What are internal links?
Internal links are links from one page on a website to another page on the same site. They let visitors and Google find pages, and their clickable words tell both what the linked page is about.
Cited from the66th.com/glossary/internal-links
How internal links work
An internal link points from one page to another address on the same site, such as a blog post that links to the service page it relates to, or a menu that links to every main page. A page with no internal links pointing to it is called an orphan page.
The anchor text, the clickable words of the link, describes the page at the other end. Words that name the page tell a reader where the link goes before they click; "click here" tells them nothing.
| Link text | What a reader and Google learn about the next page |
|---|---|
| Click here | Nothing |
| Read more | Nothing |
| drain cleaning in Calgary | It is the service page for drain cleaning in Calgary |
| what drain cleaning costs | It is a guide to drain cleaning prices |
Why Google cares about internal links
Google's SEO starter guide says Google primarily finds pages through links from pages it has already crawled, and that link text tells users and Google something about the page being linked to.
Google's link best practices add three points. Every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. Good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise and makes sense when read on its own. There is no ideal number of links on a page.
What it means for your business
Internal links are the part of SEO a business controls completely. They matter on a site that keeps adding pages: a new city page, service page or article that nothing links to depends on Google finding it some other way. A five-page site whose menu links every page needs little work here.
They also move buyers. A reader on a cost guide who decides to book is one link away from the service page that takes the booking. Planning these links is part of our SEO services.
Common mistakes
- Using "click here" or "read more" as link text. Use words that name the next page, so the link makes sense on its own.
- Publishing a page and never linking to it. Add a link from at least one related page the day it goes live.
- Stacking long rows of links next to each other. Readers struggle to tell them apart; link at the point in the text where the next page helps.
- Linking every page to every other page. Link where a reader would want to go next, so each link tells Google how two pages relate.
Related terms
Sources: Google Search Central, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, 10 December 2025; Google Search Central, Link best practices for Google, 10 December 2025.