Internal linking audit: connect each useful page to a sensible next step
A website can contain many good pages and still leave visitors without a next step. Our review treats internal links as part of the reader's task. It starts with an important page, checks relevant destinations and ends with a documented change rather than the highest possible link count.
Record the starting page's job
Choose an article or service page and write down why someone visits it. Our example is a guide to preparing a website project. A sensible next step might be a detailed brief or the scope of a relevant service. A link to an arbitrary new announcement does not automatically help that task.
- URL and the reader's specific question.
- Deeper content for the same decision.
- Suitable implementation option when available.
- Owner for maintenance.
- Existing destinations that need review.
Check discovery through visible navigation
Google recommends links from other pages to important content. Check whether the starting page is reachable through navigation or relevant text. An entry in a working inventory alone does not create that route.
Our practical test starts at the homepage or a topic area. Follow the route without knowing the exact destination address. Record missing connections, such as a guide buried in the full blog despite answering a central customer question.
Review links and their wording together
Google can parse ordinary links using an a element with href and recommends descriptive, relevant anchor text. Check both the destination and the visible words.
Our editorial example replaces a generic here with website development brief when that is what the target explains. Do not promise a service the destination does not contain. Open every link and read its opening section rather than simply ticking off a successful HTTP status.
- Address leads to the intended page.
- Anchor text explains the next content clearly.
- Destination language matches the starting page.
- Old references after redesign or renaming are checked.
- Placement makes sense for the reader.
Use topic areas for orientation
For a larger blog, we propose a maintained topic area with a short introduction and relevant guides. It should support a decision rather than repeat every existing address. Place new articles appropriately and check that older useful texts remain visible. Editorial selection needs an owner.
Prioritise changes by purpose
Start with important pages lacking a clear route, incorrect destinations and unclear next steps. Our action list records starting page, finding, new target, anchor and review date. Do not paste the same links into every paragraph: each change should explain the reader question it supports.
Observe navigation and outcomes separately
After a change, verify that links exist in the delivered content and visitors can reach the target. Observe relevant transitions when your measurement records them. An extra connection does not promise a ranking improvement; keep technical checks separate from later search performance in the report.
Frequently asked questions
- How many internal links does a page need?
- Our plan derives that from the reader's task. Add understandable next steps and check whether the page remains clear afterward.
- Is a footer link enough?
- It can create a route. Also consider whether a relevant transition from other content gives the reader better orientation.
- Should a new page be linked everywhere immediately?
- No. Place it where it deepens a specific question or explains a next step. Distribution alone is not an editorial goal.
- Are link clicks already enquiries?
- No. A transition shows use of a route. Keep it separate from an accepted enquiry and its business relevance.
Sources
Name your important articles and service pages. We can review discovery routes, destinations and next steps, then prepare a manageable action list.
Discuss internal linking