Internal linking

Definition

Internal linking refers to how a website's pages connect to one another: menus, breadcrumbs, in-text links, and "read more" blocks. Unlike backlinks, this is entirely under your control.

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How it works

Google discovers most pages by following links. A page that receives no internal links (an orphan page) is unlikely to be crawled or indexed. Furthermore, the link text—the anchor—indicates the subject of the target page; Google recommends descriptive anchors rather than "click here."

Effective internal linking focuses links toward the pages that matter for your business: service pages, pillar pages, and client case studies.

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Why it matters for your site

On many sites we audit, service pages receive fewer links than blog posts, even though they are the ones that convert. Internal linking also corrects keyword cannibalization: when multiple pages target the same keyword, links tell Google which one is the primary reference.

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The We-R perspective

Every piece of content we publish has a "parent" page it links back to: an article to a service page, or a glossary entry to an in-depth article. On Webflow, we structure the CMS so these links are created automatically between related content, without relying on the team's memory.

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Learn more

See also:Backlink,CMS,Structured data. And to put it into practice:the 7 SEO mistakes to avoidorour SEO & GEO consulting services.

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Sources: Google Search Central, SEO starter guide (links and anchor text) · We-R audits.

Last updated: October 2026.