Internal linking for SEO: How to strengthen your website’s strategy
CONTINUING on from my two previous blogs, ask yourself this – is your website’s internal linking strategy helping or hurting your SEO? When it comes to SEO, businesses often focus on keywords, backlinks, and content creation – but internal linking is one of the most powerful and overlooked tools for boosting search rankings, user engagement, and website authority.
A well-structured internal linking strategy can:
– Improve your website’s SEO rankings
– Help Google crawl and index your pages more effectively
– Increase user engagement by guiding visitors to relevant content
– Distribute authority across your site, strengthening important pages
– Yet, many businesses don’t have an internal linking strategy at all, which means they’re missing out on a simple way to enhance SEO and improve user experience.
In this blog, I look at how internal linking for SEO works, why it matters, and how you can optimise your website’s structure and remember our made up tourism business from the previous blog? We take a look at how internal linking could help ‘Mountain View Retreat’.
What is internal linking and why does it matter?
Internal links are hyperlinks which connect one page on your website to another. Unlike external links, which direct users to different websites, internal links help users and search engines navigate your content.
Why internal linking is crucial for SEO
Google Uses Internal Links to Crawl Your Site – Search engines use links to discover and index new pages. Without internal links, some pages may become “orphan pages”, meaning Google won’t find them – which hurts your rankings.
They Help Distribute Link Equity (Authority) Across Your Site – If a high-authority page on your website links to a lower-ranked page, it helps boost that page’s ranking power, making it more likely to appear in search results.
They Improve User Experience and Engagement – A good internal linking strategy guides users to related content, keeping them on your site longer and reducing bounce rates—both of which are positive signals for SEO.
The Tourism Business Missing Out on SEO Benefits
Let’s take an example. Imagine a small boutique hotel in Northern Ireland, let’s call it Mountain View Retreat (a made up business).
Let’s say Mountain View Retreat has a beautiful website, but their blog and service pages aren’t connected. Visitors land on their Accommodation Page, but there are no internal links leading to:
– A blog about local attractions in the area
– A page about food and drink experiences they offer
– Testimonials or guest stories
As a result:
– Visitors leave the website faster because they don’t explore other pages.
– Google struggles to understand the site’s structure, impacting SEO rankings.
– The business misses out on potential bookings because users don’t see all the experiences they offer.
By simply adding internal links to connect related pages, they could:
– Boost their SEO rankings by making it easier for Google to crawl their site.
– Increase time on site by encouraging users to read multiple pages.
– Drive more bookings by leading visitors to their most important pages.
How to Optimise Internal Linking for SEO
If you want to strengthen your website’s SEO then follow these best practices for internal linking:
– Link to Relevant, High-Value Pages – Not all links are created equal. Prioritise linking to pages that matter, such as: Your About Page, which helps build trust (See how to optimise your About Page for EEAT); High-performing blog posts and Service pages which convert visitors into customers
– Use Descriptive Anchor Text – Instead of “click here”, use anchor text which explains what the link is about. A good example of this is: “Learn why EEAT is essential for SEO and credibility”. A bad example is “Click here for more info”. Nobody really likes being shouted at or told what to do.
– Avoid Too Many Links on One Page – Adding too many links can be overwhelming and may dilute the value of each link. Stick to 3-5 strategic internal links per post. Update old content with internal links. You should also consider spending time revisiting older blog posts and add links to newer, relevant content to keep your site structure fresh.
– Make Internal Links Follow a Logical Structure – Ensure each page naturally leads visitors to the next relevant topic. For example: A blog about Northern Ireland tourism – put in Links to the Accommodation page. From the Accommodation Page insert links to Local Attractions blog and from Local Attractions blog insert links to a Booking Page.
When you do this, what you’re also doing is guiding users seamlessly through your content, increasing engagement and conversions.
How MGMPR Can Help You Get Internal Linking Right?
Many businesses don’t realise internal linking is a key part of SEO strategy until they see the difference it makes.
At MGMPR, we specialise in:
– SEO-driven brand storytelling which improves rankings
– Website content structuring to enhance user experience
– Optimising internal linking strategies to maximise traffic
We’ve helped businesses across tourism, hospitality, and many more sector, strengthen their SEO and digital presence through strategic content planning and internal linking.
If you want to boost your SEO, improve site navigation, and increase engagement, we can help and I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at eleanor@mgmpr.co.uk to get started.
Last but not least….. strengthen your SEO with smarter internal linking
If you’re not using internal linking strategically, you’re missing out on a powerful way to improve SEO, increase engagement, and strengthen your website’s authority. It’s worth spending time going through your website today, find pages which aren’t well-connected, and start adding valuable internal links to strengthen your structure.
And if you need expert guidance, you know where to find me – eleanor@mgmpr.co.uk
As always, thank you for reading. And if this blog struck a chord with you, you should also read What your need to know about EEAT compliance and also How to craft an EEAT compliant ‘About’ page for your website.
