same question, decide whether to consolidate, differentiate or cross-link them. Internal links alone do not solve confusing content architecture.
Check 7
Validate destinations and canonicals
Remove broken internal links, avoid unnecessary redirect chains and point to the preferred HTTPS URL. Check whether destinations are useful and indexable when intended for search.
Check 8
Measure meaningful changes
Record affected pages and update dates. Monitor organic clicks, impressions, discovery and user outcomes over time instead of assuming a link edit caused every movement.
Prioritize the link backlog
| Priority | Evidence | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High | Important page is hard to reach and has no relevant incoming links | Add a contextual link from a closely related page |
| Medium | Related pages exist but do not guide readers to a next step | Add a descriptive link where useful |
| Low | Existing anchor is vague or redundant | Improve it only if it adds clarity |
Find your next site improvement
Use measured page structure, content relationships and search performance to decide where internal links help. Recommendations are hypotheses to review, not ranking guarantees.