Internal Linking Strategy: A Practical Guide for Bloggers

An internal linking strategy is a plan for how the pages on your site link to each other, so readers and search engines can find your best content and understand how it fits together. The plan has four parts: decide which pages matter most, group related pages into topics, link them with descriptive anchor text, and audit the links on a schedule. This guide walks through each part, with examples and a workflow you can finish in an afternoon.

TL;DR

• Pick your money and cornerstone pages first, then route links toward them from related posts.
• Group posts into topic clusters: one hub page, many supporting posts, links in both directions.
• Use descriptive anchor text and real HTML links, never “click here” or script-only links.
• Audit monthly for orphan pages (pages nothing links to) and fix them first.
• On WordPress, a linking plugin speeds up suggestions, but you still approve every link.

Table of Contents

• What an internal linking strategy actually is
• Why internal links matter for SEO and for readers
• Step 1: Map your site and choose priority pages
• Step 2: Build topic clusters
• Step 3: Write anchor text that helps
• Step 4: Link deep, not just to the homepage
• Step 5: Find orphan pages and audit existing links
• Step 6: Handle WordPress internal linking
• What to look for in an internal linking tool
• Best practices checklist
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Our perspective
• Put it into practice
• A 60-minute starter workflow
• FAQ
• Sources

What an internal linking strategy actually is

Internal links are links from one page on your domain to another page on the same domain. External links point to other sites. A strategy is the set of rules you follow when you add them, so links appear on purpose rather than by accident.

Here is a simple example. You run a blog about affiliate marketing. You publish a long guide to YouTube affiliate marketing, and three older posts mention tagging products in video descriptions. Each of those posts gets a link to the guide, using words that describe it. You also add a link from the guide back to your broader affiliate marketing hub. That is internal linking: each link has a job, and the whole set tells readers where to go next.

Without a plan, most sites end up with the same pattern: the homepage and a few old posts collect links, and newer, more useful pages sit nearly alone.

Why internal links matter for SEO and for readers

Google’s own documentation says it uses links to find new pages to crawl and as a signal of relevance. That makes your internal links a direct line to two things you control:

1. Discovery. A page with no links pointing at it is hard for crawlers to find.
2. Context. The words you use as anchor text tell people and Google what the destination page is about.

Readers benefit too. A good internal link answers the next question before the reader has to search for it. That keeps them on your site longer and moves them toward the pages that matter to your business, whether that is an email signup, a review, or a product page.

One caution from experience: internal links help, but they do not rescue thin content. Link to pages that deserve the attention.

Step 1: Map your site and choose priority pages

Start with a spreadsheet. List every important URL, then mark each one as one of three types:

• Money pages: pages where a reader takes an action, such as a review with an affiliate link, a course page, or a signup page.
• Cornerstone pages: your most complete guides on a topic. These are the pages you want to rank.
• Supporting posts: narrower articles that answer one specific question.

The rule that follows is simple. Supporting posts should link up to cornerstone pages, and cornerstone pages should link to the money pages that fit the topic. Links should only appear where a reader would plausibly want that next step.

A quick example for a blog like ours. A guide to how to start Amazon FBA is a cornerstone page. Supporting posts on shipping inventory to Amazon and calculating FBA fees per ASIN each link up to it, and the cornerstone links down to both. A reader at any stage has a clear path to the next step.

Step 2: Build topic clusters

A topic cluster is a hub page covering a broad subject, surrounded by posts that cover subtopics in depth. Every post in the cluster links to the hub, and the hub links to every post. This structure shows search engines that your site covers the subject thoroughly, and it gives readers a logical reading order.

To build one:

1. Choose a topic you want to be known for, such as blogger SEO.
2. Write or pick the hub page that covers the topic broadly.
3. List the questions readers ask that the hub only touches on. Each becomes a supporting post.
4. Link each supporting post to the hub with anchor text that names the hub’s topic.
5. Add links between supporting posts when one genuinely leads to another.

We go deeper on this in our walkthrough on using SEO topic clusters to rank higher. If you run a blog and want a cluster that works for search traffic, our blogger SEO tips are a good place to see one in practice.

Step 3: Write anchor text that helps

Anchor text is the visible, clickable part of a link. Google says good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to both the page it sits on and the page it points to. Its examples of weak anchors include “click here” and “read more.”

Apply that with a few habits:

• Describe the destination. “Our guide to building backlink-attracting content” tells the reader what they will get. “This post” does not.
• Keep it short. Two to six words is usually enough.
• Vary the wording. If every link to a page uses the same exact phrase, it reads as mechanical. Use natural variations that still describe the page.
• Link the words that carry the meaning. Do not link a whole sentence.
• Make sure the link is a real link. Google can generally only crawl an anchor element with an href attribute. Links built only with script events may not be followed. If you use images as links, add descriptive alt text, because Google uses it as the anchor text.

Step 4: Link deep, not just to the homepage

Most new bloggers link to the homepage or the “About” page because they are easy to remember. Those pages usually get plenty of attention already. Your deeper pages, the ones that answer specific questions and bring in buyers, need the links.

A useful habit: every time you publish, find three to five older posts where a link to the new post makes sense, and add it. Then link from the new post to two or three older ones. This keeps older content connected to what you publish now. For a new site, our post on content that attracts backlinks first explains which pieces to write early, so your first internal links point to pages worth linking to.

Step 5: Find orphan pages and audit existing links

An orphan page is a page with no internal links pointing to it. Mintlify’s SEO documentation notes that such pages are less likely to be discovered and ranked, and it recommends reviewing navigation monthly.

