Lesson 22 / 34

Internal Linking Strategy

Use internal links to distribute authority and guide users and search engines through your site.

Link juice flow

Internal links pass ranking authority ("link juice") between pages. Link to important pages from your homepage and other high-authority pages. Use descriptive anchor text to tell Google what the linked page is about.

Internal linking best practices

Link from context, use anchor text that describes the destination, and limit links per page. Avoid excessive linking or keyword stuffing in anchor text.

<!-- GOOD: Contextual, descriptive link -->
<p>
  Learn more about 
  <a href="/guides/react-hooks">React Hooks patterns and best practices</a>
  in our comprehensive guide.
</p>

<!-- BETTER: Link from high-authority page -->
<nav>
  <a href="/blog">Blog</a>
  <a href="/guides/react-hooks">React Hooks</a>
  <a href="/guides/typescript-setup">TypeScript Setup</a>
</nav>

<!-- AVOID: Vague anchor text -->
<p>Check out our guide <a href="/guides/react">here</a></p>

<!-- AVOID: Keyword stuffing -->
<p><a href="/react">React tutorial React course learn React</a></p>

Anchor text importance

Anchor text is the visible text in a link. Google uses it to understand what the linked page is about. Use descriptive anchor text — not 'click here' or 'read more'.

Sitemap for internal navigation

List your XML sitemap in robots.txt with a Sitemap: line, and make sure every important page is also reachable through normal internal links.