Place internal links where context is real
A useful internal link helps the reader move to a relevant next step. It should sit near supporting context and use descriptive language without forcing the same exact-match anchor across the site.
Build hubs and linking pathways
Navigation, topic hubs, related guides, and editorial links serve different purposes. Crawl depth and inlink counts reveal structure, but they do not prove that every high-count page is important or every low-count page is weak.
For example, strategic linking between related topics helps users and search engines understand a website's hierarchy, relevance, and architecture. Across larger websites, descriptive anchors give Google context about each destination without repeating the same keywords, while a clear network of pathways supports crawl flow and user experience.
Verify the internal link graph
After adding links, recrawl the affected paths and confirm that the final URLs return successfully. Redirected or broken internal links waste crawl effort and create avoidable user friction.
Distribute authority through the site structure
An internal linking strategy distributes link equity from the homepage and authoritative articles toward category pages, product pages, and supporting blog posts. Descriptive anchor text and contextual hyperlinks help visitors understand those relationships; external backlinks bring authority into the domain, while internal connections distribute it. After a change, track index coverage, rankings, traffic, orphan pages, and the balance between editorial, navigation, and footer links.