Why internal links matter
Internal links are one of the few ranking signals you fully control. They help search engines discover pages, understand how topics relate and judge which pages matter most. Descriptive anchor text also tells Google what the linked page is about, which is particularly valuable for pages with few external links.
For readers, good internal links answer the next question before they ask it. That keeps them on your site for longer and moves them towards pages that convert.
Internal linking best practice
- Use descriptive anchors. "Boiler servicing costs" tells readers and Google far more than "click here".
- Vary anchors naturally. Exact-match anchors in every link can look engineered, so mix in close variations.
- Link from relevant, well-performing pages to the pages you want to rank.
- Point to the canonical URL, never a redirect or a parameter version.
- Do not link the same page several times in one article. Usually only the first link carries meaningful weight.
Building a keyword-to-URL list
Start with your money pages and their primary keywords, then add supporting guides and their topics. Put longer, more specific phrases above shorter ones so "emergency boiler repair" is matched before "boiler repair". Review every automatic link before publishing. The goal is helpful links, not the maximum number of them.
Already have plenty of links? Check their quality with the Anchor Text Checker, which finds pages linked with generic anchors like "read more".