What is internal linking?

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ariful13
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2025 10:39 am

What is internal linking?

Post by ariful13 »

Internal links are cross-references within a website. These typically refer to a subpage, image, or document within the same domain. When a user clicks on this link, they remain on the same domain. Below, we show a good example of the URL structure for an internal link.

Domain ABC (product overview)

As already shown in the example, a link located within the text also requires anchor text, also called link text. This consists of a word or sentence and describes the content of the linked subpage. The purpose of anchor text is to inform both users and search engines about the content of the linked subpage. This not only facilitates navigation for search engines and users but also provides information about the relevance of these linked pages.

Internal Linking Siloing SEO

The difference between internal and external cross-references
Internal links

Refer to a subpage, image or shop document within the same domain.
They are primarily used to navigate users and search engines.
Can distribute the link power to the linked subpages.
Internal links should not be placed arbitrarily but sensibly.
External links

References to a website that is not your own domain and are part of the link building process .
They are primarily used to point to credible and high-quality content.
Provides search engines and users with access to additional information.
You should use them carefully and only link to trustworthy sources.
Internal links are used to connect different subpages within a domain. The link text consists of one or more keywords and provides information about the content of the linked page. External links, on the other hand, point to pages located outside of the domain itself and provide users with access to additional external content and information.

Why is correct internal linking important for SEO?

Checking and creating internal cross-references is an important component of a successful SEO strategy. Search engines like Google, in particular, use this internal link structure for navigation and to identify relevant pages. The more links point to a particular page or subpage, the more noteworthy and relevant it appears. This allows particularly important and noteworthy pages to be highlighted.

Likewise, correct internal linking can facilitate crawling and indexing , making it an important component of any search engine optimization (SEO). When a Google crawler visits a page, it follows these internal and external links, unless explicitly prevented with a nofollow attribute. This not only allows for targeted, meaningful linking of content, but also allows for effective transfer of link power.

Another important reason for ensuring correct cross-referencing is to facilitate navigation for both search engines and users. Links within a website, in particular, offer the opportunity to point to further or supplementary content. This allows users and search engines to better understand the context and makes it easier to navigate within a website.

What should you pay attention to when linking within a website?

Links within a website not only serve to facilitate navigation for crawlers, but should also be used to improve the user experience (UX). To achieve this, the following points should be considered and followed.

Image

Make links accessible to crawlers with the right attributes :

To make a link accessible to a Google crawler or other search engine crawlers, it should be located within an HTML anchor element . The href attribute is recommended in addition to the <a> HTML element .
Meaningful and visible anchor text :
Anchor text should be placed between an <a> HTML element, clearly visible to users and search engines. The alt attribute should be used for cross-references to images. Anchor text should reflect the content of the links and avoid superfluous keywords. SEO considerations should be taken into account when selecting the right keywords as anchor text within internal links.

Content relevance :

Cross-references that have no content relevance or anchor texts that consist of superfluous keywords violate the spam guidelines and should therefore be avoided.
Color contrasts with the body text :
To emphasize that a link is a link, it should stand out from the body text. Website operators can achieve this by using color contrasts.
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