When it comes to SEO, every detail counts. From keywords to meta descriptions, website structure to page speed, each element plays a role in determining how well your website ranks on search engines. One often-overlooked aspect of SEO is internal linking. Understanding how many internal links per page are optimal can help your website perform better, improve user experience, and ensure search engines fully index your content.
Internal linking isn’t just about sprinkling hyperlinks throughout your content. It’s a strategic SEO tactic that can make or break your site’s online visibility.
What Are Internal Links and Why They Matter
Internal links are hyperlinks that point from one page of your website to another page on the same domain. Unlike external links, which direct users to other websites, internal links help create a logical site structure that both users and search engines can navigate easily.
Here’s why internal links are crucial for SEO:
Improve Crawlability: Search engine bots follow links to discover and index pages on your website. Proper internal linking ensures all important pages are found.
Distribute Link Equity: Linking to high-priority pages passes SEO value (“link juice”) throughout your website, boosting the rankings of key pages.
Enhance User Experience: Well-placed internal links guide users to related content, increasing time on site and engagement metrics.
Highlight Key Content: Internal links signal to search engines which pages are most important.
In short, internal links are like the roads in a city – they make navigation possible and indicate which locations are most significant.
How Many Internal Links Should You Have Per Page?
The number of internal links per page depends on your website size, content type, and user needs. While there is no exact number, SEO experts recommend a strategic approach rather than indiscriminate linking.
- Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Too many links can overwhelm visitors and dilute SEO value. Link only to pages that provide relevant value.
- Follow Google’s Guidance: Historically, Google suggested keeping the number of links per page under 100. Modern crawlers can handle more, but pages with hundreds of links may lose clarity and effectiveness.
- Use Strategic Anchor Text: Anchor text should describe the linked page clearly. Instead of “click here,” use descriptive text like “learn more about our SEO services.”
- Prioritize Important Pages: Internal linking should emphasize cornerstone content, product/service pages, or high-converting pages.
- Maintain a Logical Hierarchy: Ensure top-level pages link to category pages, which link to subpages. This creates a clear, crawlable structure that search engines favor.
Example: On a blog post about social media marketing, internal links could include:
- A link to a case study showing results from a social media campaign
- A link to your social media services page
- Links to related blog posts (e.g., “10 Tips for Facebook Ads” or “How to Use LinkedIn for B2B Marketing”)
Common Internal Linking Mistakes to Avoid
Even small mistakes in internal linking can harm SEO. Here are the pitfalls to watch out for:
Overlinking: Adding too many links in a single page or paragraph can confuse users and search engines.
Orphan Pages: Pages with no internal links pointing to them may never get crawled or indexed.
Broken Links: Outdated or broken links frustrate users and signal poor site maintenance to search engines.
Non-Descriptive Anchor Text: Using generic text like “read more” doesn’t provide context to users or search engines.
A well-planned internal linking strategy avoids these mistakes and maximizes both SEO benefits and user experience.
How Fable Heart Media Helps Small Businesses with SEO
At Fable Heart Media, we specialize in helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) elevate their online presence through expert SEO strategies. We understand that every business has unique goals and challenges, which is why we provide customized solutions tailored to your needs.
Our SEO services include:
- Comprehensive SEO audits to identify opportunities and gaps
- Strategic internal linking plans to boost page authority and site structure
- On-page optimization, including meta tags, headers, and content strategy
- Technical SEO fixes for faster site speed, mobile responsiveness, and crawlability
- Local SEO for SMBs looking to attract customers in their area
By partnering with Fable Heart Media, SMBs can focus on running their businesses while we make sure their websites perform at their best. We don’t just optimize for search engines – we optimize for people, ensuring a seamless experience that converts visitors into customers.
Book a Complimentary SEO Consultation
Internal linking is just one piece of the SEO puzzle, but it can make a significant difference in your website’s performance. If you’re ready to take your SEO to the next level, book a complimentary consultation with our founder and creative director, Nick Leonard.
Nick will personally review your website, assess your internal linking strategy, and provide actionable insights to help your SMB achieve higher rankings, increased traffic, and better engagement starting from day 1.
Don’t leave your website’s SEO to chance. It’s time to start building a stronger online presence that lasts and keeps climbing the SERPs.
Stop by our blog page for more on creating stellar search engine optimization.