That monthly review is worth copying. Here is a simple audit you can run:

1. Export your URLs. Use your sitemap or a crawler to list every indexable page.
2. Count internal links to each page. Any page with zero is an orphan. Pages with one or two are weak.
3. Sort by importance. Fix orphaned cornerstone and money pages first.
4. Find broken links. Update or remove any internal link that leads to a 404 or a redirect chain.
5. Check anchors. Look for generic anchors and replace them with descriptive ones.

Orphans hide in predictable places: standalone landing pages, old tutorials, lessons inside courses, and location or service pages that are reachable only through a menu or a sitemap. A page on service area pages and how trades rank in every city shows how easily those pages end up isolated when each one is created separately and never connected to the rest of the site, and the same lesson applies to course lessons and resource pages on a blog.

Step 6: Handle WordPress internal linking

On WordPress, you have three layers to manage:

• Navigation: menus, footers, and sidebars link to your main categories and top pages across the whole site.
• Contextual links: links inside post content, which usually carry the most value because they sit next to relevant text.
• Automated links: links inserted by a plugin based on rules you set.

Manual contextual links are still the best-quality option. Automation helps when you have hundreds of posts and cannot remember what you published two years ago.

If you want to automate, look at what the plugin lets you control. Internal Link Juicer, for example, lists keyword rules, anchor diversification, link limits and reporting among its features. Its documentation explains that the whitelist sets which public post types can generate automatic links, while the blacklist excludes specific posts. Those controls matter: you do not want automated links on your legal pages or inside sponsored posts.

Our own pick is described in our Link Whisper plugin overview, and we walk through a real cleanup in this Link Whisper review. If you want a wider view of tools that fix other on-page issues such as missing alt text and weak titles, see our roundup of WordPress plugins that fix bad SEO habits.

What to look for in an internal linking tool

Whether you choose a plugin, a crawler, or a spreadsheet, judge it on these points:

The most useful tool is the one you will use every time you publish. A feature list matters less than a workflow you keep.

Best practices checklist

Use this list before you publish any post:

• Add links where they help the reader. Do not link just to hit a number.
• Link to your most important pages from several related posts.
• Use descriptive, varied anchor text.
• Keep important pages within a few clicks of the homepage.
• Link both ways inside a topic cluster.
• Update old posts when you publish something newer on the same subject.
• Check for broken links and redirect chains after changing URLs.
• Do not bury links in footers or hidden text as a substitute for contextual links.

Common mistakes to avoid

Linking everything to everything. Too many links on a page dilute their value and distract the reader. Choose the links that serve the next step.

Using the same anchor every time. It looks forced. Mix your phrasing.

Ignoring new posts. A new post with no inbound links is an orphan from day one.

Forgetting affiliate pages. If your revenue comes from reviews and recommendations, these pages need strong internal paths. Linking from related tutorials to a review is a natural way to do it. Our guide to affiliate links covers how to present those links honestly.

Letting automation run unchecked. Automated links save time, but a quick review stops irrelevant matches.

Our perspective

We have run EntreResource for years, and our view on internal linking is simple: it is the cheapest traffic lever most bloggers never pull. You already wrote the content. The links just have to connect it.

What we see over and over is that the posts that earn money are not always the ones that get found. A strong review or tutorial sits three clicks deep with nothing pointing at it. Fixing that takes an afternoon, not a new content budget.

That is why we built our approach around clusters, monthly audits, and a plugin that suggests links while we write. We share that process in our guides and inside our course, because we want you to be able to repeat it on your own site without guessing. Realistically, it will not transform a site overnight. It will make every page you publish work harder for the next one.

Nathaniel

Put it into practice

If you want the full system behind our site, including how we plan content, link it and monetize it, you can get Instant Course Access for Life for a one-off $97.

If you would rather start with free material, our free downloads page is a good first stop.

A 60-minute starter workflow

If you have a site with 50 to 300 posts, this is a realistic first pass:

1. Minutes 0 to 10: Export your URLs and mark your top five cornerstone and money pages.
2. Minutes 10 to 25: Find orphans and pages with fewer than two internal links.
3. Minutes 25 to 45: For each priority page, add three contextual links from related posts.
4. Minutes 45 to 55: Replace generic anchors on those links with descriptive ones.
5. Minutes 55 to 60: Put a monthly reminder in your calendar to repeat the audit.

Then make linking part of publishing. Every new post gets inbound links from older posts and outbound links to related pages before it goes live.

FAQ

What is an internal linking strategy?

It is a plan for how your pages link to each other. The plan decides which pages get the most links, how related posts are grouped, and what anchor text you use. The goal is to help readers and search engines find and understand your most important content.

How many internal links should a post have?

There is no official number. Add a link wherever it helps the reader take a logical next step, and stop when more links would distract. For most blog posts, a handful of relevant links is enough, and longer guides can carry more.

What is an example of internal linking?

A post on Amazon FBA fees that links to your main FBA starter guide using the words “how to start Amazon FBA” is a simple example. The starter guide then links back to the fee post. Each link describes its destination and serves the reader’s next question.

How often should I audit internal links?

Monthly is a sensible rhythm for an active blog, and it matches the review cadence Mintlify recommends for navigation. Check for orphan pages, broken links, and generic anchors, then fix the most important pages first.

Sources

• Link best practices for Google (Google Search Central)
• How to improve documentation SEO (Mintlify)
• Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress
• Understanding the Blacklist and Whitelist Feature (Internal Link Juicer)

Recommended

• WordPress Internal Linking Plugin — LinkWhisper
• Blogger SEO Tips 2026: Boost Your Blog Traffic
• Link Whisper Fixed My Internal Link Structure in 20 Minutes [$10 off Discount Inside]
• How to Increase Blog Traffic: A Guide to Sustainable Growth